Ranking the BCS Schools

As I was rolling around in my bed last night, I was trying to think of an interesting topic to write about for Bleacher Report.

I wanted to write about College Football, and I wanted a list of some sort.

You should rank all 120 teams, Sean.

That would be ridiculous and to accurately do so would take months of preparation.

But, I'll give it a shot at the BCS schools, anyway—ranked by mascot.

In good taste, and with much humor, I present to you:

The Real BCS Rankings, Conference by Conference

Southeastern Conference

SEC East

6. South Carolina Gamecocks

5. Georgia Bulldogs

4. Kentucky Wildcats

3. Florida Gators

2. Vanderbilt Commodores

1. Tennessee Volunteers

SEC West

6. Ole Miss Rebels

5. Arkansas Razorbacks

4. Mississippi State Bulldogs

3. Alabama Crimson Tide

2. Auburn Tigers

1. Louisiana State Tigers

SEC Champions: Tennessee Volunteers

Conference notes:

Before you get hasty, understand that the Tennessee Volunteers' mascot is not a mother offering her time at the local charity stand.

During the War of 1812, many Tennessee-based soldiers made their way to surrounding states as a means of backup.

These Volunteers held a slight edge of the Vanderbilt Commodores, and had these matches been held at sea, Vandy might have taken home their first SEC crown since, jeez, 1932.

Big Ten Conference

11. Ohio State Buckeyes

10. Minnesota Golden Gophers

9. Wisconsin Badgers

8. Indiana Hoosiers

7. Purdue Boilermakers

6. Northwestern Wildcats

5. Penn State Nittany Lions

4. Michigan Wolverines

3. Iowa Hawkeyes

2. Illinois Fighting Illini

1. Michigan State Spartans

Conference notes:

Northwestern's mascot used to be the Purple, then the Fighting Methodists, before being changed to the Wildcats.

The term Hoosier denotes a resident of the state of Indiana.

A buckeye is a nut (fortunately for OSU, this will probably be the only list they're dead last on).

Big 12 Conference

Big 12 South

6. Texas A&M Aggies

5. Oklahoma Sooners

4. Texas Longhorns

3. Baylor Bears

2. Oklahoma State Cowboys

1. Texas Tech Red Raiders

Big 12 North

6. Kansas Jayhawks

5. Colorado Buffaloes

4. Kansas State Wildcats

3. Nebraska Cornhuskers

2. Missouri Tigers

1. Iowa State Cyclones

Big 12 Champions: Iowa State Cyclones

Conference notes:

The term Aggie is short for an Agricultural College student. In the 19th century, agricultural and mechanical (A&M) students were often referred to as Aggies.

A tornado could wipe out an entire city; case closed.

Atlantic Coast Conference

Atlantic Division

6. Maryland Terrapins

5. Boston College Eagles

4. Clemson Tigers

3. North Carolina State Wolfpack

2. Wake Forest Demon Deacons

1. Florida State Seminoles

Coastal Division

6. Virginia Tech Hokies

5. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

4. North Carolina Tar Heels

3. Virginia Cavaliers

2. Duke Blue Devils

1. Miami Hurricanes

ACC Champions: Miami Hurricanes

Conference notes:

Wake Forest and Duke (formerly Trinity) have a long history, dating back beyond 1923: Baptists vs. Methodists, black and gold vs. blue and white, Demon Deacons vs. Blue Devils.

The term Tar Heel is one that refers to residents of North Carolina. The pine tar on the floor of the NC forests would often stick to the residents' heels.

The term Hokie was believed to be a made-up term; one to denote a cheerer, supporting the schools athletes. Hokie apparently represents glee and excitement.

Pacific 10 Conference

10. Stanford Cardinal

9. Oregon Ducks

8. Oregon State Beavers

7. Washington Huskies

6. Arizona Wildcats

5. Washington State Cougars

4. California Golden Bears

3. UCLA Bruins

2. Southern California Trojans

1. Arizona State Sun Devils

Conference notes:

A Sun Devil is a fictional term, one that was apparently made up on a whim by a reporter named Ryan Drost. But nevertheless, the Devil is the Devil, no matter the location.

Big East Conference

8. Syracuse Orange

7. Louisville Cardinals

6. South Florida Bulls

5. Connecticut Huskies

4. Cincinnati Bearcats

3. Pittsburgh Panthers

1. Rutgers Scarlet Knights

1. West Virginia Mountaineers

Conference notes:

The Orange derived their nickname and mascot straight from their school color.

Rutgers and WVU have split conference championship honors. Who would you pick?

(Photo courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/vironevaeh)