Conference Rankings

8. Conference USA

The hardest part of these conference rankings is comparing the amount of teams in each conference. While Boise State is better than any team in C-USA, or the MWC for that matter, the WAC isnt as deep as the other two conferences mentioned. Are they not as deep as C-USA because they arent as deep, or because C-USA has 12 teams, or what? I prefer depth of conference when it comes to these rankings. Why would the WAC be better than C-USA just because it has the best team of the two conferences combined? Imagine if you switched Florida and USC. The Pac-10 would now have the best team in the nation, and the SEC would pick up a good team as well. Would this trade make the Pac-10 better than the SEC? Of course not. Although the Pac-10 would have a team better than anyone in the SEC, it still wouldnt be better overall. Anyway.... C-USA can be a fun conference to watch this year. Houston will light the scoreboard up, East Carolina is being billed as many's next BCS contender, and Southern Miss looks to return to glory. Lets break it down.........

The June Jones era didnt start as planned for SMU.  They went a pathetic 1-11, beating only Texas State.  This is a team that has never recovered from the Death Penalty given to them, and June Jones is supposed to be the man.  Back to Back 1-11 seasons (albeit only 1 with Jones) is not what the fan base is looking for.  The #1 reason to have any sort of optimism is QB Bo Levi Mitchell.  He threw for 2800 yds his freshman year, and 24 TDs.  He also threw 23 INTs, but you have to expect these types of growing pains with freshmen on bad teams.  He could be what Jones needs in a system that has produced great QBs in the past.  The reason to be pessimistic is that SMU finished last in rushing yards last year in the nation.  They averaged.........41.4 yds a game rushing.  That is downright pathetic.  Thats 15 yards less than 2nd to last New Mexico State.  I dont care if you are a team that throws the ball 90% of the time, you still need to not finish last in rushing.  2 years ago, when Hawaii made the Sugar Bowl, they averaged 68 yds/game, and 3 years ago, they averaged 117 yds/game.  You just need to run the football, period.  For a pass happy team, SMU sure didnt light up the scoreboard, averaging 21 pts/game.  Now figure in that they gave up over 38 pts/game, and its not surprising that they went 1-11.  Ironically, their best games were against the best teams in the conference, Houston and Tulsa.  Look for 3-5 wins this year.

Tulane played a brutal schedule last year, but that doesn't excuse them from finishing 2-10.  They averaged only 16.7 points per game last year.  They did start 2-2 last year, with their losses coming to Alabama and E. Carolina, so there was reason for optimism.  The loss of RB Andre Anderson hurt them greatly, and he needs to stay healthy.  QB Kevin Moore is entering his junior year, and should make great strides.   The rush defense was atrocious last year, giving up 211 yd/game on the ground.  That needs to stop.  Up is the only way to go for the Green Wave this year, expect 3-5 wins.

UAB struggled defensively last year, giving up over 425 yds/game and 31 pts/game.  Their offense is headlined by QB Joe Webb.  He led the team in passing and rushing last year.  Their offense returns nearly everyone, and could actually be explosive in 2009.  The defense was bad, and loses their three top tacklers.  Their pass defense was 108th in the nation last year, and in C-USA, that isnt a good thing (not good anywhere).  UAB somehow plays 5 games at home this year, and 7 on the road, which does not help their cause at all.  Look for 5-6 wins.

My, how quickly things can change in Orlando.  Two years ago, UCF was the surprise team of the year, going 10-4 and playing in the Liberty Bowl.   Their offense finished dead last in the nation in 2008.   They were shutout by UAB (who we already mentioned had trouble on defense), and averaged only 16 pts/game.  This obviously needs to improve.  They return 10 starters on this side of the ball, but is that good or bad?  The defense was certainly the strength of the team.  They are led by linemen Bruce Miller and Torell Troup.  Those men combined for 29.5 tackles for loss last year.  The offense just needs to find some sort of a niche to get things going, and the Knights could find themselves back in a bowl game, they have a good enough defense.  Look for 6 wins.

UTEP  had flashes on offense last year, finishing 14th in the nation in yardage.  QB Trevor Vittatoe threw for over 3,000 yds and 30 TDs as a sophomore last year.  They return 4 linemen and all of their WRs.  As always, balance is needed, and there is a void at RB.  Their success on offense will be contingent on their ability to run the ball, but it could be a dangerous offense.  The defense was downright pathetic last year.  They allowed 77 points to Tulsa, and gave up 37 pts/game on average. Three times last year, UTEP scored 35+ and lost (49-44 to Rice, 42-37 to Houston, and 77-35 to Tulsa).  Bet on the over, but dont bet on many wins unless the defense improves.  Look for 5-6 wins.

Marshall's high point last year came when they beat Houston.  This led to a close loss the next week to East Carolina.  In both games, the defense showed they may have what it takes to get the team to a bowl game.  The 23 points they held Houston to was the Cougars' lowest point total of the year.  They return all four linemen, and 3/4 in their secondary.   Marshall can have a pretty effective ground game, returning 4/5 linemen and 1,000 yd rusher Darius Marshall.  However, Marshall did not perform well throwing the ball last year, and if they cant keep defenses honest, the ground game will obviously suffer.  Any sort of balance on offense, and Marshall could find itself in a bowl game.  Look for 5-6 wins.

Memphis is coming off a bowl berth last year (I know you all remember that Memphis S. Florida St. Petersburg Bowl).  The reason they got there was because of their 22nd ranked rush attack, led by 1,222 yd rusher Curtis Steele, who returns.  Unfortunately, the offensive line only returns one starter.  The quicker they gel, the better.  Also, the team loses most of their defensive line.  The offense can be explosive, but if they cant control the line on either side of the ball, they wont be successful.  Look for 5-7 wins; they have to play Ole Miss to start the season, and go to Rocky Top in November.

Southern Miss is coming off a bowl game, and an entertaining one at that, a 30-27 win over Troy.  They return 3,000 yd passer Austin Davis, 1,300 yd rush Damion Fletcher, and 1,100 yd receiver DeAndre Brown.  Wow, thats a lot of weapons.  Keep in mind, that was just the first season of running the spread offense under coach Larry Fedora.  Look for the Golden Eagles to light up scoreboards even more this year.  The problem of why they lost 5 straight at one point was their defense.  They gave up 45 points to Rice, 40 to UTEP, and 34 to Marshall.....all losses, and all losses by 7 or less points.  Eight starters return on the defense.  They play at Houston and East Carolina this year, which is no small task.  Also, they travel to Lawrence in late September to face the Jayhawks.  Look for this game to be an indicator of how good S. Miss can be during the C-USA slate.  I dont think theyre ready to compete for the title yet, but should return to a bowl game.  Look for 6-9 wins.

