College Football's 50 Most Compelling Stories of the 2011 Season

As is the case with any great narrative, college football provides us with plenty of compelling drama.

The highs and lows of human achievement and behavior are on display every day of the week under the watchful eye of those who cover the sport. We see inspirational stories of selflessness and courage unfold and, unfortunately, we have to deal with tales of criminality and depravity as well.

The 2011 season was full of both. Here are the 50 most compelling stories.

50. Syracuse Can't Reach Postseason with One Game Giftwrapped for Them

Watch this video for what is undoubtedly the worst call of the season. Having just pulled ahead 29-27, Syracuse kicker Ross Krautman clearly misses the extra point wide left, but officials initially ruled it good.

It was so odd-looking, however, they were called to review it. Even after the review, the officials ruled it good!

Toledo would later kick a field goal to force overtime. If the extra point were called properly, they would have won the game.

As you can guess, Syracuse would go on to win in overtime.

Toledo would have loved to win that game to have a shot at a 10-win season entering their bowl game, but all's well that ends well.

Toledo will be attending the Military Bowl to face Air Force. Syracuse looked to be headed to a big time bowl after a 5-1 start, but the Orange lost six in a row.

49. Game of the Century I

Some circled a Nov. 5 date on their calendars well before the season started. Others circled it a few weeks in when they realized Alabama and LSU were on a collision course. No matter when you were made aware of it, you were aware of it going into the game in Tuscaloosa.

The hype of this game was unavoidable.

With both teams on a bye preceding the game, ESPN had a full two weeks to hype up the game. They arrived in Tuscaloosa early and sent reporters to Baton Rouge. They interrupted the normal ebb and flow of each team's routine by conducting Tuesday morning interviews normally reserved for the National Championship.

Many predicted a low-scoring, tough, physical football game. They got exactly that, but weren't satisfied.

In the tradition of the media building something up just to tear it down, many immediately called the game a dud and unfitting of the label "Game of the Century." Despite getting a 9-6 game that filled their proclamation of a low-scoring game, many remembered that they didn't like low-scoring games and were quick to criticize the game.

The "Game of the Century" will be trivialized even further as the two are set to square off Jan. 9 in New Orleans for the BCS Championship.

In other words, Game of the Century I might as well have never happened.

48. 61-Year-Old Kicker

And you thought Chris Weinke and Brandon Weeden were old at age 28?

Look at the story of Alan Moore, Faulkner's 61-year-old kicker.

Moore was a kicker in high school and kicked for one season in junior college. Then, in 1968, he was drafted to serve in the Vietnam War.

He returned from the war and went on to live a fairly normal life, working a job to provide for his family. Two years ago, at age 59, Moore was laid off from his construction job. With the free time granted to him, he began kicking again.

Moore was eventually able to recapture the style and technique he had in the late 1960s. He found a place to kick at Faulkner, a small Christian school in Alabama. Moore asked the NCAA for a waiver for one year of eligibility, and he was granted it.

Thus, in August, he did what hundreds of thousands of boys and girls do—he moved into the dorms.

Moore hopes his story can serve as an inspiration. He stated to his coach, "I want to show people that no matter what the circumstances, what the deal, that they need to finish what it is they started."

It didn't take long for Moore to get called on. In the second half of Faulkner's opening game against Ave Maria, Moore was asked to convert an extra point. He made it easily.

47. The Hot Start, Cold Finish of SMU

It seems that everyone wants SMU to be good. I can understand why, as the team was given the death penalty in the late 1980s and now features a pass-happy offense under June Jones.

Sure, if the Mustangs are able to morph into a Hawaii-esque team from a few years ago, they would be enjoyable to watch.

The thing is, they're just not there yet.

Many wanted to proclaim them the best in C-USA after a 5-1 start and a controversial win over TCU. Following that, however, they went 2-4 and will be playing Pitt in the BBVA Compass Bowl as a result.

They were trounced by the real C-USA powers (Tulsa, Southern Miss and Houston) by a combined score of 102-17. Surprisingly, it has been the offense that has struggled under Jones, not the defense.

SMU has been a victim of turnovers. While they rank 22nd in the nation in passing and 98th in rushing, they are only 71st in the nation in scoring. They have 31 turnovers lost to thank for that (114th in the nation).

They were unable to improve on last year's squad. It turns out they are still at least one year or two away from competing for a BCS berth—if Jones stays.

It's been rumored that Jones is considering the Arizona State vacancy. If he were to leave, it could set the Mustangs program back even further.

46. Ronnie Hillman Keeps on Running

San Diego State sophomore running back Ronnie Hillman may be one of the lesser-known commodities in college football. It's anyone's guess as to why since he has already rushed for 3,188 yards in his career.

Did I mention he's only a sophomore?

Hillman is averaging 127.52 yards per game. If he puts that up for the next 25 games of his career (the bowl game and, figuring conservatively, only 12 games the next two years), he'll finish with 6,376 career yards. That is ahead of Texas' Ricky Williams and slightly behind Ron Dayne's all-time mark.

In other words, Hillman is slacking! He's only on pace to be second place on the all-time rushing list. He better pick things up as he matures...

45. The Closest Heisman Race in Years?

If you've read my other articles, you'll know that I am not a fan of the Heisman Trophy. That said, it will become a compelling news story over the next few days.

This figures to be one of the closest Heisman races in recent years, if not all time. Andrew Luck came in to the season as the favorite, but fell out of favor with some voters because he "only" did what was asked of him and went 11-1.

Griffin III was a hot prospect early on in the season, but it didn't seem like anyone was completely serious until the past two weeks. An incredible performance against Oklahoma and Texas may have vaulted him to the top of the leader board.

Throw in a defensive player, Tyrann Mathieu, who has electrified the landscape with his big special teams plays; Trent Richardson, a running back who can take over games at any time; and Montee Ball, a back who rushed for a paltry 32 touchdowns this season, and we have quite a list of finalists!

