So... without further ado... who is the biggest sleeper team of the 2010-2011 college football season?

I'm going to go outside the BCS conferences for this one and pick the Ponies. Yep, C-USA, baby. While Houston is the sexy pick in Conference USA (and why not, with their Heisman-capable QB?), give me the mighty SMU Mustangs.

Not only does SMU return eight starters to the conference's best offense, but the Mustangs play some pretty solid defense. They held the potent Nevada running game to 200 yards below their season average last year and get 7 starters back from last year's team.

June Jones is in his 3rd season in Dallas and already has the ship righted. Not only did the Mustangs make it to their first bowl game since 1984, but they also brought home the Sheraton Bowl trophy to boot. SMU won 7 more games last year then they did in 2008 with a team of basically freshmen and sophomores. 29 of Jones's 44 players on the two-deep roster were underclassmen and they all return for 2010. QB Kyle Pardon completed 67% of his passes last season in his first year as a starter and he's got two good WRs back with him this year.

SMU will get some help schedule-wise this year. The Mustangs play rival TCU at home and catch Houston at home this season as well. This could very well be a 10-win season for SMU with a trip to the LIberty Bowl as C-USA champ.

You combine those factors and package them up in the Pony Express uniforms and maybe, just maybe, it's high times again in Big D.

So... who's your sleeper team for 2011?

Here's a quick what we know, what we can surmise....

- Colorado is officially joining the Pac10. It's unclear as to whether the Pac10 intends to hold at 11 teams, but we should expect the Pac10 to seek to add at least one additional member. For years the argument against expansion centered around the round-robin schedule format and - with 11 schools - that format is officially out the window for college football. Adding one more school would give the conference the option to conduct a CFB championship game in some of the largest television markets in the country. Does the Pac10 stop at 12 (Texas??) or expand further with Big12/MWC/WAC teams???

- The Big10 will have 12 teams with the addition of Nebraska. Will they stand pat at 12 teams or expand to 16 as had been rumored?

- The SEC has said that they will not sit idly by if the Big10 expands. Sports Illustrated has confirmed that the SEC has held discussions with Texas A&M. Is that prelude to further SEC expansion? Who, in addition to the Aggies, are on the SEC radar?

- The ACC & Big East seem to be awfully quiet. Are they targets or could a merger be on the table for the two conferences?

- The MWC will not offer membership to Boise State at this time, setting themselves up to be the home of any Big12 refugees. Is the MWC destined to become a BCS conference by default?

DISCUSS!!!

At first glance, it would seem to reward teams that played a tougher schedule rather than padding their record with cupcakes. The change would also give bowls more flexibility to create the most interesting matchup, potentially boosting revenues for struggling bowl committees.

Matt Sanderson, co-founder of Playoff PAC, told the San Diego Union Times that the rule could allow bowls with open slots for at-large teams to select power-conference teams with 6-6 records over smaller-conference teams with winning records.

Sanderson points to this season's GMAC Bowl, which took 9-3 Troy as an at-large team. Under the revised rules, the GMAC Bowl could have offered the at-large slot to 6-6 Notre Dame.

While the new provision still needs an OK by the greater NCAA, most rule revisions that make it out of committee are approved.

Suffice to say... no one wants to see a bad 6-6 team stink it up in a marquee bowl game. The reality is that - with new bowls coming on in Yankee Stadium and the Cotton Bowl - there are going to be 70 teams in bowl games this year. If a bowl needs to dig deep and get an at-large team, I would prefer them to create the most interesting game they can.

No disrespect intended, but I would *much* rather see a hypothetical 6-6 Southern Cal as an at-large against Alabama, for example, over a 7-5 Louisiana Monroe.

Just sayin.

The Big Ten is looking at three plans: Stand pat with 11 teams, add one team (hopefully Notre Dame) or make a blockbuster move and go to 16.

"If they go to 16 and one of them is Notre Dame then we've got an entirely new ball game," a conference commissioner told me confidentially.

According to Barnhart, the Big 10 would potentially add Notre Dame and four other Big East teams. It's hard to distinguish if he has any leads on who those teams could be, but Barnhart theorizes that the target list may include Syracuse, Pitt, Rutgers, and UConn.

Of course this opens a whole host of other possibilities....

Where do the other Big East football schools go?

Would some mish-mash of Big East / Conference USA start a new conference?

Would the ACC expand to 16 as well by taking in the Big East leftovers?

Would the SEC expand to 16 to ensure that the conference doesn't lose its considerable negotiating advantage to the new Big 16? And, as Barnhart ponders, who would the SEC invite?

Does the SEC get aggressive and pick up the phone call Texas? That's the one school that would move the financial needle to improve the great deal the SEC already has. And if you take Texas, you have to take Texas A&M because of the politics. Does the SEC take another look at Florida State and Miami and see if those schools would be interested in leaving the ACC for a better financial deal?

