Bleacher Report - BCS Championship

College Football Bowl Predictions: Big Ten Edition

Sportscaster007 — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 18:25:11 -0500

Last week, Caleb started the Bowl Prediction series with the BCS Bowl Games. This week, Caleb and I will be going through every conference, predicting the bowl games using my prediction skills and his uncanny knowledge of the BCS.

We start with the ACC and Big Ten. Throughout the week we'll also cover the Big 12, Big East, Pac-10, SEC, MWC, and the WAC.

Here's how the games will go:

Little Caesars Pizza Bowl (No. 1-2 MAC v No. 7 Big Ten) - Dec. 26, Detroit, MI

The Buckeyes from Ohio State didn’t have the luxury of handling their little brother Ohio this season, but it would have been much closer than most analysts would have predicted.

The Golden Gophers are 6-6 and inevitably the seventh best team in the Big Ten. Minnesota has wins against Northwestern, Purdue, and Michigan State in shootout fashion. The Golden Gophers also survived Syracuse, Air Force, and the Jackrabbits from South Dakota State by a combined 13 points.

The Bobcats from Ohio have opened up every week and head to the MAC Championship this week against Central Michigan, who appeared in the Top 30 on numerous occasions this season. Ohio played a pesky Connecticut team tough, and gave Tennessee all they could handle.

In a bit of a shocker, Minnesota holds off the Bobcats in a 23-21 victory.

Champs Sports Bowl (No. 4 ACC v No. 5 Big Ten) - Dec. 29, Orlando, FL

Miami (FL) had a very difficult season, but they played extremely tough, finishing 9-3, fourth in the ACC. Wisconsin will have to play Hawaii this week on the road, before making their trip to Orlando.

Although the ‘Canes’ defense has been just shy of lackluster at times, they’ve been able to pull through, with their potent offense. For Wisconsin, it’s been the same story.

Five of their victories this season have come from eight points or less. Both teams are clearly about the offense. The defense will have their struggles in this one. Travel will play a huge role in this game. The Badgers will hang around, but they won’t be able to hold on.

Swagga wins, 37-24.

Insight Bowl (No. 6 Big Ten v No. 6 Big XII) - Dec. 31, Tempe, AZ

Facing off in the Insight Bowl will be the Spartans from Michigan State and the Tigers from Missouri. Despite a seemingly lop-sided matchup due to the record difference, this game should be very competitive.

Missouri hasn’t played well on defense, but they’ve done just enough to pull out eight victories this season. The Tigers were blown apart against Okey State, ripped by Texas at their Homecoming, upset against Baylor, and lost to Nebraska in 4^th quarter comeback, allowing 27 unanswered points.

But Mizzou played tough last week, earning a spot in this game by beating Kansas in a huge rivalry, and in thriller fashion, 41-39.

After opening the season with Montana State, the Spartans lost three straight games to Central Michigan, Notre Dame, and Wisconsin – all eight points or less. Michigan State was resilient, winning their next three games against Northwestern, Illinois, and big brother Michigan in overtime.

But they couldn’t keep the trend going, losing to the Hawkeyes in the final seconds, before losing to Minnesota in another shootout. “Sparty” won two of their last games, destroying Western Michigan, escaping the Boilermakers in a thriller, but lost to the Nittany Lions from 28 straight points from Penn State in the second half.

Michigan State will play their hearts out, but will come up just short.

In thrilling fashion, Missouri gets the win, 37-32.

Outback Bowl (No. 3 Big Ten v No. 3-4 SEC) - Jan. 1, Tampa, FL

Another thriller is the expectation for the Outback Bowl between a couple of Top 30 teams – Mississippi and Northwestern.

Northwestern is on a three-game winning streak and they got another big win last week against the Badgers from Wisconsin.

But the Wildcats didn’t start the season off so pretty, having a 4-3 record in the middle of October, with losses to Syracuse, Minnesota, and Michigan State. They also had to survive Eastern Michigan by a field goal in Week 2.

The Rebels from Mississippi clearly failed to live up to the preseason ranking – No. 8 in the AP Poll and No. 6 in the Sports Illustrated Top 20.

But the Rebels have played extremely tough as of late. Ole Miss ripped apart Tennessee 42-17 in what was supposed to very competitive game (Tennessee was favored, at least by the media), put together their signature win of the season in a thriller against LSU, but lost in the final week in the Egg Bowl to rival Mississippi State.

But both of these teams have a ton of potential and should be proud of the way they played on field week in and week out.

In thrilling fashion, the Rebels get the victory, 27-24.

Capital One Bowl (No. 2 Big Ten v No. 2 SEC) - Jan. 1, Orlando, FL

The Capital One Bowl will be a classic matchup between two premeir clubs from the SEC and the Big Ten.

The winner of the SEC Championship will play in the BCS National Championship. This means the loser will play in the Sugar Bowl, which would make LSU the No. 2 team in the SEC.

Ohio State will play in the Rose Bowl, and Iowa will be an At-Large team that will play in the Orange Bowl, which puts Penn State in the No. 2 spot in the Big Ten.

LSU has played extremely tough this season, but they are overrated, much like the Nittany Lions.

LSU was actually ranked ahead of Mississippi, after the Rebels won head-to-head, with identical records in not only overall, but in Conference play as well. Penn State actually moved ahead of Iowa this week in Coaches Poll….after both teams had a bye week?

Despite overrated status, these teams are highly competitive on both sides of the ball. They’ve arguable won every game they should have and match up very well with each other.

The headline for the Bayou Bengals is a thrilling season. The trend started all the way back in Week 1, when they had to rally against the persistent Washington Huskies on the road.

In Week 4, LSU survived another thriller against Mississippi State on the last play of the game. A week later, LSU won another thriller against Georgia, that’s when the Sec officials started making their lackluster calls.

And after a loss to the top team in the country and two dominate wins over Tulane and Auburn, LSU ventured another thriller, this time losing to the No. 2 Tide in a 4^th quarter comeback.

After an eight-point victory against LA Tech, LSU went down in thrilling fashion to the Mississippi Rebels, 27-25. But LSU was resilient, proving they learned their lesson about time management, beating Arkansas in overtime, 33-30. It was their sixth thriller of the season.

Penn State’s signature win of the season was against…Northwestern? The Nittany Lions allow less than 12 points a game. But they’ve only been handed cupcakes this season, except for Iowa and Ohio State – their two blemishes. I’ve spoken all season about the lousy cupcake competition, and people are finally starting to listen.

But this game is far from one-sided. In a last-second field goal, LSU wins once again in thrilling fashion, 19-17.

Orange Bowl (ACC Champ v At-Large) - Jan. 5, Miami, FL

The winner of the ACC Championship this week between Clemson and Georgia Tech will have an automatic bid in the Orange Bowl. Even though Boise State and Iowa would make for a very good matchup between polar opposites, I have a different perspective on how things will unfold....

I have faith in the Cornhuskers to pull the upset over Texas this weekend. TCU, then, will play for the Title. This puts Iowa in another location.

Last week, I knew Okey State couldn’t handle the pressure in Norman, as they were blown apart by Oklahoma, 27-0. In addition, I picked Pitt to go down to West Virginia, and the Panthers were dropped as well. There is no doubt in my mind that Iowa makes a BCS Bowl, but it won’t be the Fiesta Bowl.

The Hawkeyes will have another chance to prove the Big Ten’s competitive nature against Georgia Tech, the winner of the ACC Championship.

Georgia Tech has made the old new again, bringing the option pass back to life every week. The pass-heavy team puts up 35 points every week. While Iowa's strengths lie on the other side of the football.

High Power Offense v Strong, Elusive Defense = a game that everyone can enjoy that always comes down to the wire.

Although the Hawkeyes have had their way at cupcake competition, they’re still a very solid football team that has put up ten wins this season, one way or another.

But the resilience form the Yellow Jackets will be too strong. You know even after a yellow jacket is dead, it’s stinger can still hurt you.

In thrilling fashion, Georgia Tech gets the win, 30-24.

Rose Bowl (Big Ten Champ v Pac-10 Champ) – Jan. 1, Pasadena, CA

The winner of the Civil War on Thursday Night will play the Buckeyes in the Rose Bowl. This will likely be Oregon. The Ducks are undefeated at home this season and a very dynamic team to say the least. But the Dam Workers will put up a tough fight, as expected.

Oregon has put up 44 points in their last two games against their bitter rivals from Arizona. The Ducks average 15 points of margin of victory this season, 24 points at home, and 33 points at home from their last four games.

The Buckeyes have beaten nearly every opponent to a pulp this season. But there have been a few exceptions. One was against Navy in the opening week, having to return a two-point attempt from Navy for two points, escaping 31-27. The next week Ohio State failed in a high stakes game at home against USC, 18-15.

The reason the Ducks are ranked ahead Ohio State is the fact that OSU’s blemishes were to Purdue and USC – teams that Oregon defeated. I love the fact that this game is being played in Pasadena, because USC fans can’t stand the sight of either team.

This game could be a defensive slugfest, but Quack Attack has an explosive offense, and the Buckeyes tend to have a ton of points on the scoreboard at the end of the day. Like Caleb stated, this game will be about the offense and when it’s all said and done the offensive powerhouses will make their presence known.

Ducks win in shootout fashion, 41-35.

The Alamo Bowl was not selected, due to the amount of bowl-eligible teams in the Big Ten. Therefore, there will be a replacement. The game will be selected later in the week, when we pick the BIG XII.

A special thanks goes out to Caleb M., who was a huge part of the making of this article in addtion to the upcoming articles regarding the Bowl Games.

Let me know what you think! Who would you have in the Bowls?

Here are the ACC Predictions by Caleb M.: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/300198-acc-bowl-predictions-can-georgia-tech-still-make-it-to-the-orange-bowl

Read more BCS Championship news on BleacherReport.com

BCS Bowl Projections: The Fiesta Bowl Belongs to the Iowa Hawkeyes (We Hope)

Bryan Kelly — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:37:29 -0500

I'll begin by assuming that Texas will beat Nebraska in the Big 12 Championship game. This is maybe the second time all year I've vouched confidence in Texas, but the Aggies were probably their second-best win of the year behind Oklahoma State, considering the hostile crowd, the pressure, and the stakes.

In that win, the Longhorns showed they can survive by outscoring and outlasting rather than by suffocating their opponent by leaning on their defense. The UT offense has improved statistically in each passing week, and I think they're ready for the Big Game.

In fact, I don't think Colt McCoy will struggle at all against Nebraska's defensive backfield, and the mixture of draws, screens, and look passes will neutralize the threat of Ndamukong Suh. That game, like every Big 12 Championship game going back to 2003, won't be close.

That means that Texas will be in the championship game—hurrah, hurrah, we're all hoping you can beat Florida . And with Oklahoma State losing in uncompetitive fashion to Oklahoma on Saturday, the Fiesta now has two at-large spots up for grabs.

I'll wear my sympathies on my sleeve—I think Iowa with a healthy Ricky Stanzi, Adam Robinson and that Hawkeye defense is on par with the best teams in the nation.

They played one of the most difficult schedules in the country, beat Penn State by double digits in Happy Valley, nearly beat Ohio State in Columbus with their back-up quarterback, and fielded one of the most complete and well-coached defensive units all year.

They're survivors, on par with the cardiac Tide in the SEC.

Which is why I really hope Penn State does not leap Iowa come Selection Sunday. Going on pure strength of schedule, Iowa's three best wins are Penn State, Arizona, and Wisconsin.

Penn State's are Northwestern, Temple, and Michigan State. This should explain why the BCS computers still love Iowa, ranking them No. 10 overall to Penn State's No. 19.

But as has been argued elsewhere, Penn State is where the money and the viewers are. Iowa is not, nor has ever been, a sexy team.

While undefeated, they were habitually ranked behind the other unbeatens—Texas, Florida, and Alabama—despite boasting a stronger schedule and an equally talented defense. When they lost to Northwestern, their BCS stock took an unfairly punitive nosedive.

Only the computers—those impartial judgers of talent, those numbercrunchers, taking into account only who beats whom and never how it looked—have never given up on Iowa.

Is it wrong that I trust the computers more? In 2009, the BCS voters have given me a fresh set of reasons to find the system biased and loathsome.

The unfailing love for USC, whom the voters ranked ahead of Oregon a week after the Ducks ran wild on the USC defense before losing to Stanford, was nauseating.

Ditto for LSU, whose best win is over Auburn at home, yet still lounges on the outskirts of the top ten despite getting their incompetencies exposed .

Only the computers can factor out the love for Pete Carroll, the SEC brand—and, yes, the sentimentality for JoePa.

Cool Papa Joe is a straight shooter, and I don't think even he believes this team is good enough to compete in a BCS game.

Losing by double digits in both crucial games at home is not good enough, especially when one of those losses is to a better team situated between you and the Big Ten champion Buckeyes.

The record doesn't speak for itself, which is why Paterno and the rest of the Nittany Lions have to promise the other things : fans, ratings, ticket sales, advertising interests, nostalgia, clipshows of Paterno kicking up dirt at scores of refs in hundreds of games while "How To Save A Life" plays in the background...

Am I bitter? Yes; I can see how this one might end badly. Penn State gets the bid and the blowout loss, Iowa gets the overmatched SEC opponent in the Capital One Bowl, and another offseason of "Is The Big Ten The Worst Conference In History?" continues to depress me.

The good news is, Iowa's athletic director has done a good sell job to the Fiesta Bowl, the most likely spot for a Big Ten team to land (they have the second at-large pick overall to replace Texas after the Sugar Bowl picks to replace Florida).

Apparently, there are roughly a million displaced Iowans living in the Arizona area—for retirees of the Midwest, Arizona is the new Florida, remember?—meaning the Fiesta Bowl can sell out all the Iowa allotments without any need for travel.

Now, assuming that Texas wins—i.e. doesn't further complicate the BCS picture by losing—the likely opponent for the Big Ten is fellow at-large compadre Boise State.

They have the rankings, the historical Fiesta credibility , and, as anyone in Idaho will tell you, they can bring the fans.