For comparison, Ball seemed to be an afterthought until recently. The running back has rushed for 1,759 yards and 32 touchdowns—and is a longshot to win! Mark Ingram's Heisman campaign from a few years ago saw him rush for 1,658 yards and 17 touchdowns.

A better way of putting it may be to look at who didn't get invited this season. Matt Barkley was good enough to play his way to perhaps a consensus Top-Five pick in the NFL draft, but not good enough to make the finals. Case Keenum broke the two most important all-time passing records (yards and touchdowns), but was also uninvited.

44. Cliff Harris and Oregon Part Ways

Oregon's All-American defensive back and punt returner was ticketed for traveling at 118 mph. As a result he was suspended for the season-opener against LSU.

Harris was sorely missed as Oregon's punt return unit suffered. There were several negative returns, but none bigger than a fumble returned for a touchdown by Tyrann Mathieu. Harris' absence may have swung the game in favor of the Tigers.

Harris returned to the Ducks, but was suspended once again when he was ticketed for driving without a seatbelt and driving on a suspended license.

Most recently Harris was cited for possession of marijuana a couple weeks ago in Fresno, Calif. Already suspended for the aforementioned suspended license infraction, Oregon decided to part ways.

Harris was named to the All-American team in 2010; in 2011, he played in only four games.

43. Farewell to a Legend

After coaching for 27 seasons at four different programs, Howard Schnellenberger has decided to call it quits (that doesn't count his time coaching in the NFL or USFL).

Schnellenberger rose to notoriety when he guided the Miami Hurricanes to the National Championship in 1983. Without Schnellenberger, there is no "U".

He was hired as director of football operations at FAU in 1998 with the duty of having to build a program. He had to secure funds, build a stadium, come up with a long-term plan, hire a coach—basically everything you would do in a video game.

The coaching part was easy; he hired himself.

From there, Schnelleneberger slowly built the program. The Owls transitioned from I-AA to I-A between the 2005 and 2006 season. In just their second season of existence in D-I, Schnellenberger led the Owls to a share of the Sun Belt Championship and a New Orleans Bowl victory. He would follow it up with a win over Central Michigan in the Motor City Bowl the next year.

One final piece of the puzzle had to be put into place for Schnellenberger. He lobbied for a long time to get an on-campus stadium for the Owls; he achieved this goal in 2010 when ground broke on FAU Stadium.

The stadium opened in October 2011 and is part of an entire complex that contains the basketball stadium, residence halls and a shopping mall.

With his final vision complete and his contract set to expire, Schnellenberger announced he would retire at the end of the season.

The Owls fell on hard times in terms of talent. They started off 0-10, but won their penultimate game against UAB, 38-35.

Schnellenberger will hand the keys over to someone else. The program hasn't known anyone else, but rest assured, Schnellenberger has promised to stay on as an ambassador to the university and team.

42. The Mike Locksley Era Coming to an End and His Replacement

Mike Locksley was never able to get things going as a head coach at New Mexico. The much-maligned coach was 2-26 in two-plus seasons, but that only tells half the story.

Before a game was even played Locksley was accused of age and sex discrimination against a former New Mexico employee. The claims were later withdrawn.

Halfway through his first season he punched a fellow coach in the face. Many called for him to be fired immediately, but he was instead suspended for 10 games.

After another disastrous second season many felt Locksley's time was just about up. He had one final season to make things right in Albuquerque.

Then the Lobos lost to Sam Houston State in a game in which they were underdogs. Later that week a New Mexico recruit was pulled over and charged with a DWI while driving a car registered to Locksley.

A recruit driving a car licensed to the coach, while drunk, while underage—in other words, the trifecta.

The man brought in to clean up this mess?

Bob Davie. Most famous for his struggles with Notre Dame, Davie has spent the past few seasons announcing games on ESPN, and even continued his announcing duties once he was named the next coach of the Lobos.

The last fact is somewhat odd to me. With unemployment at nine percent and a recent study stating that 300,000 Americans have completely given up looking for a job, it's comforting to know Davie can have two prominent jobs. He is apparently the only person who is capable of calling football games and leading a program out of the dredges simultaneously in the history of mankind.

41. TCU's Parting Gift to the Mountain West

One year after finishing No. 2 in the AP polls, TCU proved once again they are the best team from a non-AQ conference.

Boise State entered the Mountain West, and the showdown between the two schools was set. When TCU announced they were headed to the Big East (which they no longer are), the Mountain West changed the location of the game from Fort Worth to Boise.

It didn't seem to bother the Frogs all that much.

TCU went into Boise and shocked the Broncos, 36-35. Casey Pachall found Brandon Carter for a 25-yard touchdown with one minute left, and the Frogs rolled the dice and went for two. Pachall would find Josh Boyce for the completion, TCU would avoid a late field goal from Boise and escape with the win.

I know Houston and Boise are ranked ahead of the Frogs, but TCU is the only team of the three to win their conference. That is good enough for me.

When Houston went down to Southern Mississippi, many speculated TCU would move up to No. 16 and grab a BCS spot. They didn't, so they will be attending the Poinsettia Bowl.

None of that matters. TCU proved once again they are the best non-AQ team and are looking strong once again as they head for the Big 12.

40. Four Touchdown Upsets

What's college football without a few good upsets? They happen nearly every week, but vary in magnitude and impact.

Touchdown underdogs win all the time. Double-digit underdogs win outright frequently enough too.

We start to get noteworthy upsets, however, when teams win as four-score underdogs.

It happened three times this season. First, Oregon State opened their 2011 campaign with a loss to FCS Sacramento State. The Beavers were 27.5-point favorites.

Then, two major upsets occurred inside the Big 12.

Oklahoma hosted Texas Tech in late October as 29-point favorites. The Sooners never looked sharp and needed a late surge to make the game close. They were destroyed by the Red Raiders at home.

A few weeks later, Oklahoma State traveled to Ames to take on Iowa State as 26.5-point favorites. The Cowboys led 24-7 halfway through the third quarter, but ultimately fell in double overtime.

