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Do you want another nightmare scenario for the BcS mess?  Well it could happen.  It looks like the winner of the SEC is on a collision course with Texas, but stranger things have happened.

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Note:  Remember my reasons for updating every three weeks, even if some of you think I am really an idiot.

1.  Florida, 12-1
Alabama was number one in my poll, and Florida beat them in the SEC Championship Game and looked good doing it.  Florida has been on a tear after the loss to Ole Miss.  Tim Tebow has become a great leader, and he has lead this team to where it is now.

2.  Oklahoma, 12-1
There is no easy way to do this.  Oklahoma beat the number two team in my poll, Texas Tech, therefore, I will put them at number 2.  That being said, arguments can be made for both Texas and Oklahoma.  Texas, we know, beat Oklahoma on a neutral field the first weekend of October and only loss to Tech on the road on a TD pass with one second left on the clock.  Oklahoma destroyed Texas Tech, and, I might add, is not the same team it was in October.   They are running the ball better, and they have fixed some of their defensive holes.

3.  Texas, 11-1
See Above

4.  Alabama, 12-1
The Tide is a bruising team.  They will absolutely knock you silly on both sides of the ball.  They only had one slip this year.  Unfortunately, it was in their last game against Florida.  I really would love to see them play one of those great Big 12 South games.  Oh well, they play Utah in the Sugar Bowl.

5.  USC, 11-1
No one will know for sure how good USC is.  It was a bad Thursday night in Corvallis earlier this year, and if Oregon State had not have been so beat up by the end of the season, USC would have had somewhere other than the Rose Bowl to go play.

6.  Utah, 12-0

The Utes are not a flashy team.  They play good defense, and they are led on offense by a senior QB.  They make just enough plays on offense to win their games.  They run a spread offense, but it is a grind-it-out kind of blue collar offense.  They took care everyone, and then they rallied to knock off TCU before pulling away from BYU to get to that undefeated season.  They deserve what they get.

7.  Texas Tech, 11-1
This is, undoubtedly, the best season in Red Raider history.  Mike Leach showed me something as he worked to improve his running game and his defense to get his team to this special place.  In most years, 11-1 would be good enough for a BCS Bowl.  A blowout loss to Oklahoma did not help their case.

8.  Penn State, 11-1
Joe Pa may have turned his best performance this year.  He just keeps winning games.  His offense was off- the-chart good this year, and his defense was its usual good self.  One loss to an improving Iowa team in Iowa City took them out of the national title hunt.

9.  TCU, 10-2
I just wasn’t sure if the Frogs were a top ten team.  However, after the season was over, I realized they were just a better offense away from being BCS buster material.  The Frog offense was good against most teams, but when they played teams with good defenses (Oklahoma, Utah), they just couldn’t generate enough points.  TCU finished number 2 in the country in total defense, and if you don’t think they were good, give Bob Stoops a call.  The Sooners scored over 700 points this year, but they only scored 35 on the Frogs with 21 of those coming in the first quarter.  That is 19 points below the Sooners’ average.  TCU is good.

10.  Boise State, 12-0
Unfortunately, the Broncos only played one team who was ranked this year making it hard to know how good they really are.  It’s not their fault, but it hurts their credibility.  They get a chance to prove it in the Poinsettia Bowl against TCU.  Many are calling it one of the best match-ups in the bowl season.  Nevetheless, it is really hard to go undefeated in 12 games in spit of who is on your schedule.

He may not win the Heisman Trophy this year, but Tim Tebow has more than impressed me with his leadership.  I get kind of skeptical when a college player has a ton of hype, legends, fan sites, myths and

even a Wikipedia page surrounding him.  But Tebow has shown his worth.  I think he is able to play in the NFL in spite of the Spread Offense he has played in at Florida.  He has the arm strength and the leadership to as well as the intelligence to play in a pro style offense.

Last night in the SEC Championship, Tebow led the Florida Gators to a 31-20 upset victory over previously undefeated and number 1 ranked Alabama.  I say upset because Alabama was ranked higher and was undefeated, and yes I am aware that Florida was a favorite going in to the game by the Vegas odds makers.  Tebow actually had to lead Florida from a small deficit in the final quarter to win the game, something he has never done.  Now Tebow has a national title, a Heisman Trophy, two SEC Championships (one as a starter), and some think, a second Heisman Trophy to come with a shot at a second national championship.  Is Tebow Superman?

