Something’s been bothering me.

I’m not sure why it’s been bothering me, but nevertheless, it has.

I follow sports, to a certain degree, from a distance.

I’m especially interested in the Texas Longhorns for reasons I believed are ingrained in my genetic structure.

But I am by no means a "hardcore" fan.

I don’t even follow the Longhorns all that closely.

But, I became curious to see how the Longhorns stacked up against the Aggies in the most recent AP Top 25 poll, so I visited Sports Illustrated’s web site to look at the current rankings.

Of course, I was pleased to see Texas ranked number 18, three places ahead of the Aggies, but what caught my eye was the ranking of Boise State.

There is only one undefeated team in the rankings this year: Boise State which is ranked number 9.

Now, I know some conferences are tougher than others, and some teams have tougher schedules than others and the folks that vote in these polls take all that into account, but I’m still a little taken aback by the fact that the only undefeated team is ranked ninth.

What’s more astounding to me is that Oklahoma, 11-3 – that’s right, they lost three games – is ranked number 7, two steps ahead of undefeated Boise State who finished the season with a 13-0 record!

On top of all this is the fact that Boise State beat Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl.

Considering all this, how can Oklahoma be number 7 while Boise State is number 9?

I mean, the way I look at it is… just exactly how much better could Boise State have done than undefeated?

Apparently, unless your team is in the right conference, they don’t have a shot at a national title, no matter how good they are.

Not only that, but it seems that they can’t even make it into the top eight.

They are doomed to mediocrity even before the very first kick-off.

What then, is the point of competing for a national championship to begin with?

Now, I know some of our readers will say, "Hey, the Aggies beat the Longhorns didn’t they? Why then did the Longhorns rank higher?"

Well, there are going to be some situations like that – judgment calls – but keep in mind the Longhorns finished 10-3 while the Aggies finished 9-4.

Now I know there are many readers who know much more about how all this stuff works, and perhaps someone can offer an explanation that makes sense.

If so, please contact me at the e-mail address at the end of this column. I really would like to know how an undefeated team can be ranked ninth while a team they beat with a 11-3 record is ranked seventh.

One thing I know for certain, if I was a Boise State fan, I’d be in a pretty sour mood right about now.

Maybe they should make a new rule. If a team finishes undefeated they should get a chance to take on the winner of the BCS Championship game for all the marbles.