A Shift in Power?

After watching TCU dismantle the conference favorite and #9th ranked BYU Cougars it made

me realize that their has been a huge shift of power in some of the conferences. Here are the teams that have finally become conference favorites:


Alabama - SEC

The Crimson Tide have come out of no where and are ranked #2 in the country. Alabama hasn't won an SEC title since 1999 and are looking like the conference favorite this year. Auburn and LSU have previously dominated the SEC West but with the football program at Auburn being in turmoil and the LSU Tigers suffering a 30 point loss to Florida, the SEC West looks up for grabs and 'Bama may just capitalize. The last three games of 'Bama's schedule will determine the fate of their season when they play LSU, Mississippi State and then Auburn. If Alabama can get to those games without a loss or with only 1 loss they will have a good chance at winning the SEC West if they can win those last three games. No matter what happens the rest of the season, Alabama has certainly exceeded expectations.

Penn State - Big Ten

Penn State is off to their best start this year going 7-0 and 3-0 against quality Big Ten teams (Illinois, Purdue and Wisconsin). With Ohio State looking very shaky in a 31-3 loss at USC earlier on in the year, Penn State has quickly become the conference favorite. Penn State joined the conference in 1990 and has only won 2 conference championships (1 of those was shared with Ohio State). The rest of the schedule looks manageable but the big game will of course be against Ohio State, the best team in the conference for the last three years. Beating Ohio State will send a message and Penn State would overtake Ohio State as the best in the conference.

TCU - MWC

The time may have run out for BYU. After getting embarrassed by TCU yesterday, it was clear to me that TCU was the all-round better team. BYU looked shaky in all aspects of basic football. The win yesterday was a big win for TCU. Not only did they improve to 7-1 and crush BYU's BCS hopes, they avenged the loss from two years ago when BYU beat TCU and dashed their own BCS bowl hopes. The funny thing about that was BYU became the best team in the MWC after that and TCU dropped. Yesterday may have just shifted the power back in TCU's hands. There is more information on that in this article. The only other team in the MWC who may be better than TCU is the unbeaten Utah Utes.

South Florida - Big East

West Virginia have been the cream of the crop of the Big East for the last three years. South Florida has quickly become mentioned as one of the best teams in the Big East and as it stands now, South Florida is the best team in the Big East. The first hint that USF was on the rise is when they best West Virginia two years ago. This was the beginning of a new powerhouse in the Big East. The second hint was when Louisville went from winning 12 games in 2006 to only winning six games last year. Then, last year, South Florida once again beat West Virginia. Now South Florida stands atop the Big East and is the highest ranked team from the Big East at #19. If South Florida can win the rest of their games heading into their December 6 match up with West Virginia, South Florida can finally prove that they are the best team in the Big East.

Leo's Crystal Ball: BCS Bowl Projections

With most of Week 1 in the books, I will give you my BCS Bowl Projections.

Rose Bowl

Pac 10 Champ vs. Big 10 Champ

Ohio State vs. Oregon

With USC playing for the national championship, Oregon gets the honors to play in the Rose Bowl. The intriguing part of this matchup would be how Ohio State handles the spread offense that they have had trouble with in the past. No matter how tricky Oregon's spread is, it is not equally as effective as the spread offense that Florida implied on Ohio State in the national championship game 2 years ago. Ohio State wins handily on a solid dose of Chris 'Beanie' Wells.

Projected Score: 34-17 Ohio State

Fiesta Bowl

Big 12 Champ vs. At-Large

Oklahoma vs. BYU

BYU runs the table and completes its "Quest for perfection". Oklahoma wins the Big 12 and is hungry for redemption after losing their last 4 BCS bowls. In another 'David vs. Goliath' BCS matchup, Oklahoma routs BYU.

Projected Score: 41-17 Oklahoma



Orange Bowl

ACC Champ vs. At-Large

Clemson vs. West Virginia


After getting embarrassed by Alabama in the first week, Clemson goes on to win their next 10 out of 11 games and finds themselves in the Orange Bowl facing a scary West Virginia team. West Virginia has no answer for Clemson's James Davis and CJ Spiller as Clemson goes on to win a close game.