Some players are great players.  Some great players are good leaders.  And, some great players are great leaders.  Tim Tebow is a great player and a great leader.  A good quarterback can get his offense to play hard for him, but getting the whole team to play hard for him is another matter.  Tebow is able to get his entire team to elevate their play for their quarterback.  You saw it on full display twice in the SEC Championship game.  First, after a touchdown, Tebow ran, not trotted, down to his kick off team to challenge them to make a play on the coverage.  The result, Alabama was tackled at the 15 yard line immediately putting their offense in a hole.  Second, during the second half, Tebow approached linebacker Brandon Spikes on the sidelines with a challenge to the defensive leader to get a stop.  Spikes and the defense delivered.  Tebow has that kind of leadership.  Rarely is a quarterback able to take command of the entire team, all areas, and challenge all of them to rise to the occasion.  It’s the kind of leadership that was seen in Vince Young when he was a Texas.

Tebow is a one of a kind.  He has the character, the athletic ability and the intelligence to be the nation’s premier player, and, despite how good the Big 12 quarterbacks have played, no other player means more to their team, the entire team, than Tebow does to the University of Florida Gators.  Tebow has a vote in the Heisman Trophy race, and he probably won’t vote for himself.  He is just that kind of person.  I think he will be more interested in a National Championship than a Heisman repeat.  However, if Tebow never makes in the NFL, and I think he will, he will be a great leader for some organization, church, country, etc.

Note:  Remember my reasons for updating every three weeks, even if some of you think I am really an idiot.

1.  Alabama, 11-0
The Crimson Tide keep winning, but they are starting to look a little less intimidating.  They have some business to take care of in the “Iron Bowl.”  Then, they have to beat Florida, the hottest team in the country, in the SEC Championship Game.  Defeat Arkansas State 35-0, at LSU 27-21 OT, Mississippi State 32-7.

2.  Texas Tech, 10-0
The Red Raiders have played some of the most exciting football in the past three weeks beating routing Kansas and Oklahoma State slipping past Texas 39-33.  The Raiders go to Norman to play the Sooners and then get Baylor at home to finish the season.

3.  Florida, 9-1
Fans can argue that Texas looks better on paper when considering the results, but no one is hotter than Florida is now.  The Gators survived the early part of their schedule, and then they were promptly upset by Houston Nutt’s Ole Miss Rebels.  Then, the Gators regrouped and have not looked back since.  The Gators won at Georgia (49-10) and Vandy (42-14) and annihilated South Carolina 56-6.

4.  Texas, 10-1
The Longhorns may be the victim of circumstances when it is all over.  The Horns beat Oklahoma on a neutral field and their only loss is on the road in a very close game to Texas Tech.  But, when the dust settles, will Oklahoma get the nod to play in the Big 12 Championship Game?  It could happen.  What do you do with three teams with one loss, to each other, tied for first?  The Horns lost at Texas Tech 39-33, won over Baylor 45-21 and at Kansas 35-7.

5.  Oklahoma, 9-1
The Sooners have rebounded from the October loss to the Longhorns, and they are looking to exact a little revenge on Texas Tech who beat them last year and further completecate the Big 12 South.  However, even if they beat the Raiders, they have to beat a very salty Oklahoma State team in Stillwater.  The Sooners won at Kansas State (58-35), beat Nebraska 62-28, and at Texas A & M 66-28.

6.  USC, 9-1
The Trojans got their revenge on Stanford last week in Palo Alto pulling away for the 45-23 win.  The Trojans beat Washington 56-0, Cal 17-3 and at Stanford (45-23).  Up next is Notre Dame and UCLA.  Unfortunately, USC may go 11-1 and not make the Rose Bowl.  Oregon State controls its own destiny there.

7.  Utah, 11-0
I don’t know what to say about the Running Utes.  They just keep winning.  They aren’t flashy, their defense leads the way and they are able to win the game when trailing.  The Utes beat New Mexico and TCU 13-10 and ripped San Diego State 63-14.  The next game is what locals call the “Holy War.”  It’s the yearly rival with BYU, and it is a home game for Utah.  These kind of games transcend records, so Utah will be in for a tough, close game.  If they win this game, they will go to a BCS Bowl.

8.  Penn State, 10-1
The Nittany Lions is a feel good story, but they saved everyone a lot of Big Ten heartache when they lost at Iowa a couple of weeks ago.  They are still a go for the Rose Bowl.  How do you like that match up, Penn State versus Oregon State, a rematch?  The Lions won at Ohio State  (13-6), lost at Iowa (24-23) and beat Indiana (34-7).  Up next, Michigan State.