It's hard to even imagine an SEC that adds the collective football prominence of Texas, Texas A&M, FSU and Miami. Not to mention its gains in Title IX sports and spring sports such as baseball, track, and golf.

A 16-team Big 10 would definitely be a behemoth, but the ripple effects... *that's* where superconference expansion would get interesting.

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Date/Time/TV Bowl Site Matchup Saturday Dec. 19 2 :30 pm ET ESPN New Mexico Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks Albuquerque, NM University Stadium Wyoming vs. Fresno State Saturday Dec. 19 8:00 pm ET ESPN St. Petersburg Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks St. Petersburg, FL Tropicana Field Rutgers vs. Central Florida Sunday Dec. 20 8:00 pm ET ESPN R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks New Orleans, LA Louisiana Superdome Southern Miss vs. Middle Tenn St Tuesday Dec. 22 8:00 pm ET ESPN MAACO Bowl Las Vegas Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks Las Vegas, NV Sam Boyd Stadium BYU vs. Oregon State Wednesday Dec. 23 8:00 pm ET ESPN San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks San Diego, CA Qualcomm Stadium Utah vs. Cal Thursday Dec. 24 8:00 pm ET ESPN Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks Honolulu, HI Aloha Stadium SMU vs. Nevada Saturday Dec. 26 4:30 pm ET ESPN Meineke Car Care Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks Charlotte, NC Bank of America Stadium North Carolina vs. Pitt Saturday Dec. 26 5 :00 pm ET ESPN Little Caesars Pizza Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks Detroit, MI Ford Field Ohio U vs. Marshall Saturday Dec. 26 8:00 pm ET ESPN Emerald Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks San Francisco, CA AT&T Park Boston College vs. USC Sunday Dec. 27 8:15 pm ET ESPN Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks Nashville, TN LP Field Clemson vs. Kentucky Monday Dec. 28 5:00 pm ET ESPN AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks Shreveport, LA Independence Stadium Texas A&M vs. Georgia Tuesday Dec. 29 4:30 pm ET ESPN EagleBank Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks Washington, DC RFK Stadium Temple vs. UCLA Tuesday Dec. 29 8:00 pm ET ESPN Champs Sports Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks Orlando, FL Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium Miami vs. Wisconsin Wednesday Dec. 30 4:30 pm ET ESPN Roady's Humanitarian Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks Boise, ID Bronco Stadium Bowling Green vs. Idaho Wednesday Dec. 30 8:00 pm ET ESPN Pacific Life Holiday Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks San Diego, CA Qualcomm Stadium Nebraska vs. Arizona Thursday Dec. 31 2:00 pm ET NFL Network Texas Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks Houston, TX Reliant Stadium Missouri vs. Navy Thursday Dec. 31 Time TBA ESPN Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks Fort Worth, TX Amon G. Carter Stadium Air Force vs. Houston Thursday Dec. 31 12:00 pm ET CBS Brut Sun Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks El Paso, TX Sun Bowl Stadium Stanford vs. Oklahoma Thursday Dec. 31 5:30 pm ET NFL Network Insight Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks Tempe, AZ Sun Devil Stadium Minnesota vs. Iowa State Thursday Dec. 31 7:30 pm ET ESPN Chick-fil-A Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks Atlanta, GA Georgia Dome Virginia Tech vs. Tennessee Friday Jan. 1 11:00 am ET ESPN Outback Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks Tampa, FL Raymond James Stadium Auburn vs. Northwestern Friday Jan. 1 1:00 pm ET CBS Konica Minolta Gator Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks Jacksonville, FL Jacksonville Municipal Stadium FSU vs. West Virginia Friday Jan. 1 1:00 pm ET ABC Capital One Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks Orlando, FL Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium Penn State vs. LSU Friday Jan. 1 5:00 pm ET ABC Rose Bowl presented by Citi Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks Pasadena, CA Rose Bowl Ohio State vs. Oregon Friday Jan. 1 8:30 pm ET FOX Allstate Sugar Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks New Orleans, LA Superdome Florida vs. Cincinnati Saturday Jan. 2 12:00 pm ET ESPN2 International Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks Toronto, Canada Rogers Centre South Florida vs. Northern Illinois Saturday Jan. 2 2 :00 pm ET ESPN PapaJohns.com Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks Birmingham, AL Legion Field Connecticut vs. South Carolina Saturday Jan. 2 2:00 pm ET FOX AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks Arlington, TX Cowboys Stadium Oklahoma State vs. Ole Miss Saturday Jan. 2 5:30 pm ET ESPN AutoZone Liberty Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks Memphis, TN Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium East Carolina vs. Arkansas Saturday Jan. 2 9 :00 pm ET ESPN Valero Alamo Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks San Antonio, TX Alamodome Michigan State vs. Texas Tech Monday Jan. 4 8:00 pm ET FOX Tostitos Fiesta Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks Glendale, AZ University of Phoenix Stadium TCU vs. Boise State Tuesday Jan. 5 8:00 pm ET FOX FedEx Orange Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks Miami, FL Dolphin Stadium Georgia Tech vs. Iowa Wednesday Jan. 6 7 :00 pm ET ESPN GMAC Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks Mobile, AL Ladd Peebles Stadium Troy vs. Central Michigan Thursday Jan. 7 8:00 pm ET ABC BCS National Championship Game Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks Pasadena, CA Rose Bowl Alabama vs. Texas