Rice won their last 7 games last year, including a 38-14 bowl win over W. Michigan in the Texas Bowl.  Their 3 losses were at Vanderbilt, at Texas, and at Tulsa, which are all "good" losses.  Unfortunately theyve lost a lot of talent.  They finished 10th in the nation in offense, but gone is QB Chase Clement, and WR Jarret Dillard is playing on Sundays now.  There will be new faces at QB and RB, and the running game must be effective while the passing game adjusts.  The defense ranked 111th in the nation in yds/game.  They return 8 starters, so improvement is possible.  The team's success will be based on how quickly they makeover the offense.  The quicker the better obviously, they play at Texas Tech and at Oklahoma State in September.  Look for a step back for Rice for the time being.  6-7 wins. 

Houston is coming off a bowl game that saw quite the contrast in styles.  They beat Air Force 34-28 in the Armed Forces Bowl.  This avenged an earlier loss to the Force in September of 2008.  The Cougars finished 2nd in the nation in passing and total offense last year.  They return the man, QB Case Keenum.  They return 1,200 yd RB Bryce Beall.  Now, factor in that it was the first year for coach Kevin Sumlin's offense, that Case Keenum threw for over 5,000 yards as a sophomore, and WR Tyron Carrier caught 1,000+ yds and 9 touchdowns as a Freshman.   Oh, and Bryce Beall was only a freshman too.  This could be a very special offense in 2009.  The problem is that they only have 4 returning starters on defense.  DE Phillip Hunt tallied 14 sacks last year, but he is gone, and close to irreplaceable.  They finished 100th in the nation in total defense last year.  Just bring it down a little bit, and they can compete for the title.  They travel to Stillwater in September, so look for a high scoring game, but ultimately a loss.  Still, it will be an early indicator as to if they can compete for the C-USA title.   Look for 7-9 wins.

Tulsa would be the team that finished 1st in the nation in total offense.  Two years ago they had QB Paul Smith.  Last year they had David Johnson.  It seems that whoever gets put in the role of QB produces big numbers.  Look for Jacob Bower to ultimately be the guy.  They lost RB Tarrion Adams, but surprisingly, Tulsa finished 5th in the nation in rush offense.  We will find out if this is an offense that can run with anyone in the system, or if these players were just something really special.  What separates Tulsa from Houston, is that the Golden Hurricane have a better defense.  However, not by that much.  Linebacker Mike Bryan had 119 tackles last year, and safety James Lockett had 8.5 sacks, which led the team.  They need to get more consistent play out of the front 4 if they want to break through and win the C-USA.  Either way, expect them to be there near the end.  They get Houston and E. Carolina at home, but have to go to Oklahoma, and host Boise State.  Look for 8-10 wins.

Finally, we have E. Carolina, the defending champions.  They lost a heartbreaker to Kentucky in the Liberty Bowl, and finished 9-5.  We all know how they came out and beat Va. Tech and W. Virginia to start last year, but if they want to be BCS contenders, they obviously cannot lose to Virginia like they did.  The defense is very talented, and ECU seems to be the only team that plays any defense in C-USA.  C.J. Wilson led the team with 10.5 sacks, and linebacker Nick Johnson tallied 102 tackles.  The offense returns QB Patrick Pinkney.  The offense was too inconsistent last year.  They return a majority of their line, and they must improve for the running game to be effective.  The defense will get them there, look for them to be in the hunt for the title again.  They play at West Virginia, at North Carolina, and home against Va. Tech in November; not an easy schedule.  Look for 8-10 wins.  

Final Predictions (yes i had to look up the divisions again.  I dont think anyone can recite the divisions of C-USA without looking........the conference should put up tons of numbers again on offense, and there are some good non-conference matchups against BCS teams that will only help in the long run for everyone).

West

1. Houston

2. Tulsa 

3. Rice

4. UTEP

5. SMU

6. Tulane

East

1. E. Carolina

2. S. Miss

3. Memphis

4. UCF

5. Marshall

6. UAB

Conference Rankings

7. Mountain West

As I said before, the Mountain West can make a great case for being a top 6 conference. The league has sent two teams to the BCS in its history (Utah 2004, Utah 2008), and has perennial powers in BYU and TCU. Last year, TCU defeated undefeated Boise State in the Poinsettia Bowl. Unfortunately, the bottom of the conference can at times (as in most) be weak, but the overall amount of talent is as high as some BCS conferences.

The best thing Wyoming has going for them is their uniforms. I love their white helmets, brown jerseys, and yellow pants, just something you dont see very often. Before I sound like too much of a woman, lets get back to the football. Wyoming struggled last year, going 4-8 (1-7), with their lone conference win against San Diego State. They averaged, are you sitting down....12.7 pts a game, good for last placein the nation. Their turnover margin was -22, good for, 2nd to last in the nation. Wyoming brings new head coach Dave Christensen, who is Mizzou's former Offensive Coordinator. Will we see an as successful spread attack as Mizzou had in 2008? Doubt it, but at least theyre trying something new. The defense that ranked 38th in the nation in yards allowed last year returns eight starters. They also play Texas and Colorado non-conference, so a bowl game still seems to be a couple years away.

San Diego State probably played their best game last year against Notre Dame, which they lost. They finished 2-10 (1-7), with their lone win against UNLV. The administration felt that Chuck Long was not the answer, so they bring in first year coach Brady Hoke, coach of the 12-0 Ball State team of 2008. The Aztecs only did a little better than Wyoming in scoring points, averaging 19.3 per game. This no doubt is a result of the team averaging 73 yds rushing a game, 3rd worst in the nation. The team returns 7 starters on each side of the ball, including Sophomore QB Ryan Lindley. Could be better, but dont expect much out of SDSU.

As always, New Mexico posted a solid rushing attack and a decent defense, but was unable to produce a winning season like Lobos' teams of the past. They finished 4-8 (2-6), with a win over Arizona. In comes new head coach (yea another one...tons of fresh faces in the MWC this year) Mike Locksley, former offensive coordinator at Illinois. It will be interesting how long it will take Locksley to implement the shotgun option attack that led the Illini to a Rose Bowl in 2007. There were growing pains for Juice Williams through the years, and expect a similar learning curve at New Mexico. Senior QB Donovan Proterie is slotted as the starter, a 3,000 yard passer in 2007 who injured himself early in 2008. Freshman QB Emmanuel Yeager is billed as being very athletic, and could eventually find himself in the option attack. The defense returns only 3 starters. Gone is defensive coordinator Rocky Long (to SDSU), and gone is his 3-3-5 scheme. Although they will now be running a 4-3, Locksley wanted to maintain a tough persona on defense, and hired former LSU defensive coordinator Doug Mallory. Expect some growing pains and a missed bowl this year, but potential a few years down the road.