Both the Oklahoma and OSU upsets changed the landscape of college football. Oklahoma and Oklahoma State were both unbeaten at the time. Oklahoma would go on to lose twice more, but the OSU loss cost them a chance of playing for the National Championship.

All three upsets will rank high historically in terms of highest-spread favorites to lose outright.

39. The Complete Disappearance of South Florida

South Florida came into the season as one of the favorites to win the Big East. They started the season off 4-0, including an upset win at Notre Dame.

After that, they went 1-7. They finished in a tie for last place in the Big East, and will not be attending a bowl.

Fast starts and slow finishes are nothing new to the USF program. Still, with Holtz in his second year as head coach and B.J. Daniels entering his junior year, fans thought this year would be different.

It wasn't.

The Bulls lost four games by exactly three points and five games by less than one score in total.

38. The "Anticlimactic" Ending to the Season

Several experts criticized the college football landscape by stating that entering the final week, nothing was on the line.

I understand that this comment is most likely in regards to the LSU-Alabama National Championship already being set, but it reflects a level of ignorance regardless.

Anyone who made that comment never played the game of football before. Period.

Tell the kids at Clemson that the final week didn't matter. The Tigers steamrolled Virginia Tech in the second half to win their first ACC title since 1991.

Tell it to the Cincinnati Bearcats. The Bearcats could have rolled over following West Virginia's win on Thursday night. A Bearcat win would give them a share of the conference championship, but most likely no BCS bowl. They went out and beat UConn anyway.

Tell it to both MSU and Wisconsin. After a spirited contest in October the two met for a rematch. Trick plays and two-point conversions weren't taboo in this one as it went down to the wire once again. If not for a running-into-the-kicker penalty, we could be looking at a MSU-Oregon Rose Bowl.

Tell it to Oklahoma State. They finally beat big brother in a meaningful game. It was only the 17th time they beat Oklahoma in more than 100 tries, and the win gave them their first Big 12 championship ever.

If the final week didn't mean anything, why did we get such great games and such great efforts from all those who participated (save for Oklahoma)?

Because those people are the ones who play the game. Not the media.

37. Conference Domination

We all know LSU is undefeated and thus won every one of their conference games.

But did you know that there are only two other teams to run the table in their conference?

The first is TCU. In their final season in the Moutain West the Horned Frogs traveled to Boise and upset the Broncos. It was relatively easy other than that, as the Frogs finished 7-0 in the MWC, 10-2 overall, and are headed to the Poinsettia Bowl to play Louisiana Tech.

The other team is Arkansas State. The Red Wolves ran the table in the true round-robin setup of the Sun Belt Conference and finished 10-2 overall (only losses to Illinois and Virginia Tech, both by small margins).

The Red Wolves haven't lost since Sept. 17 and will be headed to the GoDaddy.com Bowl as a result. Additionally, head coach Hugh Freeze has been named the next coach of Ole Miss.

36. The Disappointment in the State of Florida

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, teams from Florida dominated the college football landscape. Miami won three National Championships in the 1980s and another in 1991, while Florida and FSU played seemingly every year for a chance at the title in the 1990s. They would combine to win three in the decade.

This season? Not even close.

Many expected Florida State to compete for a National Championship and ascribed them with a preseason Top Five ranking. The Noles would lose three straight in the middle of the season and fall out of the rankings completely.

Charlie Weis' offense struggled in Gainesville as the Gators finished 6-6. It wasn't the start coach Will Muschamp wanted in the post-Urban-Meyer years.

Now, if it weren't enough, the Gators will square off against OSU, Meyer's current team (though he won't coach).

Miami went 6-6 and imposed a bowl ban on themselves (more on them later).

With an opportunity to take over the state, South Florida fell flat on its face. They started 4-0, including a win over Notre Dame, but finished 1-7.

UCF, coming off their C-USA championship and Liberty Bowl victory also finished below .500. This has become a trend with the Knights; a great season one year, below .500 the next.

FAU won its final game and only its final game. It was a great sendoff for Howard Schnellenberger, who literally built the program from the ground floor. They just didn't have the talent this season that they hope to have for years to come.

Perhaps the only bright spot came from FIU. The Golden Panthers impressed everyone with their play early as they upset Louisville and UCF. A loss to Arkansas State knocked them out of contention for the Sun Belt championship, but they will nonetheless go bowling again this season.

Overall, a very bad year for the state of Florida.

35. Virginia Earning a Chick-fil-A Bowl Berth

No one expected the Cavaliers to compete for a bowl under second-year coach Mike London. Not only did they make a bowl but they controlled their own destiny in the ACC Coastal Division up to the final week of the season and have been rewarded with a place in the Chick-fil-A Bowl as a result.

Kudos to the ACC for picking games the way they are supposed to be picked—by merit.

Yes, the Cavaliers moved up in the pecking order because Virginia Tech was taken to the Sugar Bowl, but Virginia earned the spot in the Chick-fil-A bowl by beating Georgia Tech and Florida State. Credit belongs to the committee for taking Virginia over a "sexier" Florida State (or hometown Georgia Tech).

More importantly, kudos to London and the Cavaliers. They are a team void of big-name superstars, but they have a solid front seven and a solid running game. Quarterback Michael Rocco has steadily improved as well. In his first four games he threw seven interceptions; in his next eight, only four picks.

Virginia will give Auburn all they can ask for in the Chick-fil-A bowl. This is a solid team.

34. The Big 12's Addition by Subtraction and People's Refusal to Admit It

The Big 12 was the best conference in the nation, according to the computers.

Yes, those computers know that the SEC is a conference.

The Big 12 was able to accomplish this feat in part from no longer being affiliated with Colorado, a team that went 3-10.

By having only 10 teams, the Big 12 was able to be stronger "top-to-bottom." Sure, Kansas wasn't especially strong this season, but after that, all the teams could compete against the top teams in the conference.

(Case in point, Texas Tech, the conference's second-worst team, beat then-No. 2 Oklahoma in Norman.)