The 2009 college football season will be capped by exciting college football bowl games, including the 2009 Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, the 2009 Fiesta Bowl in Phoenix, Arizona, the 2009 Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, Louisiana, the 2009 Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida and the 2009 BCS National Championship Game in Pasadena, CA.

The best college football teams from the major conferences, including the Big10 conference, Big 12 conference, Pac 10 conference, ACC conference, Big East conference, SEC conference, and Mountain West conference will face off in college football bowl games throughout December and into January.

If you're looking for updated matchups, odds, insights, betting lines and online wagering for the college football bowl games, please be sure to try BangTheBook.com.

Top:
BYU soundly handled Tulane. TCU took care of a Virginia team that was nothing like the team they had been anticipating playing all summer. Utah managed to look strong in the 4th quarter after San Jose State brought them through the first 3 tied 7-7. All summer long I thought this looked like a possible trap game, and Utah managed to survive. Al in all, nothing exceptional and Utah might reasonably lose a spot or two in credibility.

Middle:
Air Force lost to Minnesota 20-13. This game was a close fought game between two teams likely to finish in the middle of their conferences. This game was expected to be close but if the MWC want to prove they belong at the next level they need to win these kind of games.

UNLV lost to Oregon State 23-21, having taken their first lead of the game late in the 4th, only to have Oregon State kick a game winning field goal. Oregon State was expected to win so a close game helps this first year coach's reputation but this is another close game the MWC needs to win to take the next step.

CSU beat Weber State 24-23. I still include CSU in the middle due to their win over Colorado, which is now suspect thanks to Toledo.

Bottom:
Wyoming lost big to Texas 41-10. I was surprise both by the fact they were able to score 10 and that they were able to limit Texas to 41. This was no surprise to anyone, though I don't think Texas covered the 33 points.

SDSU beat Southern Utah 35-19. This is an improvement from last year when they lost to Cal Poly. This would have been a catastrophic loss.

New Mexico lost to Tulsa 44-10. This game featured a top C-USA team vs. a middle to bottom MWC team. These are the kinds of games the MWC has been on the other side of to build their impressive stats vs. BCS conference members. It is not so fun on the other side of the table.

Summary:
The MWC went 1-3 vs. BCS teams this week and their middle was exposed to legitimate questions about their soundness. A loss to C-USA did not help and allowign FCS teams to keep the game close is not going to cut it. Not a good week for the MWC, though I still give them the lead on the season.

Many of the critical OOC games are over the next 2 weeks and the MWC is no exception. In two weeks the polls will shake out and we will have a far better idea how strong each conference really is.

Expected wins:
BYU hosts FSU in a game that looked evenly matched this summer, but now looks one sided in the MWC's favor. BYU needs a convincing win to maintain their current favor in the polls.

TCU plays Texas State-San Marcos. Uhm, yeah...

Utah travels to Oregon with the Ducks in do or die mode. Utah has played sloppy in their first games and needs to come out firing this week.

Wyoming at Colorado is an interesting game. Both CSU and Wyoming allowed Weber State to hang close. CSU (and Toledo) make Colorado look silly. If Wyoming does the same I think it is safe to say that Colorado is not as good as Weber State.

Close calls:
CSU hosts a Nevada team I was hot on to start the season until they got decimated by Notre Dame. I expect this game to be close and a win would help raise the credibility of the middle of the MWC.

SDSU travels to Idaho in a game between the bottom of the MWC vs. the bottom of the WAC. SDSU has a history of losing these games and if they want to show they are ready to move up from the bottom of the conference they need to win this game.

Hawaii travels to UNLV in a game I am anxious to see the results of. Hawaii struggled to beat Western Carolina and UNLV hung with Oregon State. A win this week puts UNLV squarely in the middle pack of the MWC.

New Mexico hosts Air Force in the first MWC game of the season. I am looking for Air Force to demonstrate that New Mexico belongs in the bottom of the conference, otherwise the middle is weaker than I had hoped.

