Today’s big winner: Urban Meyer

The argument against Ohio State and for the Auburn-Missouri winner to be included in the national-title game (assuming Ohio State beats Michigan State) is simple:

It’s called winning and losing and playing a difficult schedule.

Don’t take my word for it. That line above is a direct quote from Urban Meyer, in 2006, a week away from the SEC title game and sitting at No. 4 in the BCS standings.

Meyer of 2006 knows that Meyer in 2013 hasn’t played anyone and he knows that who you play HAS to matter. Dan Wolken lays out that context here.

In making the case for picking the 1-loss SEC champ over the unbeaten Big Ten champ to face Florida State in the BCS title game, let’s discount the SEC’s current run of national titles — a swath of destruction over the rest of the country that has proven, year in and year out, that the best of the “rest” of the country can’t keep up — and just focus on this year.

Auburn and Mizzou have played brutal schedules. Their sole losses came against two elite teams that would each bury Ohio State. (Let’s be honest: Ohio State would be no better than the SIXTH-best team in the SEC, behind Auburn, Alabama, LSU, Missouri and South Carolina, without even taking into account the accumulated toll that running the SEC gauntlet would do to a puffed-up team like the Buckeyes. Note that I didn’t even include Texas A&M — is there any doubt that an Ohio State team that gave up 40 to Michigan wouldn’t get demolished by Johnny Football?)

Ohio State partisans point to beating “ranked” Wisconsin (which just lost to Penn State) but its season’s real signature win was a primetime squeaker over Northwestern, which finished with one Big Ten win. With every week, Ohio State’s CV remains closer to unbeaten MAC champ than 1-loss SEC champ.

The irony here is that every pundit talks a big game about “resume” — and, if anything, haven’t the past half-dozen years debunked the myth of “unbeaten” as some sort of infallible criteria? — but when it comes down to it, voters (and computer programmers) can’t get over the allure of “And-ohhh!” This, despite years of evidence that coming out of the SEC with one loss still produces a vastly more qualified title contender than going through a lesser league unscathed.

The BCS system has been a mess for virtually its entire existence. But not unlike 2013’s other great finale redemption story — Walter White in the “Breaking Bad” series-ender — the much-maligned system has a chance to go out with a modicum of sympathy by rightfully vaulting a 1-loss SEC champ ahead of a thinly propped up unbeaten Big Ten team.

The debate this week will be intense and wearying. Thankfully, there’s a decent chance it ends up being moot, if Ohio State can’t beat Michigan State — or perhaps even if Ohio State doesn’t look impressive in victory.

But back to Urban Meyer in 2006, explaining why 2013 Auburn/Mizzou deserves a title shot ahead of 2013 Ohio State. Remember: Despite Florida’s superior resume, his Gators needed a miracle in the final week — lightly regarded UCLA upending then-No. 2 USC — to back Florida into the national title game, which ignited the SEC BCS streak.

Ironically enough, in that game Meyer led Florida to a rout of — wait for it — Ohio State, absurdly favored in the title game precisely because of the now-debunked formula that “brand name + unbeaten = champion.” It is Meyer’s most impressive career accomplishment.

Urban knew then, and — short of his contractually obligated flip-flop posturing — he knows now: “It’s called winning and losing and playing a difficult schedule” is a better barometer of national-title bona fides than bucking unbeaten through a soft schedule.

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More of today’s winners …

Teenage British diving star Tom Daley recently came out in a YouTube video.

The A-Rod saga gets seedier with each passing day.

Jason Dufner asked Tiger Woods to reschedule a tournament so he can watch Auburn. Tiger denied the request.

There were a lot of Mike Ditkas running around Chicago this weekend.

There’s new footage of Mike Tomlin wandering the sideline during Jacoby Jones’ kickoff return.

Ron Burgundy explained the meaning of ‘Winnipeg’ during a curling competition. Anchorman 2 better be hilarious, Will.