NCAA Basketball 2011-12 Pre-Season Field of 68

The 2011-12 NCAA Men's Basketball Season is right around the corner.  From November to March, teams will compete for the 68 coveted spots in the "Big Dance".  Last year, I attempted my first ever Pre-Season Field of 68, correctly picking 44 of the 68 teams.  That becomes my goal to beat this year.

We go into the 2011-12 season with a clear favorite in North Carolina.  The story for the Tar Heels might be whether they can complete an unbeaten season.  Behind them will be worthy challengers.  So who will those challengers be?  Let's take a look....

ACC (6 bids) - I have already mentioned clear-cut #1 North Carolina, who should win the ACC and overall #1 seed in the tournament barring a significant injury.  Duke should be their main competition in the ACC, especially if Austin Rivers is the real deal.  Florida State is my last pre-season lock from the conference, but the Seminoles are going to win ugly this year, so be advised.  4th to 8th in the ACC could go any which way between Clemson, Miami, North Carolina State, Virginia and Virginia Tech.  The ACC could go as a 5 or 6 bid league depending on overall non-conference results and of course, conference tournament upsets.  My pick for #4 is a veteran Virginia team that appears ready to re-enter the dance under Tony Bennett.  Miami is hoping Jim Laranaga can bring some of his George Mason magic to South Beach and returns a veteran roster.  My final ACC team in, but squarely on the bubble is perennial bubble loser Virginia Tech, who has one of their strongest recruiting classes ever, one that I think is going to break the NCAA jinx.

Big 12 (6 bids) - The Big 12 looks to be wide-open this year, with conceivably six teams that could win the conference title.  I am going with the sheik pick for first with Baylor, a team that missed out on the Big Dance a year ago, but adds super frosh Quincy Miller to super soph Perry Jones.  Texas A&M will be solid and a sleeper in a year when there is potentially no Big 12 superpower.  That is because Kansas might be down with the Morris twins in the NBA, errr, playing pick-up games, and two freshman suspended as non-qualifiers.  The cupboard is never completely bare in Lawrence and the Jayhawks should still be relevant in the Big 12 race.  Missouri returns almost everybody from a 23-win team, but were dealt a big blow recently with a season-ending injury to forward Laurence Bowers.  My pick for national freshman of the year is LeBryan Nash, who should lead Oklahoma State back to the dance after a one-year hiatus.  And what to make of Texas, who lost a ton to the NBA, but always seems to re-load with great freshmen like Myck Kabongo.  Iowa State will be known as team transfer and will be bubblicious come March.  Kansas State is the last team with a tourney shot from the Big 12, but the loss of Jacob Pullen leaves them without a proven go-to player.

Big East (8 bids) - After snatching 11 bids a year ago, the Big East should settle back to the 8 or 9 range this season.  Defending National Champ Connecticut should lead the way this year despite the loss of Kemba Walker and be in the running for a #1 seed.  Syracuse and Pittsburgh will be right there challenging UConn for the Big East crown with veteran squads and a mix of talented newcomers.  Louisville, Cincinnati and Marquette should also be safely in the tournament and one could emerge with a top 3 finish.  I really like the Bearcats if they can find enough offense and Pitino's Cardinals are always dangerous.  The final lock from the Big East is Villanova, who struggled late last year, but has a good mix of returning players and freshman to stay relevant.  The Big East bubble teams reside at Notre Dame, St. John's and West Virginia, as Georgetown lost way too much and Rutgers appears a year away.  The Fighting Irish are going to find it tough to replace Ben Hansborough, among others.  The Mountaineers return Kevin Jones, but a tough schedule and loss of some glue guys will make it a tough mountain to climb in 2011-12.  I am going out on a small limb and going with St. John's for the final Big East bid, despite losing almost everybody from a season ago.  The Red Storm add 6 top 100 recruits and a JUCO All-American in God's Gift Achiuwa.  Seems wrong not to trust God's Gift.