For the record, if you have flu like symtoms, it's swine flu. That is the only flu going around right now, and seasonal flu is still a couple months away.

Flu or flu-like symptoms have hit programs at Tulane, Duke, Alabama, Louisiana Tech, South Florida, SMU, LSU, Florida, Georgia, Washington State and Wisconsin. Arkansas, the only NCAA team with a porcine nickname, remains ironically immune.

One of the hardest-hit programs is at Mississippi, where nearly two dozen players have been diagnosed with some stage of the flu.

Fresno State is taking precautionary measures to come back home with a win, not the swine flu. That said, the flu shots available now are for the seasonal flu. Shots for the Swine flu will not be available for another month.

Fresno State plays Boise State next week, so a transfer of swine flu could not come at a worse time in their season.
It is likely that every program will fight a bout of flu at some point this season, and once its done it should be done. The question will be who gets hit during the most critical games?

So far no games have been canceled this week, a trend we all hope will continue.

If they had left it at that 2009 would be simply be about whether they could maintain their success over an extended period of time. The BCS has procedures in place to periodically evaluate the conferences to determine future automatic qualifications. According to Bill Hancock, the BCS administrator, the Mountain West has a solid leg up for 2012. (To be evaluated based on 2008-2011 data.)

Instead they petitioned to be included presently and offered a proposed playoff to allow them access to the championship game. They took their case before congress and threatened to bring an anti-trust case against them. They rose the banter to a point that forces the issue in 2009.

If the MWC fails to follow up with a solid year like 2009 they are left looking silly from their talk and would have left a stain for any other conference attempting to garner a spot in the future. A failure in 2009 will not only diminish their hope for 2012 but will cloud any future hope as well. Success and the media cry will reach an unprecedented level.

Round 1 is complete and the MWC has done well.

Solid wins:
#20 BYU 14 #3 Oklahoma 13 at Dallas Texas

This game shows the growing respect the MWC is earning by having a MWC team selected to participate in the first collegiate game at Dallas Cowboys Stadium. This game is discussed elsewhere, including the injury sustained by Sam Bradford.

CSU 23 at Colorado 17

Three of the last 4 times CSU has defeated Colorado, CSU has won a share of the MWC championship, 2 outright. The other time saw Colorado go 2-9. While this win does not put CSU into the middle of the MWC title picture yet, it certainly lines them up for the #4 spot, ready to move up to #3 is TCU, Utah of BYU stumble down the stretch.

Other wins:
Utah 35 Utah State 17

This defensive game saw Utah score 2 safeties in an unusual path to 35 points. The game was not as close as the score indicates as Utah State scored one TD on a 96 yard rush with two blown assignments and the other after an interception gave them the ball with 5 yards to go. Utah has some work to do, and their schedule got a bit of a down-grade, courtesy of Boise State, this week.

Air Force 72 Nicholls State 0

Is this more or less impressive than 62-3 over Charleston Southern? You be the judge.

UNLV 38 Sacramento State 3

This one is less impressive, but really, WHY!!!

Wyoming 29 Weber State 22

At least Weber State is nearly as good as Appalachian State, who gave East Carolina a run for their money. Was Wyoming simply looking past them at a chance to host Texas? Remember back 4-5 years ago when 2 for 1 deals were hot?

Losses:
Texas A&M 41 vs. New Mexico 6

I was anticipating this game thinking New Mexico would get the ambush. I was wrong.

UCLA 33 vs. SDSU 14

SDSU was up 14-0 at one point. Then UCLA, as expected, took control of the game.

OFF
TCU

Results
The MWC went 2-2 vs. the BCS conferences in week 1 and 6-2 over all. This includes a 2-1 record vs. the Big 12. BYU should be close to, if not in, the top 10. Utah and TCU should slide up past a few teams dropping below them with losses. CSU and Air Force might pick up some points at the bottom of the ORV column.

MWC vs. BCS in round 2:

TCU at Virginia: TCU starts the season against a team that lost its opener to William and Mary.

Air Force at Minnesota: Minnesota played Syracuse to an OT win while Air Force easily handled their scrimmage. This should be a good test for both teams.

Oregon State at UNLV: Both teams ran over FCS teams. Oregon State should help avenge the PAC 10 vs. the MWC in this one.

Texas at Wyoming: If Wyoming wins this I will LMAO.

Tulsa might win at New Mexico, but other than that the MWC should win the rest. I am nervous about Utah's trip to San Jose State.

Here are a few of the highlights:

There is considerable irony in the fact that in the highest temple of political correctness, American higher education, the BCS worships the false idols of monopoly, inequity and greed at the expense of the virtues of fairness, access and competition.

The BCS is a fundamentally flawed system that is unfair in its access, governance and revenue distribution.