And this is why I'm rooting for Iowa. The Hawkeyes have a better shot at avoiding the humiliation of the Big Ten losing to the (gulp) WAC, another indignity I'm sure hasn't been suffered yet in history, but would be more than possible with the overranked Nittany Lions as foes.

Forget fans, commercials, ticket sales—Iowa has a better secondary and a better defensive line than Penn State (their linebackers and offenses are a push—fair?), and, at least for this year, better coaches .

If the BCS chooses Penn State and the Lions are humiliated, it reflects on the entire conference, and that's bad business for both sides.

Iowa and Boise State might well play out as a close, exciting game. The Hawkeyes and Broncos will match strength to strength, weakness to weakness. Iowa's pass defense squares off against the unflappable Kellen Moore.

Boise's rush defense—which started strong has steadily allowed more and more rushing yards per game—faces one of the best offensive lines in the country.

The Broncos haven't shown me that they travel well. The close calls against Fresno State, Tulsa, and Louisiana Tech on the road, during which Boise had to fight to remain ahead and struggled to sit on leads—indicate the bowl atmosphere might rattle what is still a pretty young and as-yet untested team, on offense and on defense.

Iowa has shown they can travel well, but they're also no strangers to the close win. The last-second slant pass to beat MSU, the come-from-behind wins over Indiana and Penn State, the two blocked field goals against Northern Iowa all revealed that Ferentz's game plan is to survive long enough for the other guy to run out of gas.

So unless the Fiesta and the BCS want to get trashed by the fans again—and broadcast a thoroughly unwatchable thrashing of a Big Ten opponent to boot—they'll take the more able Hawkeyes to face off against the Broncos.

Remember: great games, not great teams, beget great ratings. We'll all tune in no matter who plays—what matters is whether we continue watching after the first half.

Read more BCS Championship news on BleacherReport.com

Florida's Carlos Dunlap Arrested for DUI Days Before SEC Title Showdown

J. Garcia — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 11:20:35 -0500

Florida star defensive end Carlos Dunlap was arrested and charged with drunken driving early Tuesday morning in Gainesville. Dunlap is a projected first-round NFL draft pick and is currently the Gators' sack leader on defense.

Early reports suggest Dunlap was found passed out behind the wheel of his car at a Gainesville intersection, failed field sobriety tests once awakened, and refused a breathalyzer. Dunlap was later released on his own recognizance.

One figures Dunlap will certainly be suspended for Saturday's SEC title game in Atlanta, especially after the heat Florida coach Urban Meyer received in the offseason over numerous disciplinary issues concerning his players.

A DUI is a very serious offense, but Dunlap's decision to be out drinking in the middle of the night only a few days before the season's biggest game will certainly be questioned by team officials, fans and NFL scouts.

Read more BCS Championship news on BleacherReport.com

A Look Back At Iron Bowl 2009: A Game (and Rivalry) To Savor

Beau Hinely — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 02:02:48 -0500

"As you looked in the huddle, from a quarterback's perspective, I'm always looking and everyone is looking at me, there was no sense of worry, no sense of panic..."

You could almost feel it. None of the little things seemed to be going Alabama's way.

We didn't rotate on the first reverse of the game. No one saw the surprise onside kick coming. We played right in to the double-pass to Darvin Adams and the QB sneak by Chris Todd to fall behind 14-0. Leigh Tiffin missed his first field goal since Oct. 17. We couldn't convert a 4th-and-1 with one of the best running backs in country on the carry. Mark Barron fell for the fake out-route for the first time all season to fall behind (again) in the second half 21-14. And Ingram leads Jones a just a little too far on a perfect toss sweep-pass call by McElwain.

On our next-to-last drive, we have to start at the front of our end zone after near-perfect punt placement, and end up having to punt out of the back of our end zone three plays later, after two consecutive false start penalties.

I was fortunate enough to go down to Auburn. Our friends call it the "Lovliest Village on the Plains." It sure was lovely on Friday: The weather was perfect, and the atmosphere was unmistakable.

For one day out of the year, crimson, white, orange, and blue converge together to experience one of the greatest rivalries in the country.

But for 49 minutes and 23 seconds in the game, I felt a little funny. It could have been the fact that I was surrounded by 80,000-plus Auburn fans who were literally beside themselves, thinking they were about to witness the biggest upset in the history of Auburn football. More likely, it was the fact that I was witnessing my Tide playing so uncharacteristically, and the little things seemed to be going the Tiger's way.

But then, something changed.

It was like someone turned on the switch inside each Numbered Helmet, conveying the idea that, despite what happened up till now, this game can still be won.

After the punt, Auburn opens their next-to-last series in Alabama territory with 10:37 left to play in the game and leading by a point. They could've gone for the jugular by going deep, but they stay conservative on first down by giving it to Ben Tate, who gets stuffed after gaining a yard.

And the change begins:

Kareem Jackson blows by Kodi Burns to take down Ben Tate for a 7-yard loss on second down.

Rolando McClain blows by Eric Smith to sack Chris Todd for a 10-yard loss on third down, and Auburn is forced to punt after losing 16 yards on three plays.

The momentum shift began on defense.

I know it wouldn't have made a difference on the outcome, but I said many a silent prayer during The Drive.

Looking back on it now, prayers aren't needed whenever a team tries to guard Jones 1-on-1.

After watching the replay, I realized divine intervention isn't necessary when you have a backup running back the caliber of Trent Richardson.

Greg McElroy is on a mission; a destination. He never quit using his God-given ability to believe in himself and his teammates.

The pieces were in place, and the opportunity was his for the taking.

"We were able to take care of business, and everyone knew we were going to. Everyone knew we could if we just executed." - Greg McElroy

The Drive

8:27 remaining in the fourth quarter

15 plays

79 yards

3rd-and-3

3rd-and-5

3rd-and-3

Five 1st downs

Six plays to Trent Richardson

Four plays to Julio Jones

Two plays to Mark Ingram

One play to Roy Upchurch

40 victories over Auburn

"It's one of the greatest drives I've ever been associated with." - Coach Saban

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Will Nick Saban Lead Alabama To the Promised Land at Long Last?

Larry Burton — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 20:32:59 -0500

About a year ago I wrote a saga for CBS Sports called Alabama's Return From the Desert Wilderness and Land of Mediocrity. You can see it by clicking here . I also posted a copy of it here on a site that became a home away from home for me.

CBS wanted a fan's take on what it felt like to be back in the hunt for a national title after so many years of so-so football and I took a very comical approach to the subject, including that artwork, because it was still a painful subject to talk about.

My years at Alabama were filled with nothing but SEC Championships and back-to-back national titles against Penn State and Arkansas. That was Alabama football. Since 1992 what I have been living though is hope and denial.

What a difference a year makes. Now instead of basking in the exuberance of being back in the national hunt, it was once again an expected feeling. Alabama fans started this year expecting to be a contender, not wishing for it, and it was a very wonderful and familiar feeling to me.

Nick Saban not only brought the football team back to national prominence, but he restored the confidence to the fan base that they could expect to stay that way for years to come.

The combination of Mal Moore and Nick Saban have not just put a great team on the field, but a world class stadium to play in, and top flight facilities to work out, play and live in.

Despite tough economic times, fund raising went well, ticket sales are at an all-time high, and the eyes of the nation are now back upon the coach and team in Tuscaloosa. It feels like old times again to us old timers.

How all of this happened over such a short period that it's just downright shocking. Were we always just a coach away?

Having lived through the the years since Coach Bryant, I had become jaded that the next coach would be next great one. Stallings certainly filled the bill, but he was gone too soon.

Nick Saban had us less that one quarter of football away from a national championship contest last year and yet the naysayers said it was a flash in the pan, a fluke, yet here they are again, one game from a BCS Championship showdown, yet again.

And all of this took just one year of getting rid of the dead wood, moulding a team to the standards he knew would work, getting them to buy in to a term that seemed so mysterious two years ago known as "The Process" and whatever other magic Saban brought along with him.

Though we still have yet to have Saban part the sea and return us to the promised land, we are close close enough to smell the milk and honey and we all realize it's just a question of time.

Read more BCS Championship news on BleacherReport.com

20 Thoughts from Another Saturday In College Football

Aaron Torres — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:30:42 -0500

It was another fun Saturday (and Friday, and Thursday for that matter) in college football, and as always I had my pad and pen in hand, writing down all the sights and sounds that needed documentation.

For those of you who might be reading my “20 Thoughts,” for the first time this isn’t necessarily strictly analysis of this past Saturday in college football, you can find that anywhere.

Instead this is about the fumbles, bad hairdo’s, goofy plays and awful announcing that separated this Saturday from all others. And with it being a holiday weekend, there’s even a special guest appearance from my grandma.

Enjoy!

1. First things, first: To all of you who’ve been waiting for this column, I want to apologize. I always like to have it done at the very latest Monday morning. However, I took a little “Aaron Time,” yesterday to go see the Blind Side , so I didn’t get cracking on this until late today.

Anyway, the movie was phenomenal, and for those of you who haven’t seen it yet, it’s a must. Check back here at AaronTorres-Sports.com some time next week, as I plan on doing a full-fledged review.

2. Now, moving on to the weekend: I hate clichés, I really do. They’re boring, annoying and usually unfounded. Just because my starting quarterback says, “We’re only worried about our next opponent,” doesn’t mean I believe him. Dude you’re playing Montana Tech in two days, don’t lie to me!

But as far as one of sports oldest clichés, “Throw out the records when these two rivals meet,” well, it may have gained some traction this weekend. I mean, you know, considering that Georgia beat Georgia Tech, Mississippi State beat Mississippi, NC State beat North Carolina and South Carolina beat Clemson—all as underdogs.

Oh, and I also heard something about Auburn and Alabama playing a good game, and Texas struggling against Texas A&M, too. Maybe that was my imagination though.

3. Beyond clichés, I also hate comparing conferences: But come on, how can you not when two middle of the pack SEC teams beat down the two BEST teams in the ACC? I mean seriously, we all knew the ACC was bad, but Georgia Tech losing at home to Georgia? Really? The same Georgia team that couldn’t get out of its own way against Kentucky on their home field two weeks ago? Really?!?!

A month ago, I thought the ACC was making strides overall as a conference. Now? I’m not so sure.

4. On a similar note: Everyone’s saying the Pac-10 is the best conference in college football, and this is a “down,” year for the SEC.

Well here’s my argument against that. How can a conference be down when by any measurement you take, seven of its teams are significantly better than last year (Arkansas, Auburn, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State, South Carolina and Tennessee), only three teams are discernibly worse (Georgia and Vanderbilt for sure, and Ole Miss just a little bit), and you have two undefeated top five teams at the end of the year? How?

5. Moving on to the Iron Bowl: I’m not going to talk about it a lot here, considering I spent over 1000 words breaking it down here , late into Friday night.

All I’m going to say is this: What impresses me most about Alabama isn’t their record or their stats. It’s that 85 guys with different skill sets, that were recruited under two different coaching regimes have come together for one common good.

That is a testament to the Alabama players and more so, the coaching staff. The more I think about it, the more I begin to wonder if any coach other than Nick Saban could have put them in this position.

6. Let’s talk some Palmetto football: Want to know the biggest reason why South Carolina had won just one of their previous four games coming into the Clemson rivalry this weekend?

They hadn’t forced a single turnover during that entire stretch. Not one.

They forced three Saturday and got the win. Coincidence? I don’t think sooooo.

7. Even though Clemson lost, I still like Dabo Swinney: One thing I noticed about Swinney is, even after Clemson turned the ball over, not once, but twice in the first half, he remained upbeat and encouraging.

That’s the biggest difference between him and his predecessor Tommy Bowden. Had that been Bowden on the sidelines after the second turnover, he would have had one of those, “Man, I really hope my Athletic Director was in the bathroom for that one,” looks on his face.

To me, that’s the main reason why Clemson struggled with adversity these last few years: The old coach lacked confidence in his players, and it bled into their team psyche. The new coach believes in the guys on the field, and now the Tigers are headed to their first ACC Championship.

Again, this is not a coincidence.

8. Aaron’s prediction that was sure to go wrong…That did: If you read my annual weekend wrap-up last Monday I predicted a Nevada victory over Boise State. Umm… whoops.

Obviously it didn’t happen, and honestly it wasn’t even close. Boise literally controlled the game from the opening kickoff (which Austin Pettis returned for a touchdown), to the final whistle, and the final score of 44-33 wasn’t indicative of how far apart these two teams were all evening long.

More importantly, what was most impressive to me wasn’t the Boise State offense, but a defense that held the Wolfpack to 33 points, which doesn’t sound impressive, until you remember that Nevada had scored at least 50 points in their previous three games. If anything, it proved that Boise can play with any of the big boys that they’re being discussed with for a BCS bowl, whether it’s Iowa, Penn State, Oklahoma State or Miami.

We always defend big conference schools by saying, “You can only beat the opponents on your schedule,” and Boise has done that every step of the way. I hope we give the small school the same benefit this year.

9. Let’s talk Heisman: On a Sunday night edition of College Football Live , Jesse Palmer said something really important that I wanted to make sure to re-emphasize (for the eight people that may be reading this), “The Heisman Trophy is not a career achievement award.”

It shouldn’t be awarded December 12 based on the fact that Colt McCoy has more wins than any other quarterback in the history of the sport, or that Tim Tebow may have three National Championships by the end of the year. It should be awarded to the best player in college football during the 2009 season and only the 2009 season.

(I’d also like to add my own caveat: The Heisman Trophy is also supposed to represent a season’s worth of work. It should not be given to the guy who got hot in the last month, or really hot in the last week. It should be given to the guy that was the best from game one, and stayed consistently the best until game 12 or 13.

And that concerns me a little bit. Especially since McCoy, Tebow, Mark Ingram and C.J. Spiller all get another showcase this weekend in a conference championship game, while Stanford’s Toby Gerhart sits at home as a spectator.

Now I’m not saying that Gerhart should win it, but what I am saying is, if you saw Gerhart’s performance against Notre Dame Saturday—and realized he’s been doing that all year—you’d know that he made a pretty strong case for himself. That’s all.)

