Trying to make sense of this big-time September matchup

As No. 5 Ohio State walks into an apparent ambush against top-ranked USC at the L.A. Coliseum on Saturday, it begs the question:

Why are the Buckeyes and the Trojans putting their national championship hopes on the line so early in the season?

Actually, it begs a more specific question than that:

Can you get into the Bowl Championship Series title game without beating anybody in the nonconference?

Or are OSU and USC doing the right thing with 12 weeks to go until the final BCS standings are unveiled?

Upon examination of each season since the current BCS formula came into effect in 2004, it appears it's always better to have an impressive nonconference win on your resume.

First, let's look at the exception that proves this rule.

Last year, Kansas made it all the way to No. 2 in the BCS rankings on Thanksgiving despite not beating anyone that finished with a ranking higher than No. 44.

And had the Jayhawks knocked off Missouri on Nov. 24, the only thing standing between them and an unexpected berth in the national championship game was Oklahoma in the Big 12 title game.

Instead, Kansas' loss to Mizzou finally allowed the Jayhawks to be punished properly for their weak schedule.

Kansas, which finished 11-1 in the regular season, wound up eighth in the final BCS rankings as six 2-loss teams lined up directly ahead of them.

Speaking of those six 2-loss teams, let's take a look at what allowed LSU to stand out among the others and earn the chance to whip Ohio State for the national title.

In Week 2, LSU played host to Virginia Tech and administered a 48-7 whipping. That's the same Virginia Tech team that wound up No. 1 in the nation according to the computers (but No. 3 in the final standings).

As for the other teams locked in that 2-loss knot, none of them posted a nonconference win better than Oklahoma's victory over No. 40 Tulsa.

Now, there might never been another season like last year when no teams from BCS conferences made it through undefeated.

But there might be another year like 2004 when USC, Oklahoma and Auburn all wound up at 12-0.

How did Auburn wind up on the outside of the Orange Bowl? Let's look at their nonconference schedules.

USC defeated teams that finished with BCS ranks of 8, 44, 52 and 79.

Oklahoma defeated teams that finished with BCS ranks of 38, 57 and 90.

Auburn, which trailed the Sooners and Trojans in the computers, defeated teams that had rankings for 49 and 87.

Oh, and Auburn also defeated The Citadel, a Division I-AA team that went 4-7 for the year.

That's no way to get to the BCS championship game.

So while the Buckeyes might be feeling their season is ruined right around 8 p.m. PDT Saturday, they shouldn't fret.

There'll be plenty of time to get back into the BCS title chase. Provided, of course, Beanie Wells' injured piggie gets well soon.

lwillhite@dailyherald.com