The Sugar Bowl will no doubt be a great football game between two great football teams. Marshall, just like Florida State and Virginia Tech, finished this season undefeated. But because the Thundering Herd plays in the Mid- Atlantic Conference, because it plays against Toledo, Buffalo and Ohio, because its strength of schedule ranks even below Kansas State, Marshall will play in the Motor City Bowl. And then, there's the issue of having the BCS rankings only to disregard the results. It's like the BCS doesn't even trust itself.
College football needs a playoff system.
Keep the BCS, with the top four teams being automatic qualifiers. Then, have a selection committee, just like college basketball, that chooses four other qualifiers. That gives the Marshalls and Kansas States of the college football world a chance to be evaluated by more than a computer system. Then, the top eight teams play off. Decide the national champion on the field.