Not only are both teams the highest ranked three-loss teams in the nation, but they have shown their underwhelming true colors on several occasions this year.
Being ranked inside the Top 14 means that both of these teams are qualified to potentially land a BCS Bowl bid.
Does it make any sense at all that No. 20 Houston should fall 14 spots after losing to the No. 24-ranked Southern Miss Golden Eagles, yet the Clemson Tigers can lose three of five games to end the year and only drop slightly out of the Top 10 when it's all said and done?
The ACC is every bit as down in the eyes of the computers and BCS voters as Conference USA for crying out loud.
The Tigers hardly have the offensive firepower that the Cougars have, so style points should favor Houston.
If the ACC is weak, why is Clemson given so much credit for blasting a clearly overrated and inexperienced Virginia Tech team?
For Michigan State the telling loss came early in 2011, to then-struggling Notre Dame. The Spartans dropped a 31-13 result to the Irish in Week 3, which they should be punished for in the season's final rankings.
The Irish finished 8-4 this season, hardly equal to Southern Miss' 11-2 mark that topped Houston on Saturday.
Both represent often-criticized conferences and have supplied college football fans with more than enough ammunition to bash them, yet they still remain among the top teams we'll be watching this winter.
It's confusing that's for sure, almost as much as an LSU-Alabama rematch. But at least the SEC can ball.
