Away We Go: The Five Most Compelling College Football Stories of 2008

Can this conference-wide upset happen?  Will a new champion be crowned in the Pac-10?  Remember to stay up late and watch.

3. Will the Heisman Race be up in the air going into November?

Some people like Heisman runaways, and some don't.  I don't.  Watching someone live up to expectations and completely dominate competition like no one else in the country is great, agreed.  But why isn't it better to see three or four dominant players that can draw even your aunt into the game?

This year we have the best opportunity to do so than in recent memory: Maclin gaining yard after yard in Mizzou, Tebow doing it all in the Swamp, Wells stomping over the Big Ten, Harrell slinging the ball all over the field...to another candidate, Crabtree.

Even with that group I'm leaving out Bradford, Murray, and the twin killers in the Death Valley backfield, Davis and Spiller.  All these players have potential to turn a loss of three into six points in the blink of an eye.  ESPN Gameplan would probably be a good idea here.

2. Can Ohio State and Georgia live up to hype?

This is obviously the case every year with the number one and number two teams in the country—but 2008 has added intrigue for a few reasons.

First, can Georgia really escape from the NFL farm league that is the SEC and run to the national title game?  It sure will be tough.  If they pull off the feat, they most likely will be stumbling into the title game as the favorite.

Secondly, Ohio State has a little bit more hype and buzz around them than No. 2 teams from the past, seeing that they have been near the top of the rankings for the past three years now without delivering.  If they can handle their fluffy schedule (minus the showdown in Hollywood), they could remove the gorilla from their backs, and Jim Tressel will totally gain the respect of his coaching peers.

Watching these teams' journeys should keep all of us glued to our seats, from the South to the Midwest.

1. Will there be another controversy to determine BCS title game participants?

Yes.  We feel sorry for you Cadillac Williams, Jason Campbell, Ronnie Brown, Tommy Tuberville, and the rest of the '04 Auburn Tigers.  Though everything played out correctly, seeing Michigan and OSU again in the title game in '06 would have been very interesting, uplifting their rivalry to a whole new level.

Lastly, LSU and OSU's meeting to end both of their respective seasons not only rubbed Georgia Bulldog fans the wrong way, it rubbed me oddly to call the LSU Tigers national champions.

I want a crazy, upset-filled, comeback, last-second field goal-winning season, but please...pretty please, let the two teams playing in the national championship game be the consensus two best teams in the country.  Please do not let a computer with an obviously flawed formula plug in the entrants.

Now tell me all these stories won't have you glued to your TV sets on Saturdays this fall.  It most likely is the case every fall, but seeing the stories unfold this year will especially remind us why we love college football.

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