I admit to rooting for Stanford and Walt Harris on Saturday night. This despite all logic telling me how bad it would be for the Big East if ND lost.

If ND had lost, they would have been going to the Gator Bowl and all of the Big East teams would have been bumped down a bowl — resulting in less money and attention for the conference and the teams. ND in the BCS was actually good for the conference.

Then there is the fact that ND is going to a BCS bowl over a higher ranked Oregon team according to the BCS standings (PDF). You now have media hacks (except in PAC 10 land) now very happy to point out that it is okay for ND to go because the other BCS games are all about ratings and money. Not about the best teams playing (not to mention what could happen if there are any upsets in the SEC, ACC or Big 12 Championships).

It undercuts arguments that the BE is undeserving of receiving a BCS bowl bid because it leaves more “deserving” teams out of the payout. Suddenly that isn’t an issue when it is about the Irish. Well, some did, but it points out their own hypocrisies as much as the system in place.

In the first year of a new BE stripped of the 2 best teams formerly of the conference (both of which are in the top 10 of the BCS standings and the third is ranked in the top 25), the BE still placed a team in the top 12 (WVU is #11). Not the worst outcome for the BE in its new alignment.