Some great stuff from one of the bloggers for the Dispatch's Buckeye Xtra who is breaking down the BCS weekly for the paper and isn't just focusing on tOSU.

buckeyextra.dispatch.com/content/stories/2013/09/30/0930-bcs-breakdown.html

Main points are that OHIO, BG, Ball State, and NIU are the class of the MAC and none play each other in any cross-divisional games.  So as we already know the BG v OHIO and Ball State v NIU games will determine the division winners.  Also each team going undefeated until their "defacto" division titles games is huge.  Not only for conference perception since they are still some important non-conf games on the schedule, but also for the possibility for ranked MAC teams playing each other in the regular season.  Which will make for great TV for our MACtion weeknight games and also make more likely a repeat of last year of having two ranked MAC teams in the MACC.  Which would again set up the MACC winner with a real good shot of getting an at-large BCS selection.

Here's to hoping the dominoes fall right again for the MAC.

And then, returning to form at the Dispatch, this little gem is buried in a Sunday article about M%$#@'s loss at Illinois:

"Illinois 50, Miami University 14:   The Illini got their third win of the season early after finishing 2-10 a year ago and closing with nine straight losses.    Miami (0-4) lost its third straight game to a BCS school after falling to Cincinnati last weekend and Kentucky two weeks ago"

I've been trying to figure out what this actually means.  Are they insinuating that M%$#@ isn't a BCS team 'cause I thought they (and we ) were?

Are they suggesting that losing to another BCS team, let alone three, is somehow unacceptable?

Sometimes, I see things in this paper that just make me want to shake my head.  I suppose this is a wire service report but, geez, don't that edit this stuff?

A lot of people use BCS and AQ interchangeably.  Theoretically, all 1A (FBS) schools are BCS because they have a shot at a BCS bowl, although some can automatically qualify by winning their conference and others have to meet other criteria. 

I think NIU is the only MAC team with a realistic hope of getting to a BCS bowl this year.  Even if Ohio, BG or BSU wins out, the one loss each has will likely be enough to keep them out of the top 16.  We were hammered by L'ville; BG was hammered by Indiana; BSU lost to North Texas (could hear Herbie yelling about that one).  BG and BSU can still make noise @Miss St & Virginia, respectively, but I don't think it'll be enough to overcome the earlier losses in the minds of voters.  BSU may have an outside chance if they beat up on both UVA and NIU (which may be top 15 when they meet in Nov), but even then they might have to be top 25 when they meet NIU in order to get the needed bump.