There is no question that parity among college football teams is greater than ever before in its modern history.

So you would think that when Boise State opens its football season against the University of Oregon on September 3, the dream of a national championship would beat in the heart of every player, coach, alumnus and fan. Instead, there will only be a faint pulse thanks to the constraints placed upon us by the BCS. An estimated 6,000 student-athletes play for football teams that have no realistic chance of competing in a BCS bowl, given the hurdles placed in the path of the non-BCS conferences and teams.

This so-called championship has fallen into the hands of the commissioners of the six BCS automatic qualifying conferences. They wrote the exclusionary BCS rule that created six automatic qualifying conferences -- Atlantic Coast, Southeastern, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, and Pac-10 -- and gives to the six conference commissioners the authority to send their respective champions to a BCS bowl regardless of how their won/loss records stack up against the champions of the non-automatic qualifying conferences -- Conference USA, Mid-American, Western Athletic, Sun Belt, and Mountain West.

In 2008, the University of Utah made the most convincing case for BCS reform when the Mountain West Conference school completed a 12-0 regular season, but was not given the opportunity to compete for the national championship. Utah was eliminated by a system -- not a team -- and further proved its championship status in a convincing BCS bowl victory over Alabama.

George Orwell, aiming at the hypocrisy of those who claim equality for all, but reserve power for a small elite, is famous for his Animal Farm quote, "All animals are created equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”

If there is a bottom line to the current BCS position, it is the monopolistic control the BCS has over the millions of dollars earmarked for the chosen few.

The time has come for the Football Bowl Subdivision to go the way of the other three divisions of NCAA football, basketball and its other sports and base its national championship on actual play rather than opinion polls and computers. A playoff system that is organized by the NCAA and fairly addresses access, governance and revenue distribution is the next step. Even the President of the United States has publicly endorsed a playoff system. Only then will there be alignment between the values of fairness and access so often invoked in higher education and the policies and practices of the BCS and the NCAA.

Well said indeed!

Here is to the next Tulane!

The loss of Louisville, Cincinnati and South Florida in 2005 to the Big East put a significant dent in C-USA's elite teams. TCU, who had been a member since 2001, left in 2005 for the MWC and C-USA then picked up UCF, Marshall, Rice, SMU, UTEP and Tulsa to form the conference that exists today.

The MWC has emerged as a serious contender for an eventual BCS automatic qualification but even the WAC has sent two teams to the BCS. Will C-USA get their turn at the BCS tables? What chance does C-USA have of making a BCS bowl this year?

The conference championship game is not included in conference rankings by C-USA.
Unless specified a team will likely need to go undefeated to get into the top 14.
For consideration of BCS slots for C-USA, Boise State might as well be a MWC team already.
C-USA East
East Carolina 9-3 (7-1 C-USA)
OOC: Appalachian State, @West Virginia, @North Carolina, Virginia Tech
West: @SMU, Rice, @Tulsa

West Virginia and Virginia Tech will be formidable tests but, as last year showed, they are not insurmountable. North Carolina and Tulsa will also present some problems.

East Carolina certainly has a BCS caliber schedule and has room to make waves again this year. An undefeated season, capped off with a C-USA conference championship game win, would put East Carolina in contention with an undefeated MWC team for a BCS spot. They should be in the top 14 even with one loss.

Memphis 8-4 (5-3 C-USA)
OOC: Ole Miss, @Middle Tennessee State, Tennessee-Martin, @Tennessee
West: UTEP, @Houston, @Tulsa

Ole Miss looks to be a beast this year but Tennessee looks very beatable.

Southern Mississippi 7-5 (5-3 C-USA)
OOC: Alcorn State, Virginia, @Kansas, @Louisville
West: Tulane, @Houston, Tulsa

Other than Alcorn State, the other three OOC games look very compelling.

UCF 5-7 (4-4 C-USA)
OOC: Samford, Buffalo, Miami (FL), @Texas

This might be as aggressive a schedule as East Carolina's. UCF is not East Carolina.

Marshall 5-7 (4-4 C-USA)
OOC: Southern Illinois, @Virginia Tech, Bowling Green, @West Virginia
West: @Tulane, SMU, @UTEP

The game against Bowling Green might be compelling, the rest not so much. Like ECU and UCF they have a schedule to make a statement.

UAB 4-8 (2-6 C-USA)
OOC: @Troy, @Texas A&M, @Ole Miss, Florida Atlantic
West: Rice, SMU, @UTEP

Ole Miss again is going to be tough this year. Texas A&M is going to take all they have to get an upset. Troy and Florida Atlantic should be close games.