Despite this ranking many will continue to claim the SEC is the best conference.

Why? Because, as ESPN likes to remind us, they have won five straight National Championships and are on their way to winning their sixth.

The fact is that the bottom half of the SEC is not as strong as other conference's bottom halves. This doesn't seem to bother people much, specifically Mark May, who on the bowl selection show Sunday night said something along the lines that he did not care that the Big 12 was ranked No. 1 by the computers.

On Saturday night May was asked if Oklahoma State beating Oklahoma by a wide margin meant anything, to which he replied, "No."

In short, OSU beating OU, their in-state rivals and a team they've only beaten 17 times in 106 tries to win their first Big 12 title ever, meant nothing.

Makes sense. Every game counts—unless talking heads trivialize them.

33. Urban Meyer Returning to Coaching

Urban Meyer is one of only two coaches currently in the game to have won two National Championships (Nick Saban is the other).

At a program like Ohio State, there is no reason to think Meyer can't add another one soon.

Many can argue if he's a great fit, bad fit, what he needs to do to be successful, etc. But here are the facts:

He's a great coach.

OSU is historically a top 10 program in the nation.

That's plenty of ingredients in the recipe for success.

Don't consider it that big of a rebuilding job, either. True, Ohio State went 6-6 this season, but with everything they went through in the offseason, a regression was expected. With the recruits they have lined up and with Braxton Miller entering his sophomore year, the Buckeyes will be good again very soon.

32. Texas' Continued Struggles

In the two seasons following an appearance in the National Championship, the Texas Longhorns have gone a combined 12-12—a far cry from their 2001-2010 stretch in which they won 10 or more games every single season.

While the Horns are once again bowl eligible after missing out last season, it could be argued that this season was worse for the Horns.

Texas went 3-5 down the stretch with only one quality win against their rival Texas A&M (who had struggles of their own). Additionally, Garrett Gilbert—who played a majority of the 2010 National Championship Game—has left the program altogether.

Texas is young and has some solid running backs. They were simply unable to get their offense going down the stretch, losing to Missouri 17-5 and Kansas State 17-13.

The Longhorns now travel to San Diego to take on Cal in the Holiday Bowl. They should win the game, which would be just what the doctor ordered for the Horns.

31. Oklahoma Going Quietly into the Night

It feels like so long ago and the Sooners have played so poorly with injuries, that many have forgotten that Oklahoma entered the season as the No. 1 team. They finished fourth in the Big 12 and will be headed to the Alamo Bowl.

The Sooners started off strong enough with a win at Florida State and a blowout over rival Texas.

But a stunning loss at home to Texas Tech as 28-point favorites got the ball rolling. Injuries to Ryan Broyles and other key players, and a loss to Baylor kept the ball going.

Then, without putting up a fight, the Sooners were embarrassed by rival Oklahoma State. The Cowboys had only won 16 of 105 contests, but this past week they looked like the "big brother." Oklahoma was still playing for a Big 12 championship and had no excuse for the performance they put forth.

A loss to Iowa will most likely knock OU out of the rankings for the biggest drop for a No. 1 team in at least five decades. Even if they win they won't move up much, and it will go down as a disappointing season for the Sooners.

30. Dana Holgorsen's West Virginia Team

There were many new coaches in new places this season, but many of them had coached somewhere else previously. Not only had Holgorsen never been a head coach at the FBS level when he took over at WV but he wasn't even supposed to be the coach this year!

Holgorsen was brought in to be a coach-in-waiting behind Bill Stewart. As is almost always the case with those titles, things went wrong. Stewart hired a private detective to dig up dirt on Holgorsen. When word of this got out, Stewart "resigned" and Holgorsen took over a year early.

West Virginia did just fine under Holgorsen.

He fully implemented his spread passing attack to great results. The Mountaineers are ranked seventh in the nation in passing offense and will play in the Orange Bowl as co-Big East Champions. It is the Mountaineers' first BCS bowl since the 2008 Fiesta Bowl (coincidentally, Stewart's first game as interim coach replacing Rich Rodriguez).

29. The New Celebration Rule

A new rule was put in place this past offseason: Any premature celebrations would be treated as spot fouls.

So, if you wanted to start high-stepping into the end zone at the 5-yard line, then your touchdown would be null and the ball would be placed at the opponent's 20-yard line.

Many came out and criticized the rule immediately. We all sat and anticipated when this new penalty would be called and what the ramifications would be.

As it turns out, there were only two notable occurrences, both full of hilarity.

The most notorious perpetrator of the rule was a punter.

Yes, LSU punter Brad Wing. Wing faked the punt, rushed 50 yards down the sidelines, opened his shoulders slightly and got a flag for 15 yards, wiping out the touchdown. LSU settled for a field goal.

But the first occurrence, or non-occurrence, came in the Utah-USC game.

Utah was trailing by three points and lining up to kick a potentially game-tying field goal at the end of regulation. The kick was blocked and returned for a touchdown. USC wins by nine, right?

Not so fast—the Trojans' bench ran onto the field as time expired. Therefore, the touchdown was wiped away and the Trojans won by three.

Not so fast again—hours later the Pac-12 ruled that since none of the players who violated the rule were eligible, it would count as your traditional dead-ball foul. Therefore, the touchdown was good and the Trojans won by nine.

Why did any of that matter? The Trojans won either way, right?

The spread in the game was USC -8.

Vegas baby, Vegas.

28. From Ranked to Fired

It's almost hard to believe now, but Arizona State, Illinois and Texas A&M were once ranked this season 

Why is this hard to believe? Because the teams limp into their bowl games at 6-6 and all have fired their coaches.

Arizona State was the overwhelming favorite to win the Pac-12 South (or, at least, get second behind USC). Even with a loss to the Bruins in the Rose Bowl, the Sun Devils had their chance. Instead they lost to Washington State, Arizona and Cal down the stretch. They lost five of their last six after starting 5-1 and reaching No. 18 in the polls.