Projected Score: 35-28 Clemson



Sugar Bowl

SEC Champ vs. At-Large

Auburn vs. South Florida


Matt Grothe leads the Bulls to their first ever BCS game. They face the SEC runner up, Auburn. Auburn lost to Florida in the SEC championship but is fortunate to play in the Sugar Bowl because Florida plays in the National Championship. In a hard fought game, South Florida prevails and wins their first BCS game.

Projected Score: 20-17 South Florida

National Championship

#1 vs. #2

USC vs. Florida

This is an epic battle between two college football powerhouses. Florida's high octane offense vs. USC's loaded defense. Each team is stacked with future NFL all-stars. The game does not disappoint. In a very high scoring affair, Florida comes away with the win and their second national championship in three years.

Projected Score: 42-34 Florida

Phots courtesy of Flickr

College Football programs on the rise/decline

With the season just getting underway I am going to share my thoughts on which football programs are on the rise and which ones are taking a skydive. These are the teams that are not only going to be good (or bad) for this season but for many more seasons. First I will start off with the teams that are on the rise.

On The Rise



1. University of South Florida - The bulls, who have only been in the FBS since 2001, are now becoming a major factor in the Big East. Last year they quietly climbed to #2 in the nation before going on a slide. The bulls, led by gritty quarterback Matt Grothe, are poised for a breakout year not only this year but for many more years. Coach Jim Leavitt has been with the program for 11 years and has amassed a record of 79-47. Leavitt has been solid on the recruiting trail as well, bringing in the 45th ranked recruiting class of 2008 according to Athlon Sports.

2. University of North Carolina - After going 4-8 last season it is hard to say that this team is on the rise but many people are optimistic about the Tar Heels. The 'Heels return 19 starters this year most of which are sophomores and juniors. Many people are feeling that North Carolina is this years Kansas which went from 6-6 to 12-1 and a BCS bowl win. North Carolina brought in the 36th ranked recruiting class of 2008 according to Athlon Sports. Butch Davis is a great coach and he will lead the Tar Heels to the top of the ACC within the next couple of years.

3. University of Illinois - Illinois won a combined 8 games in 4 seasons from 2003-2006. Then all of a sudden, the Fighting Illini won 9 games including a major upset of #1 Ohio State and an appearance in the Rose Bowl. Not the average season of a team who won an average of 2 games over 4 years prior to the 2007 season. This year, Illinois is primed for another great season. With such a good season last year, the fighting Illini were able to bring in the #20th ranked recruiting class according to Athlon Sports. The Illini will be prepared to remain atop the Big Ten for years to come.

On the Decline

1. University of Louisville - With all the hype surrounding Louisville last season, no one expected them to go 6-6 with no bowl appearance. Now the Cardinals have only 7 starters returning and have no hope in sight. A brutal recruiting class which didn't rank in the top 50 and two new coordinators are not going to help the Cardinals get any better.

2. University of Hawaii - After going undefeated in the regular season Hawaii was a feel good story. But after getting humiliated by Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, Hawaii is in a serious rebuilding mode. Hawaii lost coach June Jones who led Hawaii to its first BCS bowl and basically was the face of the program. Hawaii also lost its record setting quarterback and four starting wide receivers. Hawaii also replaced both coordinators. Hawaii is starting from scratch now and they will be hard pressed to play in a bowl game this year. Hawaii shouldn't be a factor in the WAC for a couple of years.

3. University of Iowa - Last year, Iowa missed the postseason for the first time since 2000 and the outlook for the Hawkeyes is gloomy. Iowa has been in a downward spiral after the 2004 season when they won 10 games and a conference title. Since then they have been mediocre winning only 19 games over 3 years. Not only did Iowa's coach Kirk Ferentz fail to deliver a bowl appearance, he also failed to deliver a top 50 recruiting class.

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