On Wednesday it was discussed in Indianapolis that the NCAA has simplified the rulebook and adding tougher penalties to coaches and universities that violate these rules. The simplifications of these rules come after a tough off-season for a number of the preseason Top-25 teams.

Ohio State, for example, probably went through one of the worst off-seasons a program could have. Not only did these rules and violations make their head coach resign; but it also led to their starting quarterback leaving the school.

If these rules were as simple as the committee is planning on making them then this Ohio State team could be primed for a run at the Big Ten championship and quite possibly the BCS Championship. Instead they’re stuck with a new head coach and a new quarterback. Both of whom will be learning on the fly this year. 

Simpler rules will help in the long run. It is just a shame that they couldn’t already be that simple.

-- T.J. Mcaloon

Surprise, surprise ! College Football Preseason Rankings 2011: Surprises from the First Coaches Poll

With the loss of Oklahoma’s leading tackler, Travis Lewis, is this the sign of things to come in Norman?

Take a look back at the last time Oklahoma had this much hype heading into the season. It was 2009 and the Sooners were coming off a BCS bowl game and a Heisman Trophy winning season for Sam Bradford. They had possibly the best running back/ wide receiver tandem that year as well.

But the injury bug hit the Sooners in week one as Bradford broke his collar bone. He tried to come back early but re-broke the bone against Texas.

Is this the same fate that ’11 Sooners will face? Is the injury to Lewis, their defensive leader, this year’s Sam Bradford?

Should they be keeping current quarterback Landry Jones in a bubble wrap suit at all times?

Okay that last one was a bit much, but the Sooners can come back from an injury to Lewis. However, an injury to Jones could ruin a season, much like the injury to Bradford.

-- T.J. Mcaloon

What about next year? College Football Preseason Rankings 2011: Predicting Preseason Top 25 for 2012

A couple of days ago 84-year old Joe Paterno was run over during football practice at Penn State. Now it’s common place for the coach to be there roaming the sidelines, but, this accident could have killed the guy. Thankfully, the head coach only had a hairline fracture of his pelvis after his wide receiver collided with the coach on the sideline.

However, the question is, when is it time for Paterno to hang it up? Yes, the guy is a living legend. Yes, he is the face of the Penn State Football Program. But, when you become a liability on the sidelines, one has to think that it is time to go.

Recently at a Penn State function Paterno stated he has five more years in him. Really five more years? That will put him at 89 when he may announce that he has five more years.

When is it time for Paterno to be ushered out? Is it after his team is no longer in the Top-25 of the polls?

-- T.J. Mcaloon

The USA Today Poll and the ESPN Fan Poll both have the same top four teams. Both polls have Oklahoma, Alabama, Oregon, and LSU as their top four and if they counted votes they probably would have had Oklahoma receiving the same amount of first place votes (42) as compared to Alabama’s votes (13).

Is this just a mere coincidence, or are the fans just becoming as smart as the “experts”? Sure the fan can access just as much, if not more, information than the most connected writer. Today fans can follow and have access to any player that happens to have a Facebook, Twitter, or even Myspace account.

Maybe a player was suspended because of grades on Alabama before their game against Auburn but Alabama doesn’t want that information getting out to the press. Well, in today’s world a student could “tweet” out that he’s failing a class thus giving the insider info to the fan.

Maybe we should abolish the AP Poll and just make the Fan Poll as important. It seems as if the fan knows more than most of the writers.

-- T.J. Mcaloon

Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

Is West Virginia the best team not on the preseason Top-25?

The team returns most of its starters on offense and defense, with the biggest return being quarterback Geno Smith. Last year Geno showed flashes of what his potential is with big games against Maryland and Pittsburgh. But that last year was under a different head coach.

This year, WVU is under a new regime. But, West Virginia is picked as the pre-season Big East champions. This should not surprise any Big East followers as if it was not for a tie-breaker the Mountaineers would have won the Big East last year.

This year they are poised to make that big jump to show the coaches who comprised the USA Today poll that they should have been on that first Top-25 poll.

Their first test to show why that the first poll is wrong is when they host LSU. Last year they played them tough in Death Valley but ended up losing.  This year, if they can pull off the upset, it will set in motion a championship season for West Virginia.

-- T.J. Mcaloon

Breaking it down College Football 2011: The Best and Worst of Every Preseason Top 25 Team

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Penn State, ranked No. 25 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches' Poll, was expected to welcome back coach Joe Paterno to today's practice.

