It seems the NCAA has taken down the '04 information. This is from a fanblog copying a writer for the Huntsville times:
Quote: *January 10, 2005
Auburn had toughest schedule of BCS teams
After pundits spent the last week or so beating up on Auburn for it’s weak schedule, John Pruett from The Huntsville Times checked the official NCAA stats and found Auburn got a bum rap. In fact, Auburn had the fifth toughest schedule in the country (pdf).
Despite playing Louisiana-Monroe (5-6), LA Tech (6-6), and DI-AA The Citadel, Auburn finished as the highest rated BCS team in strength of schedule by the NCAA official statistics.
Texas A&M was #1, followed by North Carolina, Arizona, Arizona State, and Auburn. Where did the BCS title game teams rank? Oklahoma’s schedule was ranked 11th and USC’s was 18th. * http://www.fanblogs.com/sec/004779.php
To save opening a new thread with a poll at the top, we can refer to
and see this schedule:
Sat, Sep 24 (5) Florida State
Sat, Oct 1 at (13) Virginia Tech
Sat, Oct 8 Boston College
Sat, Oct 15 at Maryland
Sat, Oct 22 North Carolina
Sat, Oct 29 at Georgia Tech
Sat, Nov 12 Wake Forest
Sat, Nov 19 at North Carolina State
Sat, Nov 26 at (10) South Carolina
It would appear thet the SEC won’t have a direct shot at Clemson’s hold until Nov 26, so it might be fun to calculate the quickest route back to the SEC by way of these potential holders of The Belt.
As near as I can tell, 11/26 is the first shot for the SEC and that’s only if Clemson hangs on to it or if FSU (vs UF), GT (vs UGA), or WF (vs Vandy) takes it from them. If someone else takes it or the ACC wins whatever SEC matchup puts the belt on the line, then it’ll have to be a bowl game.
There are four ACC/SEC matchups on the last weekend of the year, but I don’t think there is any until then. Clemson, FSU, GT, and WF all play an SEC team at the end of the year. There might be circuitous routes through a couple of non AQ team back to the SEC, but that is unlikely.
The only team Clemson plays who subsequently has a non-ACC game before the last weekend is Maryland who plays Notre Dame on Nov 12. God forbid Clemson makes it past FSU and VT to lose to Maryland and then the belt somehow ends up in Notre Dame’s hands that late on the season.
Fear not, I have it on good authority (ie me after watching the FSU/OU game, damn those dudes were fast!) that clemson will be losing badly to FSU next week and that Florida will be taking it away from them at the end of the season. Unfortunately, since Florida will not be in the SEC championship game/National Championship game, we’ll have to see who their bowl match-up is before determining how quickly South Carolina can reclaim the Belt.
Hmm, it’s interesting to consider ways in which South Carolina could reclaim the Belt that don’t include playing an undefeated Clemson team on Nov 26 (I get sick thinking about that!). Assuming the Belt ends up in the ACC championship game, South Carolina would have to be an SEC champ with one or more losses (and the SEC West beats itself up) meeting the ACC champ in a (non-champonship) BCS bowl (not gonna happen with the Sugar and Orange tie-ins) or South Carolina would have to meet the ACC champ in the BCS Championship game (also very unlikely).
Anybody see a way for Clemson to lose The Belt this season?
Sat, Oct 22 North Carolina
Sat, Oct 29 at Georgia Tech
Sat, Nov 12 Wake Forest
Sat, Nov 19 at North Carolina State
Sat, Nov 26 at South Carolina
Looks like South Carolina might get it back, and if they do that would make for their having it three times since Oct/2010. Clemson has held the belt longer than anybody since Alabama, from whom USCe won it to start with.