10. Speaking of Gerhart: Big shout out to his father, who had the unintentionally funny quote of the weekend, when he discussed what it was like to raise triplet girls with ABC’s Lisa Salters. Papa Gerhart’s quote? (And note, there’s no way I can do it justice here): “That, that is really tough… To have four women in the house.”

Umm, yeh, we all knew that Mr. G., but thanks for being politically correct. Maybe though, you could give some of us future fathers a little bit of real advice about how things are really going to be. Maybe something like:

“It’s tough, really tough. I had a full head of hair when those girls were born, now look at me! I’ve got the same haircut as Dr. Phil! I used to be good looking! What the hell happened to me?”

Or, “That is tough. As a matter of fact, its real tough. Lisa, it’s killing me. I swear, if I get woken up one more time by a blow dryer, I swear to God I’m going to strangle someone.”

11. The Award for the second unintentionally funny quote of the week goes to: Verne Lundquist, when he said on Saturday’s Florida State-Florida broadcast:

“I look forward to this promo, once every year… It’s the Victoria’s Secret fashion show on CBS.” Now there’s a man who’s telling the truth!

Then, what made that quote 20 times better was when it quickly led to a 90 second pop culture conversation between Lundquist and his partner Gary Danielson, in which Danielson actually asked the question, “Is there just one Black Eyed Peas group or more? Because I swear, those guys are everywhere.”

Yes that conversation really happened. And yes, I’m also pretty sure that some producer at CBS lost his job because of it.

(This is just a part of Aaron's 20 Thoughts From a College Football Saturday. To read all of his work, including this article in its entirety, please click here , or visit him at www.aarontorres-sports.com )

Read more BCS Championship news on BleacherReport.com

BCS Playoff, Part One: The Formula, Making the Cut, Seeding and Matchups

Jerry Burnes — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:32:53 -0500

Converting the BCS to a playoff requires one to tread lightly, almost like walking on eggshells. Where you might win in one aspect, you'll lose in another.

Really, not all that different from the current setup.

The current BCS system is set up like this, according to the official BCS Web site: "The BCS standings formula consists three components, each weighted equally: the USA Today Coaches Poll, the Harris Interactive College Football Poll and an average of six computer rankings (Anderson & Hester, Richard Billingsley, Colley Matrix, Kenneth Massey, Jeff Sagarin and Peter Wolfe)."

That's some human error, some computer error, and a lot of different factors that quite frankly don't delve into the wins, losses, and schedules of the teams vying for spots.

We came to this system because we scoffed about human error determining our champion. That No. 1 and No. 2 don't have to meet to have a champion, and split titles were too common.

The BCS system was right on the spot with pitting the top two teams together. But how the commissioners put them there has been more controversial than the last system.

When I developed my idea of putting the BCS into a playoff format I took all of this into consideration when it came to a formula. Teams had to win but they also had to play quality teams. The goal, was to strengthen the schedules of top teams.

To use the 2009 Florida Gators as my example, a top-tier team would not benefit from playing Charleston Southern, Troy, and Florida International in the same season but would wins over FCS teams would not be discounted.

The other goal was to give all 119 FBS teams a legit title shot, as to avoid undefeated teams, such as the 2008 Boise State Broncos, from getting skipped over when it came to the title game. Or in their case last year, getting skipped in the BCS altogther.

The Formula

I decided on a 32-team playoff system after much debate. Sixteen was my other choice. To help enforce my strengthened schedules, the regular season would be reduced to 11 weeks, plus the conference championship games. This also comes in later when scheduling is involved.

I know, only 32 teams, doesn't the current bowl system allow for 68 teams to play?

Yes, it does. That's 34 bowl games. One of the biggest cons of the current bowl system is that over half of the college football teams in the FBS get a trip. This 32-team format reduces teams, but only reduces the number of games by three (16 first round + eight second round + four quarterfinals + two semifinals + one title game = 31 total games).

So how do you get a spot in this 32-team field?

That's the easiest part: no computers needed either.

There are 11 FBS conferences (ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, C-USA, MAC, Mountain West, Pac-10, SEC, Sun Belt, and WAC). The winners of the 11 FBS conferences get an automatic spot, leaving 22 at-large bids for the remaining 108 FBS teams.

At-large bids will be determined by 1) total wins; 2) total number of wins by all opponents; 3) number of wins by defeated teams.

To illustrate this I provided a spreadsheet detailing the 2008 Top 25 after conference title week, along with the other teams that are conference champions and then teams with eight wins or more that were un-ranked. Teams with an asterisk represent a conference champion.

BCS Formula 1 Spreadsheet

As you can see there are 41 available teams for the 32-team field. Eleven teams sit with eight wins, meaning teams with nine wins or more will make the field. The teams with eight wins will be decided by opponent wins and if needed the number of wins by defeated teams.

For example, Nebraska and West Virginia each finished with eight wins and 82 opponent wins. Of the four games WVU lost, those four opponents had a combined record of 48 wins, while Nebraska had just 41, putting WVU in for the final spot.

This left Ole Miss, Florida State, Nebraska, Iowa, California, Oregon State, Central Michigan, Air Force, and Navy out.

Seeding

Seeding will be determined the same way by 1) total wins; 2) total number of wins by all opponents; 3) number of teams faced that made the playoffs; 4) number of wins over playoff teams.

If all four of those are identical, tie-breakers will be determined by 1) head-to-head competition (if available); 2) total number of wins by faced playoff teams; 3) total points allowed against playoff teams.

That is illustrated in the below spreadsheet, with teams in order from 1-32.

BCS Seeding Spreadsheet 1

Matchups

Figuring out plays who once the seeding is determined is the typical 32-team format. One bracket, ranked 1-32, with the top seed playing the bottom seed, and so forth.

The below spreadsheet shows the seeds again with a team's 2008 BCS ranking in parentheses. It also shows the matchups, teams that did not make the cut along with a conference breakdown.

BCS Seeding Spreadsheet 2

The List

Introduction

Part One: The Formula, Making the Cut, Seeding, and Matchups

Part Two: Round-by-Round Location and BCS Rotation (Still to come!)

Part Three: T.V. Contracts and Ratings (Still to come!)

Part Four: Ticketing and Attendance (Still to come!)

Part Five: Round-by-Round Payout System (Still to come!)

Part Six: A Look At the 2009 Bracket (Still to come!)

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The SEC Championship: Is Alabama Ready To Take The Next Step in Saban's Process?

Franklin Crittenden — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:31:14 -0500

Looking back it all seems like a bad dream. Alabama had suffered through its most difficult period in over 50 years.

From 2000 to 2006 Alabama had four different head coaches and some of Alabama's players went through as many as three times that number in Coordinators and position coaches.

Alabama's rivals had a field day during this period. Teams like Auburn, LSU, and Tennessee had a combined record of 17-4 over the Crimson Tide during these trying times.

It was the worst of times and the Nick Saban entered the picuture.

Saban arrived in Tuscaloosa, Al in December of 2006 and even though Alabama fans had greeted all of Alabama's past coaches with enthusiasm, the reception that awaited Nick Saban and his family was in the realm of a homecoming for a conquering hero.

Knowledgeable Alabama fans knew that when the University of Alabama hired Nick Saban, the nightmare was finally over.

The last time Alabama fans felt that way was when Paul "Bear" Bryant was introduced to the Crimson Tide faithful in 1958.

In three short years, Nick Saban has turned Alabama from an also ran into one of the nation's premier college football programs. The Tide has spent the better part of the last two years at the top of the polls and the BCS standings.

Nick Saban calls it the "process". The process is just a matter of getting everyone involved on the same page; the players, the coaching staff, the fans, the alumni, and the institution all working as one.

Saban's first year was spent finding out who wanted to be a part of that process among the young men already on campus. Most of them bought in from the start, others are now playing football someplace else.

The next step for Saban was improving the talent level in the Crimson Tide football program, this would take some time. Alabama had some talented players mixed in with the group Saban inherited, but in order to compete at the highest level, Saban had to sell Alabama to the nation's elite athletes.

His first recruiting class in 2006 was a mix of players that were recruited by the previous coaching staff with a few players Saban managed to bring in the closing days before signing day. Those players are among Alabama's junior class who on this year's 12-0 squad. Among them, are players like Rolando McClain.

Saban's next two signing classes were ranked No. 1 by most recruiting services. Among those classes were players like Mark Ingram, Trent Richardson, Jarrell Harris Nico Johnson, Dont'a Hightower, D.J. Fluker, A.J. McCarron, and many others that will become household names in the near future.

Saban is now working on adding another stellar group of athletes to his first two recruiting classes already on campus.

Saban surprised even the most optimistic of Alabama fans by leading the Crimson Tide to its first undefeated regular season since 1992, when Gene Stallings led Alabama to a perfect 13-0 record and its 12th National Championship.

Alabama went undefeated in the SEC in 2008 and was the SEC western division champion for the first time since 1999. Alabama came up short in the SEC Championship game and lost to the Florida Gators.

A disappointed Alabama team went on to lose to No. 2 Utah in the 2009 Sugar Bowl in New Orleans to end the 2008 season on a sour note. Saban said that important lessons were learned in the final two games of 2008.

Even though 2008 ended on a sour note, there was now a new optimism at the Capstone. Alabama went into 2009 with ambitious goals of repeating as Western Division Champions in the SEC and returning to Atlanta for another go at the Florida Gators.

This year should have been a rebuilding season for the Crimson Tide with the loss of its starting quarterback, running back, most of the offensive line, and other key players. With the emergence of Greg McElroy at quarterback and Mark Ingram at running back, talk of rebuilding quickly turned into talk of championships.

Alabama patched up its offensive line with the addition of junior college transfer James Carpenter into a pretty solid group.

Alabama did return most of its top defense from 2008, but the offense was a huge question mark. That question was answered in the first game of the season when Alabama beat the highly regarded Virginia Tech Hokies 34-24. That remains the most points scored on the Hokies' stingy defense to date.

Alabama's disappointing finish to the 2008 season would be used as a motivating tool by Saban to refocus the 2009 team and accomplish Alabama's second undefeated regular season in a row.

That feat has not been accomplished by any team in the SEC since Bear Bryant's 1965 and 1966 teams did it over 40 years ago.

Now the Crimson Tide is in position again to take the next step.

Can Alabama take it to the next level by defeating the No. 1 and defending National Champions Florida Gators?

In 2003 while at LSU, Saban's LSU Tigers faced the exact same situation. LSU had finished 2002 with two disappointing losses in the SEC Championship Game to Arkansas and a loss to Texas in their Bowl Game.

Saban said later that lessons were learned that year as well. Saban led the LSU Tigers to the BCS National Championship in 2003 by beating Georgia in the SEC Championship and No. 1 Oklahoma in the BCS Championship.

Can Saban and the Crimson Tide use the lessons learned in 2008 to take Alabama to the next level in 2009 and win the SEC Championship? The winner of the SEC Championship earns a ticket to the BCS Championship in 2010 in Pasadena, Ca.

The Florida Gators would have to be considered the premier college football team in America since the arrival of Urban Meyer in 2004. The Gators won the BCS in 2006 and 2008.

Defeating the defending national champion Gators in the 2009 SEC Championship could be a tall order especially while they are still being led by Heisman Trophy winner and 2009 Heisman candidate Tim Tebow.

That is the task facing Alabama next Saturday in Atlanta at the Georgia Dome.

Florida and Alabama are the two best teams in the country right now. There is a slight possibility that the BCS could pit both Alabama and Florida in the BCS Title Game in a rematch no matter the outcome this Saturday.

That would be true especially if Alabama beats Florida in a close game.

I think in either case, that would be unfair to all involved.

Florida if favored by almost a touchdown in this game and seems to be at the top of their game.

These two teams are very similar and ranked at the top of so many statistical categories that I won't bore you with the list. Both teams are battle tested and come into this game undefeated and pretty healthy.

Alabama has lost Linebacker Donta' Hightower earlier in the year and Alabama's leading rusher, Mark Ingram sustained a hip injury in the Iron Bowl.

On the Florida side, Linebacker A.J. Jones is doubtful, but other than that everyone else should be able to play.

There has never been a No. 1 versus No. 2 matchup in the SEC Championship Game, so we will be seeing history made this coming Saturday at 4:00PM EST.

Last years game pitted the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide against then No. 4 Florida Gators. Florida won that contest and then went on to win the BCS National Championship by defeating the Oklahoma Sooners in Miami 24-14.

The Crimson Tide looks to take the next big step under Nick Saban by beating the Florida Gators and hopefully going on to play for the Tides' 13th National Championship in the process.

Maybe that is the true meaning of the word "process" that Saban often speaks about.

If so, maybe this is the year Nick Saban's "process" comes to fruition and the Alabama Crimson Tide takes another huge step towards making college football history.

Read more BCS Championship news on BleacherReport.com

Cowboys' Crumble Should Send Boise Bowling With The Big Boys

Lou DiPietro — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:46:57 -0500

The title may seem like a weird truth, but a truth it is.

In a college football landscape where Boise State needed TCU to be upset to have a chance for an automatic BCS berth, the Broncos ironically now have to hope three other undefeated teams don’t get tripped up to make their at-large dreams come true.

Five conference championships are on the line this weekend, and six of the 10 teams involved in those games inhabit the Top 14 of the BCS Rankings.

If they can avoid upsets, Boise State is going bowling with the big boys.

The penultimate BCS rankings have the same top six as last week: Florida, Alabama, Texas, TCU, Cincinnati, and the Broncos.

Beyond that, the teams in the eligible pool for selection (aka the Top 14 with nine or more wins) are Oregon, Ohio State, Iowa, Georgia Tech, Penn State, Virginia Tech, LSU, and BYU.

Two teams are already assured of a trip to Pasadena. Ohio State is headed to the Rose Bowl by virtue of winning the Big Ten, and the winner of the Florida vs. Alabama SEC Championship Game is headed to the BCS Championship in Pasadena.

TCU’s season is over, so they should remain in the top six and thus earn the automatic “BCS Buster” berth. And, if Texas, Cincy, Oregon, and Georgia Tech can hold serve and claim their conference crowns, they’re in.

