Larry Beil: Hope for the Worst

USC coach Pete Carroll has maintained for the past few years that he has no idea how the system works, but it's obvious he knows a lot more than he lets on because he pointed out one of the obvious flaws in the computer programs.

"I guess it has something to do with who you are playing, but maybe not where you are playing," said Carroll, referring to the fact that five of the six computer rankings do not factor in location of a game.

In other words, it's a lot tougher beating Notre Dame in South Bend than it is in Los Angeles, but the computer doesn't care about plane flights, hotels or crowd noise. They don't exist in BCS cyberspace.

--- 11:55 AM ET