As far as I can remember, the four major bowls were never open to them before the formation of the BCS. They should thank their lucky stars for even a minute chance. So do you say the same for Texas and Texas A&M, etc? The four major bowls were not really open to them prior to the formation of the BCS, either. Are they simply lucky that they have the chance to play in them now. Plus, the point is that they don't have a minute chance to play in them, or that the chance is so minute that it is essentially impossible. The reason why the smaller conferences are not a BCS conferences is because they're traditionally weak and the BCS doesn't want them. Most of these schools either have no winning tradition, commuter school, no fan support, no money, no political power, did something wrong, etc and cannot sustain a winning program. They don't bring anything to the table. If those teams in the smaller conferences were any good, they would be in a BCS conference. And even If TCU was added to the B12, they would be lumped in the bottom half with Baylor and Kansas. Would TCU even be favored if they played any of the top 25 schools? Yes, they are traditionally not powerhouse schools (of course, neither are any of the remaining Big East teams after the defection and they still get an automatic bid for at least the next two years). The point is that when they aren't weak, they still don't have a chance to play in a BCS Bowl. That means that the anti-trust defense that the BCS has espoused (that these at-large bids would allow for a BCS bid if those teams were playing well) was a bogus argument. And if it truly is impossible (or essentially impossible in practice) for a non-BCS conference team to make it to a BCS Bowl no matter how well they play, then the BCS could very well be in violation of the anti-trust laws. Whether the BCS wants them or not is beside the point since the law of the land has something to say about the issue. And while I have no real respect for the AP poll and the Coaches Poll or the way the BCS is calculated, TCU is ranked 8th in the BCS standings, they're a Top Ten team in both polls. They are top ten in all but one of the computer rankings. Your point is that despite the fact that every measure we use to determine college football rankings says TCU should be in the BCS Bowl mix, they are not worthy in your eyes. That's fine that that's your opinion, but I imagine that since those who are asked upon to be professional evaluators have them ranked as a top ten team, it will be hard to argue that they simply aren't worthy, especially when teams ranked lower by those very same rankings will be in BCS Bowls.
The point is that when they aren't weak, they still don't have a chance to play in a BCS Bowl. That means that the anti-trust defense that the BCS has espoused (that these at-large bids would allow for a BCS bid if those teams were playing well) was a bogus argument. That's not true. If those teams play a tough non-conference schedule, they could make it. Fresno State, had it gone undefeated a couple of years ago, was a virtual lock because of its tough non-conference schedule. Northern Illinois may have had a chance this year by virtue of it beating Wisconsin and Maryland.
I was talking perception rather than reality. The perception is that it is essentially impossible for a non-BCS team to make it to a BCS Bowl. And the question will be asked as to why a non-BCS conference school is looked over when teams that are lower ranked by the BCS' own forumla do get to go to BCS Bowls. I mean, you can point to the at-large bids and the top six rule, but the reality of the situation is that it is harder for a non-BCS conference team to make it into a BCS Bowl than it is for a BCS conference team that puts together the same or similar performance. Northern Illinois kind of makes the point, though. They are scheduling and beating tougher non-conference opponents, but they lose once and they're far, far out of the mix (granted, they ended up losing again this weekend, but they were out of the BCS Bowl mix the second they lost to Bowling Green). Should a non-BCS team really have to go undefeated to be eligible for a BCS Bowl? No BCS conference team has to go undefeated to get to a BCS Bowl. (I don't see Wisconsin on Northern Illinois' schedule, though. I see them having beat a 14th ranked Maryland team, but that's it, is the ESPN schedule wrong?)