Big Ten (5 bids) - The Big Ten looks to be Ohio State and then anyone's guess.  The Buckeyes are loaded again and are primed for a #1 seed and potentially the biggest challenger to the Tar Heels.  Wisconsin and Michigan appear next in line behind Ohio State, but each have flaws that will make a top 4 seed a challenge.  I have a hard time figuring how Michigan State will be better, but you don't doubt the Izzo, so they will likely be dancing.  Spots 5 to 9 are wide open and the main reason I am not sure the Big Ten will go beyond 5 bids.  Many think Illinois will be in the hunt, but former role players, freshman and transfers must emerge.  Minnesota has a top-notch frontcourt, but we all know what happens in College Basketball when your backcourt is subpar.  Northwestern has been on the verge of their NCAA breakthrough, but keeps coming up short.  I really liked Indiana, with the addition of Cody Zeller, but another Maurice Creek injury leaves them a little shy on talent.  Finally there is Purdue, who loses JaJuan Johnson and E'Twaun Moore, but gets Robbie Hummel back from injury.  Still, where are the points going to come from for the Boilermakers?  In the end, it will be Northwestern that does not come up short in 2011-12.

PAC-12 (5 bids) - The PAC-12, like the Big 12, looks to be a wide-open race.  While the league has struggled a bit in perception the past few years, talented teams still reside here.  The bottom of the conference is a bit weak and the additions of Utah and Colorado in what appear to be down years will not help.  The key to 5 bids will be for the 5 top teams to take care of business against the bottom half of the league.  UCLA and Arizona once again appear as though they will lock horns for conference supremacy.  Both teams suffered personnel losses but also add incoming talent.  California returns more key players than the aforementioned two and could easily supplant them at the top.  Washington also suffered key personnel losses, but now seems to be a program in re-load vs re-build mode.  The team most likely to take a step forward is Oregon, who is returning and building talent to make an NCAA run this season.  The Ducks and Huskies may be around the bubble for much of the season, but in the end, they make my field.

SEC (6 bids) - The SEC may be second to the Big East in conference strength this season and it starts at the top with 3 Top 10 teams that could all win the conference title and a likely #1 seed.  Kentucky is up to their usual tricks, adding a superior group of freshman to a few key returning players and star Terrence Jones.  Vanderbilt returns all five starters from a solid but disappointing team a year ago.  If Vandy can get better in close games and make one small leap forward, they could dislodge UK from the top spot.  If you want guards, Florida has them.  The Gators will be led by an experienced and talented backcourt that adds transfer Mike Rosario.  If the frontcourt can find some pieces, it might be Florida in the SEC.  Alabama is not far behind in talent and the non-conference schedule is definitely stronger this year for the Tide.  Mississippi State was an enigma a year ago, but if Renardo Sidney can be the talent all expect, the Bulldogs will be safely in the dance.  The final SEC team I am projecting is Arkansas, who under new coach Mike Anderson might be ready to make the leap.  The Razorbacks have a fairly soft early non-conference schedule and the key to their resume will be notching victories over Vandy, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi State and/or Michigan when they visit Arkansas.

Atlantic 10 (3 bids) - The A-10 would appear to be a lock to have two teams dancing in March.  Due to the strength of those teams, a 3rd team will have a good chance at joining them.  Xavier appears loaded this year, with Tu Holloway leading the way and the addition of some talented transfers and freshman.  The Musketeers will be right there for a top-4 seed.  Not far behind will be Temple, who looks to build off Fran Dunphy's long awaited tourney victory.  Four starters return for the Owls, who will be right there challenging Xavier all season long.  A third bid is out there for George Washington, St. Louis or St. Bonaventure.  The Colonials and Bonnies have the flashy stars in Tony Taylor and Andrew Nicholson, respectively.  The Billikens return all five starters and get a sixth back from 2009-2010, but must make a leap from 11th in the conference.  The schedule lines up for St. Louis, as they have GW, the Bonnies and Temple at home in their only meetings and have enough decent non-conference games to have an at-large opportunity.

Colonial (2 bids) - Two Final Four runs in 6 years have officially put the Colonial on the map.  Regular-season champ George Mason is the favorite once again and should be good enough to earn an at-large bid if they falter in the Colonial Tourney.  Drexel, Old Dominion and last year's darling, Virginia Commonwealth figure to battle for the #2 spot in the conference.  Both ODU and VCU suffered big graduation losses, but these two always seem to be in the mix in the Colonial.  Drexel is a popular pick for the second spot and a tourney berth, but has anyone looked at the Dragons non-conference slate?  Fairfield is not a resume-builder, and yes, that is the strongest non-conference opponent.  VCU has a stronger schedule and Shaka Smart will once again get the Golden Rams into the tournament, potentially in the First Four once again.

