Isn’t technology great? First, we gained the ability to send e-mails and communicate with anyone in any part of the world instantaneously. Next, we were able to access the Internet from our mobile phones all over the country. Now, once again with the help of computers, South Florida has a very legitimate shot at an NCAA title! You’ve gotta love technology.

I’m referring, of course, to college football’s BCS rankings, which are revealed for the first time each season following the eighth week of play. To refresh those who might have forgotten about everybody’s favorite ranking system, BCS standings are compiled by combining the results of the USA Today Poll, the Harris Poll, and some wacky computer ranking thingy that spits out numbers that may or may not have any relevance at all.

Version 1.0 of the robot rankings yielded some surprising results this year, which is to be expected considering that the No. 1 ranked team in the country was knocked off in the consecutive weeks prior.

Ohio State was revealed as numero uno when adding all the polls together, which is actually not surprising at all. Despite finding a way to lose to the Florida Gators in the championship game of nearly every collegiate sport last year, the Buckeyes clearly have returned one of the top teams in the nation, although their schedule gets a little unpleasant down the stretch.

The big shock in the rankings was that once again Florida is fresh on their tail–but this time, it’s not the Gators. Instead, it’s the undefeated Bulls of South Florida, who have latched on to the BCS rankings and are determined to go Spyware on the entire computer system.

While Ohio State may be ranked No. 1 overall, South Florida would own that spot if it were solely up to those crazy computers. That’s pretty remarkable considering that when the BCS began in 1998, the South Florida football program was in only its second year of existence.

Although South Florida seems like an unlikely candidate for such high accolades, they have certainly earned the respect they’ve been getting from the media and whatever other technological devices determine the rankings.

To get to the top two, they’ve had to pull off major upsets against ranked Big East foes Auburn and West Virginia (and they beat North Carolina, too!). Believe it or not, they are now entering the easier half of the season, with No. 23 Cincinnati serving as the only ranked opponent on the remaining schedule. With this in mind, it isn’t far-fetched to think that this fledgling program could run the table and end up playing in the BCS Championship Game.

If South Florida were to advance to the championship, it would be business as usual in the Sunshine State. In just nine years of BCS fun, Florida, Florida State, and Miami have all won the national title. In fact, only three of the nine championship games didn’t include a team from Florida.

With South Florida on the verge of becoming the fourth different Florida participant in the title game, the rest of the country wonders how they can mimic the state’s athletic success. Maybe the achievements of the Florida colleges have nothing to do with football at all. Maybe, just maybe, if other states begin incorrectly voting for the president and tasing students for no particular reason at all, they’re programs could duplicate the success of the Florida schools. Yep, you’ve gotta love technology.

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