Illinois started 6-0, their best start in 60 years. They had a schedule tailor-made for success, and their start had many fans calling for a New Year's Day Bowl, if not a BCS bowl.

Instead the Illini lost six straight. The offense was putrid down the stretch, averaging only 11 points per game in their six losses. The season came to a disappointing finish with a blowout loss on the road to 2-9 Minnesota.

A New Year's Day Bowl seemed like a lock for the Illini. Now, they will travel to San Francisco for a matchup with 6-7 UCLA.

The Aggies were ranked in the Top 10 in the preseason. After suffering close losses to Oklahoma State and Arkansas, many chalked them up to choke artists or just playing uninspired football in the second half.

It turned out to be much worse than that.

The Aggies would win only one of their final six games (against Kansas) and played a combined five overtimes over the six-game stretch. They were close in many games, but came up on the losing end of all of them. As a result, Sherman is out at College Station.

27. The Troubles of Stephen Garcia

It turns out that for Stephen Garcia that it's six strikes and you're out.

The much-maligned quarterback was given another chance by coach Steve Spurrier entering the season. With South Carolina the favorites in the SEC East, all eyes were on how Garcia would respond.

Garcia failed a drug and alcohol test halfway through the season. This was a violation of a contract he and the coaches agreed upon following his fifth suspension the previous spring.

As a result, South Carolina decided to cut ties with Garcia. Connor Shaw stepped in for Garcia and went through some initial growing pains, but ultimately led the Gamecocks to just their second 10-win season in school history.

26. Maryland's Uniforms and Play

I hate talking about uniforms, but I need to point this out.

Everybody had an opinion on Maryland's uniforms from their opening game against Miami. At their best they were different and a way to attract attention to the program. At their worst, they were the ugliest uniforms of all time.

My opinion at the time (and it remains that way) is that if they need to wear special uniforms to attract attention to their program, then they have bigger problems than what the uniforms look like. It tells me that they aren't very confident if they can't attract attention through alternate methods like, say for example, playing well.

Vanderbilt, Cincinnati, Louisville and Kansas State were all programs that were not expected to do much this season. We are currently talking about all of those programs because they went out and won. Not because of some alternate uniform they wore.

Maryland went 2-10 on the season one year after going 9-4.

25. Eric LeGrand

Last season Eric LeGrand was paralyzed from the neck down trying to tackle Army's Malcolm Brown. Following the injury, doctors predicted that LeGrand would never breathe without the aid of a ventilator ever again.

Proving everyone wrong, LeGrand made significant strides seemingly every week. He led the Scarlet Knights out of the tunnel in October against West Virginia. Against Army, LeGrand was present at the coin-toss with Brown, now a captain of the Army team. 

The two have been in contact with each other throughout the past year, but took another opportunity to share a word. LeGrand wished Brown luck in the upcoming game.

LeGrand has also served as a television and radio broadcaster for Scarlet Knights Football this season. Despite once being predicted to never breathe without a ventilator again, LeGrand recently walked on a treadmill for one hour straight. He reportedly felt burning in his hamstrings.

The eternal optimist, LeGrand had the following to say about his injury and subsequent year of rehab:

"It's probably been the best year of my life [with] how many people I've been able to touch this entire year."

24. Openings at Prominent Programs

Obviously this is a recent development, as many coaches have been given a pink slip near the end of the season.

Still, with the number of coaches that has been let loose and the programs that are letting them loose makes this a very interesting story.

Historically, strong programs such as Penn State, Ohio State, Illinois, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, UCLA, Arizona and Arizona State are all going to have new coaches next year.

Additionally, Washington State made a big splash by hiring Mike Leach.

That's 25 percent of the Big Ten and 33 percent of the Pac12 so far. As these vacancies fill up, others will open.

23. The New Pac-12 and Big Ten Provide No Surprises

All eyes were on the Pac-12 and Big Ten since the conferences that underwent the biggest changes from 2010 to 2011. As the old saying goes, "The more things change, the more they stay the same."

The Pac-12 added Utah and Colorado, and split into two divisions.

The result? Oregon won the conference—the same team that won the Pac-10 the previous two seasons.

The Big Ten added Nebraska and what happened?

Wisconsin won the championship—the same team that won a share of it last season. Nebraska was a trendy pick to win the conference for some reason, despite Wisconsin being better last season and returning (or in the case of Russell Wilson, adding) more players.

Coincidentally, the two conferences are also the ones that have traditionally met in the Rose Bowl. Sure enough, we have a terrific Rose Bowl on our hands with Oregon squaring off against Wisconsin.

I can't say anyone should be surprised.

22. Weekday MAC Shootouts

The MAC makes several efforts to have their lesser-known teams get into the national spotlight. One such effort is to have some games on Tuesday and Wednesday nights the way they did this year. The move paid dividends, as the league was able to produce some exciting mid-week football.

NIU won at Toledo 63-60 on Nov. 1. One week later, Toledo defeated WMU, 66-63.

While not as high-scoring, Bowling Green and NIU were able to combine for 59 points. Ohio and Bowling Green played to a 29-28 final with Ohio winning, while the Bobcats beat intra-divisional foe Temple 35-31 another week.

Can't ask for much more from a Tuesday or Wednesday viewership standpoint.

21. Vanderbilt Goes from Punching Bag to Punchers

Vanderbilt is no joke. The Commodores improved from a two-win team in 2010 to a six-win team in 2011 under first-year head coach James Franklin.

Under his tutelage, Vandy won't be a one-year wonder.

Franklin has been able to totally change the attitude and expectations of the Vanderbilt program, and he isn't shy to make that fact known publicly. This video shows that, and it has become my favorite sound byte/clip of the 2011 season.

Vanderbilt played Florida, Georgia and Arkansas down to the wire. If one or two of those games swung the other way, then the Commodores would be in a New Year's bowl this season.

Give Franklin another year or two, and the Commodores will be a perennial New Year's Day bowl team.

20. The Ohio State Scandal and Mass Exodus

This story was so big that it was able to span two seasons.