Conference USA (2 bids) - Even in a down year, C-USA was able to get two teams into the NCAA Tournament last year.  This year, Memphis should be back challenging the nation's elite and the conference will likely receive multiple bids once again.  The Tigers return a slew of talent and will once again have impact newcomers that should put Memphis in the running for a top-4 seed.  The three challengers for the second bid should be Central Florida, Marshall and Tulsa.  I look for a veteran Marshall team to make their first NCAA Tournament since 1989.

Missouri Valley (2 bids) - The Missouri Valley seems to reside as about the 10th best conference on an annual basis, typically sending one or two dangerous teams into the tournament every few years.  This may be one of those years with Creighton.  The Blue Jays return four starters and add some quality newcomers to establish themselves as a favorite in the MVC after a 23-win season a year ago.  The second bid out of the MVC should go to Wichita State, who returns a veteran, balanced team that needs to avoid the disappointing  and devastating upset losses from last season.  The non-conference schedule has games against Colorado, UNLV, UAB, Tulsa and Utah State, which should give them ample opportunity to build a decent resume.

Mountain West (2 bids) - The defections of BYU and Utah will hurt the MWC and San Diego State will take a step back after their break-out season in 2010-11.  I still exepct the MWC to garner multiple bids, with New Mexico and UNLV being the recipients. 

West Coast (2 bids) - The addition of BYU strengthens the conference profile in the WCC and should provide enough quality wins to get 2 or 3 teams in the dance.  Gonzaga is the favorite with Elias Harris and Robert Sacre leading the way for the Bulldogs.  The race for second should be interesting, with BYU, St. Mary's and Santa Clara vying for that spot.  The Cougars are adjusting to a new conference and LWJ, Life Without Jimmer.  St. Mary's has a lot of veteran pieces and Santa Clara was an improving force toward the end of last season.  I wanted to give this bid to Santa Clara, but BYU has the far superior resume building games for me to make that call at this point in time.

One Bid Leagues (19 bids)

America East - Boston U.
Atlantic Sun - Belmont
Big Sky - Weber State
Big South - UNC-Asheville
Big West - Long Beach State
Horizon - Detroit (sorry, no Butler this year)
Ivy - Harvard
Metro Atlantic - Iona
Mid-American - Western Michigan (sleeper two-bid league with Kent State)
Mid-Eastern - Coppin State
Northeast - Long Island
Ohio Valley - Tennessee Tech
Patriot - Bucknell
Southern - Chattanooga
Southland - Texas San-Antonio
SWAC - Alabama State
Summit - Oral Roberts
Sun Belt - Florida Atlantic
WAC - Utah State

East Regional
(1) North Carolina vs (16) Coppin State/Texas-San Antonio
(8) George Mason vs (9) Washington
(5) Michigan vs (12) BYU
(4) Cincinnati vs (13) Detroit
(6) Temple vs (11) Marshall
(3) Pittsburgh vs (14) Bucknell
(7) Texas vs (10) Virginia
(2) Florida vs (15) Long Beach State

West Regional
(1) Connecticut vs (16) Boston U.
(8) Mississippi State vs (9) Kansas
(5) Wisconsin vs (12) Harvard
(4) UCLA vs (13) Western Michigan
(6) Oklahoma State vs (11) Oregon
(3) Xavier vs (14) Oral Roberts
(7) New Mexico vs (10) Villanova
(2) Duke vs (15) Chattanooga

Midwest Regional
(1) Ohio State vs (16) UNC-Asheville/Alabama State
(8) Missouri vs (9) Creighton
(5) Florida State vs (12) St. John's/St. Louis
(4) Louisville vs (13) Iona
(6) Arizona vs (11) Northwestern
(3) Baylor vs (14) Utah State
(7) Gonzaga vs (10) Miami
(2) Vanderbilt vs (15) Tennessee Tech