Paterno was injured at practice on Sunday when a player inadvertantly blind-sided him. The 84-year old coach suffered injuries to his pelvis and right shoulder, although the school said the legenday Paterno did not need surgery.

In a statement released by Penn State, Paterno said, "It's time for everyone to turn the attention to the team. We have a lot of hard work ahead in order to be as good as we think we can be."

This is not the first time Paterno has been injured in a sideline collision, but he seemingly just keeps on ticking. Now in his 45th year at Penn State, he is college football's career wins leader with 401. Yearly speculation about his job status abounds in a 'will he or won't he retire' scenario, and Paterno's latest contract is indeed up after this season.

-- Rich Thomaselli

Last week, the USA Today/ESPN Coaches' Poll came out, and Oklahoma was atop the first set of rankings.

But the computerized Sagarin Ratings came out on Monday in USA Today, and those mathematical rankings tell a different story.

No. 1 is Alabama, which isn't too drastically different from the Coaches Poll, which has the Tide at No. 2. From there, though, it's chaotic. Sagarin doesn't have Oklahoma ranked until No. 5.

Ohio State and Florida are third and sixth, respectively, in the Sagarin Ratings but are only No. 16 and No. 23 in the USA Today poll. Southern Cal, which cannot be ranked in the Coaches' Poll because of its ineligibility to participate in bowl games this season, is ranked No. 10 in the Sagarin Ratings.

Florida State, No. 5 in the USA Today poll, is 15th in Sagarin. Notre Dame is 33rd in Sagarin, but 18th in the Coaches' Poll.

Of course, all this will sort itself out once the season begins.

We hope.

-- Rich Thomaselli

Can Boise State get to a BCS game? College Football Preseason Rankings: How No. 7 Boise State Can Get to a BCS Game

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Oklahoma, the No. 1 team in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches' poll, will be without star linebacker and leading tackler Travis Lewis for about two months after he broke a bone in his left foot.

According to the Associated Press, OU trainer Scott Anderson said Tuesday that Lewis' injury will not require surgery, and will be treated with rest and immobilization. Lewis, selected as the Big 12 Conference's preseason defensive player of the year by media last month, was injured Monday during Oklahoma's first practice in pads. Now that's a bummer.

"We're disappointed for Travis," coach Bob Stoops said in the AP article. "He has worked very hard and I know he'll want to get back as quickly as possible. We'll adapt in the meantime. We've recruited very well and have some excellent athletes in those positions."

What does it mean? Well, no offense to those guys on 'D', but I've always been of the thinking that losing one player on defense isn't nearly as catastropic as losing a skill position player on offense -- well, unless that defensive player is somebody like Charles Woodson or Lawrence Taylor.

That said, I do see it being an issue when the Sooners travel to Florida State on Sept. 17.

-- Rich Thomaselli

How much do those guys make?? College Football Preseason Rankings: Checking Coaches' Salaries of the Top 25

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Miami has been largely unsuccessful in its attempt to return to its glory days and it decided to start over once again this year by firing head coach Randy Shannon.

New coach Al Golden is charismatic and certainly has a proven track record, but he faces a tough challenge in trying to rebuild the Hurricanes.

Jacory Harris is still very questionable at quarterback and he doesn’t have a good backfield to help him out. In addition, the defense, like its quarterback, must be more consistent.

However, the offensive line is completely intact and the receivers are experienced enough to give Harris some help.

Miami comes in at No. 29, but it has a chance to jump into the top 25 if it can pull out a win at home against an Ohio State team that will be breaking in a new quarterback and will be without its suspended stars.

The Hurricanes likely won’t compete for an ACC title this season, but a win against the Buckeyes and a jump into the rankings would raise their confidence and potentially get the program headed back in the right direction.

-- Kevin Trahan

Despite finishing 11-1 in 2010 and sharing the Big Ten title, Michigan State is still out to prove that it’s for real.

The Spartans benefited from a relatively easy schedule and had some very close calls last season, and despite its double-digit wins, many fans and experts are skeptical.

MSU’s one regular season loss was a 37-6 blowout to Iowa, and then it lost 49-0 to Alabama in the Capital One Bowl.

Now, Michigan State is out to prove it wasn’t a fluke.

The offense will be one of the best in the Big Ten, thanks to star quarterback Kirk Cousins and the running back trio of Edwin Backer, Le’Veon Bell, and Larry Caper. The receiving corps could be the best in the conference as well.

