Champions Crowned - Top 25 (12/4/11)

So many chances to give the BCS Committee a collective middle-finger this weekend.....squandered. Or maybe not. As Oklahoma State puts the finishing touches on Oklahoma, and Wisconsin  just took the lead after their own version of the Hail Mary revenge against Michigan State, I think it's safe to say we know who will be playing for the National Championship. But few outside the SEC are happy about it.

Read on, young souls.

One Week to Go - Top 25 (11/27/11)

I think we all know USC is banned from playing in the Pac-12 Championship and a post-season bowl game, but I didn't realize they were not even allowed to appear in the Coach's Poll and BCS rankings until this past week.

But back to pressing matters: for all the big ticket matchups and upsets of the past few weeks, the Thanksgiving rivalries resulted in almost no surprises. That sets everyone up for a weekend of Conference Championship games and last ditch efforts to play spoiler next week.

Here's where we stand.

Upset Weekend - Top 25 (11/20/11)

As I write, I'm watching Andrew Luck finally get his chit together in the 2nd half, and it looks like Stanford will avoid being another top 10 victim this week. The same cannot be said for 4 of my other Top 10s from last week. I'll keep the commentary short for most of the winners to save room for the upsets.

But who deserves the title game?

Scandal Subsides, Football is Played - Top 25 11/13/11

I'm posting from abroad (Nebraska) today, so I'll keep it short and sweet. With a different channel lineup, there was less focus on the SEC games and more focus on the Big XII. Also, I had the opportunity to watch a full game featuring the Pac-12 since LSU v. Oregon in week 1.

Here's what this weekend taught me. Kansas State is better than I thought. Texas is worse than I thought. I was right about Oregon. Boise State still doesn't deserve National Championship consideration...and should focus on kicking more than trick plays.

Now, where does that leave us?

Boise State: FTW or FML?

Boise State has once again found themselves in the enviable position of being a BCS-buster and "Top 5" College Football program. Okay, so the second part of that statement is a stretch, but they do find a way to get this little school from the Gem State into major media outlets each Autumn. And barring any unforeseen upsets, they will once again crack the NCAA Football elitist train wreck known as the BCS this January.

I'm going to assume you know enough about Boise State to know that their field is blue, they like to run trick plays, and none of the major contenders want to play them. But let's talk about how the Broncos could maybe possibly get to the apex that has eluded them for the past ten-plus years of dominating the Pacific Northwest in college football.

Be Afraid (Happy Halloween) - Top 25 (9/30/11)

Well, a few Top 10 shakeouts that were "expected" and one surprise. Also, Wisconsin comes down to 2 Hail Mary's in their loss to Ohio State, and somehow my beloved Cornhuskers surprised even me in their domination of Michigan State. Boise State is sitting at home this week loving the havoc these conference rivals are wreaking on each other. Only 6 undefeated teams remain, and it was almost 5 by the end of Saturday. Can the chips finally fall their way?

Lets get to some answers...and maybe some more questions.

No One Is Safe - Top 25 (9/23/11)

WOW.
That's really all that needs to be said about the end of the Wisconsin v. Michigan State game. In case you weren't watching, the Badgers jumped out to an early lead before Russell Wilson made the first few "bad" decisions I've seen this year out of the N.C. St. transplant, including an interception and a safety from intentional grounding. MSU carried that momentum into the 2nd half and led by 14 with about 11 minutes left in the game. But Wisconsin fought back, and tied things up with just 90 seconds left. The Spartans tried to get into FG range, but the final drive sputtered after a Kirk Cousins fumble brought up 2nd & 21. He then completed a mid-range pass bringing up 3rd & 6 when suddenly everything changed...

Pre-BCS Top 25

Tonight the first BCS rankings will come out. Pretty sure we all know the top 3 schools, and the order is a little irrelevant since LSU plays Alabama in a few short weeks. What will be interesting is where the Boise (Blowout) Blue Broncos fall. Odds are good they will be short of all the undefeateds from the major conferences, possibly including Clemson and Wisconsin. Speaking of undefeated teams, a few ran into problems yesterday which results in a new team in the Top 10.

It is so....

Put up or Shut up!

Conference play is in full swing, and there were some heavy-hitting matchups among top 25 teams this weekend. A little redemption for Nebraska and Taylor Martinez against Big Ten perennial powerhouse Ohio State. Who cares if the Buckeyes are down this year due to the scandals? The Huskers are trying to hold onto a respectable season after the defense has vastly underperformed so far this year. Also, the Red River Rivalry was not close, and that's why I think Oklahoma continues to be the obvious number 1.

So, without further adieu...

Top 25 - 9/25/11 (Now It Gets Interesting)

Now that the "preseason" cupcakes are out of the way for most major programs, it's time to dig in to some serious conference play. True, a few teams broke out the conference matchups right off the bat, but now there's nowhere to hide for everyone else. So this is the final Top 25 before everything gets the James Bond martini treatment.

Let's go.