South Regional
(1) Kentucky vs (16) Weber State
(8) Michigan State vs (9) UNLV
(5) Marquette vs (12) Virginia Tech/Virginia Commonwealth
(4) Texas A&M vs (13) Belmont
(6) Alabama vs (11) Wichita State
(3) Memphis vs (14) Florida Atlantic
(7) California vs (10) Arkansas
(2) Syracuse vs (15) Long Island

College Football Rewind - Week 9

Last week, I was Clemson's kiss of death.  This week, its Oklahoma State.  I have had the Cowboys beating the Sooners in the season finale from day 1 and now I no longer see a trip up before that date for Oklahoma State.  I also had Alabama in my pre-season National Title Game, so I am sticking with them over LSU, although LSU might be the slightly more talented of the two.

This week I look at Conference Races and Bowl Bubble Teams.

Overall Pick Record:  398-132, 75% (36-18 Last Week)

Conference            Week      Overall     Non-Conf     BCS Non-Conf
ACC                         6-6          59-41           29-11                 6-7
Big East                     3-3          37-25           25-13                 4-9
Big 12                       5-5          51-27           27-3                   6-3
Big 10                       6-6          60-39           34-13                 6-5
PAC-12                    6-6          53-44           22-13                 6-8
SEC                          5-5          62-35           31-4                   6-2
C-USA                     6-6          48-51           21-24                 5-16
MWC                       4-3          31-29           20-18                 2-7
MAC                        4-4          50-59           21-30                 3-26
WAC                        3-3          26-37           12-23                 2-12
Sun Belt                    4-4          31-40           11-20                 2-15
Independent              2-2          16-17           15-16                 5-7

ACC
Conference Race:  The ACC Atlantic will come down to the November 12th game with Wake Forest at Clemson, assuming Wake Forest takes care of lowly Maryland the next week.  The ACC Coastal will likely be decided two days earlier on November 10th with Virginia Tech at Georgia Tech.  If the home teams win, Clemson would get another shot at Georgia Tech in the ACC Championship Game.
Bowl Bubble Teams:  NC State's (2 more wins) route to bowl-eligibility is a win at Boston College plus a home win vs either North Carolina, or more likely, Maryland.  Miami (2 more wins) has very winnable home games vs Duke and Boston College, plus a road game at South Florida.  Both project to be bowl-eligible.
Bowl Changes: Virginia back in, Georgia Tech moves up.  My Current Bowl Order:  Clemson, Virginia Tech, Florida State, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Miami, Virginia, Wake Forest, NC State.
My record: 47-23
This Week:  Florida State over Boston College, Virginia over Maryland, North Carolina over North Carolina State, Miami(FL) over Duke, Notre Dame over Wake Forest

Big East
Conference Race:  While many scenarios can still play out, the November 12th game with West Virginia at Cincinnati appears like it will decide the Big East Champion.
Bowl Bubble Teams:  South Florida (2 more wins) has a key road game at Syracuse, plus home dates vs Louisville and Miami(FL) as their best bets to bowl-eligibility.  Syracuse (1 more win) needs to take care of Connecticut this week, or the South Florida game might become a bowl-elimination game.  Pittsburgh (2 more wins) has to deal with a Ray Graham injury, the two Big East front-runners, a home game vs Syracuse and a potential bowl-elimination game at Louisville.  Louisville (2 more wins) only has Pittsburgh at home, with road tilts at Connecticut and South Florida .
Bowl Changes:  My current Bowl Order:  Cincinnati, West Virginia, Rutgers, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, South Florida.
My Record: 33-17
This Week:  Cincinnati over Pittsburgh, Rutgers over South Florida, West Virginia over Louisville, Syracuse over Connecticut

Big 12
Conference Race:  Anything can happen in a deep, defensively-challenged conference.  The Big 12 race in all likelihood will come down to December 3rd when Oklahoma visits Oklahoma State.
Bowl Bubble Teams:  Texas Tech (one more win) likely needs a road win at Texas or Missouri or a neutral field win vs Baylor.  Missouri (two more wins) has a home game vs Kansas, as well as visits from Texas and Texas Tech.  Baylor (two more wins) plays at Kansas, and then must win one out of their other four, with home games vs Missouri and Texas and a neutral site game with Texas Tech.  Iowa State (2 more wins) has a home game with Kansas to get to 5, but must beat Oklahoma, Oklahoma State or Kansas State to get 6 (ouch).
Bowl Changes: My current Bowl Order:  Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas State, Texas A&M, Missouri, Texas Tech, Baylor.
My Record: 42-12
This Week:  Texas over Texas Tech, Iowas State over Kansas, Oklahoma over Texas A&M, Missouri over Baylor, Oklahoma State over Kansas State

