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Q: Can you explain to me why Penn State took such a ranking plunge for losing on the road against a solid Iowa team, and yet they overlook Florida's home loss against Ole Miss? Last year, Ohio State made the national championship with a home loss to mediocre Illinois? Is this a double standard, or is there more to it than meets the eye?

Jordan Everett, Houghton, Mich.

MUSSELMAN: Jordan, the fact of the matter is, the Big Ten does not get the same respect as the SEC or Big 12. Both Ole Miss, which beat Florida in Gainesville, 31-30, and Iowa, which defeated Penn State, 24-23, finished the regular season with 8-4 records. An eight-team playoff system in Division I-A would definitely help this year. Among the top eight teams in the BCS rankings, there are two unbeaten teams (Alabama and Boise State) and six one-loss teams, including Florida and Penn State. A year ago, Ohio State backed into the national championship game without playing and LSU ended up in the game despite entering the final weekend No. 7 in the BCS rankings. The Tigers were the first team to play in the national title game with two losses.