The biggest of UNLV's 5 wins came at Arizona State last year, winning 23-20 in overtime. The next week the Rebels beat Iowa State in overtime and improved to 3-1 on the year. Everything seemed to be heading in the right direction before they went 2-5 down the stretch, finishing 5-7. Their defense should shoulder a lot of the blame; they gave up 32.6 pts per game last year. Head coach Mike Sanford (not in his first year) is excited about his passing game, one that ranked 49th in the nation last year. The offensive line and the running back needs to be replaced. The defense returns 5/7 starters up front, but is that a good thing; they ranked 110th in rush defense last year. With all the negatives, the Rebels were still just 1 win away from a bowl game. Compound that with a 1 pt loss to Air Force, and a touchdown loss/blown game to BYU, and UNLV was very close to being in a bowl. They should be right there again, playing a lot of high scoring games.

Colorado State posted a nice campaign in 2008, which culminated with a win over Fresno State in the New Mexico Bowl. Gone, however, are their two star players: QB Billy Farris, and RB Gartrell Johnson. Fortunately for whoever steps in, all of the WRs return, and 4/5 linemen return. The pressure will be on the defense. They return only 4 starters, only 2 from the front 7. Combine this with the fact that they were 102nd against the rush last year, and several MWC teams could be trying to jam it right down the Rams throat. The team starts with their traditional game against Colorado, hosts Nevada and Utah, and must travel to TCU and BYU. Returning to a bowl game is possible with some of the talent they have on offense, but will still be difficult.

Air Force posted a nice 8-5 record, with all of their losses coming to bowl teams (Utah, TCU, BYU, Navy, & Houston in the Armed Forces Bowl, who they also beat earlier in the season). As expected, Air Force did it on the ground, finishing 6th in the nation in rushing. They only return 5 starters on offense, but they return QB Tim Jefferson and RB Asher Clark. Better news for Falcons fans is that they are both sophomores. The receiving corps returns no starters and is thin, and Air Force had trouble moving the ball through the air last year, (ironic?) Nevertheless, dont expect the team to have trouble running the ball. The defense posted pretty solid numbers last year. They finished 43rd in scoring, and 50th in passing yards. Five of the back eight players return on defense (they run a 3-4), but they may be thin up front. Their success hinges on the ability to slow down the big 3 in the conference, and they will not make the leap to the top of the conference until they do that. If the front eight of the defense steps up big, they can make that leap this year.

BYU could be labeled as a dissapointment last year. They narrowly escaped Washington, UNLV, and Colorado State, winning those three games by a combined 11 pts. They were blown out by TCU and Utah, and lost to Arizona in the Las Vegas Bowl. They only return four starters this year on offense, but that includes QB Max Hall and RB Harvey Unga. The offensive line needs to be rebuilt if they hope to win the MWC. WR Austin Collie left for the NFL. The defense returns eight starters. Although they shut out Wyoming and UCLA, they gave up big numbers to Colorado State, Utah, TCU, UNLV, and Arizona. In a league that has defensive powerhouses in Utah and TCU, that just simply needs to stop. We all know that defense wins championships, and that is why BYU came up lame against both Utah and TCU. Perhaps they were pressured by the early season hype they received. Many believed they would go undefeated and be a BCS buster, but those dreams were dashed pretty early. No one expects that to happen this year, especially with Oklahoma and Florida State on the schedule.

Look for previews of TCU and Utah later on!

Final Predictions:

1. TCU

2. Utah

3. BYU

4. Air Force

5. UNLV

6. Colorado State

7. New Mexico

8. Wyoming

9. San Diego State

Conference Rankings

6. Big East

You dont know how close I was to putting the Mountain West in this slot. As I started this blog I thought Mt. West would be 6, as I went to bed last night I was thinking Mt. West wold be 6, as I took a lunch break just now, I thought Mt. West 6. What made me ultimately change my mind was the depth of the conference. Mt. West is a little better at the top, but the Big East is deeper. Its not that far apart though. Lets focus just now on the Big East. The conference loses its premiere player (pat white), and as with the ACC, the conference is wide open. Lets take a closer look at some teams.

Syracuse doesnt figure to be one of the teams that will compete for the Big East title. The Doug Marrone era starts in upstate New York, and he doesnt inherit much. The Orange have won 10 games the past 4 years. Fun fact: the Orange play in the Carrier Dome, named after the worlds leading air conditioning supplier. Ironically, the Dome is not air conditioned. At the time of this post, the status of Greg Paulus is unknown, but even if he plays, dont expect Syracuse to be good. There are only 2 areas where the orange didnt finish in the bottom 20 last year in: rushing offense (55), and pass defense (83)......I guess they can build off that. On a serious note though, expect Syracuse to be a team the Big10 considers adding. Look at their schedule: Minnesota, @Penn State, Northwestern to start the season.....they play 3 big 10 teams and 7 big east teams! Is there something Big10 Commissioner Jim Delaney and others know that we dont? The main reason this WONT happen is that the BigEast would lose Syracuse for basketball, and lose its rivalry with Georgetown, LVille, UConn, etc. They would make the most sense for football though as they are regarded well enough academically, and would bring a New York fan base to the conference. The only other team that makes more sense is Notre Dame, which will never happen, as I can explain in another post.

The only other team to have fallen as far as Wake Forest has might be their opponent in the Orange Bowl that year, Louisville. Bobby Petrino leaving might have had something to do with it, losing a lot of talent might have more to do with it. Louisville actually started 5-2 including a win over South Florida, and then they got into the "meat"of the schedule and finished 0-5, including an embarassing 63-14 loss to Rutgers the final week. Steve Kragthorpe did the only thing a head coach could do.....name himself offensive coordinator. Step 1 would be, beat Syracuse, something they havent done since 2006. Kragthorpe should know to hand the ball off to RB Victor Anderson, the 2008 Big East Rookie of the Year. The offensive line must be rebuilt. LB Jon Dempsey can be a good one, but only if he gets help from his defensive line, which returns 0 starters. They face a pretty tough schedule, traveling to Kentucky and Utah.

