I thought that if we beat Louisville and West Virginia we’d be a cinch for the National Championship, bada bing! But what’s this I hear about the BCS thing ignoring my Scarlet Knights? Our schedule’s not good enough now? Oh! We paid our dues, now we want our taste.

Tony S.
Jersey

You’re right, T, it’s a joke. Should Rutgers or Louisville come out of the Big East undefeated, then they have a legitimate claim to play in the BCS Championship, but I doubt we’ll actually see it happen. Louisville, West Virginia and Rutgers have a combined record of 7-0 against the SEC, ACC, Big 10 and Big 12. Those games might not have been against the nation’s top teams, but aside from a Texas squad with a green quarterback on week two of the season, who have the Buckeyes beaten? Iowa? The Hawkeyes lost to Indiana, who lost to UConn, who Rutgers just creamed. Penn State? No one’s giving the Irish credit for pasting them, why should the Buckeyes get any? OSU just beat Illinois by seven — the Knights blanked them, 33-0.

People are adamant that either Texas or Florida would make a better National Championship opponent for the OSU-Michigan winner. But look at George Mason University’s Final Four run in basketball. UConn probably would have made a better opponent than Florida, but they sure didn’t prove it on the court.

By denying Rutgers or Louisville a shot that they’ve earned, the BCS might be denying the country an incredible fairy tale. Of course, if Louisville or Rutgers are excluded, perhaps people will see exactly how prejudiced the BCS system really is against teams unranked at the start of the season.

Terps, Terps, Terps, Terps, Terps, Terps, Terps, Terps, Terps, Terps, Terps, Terps, Terps, Terps, Terps, Terps, Terps, Terps, Terps, Terps, Terps, Terps, Terps, Terps, Terps, Terps, Terps!!! Maryland rules!!!

Everyone
Sports Talk 980

Yes, the Terps are on top of their half of the ACC, but can we please tone it down a bit? Enough with the potential to beat Florida State and Miami in the same year. These days it’s clear that Bobby Bowden is hungrier for the Early Bird Special than he is for a title, and events at Helmet Swinger U have turned positively tragic with Bryan Pata’s death. Patting Maryland on the back for beating these teams this year is like applauding yourself for trouncing your five-year-old in Trivial Pursuit. You may have won, but it doesn’t make you a winner.

Even in a down year, is it an achievement to win the ACC? Absolutely. But please stop treating the Terps like they’re one of football’s best stories when they’ve beaten the likes of Virginia (4-6), Florida International (0-8) and North Carolina State (3-6) by a combined 12 points.

I just hope the Georgetown, George Washington and George Mason basketball teams get as much recognition this winter when they dominate local hoops for the third-straight year, while Maryland works on edging Division II teams like California University (Pa.).

The Caps’ young guns are looking good so far and I was thinking about bringing my youth team to check them out and pick up pointers for our upcoming game against Iceland. Should I call ahead for tickets?

G. Bombay
Minnesota

Frankly I’m not sure what’s stranger, the Caps’ hot start, or the fact that Disney assigned the most feared international youth hockey program to a country with no notable history in the sport. Regardless …

Strange as it may seem, the Caps are off to a fine start this season and as of Tuesday sat fifth overall in the Eastern Conference. Last Saturday they handled the Flyers and Monday they rebounded from a three-goal deficit against Ottawa. During both games there were stretches where the offense looked every bit as smooth as a Charlie Conway triple deke.

With Dainius Zubrus healthy and the addition of Alexander Semin to a lineup anchored by the great Alexander Ovechkin, the Caps are seventh in the league in goals and finally sport the firepower to match their trademark grit from last season. They’ve shored up last year’s dismal special teams, upping last season’s third-worst penalty kill to the middle of the pack, and have gotten some great goaltending from both Olie Kolzig and Brent Johnson.

They’ll need to tighten up a defense that’s allowing a league-high 35.8 shots per game, but if they can, the Caps can expect to find themselves right in the heart of the playoff chase come spring time.

But don’t worry about calling ahead Coach, with the fourth-lowest attendance in the league, fans are about as numerous as DVD owners of “D3.” Of course, if the Caps keep it up, that could soon change.