It looks like the seventh time was the charm.

The Bowl Championship Series has been in existence for seven years, and it looks like this year the BCS will not be heading into another season of rhetoric and second-guessing.

And there are two people to thank because of this - Pete Carroll and Mack Brown. They are the coaches of the two respective teams which will meet in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., with a national championship on the line. This time there is no question that the two best teams - Southern California and Texas - are playing for the national title.

For the past seven years, there always have been lingering questions as to whether the BCS really worked or even matched the right teams in the title game. It got so sketchy that ESPN and the Associated Press disassociated itself from the BCS rankings after questions lingered as to just how accurate the BCS poll really was.

If you are an Auburn fan, you obviously feel the BCS poll is a joke given that the undefeated Tigers were left out of the championship game for Oklahoma. And after the beating the Sooners took at the hands of Southern Cal, I'm sure even Bob Stoops wondered if his team really belonged in the title game.

This year there is no controversy surrounding the championship game, the only team that seems to have a gripe this year is Oregon. The Ducks finished the season with a 10-1 record and are headed to the Holiday Bowl instead of one of the BCS bowls, because of TV ratings, the almighty dollar and Notre Dame.

The Fighting Irish are headed to the Fiesta Bowl to face Ohio State in what some television analysts believe will be one of the most viewed games in the country aside from the Jan. 4 title game.

Because of the national appeal of the Irish, Oregon will lose up to $10 million because its rep isn't as big as Notre Dame.

And just by looking at the rest of the bowls around, there doesn't seem to be many that you want to circle on the calendar to watch.

Aside from the BCS bowl games, the rest are just downright drab.

Even Auburn and Alabama's respective bowl games and opponents seem boring. There are some interesting storylines for both games, but something tells me both will be complete duds.

The only game that may gain a bit of a stir nationally or at least regionally will be Mike Price's return to Alabama in just a few weeks when he leads the University of Texas-El Paso to Mobile to face Toledo in the GMAC Bowl.

Something tells me there won't be a field trip to Pensacola, Fla., on UTEP's itinerary.

Kevin Taylor is sports editor of The Greenville Advocate. Call him at (334) 382-3111 ext. 122 or e-mail kevin.taylor@greenvilleadvocate.com.