C-USA West
Tulsa 9-3 (7-1 C-USA)
OOC: @New Mexico, @Oklahoma, Sam Houston State, Boise State
East: East Carolina, @Southern Miss, Memphis

New Mexico should be close and they should give Boise State a run for their money. A one loss Tulsa could possibly climb into BCS consideration.

Rice 8-4 (6-2 C-USA)
OOC: @Texas Tech, @Oklahoma State, Vanderbilt, Navy
East: @UAB, @East Carolina, UCF

I think Texas Tech is a bit much for them to handle but the other three games should be excellent.

Houston 6-6 (4-4 C-USA)
OOC: Northwestern State, @Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, @Mississippi State
East: Southern Miss, @UCF, Memphis

While Houston might something out of their game at Oklahoma State, Mississippi State should be interesting regardless.

UTEP 3-9 (2-6 C-USA)
OOC: Buffalo, Kansas, @New Mexico State, @Texas
East: @Memphis, UAB, Marshall

I would love to see UTEP beat Kansas, but it is a long shot. Buffalo will get a test at UTEP. New Mexico State should be a close game.

Tulane 3-9 (1-7 C-USA)
OOC: BYU, McNeese State, @Army, @LSU
East: Marshall, @Southern Miss, @UCF

Tulane should beat Army and could put a wrinkle in BYU's plans.

SMU 4-8 (1-7 C-USA)
OOC: Stephan F. Austin, @Washington State, @TCU, Navy
East: @UAB, East Carolina, @Marshall

I like SMU's chances vs. Washington State and Navy.

OOC
BCS: 25 games. While C-USA has more games against the BCS conference members than the MWC more of these are not very competitive. C-USA should be in the ball park of 8 or 9 wins over BCS conference members.

MWC: 3. With games against the top MWC teams, plus a fourth against Boise State, C-USA has an opportunity to make a statement that it is the top conference outside the Big 6. Only ne of those looks to be competitive.

Total: 48 games. I expect C-USA to go 23-25 though a winning record is not out of the question by any means.

Conclusion
Where the MWC focuses on scheduling competitive teams they can beat, C-USA plays a more challenging schedule that pushed their envelope. Part of this is that the MWC has distanced themselves from C-USA in the middle of the pack making the common opponents appear to be more challenging in C-USA.

With a few exceptions, C-USA teams need to go undefeated to even get into BCS consideration. East Carolina, Tulsa and UCF can get their with a loss but would be behind a one loss MWC team or Boise State. An undefeated MWC team or Boise State is ahead of them in any case.

This makes for very long odds for a C-USA team to make a BCS bowl this year. Even if a team performs they will likely be outranked by a MWC team or Boise State. This is not likely to change in the near future.

The best chance for C-USA to improve their odds is for the MWC to expand by adding Boise State and become an automatic qualifying conference. C-USA would then be the top non automatic qualifying conference once again, pending losses to the Big East. C-USA should still be able to draw the top WAC, MAC and Sun Belt teams to build a strong conference, even with a few losses.

The House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection hosted the hearings. Of the twenty-nine House members on the committee, three showed up to participate

The hearing leader, Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.), introduced the key guest, BCS coordinator John Swofford, as the commissioner of the Athletic Coast Conference. Rep. Rush, I pretty sure it's the Atlantic Coast Conference, although they do play athletics, so I guess we'll give you partial credit, Congressman.

Craig Thompson was introduced as the commissioner of the West Mountain. Seriously? The West Mountain? Is Thompson the chief ski lift operator there or something? Could someone not point out to the leader of the BCS committee hearing that MWC is an acronym for the Mountain West Conference and not West Mountain?

None of the congressmen attending the hearing was aware that all eleven major conferences are members and financial benefactors of the BCS.

I mean... seriously... is this how our congressmen prepare for an on-the-record House hearing? I cringe to think what would happen if the discussion was the future of medicare. In the words of Britney Spears, "Ding dang, y'all!"

Rep Joe Barton (R-Tex.), an outspoken advocate for scapping the BCS in favor of a playoff format, demonstrated his grasp of playoff proposals by insisting that a March Madness style bracket format may be the solution for college football.

"You could have a playoff system with 64 teams, and use every bowl that's currently in there," Barton said Friday. "You could do that."

No you couldn't.

"We'd still be playing," Alamo Bowl CEO Derrick Fox quipped.

Congressman, if 64 teams are play in a single-elimination format... then it takes 63 total games to determine the winner. That's how it works.

Barton has proposed legislation that would forbid the BCS from awarding a "national championship" trophy. Within the bill, any organization would be barred from "the marketing, promotion, and advertising of a postseason game as a 'national championship' football game, unless it is the result of a playoff system. Violations of the prohibition will be treated as violations of the Federal Trade Commission Act as an unfair or deceptive act or practice."