9.  Oklahoma State, 9-2
What can you say about the Cowboys?  They have been impressive all year.  Yes they loss two games, but those games were on the road against teams that were ranked number 1 and number 2 when they played them.  OSU had its own gauntlet to run, and they managed beat Missouri on the road.  What’s more, every top 5 team they have played has been on the road.  The next on will be in Stillwater.  After a week off, they get cross state rival Oklahoma.  The Cowboys beat Iowa State (59-17), loss to Texas Tech (56-20) and beat Colorado (30-17).

10.  Missouri
The Tigers had dropped out in my last poll because they had dropped two straight games.  But give them credit, they are pretty good.  One of those losses was at Texas in Austin.  The Tigers take care of business, and their offense is just so explosive.  They get the unfortunate task of facing whoever survives the Big 12 South in the Big 12 Championship Game.  Good luck.  The Tiges won at Baylor (31-28), beat Kansas State (41-24) and won at Iowas State (52-20).  Next up, the “Border War” against Kansas on November 29th.

Falling

Penn State (but not out)
Georgia

Rising

Utah
Oklahoma State

The Networks billed Saturday as “Revenge Saturday” because several teams had a chance to evenge losses from last year.  But no one seems to be shining briter than Florida right now.  It seems like everyone that plays them is turning out to be Gaitor Bait.  Since losing to Ole Miss at home in September, Florida has won 38-7 (Arkansas), 51-21 (LSU), 63-5 (Kentucky), 49-10 (Georgia), 42-14 (Vanderbilt), and 56-6 (South Carolina).  Is there anyone in the country hotter than the Gators right now.  The defense is only giving up an average of 10.5 points a game during that stretch while the offense is scoring 49.8333 per game.

Alabama continues to roll setting up a show down in the SEC Title game for the right to play the Big 12 South winner.  Alabama took care of business against Mississppi State.  The Tide isn’t flash.  The just control the clock running the ball, play great defense led by a mamoth Defensive Tackle in the middle and do a great job with special teams.

Next week is a big showdown in Norman, OK between Oklahoma and Texas Tech.  The Red Raiders beat Oklahoma last year, so OU will be shooting for revenge.  If OU gets Texas Tech, that puts the Big 12 South in to a three way tie.  The Sooners will be tied with Texas Tech and Texas.  How will this mess get straigthened out?  Oklahoma State will beat Oklahoma in Stillwater the following week, sending Texas Tech to the Big 12 Title game.  If Tech knocks off Mizzou there, they will play the winner of Alabama and Florida in the BCS Championship Game.  It should be fun to watch.

Utah rolled over San Diego State setting up a showdown with BYU this week in the traditional “Holy War.”  If Utah wins that game in Salt Lake City (Utah plays both TCU and BYU at home this year), then the Utes should be a lock to make a BCS Bowl.  It would be a nice prize for the Mountain West Conference as they were spectacular in out of conference play, especially against the Pac 10.

Note:  Remember, poll is updated every 3 weeks.  The poll will be updated next week.

1. USC
The Trojans were ambushed by the Beavers in Corvallis.  They play Oregon in LA.

2. Oklahoma
The new number 1 team in the polls defeated a good TCU team in Norman on Saturday.  The Sooners play a Baylor team coming in with a bit of a swagger in Waco.

3. Florida
The Gators were caught off guard Saturday against Ole Miss in Gainesville.  The will most likely be very “upset” when they play at Arkansas on Saturday.

4.  Georgia
The ‘Dawgs got knocked around against Alabama in Athens, but the rallied only to fall short. They get Tennessee at home and will be looking to take out their frustrations on one of the most disappointing teams so far this season.

5.  LSU
The Tigers beat Mississippi State on Saturday and get the week off before traveling to Gainesville to take on Floriday on October 11.  The Tigers running game continues to roll, and they may have found the perfect complement in the passing game with Jarret Lee who passed for 261 yards against Mississippi State.

6.  Missouri
Mizzou sat at home last week watching Tyrod Taylor and the Virginia Tech offense tear up their next opponent, the Nebraska Cornhuskers.  Chase Daniel will be ready.  The game is in Lincoln.

7.  South Florida
The Bulls haven’t been particularly impressive, but all they have done is win.  The may have put it all together last week when they routed NC State.  This week they host Pitt on national TV.

8.  Oregon
I thought that the Ducks would struggle with Boise State, and they did losing close.  This week the Duck travel to USC.  Oregon is playing with a back up QB, and we all know how that worked out last year.

