The BCS Title Game? Simple as Day and Knight

If you can see a game halfway around the world, in this case at Bubba's Texas-Style Bar-B-Que and Saloon in Hongqiao, China, it must be pretty important stuff. A Shanghai Web site warns, though, that you had better get there early because fans of Ohio State and Michigan, not to mention everybody else caught up in this insanity, have been checking in for days about availability. The question is even posed on "The Shanghaiist" as to whether there "are other places in Shanghai or Beijing showing the game."

For a change, the "Game of the Century" tag seems appropriate. They began playing each other in 1897, but not until now, with Ohio State ranked No. 1 and Michigan No. 2, have the schools been ranked 1-2 in the polls coming into The Game. It's the first time since 1973 Michigan and Ohio State have met with perfect records. And all that's on the line is the top ranking, an undefeated season, a chance to play in the BCS title game Jan. 8, a Heisman Trophy for Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith, and the satisfaction for one that it has ruined the dreams and aspirations of the other.

If it's a classic that leaves even folks in Shanghai breathless we might get to see it again in Arizona in seven weeks. The people who don't enjoy Cinderella stories such as Rutgers and don't believe Notre Dame, Florida, Arkansas or West Virginia will finish the season with only one loss, are already predicting (hoping for?) a rematch.

It has set up the one thing that gives college football its intrigue: chaos.

The people who like their college football wrapped in power and glory are praying that everything works out to let the Ohio State-Michigan winner face a one-loss Notre Dame, Southern Cal, Florida or Michigan team in the BCS finale. A lot of what drives college football (too much of what drives it) is familiarity, a comfort level with the same teams year after year. The theme most associated with the sport is "tradition," and rarely do the keepers of the game embrace anything new, certainly not new teams.

Not so long ago, though, one of those new neighbors was the University of Miami. Those who remember the 1983 Miami Hurricanes' run to the Orange Bowl (where they defeated mighty Nebraska) are trying to present a solid case for undefeated Rutgers leapfrogging the traditional powers who might end the season with one loss.

Because college football is all about what-ifs, let's start with the scenario that could actually put Michigan and Ohio State back together in Arizona Jan. 8 .

Because tomorrow's game is in Columbus, Ohio State would need to win a nail-biter that ends with a field goal or some controversy where the maize-and-blue could make an emotional plea that they got rooked.

From there, it only gets easier. Southern Cal, No. 3 in the BCS rankings, beats No. 5 Notre Dame, to give the Irish a second loss, but loses to either Cal or UCLA, giving the Trojans a second loss. Florida, No. 4, can lose either to Florida State (yes, even as bad as the Seminoles are) or in the SEC championship game, giving the Gators a second loss. No. 6 Rutgers will be a big underdog Dec. 2 playing at one-loss West Virginia. No. 5 Arkansas, which is already suspect because of a season-opening 50-14 loss to USC, could lose to either Louisiana State or in the SEC championship to Florida, giving the Razorbacks a second loss.

No, it's not farfetched that all of those teams could lose in the final game or next-to-last game of the season. Texas, Cal and Auburn, each of which entered last Saturday's action with a legit chance to get to the BCS game, suffered deadly second losses. Texas, which had lost only to Ohio State, was sitting pretty before losing to Kansas State.

Personally, I'm a fan of Cinderella. And Rutgers, if the Scarlet Knights can win in their season finale at West Virginia, could be college football's George Mason. The college football bluebloods, such as ESPN's Lee Corso, say there's no way Rutgers belongs with the big boys; Corso says no team from the Big East should get consideration for being in the game. But if Rutgers defeats two top-10 schools (Louisville was the first, West Virginia would be the second) in the final month of the season, why wouldn't it belong? And if everybody except the Michigan-Ohio State loser has two losses, Rutgers will have earned its way into the BCS game, especially if one or the other wins The Game tomorrow decisively.

It's too bad memories are so short that people don't remember the '83 Hurricanes being bad-mouthed as a weak team with a weak schedule. If the BCS had been around in 1983, its system would have done everything possible to prevent Miami's emergence. Would that have been right?

Also worth noting: The computer rankings have Michigan No. 1 and Rutgers No. 2. So, there is some statistical evidence that Rutgers is legitimate . The pollsters are the ones devaluing Rutgers. And we know why -- Rutgers isn't a traditional power.

The only way to settle this, as always, is on the field.

The reality of Michigan vs. Ohio State is not an argument for no playoff; it's an argument for a playoff, for more games like tomorrow's. I don't want to fantasize about the best possible matchups; I want to see them played on the field, which is why the most important time tomorrow is 3:30 p.m. Eastern, 2:30 Central, 12:30 Pacific, or 4:30 a.m. Sunday when bleary-eyed people wander into Bubba's in Shanghai.