Last year news broke that several Ohio State players, including star quarterback Terrelle Pryor, were guilty of exchanging merchandise for cash and gifts, which, for some reason, is illegal (despite even the earliest of civilizations featuring markets and a traditional barter system).

The players were to be suspended, but not for the Sugar Bowl. That would have cost the game too much money and allure.

Then it was discovered that coach Jim Tressel knew of the allegations earlier than the media did and failed to report them. As a result, Tressel resigned amidst the controversy. Pryor entered the NFL's supplemental draft and was selected by the Oakland Raiders.

Ramifications of this scandal were massive. First, Luke Fickell was given a year of coaching experience, serving in the interim. Secondly, it opened the door for Urban Meyer to return to his home state of Ohio to coach.

Most importantly, however, it knocked the Buckeyes back a year. Pryor left before his senior year, and suspensions hurt the Buckeyes all season. They finished 6-6 and will take on Florida in the Gator Bowl.

19. LSU's Quarterback "Quandry"

Critics will say that neither of LSU's quarterbacks are any good. For two players who aren't any good, they sure have drawn a lot of attention.

Jordan Jefferson was involved in an off-the-field altercation before the season started. As a result, he was suspended, and everyone wrote off the Tigers. Yes, losing a player who threw seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions was apparently a deal-breaker for the Tigers.

Instead, Les Miles inserted Jarrett Lee, a quarterback with plenty of experience, and altered the game plan. They didn't ask Lee to do too much and instead asked him to make short passes. He did just that and converted key third downs to keep the Tigers undefeated.

When Jefferson became healthy, a potential controversy ensued.

How did Miles handle it? By solely playing Jefferson. Lee did not play in either of the past two games and attempted only 12 passes in the last five games.

When have you ever heard of such a possible controversy diffused? A quarterback gets suspended. A "bad" QB gets inserted, does well, but is ultimately replaced by the suspended QB.

If this occurs anywhere else then it is a distraction, a hot story and a reason for a team to lose.

At LSU, it's barely noteworthy.

18. Notre Dame's Immediate Implosion

Notre Dame was a trendy pick to play in the BCS and was picked in the Top 10 in some preseason publications.

It all came crashing down the first two weeks of the season.

First the Irish lost as 11-point favorites at home to South Florida, a team that would end up finishing 5-7. The next week the Irish traveled to Ann Arbor and blew the game with less than one minute left to lose a shootout.

Brian Kelly became a source of criticism for his temper and treatment of his players. Here you can see his rage during the team's opening loss to South Florida.

Notre Dame was able to move the ball well in the opening two games, but suffered from turnovers. The Irish had nine turnovers in the first two games, two of those coming inside the opponents' 5-yardline.

ND would go on to lose to USC and Stanford. They would beat one ranked team overall, Michigan State.

The Irish are headed to Orlando for the Champs Sports Bowl to take on Florida State.

17. UCLA Relevant Again—For All the Wrong Reasons

When coach Rick Neuheisel took over his alma mater in 2007 many figured we would be talking about the Bruins playing in the BCS at some point.

As it turns out, we have talked about UCLA plenty this season—but not for the reasons they would like.

Neuheisel was on the hotseat all season long and was ultimately fired, even after winning the Pac-12 South. The Bruins are sitting at 6-7, but will be attending the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl.

And they'll do it without Neuheisel.

The Bruins became a national punchline by finding their way into the Pac-12 Championship Game. The Bruins finished second in the Pac-12 South, but were chosen as the participant due to USC's sanctions.

Many made fun of the Bruins for having big losses to USC, Stanford, Arizona and Utah, but ignored the win against ASU and the close loss to Houston. Ultimately the Bruins lost to the Ducks in Eugene, but put up a big fight in Neuheisel's final game.

16. A Michigan Resurgence?

Brady Hoke fared the best of all first-year head coaches this season. After three straight mediocre (at best) seasons, Hoke has the Wolverines at 10-2 and in the Sugar Bowl.

Michigan is back!

Or are they?

The Wolverines beat exactly one ranked team this season, No. 16 Nebraska. They looked awful against Michigan State and Iowa. The defense has improved, but they're not fully back quite yet.

Their placement in the BCS is a result of their program name and the new divisions in the Big Ten. Despite being ranked lower than teams such as Kansas State, Boise State, Arkansas and South Carolina, the Wolverines were selected by the BCS.

Michigan finished the regular season with the same record as MSU and lost to the Spartans. But because MSU had to play an extra game and lost to Wisconsin (a team MSU beat in the regular season), the Wolverines were selected to go to the BCS.

Makes sense...

15. The Honey Badger

Formula for developing a compelling story?

Come out of nowhere in the opening week on the biggest stage and play well.

Get a catchy nickname.

Follow up your hype by dominating every single week after that.

This is what Tyrann Mathieu, the "Honey Badger" did this season.

In the opening game against Oregon Mathieu was responsible for a strip and score on a punt return and other big special teams plays. That was his introduction to the world.

Three weeks later he returned a Geno Smith interception for a touchdown. Mathieu had another touchdown against Kentucky.

Against UGA in the SEC championship, Mathieu returned a punt for a touchdown and made another great punt return to set up a score for the LSU offense.

His plays are so memorable and great that he has been nominated for the Heisman Trophy. Mathieu is only the second defensive player to be nominated for the Heisman Trophy since Charles Woodson won in 1997 (Ndamukong Suh is the other).

Just how compelling is he?

I found myself watching this video in which he squares off against LSU Women's Soccer goalie Mo Isom in a series of skill challenges. It isn't very good, but I watched it all regardless.

14. Georgia

Everything attached with the Georgia program seemed so compelling this season.

Coach Mark Richt entered the season on the hotseat. Many predicted that if Richt did not win either of his first two games, he would be fired.

Georgia didn't win either of their first two games, Richt wasn't fired, and they then went on to win 10 straight games and the SEC East.

