And while I'm certain that the two of us would find a common bond, perhaps going so far as to form our own mutual admiration society, I fear I would far too often find myself lecturing on the ABCs of the BCS.
Now, let me make it clear that LaMond, who writes for the Fort Wayne (Ind.) Journal Gazette, is far from alone in his confusion. Countless others have come before him, all utilizing the term "BCS" as though every university in America were picnicking together under the same smiley-face umbrella.
Correct: "Alabama beat LSU 21-0 to win the BCS national championship, even though you couldn't have awoken me for the second half with a gong and a bevy of blacksmiths pounding out Kenny Gee songs on anvils."
Incorrect: "College basketball's old guard has grown so weary of routinely being beaten by non-BCS schools that it has retained legal counsel for purposes of obtaining a restraining order."
In the first instance, the term "BCS" refers to football (though that application, too, may soon be rendered passé).
In the second, the term "non-BCS" has no relationship to the BCS whatsoever.
To wit: At this very moment, both of college basketball's top-25 polls --- the Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN Coaches --- include Murray State, Creighton, Saint Mary's, Marquette and Harvard. Given that none of the five is a member of the Football Bowl Subdivision and only Murray State and Harvard actually field football teams, how can they possibly be classified as non-BCS schools?
Meanwhile, the Mountain West remains No. 5 in the latest RPI poll. The MW was ranked ahead of the Pac-10 last year and is once again ranked ahead of the Pac-12 in 2012. By that score, is the Pac-12 now "non-BCS" in terms of basketball? Don't get me wrong, LaMond. I know your Jan. 31 article entitled "3 Non-BCS Contenders," touting the talents of Murray State, San Diego State and UNLV, wasn't meant to rattle my chain. It's just that I get a little testy when folks misconstrue the ABCs of the BCS.
May it R.I.P.
Mick McGrane has covered the Mountain West since the league's inception in 1999. He spent 12 years at the San Diego Union-Tribune, where he served as the beat writer for San Diego State football and men's basketball. He currently represents the MW as a member of the Football Writers Association of America All-America Committee and is a member of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. McGrane serves as senior writer to the Mountain West, providing readers with exclusive, in-depth information about the Conference by highlighting its eight member institutions and contributing feature stories on student-athletes that participate in the league's 18 sponsored sports.
One other odd thing I've noticed in college hoopsjournalism is the use by the national media of the term "Power 6 Conferences," which refers to the member conferences of the BCS. What possible reason could there be for using that term other than snobbery and deference to conferences that happen to have existed for a very long time.
It's true that the MWC is not one of the major football conferences -- that cannot be argued given the departure of Boise State, BYU, Utah, and TCU. That said, suggesting that the PAC12 and SEC are both members of the best 6 conferences for basketball is straight-comical.
Following my own monitoring, thousands of persons all over the world receive the loan at different creditors. Thence, there's a good chance to find a student loan in any country.