Big Ten
Conference Race:  This is the one conference that is clear as mud, in both divisions.  In the Legends Division, the November 19th tilt between Nebraska and Michigan in Ann Arbor looms as the key game.  Michigan State will be Wolverine fans that day as they can make the title game by winning out and Nebraska losing once.  In the Leaders division, Penn State has a two-game lead, but hosts Nebraska before playing at both Ohio State and Wisconsin.  The November 26th game at Wisconsin will likely determine the Leaders division, with Ohio State still being a player if they can win out.
Bowl Bubble Teams:  Purdue (2 more wins) finishes at Indiana, and needs to beat either Iowa or Ohio State at home for the Hoosier game to have meaning.  Iowa (one more win) would not be here if they beat lowly Minnesota, but now must beat either Michigan school at home or Purdue or Nebraska on the road.  The Iowa at Purdue game may be a bowl-elimination game.
Bowl Changes: Current Bowl Order:  Nebraska, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Michigan, Penn State, Ohio State, Illinois, Iowa, Purdue.
My Record: 55-18
This Week:  Michigan State over Minnesota, Ohio State over Indiana, Michigan over Iowa, Nebraska over Northwestern, Wisconsin over Purdue

PAC-12
Conference Race:  The PAC-12 North showdown between Oregon and Stanford in Palo Alto November 12th will likely determine Arizona State's opponent in the inaugural PAC-12 Championship Game.
Bowl Bubble Teams:  Utah (2 more wins) has home games vs UCLA and Colorado, plus winnable road games at Arizona and Washington State.  California (2 more wins) has home games vs Washington State and Oregon State that are likely must-wins for bowl-eligibility.  UCLA (two more wins) needs to take care of Colorado at home and upset Arizona State (home), Utah (road) or USC (road).
Bowl Changes:  Current Bowl Order:  Oregon, Stanford, Arizona State, Washington, Utah, California.
My Record: 50-16
This Week: USC over Colorado, Stanford over Oregon State, California over Washington State, Arizona over Utah, Arizona State over UCLA, Oregon over Washington

SEC
Conference Race:  You may have heard that Alabama and LSU play on Saturday.  That's this Saturday at 7 PM CST if you had not heard.  You may also not be aware that there is an SEC East.  Georgia has home games with Auburn and Kentucky to finish with one conference loss.  South Carolina would win the tie-breaker with Georgia, but must win at Arkansas or home vs Florida to finish at one loss.
Bowl Bubble Teams:  Mississippi State (2 more wins) has home games vs Tennessee-Martin and Ole Miss to get to bowl-eligibility.  Florida (2 more wins) has home games with Vanderbilt and Furman, or will need to beat South Carolina or Florida State.  Vanderbilt (2 more wins) has a home game vs Kentucky, plus must win at Tennessee, Florida or Wake Forest.  Tennessee (3 more wins) has Middle Tennessee this week to get to 4.  They then must likely win vs Vandy and at Kentucky to get to 6.
Bowl Changes: Tennessee out.  Current Bowl Order:  Alabama, LSU, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, Auburn, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt.
My Record: 54-12
This Week:  Florida over Vanderbilt, Georgia over New Mexico State, Ole Miss over Kentucky, Tennessee over Middle Tennessee, Arkansas over South Carolina, Mississippi State over Tennessee-Martin, Alabama over LSU

