My Top 25: Week 1

They did it.  The Boise State Broncos have completed the first leg of their march to the National Title.  I initially was going to rank Boise ahead of Alabama in honor of their victory and because I truly believe they are the best team in the nation.  However, the Crimson Tide have done nothing to show they aren't the best team in the nation and until they do I will leave them at the top. That being said, here is my Top 25 for Week 1: 

25. (Last Week: NR) BYU (1-0)- I didn't take BYU seriously coming into the season and I still don't think they will remain in the Top 25.  However, the beat a good Washington team with one of the best players in the country so they deserve their moment among the ranked.
24. (Last Week: NR) Oregon (1-0)- I didn't want to rank the Ducks, but its impossible to ignore 72-0 without either Jeremiah Masoli or LeMichael James.
23. (Last Week: 25) Houston (1-0)- Houston showed once again they can outscore any team in the nation.  I believe they will trip up at least once, but an undefeated Cougars team could make the BCS debate even more interesting.
22. (Last Week: 23) Stanford (1-0)- Andrew Luck was just as good as advertised in the Cardinal's first game post-Toby Gerhardt.  They have a brutal schedule over the next five games (at UCLA, vs. Wake Forest, at Notre Dame, at Oregon, and vs. USC) that will go a long way to showing what kind of team this is.
21. (Last Week: 21) West Virginia (1-0)- The Mountaineers looked strong across the board against Coastal Carolina.  With Connecticut, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh all losing, they are now the front runners in a wide open Big East.
20. (Last Week: NR) Utah (1-0)- The Utes showed Thursday that TCU and Boise State aren't the only BCS Busters in the nation.  With a few more wins, they could seriously enter the conversation.
19. (Last Week: 20) South Carolina (1-0)- The Gamecocks look fantastic in their win last Thursday and can announce themselves as contenders with a win against Georgia this weekend.
18. (Last Week: 19) Penn State (1-0)- The Nittany Lions got by last week with their first freshman quarterback in the JoePa era.  This week's visit to Tusculoosa should reveal a lot more about Penn State's prospects for the season.
17. (Last Week: 15) Wisconsin (1-0)- The Badgers looked solid in their opener, but they didn't prove themselves like some of the teams in front of them.  The Badgers have a light schedule until games at Iowa and versus Ohio State in October.
16. (Last Week: 14) Florida (1-0)- The Gators drop a couple spots because of their extreme offensive struggles against Miami of Ohio.  They better be careful this week because South Florida has the talent to pull off the upset.
15. (Last Week: 17) Miami (1-0)- I don't like the Hurricanes this year and hate to rate them this high.  Jacory Harris should come down to Earth this weekend in the Horseshoe.
14. (Last Week: 12) Oregon State (0-1)- The Beavers only drop two spots because teams shouldn't be punished for losing tightly to a superior team.  They looked strong against TCU and have a great shot at winning the Pac-10. 
13. (Last Week: 13) Virginia Tech (0-1)- Like Oregon State, the Hokies shouldn't be punished for losing to a superior team.  Tyrod Taylor had the best game of his career, but Boise State is simply the team of destiny.  Still, the season looks very bright for Virginia Tech.
12. (Last Week: 11) Oklahoma (1-0)- The Sooners got pushed to the limit by Utah State.  Yes, by Utah State!  They better get their act together before the Seminoles come to Norman this weekend. 
11. (Last Week: 18) Auburn (1-0)- Auburn jumps because Cameron Newton looked FANTASTIC.  I am very excited to see what he will do against an SEC defense.
10. (Last Week: 10) Iowa (1-0)- The Hawkeyes took care of Eastern Illinois easily.  Their next two games should reveal a lot about this team before they begin their Big 10 schedule.  They host in-state rival Iowa State at home and then go on the road at Arizona.
9. (Last Week: 9) Nebraska (1-0)-The Cornhuskers' freshman quarterback Taylor Martinez looked explosive against Western Kentucky.  If he can give them an offense to match their defense, there are few teams in the nation that can hang with the Huskers.
8. (Last Week: 8) Georgia Tech (1-0)-The triple option looked good against South Carolina State but this offense has a long way to go before it hits full strength.  Josh Nesbitt's passing looked awful to say the least.
7. (Last Week: 7) Arkansas(1-0)-The Razorback offense was as good as advertised against Tennessee Tech.  And even though it should be taken with a couple grains of salt, the defense looked pretty good as well.
6. (Last Week: 5) Texas (1-0)-The Longhorns looked solid but not great against Rice.  They need to get things fixed before the meat of the Big 12 schedule starts.
5. (Last Week: 6) TCU (1-0)-The Horned Frogs fulfilled all expectations in Jerryworld.  They beat an excellent Beavers' squad and have a good shot at going undefeated.
4. (Last Week: 4) Florida State (1-0)-Jimbo Fisher's debut couldn't have gone better and the Noles offense looked as strong as expected against Samford.  Their improved defense will get a much bigger test in Norman against the Sooners this weekend.
3. (Last Week: 3) Ohio State (1-0)-The Buckeyes continued their wide-open play against Marshall.  This week's game versus the Hurricanes will go a long way to showing what kind of season they will have in Columbus. 
2. (Last Week: 2) Boise State (1-0)-Last night, Boise showed they are a complete team.  They jumped out to a huge lead in a hostile environment, blew that lead, and then went blow for blow with the Hokies.  Kellen Moore was unflappable on their fourth quarter drive and the Broncos looked strong in all facets of the game.  To quote a sign at the game last night, "The road to AZ [began] in DC."
1. (Last Week: 1) Alabama (1-0)- The Tide rolled without Mark Ingram.  They look great right now and should be able to handle Penn State this week.