If this isnt the year for South Florida, it probably never will be. This team soared to the #2 ranking just two short years ago, suffered through defeat the rest of the year, and battled dissapointment last year again. The team started 5-0, beating Kansas and NC State, before finishing 3-5 and going 2-5 in the Big East. Ouch. QB Matt Grothe is talented, but sometimes seem to be trying to do too much, as evident by his 18-14 TD-Int ratio. He must fight this urge this year, asthe offense may be lacking. The defense on the other hand was pretty good last year, and returns All American George Selvie. The team ranked 24th in scoring defense, and 10th in total yards. Can anyone explain how a team with those defensive numbers went 2-5 in the Big East? I didnt think so. The secondary is strong with Nate Allen and Jerome Murphy. They scheduled in-state soon to be rivals FSU and Miami this year, which should make for some good games.

Pittsburgh was one win away from the Orange Bowl last year. They lost to Bowling Green, beat Iowa, beat Notre Dame in 4 OTs, beat their rival West Virginia in the backyard brawl for the 2nd straight year, and then got shut out in the Sun Bowl. That is a roller coaster ride. The team lost LeSean McCoy to the NFL. Other than that, they can have a good offense. They have a young hearalded RB in Dion Lewis, an experienced QB Bill Stull, and a talented offensive line. The defense is highlighted by DE Greg Romeus. Most of the secondary returns, led by CB Aaron Berry. The September 26th game @ NC State should be a good one. Wannstedt might have a team that gets them back in the BCS for the first time since 2004-05.

UConn is a team that flashed into the college football scene quickly and wants tobe a consistent contender year in year out. They may be the antithesis of Louisville, in that they have risen faster than anyone. They started 5-0 last year, then lost to UNC, a heartbreaker to Rutgers, and a close game to S. Florida. They beat a tough Buffalo program in the International Bowl. They lose thebest player they ever had though in Donald Brown. They have a new coordinator though,and will be running a spread hurry=up offense. The QB figures to be former Notre Dame QB Zach Frazer. The strength of the teamlast year wason defense though; finishing 6th in the nation in total yards. Unfortunately, tey lost CB Darius Butler and DE Cody Brown. All of their linebackers return, and the unit shouldnt drop off that much. A tough schedule awaits; UNC visits, and they travel to Baylor and Notre Dame. UConn should find themselves in the postseason again.

Rutgers is the opposite of South Florida and uConn in that they started 1-5,and finished 7-0. Can that momentum continue into 2009? If so, theyll find themselves in the BCS. The star of the offense is Tackle Anthony Davis. In addition to he, the entire offensive line returns. This should allow the Scarlet Knights to be able to run the ball, and improve ontheir 80th ranked rushing game from2008. The team was 18th in passing, but gone is WR Kenny Britt. Expect a transition to running the ball. LB Ryan D'Imperio leads the defense, one that features plenty of depth in the line. The secondary is concerning, but perhaps itwill go untested in a league doesnt have a lot of vertical threats. Their non-conference schedule is a joke; Howard, Fla Intl, @Maryland, Texas Southern, @Army. Beyond that, they play other BIgEast contenders Cinci, WV and Pitt at home. In fact, the opening Monday, Sept. 7 can determine the Big East champion, as Cinci travels to Piscataway. If Rutgers pulls the upset, theyll be in the drivers seat to make the BCS.

West Virginia begins life after Pat White. They have a bigger,stronger QB now in Jarrett Brown, but he obviously has big shoes to fill. He is expected to run, perhaps not as much as White, and throw, better than White could. RB Noel Devine has the potential tobreak any game open. They have the potential to have a nice 1-2 punch in the backfielf. The Offensive Line must be rebuilt; they lose 4 starters. If they dont fill those holes, it doesnt matter who is in the backfield; they wont be able to run as effectively as weve seen in years past. The defense was better last year, finishing 11th nationally in points allowed. Can we chalk this up to now 2nd year coach Bill Stewart and defensive coordinator Jeff Castell. LB Reed Williams, MVP of the Fiesta Bowl 2 years ago vs Oklahoma, returns this year after being injured. The defensive line could be one of the strengths, led by DT Scooter Berry. East Carolina visits Morgantown this year, a team WVU lost to onthe road last year, and WVU must travel to Auburn, and then receives a visit from Colorado. They must travel to South Florida, Cinci and Rutgers. The offensive line is the main concern; if they gel quickly, theres no reason WVU cant return back to the BCS.

Cincinnati stepped up big in Brian Kelly's 2nd year. Their only losses were to Oklahoma, UConn and Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl. The offense should remain potent. QB Tony Pike returns. 3 starters return on the line. Speedster WR Mardy Gilyard returns. They even feature a 1-2 punch in RB John Goebel and RB Jacob Ramsey. Last year though, the defense was the strength. They only return 1 starter. Allegedly,they are switching from a 4-3 to 3-4 defense to cover the spread more effectively under new coordinator Bob Diaco. Amazingly, despite losing 90% of their defense,they remain the favorites in the Big East according to many experts.


Final Predictions: (The league is wide open again. If im doing my memory any justice, the league has produced 4 different champions the last 5 years; Cinci in 08, WVU in 07, LVille in 06, WVU in 05, and Pitt in 04. Could this be the year another team emerges and finds itself in the BCS? Sure, why not):

1. Rutgers
2. Cincinnati
3. West Virginia
4. Pitt
5. UConn
6. S. Florida
7. Louisville
8. Syracuse

Conference Rankings

5. Pac-10


The forgotten conference. The conference that suffers from East Coast Bias. The Conference that is all flash and no content. The conference that features Washington and Washington State....weve heard all the criticisms of the Pac-10 over the years. Id like to think that the conference is improving, and it is, but it is still very Top-Heavy. USC, Cal, Oregon, and even Oregon State figure to be major players this year, and it will remain to be seen if Stanford and UCLA can resurrect their programs. After that though, the bottom of the conference doesnt stack up to other BCS conferences.

Lets get the hard stuff out of the way. Washington State is probably the worst BCS conference team. Their 2 wins last year were against Portland State and Apple Cup rival Washington. Well, why isnt Washington the worst team in the BCS then? Because they show a sign or two of improvement. Unfortunately for everyone watching (all 5 people), the Wash-Wash St game went to OT, as if neither team wanted to win. In a 4 game stretch against Oregon State, USC, Stanford, and Arizona, Wazzu gave up acombined 252 points, a 63 pt average. Oops. They also gave up 63 to Oregon and 66 to Cal. I think its safe to say the defense must improve. The defense features 6 juniors/sophomores, so they could improve. There isnt even a gimmie on the schedule like POrt State this year; they play Hawaii in Seattle, SMU, and Notre Dame in San Antonio. Washington onthe other hand was also subject to many embarassments last year. 12 in fact, as the Huskies went 0-12. The best news out of Seattle is that Willingham is no longer affiliated with the team. Whether or not Steve Sarkisian is the answer for their team remains to be seen, but can he be worse? The great hope of Huskies fans comes fromQB Jake Locker. The time must be now for the once heralded recruit. After competing the first 4 games, Locker became injured and was sidelined the last 8. THis is a team that was competitive with USC and Ohio State 2 years ago,and was robbed of a win last year vs BYU. Their team cant be THAT far away that they went 0-12. The schedule is no help; they open hosting LSU, then Idaho,and must travel to South Bend. Revenge to the Cougars may come Thanksgiving Weekend (this would bea game im not thankful for), as the game is held in Seattle this year.