Even with Pitt (No. 15) and Oregon State (No. 16) having to lose to two of those teams, it’s doubtful that USC (No. 18) or Houston (No. 21) would move up enough to get into the top 14.

That leaves the choices for three BCS at-large berths at Boise, Iowa, Penn State, Virginia Tech, LSU, BYU, and the loser of the SEC Title Game.

However, with the Sugar Bowl losing the SEC Champion to the BCS Championship Game, they get the first choice and will likely select the 12-1 SEC runner-up as the replacement. Because BCS rules prevent more than two teams from any conference earning BCS berths, that eliminates LSU.

So now, it’s down to five teams for two berths. But really, you can eliminate three off the bat.

Iowa and Penn State can’t both make it because Ohio State is in the Rose Bowl, so one of them is out right away. 9-3 Virginia Tech, who didn’t even make the ACC title game, would be a serious long shot, and 10-2 BYU wouldn’t beat out any BCS conference team with a similar or better record.

That means by process of elimination, Boise State is back in the BCS.

As for where they go, it will most likely be the Fiesta Bowl, aka the site of the Broncos’ humongous triumph over Oklahoma a few seasons ago.

If everything in this scenario holds, you’d have Texas vs. Florida/Alabama in the title game, Ohio State vs. Oregon in the Rose, and Georgia Tech locked into the Orange.

The Sugar would select the Gators/Tide loser, and the Fiesta gets the next pick for losing No. 2 Texas. Left to choose between TCU, Cincinnati, or an at-large, they would likely take Penn State—who would travel well and be the most ratings-friendly of the remaining teams.

The actual at-large selection then goes Orange, Fiesta, and Sugar. The Orange Bowl, who had Cincinnati last year, would likely avoid the Bearcats and take undefeated TCU to face Georgia Tech.

That leaves the Fiesta Bowl to choose between Boise, Cincy, Virginia Tech, and BYU—and given their success years ago, the Broncos would likely get the nod. That would send the Bearcats to New Orleans to face the SEC runner-up.

So there you have it: If all goes as planned, Boise State gets to return to the scene of the crime, so to speak.

Of course, if Cincinnati, Texas, or possibly even Georgia Tech lose...I feel very, very bad for whichever lower-conference leftover gets to face Boise in a virtual home game at the Humanitarian Bowl.

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The BCS Fix Is In: Please End The NCAA Football Replay Rules

Pete Misthaufen — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:41:45 -0500

How did we finish the regular season with six undefeated teams? Was it coincidence, accident, or something else?

Looking back over the season, it seems as though one culprit more than any other is responsible for this result: The NCAA replay rules.

Consider this, the Florida-Alabama game this Saturday most likely would have two one-loss teams but for some very questionable work by both on-the-field SEC officials, as well as in-the-replay-booth SEC officials.

Likewise, Cincy, where Big East replay officials turned a Bearcat fumble into a Cincy touchdown over West Virginia after a five minute delay. Cincy's coach was as shocked as anyone with the ruling.

Even Boise State had some questionable help in its win at Tulsa.

And do not forget the questionable replay booth work in the Pac-10 a few years ago.

The Flawed Replay System

Under the current NCAA replay system, every single play may be reviewed by officials and they can delay the game to do so, even without a coaches' challenge.

There is no time limit for review.

The standard for overturning a ruling on the field, conclusive evidence, is vague at best.

Replay officials in many stadiums, including the SEC, lack HD TVs.

The worst aspect of the current system is that it leads to the perception that something fishy is going on in the replay booth.

When fans at home and in the stadium have seen the replays dozens of times during a five minute delay and the announcers are even forced to start to question some replay decisions, there is something very wrong at foot.

Moreover, with the vast sums of money at stake, only a fool would not wonder if something more nefarious was at stake.

It is not only the BCS bowl money at stake, as large as that might be.

It is also the huge TV deals that result from having teams compete and win the BCS championship.

For conferences like the SEC, there are billions at stake.

Even conferences such as the Big East have a huge need for an undefeated team to finish the regular season.

Having officials hired by conferences means that the officials are beholden to the very conferences that pay their paychecks.

Having some officials hidden away in a booth who know the big bucks at stake may not just have an appearances of malfeasance, but indicate that the fix is in.

The SEC sure got what is wanted, as Bama and Florida ran through their supposedly tough SEC schedules undefeated.

As long as we continued with the flawed BCS and its fraudulently named national championship game, we will continue to see very questionable officiating dictating the outcomes of games.

And as long as we continue with officials owned and paid for by conferences, we will continue to see conference loyalty prevail over fair and unreasonable outcomes.

So, while the Gators and the Tide battle it out for a spot in the BCS title game, just remember that neither team would be undefeated without "official" assistance.

Read more BCS Championship news on BleacherReport.com

SEC Championship May Not Be the End All-Tell All of 2009

Ashton Gilstrap — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:18:54 -0500

Let me pose an interesting question to you:

What happens if this weekend's conference championship games shake up the BCS enough to necessitate a rematch between Alabama and Florida for the National Title Game?

This is how it could happen:

Let's say, for the sake of argument, that Alabama manages to come back after a devastating loss in last year's SEC Championship Game to defeat Florida and become the No. 1 team in the land?

Everyone is assuming that the National Title game will be between the winner of the SEC championship and Texas, but what happens if Texas loses this weekend to Nebraska's stout defense in the Big 12 Championship?

There's still a handful of undefeated teams out there, but let's look to the 2007 National Championship Game—when LSU lost to the Arkansas Razorbacks but still managed to get into the National Title game and beat Ohio State.

The point is no other teams in the country will have the kind of strength of schedule that SEC teams have, and that strength of schedule is what could push a rematch between Florida and Alabama for the title game.

Now, obviously, this is just raw speculation. A lot of things would have to go right for it to happen, but if Texas and Florida lose, can it really be argued still that the Gators are not the No. 2 team in the nation and thusly earn their right to go to the National Title game?

Only the next week will be able to tell us this, but I don't think it's too far-fetched to not deserve to be written about.

The SEC is the strongest conference in football, about that there can be no argument. I refuse to even entertain the idea that any other conference can hold a candle to the top to bottom strength that is present in the SEC.

Who's to say it couldn't happen? I'd love to see it happen. As an SEC purist, I think that Florida and Alabama are the two best teams in the country, and regardless of the other undefeated teams, one can clearly see that none of these other teams would make it in the SEC.

The two best teams in the country should play each other for the Championship, rematch or not.

Read more BCS Championship news on BleacherReport.com

Florida Gators: Been A Long Road

Mike Casella — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 08:57:23 -0500

Wayne Peace was the quarterback for the University of Florida back in the early 1980's.

So what?

Contrary to popular belief, the Gators have not always been that dominant team. In fact, there was a time that they were referred to as, "The Choking Gators."

I know. I've spent most of my life as a fan and alumnus.

But, they came into their own beginning in the 1980's.

As a student, I'd go to every home game for five years. I'd go to many away games too.

I can clearly remember Wayne Peace quarterbacking Florida. I can also clearly remember the moaning and groaning of fans who thought our offense was too conservative.

Peace used to have this patented pass play where he'd sort of sprint out to his right or left and throw to a receiver just off the line and wide on either side. Kind of a "sideways" pass.

The offensive coordinator called it "stretching the defense horizontally." It was sort of a unique offensive concept. We weren't too familiar with it, but we'd adjust to the move, much to the chagrin of many of the Gator faithful.

That offensive coordinator used to get "killed" by the press and fans as being too predictable.

Oh, little did we know.

Now, that same man is called "the best offensive mind in the N.F.L."

And he was recently fired after a long run as the head coach of an N.F.L. team. He's the same man now on most team's "short lists" of potential head coaches.

The team was the Denver Broncos. And the man is Mike Shanahan.

Funny how things work out.

Read more BCS Championship news on BleacherReport.com

BCS Rankings Week 14: Oklahoma State Drops as Penn State, Iowa Battle for Berth

Bret Feddern — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 20:04:11 -0500

The top of the BCS food chain may not have changed much this week, but the middle of the pack saw a few teams jockey for position.

Florida, Alabama and Texas all won, and retained their respective positions from last week.

TCU, Boise State and Cincinnati all remained undefeated this week, staking their claim as legitimate BCS contenders.

Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh and Oklahoma State all dropped in the rankings, though, after turning in dismal performances this week.

With a game left to play, Georgia Tech and Pittsburgh still have a chance at a BCS bowl. But Oklahoma State's severe beating by Oklahoma in the Bedlam game deflated any hope the Cowboys had.

That means, assuming Texas defeats Nebraska in the Big 12 championship game, the Fiesta Bowl is off the hook to select a Big 12 team.

As a result, the Big Ten is sitting in great shape for its fifth consecutive year of two BCS berths.

The bowl committees want teams that will provide the biggest economic impact for their communities, something the Big Ten can be counted on for.

Penn State and Iowa are both sitting great in the latest BCS rankings, and both promise large fan turnouts should they be selected. That means higher ticket sales and more money spent in local stores, restaurants and hotels.

Iowa appears to have the advantage on Penn State in the debate over which team from the Big Ten should go to a BCS bowl game.

The Arizona win over Arizona State, combined with the Temple loss to Ohio, on top of the Oklahoma State debacle, helped to widen the gap between Iowa and Penn State in the latest rankings.

The Hawkeyes also claim a victory over the Nittany Lions in the head-to-head match up, winning 21-10.

But the Penn State fan base is lobbying hard, using past BCS bowl game success and TV ratings in their sales pitch.

Regardless, it is hard to say one team has a clear winning argument over the other. And that argument might all be pointless, considering the committee has no obligation to pick a Big Ten team.

Heading into the final stretch of college football, it is important to remember one thing: when it comes to the BCS, nobody knows their head from a rock on the ground.

Assuming Texas doesn't stumble against Nebraska in the Big 12 championship game, the bowl scenario could be shaping up as follows...

National Championship: Florida/Alabama vs. Texas
Sugar Bowl: Florida/Alabama vs. Cincinnati/Pittsburgh
Fiesta Bowl: Iowa vs. Boise State
Orange Bowl: TCU vs. Georgia Tech/Clemson
Rose Bowl: Oregon/Oregon State vs. Ohio State

However, if Texas somehow implodes against Nebraska, the scenario could look different...

National Championship: Florida/Alabama vs. TCU
Sugar Bowl: Florida/Alabama vs. Cincinnati/Pittsburgh
Fiesta Bowl: Boise State or Iowa vs. Nebraska
Orange Bowl: Texas vs. Georgia Tech/Clemson
Rose Bowl: Oregon/Oregon State vs. Ohio State

Here's this week's entire BCS poll:

1. Florida
2. Alabama
3. Texas
4. TCU
5. Cincinnati
6. Boise State
7. Oregon
8. Ohio State
9. Iowa
10. Georgia Tech
11. Penn State
12. Virginia Tech
13. LSU
14. BYU
15. Pittsburgh
16. Oregon State
17. Miami
18. USC
19. California
20. Oklahoma State
21. Houston
22. Nebraska
23. West Virginia
24. Stanford
25. Utah

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The Way I See it: A Look at College Football's Top 25 (Nov. 29)

Drew Gatewood — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 18:56:19 -0500

1. Texas 12-0

The Big 12 Championship and a BCS title Game berth are on the line for the Longhorns this week.

Next: Nebraska

2. Florida 12-0

We’ve been waiting for this game all year, and so has The Crimson Tide.

Next: Alabama

3. Alabama 12-0

They travel to Atlanta with revenge on their minds, but will this year be any different?

Next: Florida

4. TCU 12-0

They’re waiting to see whom they play in a BCS bowl.

Next: Bowl Game

5. Cincinnati 11-0

The Bearcats had better sleep on an angry Panther team this week.

Next: Pittsburgh

6. Boise State 12-0

Will Boise be able to gain enough respect for an at large BCS bid?

Next: Bowl Game

7. Ohio State 10-2

The Buckeyes are in the clubhouse waiting for their show-down with the winner of Ducks and Beavers.

Next: (Rose Bowl)

8. Oregon 9-2

The ducks haven’t fared well in the civil war lately, they need to change that in order to smell the roses.

Next: Oregon State

9. Iowa 10-2

They won an ugly game and now wait to see if they can get a BCS at large bid.

Next: Bowl Game

10. Penn State 10-2

The Nittany Lions looked very impressive during their 42-14 win

Next: Bowl Game

11. Virginia Tech 8-3

The Hokies crushed the Cavaliers after a rough first half.

Next: Bowl Game

12. BYU 9-2

It took an overtime, but they beat Utah and improved bowl positioning.

Next: Bowl Game

13. Nebraska 8-3

The Huskers want to ruin Texas’s season and go to a BCS bowl.

Next: Bowl Game

14. Pittsburgh 9-2

The Big East crown is on the line this week along with the Panthers respect.

Next: Cincinnati

15. Georgia Tech 10-2

A dropped pass on fourth down doomed the Jackets against the Dawgs.

Next: Clemson

16. Houston 9-2

Houston’s 73 points are tops among any college football team this year.

Next: ECU

17. USC 8-3

They beat UCLA, but three losses on the year still stings a bit.

Next: Bowl Game

18. California 8-3

Beating the Huskies puts them in a better bowl.

Next: Washington

19. LSU 9-3

Another nail biter for LSU fans, this time turns out on the positive side.

Next: Bowl Game

20. Miami 9-3

The Canes made it rain on USF this weekend, once again beating their instate rival.

Next: Bowl Game

21. West Virginia 8-3

The Backyard Brawl turned out to be another nail biter in the fourth quarter.

Next: Bowl Game

22. Oregon State 8-3

The Civil war will always mean more than a Rose Bowl berth, but this year it adds another level of excitement.

Next: Oregon

23. Utah 9-3

The Utes have had another tough game slip away late.

Next: Bowl Game

24. Oklahoma State 9-3

Oklahoma put the BCS at large bid talk to sleep for the Cowboys this week.

Next: Bowl Game

25. Stanford 8-4

The Cardinal put the nail in Weis’ coffin this week as they got a late victory over the Irish.