Conference USA
Conference Race:  Southern Miss has established themselves as the favorite in the East, and all but lock-up a spot in the C-USA Championship Game by winning at East Carolina this week and vs Central Florida next week.  The West is shaping up as a season finale showdown on November 25th when Houston visits Tulsa.
Bowl Bubble Teams:  Central Florida (2 more wins) is 4-0 at home, and has Tulsa and UTEP visiting in the final 4 weeks.  They are 0-4 away from home and may need to win at East Carolina to qualify for a bowl.  East Carolina (2 more wins) has their tougher games at home, with Southern Miss and UCF.  Trips to UTEP and Marshall, two other Bowl Bubble Squads, might be crucial.  Marshall (2 more wins) needs a road win at Memphis to set-up a Bowl Showdown with East Carolina at home in their finale.  The next two weeks are big for UTEP (2 more wins) with a road game at Rice and then ECU at home.  If they only garner a split, the finale against UCF could be another Bowl Showdown.
Bowl Changes:  Current Bowl Order:  Tulsa, Houston, Southern Mississippi, SMU, UTEP, Marshall, East Carolina.
My Record: 59-13
This Week:  Tulsa over Central Florida, SMU over Tulane, UTEP over Rice, Southern Miss over East Carolina, Houston over UAB

Mountain West
Conference Race:  The November 12th showdown between TCU and Boise State on the blue turf will decide the Mountain West.
Bowl Bubble Teams:  Air Force, San Diego State and Wyoming should all easily get the requisite wins necessary for bowl-eligibility.
Bowl Changes:  Current Bowl Order:  Boise State, TCU, San Diego State, Air Force, Wyoming
My Record: 38-11
This Week: TCU over Wyoming, Air Force over Army, San Diego State over New Mexico, Boise State over UNLV

MAC
Conference Race:  It is showdown week in the MAC, as Northern Illinois visits Toledo for front-runner status in the West and Temple visits Ohio for the same status in the East.  Miami(OH) is on the outside looking in, but can change things with a road sweep of Temple and Ohio.
Bowl Bubble Teams:  With only 3 guaranteed spots, the MAC will fill their quota.  They should also qualify at least 3 other teams for any unfilled spots.
Bowl Changes:  Current Bowl Order:  Toledo, Northern Illinois, Eastern Michigan, Temple, Ohio.  Western Michigan (alternate).
My Record: 60-20
This Week:  Toledo over Northern Illinois, Ohio over Temple, Miami(OH) over Akron, Kent State over Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan over Ball State

WAC
Conference Race:  Nevada hosts Hawaii on November 12th to likely decide the WAC.
Bowl Bubble Teams:  Louisiana Tech and San Jose State have the best shot at a third WAC bid, but both must beat Fresno State to have the opportunity. 
Bowl Changes:  Current Bowl Order:  Nevada, Hawaii, Louisiana Tech.
My Record: 35-14
This week:  Louisiana Tech over Fresno State, San Jose State over Idaho, Georgia over New Mexico State, Hawaii over Utah State

Sun Belt
Conference Race:  Arkansas State hosts Louisiana-Lafayette on November 12th to decide the Sun Belt.
Bowl Bubble Teams:  With only 2 guaranteed spots, the Sun Belt will fill their quota.  An additional  2 teams should be available for any unfilled openings.
Bowl Changes:  Current Bowl Order:  Arkansas State, Louisiana-Lafayette.  Florida International and Western Kentucky (alternates).
My Record: 38-13
This Week:  LA-Lafayette over LA-Monroe, Navy over Troy, Western Kentucky over Florida International, Arkansas State over Florida Atlantic, Tennessee over Middle Tennessee

Independents
Bowl Changes:  Notre Dame and BYU all remain projected bowl-eligible.
My Record: 24-8
This Week: Air Force over Army, Navy over Troy, Notre Dame over Wake Forest

