ESPN analyst Jesse Palmer said Monday on the network's "College Football Live" that Stanford or Wisconsin are "two one-loss teams much more deserving" than undefeated TCU of playing in the BCS national title game should Oregon or Auburn lose Saturday.
Palmer doesn't believe TCU "has done enough" to merit playing in the title game as a non-automatic qualifier.
"I do not think TCU should be next up," he said. "If TCU is given the opportunity" to play in the BCS title game "then we've set the standard for what a non-AQ school has to accomplish," Palmer said, and he clearly doesn't believe TCU has met the standard.
He cited TCU's best win over a team from a BCS automatic qualifying conference as its 30-21 victory over Oregon State, which is 5-6 going into Saturday's game against Oregon. Stanford defeated Oregon State 38-0 on Saturday.
Palmer said TCU "looked beatable" in victories over non-AQ schools SMU and San Diego State.
ESPN analyst Desmond Howard was up first on the show and believed TCU should play in the title game if the top two stumble. "They earned it, they deserve it," he said. "TCU is one of the more complete teams i've seen, no matter what conference they're in ... You talk about the eye test, this team passes the eye test."
E. Gordon Gee must be loving this mixed-up mystery!
Posted by: Lou P. | November 29, 2010 at 03:19 PM
I agree with Jesse Palmer. TCU has a nice team, but they have not shown enough. They are hurt by the MWC not being very good, but they also had a fairly weak non-conference schedule. I can't believe if they were in the Big 12, SEC, or Big10 they would not have two losses. There is just a physical pounding you take week in and week out in those leagues that you don't playing Wyoming, New Mexico, etc. And the Big East is not much better.
Posted by: Mike | November 29, 2010 at 03:28 PM
I have a better question, why is MSU, not playing in a major bowl game. They kicked Wisconsin's Butt! Some day someone will pay for this BS!
Posted by: TR Dixon | November 29, 2010 at 03:45 PM
Screw you tcu!
Posted by: Mountain west fan | November 29, 2010 at 04:30 PM
I think Kirk Herbstreit should crown the two finalists. ESPN should rule sports.
Posted by: common sense | November 29, 2010 at 10:57 PM
Nice Mount West Fan, very classy...
Posted by: Siggy | November 30, 2010 at 01:11 PM
Go Frogs, make our state proud.
Posted by: GolfDog | November 30, 2010 at 03:55 PM
Amazing statement..."TCU looked beatable". First of all the score was 41 to 24 against SMU. Is that close? Secondly, San Diego State is 8-4 and only lost to Missouri by 3 at Missouri. Finally, even if TCU looked beatable, they didn't get beat! Did Stanford and Wisconson look "beatable" when they got beat! What an incredibly stupid comment.
Posted by: Lloyd | November 30, 2010 at 05:12 PM
Oh yes, and one more...
Did Oregon look "beatable" when they lucked out and won by 2 against a horrible Cal team from a do-over field goal that missed?
Posted by: Lloyd | November 30, 2010 at 05:16 PM
TCU beat a 7 win Baylor team 45-10, but their best BCS conf win is 30-21 against 5-6 Oregon State?
Posted by: Baylor fan | November 30, 2010 at 05:20 PM
Jesse Palmer is the village idiot!
Posted by: dave spooner | November 30, 2010 at 06:52 PM
undefeated is undefeated...very hard to do no matter who you are. Let them play and settle it. I don't think anyone can say for sure so, as previously stated, let them play and them anyone can talk about how smart or how dumb they are.
Posted by: rick | November 30, 2010 at 07:15 PM
TR Dixon, if MSU kicked WI butt, what did WI do to #1 Ohio State, #14 Iowa, Michigan ... not to mention the easy beatdowns of Indiana and Northwestern? Just wondering
Posted by: Norske | November 30, 2010 at 09:17 PM
BTW, Palmer called it as he saw it and I agree with him. Then the only way to settle this discussion is on the field Jan. 1 against WI. Good luck .....
Posted by: Norske | November 30, 2010 at 09:19 PM
How many teams are undefeated two seasons in a row - in any league? Palmer doesn't sound very smart, just extremely biased against any team that would dare interrupt his elitest dreams. What precedent does he fear setting? Is he afraid that another team will have multiple 10-plus seasons in a row and be put in the national championship game?
Posted by: Texas Sonbeam | December 01, 2010 at 12:04 AM
Clearly Jesse PAlmer is under the delusion that these other conferences have some magical mysterious powers. When Utah beat Alabama two years ago in a BCS game did he say that Utah didn't deserve to be there. A win is a win and nothing else should matter - Jesse probably just gets kickback money from one of the BCS conferences.
Posted by: Hornedfrog18 | December 01, 2010 at 09:31 AM
i'm not a tcu fan, but espn has had i out for them and boise all year.
i really dislike the people at espn.
by the way, remember that boise destroyed oregon last year.
Posted by: roger | December 01, 2010 at 11:26 AM
If going undefeated was easy there would be at least 20 teams in that class. To do it two years in a row is a real feat. Ask Alabama, Texas, Florida.
Frogs have earned it and deserve a shot if either 1 or 2 lose.
Posted by: FloridaFrogFan | December 01, 2010 at 11:38 AM
Jesse Palmer and Kirk Herbstreit need to be playing for one of TCU's opponets.If after the game, they have not been sent to a hospital, then their comments may have some validity about TCU.
Posted by: jerry bransford | December 02, 2010 at 08:16 AM
TCU's strengh of schedule is virtually identical to Wisconsin's, OSU's, and MSU's. Wisconsin and MSU have each beaten one Top 25 team; OSU has beaten none. To say that those teams have done more than TCU is ridiculous. People are letting their own biases get in the way of the facts.
Posted by: FrogMountain | December 02, 2010 at 09:20 AM