Next: Bowl Game

Here's a look at the Terrible 10:

The Terrible Ten: College Football's Biggest Disappointments (Nov 29)

Read more BCS Championship news on BleacherReport.com

Alabama's Quarterback Greg McElroy Heating Up at The Right Time

Larry Burton — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 15:51:20 -0500

Before the season even started rumors that turned out to be fact came drifting from the Manning Passing Academy, a special summer camp for the elite quarterbacks to attend, that this "new kid" from Alabama was raising everyone's eyebrows and putting some of the big name quarterbacks to shame.

He burst onto the college football world with a big second half in the Virginia Tech game but still many doubted that this was a man that Saban could pin his hopes on for a national championship run.

Then came the Arkansas game where Bobby Petrino sold out to stop the run and force Alabama to beat them with this first year starter. The result was a 35-7 stomping that saw McElroy throw for 291 yards and three touchdowns.

And this was the same Arkansas team that almost beat Florida, the same team that held Tim Tebow to just one touchdown toss in a 23-20 Florida come from behind win.

Then came the "slump". McElroy's numbers did in fact go down, but Mark Ingram's rushing numbers went up as did his Heisman hype. Doubters began wondering about McElroy again.

McElroy quickly put that doubt to rest with impressive wins over LSU and great completion ratios in the ones that followed. And then came "The Drive". With the game on the line, McElroy once and for all should have quieted the last of the doubters with a 15 play drive that killed both the clock and Auburn's hope of an upset.

He went seven of nine and slowly and methodically moved the Tide to the end zone with a nice pass to Sr. Roy Upchurch. In that drive he was cool on third downs unflappable after being hit and unfazed while being rushed.

Bama fans have now come to see Greg as an upgrade from last year's Sr. quarterback, John Parker Wilson and a man that has yet to lose a game as a starter, or make costly mistakes that have almost cost his team a loss.

Florida's game plan to stop Alabama is simple. Stop the run first. Pressure McElroy and force this young quarterback make plays against the best defense he's seen all year.

That has already been tried and they didn't like the results.

This is a different Alabama team that Florida faced last year even though the majority of the faces remain the same. The biggest different is the quarterback in Crimson and his ability to win games, and unfortunately for Florida, he's getting hot again at just the right time.

Read more BCS Championship news on BleacherReport.com

A College Football Playoff System That Would Actually Work

John Moss — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 13:33:20 -0500

In a year where Florida, Alabama, Texas, TCU, Cincinnati, and Boise State should all end up undefeated, the college football playoff talk will be louder than ever following this weekend's conference championship games.

Should it be a plus-one style playoff, or a classic eight-to-sixteen team field? Who should host these games, and would the bowls get as much money as they do in the current system?

How early do you start the tournament, and would it interfere with students' final exams? All are valid questions and have been taken into account.

May I present to you a playoff system that would satisfy everyone, from conference commissioners to school presidents—the Moss Playoff System:

First and foremost, the conferences would be divided into two brackets—the Bud Wilkinson Bracket (the West bracket) and the Bear Bryant Bracket (the East bracket).

The Pac 10, Mountain West Conference, Big 12, and Western Athletic Conference would make up the Bud Wilkinson Bracket, while the SEC, ACC, Big 10, and Big East would make up the Bear Bryant Bracket.

Each bracket would have teams seeded 1-6. The four conference champions would get the top four seeds. The team with the best record would be the first seed, etc. In the case of identical records, the team with the highest BCS ranking would be the number one seed, and so on down the line.

The final two seeds in each bracket would be "wild cards;" the two highest non-conference champion teams in the BCS rankings (Independents such as Notre Dame would be considered a wild card).

The top two seeds in each bracket would get a first round bye, with the number one seed playing the highest ranked team in the second round.

There would be four games in each bracket, resulting in one team emerging from each. These two teams would play for the National Championship.

The games would be played at the following bowls: Bud Wilkinson: Rose, Fiesta, Cotton, and Holiday. Bear Bryant: Sugar, Orange, Capital One, and Chick Fil-A.

The National Championship game would be played at one of the four "major" bowl sites, and would rotate each year.

The timing would be simple. There would be no "off weeks" during the five week tournament.

The teams would get two weeks off after their last game before the first round games would be played, giving the top two seeds in each bracket an additional week of rest.

That's it in a nutshell. With this format, the BCS still plays a roll—but the best team in the country would be decided on the field, not in some computer formula.

Teams like TCU and Boise State would get the chance to play the "big boys" with everything on the line.

Teams not in the 12-team field would still play the secondary bowls, just like they do now. There would be no real difference between this and how it is set up now; does the Papajohns.com bowl winner win anything less?

Will it ever happen? Probably not. Too many people are making too much money in the current system to approve such a drastic change.

But isn't it fun to imagine what college football would be like if the National Champion were to be decided on the field?

Read more BCS Championship news on BleacherReport.com

SEC Championship Game Preview: Alabama vs Florida, Strength vs. Strength

Larry Burton — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 11:09:42 -0500

This is not one of those games that has two teams facing off pitting one's strengths against another team's weakness. These two teams are too much alike. These are two gladiators that will swap punches for four quarters, mano a mano.

There will be no quarter given and no excuses offered. That is the way it should be in a championship game. Many sports fans feel this game is really for the national title though I'm sure a lot of Texans may disagree.

On both paper and reality this game matches up as a battle royal. The nation's top two defenses line up against solid but less spectacular offenses. These are two teams that usually win by finally exerting their will, conditioning and depth onto a weaker opponent.

There will not a knockout in this game, both teams will be standing at the end exhausted yet still willing to trade haymakers. It is and will be a game worthy of what a championship game is supposed to be about.

The few edges one team may have on another are all arguable but let's explore a few of them and attempt to sort out an outcome.

The following stats come from cfbstats.com and only reflect stats through 11-21-2009 as the last game's stats are not included.

Special Teams

In a tight race, I've heard many a good coach say it could come down to special teams and field position. Both teams are good in this area.

Kickoff return yards—about dead even.

Kickoff return yards allowed—five yard edge to Florida.

Punt return yards—16.5 yard advantage to Alabama.

Punting yardage—virtual tie.

Field goal percentage—Alabama wins 86 percent to 69 percent.

Special Teams Edge to Alabama

Offense

Scoring—Four point advantage to Florida, but in common opponents seven point advantage to Alabama.

Time of Possession—Virtual tie.

Total offense—Advantage Florida by 27 yards a game, but against common opponents, the reverse is true.

Third Down Conversion rate—Advantage Florida, 38 percent to 47.5 percent.

Rushing—Virtual tie.

Fumbles lost—Alabama 6, Florida 9. Advantage Alabama.

Passing—Virtual tie.

Interceptions—Tie.

Offense—Slight edge to Florida due to Mr. Third Down, Tim Tebow

Defense

Scoring allowed_Virtual tie, but in common opponents seven point lead for Alabama.

Total yardage allowed—Virtual tie.

Third down conversion rate allowed—Slight advantage Alabama by 2 percent.

Rushing Allowed—Advantage Alabama by about 200 yards over the season.

Passing Allowed—Advantage Florida by 200 yards over the season.

Turnovers created—Interceptions: Tie. Fumbles: Advantage Alabama by two.

Defense—Slight edge to Alabama due to statistics

Other factors that influence the outcome

As previously stated, common opponents mean a lot, especially when Florida has the reputation for running up the score and Alabama is content to just win. In those common opponent games, Alabama has fared better in almost every statistical category including most importantly, the score.

On offense and defense, Alabama rotates players in and out at a greater rate than Florida does. Alabama appears to be slightly deeper at key positions that Florida, and in a game when such heavyweight punches will be thrown, that can be a key issue.

The "TEBOW FACTOR" There's an old saying attributed to Coach Bryant that says, "I ain't nothin' but a winner." The Tim Tebow factor is just that. No player in recent years has been better in taking a team on his shoulders and simply exerting his own will to win better than Tim Tebow. He was the difference in the last game and could be this time too.

Play makers and the WOW factor. Each team has a couple of players that have that speed and those moves that leave others reaching for air. For Florida, Jeff Demps is just that kind of guy and for Alabama Javier Arenas is that guy who makes every coach hold his breath when they punt. Yes there are others on each team, but they pretty well balance out. Demps will certainly get more touches however.

Team trends for this year - Both teams have had some great wins and ugly wins this season. But overall for the year, Florida is down from last year's stats in almost every major category, while Alabama's stats are better than last year's team. Given the fact that last year's game was so close, with Alabama leading going into the fourth quarter, that could be a big trend indeed to favor the Tide.

Final Scenario and Outcome

Florida starts out fast and finishes slowly, Alabama starts out slowly and finishes strong. I can't help but think of the old tortoise and hare here.

I expect this to be a physical, bruising SEC type game that could turn on just one or two big plays.

It could come down to a field goal and Alabama would certainly have the advantage there with Lee Tiffin doing the kicking.

You could virtually flip a coin in this one and Las Vegas has yet to put out their pick. But given the special teams advantage, the fact that Alabama did better against common opponents and the overall trends of last season vs this season, Alabama would seem to have what it takes this year.

Read more BCS Championship news on BleacherReport.com

The Sunday Morning BCS Report: Week 13

Dan Smith — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 06:30:19 -0500

13 weeks in and there are still six undefeated teams.

Texas won a shootout over their rival, Texas A&M, on Thanksgiving night as Colt McCoy made a strong bid for the Heisman and will be taking on Nebraska, led by Ndamukong Suh.

Cincinnati beat Illinois in a Big East/Big 10 match-up on Friday and Tony Pike showed the nation that his left forearm injury cost him a run at the Heisman.

Alabama also had an epic comeback win over Auburn on Friday. The Auburn defense ended Mark Ingram's Heisman run, it seems, unless he dominates the Florida Gators next week's National Semi-Final, er, SEC Championship Game.

Tim Tebow played great in his final home game in a lopsided win over Florida State. He also has another chance to come up big against Alabama and solidify his Heisman run.

A new contender has also risen for the pose as Toby Gerhart led Stanford to a huge win over Notre Dame.

He ran for three touchdowns, including a late one where the Notre Dame defense "let him score" but the Notre Dame defense also let him run for over 200 yards over the course of the game, too.

Coach Charlie Weis is returning to South Bend to meet with his boss while coach Jim Harbaugh has the Cardinal looking like the bullies of the Pac-10 with their bruising running game and the game management of Andrew Luck.

Jimmy Claussen threw for five touchdowns, but his last pass fell into the end zone as the Irish needed him to throw one more to tie the game.

Matt Barkley's last pass for USC was a touchdown after UCLA called a timeout down by 14 in the final seconds of their game with USC. USC downed the ball, Rick Neuheisel called a timeout, Pete Carroll called a passing play, and a riot almost ensued.

Pittsburgh lost the Backyard Brawl to West Virginia. They can still play for the Big East Title next week against Cincinnati, but now a Pitt victory might nudge Cincinnati out of the BCS in favor of Boise State, who pounded Nevada into the blue turf. A Pitt loss will definitely help Boise State's cause as a BCS Buster.

TCU finished off a 12-0 season. Two middle of the pack SEC teams (Georgia and South Carolina) beat the two teams playing in the ACC title game next week (Georgia Tech and Clemson).

Arizona beat Arizona State, so I really enjoyed that one. Oklahoma shut out the Oklahoma State Cowboys in Bedlam.

There is going to be a change in my top two teams this week. I started the season with USC number one and Florida number two, calling for them to both go undefeated and USC win the BCS Championship Game.

And that is why pencils have erasers.

I have had Florida number one ever since USC lost to Washington, and Texas was my number two team. I am moving Alabama to number one this week and leaving Texas at number two.

The winner of the SEC Title Game will be favored in the BCS Title Game, and I think Alabama is going to win the SEC this year. They were supposedly a year early last year, and I like what I have seen from them this year.

My Top Two

1. Alabama

2. Texas

My Heisman Finalists

1. Colt McCoy

2. Tim Tebow

3. Toby Gerhart

Conference Power Rankings (number of top 25 teams)

1. SEC (4)

2. Big 10 (3)

3. Pac-10 (4)

4. Mountain West (3)

5. Big XII (2)

6. ACC (4)

Week 14 Championship Games

1. Florida Vs. Alabama

2. Texas vs. Nebraska

3. Oregon State at Oregon

4. Clemson vs. Georgia Tech

5. Cincinnati vs. Pittsburgh

One last thought

Bobby Bowden wants to coach for one more season. Florida State struggled this year to a 6-6 record and that is why this is even an issue. For as good as Bowden has been for as long as he has been, it is amazing that there is even a notion to force him out. Only one team can win the national championship and is the price for not being that team so great that icons like Bobby Bowden cannot choose when to coach their last game?

I hope that common sense will emerge in Tallahassee. The only thing the board of directors need to know is when Bobby Bowden wants to coach his last game and he should be welcomed back until the day of that game arrives.

Read more BCS Championship news on BleacherReport.com

BCS Bowl Predictions: Final Week

Brian Nelson — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 05:52:09 -0500

This week featured some of the most compelling and meaningful games of the season.

Oklahoma State's buckling at the Bedlam game had by far the most significant impact on final BCS destinations. The Cowboys lost 27-0 to the 6-5 Sooners. It's amazing this team was just one win away from the "exclusive" BCS.

Just like the Big 12 itself, OSU was vastly overrated.

Perhaps, the nation should have paid more attention to what last year's bowl results were telling us. The Pac-10, the SEC and the MWC are for real and the Big 12 seemed mediocre.

The big winners this week were Boise State and the SEC.

Boise State seemed to be on the outside looking in until Oklahoma State fell.

The SEC manhandled the ACC over the weekend. Florida was too much for the Seminole defense and two mid-tier SEC teams whipped both ACC division champions.

Alabama survived another close call. This week pulling it out at the last minute against Auburn in the Iron Bowl. Props to the Tide and to Greg Mcelroy who looked terrific.

Although, I am very surprised the Tigers called two running plays during the one minute drill. I think the idea is to run plays that stop the clock and that actually move the chains.

The biggest loser this week aside from the ACC and Oklahoma State may have been the Big East. Pitt's loss to West Virginia takes a lot of glimmer off next week's de facto conference championship game.