Updated Bowl Predictions
National Championship Game:  Oklahoma State vs Alabama
Rose:  Nebraska vs Oregon
Sugar:  Boise State vs LSU
Fiesta:  Oklahoma vs Stanford
Orange:  Cincinnati vs Clemson
Capitol One:  Arkansas vs Michigan
Gator:  Florida vs Michigan State
Cotton:  Texas vs Auburn
Alamo: Kansas State vs Arizona State
Outback:  Wisconsin vs Georgia
Chick Fil-A:  Virginia Tech vs South Carolina
Sun:  Georgia Tech vs Utah
Holiday:  Missouri vs Washington
Champs:  Notre Dame vs Florida State
Liberty:  Vanderbilt vs Tulsa
Belk:  North Carolina vs West Virginia
Independence:  Virginia vs Air Force
Music City:  Miami(FL) vs Mississippi State
Pinstripe:  Rutgers vs Texas Tech
Kraft Fight Hunger:  Louisville vs North Carolina State
Meineke Car Care:  Ohio State vs Baylor
Insight:  Texas A&M vs Penn State
Ticket City:  Illinois vs SMU
Little Caesars:  Iowa vs Northern Illinois
Humanitarian: Eastern Michigan vs Louisiana Tech
Hawaii:  Hawaii vs Marshall
Beef O'Bradys:  South Florida vs Houston
Armed Forces:  BYU vs Southern Miss
Las Vegas:  California vs TCU
Poinsettia:  San Diego State vs Nevada
GoDaddy.com:  Toledo vs Louisiana-Lafayette
New Orleans:  Arkansas State vs UTEP
BBVA Compass:  Syracuse vs Florida International
New Mexico:  Wyoming vs Purdue
Military:  Wake Forest vs East Carolina

College Football - Top 5 Players Post-1980 - Big 12 Edition

Oklahoma Sooners

1. Sam Bradford, QB
2. Brian Bosworth, LB
3. Keith Jackson, TE
4. Roy Williams, S
5. Ryan Broyles, WR

A Heisman winner with a 50-TD pass season, Bradford gets the #1 spot on the Sooners list.  Bradford's career numbers were hindered by the injury suffered his senior year, but he still owns many career passing records.  Bosworth may have been crazy, but he was also a crazy-good linebacker on the great Sooner teams of the mid-80's.  Broyles is now the all-time NCAA receiving yardage leader, while Jackson helped Bosworth on those Switzer-era teams.  Williams was a hard-hitting safety who helped define the Sooner defenses at the turn of the century.

Texas Longhorns

1. Ricky Williams, RB
2. Vince Young, QB
3. Colt McCoy, QB
4. Derrick Johnson, LB
5. Cedric Benson, RB

Williams beats out the quarterbacks for #1 in the last 30+ years of Longhorn football.  Heisman-winner Williams left school as the all-time NCAA Division I-A rushing yardage leader.  Young and McCoy are hard to separate, so Young gets the edge as a National Championship winning signal-caller and de facto Heisman-winner.  It is hard to find a better Championship Game performance than that of Young's.  Johnson was a force at linebacker and Benson is not too far behind Williams on the all-time rushing lists.

Texas A&M Aggies

1. Dat Nguyen, LB
2. Johnny Holland, LB
3. Darren Lewis, RB
4. Von Miller, LB/DE
5. Ray Childress, DT

Most of the Big 12 lists are dominated by offense.  Not the lame-duck Aggies who will take a defensive tradition to the SEC.  Tackling machines Nguyen and Holland lead the way here, followed by Lewis, the A&M all-time leading rusher with over 5,000 yards.  Miller dominated as a pass-rusher in 2009 and 2010.  Childress wraps up the Aggie Five as an All-American DT in the early 1980's.

Missouri Tigers

1. Brad Smith, QB
2. Chase Daniel, QB
3. Chase Coffman, TE
4. Jeremy Maclin, WR
5. Justin Smith, DE

Two players with over 13,000 yards in total offense who eached produced over 100 touchdowns lead the Tigers Five.  Smith is my choice as #1, despite being second to Daniel in almost every passing category.  That is because Smith, a QB, is also the all-time leading rusher in Mizzou history.  Coffman and Maclin each exceed 30 total touchdowns in their prolific careers.  Smith was a dominating pass-rusher who brings a little defensive flair to the list.

Oklahoma State Cowboys

1. Barry Sanders, RB
2. Thurman Thomas, RB
3. Leslie O'Neal, DE
4. Justin Blackmon, WR
5. Rashaun Woods, WR

Its a pretty darn good list when the top two names are the running backs listed above.  Picking between them is not an easy endeavor.  I am going with Sanders, who sat behind Thomas for two years before his break-out in 1988.  What a break-out it was though.  2,628 yards, 39 total TD's, four 300-yard rushing performances.  Thomas is no slouch as the all-time leading rusher and second to Sanders in career TD's, but we may never again see a player like Sanders.  O'Neal adds a little defense to the Cowboys, while Blackmon and Woods are to receiving, what Thomas and Sanders are to rushing.