The Bulldogs remained a bit of an unknown commodity entering the SEC Championship Game. Was Aaron Murray as good as the stats he was producing? Had the defense improved as much as many believed? Was Isaiah Crowell healthy and ready to play?

For more detailed answers to those questions, you can read this article.

Regardless, UGA managed to compel the nation this year. Richt figures to be safe now, as the Dawgs are 10-3 and set to square off against Michigan State in the Outback Bowl.

13. The "U" Scandal

When one of the greatest programs of all time is found to have imprisoned Ponzi schemers contributing thousands of dollars to the program for steaks, parties, strippers and abortions, normally the staying power of the story would be bigger.

Surprisingly, it isn't.

When news of the Miami scandal broke in August it was big. As time went on, not so much. The U quietly went about their business, had a mediocre season and imposed a bowl ban on themselves.

Of course, this story isn't over. Additional penalties will be levied against The U in time.

Quite frankly, I'm happy that the story wasn't brought up ad nauseum every time Miami was mentioned this season.

Still, with the president of the university and both the basketball and football programs involved, it was a bombshell.

12. Continued Conference Realignment

I hate that I have this ranked so high.

In fact, I hate that I have it ranked at all. I would love to talk about, you know, the games—but the monster that is conference realignment keeps rearing its ugly head.

Texas A&M and Missouri are leaving the Big 12 for the SEC. The past couple weeks saw the end of major rivalry games (Missouri-Kansas and Texas-Texas A&M). No one seemed to fuss that much.

West Virginia is leaving the Big East for the Big 12, meaning we saw the last Backyard Brawl for a while. Syracuse and Pitt are also leaving the Big East, only for the ACC.

Finally, to show that this is an ongoing trend, as recent as today Boise State, SDSU, SMU, UCF and Houston have announced they will be joining the Big East.

So, what does this mean for Conference USA and the Mountain West?

But who cares about tradition, pageantry, rivalries, the "small" schools and what the fans want to see when you can make all this money?!

Well, you the fan won't be making any money. You'll still be shelling out top dollar for tickets and merchandise.

But, rest assured, someone will be making money.

11. Boise Winning Early, Losing Late

Boise State's season followed a similar path to last year's. They defeated a big conference foe on the East Coast to open the season, built themselves into a Top Five team and then lost a conference game as a big favorite.

Boise played a tough schedule, and I would have liked to see them play in the BCS even with the one loss. The way things work, however, means they won't. Instead, Boise will travel to Las Vegas to take on Arizona State.

Let's not forget the career of Kellen Moore.

Moore is the all-time leader in wins as a starting quarterback. His popularity and recognition peaked during the middle of the season, but his Heisman hopes and other accolades all dissipated with the loss to TCU. It isn't fair that he has gone ignored down the stretch this season.

10. Clemson's Youth

Not many people picked the Tigers to win the ACC. As it turns out, they were head and shoulders above everyone in the conference.

WR Sammy Watkins literally burst on to the scene and has emerged as one of the top playmakers in the nation. With blinding speed, the freshman totaled more than 1,100 yards receiving and contributed in kick and punt returns as well.

Then there is TE Dwayne Allen, one of the better pass-catching tight ends in the nation. The junior caught 48 passes and eight touchdowns. He is very athletic for his 6'4", 255-pound frame.

And, of course, there is Tajh Boyd. Boyd improved by leaps and bounds since last season. The sophomore threw for 7.9 yards per attempt and had a 31-10 TD-INT ratio.

With a win over FSU and two wins over the Hokies, Clemson clearly established themselves as the best team in the ACC. They have plenty of young talent on offense that should be fun to watch in the years to come. (Although they will lose a lot on their defense).

9. Bill Snyder Rebuilding Kansas State...Again

When Bill Snyder took over Kansas State in 1989, he inherited a team that had one bowl game in its history, had an all-time winning percentage of .370 and had a 27-game losing streak.

Over time, he built the program into a perennial power, reaching No. 1 in 1998.

Snyder left in 2005 and the program quickly became mediocre once more. He was brought back again in 2009 with the hopes of revitalizing the program.

Could he do it again?

So far, so good. The Wildcats were unknown entities entering the season, but building off the success of their bowl win last season, they improved to 10-2 on the season. They recorded wins over Texas, Texas A&M and Baylor on their way to being 10-2.

Kansas State could have been playing in a BCS bowl game this season. Instead they were passed over for a "sexier" Michigan. They'll most likely get the last laugh, though, as they square off against a good Arkansas team in the Cotton Bowl.

8. USC Strikes Back

After back-to-back mediocre years and NCAA-imposed sanctions, experts didn't expect much from the Trojans. They seemed correct after the Trojans got off to a slow start, beating Minnesota by two, Utah by nine and losing to Arizona State.

Then, halfway through the year, a switch was flipped and USC turned into one of the best teams in the nation.

They destroyed Notre Dame, Cal and Colorado on the road. They took Stanford to three overtimes.

Then, in the ultimate shocker, they defeated Oregon in Autzen Stadium. The Trojans won the Pac-12 South by two games, but were unable to participate in the Pac-12 title game.

Throughout the season, Matt Barkley made himself a Heisman finalist, Robert Woods and Marquise Lee developed into the nation's best one-two punch at wide receiver and a young defense grew up right before our eyes. At the end of the year, USC was starting three freshman linebackers—and good ones too.

The question now is who comes back for the Trojans. While it would be nice to have as many players return as possible, don't expect the Trojans to fall much even if they all leave for the NFL.

7. Case Keenum and the Houston Cougars

Many figured that if Keenum stayed healthy he could break the all-time passing touchdown and yardage record.

He stayed healthy, and he did.

Keenum first broke the all-time passing touchdowns record with his nine-touchdown performance against Rice. A couple weeks later he broke Hawaii QB Timmy Chang's all-time passing record of 17,072.

Houston was able to captivate the nation's attention through the past weekend. Entering the C-USA championship, Houston only needed to beat Southern Mississippi at home as 13-point favorites. They were upset, however, and will now attend the TicketCity Bowl to face Penn State.