In addition, if Texas were to somehow fall to Nebraska next week, it will be increasingly difficult for Cincinnati to pass up TCU in the Final BCS standings.

Either way, I see Pitt winning next week. Dion Lewis and Pitt's explosive running game will prove to much for Cincinnati's suspect run defense.

Here is how I see the BCS Bowl playing out on selection Sunday:

National Championship Game: Texas vs. Florida.

Texas does not deserve to be in this game. I know they were victims of the system last year and this will be a killer match-up, McCoy vs. Tebow, two major powerhouses. The ratings will be through the roof. Which is probably all the BCS cares about anyway.

The BCS should really take a stand on Texas' schedule. They certainly have no problem doing it with non-BCS teams. That hypocrisy will cost them one day. Big time.

Playing for the Crystal Football, Charlie Strong exposes Texas weak running game and the Gators' disciplined secondary keeps McCoy in check. Shipley returns a punt for a touchdown but the defending champions prevail, again.

Florida 27, Texas 17

Rose Bowl: Oregon vs. Ohio State

Ohio State continues their pathetic January play by folding to Jeremiah Masoli and Chip Kelly's brilliant offense, who always seem to play better and better as the year progresses.

Oregon 28, Ohio State 20

Orange Bowl: Pitt vs. Clemson

Dude, seriously could this game get any uglier? The Orange Bowl, with the third at-large pick, selects Pitt in order to avoid a Clemson-TCU rematch.

Four-loss Clemson advances to the Orange Bowl automatically after knocking off Paul Johnson's Yellow Jackets.

Pitt knocks off Cincinnati with their stellar run game and terrific defensive line play. They do the same to Clemson despite 250 all-purpose yards from C.J. Spiller.

Pitt 13, Clemson 10

Fiesta Bowl: Penn State vs. Boise State

By losing Texas to the National Championship Game and Oklahoma State due to deficiency, the Fiesta Bowl has the honor of selecting two at-large teams. Knowing that their last pick will inherently be a less desirable non-BCS team, the Fiesta selects Penn State over the more deserving Iowa Hawkeyes, banking on the pull of Joe Pa and the strong, traveling fan base of the Nittany Lions.

While Iowa travels well too, the Fiesta views Penn State as the higher octane offense that can keep up with the Boise State Broncos.

Despite TCU's stronger resume, the Fiesta Bowl pulls from past experience and opts for the more proven commodity in Boise State. A team that has historically traveled better than TCU.

The Big Ten's woes in BCS games continue.

Boise State 42, Penn State 31

Sugar Bowl: TCU vs. Alabama

I love the Tide and suffer from Tebow-fatigue. But even a very talented, well-coached and well-balanced like this year's Alabama won't get by Urban and Tim in the national championship semi-final.

While Mcelroy and Julio Jones looked terrific against Auburn on Friday, Alabama's passing game won't be strong enough to keep up with Tim Tebow and Riley Cooper, despite Mark Ingram hobbling to 100 plus rushing yards.

Once again, the Tide will have to "settle" for another Sugar Bowl with another inferior MWC team. Saban learns his lesson from last year and does not provide any bulletin board fodder by discounting the MWC.

But he still overlooks TCU and their capable run defense.

The Tide faithful lay claim that they would've demolished TCU had Andre Smith suited up.

TCU 31, Alabama 17

Read more BCS Championship news on BleacherReport.com

SEC Secures Spot in BCS Title Game: Will Texas Be Next?

Pete Misthaufen — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 05:49:12 -0500

With Alabama and Florida finishing the regular season undefeated, the SEC now has eliminated any possibility of the SEC not having a team in the BCS title game. Now, it only remains to determine which team the SEC will face in its quest for a fourth consecutive BCS title.

With six undefeated teams, it would appear that the BCS was headed to the so-called "Doomsday scenario", that some pundits believe would lead to the implementation of a playoff.

While having four or more undefeated teams would seem at first glance as a problem for the BCS, the real problem is having an outsider make the BCS title game.

And by outsider, I mean Cincinnati as much as TCU. Have no doubt, even with its auto-bid status, the Big East does not have the required status, nor does the ACC outside of Miami, Virginia Tech, and Florida State.

Currently, unless Nebraska can find a way to win the Big 12 championship game versus Texas, the powers-that-be of the BCS will take comfort that they avoided what they view as a true disaster.

As a supporter of system shock , I can only hope for this type of doomsday soon. So, unless the Cornhuskers win, the BCS will avoid their worst nightmare. Having Boise State, TCU, and Cincy on the outside looking in will actually make them all content and happy.

Now, TCU and Texas have been very close together in the BCS computers for several weeks. There is a small chance that TCU could get a boost in the computers and human polls for the final BCS standings if Cincy loses (combined with the SEC championship game).

In such a situation, TCU most likely would be a strong No. 3 in the human polls, behind Texas, but with just enough computer help to move ahead by a small fraction. However, this is very unlikely and TCU needs a Texas loss.

One other possibility is a Texas loss and a very close battle in Atlanta. In such a situation, there is also a remote possibility of a Florida-Alabama rematch, but that would create such a stir and a turmoil that it is extremely unlikely.

Even with a Texas loss, TCU would likely need an assist from Pitt just to eliminate the Bearcat threat.

So, BCS tyrants, you are most likely going to get your way. But be prepared to deal with another difficult year in Washington, D.C., as the politicians badger Mr. Hancock and Mr. Perlman yet again.

And no, Ari the P.R. mouthpiece is not going to help resolve this situation. Not unless he can convince the BCS boneheads to finally bring in a playoff.

Read more BCS Championship news on BleacherReport.com

NCAA Football Top 25 Week 13: Seven Top 25 Teams Fall in Wild Rivalry Week

Tyler Stimson — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 01:57:24 -0500

Tyler Stimson votes in the ESPN-U poll and the Bleacher Report poll.

(Team Records and last weeks ranking in parentheses)

This is my College Football Top 25 for Week 13.

It was a wild week of college football. Rivalry week always provides some upsets and even though all of the undefeateds survived, this week was no different, with seven ranked teams falling, six to unranked opponents.

The SEC proved its dominance over the ACC with three victories over ACC opponents, including victories by mid-level SEC teams (South Carolina over Clemson, and Georgia over Georgia Tech) over the two participants in next week's ACC championship game.

Here is my newest Top 25:

1. TCU (12-0)—Demolished New Mexico at home, 52-10, and clinched the MWC championship.

Before accounting for this weekends' games (the numbers have not been released yet) TCU's SOS was 32. Texas'? 48.

Victories over teams in the current top 25:

TCU three (Clemson, BYU, Utah)

Alabama two (LSU, Virginia Tech)

Florida one (LSU)

Texas none

This team keeps rolling towards a BCS bowl. They have the most complete team in college football. If Texas loses to Nebraska—watch out. TCU could be the first Non-BCS national champion of the BCS era. They are good enough to beat the winner of the Florida/Alabama game.

This team has no clear weakness. They are the only team in the nation in the top 5 in offense and defense. They have played a tough schedule, and they are worthy of the No. 1 overall ranking.

They have not dilly dallied with clearly inferior opponents, even top 25 caliber ones. They have demolished them, jumping out to a 21-0 lead against BYU, and a 35-7 lead against Utah early in the second quarter. They have consistently jumped out to huge leads, and left no doubt as to who the better team is by the end of the first half.

Regardless of what you think about TCU vs. Texas, there needs to actually be a debate between the voters for having TCU or Texas in the National Championship game against the Florida/Alabama winner.

Here's why:

Team A

SOS: 48
Victories over top-25 teams: one
Won multiple national championships (in its history)
Averages 43 PPG on offense
Gives up 15 PPG on defense
Finished in the top 10 in the final poll last year

Team B

SOS: 32
Victories over top 25 teams: three
Won multiple national championships (in its history)
Averages 40 PPG on offense
Gives up 12 PPG on defense
Finished in the top 10 in the final poll last year
Only team in the country in the top five in both total offense and defense

Which team has the better resume?

If you look at it unbiasedly, it's clearly Team B, albeit, by a small margin.

Team B is TCU.

Team A is Texas.

2. Florida (12-0)— Beat Florida State 37-10. The Florida offense is back! They are averaging 37 points a game for the year! But if you take a closer look, there is real cause for concern.

They've averaged 49 points a game against Charleston Southern, Troy, FIU, Georgia, Kentucky, and Florida State.

Against the rest of their schedule? (Tennessee, LSU, Arkansas, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt and South Carolina) A measly 23 points a game.

Their 37 points per a game is clearly inflated from running up the score against cupcake competition. Their defense, however, might be the best in the nation. And it might be enough to carry them to their third national title in four years.

Their schedule, at least IMO has been much easier than Alabama's, but Florida has looked much more impressive (as of late) against that schedule. The argument is irrelevant however, as they play Alabama next week for the SEC championship, the No. 1 ranking and a spot in the title game against Texas/TCU.

3. (2) Alabama (12-0)— Beat Auburn 26-21. Wow! What drive to get the go ahead TD. Alabama took Auburns' haymakers in the first quarter, and ended up outlasting Auburn. What a great, gritty effort by Alabama.

Greg McElroy was very solid and efficient, and mistake free—that was the difference. They drop behind Florida for now, but really, who cares? They will get their say in that argument next week. Isn't it so much better when these things get settled on the field?

4. Texas (12-0)—Beat Texas A&M 49-39. Texas' defense was exposed in this one. Don't let Colt McCoy's legendary performance let you forget that. Texas supposedly had one of the best defenses in the country—I guess not.

Texas better hope that this was a fluke, because they will not score 49 against Nebraska's D. And if they face Florida/Alabama in the National Championship, they better hope that it was an abberation—or they will get blown off the field. They have zero victories over top 25 opponents so far this year.

5. Boise State (12-0)—Beat Nevada 44-33 at home. Nevada was one of the hottest teams in the country, having won 8 in a row. With Oklahoma State's loss, this team looks like a BCS bowl lock, unless Nebraska beats Texas in the Big 12 title game: that's when things would get interesting.

6. Cincinatti (11-0)—Beat Illinois 49-36. Illinois is a 3-9 Big Ten team....yeah, Cincinnati scored 49 points, but they gave up 36. I am not impressed.

7. Oregon (9-2)—Beat Arizona 44-41 in two overtimes last week. They face Oregon State this coming Thursday Night in the defacto Pac-10 championship game. If they can get past Oregon State, the Pac-10 title, and a Rose Bowl matchup with Ohio State is theirs.

8. (13) BYU (10-2)—Beat Utah 26-23 in an Overtime thriller. I attended this game personally—there is no better moment for a college football fan than witnessing your team beat your bitter rival with a walk off OT TD win—and that's what happened. BYU trailed 23-20, and it was second and ten in the first overtime.

Max Hall squeezed short a bullet pass into Andrew George, who stayed on his feet, and ran into the end zone. The fans went absolutely nuts, and stormed the field. It was an awesome experience. In three out of the last four years, BYU has beat Utah in dramatic fashion.

This was the only game of the week where both teams were ranked.

Since getting upset by Florida State in week three, BYU is 8-1, with their only loss coming to No. 1 TCU. In a mishmash of two-loss teams, BYU rises to the top. They could easily be 15th. Oklahoma's demolishing of Oklahoma State also strengthens BYU's case.

If Iowa and Penn State are still candidates for a BCS bowl, why isn't BYU? Their fan base would travel just as well or better. Is the Big Ten really much better than the MWC? The MWC is pretty much unofficially a BCS conference at this point. They are just as good or better than the typical BCS conference.

9. Ohio State (10) (10-2)—Beat Michigan 21-10 a week ago. Ohio State is the class of a mediocre and (admittedly) deep conference, and Michigan gave that game away, with three red zone turnovers, and another turnover that went the other way for a touchdown. This is a good football team, but I like the Oregon/Oregon State winner to beat them in the Rose Bowl.

10. Iowa (12) (10-2)—Beat Minnesota 12-0. Iowa, with its rabid fan base, and Oklahoma State's loss, looks likely to nab an at-large BCS berth.

11. Houston (15) (10-2)—Beat Rice 73-14. They led 59-0 at the half. Wow. Now that's style points. They Beat Texas Tech (8-4), Oklahoma State (9-3) and Miss St (just beat Ole Miss) in their non-conference schedule.

12. Georgia Tech (7) (10-2)- Lost to Georgia 30-24. They failed to come from behind, after doing so for the last six straight weeks. This is still a very good football team. They play Clemson in the ACC Championship. Should Georgia Tech get the victory, they'll have a BCS bid.

13. LSU (19) (9-3)—Handled the clock right this time, tied the game, and won 33-30 on a missed FG by Arkansas' kicker in OT. 9-3 in the best conference in America? Good enough for 13th in the country, at least for me.

14. Penn State (16) (10-2)—Demolished Michigan State 42-10 a week ago. This is a team that has played an easy schedule. Their best victory is...over Northwestern. They lost convincingly to the only two good teams they faced. They still have a decent chance at a BCS at-large bid.

15. Oregon State (18) (8-3)—Beat Washington State 42-10 a week ago. They play at Oregon this Thursday for a BCS bowl bid and the Pac-10 title.

16. Pittsburgh (8) (9-2)—Lost to West Virginia on Friday Night 19-16.

17. Utah (14) (9-3)—Lost to BYU 26-23 in an OT thriller. They trailed 20-6, before battling all the way back and tying the game with a FG with 39 seconds left. Only to lose on a walk-off Andrew George TD in OT. I can't imagine how they feel right now—they almost had a great comeback against their biggest rival, but came up just short.

I don't think they should be penalized too much for losing by three points, on the road to a top 10 team. Their three losses have come on the road to three top ten teams; TCU, Oregon and BYU. Two of those losses (BYU and Oregon) the Utes could've easily won.

18. USC (23) (8-3)— Beat UCLA 21-7. USC's defense bounced back against a UCLA team that had won three in a row coming into the game.

The Pac-10 might be the best conference (top-to-bottom) in college football. Keep in mind they have a key OOC victory at Ohio State as well.

19. Virginia Tech (Unranked) (9-3)-Crushed Virginia 42-13. Their only losses are to Alabama, Georgia Tech, and North Carolina; all games they could've won.