Let me see if I understand the implication: Since the BCS does not award a National Championship trophy... the BCS would continue unchanged. Yep. The American Football Coaches Association would still hand out the Coaches Trophy. The AP would still crown its own champion as well. In other words, Barton's legislation would permit the BCS to continue unchanged.

So... Barton's bill means nothing to the BCS... at all? Well, yeah. Congressman Barton told Swofford during the hearing that the BCS wouldn't be obligated to institute any change.

"You don't have to change it. Our bill doesn't say you have to change it."

(That said... I would still love for someone to start handing out the "Barton Cup".)

Later Barton -- who's bill was the entire basis for the hearings -- left the committee meeting to catch a flight home.

Now maybe it's just me, but when you introduce a bill to change the BCS... that you GO OUT OF YOUR WAY to explain will not change the BCS... and then you leave your own hearing to fly home... I'm going to have a hard time taking you seriously. Maybe it's just me.

Rep. Rush went on to ask the Athletic Conference and West Mountain conference commissioners if they believed the current BCS system was fair. Thompson stated that the current system was "grossly inequitable." Swofford said that the revenue distribution "represents the marketplace", which is really just a nice way of saying some BCS teams are drawing 70,000+... for their spring practice games. Blutarsky points out that Georgia drew 42,458... which would have ranked them 54th in attendance last season (pdf!), just ahead of... UTAH!

Was Thompson hoping for a federal bailout with the "grossly inequitable" comment? Seriously, man... some of your schools don't even offer ESPN on campus cable networks??

But Thompson got in his own polite comment when asked if he believed Congress should intervene in the BCS.

"The U.S. Congress represents fans and constituencies," Thompson said. "Our university presidents work with that same group of constituents."

In other words, they guy who is paying lobbyists to push for an eight-team playoff would kindly like Congress to mind its own business and stay out of college football.

Well said, Commissioner. Well said.

The full hearing is posted online at CSpan, but -- I'm warning you -- regardless of where you stand on this one, you're probably going to hate yourself for enduring this.

College Football Coaches who Twitter

ACC Coaches
@DavidCutcliffe - Duke Blue Devils Football Coach David Cutcliffe
@CoachSwinney" - Clemson Tigers Football Coach Dabo Swinney
@ CoachFridge" - Maryland Terrapins Football Coach Ralph Friedgen

Big East Coaches
@CoachStewart - West Virginia Mountaineers Football Coach Bill Stewart
@jimleavitt - University of South Florida Bulls Football Coach Jim Leavitt
@dougmarrone - Syracuse Orange Football Coach Doug Marrone
@coachwannstedt - Pitt Panthers Football Coach Dave Wannstedt

SEC Coaches
@CoachUrbanMeyer - Florida Gators Football Coach Urban Meyer
@LSUCoachMiles - LSU Tigers Football Coach Les Miles
@LaneKiffinUT - Tennessee Volunteers Football Coach Lane Kiffin
@rollwiththetide - University of Alabama Crimson Tide Football Coaches (collectively)
@MarkRicht - Georgia Bulldogs Football Coach Mark Richt

Big10 Coaches
@Play4brew - Minnesota Gophers Football Coach Tim Brewster
@RonZook - Illinois Illini Football Coach Ron Zook
@UM_CoachRod - Michigan Wolverines Football Coach Rich Rodriguez
@JayPaterno - Penn State University Nittany Lions Assistant Football Coach Jay Paterno
@BretBielema - Wisconsin Badgers Football Coach Bret Bielema

Big12 Coaches
@BoPelini - Nebraska Cornhuskers Football Coach Bo Pelini
@mizzoufootball - Missouri Tigers Football Coach Gary Pinkel
@CoachSherman - Texas A&M Aggies Football Coach Mike Sherman

Pac10 Coaches
@CoachSark - Washington Huskies Football Coach Steve Sarkisian
@PeteCarroll - USC Trojans Football Coach Pete Carroll
@CoachWulff - Washington State University Cougars Football Coach Paul Wulff
@JimHarbaugh - Stanford Cardinal Football Coach Jim Harbaugh

MAC Coaches
@coachbeckman - Toledo Rockets Football Coach Tim Beckman
@ron_english - Eastern Michigan Football Coach Ron English
@TUCoachAlGolden - Temple Owls Football Coach Al Golden

Conference USA Coaches
@CoachFedora - Southern Miss Football Coach Larry Fedora
@UCFFootball - University of Central Florida Football Coaches (collectively)
@CoachCollins - University of Central Florida Knights Assistant Football Coach Geoff Collins
@CoachSnyder - Marshall University Thundering Herd Football Coach Mark Snyder

Mountain West Conference Coaches
@KyleWhittingham - Utah Utes Football Coach Kyle Whittingham
@Cowboysfootball - Wyoming Cowboys Football Coach Dave Christensen
@CoachFairchild - Colorado State Rams Football Coach Steve Fairchild
@Coachlocks - New Mexico Lobos Football Coach Mike Locksley

Sun Belt Conference Coaches
@coachdavidelson - Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Football Coach David Elson

Independent Coaches
@NDHFC - Notre Dame Football Coach Charlie Weis

Know of other college football coaches who use Twitter? Send us a tweet @fanblogs!