I like the way Arizona competed last year. They came through big for me inthe Las Vegas Bowl, beating BYU. They played their asses off on defense vs USC. They came up just short of ruining Oregon States season (which would later be ruined one week later vs Oregon). Their five losses were by a combined 28 points, their biggest loss was by 10 to Oregon. They had a real, real nice team. Unfortunately they must start again at QB after losing Willie Tuitama, and suffer from losing WR Mike Thomas. RB Nic Grigsby rushed for 1100+ yards last year, and will figure to get more touches this year when the new QB settling in. Cris Collinsworth says time and time again in Madden 2009 that the TE is the QB's bff. This will definitely be true with All-American TE Rob Gronkowski. Between he and the running game, the offense may not drop too far. The front part of the defense should be ok, returning 3 starters on the line, but the back 7 must be rebuilt. They will face an early test with Central Michigan traveling to Tuscon. That is followed by a visit from N. Arizona, and then a trip to Iowa, which should be a very intriguing game. If the wildcats can go 3-0, theyll be primed to play in a premiere bowl game again.

Their in-state rival Arizona State Sun Devils fought through dissapointment last year. Two years ago they flirted with the BCS, and ultimately accepted a bid to the Holiday Bowl vs Texas. They were simply overmatched by their Pac-10 rivals last year, losing six straight, which also included losses to UNLV and Georgia. Worse yet, the team loses Rudy Carpenter and almost all of their skill positions. This is a team that must play a lot of low scoring games. When things were clicking 2 years ago, I liked RB Dimitri Nance and WR Chris McGaha, but I am unsure if they can lead the offense on their own. The defense will be the strong unit, but not by default. This side of the ball features a lot of talent, starting with DE Dexter Davis and Freshman All-American DT Lawrence Guy. The team has been succeptible to giving up big plays in the past, so the secondary must improve. They should beat Idaho State and UL-Monroe, but will definitely have their hands full when they visit Athens. The schedule in the Pac-10 sets up so that if they can find any type of offense, they will return to a bowl game.

I like Stanford so much, that they might be my one, official, sleeper team of the year. Jim Harbaugh has put his stamp on the program; tough, physical football. They shocked the world two years ago vs USC. They started strong last year before crumbling down the stretch vs the superior teams in the conference. Freshman QB Andrew Luck has been labeled as "the guy". He should have no trouble settling in by handing off to 1100 yd rusher Toby Gerhart as he becomes comfortable throwing to WR Chris Owusu and WR Ryan Whalen.. The defense should be goodin 2009. DE Tom Keiser and S Bo McNally serve for strength up the middle. They can rush the QB pretty effectively, as the ends combined for 9 sacks. They can start off 4-0 if they win a trip to Winston Salem. They should beat Wazzu, San Jose State and Washinton. After that start, ifthe confidence builds, and Harbaugh continues to preach his style, the team should be destined for a bowl game. Perhaps they're not ready to compete for the Pac-10 title just yet, but with all of their skill positions on offense being young (sans Gerhart), the Cardinal should be a force in years to come.

UCLA should figure to be one of the more interesting teams in the nation this year. Rick Neuheisel experienced some growing pains last year, but the talent exists for them to be competitive. The Kevin Prince era starts at QB. No doubt hell experience some early knocks, but figures to be the long term answer. He needs to find WR Terrence Austin. The defense will be the strength. LB Reggie Carter led the team in tackles,and the DL is stout with DT Brian Price and DE Korey Bosworth. The team finished 8th in the nation in pass defense last year, led by returning CB Alterraun Verner. The Bruins still may be ways away, but they figure to improve. Talent is starting to build in LA. Neuheisel can recruit and compete at the highest level. It isnt hard to recruit great players in Southern California, and with Neuheisel at the helm, they figure to have a great rivalry with USC in the years to come.

Oregon State is the team that surprises you every year, even though it should come as no surprise. They have turned into a perenial 9 win team. They beat USC, came the closest to beating Utah out of anyone, and were one win away from heading to the Rose Bowl. Back are QB Lyle Moevao, RB Jacquizz Rodgers, WR James Rodgers, and most of the offensive line that completely dominated USC on that Thursday Night last September. Losing WR/Return Man Sammie Stroughter hurts, but the offense should be potent again (although they only needed 3 to beat Wanny in the Sun Bowl). The defense has lost lots. Theyve lost their entire secondary, and their leading sack men. LB Keaton Kristick has some talent, and will have to school some incoming players on the fly. They open with Portland State, (we remember them as a team even Wazzu can beat), travel to UNLV, then welcome Cinci. The Cincinnatti game should be interesting, as Oregon State has historically been a team to startslow, finish strong (0-2 last year, 2-3 in 07). THis is a team that has won 2/3 vs USC (both in Corvallis), and has combined for 18 wins the last 2 years. I wont be surprised again when the defense can put it together, and Oregon State wins 8-9 games again.

Look for previews of Oregon, Cal, and USC to come.

Final Predictions: (This isnt your grandpa's Pac-10. Most of the teams would say their defense is the strength of their team, and will rely on them in 2009. This is a far cry from the 1990s where seemingly every game was a shootout. I like the Pac-10 for 2 reasons: 1) they play a round robin schedule, playing every team so theres no BS like the Big10 had with Ohio State and Iowa in 2002, and, someone else pointed this out to me recently, 2) the geography of the teams involved sets up nicely. You have 2 teams in arizona, 2 in southern cal, 2 in northern cal, 2 in oregon, and 2 in washington. All of those teams are big rivals, arizona vs asu, usc ucla, cal stanford, the civil war in oregon, and the apple cup in washington. I think that the Pac-10 suffers from being on later at night and not being televised in the east, and not having a lot of strong bowl tie-ins other than the Rose Bowl and the Holliday Bowl. Look for a competitive league this year with 9 teams competing for bowl bids, (sorry washingtons)).

