USC #2, Michigan #3

There seems to be a lot of grumbling going on about how Michigan is being treated in the BCS. Many people believe that Michigan should be ranked #2 in the BCS standings right now, and should be playing Ohio for the National Championship. But the bottom line is that logic does not justify placing Michigan in this game ahead of USC.
Both USC and Michigan are one-loss teams. Both defeated Notre Dame with similar scores. The only difference is that USC ACTUALLY WON ITS CONFERENCE! Michigan did not win thier conference. Period.
If we start allowing non-conference winners to leap ahead of conference winners, then we might as well throw the whole system out the window now. What would be the point of conference games?
Now a lot of people are still screaming for a playoff system. I would also like to see a playoff system of some sort. But even a playoff system would not have helped Michigan this year. If we had a playoff system, who would get in? Conference winners. Again, MICHIGAN DID NOT WIN THIER CONFERENCE! Ohio State won the conferance. In a playoff format, Michigan would still be out of the picture.
Still need convincing? Just keep in mind the fact that Michigan lost to Ohio State in thier final game of the season. It was the equivilant of a one-game playoff to get to the National Championship. Ohio State won, Michigan lost, and thats the end of it. We have already seen who would win a game between these two teams.
And if anyone should be blamed for the lack of a playoff format, just look towards Notre Dame. They are opposed to a playoff format because they do not belong to a conference. Which is their own fault, really. They choose to try and remain 'different' and refuse to join a conference. Why? Because they would then be required to win a conference in order to get into the BCS. Notre Dame currently receives special consideration each year, as long as they have a winning record.
It might seem like I have something against Michigan here. I don't have anything against them. I enjoy watching them play. But I want fairness in the system, and Michigan blew thier shot. The National Championship game will be USC vs Ohio State. As dysfunctional as the BCS system is, they actually got it right this year.