First Down: Biggest BCS beef

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By Barker Davis

TAKE YOUR PICK WHICH UNDEFEATED TEAM HAS THE BIGGEST BCS BEEF?

A. Iowa (9-0) - The computers love the Hawkeyes, who rank second behind Florida in the nonhuman portion of the BCS formula. The pollsters aren't buying it, penalizing the Hawkeyes for needing late heroics to beat unranked teams. None of those in question, however, has a more impressive victory than Iowa's 21-10 win over then-No. 5 Penn State. The Hawkeyes could double their signature win total with a road victory at No. 15 Ohio State on Nov. 14.

B. TCU (8-0) - The Horned Frogs lead the nation in total defense (235.8 yards) and have buried their opponents by an average of 24.1 points. TCU boasts one victory over a ranked team, blasting then-No. 16 BYU 38-7, and has made impressive nonconference forays to Virginia and Clemson. The Horned Frogs have one more major chance to impress when they host No. 17 Utah on Nov. 14.

C. Boise State (8-0) - The Broncos are a tough team to read. They opened the season with what now qualifies as a huge victory over likely Pac-10 champion Oregon. But Boise State hasn't played anything resembling a ranked team since, dispatching seven teams with a collective 20-36 record. Pollsters like Boise State better than any other team in the group, and the Broncos still have WAC contenders Nevada and Idaho left on their schedule.

D. Cincinnati (8-0) - The Bearcats have cruised through a soft schedule, beating just one ranked team: then-No. 21 South Florida. But even with quarterback Tony Pike dinged up, Cincinnati has handled that slate with the grace of a title contender. Statement games remain against West Virginia and at No. 14 Pittsburgh.

Our take: If all four win out, Iowa actually has cause to scream that it belongs in the BCS title game in lieu of Texas, a team whose timing has been as lucky this season (see personnel issues for Oklahoma and Oklahoma State) as it was unlucky a year ago. Sure, the Hawkeyes have won some squeakers. But should they go unbeaten, they also will have become the first team to defeat Penn State, Wisconsin and Ohio State on the road in the same season. Plus, folks tend to forget that one of Iowa's early nonconference victories came against an Arizona squad that is now ranked No. 21.

HE SAID WHAT?

"If that's the case, I'll have a very serious talk with him."

- Florida coach Urban Meyer when asked about Saturday's eye-gouging play of linebacker Brandon Spikes, who has since been suspended for the first half of this week's game against Vanderbilt