1. USC
2. Oregon
3. Cal
4. Oregon State
5. Stanford
6. UCLA
7. Arizona
8. Arizona State
9. Washinton
10. Wazzu

Conference Rankings

4. ACC

I love the ACC this year. With eight teams having a legitimate shot at winning the league, it will be the most competitive league in the nation. All teams figure to be better than they were last year, when last year several teams showed improvement. While the league lacks a big time team to compete for the national title, it would be wrong to think that the league is short on talent.

The weak spots of the conference will be Duke and Virginia. Duke would have gotten some of its first publicity if basketball player Greg Paulus decided to play for them (if he could?), but decided to try out at Syracuse instead. That pretty much sums up the state of Duke football. Virginia is two years removed from a New Year's Day bowl, and played several teams close last year. They beat UNC and Georgia Tech when they were both ranked, and lost to Virginia Tech by 3.

Boston College starts year 1 of the Frank Spaziani era. THe long time defensive coordinator has a few nice pieces on defense, including LB Mark Herzlich and S Wes Davis. Weapons are scarce on offense, including at QB, where the Eagles are having an open competition for the starter. Maryland just seems to win every year, no matter who they have. The team somehow posted an 8-5 record last year, including a loss to Middle Tennessee. Despite losing the overdrafted Darius Hewyard-Bey, the Terps return some firepower on offense; QB Chris Turner and RB Da'Rel Scott make up a nice backfield. The defense is being rebuilt. With a soft schedule, outside of a week 1 match up in Berkley, Ralph Friedgen should find the terps in the post-season again, but not too much beyond that.

Wake Forest has fallen far quickly. One of my sleeper picks from last year fell on their face losing to Navy (who they would later beat in a bowl), and then struggled all year, beating Duke in OT, and losing to Maryland and Miami. Luckily for WF, they have one of the best coaches in the nation in Jim Grobe. He has several offensive starters returning, including QB Riley Skinner, and the entire offensive line. The back 7 of the defense must be re-built, especially linebacker after losing Aaron Curry. Wake has most of their difficult games at home, and a division title isnt out of the question, but unlikely. Clemson needs to learn consistency. They have tons of potential on offense this year; with RB CJ Spiller and WR Jacoby Ford. Allegedly, the two finished 2nd and 1st respectively at the 100 yd dash at the ACC conference championship for Track & Field. Speed kills. New coach Dabo Swinney promises to instill toughness into the Tigers, going as far to go old-school and implement an I-Formation set. What needs to be tough is the offensive line, which was horrendous last year, and features 4 sophomores this year. Is DE Da'Quan Bowers ready to emerge as a superstar? There were signs of it last year, and other DE Ricky Sapp can be just as terrifying. IF this team can put it together, toughen up, and play to their potential, they are as good as anyone in the ACC.

Miami is starting to come together under Randy Shannon. Despite this, there is a new offensive and defensive coordinator in Coral Gables, and not much time to figure it out. They open with a brutal schedule of @ FSU, Ga. Tech, @ Va. Tech, Oklahoma. They need to go at least 2-2, but 0-4 isnt unrealistic. QB Jacory Harris has the potential to be something special. The team, defense especially, showed great promise with a 5 game win streak last year capped off with a win vs Virginia Tech. They proceeded to collapse and lose to Ga Tech, NC State, and California down the stretch. Miami could find itself in the ACC title game if they survive September.

Consider N.C. State to be a team knocking on the door of greatness. Sophomore QB Russell Wilson is a stud. He and WR OWen Spencer should combine for a lot of yards. But it is Tom O' Brien's Defense that will be the story in Raleigh this year. Linebackers dont get as good in the ACC as Nate Irving, and the D-Line has stars in Alan-Michael Cash and Willie Young. The team got hot late last year, and the momentum should carry them into 2009. Down tobacco road is North Carolina. Butch Davis has wasted no time turning things around. The offense must run the ball this year after losing Hakeem Nicks and Brandon Tate. As with the Wolfpack, the defense is the strength here. The D returns 9 starters including CB Kendric Burney DE Marvin Austin, and LB Quan Sturdivant. The defense has the potential to take UNC to the BCS.

Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, and Florida State will all be featured more in-depth when the rankings countdowns come out.

Final Prediciton: (I had to look up these divisions, as they make no sense whatsoever. They are not seperated by geography as with the Big12 or SEC, and dont seem to be seperated by anything. Beyond that, and I realize this will change year to year, but this year, the "Coastal" division figures to be much better than the "Atlantic" division. If they swapped V.Tech and Virginia with Clemson and FSU, it would kinda even out the talent level, and kinda make the divisions South and North, but, whatever. Also, this was the hardest conference to make predictions for, as a team I have in 4th in their division could win the ACC, and I would not be surprised (Miami)).

Atlantic.. Coastal

1. N.C. State 1. Georgia Tech
2. Florida State 2. North Carolina
3. Clemson 3. Virginia Tech
4. Wake Forest 4. Miami
5. Boston College 5. Virginia
6. Maryland 6. Duke

Conference Rankings

3. Big 10


The Big10 gets a real bad rap. Maybe its justified,maybe it isnt, but its there. The Big10 has sent more teams to the BCS than any other conference. While I expect the Big10 to be down from the past couple of years, they stillhave enough talent and good teams to grab the 3 spot.

Ohio State and Penn State are da creme de la creme. Expect the conference title to come down to a November 7 game in Happy Valley. Both teams are suffering from some losses; Ohio State losing Wells, Laurinitis, Jenkins, Freeman, and Penn State losing Williams and Evans, but be sure that both teams will and have reloaded. Look for more on these teams in the weeks to come.

The 3-7 spots in the Big10 are really up for grabs. Iowa seems to be the biggest enigma. ON one hand, they finished strong and beat Penn State and South Carolina. On the other hand, they lost to Illinois, Northwestern and Pittsburgh. Consistency will be necessary for Iowa this year, who is loaded on defense. Amari Spievey anchors the secondary, and all the linebackers return. Iowa must go to Happy Valley and Columbus, and gets a visit from Arizona.

Michigan State may end up being the most dangerous team that no one wants to play in November. They have eight returning starters on defense. They were a few missed red zone opportunities from upsetting Georgia in the Capital One Bowl. Losing Ringer of course is damaging, but if MSU can survive early season trips to South Bend and Madison, the schedule sets up nicely; they dont play Ohio State and have Penn State in East Lansing.