Here's the complete rundown:

Alabama 22/1
Arizona 100/1
Arizona State 150/1
Arkansas 150/1
Auburn 150/1
Boise State 100/1
Boston College 100/1
California 60/1
Cincinnati 90/1
Clemson 60/1
Colorado 100/1
Florida 7/4
Florida State 30/1
Georgia 50/1
Georgia Tech 50/1
Illinois 80/1
Iowa 75/1
Kansas 75/1
Kansas State 175/1
Kentucky 125/1
Louisville 150/1
LSU 20/1
Maryland 200/1
Miami 35/1
Michigan 120/1
Michigan State 100/1
Missouri 90/1
Nebraska 55/1
North Carolina 45/1
North Carolina State 100/1
Notre Dame 30/1
Ohio State 17/2
Oklahoma 5/1
Oklahoma State 50/1
Oregon 20/1
Oregon State 100/1
Penn State 35/1
Pittsburgh 60/1
Rutgers 125/1
South Carolina 100/1
South Florida 80/1
Tennessee 100/1
Texas 8/1
Texas A&M 150/1
Texas Tech 60/1
UCLA 150/1
Utah 125/1
USC 5/1
Virginia 100/1
Virginia Tech 20/1
Wake Forest 80/1
Washington 200/1
West Virginia 75/1
Wisconsin 100/1
Field (Any Other Team) 20/1

And remember... entertainment purposes only... of course.

The former Mr. Florida Football has been banned by Miami from accepting a scholarship at any ACC school, and state of Florida school, as well as Tennessee and LSU, but his father suggests that several doors are wide-open for Marve.

Robert Marve's father said the quarterback won't enroll at a new school this semester and is strongly considering Oklahoma State, Purdue and USF, or less likely, paying his tuition at Tennessee or Florida, which is allowed. Eugene Marve said Oklahoma's Bob Stoops called and the Sooners are a factor.

If Marve sat out a season, he could potentially replace Sam Bradford at OU but he would have to beat out four-star freshman Landry Jones, who not only has more experience in the Sooners system, but also has a name that is just destined Oklahoma lore.

Given the struggles Marve has faced on and off the field, I still think he needs to hook up with June Jones at SMU and rack up some crazy statistics, otherwise he's going to go down in the countless numbers of kids with crazy talent who just never produced.

HT: EDSBS

First, the method to their madness:

ESPN's Prestige Rankings are a numerical method of ranking the best FBS college football programs since the 1936 season. Point values were assigned for certain successes (win a national title, earn 25 points) and failures (get your program banned from the postseason, lose two points). The research department ran all the numbers through the computer to come up with the No. 1 program (and Nos. 2 to 119) of the past 73 seasons.

The full breakdown of how points were accumulated (and deducted) is online as well, with the "biggies" being National Championships, major bowl berths, major bowl wins, Heisman winners, and points for various finishes in the AP top twenty five poll.

The results are... pretty interesting. In fact, it's really hard for me to quibble over all but a few positions - and even that might be subjective.

ESPN COLLEGE FOOTBALL PRESTIGE RANKINGS

1. Oklahoma
2. USC
3. Ohio State
4. Notre Dame
5. Nebraska
6. Alabama
7. Texas
8. Michigan
9. Florida State
10. Miami
11. Penn State
12. Tennessee
13. LSU
14, Georgia
15. Florida
16. UCLA
17. Washington
18. Georgia Tech
19. Arkansas
20. Texas A&M
21. Auburn
22t. Clemson
22t. Colorado
24. Ole Miss
25. BYU

Click here for positions 26 - 119

Again, this is more of a prestige spotlight list than a comparison of team A versus team B. That's obvious when you look at the criteria, and then also compare the rankings above with head-to-head records, for example. Case(s) in point... Oklahoma has a losing record all-time against Texas, but is ranked ahead in prestige. Florida State has a losing record all-time against both Miami and Florida, but gets the presige nod. The Noles have a winning record over both top five Notre Dame and Ohio State, but I digress.

Even still, it's hard for me to look back at the history of college football and not put the Sooners at or near the top of the list. Certainly Ohio State, USC, Notre Dame, and Nebraska all deserve to be near the top as well. You can debate where everyone falls (ie should "x" be #6,#7, or #8) but it's hard to see someone in the top 25 that doesn't belong.