9.  Auburn
The Tigers have a highly anticipated game against a ranked and undefeated SEC East team who is also in first of the SEC East standings.  No, it’s not Florida, or Georgia.  Auburn travels to Nashville to play the SEC East leading Vanderbilt Commodores.  Vandy is ranked at 19th too.  What’s next, Ball State will be undefeated too?

10.  Texas
The Razorbacks were no match for the Longhorns Saturday, and the Buffaloes better bring some defense if they want to beat the Horns.  Will Muschamp has the Texas defense playing better, and Colt McCoy looks like a career passing leader for Texas.

AP Top Ten

USA Today Poll

It’s all about upsets in week five of college football.  It all started on Thursday night in Corvallis, OR where the unranked Beavers of Oregon State shocked the world again as they beat the number one ranked USC Trojans.  Not to be outdone, unranked Ole Miss upset 4th ranked Florida in Gainesville at the Swamp.  And on it goes.  The Houston Cougars upset 23rd ranked East Carolina.  The Michigan Wolverines made a valiant come-back to upset 9th ranked Wisconsin.  Navy beat 16th ranked Wake Forest, Maryland got 20th ranked Clemson, and the Alabama Crimson Tide (9th ranked) upended the 3rd ranked Georgia Bulldogs.  Is that enough for us?  There will probably be more to come this year.  Few teams look unbeatable.  Most have stumbled and played sloppy.  Teams can’t do that anymore as the parody is prominent.

I did watch the Oklahoma-TCU game and I was very impressed with the Sooners.  The Horned Frogs held OU to 25 yard rushing, therefore, Sam Bradford dropped back and threw the ball over the coverage for a total of 411 yards passing.  Broken plays cost TCU along with penalties.  TCU was able to do what no other team has been able to do against OU this year and that was slow down the attack.  They held Oklahoma to almost 20 points below their average, but TCU’s offense just wasn’t explosive enough to stay with OU.  As they Sooners get into Big 12 Conference play, they will face far more explosive offenses.  They will need that ground game to keep offenses of teams like Texas, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State’s off the field.  Otherwise, they might be in for several shootouts.  Nevertheless, I now put Sam Bradford at the top of my Heisman Trophy list.  He was just plain impressive.  He was knocked down, sacked and hurried all day, but he delivered.

Looking Ahead

Oregon State vs. Utah
Fresh off their upset victory over USC, the Beavers travel to Salt Lake City to face the Utes.  Utah is undefeated, but less impressive than I expected at this point.  Can the Beavers parlay their win over USC into a successful season?

Oregon vs. USC
Oregon is is 4-1 with its only loss coming to Boise State.  USC is coming off of their upset loss to Oregon State.  Oregon State showed that a shifty, small back can help keep the chains and the clock moving against USC.  Can the Ducks follow that recipe to a win in LA?  Or does upset simply refer to what the Trojans will be when they step on the field?

Auburn vs. Vanderbilt
The Commodores, yes Vanderbilt, is on top of the SEC East standings.  They play an Auburn team that has shown very little on offense in their transition to a spread by new Offensive Coordinator Tony Franklin.  Well, Vanderbilt does it pretty well, and maybe they can give the Tigers a few tips, after the game.  Vandy averages a full touchdown more a game than Auburn, and they are gunning for an historic year.  Oh, and the game is in Nashville, and both teams are ranked.

Missouri vs. Nebraska
The Cornhuskers had a chance to be ranked this week.  All they had to do was beat an improving Virginia Tech at home on national TV, run their record to 4-0, and await their showdown with Mizzou.  Well, it didn’t work out as planned.  Tyrod Taylor gave Nebraska fits, and Tech got the quality win on the road.  Now Mizzou comes to town, and I am sure Chase Daniel was watching that game.

You really begin to figure things out after about 4 weeks of football.  What we are learning is that there seems to be a clear cut top tier of college football this year.  USC, Florida, Oklahoma and Georiga all have impressive wins over quality programs.  Georgia and Florida’s road gets a lot tougher as they have entered conference play in the SEC.  Oklahoma has to take on TCU this Saturday in Norman, and the Sooner fans recall rather well the upset the Frogs handed them in 2005.  The Frogs have won two in a row in Norman (1996 and 2005), but neither Sooner team was as good as this one.  That being said, this game is between two ranked teams as TCU debuted in the Top 25 at number 24 in the AP and 23 in the USA Today.

The Clash of Mother Nature’s Wrath

Trine vs. Defiance

This is Mike and Mike in the Morning’s pick for the small college football game of the week.  Quarterback Eric Watt passed for 265 yard and 3 touchdown passes as Trine whipped Defiance 42-14.  Trine broke open a close game in the fourth quarter with three touchdowns.