Right underneath the picture of Iowa next to enigma in the dictionary would be a picture of Illinois. 2 years ago, Rose Bowl, last year, 5-7, loss to W. Michigan. They should have the best offense in the big10 with JuiceWilliams, Arrelious Benn, Michael Hoomanawanui (O-O-ama-nah-wow-e), and a stable of capable Running Backs. The defense is worrysome. Martez Wilson has not lived up to expectations,and is being moved to MLB this year. Corey Liuget at DT lives up to his name. The secondary was already spotty, and now must deal with the loss of Vontae Davis to the NFL. They should be favored against Mizzou for the first time, but open their big10 schedule with Ohio State, Penn State,and Michigan State. Winning any of those would be a bonus for them. The schedule doesnt end with Northwestern though, as they travel to Cincinnati and then host Fresno State. 6-7 wins isnt out of the question.

The hoosier state willnot be kind for football fans this year. Purdue will start year 1 of the Danny Hope era. The only hope they have is that they dont play Penn State,and have Michigan State and Ohio State in West Lafayette. They also host Notre Dame and travel to Eugene. Indiana has an easy non conference schedule, but will still need to pull some upsets along the way to earn a 2nd bowl bid in 3 years.

Last years biggest surprise, Northwestern, should be solid again. Mike Kafka replaces CJ Bacher at QB, but he already has some experience replacing Bacher as he stepped in last year. He is a threat to run the ball, and must make plays for the offense. The defense is the realstrength of this team. They return eight starters including DE Corey Wootton. Sophomore Jordan Mabin is an emerging star. NW plays Towson,E. Michigan, Miami (OH) at home, has Penn State at home, and avoids Ohio State this year. Another 9 win season would not be a shock.

Minnesota surged strongly to start the season,then faded down the stretch. This included an embarassing 55-0 lossto Iowa, and a loss to Kansas. Luckily they scheduled South Dakota State for a mid november match to avoid losing 5 straight again. IN all seriousness though, the combination of Weber and WR Deckard should be ample enough for the Gophers to win some games. They must travel to Columbus and Happy Valley. CB Traye Simmons leads a defense that hopes to improve. The Gophers open up their new stadium this year, an outdoors venue. All bets are off in November in Minneapolis. Look for Minnesota to return to a bowl game, but not a big one.

Wisconsin also showed signs of deteriorating down the stretch, and expect this trend to continue in 2009. They had to go to overtime to beat Cal Poly. Bielema could be on the hot seat as his wins total has decreased every season since 2006. Gone are PJ Hill and Travis Beckum. As always though with Wisconsin, and every other team, their success hinges on the play of their offensive line. They lost 3/5 starters, and need players to step in immediately.

Which leaves us michigan. Bitch Rodriguez, I mean Rich-Rod, complained the whole way to a 3-9 season. So the good news is, I guess, Michiganwill be better? Before I get in trouble for that comment, think of the behavior of RichRod. He comes into the winningest program of all time. The team lost some talent, but again, is the winningest program of all time and still more talented than the likes of say, Toledo. He then proceeds to complain that they didnt have his players or guys that fit his system (a real vote of confidence to the guys that were playing), and lost games to teams that were less talented, like, TOledo. DO you really need a high tech, super system, and 9 all americans to beat Toledo?
I guess according to RichRod, the season hinges on Freshamn QB Tate Forcier. I dont know if he will fit his system well enough or not. Luckily they scheduluedsome heavyweights like W. Michigan, E. Michigan, and Delaware State to give them half the wins they need to make a bowl. All units must improve, and all mostlikely will.

Final predictions:

1. Penn State
2. Ohio State
3. Michigan State
4. Iowa
5. Northwestern
6. Illinois
7. Minnesota
8. Wisconsin
9. Michigan
10. Indiana
11. Purdue

Conference Rankings

I just realized that these will probably be going backwards, but that is okay....

2. Big 12

Although I bashed the Big12 in the SEC post, and feel that some teams in their conference are over-rated, I still feel they are the 2nd best conference. First, let me get in the bad news for Big 12 fans:

They were embarassed in last years bowl games. Mizzou barely held its own against Northwestern (a loss against the spread), favored Texas Tech lost to Ole Miss, Oklahoma lost to Florida, Texas won a good game against Ohio State (another loss vs the spread), and favored Oklahoma State lost to Oregon in the Holiday Bowl. The best performances turned in were by Kansas, routing Minnesota, and Nebraska beating Clemson. Still, nothing to write home about.

So the good. Well thats obvious...the big 3: Oklahoma, Texas, Oklahoma State. This is also the league of quarterbacks. McCoy, Bradford, and perhaps just as good, are Reesing and Robinson. Add in Baylor QB Robert Griffin, Cody Hawkins, and Daniel replacement Blaine Gabbert, and expect Big12 scoreboards to light up once again in 2009.

Expect Oklahoma, Texas and Oklahoma State to all compete for the Big12 South and National Title. Question marks remain on Oklahoma State's defense, but this is the season that those affiliated with the team have circled years ago. Robinson is a Senior. WR Bryant and RB Hunter are JRs. Future top 10 draft pick OL Russell Okung is a Senior. The offense is simply loaded. That being said, they host Georgia the first week of the season in one of the nation's marquee non-conference matchups. If they do not come prepared to play, they will lose, and eliminate themselves from National Title contention immediately.

The Big12 North should be better this year than it was last year. Kansas seems to be the favorite in the division, with Nebraska showing great strides last year in year one of the Bo Pellini era. Future top 10 pick Ndamukong Suh (you see a pattern here?) anchors the middle of the Blackshirts Defense. Missouri will be down but not forgotten. Losing Maclin, Daniel, Hood, and Moore all hurts, but theres reason to be optimistic with a new 6'5" QB coming in, and LB Sean Weatherspoon still roaming on your defense. Colorado has to improve this year, or Dan Hawkins will be in big trouble, but I think they will do just that. They will need to find a way to win on the road; they were 0-5 last year (1-0 vs Colorado State in a neutral Mile High Field). They travel to Austin, Stillwater, and Morgantown this year. Welcome back Daniel Snyder. It was like you never left, (and KSU fans prob wish you never did). Unfortunately, his return didnt stop Josh Freeman from leaving for the NFL. Fortunately, KSU plays 2 Division II (FCS, whatever theyre calling it), in UMass and Tennessee Tech. The schedule is managable; they dont play Texas, and they get Kansas, Colorado and Mizzou in Manhattan. Iowa State is Iowa State. They lost coach Gene Chizik, which might have been the best news in Ames since Seneca Wallace played there.