Dropped Out: Cincinnati, Mississippi, Pitt

College Football Bowl Predictions

In order to celebrate tonight's college football kick-off, here are my bowl projections.
A few notes before they begin:

- A bowl is not obligated to pick the remaining team with best record.  So, with the 2nd pick in the SEC, the Capital One Bowl doesn't have to pick the team with the 2nd best record.  Rather, they get the 2nd choice of any bowl eligible SEC teams.
- USC is not listed because they are ineligible to play in the postseason.

The BCS:
1/10- BCS National Title Game: Boise State vs. Ohio State
1/4- Orange Bowl: Florida State vs. Oklahoma
1/3- Rose Bowl: TCU vs. Oregon State
1/1- Sugar Bowl: Arkansas vs. Georgia Tech
1/1- Fiesta Bowl: Nebraska vs. Pittsburgh

The Other Big Bowl Games:
1/1- Capital One Bowl: Auburn vs. Iowa
1/7- Cotton Bowl: Alabama vs. Texas
1/1- Gator Bowl: LSU vs. Penn State
1/1- Outback Bowl: Florida vs. Wisconsin
12/31- Chick-fil-A Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. South Carolina
12/30- Holiday Bowl: Washington vs. Missouri
12/29- Alamo Bowl: Stanford vs. Texas A&M

Everything Else:
1/9- Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl: UCLA vs. Fresno State
1/8- Birmingham Bowl: South Florida vs. Ole Miss
1/6- GMAC Bowl: Troy vs. Northern Illinois
1/1- Dallas Classic: Illinois vs. Notre Dame
12/31- Sun Bowl: Clemson vs. Oregon
12/31- Meineke Car Care Bowl: Boston College vs. West Virginia
12/31- Liberty Bowl: Kentucky vs. Houston
12/30- Music City Bowl: North Carolina State vs. Georgia
12/30- Pinstripe Bowl: Baylor vs. Connecticut
12/30- Armed Forces Bowl: Air Force vs. SMU
12/29- Texas Bowl: Texas Tech vs. Minnesota
12/28- Insight Bowl: Kansas State vs. Northwestern
12/28- Champs Sports Bowl: Miami vs. Cincinnati
12/27- Independence Bowl: North Carolina vs. Temple
12/26- Little Caesar's Bowl: Ohio vs. Purdue
12/24- Hawaii Bowl: Louisiana Tech vs. Southern Miss
12/22- MAACO Las Vegas Bowl: Arizona vs.  Utah
12/23- Poinsettia Bowl: Navy vs. BYU
12/21- Beef O'Brady's St. Petersburg Bowl: Rutgers vs. UCF
12/18- New Orleans Bowl: Middle Tennessee State vs. Marshall
12/18- Humanitarian Bowl: Nevada vs. Central Michigan
12/18- New Mexico Bowl: Fresno State vs. Florida Atlantic

Are mega-conferences good or bad?

This summer it looked like the college football landscape would change forever.  What actually happened was much more tame. However, we are inevitably moving towards a more concentrated NCAA.  Will these mega-conferences be good or bad for the sport?  For the purposes of this discussion, let's assume that the conferences will only change for football so the other sports won't factor in. 

All of the good from mega-conferences derives from the fact that they should lead to a playoff.  The pro's and con's of the BCS can be debated another time, but almost every college football fan can agree that a playoff would be better.  College football is the only the only team sport in the world that doesn't use a playoff to determine its champion (I think).  Rather than deciding its champion on a computer and in the newspaper, the NCAA needs to give out its trophy on the field.  And by moving to 4 16-team divisions, we would be that much closer to our dream.  One of the major complaints regarding a playoff is the logistics involved with picking the teams (because the BCS is run so well).  Mega-conferences solve of the logistical issues because you can simply pick the top 2 teams in each conference for an 8-team tournament or the top 4 teams for a 16-team tournament.

Mega-conferences would also destroy what history and tradition remain in the game today.  Most of today's fans have never heard of the Southwest Conference or the Big 8.   They don't know that Texas used to have a big rivalry with Arkansas or that Penn State used to be as independent as Notre Dame.  Mega-conferences would tear apart many of the regional ties and rivalries that still remain in the game today.  Check out my speculation of who will end up where (http://thereasontheyplaythegame.blogspot.com/2010/06/total-different-ncaa.html) and you will see how geography has to play second fiddle to other considerations.  And that article was written with 5 conferences rather than 4.  Mega-conferences would also entrench the elites of college football in a way that the BCS never could.  It has taken 10 years, but the BCS has finally been busted repeatedly by teams who don't belong to the college football elite.  Mega-conferences would reverse this trend in 2 ways.  First, the mega-conferences would be designed with the BCS busters in mind, so Boise State, Utah, and TCU would be included.  By adopting the current generation of BCS busters, mega-conferences would force a new generation of teams to emerge.  Second, mega-conferences will be MUCH harder to bust than the BCS.  The BCS is an inherently unfair system that was forced by public opinion to allow outside teams in.  Mega-conferences and their accompanying playoff would be a fair system that could permanently lock outsiders out by only allowing spots to teams in the mega-conferences.  By accepting Boise State and Utah, the college football elites can lock out other outsiders forever. 

Ultimately, there is more to college football than playoffs and mega-conferences would be a bad thing for the sport. We should be thankful we still have the ACC, SEC, Pac 12, new Big 10 (old Big 12), new Big 12 (old Big 10), Big East, Notre Dame, MWC, and Boise State.  And even the BCS.