Great minds waste time trying to fix BCS mess

A convincing case can be made for Auburn quarterback Cam Newton as the best player in college football. So it makes sense that he is alleged to be also the highest-paid player.

If Newton or his father were paid in the neighborhood of $180,000 by Auburn, it was a bargain. He’s worth much more to the Tigers, who are 11-0 only because of Newton’s freakish talents.

The college game is a mess at the top. Almost everyone is getting involved — attorneys, Dr. Lou Holtz, Congress, fans, FBI investigators, media watchdogs, school presidents — to try to sort it out.

Follow the money, and not just in the Newton case. The Bowl Championship Scam needs to go, and it needs to go as soon as possible. The good news is this could be the weekend that we finally witness an implosion in the BCS system.

"There’s no way to fix it. It needs to be blown up. There’s no logical reason there’s not a college football playoff," said Dave Cokin, ESPN Radio host and longtime Las Vegas handicapper.

Cokin, his anger growing the more he talked, continued: "It’s a completely corrupt system. People say Congress has more important things to do, and maybe that’s true, but they need to get involved in this. It’s really dirty."

That’s all I’m going to write about it. If you need to read more, see the book "Death to the BCS," authored in part by Yahoo! Sports columnist Dan Wetzel, and check out this week’s commentary by Bruce Marshall in The Gold Sheet.

College football bettors are more interested in where their money should go today.

Auburn, ranked No. 2 in the BCS standings, rolls into Tuscaloosa as a 4- to 4½-point underdog against Alabama in the Iron Bowl.

Betting against Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban is a tough way to make a living. Alabama (9-2) has an intimidating home-field advantage, an experienced quarterback in Greg McElroy, explosive running backs and a defense that can stop just about anything.

The 6-foot-6-inch, 250-pound Newton has not been slowed yet. He has passed for 2,038 yards and 21 touchdowns. He has rushed for 1,297 yards and 17 touchdowns. He also has a TD reception.

If the Tigers lose, the BCS big boys do too. Texas Christian and Boise State, a distant third and fourth in the standings, are waiting for Auburn to slip up to get a shot at the national championship.

"From a fan standpoint, I would love to see Auburn get knocked off," Cokin said. "Auburn is not as good as the other three unbeaten teams, in my opinion. I would favor Boise, TCU and Oregon against Auburn on a neutral field. Not by much, obviously. The Southeastern Conference is not that amazing this year."

No offense to the Tigers, but there are issues at stake bigger than this game. Most of us want Boise State or TCU to get a shot at the title. I’ve got to pull for Saban, a true defensive mastermind, to get the job done on his home field.

If and when the cover gets blown off the Newton scandal, Auburn might be forfeiting all its victories this season anyway.

"With the Newton thing, there’s still the potential for a distraction," Cokin said. "The pressure is all on Auburn, though being the underdog may alleviate some of it. I like Alabama a little bit."

Of course, Boise State (10-0) must take care of its business today. The Broncos are 14-point favorites at UNR (10-1) in a Western Athletic Conference battle soon to be waged in the Mountain West.

Cokin said "gun to my head" he would probably take the Wolf Pack and the points. Betting against Boise State, which has won 24 in a row, is a form of Russian roulette.

It should be a great game to watch, but a perplexing one to bet. The Broncos’ Kellen Moore, who has 28 touchdown passes and five interceptions, is only a nose behind Newton. And UNR quarterback Colin Kaepernick is no joke himself.

"Boise is absolutely capable of winning the game by three touchdowns or more," Cokin said. "There’s no question in my mind Boise is going to try to win this by as much as they can, to make it really difficult to pass them up (in the BCS). I’m not going to lay (14), but I’m not going to bet the game."

Cokin (jimfeist.com) said he will wager on Colorado as a 17-point underdog at Nebraska today and Ohio State as a 17-point favorite over Michigan on Saturday.

Nebraska is a mess, Michigan is a mess, and so is the whole BCS.

Contact sports betting columnist Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907. He co-hosts the "Las Vegas Sportsline" weeknights at midnight on KDWN-AM (720) and thelasvegassportsline.com.