Additionally, head coach Kevin Sumlin has built himself into a hot commodity. There are several BCS programs in need of a head coach, and Sumlin will be at the top of many lists.

Will he leave? If so, will it be before or after the bowl game?

The compelling stories continue with the Houston Cougars...

6. Russell Wilson's Transfer and Wisconsin's Success

Russell Wilson had already graduated from North Carolina State University. When he began focusing more on baseball, head coach Tom O'Brien decided to cut ties with Wilson.

Due to a new rule in the NCAA, Wilson was eligible to transfer to a school, enroll in graduate school and not miss a season.

This is exactly what he did, as he enrolled at UW-Madison.

How did that work out for the Badgers? Well, they're Big Ten champions again. Wilson led the Badgers to an 11-2 regular season and avenged one of their losses against Michigan State in the Big Ten championship.

Wilson was able to step in and immediately assume the role of leader in the clubhouse. While the Badgers may be underdogs to the Ducks in the Rose Bowl, I wouldn't count them out.

Wilson also became one of the first prominent athletes to utilize this rule. The rule has come under some criticism, as some feel it creates a culture tantamount to free agency. Critics will also go as far to say that programs will try finding loopholes and exploiting students.

I for one am a fan of the rule. I think it was created with good intentions. With all the junk that goes on in the NCAA, why would we get upset about an athlete pursuing a master's degree? Perhaps at some point some programs will take advantage of the rule.

If/when that happens, the NCAA can step in and take care of it. Until then, let athletes take advantage of this.

5. RGIII's Heisman Campaign

I will be the first to admit it: I was wrong about Robert Griffin III.

If you asked me at the beginning of the season, I would have said RGIII was a bit overrated, a beneficiary of a style of offense and would have even gone as far as to wrongfully degrade Griffin for Baylor not being as good as many thought.

Like I said, I was wrong. On all accounts.

Griffin led the Bears to their first nine-win season since 1986. The Bears beat perennial powers Oklahoma and Texas in the same season, and added a win against rival TCU in a thrilling opener.

Griffin's stat-line is ridiculous. He completed 72.6 percent of his passes with a 34-5 TD-Int ratio.

He is only a junior, but Griffin is on pace to graduate in May. He has not yet declared his intentions of whether to stay or leave for the NFL.

If he were to stay, what would he do? RGIII has expressed interest in attending law school—while competing for a Heisman Trophy.

Not your average quarterback.

4. The Domination of the SEC West

Entering Thanksgiving weekend the SEC West had claim to the top three teams in the nation. LSU at No. 1, Alabama at No. 2 and Arkansas at No. 3. It was the first time ever that a conference, let a lone a division, could lay claim to this fact.

Many expected the SEC West to be the best division entering the season with defending national champion Auburn and Mississippi State thrown into the mix. I'm not sure anyone expected it to reach the heights that it did.

As it turns out, Arkansas probably isn't the third-best team in the nation. The Hogs were blown out by both LSU, and Arkansas and barely beat Texas A&M, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt. Still, 10-2 and a trip to the Cotton Bowl is impressive.

Oh, and in case you didn't hear, Alabama and LSU are playing in the National Championship.

3. Everything Andrew Luck

Luck came back to Stanford this season in pursuit of Pac-12 and National Championships. Unfortunately he won't get either, but it was fun seeing him try.

Luck was designated the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft and has been declared by some to be the best prospect since John Elway. As expected, the media latched on to this and started ridiculous ideas that teams would engage in a "Suck for Luck" campaign to get the highly touted player.

Then, without much reason or warrant, criticism started to come toward Luck. Former NFL QB Phil Simms criticized Luck, saying he couldnt' make "big NFL throws." Following a loss to Oregon, everyone jumped off the Luck for Heisman bandwagon that was barreling out of control to begin with.

It remains to be seen if he will win the Heisman. As the best player entering the season and the presumed No. 1 pick in the draft, Luck inherently attracts a lot of analysis, praise and criticism. He remains interesting because of the wide range of opinions on him. He is everything from the next John Elway to someone who can't make NFL-esque throws.

2. Rematch of the Century?

The matchup between LSU and Alabama in early November was labeled "Game of the Century." It's odd to me then how a rematch could not only receive little fanfare (yet), but receive a good amount of backlash as well.

It seems as if no one wants to see this game, and although the two teams are most likely the two best in the nation, it feels as if the championship game is anticlimactic.

If LSU wins, we all knew they were better. If Alabama wins, then they're not true champions, since they lost to LSU at home one month ago.

I'm not saying I disagree with this logic. I, like many other people, would like to see something I haven't seen before. I wouldn't lose any sleep over an LSU-Oklahoma State, or LSU-Stanford National Championship.

Many will argue that the system is flawed (they're right), but that shouldn't mean we blame Alabama. I understand that to a certain degree.

You know what I will blame Alabama for? Losing to LSU...at home. They had their opportunity. Move on.

If the BCS wanted to preserve their image—you know, the one that tries to convince us that a playoff isn't necessary because every game counts—then they should have put Oklahoma State or Stanford in the title game. Otherwise, they're admitting that not every game counts, and at that point, what is the point?

1. Penn State

Unfortunately, this is an obvious choice. The recent allegations are like none other in the history of college sports and society.

News of the story broke just one week after Joe Paterno became the all-time winningest coach. Two weeks after his accomplishment, he was fired.

Emotions ranged from disgusted to forgiving. Outraged to violent. Some called for Paterno to be fired immediately, while others traveled to his house to support him. When it was announced he was fired, students rioted.

Victims of Jerry Sandusky continue to come forward and investigations continue trying to sort matters out. Recently, the NCAA has begun their own investigation, meaning that not only could officials at the university face major jail time but the football program's future is in jeopardy as well.

It's an ongoing, ever-changing story. Over time, the truth of who knew what and when they knew it will come out, and punishments will be levied against those responsible.

Until then, we can't help but be compelled with the story.