Looking Ahead

Alabama vs. Georgia
The Tide passed their first road test smoking pork on Saturday, and they get a crack at a bona fide top ten football team.  The ‘Dawgs rolled over Arizona State in prime time Saturday night, and now they are cranked up and ready for the SEC and the Eastern Division title.

Illinois vs. Penn State
Is Penn State for real?  Their offense has been off the chart scoring and gaining yards against mediocre teams.  Of course, the Illini haven’t had top level competition either.  This is a chance for one of these two teams to make a step toward filling the possible void left by Ohio State.

TCU vs. Oklahoma
As I mentioned above, the Frogs are now ranked so this makes this game a top 25 match-up.  The Frogs defense has been dominant holding teams to 183 yards per game, but the teams they have played aren’t anywhere near the caliber of the Sooners.  That being said, the Sooners haven’t seen a defense like TCU’s yet either.  And, TCU’s offense does what the coaches want it to do; they hold the ball for 37 minutes a game which is among the tops in the country.  They get smart quarterback play, they use multiple backs, they have good young receivers, and Aaron Brown has returned to the field giving the Frogs a big play threat at any time.

Continued from Part One

To do further comparison, I decided to take two football teams, in this case Florida and Idaho, and see how each magazine does its analysis.  Why Florida and Idaho?  Florida is ranked as preseason number one by two of the magazines (Phil Steele and Athlon) and in the top ten by the others.  Florida returns Heisman Trophy winning QB Tim Tebow and WR Percy Harvin which will garner a lot of preseason press.  Florida represents the BCS teams.  Idaho, represents the non BCS teams.  There is not much hype surrounding Idaho which is not expected to be very competitive.

Florida

Phil Steele has two pages for Florida.  His features include Quarterbacks, Running Backs, Receivers, Offensive Line, Defensive Line, Linebackers, Defensive Backs, Special Teams and Coaches.  Phil has his forecast for the Gators as well as his projected starting lineups.  He includes a Top Newcomers box at the bottom of the fist page.  His schedule box is pretty comprehensive including stats against each opponent as well as the type of turf, a place to write in the Line, the Final Score and whether it was a won or a loss.  Of course the box includes a phone number for the weather in Gainesville, FL.  The second page is lined with a series of stats, many of which go back 5 to 6 years including results from their games dating back t o 2003.  He also includes the last five bowl games.

Sporting News also has two pages.  The core is a narration based analysis of Florida which includes highlights of top players on the Florida team such as LB Brandon Spikes, RB Kestahn Moore, and Defensive Linemen Torrey Davis and Carlos Dunlap.  On the first page is a small box which includes the 2008 schedule along with results against that team from 2007.  There is a Power Ratings box and a Bowl Projection, a Next Big Thing.  SN also offers a Recruiting Report box.  The final page includes a Depth Chart along with a Returning Stat Leaders and 2007 Team Stats.  Finally, SN has a nice looking little graphic which covers Florida’s 5 Year Wins Trend.

Athlon and Lindy’s must have been edited by the same guy.  The format seems almost identical.  Each magazine gives Florida one page.  There are three small boxes on the bottom page which covers the 2008 Schedule, 2007 Results, and 2007 National Rankings.  The side box to the right is the depth chart with “returning starters in bold.”  Each magazine does an analysis with sections including Offense, Defense, Special Teams/Specialists, Final Analysis/Overview.

Idaho

Phil Steele repeats the exact same format for Idaho that it does for Florida (see above).  There are two pages, loads of stats, features, etc.  I find it interesting that Phil Steele gives the Vandals the same treatment that he does Florida, with a phone number for the weather in Moscow, Idaho and everything.  On the other heand, Sporting News does no such favor.  By the time one arrives to Idaho’s spot, he sees a half a page.  There is not Depth Chart, no Recruiting Report, no Team Stats or Stat Leaders, and no graphic with the 5 Year Wins Trend.  This lack of coverage does not seem to be the same with all of the non BCS teams in SN.  Teams which are projected to finish at the top of the conference get more coverage.  Life is tough win your program struggles to win games and is projected to finish low.

Lindy’s and Athlon uses the same format with Idaho that they do with Florida.  The Vandals get the same one page format with the analysis, the Depth Chart, the schedule and results.  At least Lindy’s and Athlon treat the two programs the same.  Of course, Florida gets more press in other areas like preseason awards and honors.

Continue to Part Three

Here it is. The top 4 magazines’ preseason top ten. You can buy each magazine at your local Borders.