Well talk about the big3 in the south another time, so lets focus on the not so big3. Texas Tech will put in another QB for Mike Leach's system. This appears to be Taylor Potts. More concerning to TT fans should be the loss of Crabtree, but if the system works, it works. It might finally be time to trust Leach and the talent he recruits. Dont be surprised if Texas Tech runs the ball more this year...okay be surprised, but RB Baron Batch can be special (he averaged 6.7 yds per carry last year). The rebuilt offensive line will have to pave holes for Batch, and keep Potts upright. Texas A&M went from a perenial top25 team to Bolivian (if Tyson were writing this) in a few short years. Gone is about everyone on the defense (which may be a good thing). Gone is QB McGee. Gone are players like Martellus Bennett (2 yrs ago), Mike Goodson, and Javorski Lane. The team was loaded with so much talent just a few years ago, its hard to believe they have fallen so far. Mike Sherman will begin his 2nd year in AggieLand, and the natives might be getting restless. Youre probably thinking im saving the worst for last right? This is the time for me to mercilessly make fun of Baylor, right? Wrong. I love Baylor this year. QB Robert Griffin passed for over 2,000 yards and rushed for another 800 last season, all against superior competition. The team can score, and really put a scare into Texas Tech late last season. The defense needs to improve. The Bears had a +16 turnover margin last year, good for 4th in the nation. Beating UConn at home could be big for them; they would have a realistic chance of being 3-1 entering the Big12 if this happens. The Bears were not far away from making a bowl game last year, something I expect them to accomplish this year. Let me specify when I say 'love', I mean, I think theyll make a bowl game.

The talent pool in the big12 is loaded. Expect McCoy, Bradford, Suh, Okung to all be top 10 picks in the NFL next year. Dont be surprised if Robinson, Bryant, Oklahoma TE Jermaine Gresham, Oklahoma DT Gerald McCoy, Oklahoma OT Trent Williams and Sean Weatherspoon to be first rounders. Anotherwords, the NFL draft could have a huge Big12 flavor next fall. This doesnt include sophomore quarterbacks Griffin or Gabbert.

Predicted order of finish:

SOUTH NORTH
1. Texas 1. Kansas
2. Oklahoma 2. Nebraska
3. Ok. State 3. Colorado
4. Texas Tech 4. Mizzou
5. Baylor 5. Kansas State
6. Texas A&M 6. Iowa St.

Conference Rankings

Lets get things started with what I believe are the rankings of the eleven conferences.


1. SEC

And it really isnt even close. Florida is considered the favorite for the National Championship again this year. Alabama, LSU, and Ole Miss have all been previewed as top 10-15 teams. While the top may not be as strong as the Big 12, the depth of the conference is what sets it apart. After those four teams, you have Georgia, who will not fall nearly as far as people think, a rebounding Auburn, Tennessee, and Arkansas team. Kentucky, Vanderbilt and South Carolina all played in bowl games last year, yet I have them ranked 9-11 in the conference. Mississippi State is the clear weak spot, looking to rebuild under new coach Dan Mullen.

Speaking of new coaches...lets welcome Lane Kiffen, Dan Mullen, and Gene Chizek to the SEC. Inheriting the most talent is Kiffen, who has already managed to stir the pot and get everyone in the SEC to not like him. Despite one of their worst seasons in recent memory, Tennessee posted pretty solid defensive numbers, led no doubt by all world safety Eric Berry. There is no reason Tennessee shouldnt return to a bowl game this season. The Chizik hire was ineresting to say the least. Auburn rid itself of Tommy Tuberville, a man who is 4 years removed from going undefeated with the Tigers, and replaced him with the Iowa State coach who was 5-19 in two seasons in Ames. Like I said, very interesting hire. Chizik inherits a nice defense as well, led by DE Antonio Coleman. Auburn doesnt have Florida on their schedule, so they have that going for them. Is this the year that Kodi Burns can showcase his talent? Dont expect the honeymoon to last too long between Auburn and Chizik if he can't get the Tigers back into the bowl games.

Bobby Petrino is quietly rebuilding Arkansas like something we havent seen before. Yes, gone are Darren McFadden and Felix Jones, the wildcat, and all that, moved south to Oxford. Petrino has a nice stable of wide receivers to utilizie his 4 WR sets made famous at Louisville. The architect of the offense will be Michigan-transfer Ryan Mallet, who looks ready to go. Despite it not being your grandpa's Arkansas team, they still have Michael Smith, who rushed for over a thousand yards last year. Consider this Arkansas team a team on the rise with an offense that the SEC hasn't seen since........the days of Steve Spurrier. Speaking of the ol ball coach, consider him on the hot seat. High expectations every year have led to major dissapointments for fans in Columbia. While their defense has been consistent, he has never been able to recreate the fun n gun of the 1990s Florida teams. Maybe Stephen Garcia is the answer at QB, maybe not. Eric Norwood on the defense is a beast, and the unit may be able to keep them close in some games, but dont expect South Carolina returning to a New Years Bowl game, or any bowl game for that matter,if they can't put points on the board.

Last year, the SEC flexed its muscles in the bowl games. Two of these games featured SEC - Big 12 matchups, in which the SEC won both (the Title Game and Ole Miss routing Texas Tech in the Cotton Bowl). Beyond that, Georgia beat Michigan State, Kentucky beat East Carolina, and Vanderbilt beat Boston College. LSU turned in what was perhaps the best game anyone played in all the bowls and dominated Georgia Tech in Atlanta. The only bad performances were turned in by South Carolina and Alabama. Before I digress too far into the bowl record, I would like to point out that many thought the Big 12 was the superior conference last year, which was refuted by the teams' performances in the bowl games. Texas Tech was thought to be one of the best teams in the nation last year, and were routed by an Ole Miss team that no one gave a chance. With Auburn, Tennessee, and Arkansas possibly returning to from in 2009, it will be interesting to see if teams like Vanderbilt and Kentucky can stay successful. After knocking on the door for a few seasons, Vanderbilt finally made a bowl game. Their team stays pretty much intact, and there is no reason they won't be playing in December once again..

Predicted Finishes:

WEST EAST
1. LSU 1. Florida
2. Alabama 2. Georgia
3. Ole Miss 3. Vanderbilt
4. Arkansas 4. Tennessee
5. Auburn 5. Kentucky
6. Mississippi State 6. South Carolina

With all conference previews, expect more in depth previews of the ranked teams when I unveil the ranked teams preview.

Welcome

Welcome to H-Mans 2009 College Football Blog. This blog will feature everything college football. In the upcoming months, you can expect conference predicitions, team predictions, heisman previews, big game previews, and general college football news. Once the season starts, look for big game previews and reviews, game predictions and analysis, and again, general college football news. I am going to start by ranking the conferences, and then will most likely start a countdown of who I believe the top 25 teams are.


The best part of this blog will be your ability to interact. Feel free to post feedback, suggestions, criticism, or any other thoughts.