20. California (24) (8-3)—Beat Stanford 34-28 last week. California has won five of their last six games, a very impressive feat in this year's Pac-10. They play at Washington next week.

21. Stanford (25) (8-4)— Beat Notre Dame 45-38. Toby Gearhart deserves the Heisman: he has been the best player in college football this year. He ran for over 200 yards, three TDs and even threw a TD.

22. Miami (Unranked) (9-3)-Beat South Florida 31-10. Miami had a great year; after starting the season unranked, they have remained in the Top 25 since Week Two.

23. Arizona (Unranked) (7-4)- Beat their instate rival ASU 20-17. They are 5-3 in the Pac 10 - (perhaps) the best and certainly the most competitive conference top to bottom in the country.

24. Clemson (11) (8-4)—C. J. Spiller made a huge Heisman statement on the first play, taking the opening kickoff for a touchdown. Then he did absolutely nothing, as Clemson fell to rival South Carolina 34-17. They face Georgia Tech next week for the ACC Championship and a BCS bid. They get some credit, and remain in the Top 25 for for only losing by four against TCU way back in Week Four.

25. West Virginia (Unranked) (8-3)-Upset Pittsburgh at home on Friday Night, 19-16. They have a tough game next week at Rutgers.

Conference Breakdown

1. PAC-10 (six)
2. ACC (four)
3. SEC (three)
3. MWC (three)
3. BIG TEN (three)
3. BIG EAST (three)
7. BIG 12 (one)
7. WAC (one)
7. C-USA (one)

Conference Power Rankings

1. SEC —Is there really any doubt? Maybe the Pac-10 could challenge them, but honestly the SEC is clearly the best conference in college football. They may have only three ranked teams, but they will have 10 bowl eligible teams this year. Not to mention they have the clear No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the country. They have a bunch of teams very close to being ranked.

2. Pac-10 —There is so much depth and parity in this conference. They really have six excellent teams. There could easily be a five-way tie for second place.

3. MWC —Clearly best Non-BCS conference, actually better than most BCS conferences. I'm sure you may have doubts, but remember Utah-Alabama last year? TCU is better than that team, much better. Boasts an undefeated 2-0 record in BCS bowls (thanks to Utah).

4. Big Ten —Has depth, but overall is mediocre; they get credit for solid OOC wins over Arizona and Air Force.

5. Big East - Plays a ridiculously easy OOC schedule overall, but Cincinnati did beat Oregon State earlier in the year

6. ACC - Got absolutely owned by the SEC this week.

7. Big 12 —Only one good team; Texas. No one else is even worthy of being ranked in the top 25. May be better than Big 10, ACC or Big East, but have they done anything to prove it? What is their best Non-conference win this season?

Please post any comments below! Let me know what you think about these rankings.

What do you totally disagree with? Please let me know!

Thanks for reading, everyone!

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Larry's Losers in the SEC and the SEC Championship Game

Larry Burton — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 00:02:04 -0500

After a few days off visiting relatives, eating turkey and being stuck in the car on two long trips, Baccardi the wonder dog and I have just gotten home and are ready to end this season's regular season and conference championship game on a high note.

Well, Baccardi, we finished another regular season and this last week provided us some upsets and some near upsets and this week, the prognostication process proved pitiful.

The Old Ball Coach proved you better not make his reservation at the nursing home just yet as he dished out an upset to Dabo Swinney's Clemson Kitty Cat Club. That was a shocker, but not like the one that took place in Mississippi.

Dan Mullen's mutts have been kicked like a yard dog this season as far as the check marks go in the win column, but they, the kickers, have pulled back legs with quite a few tooth marks in them. It was only a question of time until the dogs had their day.

Well that day came today and they just completely ripped the wheels off the 10-win express that Houston Nutt was hopin' to sport around in this off season.

The Rebels came into this dog pound and got mauled by a pack of pooches that had so many other good teams on the ropes, only to see them jump over the fence and get away at the last minute.

Lane Kiffin improved the Vols bowl hunt with an overtime win against Rich Brooks and them Kentucky Kitties. Baccardi and I both felt this was an upset in the making, but it just didn't come through.

Would the Les Miles Meltdown continue in Louisiana? We picked that upset. At least this week Miles figured out that when the clock numbers get smaller that means time is going off the clock and he got the field goal team out there just in time to get it to overtime.

Seems like these two teams never can settle the argument in the regulated time and last year when it went to continued contestin', the Hogs came out a winner, and this year it was payback time for the Tigers.

And lastly Mark Richt, proved you can't keep a good dog down and he upset the little smart pill machine with a win over Georgia Tech in what would prove to be the second SEC over ACC upset of the day and neither did I or Baccardi see it coming.

These five misses brought about the worst week in week Larry's Losers history and is making me and Baccardi rethink the whole smart pill machine thing. It just ain't workin'.

This brought the season total down to 73-20 or 77 percent. A coach winning 77 percent of his games would have a 10 win season out of 13 games, and that'll keep your job, so Baccardi and I will be back next year, but we'll be bakin' up some "Smart Cookies" to help us be one smart cookie ourselves.

As far as the only two we got right, Gene Chizik reached into the Tiger trunk of tricks and almost pulled out an upset, but an Elephant knows that slow and steady usually win the final race, and the pachyderms finally trampled the Tigers.

And lastly, Urban Meyer kept Bobby Bowden from strolling into retirement wearing any new Gator skin boots and they snapped and chewed the Seminoles as predicted and now prepare for the final SEC match up of the year.

And how will that go?

The Gators are coming in fat and happy after feeding off all their opponents this year and they are no doubt confident after their final course of Seminole Souffle.

And that last drive of Alabama's down in little brother's backyard is gonna give the Tide the belief that they can do anything once their mind is set on it.

This Saturday's game is really for the national championship, as the winner should walk over Texas for yet another title coming home to the SEC.

This game will have great defense, a few big plays and maybe a nail-biting ending but when it's all over, the Elephants will prove to more than a mouthful for the Gators and they will come out on top.

Larry's loser: Florida.

Baccardi and I need to go out on top with this last SEC match up, but we'll have one more chance to set the bar a little higher for next year with Larry's Losers in the SEC Bowl Games in the next installment.

So once the bowls have all been decided, old Baccardi and I will have all the details worked out on that recipe and have us some smart cookies ready to make some gallant guesses at the bowl games to come.

Thanks for sticking with us this season and we'll see you back next year if the good Lord's willin' and the hurricanes don't blow us out to sea.

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Chomp! Chomp! Florida Batters Florida State in Tim Tebow's Finale

Alex Ferguson — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 20:00:22 -0500

On weekend that saw Florida's BCS rivals Texas and Alabama (nearly) fall to in-state rivals, Florida showed how it was done against Florida State, hammering the Seminoles by the 'close' score of 37-10.

Yesterday we at the VFA made the point that winning rivalry games was often a question of who 'wanted it more'.

Now, we'd like to correct ourselves. We're quite aware that both sides 'want' to win. It's obvious—college football players don't exactly go out to lose, do they?

But get this: If you impress during a rivalry game, then everyone gives you the thumbs up on Thanksgiving Weekend, even if you were playing a defense as horrific as Florida State.

Florida State's problem isn't about speed. The speed that Florida State (as a team) has—in our view from watching an awful lot of teams this season—is second to none in the country.

But defense-wise, it's second to about everybody. I think that even Indiana would be disappointed with scoring under 30 against the 'Noles if the two met up. That is the poverty of FSU's defense.

Mind you, Texas A&M and Auburn's weren't great either. But it was Florida who exploited the weaknesses of Florida State's—as they did last year—and you have the feeling that had the 2009 matchup been in Doak Campbell, the result would have been exactly the same.

And to make matters worse for the Bowden-ers, Florida's defense was so dominant that the touchdown in garbage time late on in the game was a little bit on unjust side. Still, it was one heck of a catch, and well worth Youtubing!

And Tim Tebow, was, well, Tim Tebow. There was one horrible fumble late on in the game that the Tebow-haters enjoyed (and we still can't believe that the SEC officials didn't call him for an offensive facemask too), but otherwise, you can hardly complain with 17-21, 221 yard, 3-touchdown effort, could you?

We doubt that he'll put up the same gaudy numbers against Alabama going against a fearsome defensive front, but we think he'll do pretty well.

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Top Five Reasons the Close Iron Bowl Game Was Good for Alabama

Larry Burton — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 20:37:08 -0500

Ugly win? Yes it was. Under achieving? Perhaps it was that too. But there are five good reasons why this game could actually help Alabama in it's quest for continuing wins this season and next.

1. It was a win. When it's all said and done that's number one. For Alabama to play in the BCS national championship game all it has to do is win. This ugly win could slip Alabama back behind Texas, but it doesn't matter if they just keep winning.

If they beat Florida, no matter how ugly, they will play for a national championship and that is the goal of this team.

2. Greg McElroy erased any doubters that he can lead this team back from behind to a late game comeback win.

That last drive showed McElroy could not be flustered, even after some wicked sacks. He simply showed his cool, calm manner and went about his business taking what the defense would give him, draining both the clock and Auburn's hopes of winning the game.

This kind of comeback will give the whole team confidence, not just McElroy that they can will win these kinds of games if they keep their cool and do their jobs.

3. We can win when our "star" is having a bad game, and let's face it, Mark Ingram had a bad game. Auburn's game plan was simple, follow Mark Ingram.

They had someone in his face following him everywhere except the Alabama bench and the locker room at half time, and it worked.

So we had others step up. This is a lesson will that keep the team from panicking if another "star" goes down.

4. This game may have kept Mark Ingram from winning the Heisman, and if it did that, it may be the reason to end any speculation of him leaving at the end of the season for the NFL.

Not that any hint of this supposed early leaving has come from Ingram, but it should end that speculation by the press and fans alike.

Now Alabama will come back with the play makers from this offense intact for next year and that can't be a comforting thought for the rest of SEC.

5. It shows this team once again how important it is to take every team seriously and take advantage of every scoring opportunity to earn seven points and not three.

This is a game that while giving a win, gives the coaches much to point to for improvement and gives the players a reason to listen to the advice.

In all, it may have been ugly to some, but it was a thing of beauty to others.

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Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer: You Survived, Alabama

Alex Ferguson — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 18:56:00 -0500

Alabama scored their first win in Auburn since God was a boy. We saw no toilet paper on trees. No screams of "Go To Hell, Alabama!" after the game, and everyone (apart from 10,000-20,000 Alabama fans who made the trip to Jordan Hare Stadium) went home a little bit sad.

In fact, it wouldn't have been easy to sort out this BCS mess if Alabama had lost, because then if they beat Florida (who we can confidently predict won't play as badly as Texas or Alabama did over the last two days), who would face Texas (who we confidently predict will hammer Nebraska next week) in the National Title game? Would Boise or TCU have their wish? Or would it be Cincinnati? Or...? Or....?

Anyway, we know about rivalry games that they are always going to be battles. They generally aren't won by 400 points by either side, and it's all about passion and, as we Brits say, "wanting it more."

There's no question that both teams wanted it more. The tackles were flying from all directions.

The problem with Auburn is that they couldn't stop Alabama's final drive, and quarterback Chris Todd, who had played very well up to around the second quarter, finally ran out of "playing well" gas.

But let's get this straight: did ANYONE see an Alabama team that might beat Florida in the SEC game?

Alabama was held to just 73 yards rushing by the Tigers, with fairy dust around Mark Ingram suddenly eliminated in the game that really counted. Ingram looked second class against a distinctly second-class (for most of the year, anyway) Auburn front.

Auburn battled like Tigers, but it was not to be. But does anyone seriously think that Alabama's going to win the SEC Championship Game after this performance?

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Alabama Faces Florida in the SEC Title Game For The BCS National Championship

Franklin Crittenden — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 18:28:21 -0500

Yes, you read that right. It wasn't a poorly conceived headline and it wasn't a typo.

Alabama and Florida are actually playing for the BCS National Championship on December 5, 2009 in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, GA.

Oh sure, they are playing for the SEC Championship as well, but lets face it, the winner of this game will most likely win the BCS National Championship game when it's played in Pasadena, CA on January 7, 2010.

So for all intents and purposes, this game between the two top teams in the SEC will decide who is to be crowned the BCS National Champion in January. The BCS Championship game itself is just a formality.

Why do I believe that you ask?

Because for the last 11 years, no matter who the opponent has been, the SEC Champion has beaten all comers in the previous BCS Championship games—that is when they were allowed to participate.

So I would have to say that if the SEC Champion were to lose to whomever the BCS chooses for an opponent in the BCS title game, it would have to be considered an upset of monumental proportion.

Every time the SEC plays in the BCS Championship game, they win.

The SEC was not invited in 2004 or 2005, thus giving USC and Texas a chance to win those two titles. But based on the SEC's record in the BCS game, I would have to call those titles illegitimate. The same goes for 1999 through 2002.

Please don't bother telling me about USC. If USC played in the SEC they would be a good team, but someone in the SEC would hang at least one loss on them in the regular season every year, not to mention a possible second loss in the SEC Championship game.

Just the fact that USC doesn't have to contend with a conference championship game should disqualify them from consideration in the BCS, in my humble opinion.

Imagine if they had to face Pac-10 powerhouses Oregon or Stanford for a second time in a conference championship game? I think about half of those national championships they claim would not exist. When I call them powerhouses, I am of course just being funny.

If playing in the Pac 10 is not easy enough, the Pac-10 makes it even easier by avoiding a championship game. If the Pac-10 wants to be respected, they should add a championship game and bring some real competition like Utah and Boise State into their conference.

Everyone knows the SEC is the premiere college football conference in the nation.

The names at the top of the SEC elite have changed over the years from Tennessee to LSU to Florida, back to LSU and then back to Florida again, but the results are always the same. Lets face the facts, the winner of the SEC, if invited, always wins the BCS Championship.

This brings me to Alabama.

It just so happens Alabama has been handicapped during the BCS years, but Alabama is back and they are again operating at 100 percent. Give Nick Saban one more year to recruit and Alabama will be a running like a three deep team shredder operating at full bore!