However, there are concerns on both lines and the defense could struggle due to the loss of star linebacker Greg Jones.

The potential is there, but there are also potential weaknesses. It’s hard to predict how Michigan State will finish, just like last season, but there’s a chance for the Spartans to finish well above or well below their current No. 17 ranking.

-- Kevin Trahan

Ranking the BCS conferences College Football Rankings 2011: Ranking the BCS Conferences by the Coaches Poll

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While Florida State is heavily favored to win the ACC, Virginia Tech comes in at No. 13 and has the ability to win the conference once again.

The Hokies knocked off the Seminoles in last year’s ACC title game, and winning again this year is certainly a real possibility.

The offense loses a lot of talent, particularly Tyrod Taylor, Darren Evans, and Ryan Williams. However, most of the offensive line is back, as well as the receiving corps. The defensive front may struggle, but the secondary should be good.

More important than the numbers, coach Frank Beamer has learned how to reload in the ACC and the Hokies consistently put up 10-winseasons. With an easy schedule, expect to see Virginia Tech back in the ACC Championship Game, and it wouldn’t be at all shocking if the Hokies are the conference’s BCS representative once again. This has always been a consistent program.

-- Kevin Trahan

Team by team breakdown NCAA Football Preseason Rankings 2011: Breaking Down Every Team in Coaches' Poll

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The Big East is typically regarded as the weakest of the six power conferences, and more and more, the Mountain West is looking like strong candidate to replace the Big East as an automatic qualifier.

The Big East’s top team, West Virginia, is second in the “others receiving votes” category, and it is joined by South Florida and Pittsburgh, who received just nine and three votes, respectively.

The Mountaineers seem to have an easy route to the title,but they must avoid the collapse that they showed last season if they want to get back to the BCS.

The Big East’s BCS representative isn’t likely to win its bowl game. However, if any team can do it, it’s West Virginia. The Mountaineers have been there before and are now being called upon to save their conference from even more scrutiny.

For the Big East to gain back any respect, it must pull an upset in its BCS bowl.

-- Kevin Trahan

Is this the year for Boise State to finally reach the National Championship?

That seems to be the question every year, and this may be as good a year as any.

In years past, the Broncos have been hurt by their strength of schedule, and while it still won’t match SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, or Pac-12teams in that department, its SOS will definitely improve by playing in the Mountain West.

Of course, that also means it will be more difficult to go undefeated, but star quarterback Kellen Moore and company have the talent to do it.

Many of the teams ahead of No. 7 Boise must play each other, and with no clear dominant team, this could be the year that only one other team finishes undefeated. If that is the case, the Boise will likely get a chance to finally prove itself on college football’s biggest stage.

-- Kevin Trahan

After a successful run at the end of the 2010 season, Notre Dame fans are hoping that coach Brian Kelly has the Irish on a return to their former glory.

This is as good of a year as any for the Irish to make a run and a No. 18 ranking puts them in perfect position to make a run.

The schedule is relatively easy and could definitely provide for 10 wins, especially with the talent returning.

19 starters return, including almost the entire offense, and Dayne Crist and Michael Floyd will make up one of the best quarterback-receiver combos in college football. On defense, linebacker Manti Te’o should be one of the best players in the country.

This team doesn’t have enough big-game experience to win a National Championship this season, but a 10-win season is definitely possible, and for Notre Dame, that almost certainly means a BCS berth.

-- Kevin Trahan

5 keys for ND Notre Dame Football: Brian Kelly's 5 Keys to Getting Notre Dame Back on Top

Chris Relf
Rick Dole/Getty Images

Following its dominating Gator Bowl win over Michigan (which some who favor maize and blue might have called an embarrassment), Mississippi State is poised to be a sleeper in the SEC West race.

Coach Dan Mullen has done wonders at MSU and will look to continue his run at chipping away at the SEC West powers.

The Bulldogs return quarterback Chris Relf and much of an experienced offense that improved as the season went on. The defense should also be solid, thanks to experience from last season.

Playing in the SEC West, Mississippi State clearly has a tough schedule. However, it’s due for a big win and this could be the season that it pulls a big upset against a top five team.

With so much talent returning, expect MSU to finish well above its initial No. 20 ranking and to be playing in January once again, possibly for a BCS bowl.

-- Kevin Trahan