Every year about this time we have a debate about who should be in and who should be left out of the BCS. And this year’s poster child is Northern Illinois. Should the Huskies be in the Orange Bowl or be somewhere else?
 
                Coming from someone that has been an OU fan forever, you might think I’d be bent out of shape about the Sooners not getting the nod over Northern Illinois. But I’m not. Because the only difference between playing A&M in the Cotton Bowl or Florida in the Sugar Bowl, or Florida State in the Orange Bowl is money.  The BCS pays more money than the Cotton Bowl. OU/A&M should be a shootout and a fun game to watch.
 
                Northern Illinois getting the nod over OU isn’t the issue. The team that shouldn’t be in the BCS is Wisconsin. No 5-loss team should ever get a BCS Bowl game, even if they are Big 10 Champs. You lose more than twice you should never, never, never be in a BCS Game. But the rules are written to protect the big conferences and keep the cash flowing their way.
 
                When it comes to the bowl season, I care about the National Championship game, because it’s the National Championship Game. I care about the game that OU plays in, because I’m a fan. And I care about the Valero Alamo Bowl because it’s in our backyard.  Outside of that, I could care less about any other bowl game, because win or lose it means nothing. You are playing only for pride and there is nothing on the line. If it’s your team, then it’s great. I can’t wait for the day that UTSA makes a bowl game, regardless of which one it is.  I have an obvious interest in UTSA, and it will be another rite of passage for a fledgling program.
 
                If you are a fan of any one school, do you really appointment view every other BCS/Bowl game?  If it’s on, you might watch. Beats whatever else is on TV. But do you really plan your day around Wisconsin/Stanford or Louisville/Florida, or even worse South Carolina/Michigan in the Outback Bowl?
 
Let Northern Illinois enjoy this moment in the sun. Them being in the Orange Bowl matters way more to them than OU, Clemson, or Oregon State getting there—again! NIU does have something to play for. Respect! They probably won’t beat Florida State, but if they do, they get instant credibility. And their school deserves a shot at the limelight and some of the money, despite a loss to the Big 10’s worse team, Iowa.
 
                We are getting a better system in two years, but unfortunately there will still be teams that get shunned every year. And that’s fine, because it keeps us talking about a great sport that will always have someone that got left out!