What does that mean to the SEC and the BCS?

It means that there is about to be a new sheriff in town with a chip on his shoulder and a bad attitude.

Over the past few year, Alabama and its fans have had to sit on the sideline and watch while all the other teams have had all the fun.

Well, guess what? The fun is almost over for some of the teams who have enjoyed this free ride thanks to the folks over at the NCAA.

I am not going to sit here and tell you that Alabama is one of the greatest football program in the country. I don't have to, because it is a fact .

Alabama is only second to Notre Dame by the thinnest of margins in the all time rankings and that is about to change within a blink of an eye.

Alabama is on its way to the top again while Notre Dame continues to struggle.

When Alabama wins its next national championship they will surpass Notre Dame and Alabama will once again be the college football program all others are measured by.

I hope you noticed that I said when. That was not a slip of the lip because I feel confident Alabama will win the national championship.

In fact they will win more than one in the near future.

Now before everyone starts thinking I am being arrogant or cocky, let me say this, I will not have a thing to do with it.

I am an Alabama fan, just like thousands of other Crimson Tide fans, the only thing I am going to do is support the team and the coaches and sit there with a big smile of my face and watch it all happen.

Next Saturday the Florida Gators will be the only thing standing in Alabama's way of becoming the next national champion and the premiere college football program in the country.

The Crimson Tide have caught up with the Gators and are now in position to surpass the defending national champions and represent the SEC in the BCS Championship game in January.

The Gators are very good, but the Alabama team they will face is head and shoulders better than last year's team that took them down to the wire in the 2008 SEC Championship game.

The Florida Gators' better bring their A game and a little luck if they intend on pulling this one out like they did last year.

I would suggest that anyone who loves college football tune in at 4:00 EST on December 5, 2009 on CBS and watch Alabama make history. Until then, now would be the time to give your opinion.

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SEC Officiating: A Year To Forget And A Year Never To Forget

Mike Franklin — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 17:57:09 -0500

It has been a horrible year for the SEC in football. But it wasn't because of those who played the games.

The teams themselves will not tell the whole story in their won-loss records because the failure of proper, respectable officiating has caused more harm to the conference than the single year stats of any one school.

Should we believe that the SEC crews set out to assure that certain teams succeeded over others?

We hope not, and to date there is no broad evidence to support this.

While on the surface, teams like Alabama, Florida, and LSU do appear to have been the benefactors of misofficiating in critical games, an unbiased review does show the same kind of poor work by SEC crews in many games where these teams did not play.

If anything, it appears more an issue of quality control than failure by design.

But in an age where college football is under increasing internal pressures to produce winners and perform for a media-driven BCS system, this kind of problem will become more and more a point of contention.

If the public were to someday equate the current corporate/media manipulation of this game with its officiating, it would undoubtedly spell the end of trust in the same.

From there, we could envision the kind of product found in other sports, like soccer, where fan riots are a regular event.

Let us hope that the sports barons and moneychangers of this, our beloved sport, will take a holiday before our game is so soiled that it is no longer worth our time to watch.

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The Ten Best (And Worst) Moments In The History of Florida—Florida State

Jeff Kessock — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 16:59:04 -0500

TAMPA—The history, the prestige, the implications, and the dynamism of two polar opposites, who happen to be less than 200 miles apart. On one end—the Florida Gators, the other—the Florida State Seminoles. This is college football. The journey to this apex, while perhaps a bit hazy in the minds of those who aren't the most intimate of die-hard fans, may tell the tale of how Florida State and Florida will forever be a rivalry worth tuning in for. Luster or not—these two teams have always been an instant sensation, and in the minds of most, perhaps one of the most storied programs of the last quarter century. The next few pages will attempt to recap some of the more monumental and memorable times of the rivalry that is: Florida/Florida State.

Begin Slideshow

Miss Fine Fitness: A Quarterback's Vision

Ronnie C Wright — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 14:09:24 -0500

As she tanned on the beach, flawlessly nude, glowing under the sun, he saw Miss Fine Fitness. In an instant, she represented his lifelong fantasy as she posed perfectly naked along the Florida shore during summer break.

Her luscious lips without lipstick and hair flowing without care forever cemented this marvelous moment from real-time into real memory. The rush, the thrill, the energy—it all moved this eighteen-year-old soon-to-be college football star to experience new adventure and excitement.

The girl was there, in plain view as he began his run along the coastline in St. Augustine.

On this breathtakingly beautiful morning, in 2006, Tim Trudough suddenly felt the temperature rise inside of him. He had to stop and pay attention to the curves on the bare figure as she listened to music completely unaware of the athletic artist's gaze.

He is a quarterback. He is used to facing all sorts of rushes, but this, this was a different rush. He recalled games when he scored on a running play and felt an organic high—pure elation. The band was playing the fight song, the crowd was cheering, and teammates were jumping up and down.

Now—this!

Today, Tim Trudough was scaling a new mountain, a truly personal Mt. Everest. He'd been through all the skull sessions, the practices, the weight training—all of it—yet none of it had prepared him for Miss Fine Fitness.

He was always on top. His favorite position was being on top. Today, his world was upside down and spinning all around, moving in and out like the waves.

He excelled at everything, even in the classroom he competed against the intellectuals.

Man! This was virgin territory—outside the usual playbook. This was not the ordinary read a leader encounters on the field of play. This time he was taking one giant leap from imagination into reality.

The football field is one thing—this is another. Balance weighs in the balance. This is a right verses right dilemma. "What should I do?," he asked himself.

(to be continued...)

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Rivalry Weekend Is Playoff Elimination Weekend

Crayton — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 13:15:12 -0500

If Texas, Florida, or Alabama lose this week, then they will most likely be thrown from the BCS title race. While some people stomp for a large, 16-team playoff; the truth is that under that format each of these teams might lose but would still ascend into such an expansive playoff, right...right?

Thanksgiving weekend is, for all intents and purposes, rivalry weekend. You have the Civil War, The Holy War, The Bedlam Series, the riveting Egg Bowl, and Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate.

The last thing these rivalry games need is one team resting their starters for the playoffs.

This year, the Civil War between Oregon and Oregon State would have tremendous playoff implications. The winner would gain a spot in essentially a play-in round, while the loser would have to settle for the Holiday Bowl, or worse.

Perhaps all games on rivalry weekend should be elimination games.

Imagine, if Florida loses to Florida State then the Gators would be eliminated. Sure, they may fall only to No. 6 in the BCS, but they would be ineligible for an at large spot in the playoff and would take the back-seat in the SEC tie-breaker to 'Bama because of their loss.

The Playoff

So what would the race to a 16-team playoff look like this weekend? We will assume that every team's final regular season game will be played this week and that next week Conference Championship Games will be replaced by the first round of the playoffs.

To replace the Conference Championship Games, four regional tournaments (West, South, East, and North) of four teams will be held on campuses the first two weeks of December; the winners of which will ascend into two of the five BCS Games on Jan. 1.

Eleven conference champions and five at large teams will go into the playoff. Rivalry Week losses will trump head-to-head in breaking conference ties and no team which loses on rivalry week will be eligible for an at large bid.

A maximum of three teams from each conference will be put in one of the regional tournaments so as not to monopolize the region. Here are the potential brackets:

(note: 30 teams are listed as hopeful; a full, extra playoff round with Georgia Tech already assured a playoff spot)

The West Regional Contenders

No. 3 Texas
The Longhorns have traversed their schedule unscathed and with the top seed in the West; but they face a tough rival in Texas A&M. A loss to the Aggies and an Oklahoma State victory over Oklahoma would force a tie for the Big 12 Championship, which the Longhorns would lose and be eliminated by virtue of their Rivalry Loss.

No. 6 Boise St
The Broncos have also gone undefeated through the season, except against an arguably weaker schedule and currently hold on to a first round home game. This week's elimination game against Nevada will decide which team will represent the WAC in the playoff.

No. 8 Oregon
The Ducks lead the Pac-10 but face elimination against Oregon State who can snatch the conference title away from them. If both Oregon and Boise State make the playoffs, the two teams would not be paired in the first round. If Boise State or Texas slip then the Ducks will find themselves with a first round home game.

No. 12 Oklahoma State
The Cowboys have a firm grip on an at large bid and can even grab the Big 12 title if they show up against rival Oklahoma and Texas slips against A&M. If both the Longhorns and Cowboys make the playoffs they will not be paired in the first round.

The West Regional Hopefuls

No. 16 Oregon State
The Beavers control their own destiny and can take Oregon's spot in the playoff with a victory over the Ducks this weekend in what amounts to a "Round of 32" game.

No. 20 USC
The Trojans need a lot of help to make the playoffs should they defeat rival UCLA this weekend. Four of the following Eight teams must lose: Florida, Alabama, Texas, Oklahoma St, Virginia Tech, LSU, Clemson, and Miami

No. 22 California
The Bruins played their rivalry game a week early and are have one more game against Washington. If USC also losses then California would make the playoffs from the longest of odds.

(7-0 WAC) Nevada
The Wolfpack can jump into the playoffs with a victory over Boise State and the WAC crown. It will be a tough game and Nevada will most likely play at Texas in the first round.

C-USA / Sun Belt Champ

If the Big 12 does not send two teams to the playoff then expect the westernmost of the Conference USA Champion or Sun Belt Champion to join the Western Regional Playoffs.

The South Regional Contenders

No. 1 Florida
The Gators have built up an impressive resume this year but face almost sure elimination if they lose against rival Florida State. Only a simultaneous loss by Alabama will save the Gators.

No. 2 Alabama
The Crimson Tide have also gone undefeated but still must defeat rival Auburn this Friday to make the playoffs. Otherwise they will have secured a first round home game against Troy.

(7-0 Sun Belt) Troy
The Trojans have almost clinched the Sun Belt and can do so with a win against Louisiana Lafayette or with a Middle Tennessee loss. The Trojans are looking to play at cross-state powerhouse Alabama in the first round.

(6-1 C-USA) East Carolina
The Pirates are the only Conference USA team in control of their own destiny. A win against playoff hopeful Southern Miss will clinch the conference and a playoff spot for the Pirates.

The South Regional Hopefuls

No. 15 LSU
The Tigers are the highest ranked team not yet in playoff position and play the Arkansas Razorbacks in the Battle for the Golden Boot this weekend. The Tigers can take the place of Alabama or Florida if one of those teams loses or they may edge out the Westernmost C-USA or Sun Belt champion if Texas or Oklahoma State lose.

No. 23 Houston
The Cougars are a game behind the East Carolina Pirates and need a victory over rival Rice and an East Carolina loss to secure the Conference USA title.

(6-1 Sun Belt) Middle Tennessee State
The Blue Raiders play Louisiana Monroe this weekend but need not only a victory but also a Troy loss to find their way into the playoff

(5-2 C-USA) Southern Mississippi
The Golden Eagles can play their way to a tie in the conference against East Carolina but will lose the tie-breaker unless Houston loses as well.

The East Regional Contenders

No. 5 Cincinnati
The Bearcats are riding an undefeated season into their season finale against Pittsburgh. The Bearcats are holding on to a top seed and two home playoff games but will lose it all with a loss to Pittsburgh.

No. 7 Georgia Tech
The Yellow Jackets have already clinched the ACC, the ONLY team guaranteed a playoff spot with a game remaining, so theirs is the rare instance when the rivalry game against Georgia does not have overt playoff implications. Even a loss to the Bulldogs may not steal Georgia Tech's first round home game.

No. 15 Virginia Tech
The Hokies are holding on to the last at large spot. Their rivalry game against Virginia should pose little problem, so expect Virginia Tech to play at the Big East champion in the first round.

(7-0 MAC) Central Michigan / Temple
The Chippewas and Owls are both tied for the MAC lead without a head-to-head matchup to break the tie.

If one of the teams stumbles this weekend against Northern Illinois and Ohio respectively then the MAC representative will be obvious, but it may be the polls which ultimately determine which team will ascend to the playoffs and play at Georgia Tech in December.

The East Regional Hopefuls

No. 9 Pittsburgh
The Panthers control their own destiny with their season finale against Cincinnati and a home playoff game against the ACC runner-up. Expect in years future, without regular season games in December, that Pittsburgh will conclude its season in the Backyard Brawl against West Virginia.

No. 17 Miami
The Hurricanes can slip in if a second at large team, perhaps Virginia Tech, stumbles. Miami begins a six-year series against USF this weekend in what should shape up into a solid rivalry.

No. 18 Clemson
The Tigers may have something to say about Miami getting the last at-large spot and will showcase their ACC-Atlantic champion team against the rival South Carolina Gamecocks. Whichever team between the Hurricanes and Tigers is ranked higher may end up with the last at large bid. Clemson has already played and defeated Miami in October.

(6-1 MAC) Ohio
The Bobcats actually have a shot at the playoff as long as they defeat Temple this weekend and Central Michigan drops its regular season finale. By virtue of their Rivalry Week Victory, Ohio will ascend into the playoff at Georgia Tech the following week.

The North Regional Contenders

No. 4 TCU
The Horned Frogs are undefeated thus far but need a victory against lowly New Mexico to stay in the playoffs and keep their top spot and two home playoff games.

No. 10 Ohio State
The Buckeyes have completed their season a week early, secured the Big Ten title outright, and earned a home playoff game. Expect next year, as the Big Ten adds a bye week, that the Michigan game will be moved to rivalry weekend.

No. 11 Iowa
The Hawkeyes have also secured an at large spot in the Northern Region by concluding their season a week early and will likely play at the Mountain West Champion.

No. 13 Penn State
The Nittany Lions have secured their playoff spot and will likely be the team chosen from Iowa to play in a rematch (in Columbus) against Ohio State in the first round.

The North Regional Hopefuls

No. 19 BYU
The Cougars will find themselves in a Holy War for the MWC title and playoff spot if TCU loses this weekend. BYU's lone conference loss is to the Horned Frogs and the tie will be broken by TCU's Rivalry Week Loss.

No. 21 Utah
The Utes may squeeze their way into a second straight Mountain West title with a victory over BYU and a TCU loss, but the chips are stacked against them as this week's game is played in Provo.

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