Kansas State Wildcats

1. Chris Canty, CB
2. Mark Simoneau, LB
3. Darren Sproles, RB
4. Terence Newman, CB
5. Michael Bishop, QB

Defense takes 3 of the 4 top spots in the last 30 years of Wildcat football, led by 2-time All-Americans Canty and Simoneau.  Sproles is the top offensive players, with 6,812 career all-purpose yards and 48 career touchdowns.  The final spot came down to two quarterbacks, Bishop and Josh Freeman.  I went with Bishop, who had a similar career in one less season than Freeman and had the single better season in 1998.

Kansas Jayhawks

1. Aqib Talib, CB
2. Todd Reesing, QB
3. Dana Stubblefield, DT
4. Dezmon Briscoe, WR
5. Anthony Collins, OT

Kansas does not have a decorated football program, but Talib was an All-American who was one of few Jayhawks to separate themselves at their position.  Ressing almost doubles-up the next best passer in Kansas history.  Stubblefield is another of just a few dominant defensive players to wear a Jayhawk uniform.  Briscoe is the all-time leading receiver in yards and touchdowns, surpassing the next closest by 13 TD's.  Collins was an above-average tackle who earned All-America honors as well.

Texas Tech Red Raiders

1. Michael Crabtree, WR
2. Zach Thomas, LB
3. Graham Harrell, QB
4. Montae Reagor, DE
5. Byron Hanspard, RB

Crabtree gets the nod at #1 based on two years of sheer dominance.  In just those 2 seasons, Crabtree racked up 231 receptions, 3,127 yards and 41 touchdowns.  Thomas was a 2-time All-American linebacker in the mid-90's who always has a nose for the ball, including 7 career fumble recoveries.  Harrell, until recently, was the career NCAA passing yardage leader with 15,793 yards and also threw 134 touchdowns to boot.  Reagor and all-time leading rusher Hanspard complete the Red Raider Five.

Baylor Bears

1. Thomas Everett, DB
2. Santana Dotson, DT
3. Robert Griffin III, QB
4. Gerald McNeil, WR
5. James Francis, LB

Everett is the most decorated Baylor Bear in the past 30 years, making him an easy choice to top this list. Everett was a two-time All-American and Thorpe Award winner in the mid-80's.  Dotson was a force in the middle in the early 90's.  We are watching Griffin light up the record books the past few seasons and he may end up #2 on the list.  McNeil and Francis round out the list.

Iowa State Cyclones

1. Troy Davis, RB
2. Tracy Henderson, WR
3. Doug Skartvedt, OT
4. Karl Nelson, OT
5. Ben Bruns, C

Davis is the #1 Cyclone in a landslide.  The only Division I-A player with two 2,000 yard seasons, Davis twice led the nation in rushing yards.  Henderson was a two-time All-American who left school as the Big 8 receiving record-holder.  Three offensive lineman make it a clean sweep for the offense for Iowa State.

College Football Rewind - Week 8

Due to Tuesday Night Games, I am getting the base information of the "rewind" out so my atrocious picks can be published for all to see on the world wide web.  I altered the format a little bit, moving some of the conference information into comparison format. 

I am also giving Clemson the kiss-of-death this week, moving them into the BCS Title Game with Alabama.  There appears to be something special about this Tigers team, and I still believe Oklahoma State and Stanford have too tough a road to come through unblemished.  The mediocre ACC, very manageable for Clemson.

Time permitting, further analysis will be added.

Overall Pick Record:  362-114, 76% (31-21 Last Week)

Conference            Week      Overall     Non-Conf     BCS Non-Conf
ACC                         6-6          53-35           29-11                 6-7
Big East                     3-3          34-22           25-13                 4-9
Big 12                       4-4          46-22           27-3                   6-3
Big 10                       5-5          54-33           34-13                 6-5
PAC-12                    6-5          47-38           22-13                 6-8
SEC                          5-3          57-30           31-4                   6-2
C-USA                     7-5          42-45           21-24                 5-16
MWC                       2-3          27-26           19-18                 2-7
MAC                        6-6          46-55           21-30                 3-26
WAC                        3-3          23-34           12-23                 2-12
Sun Belt                    4-4          27-36           11-20                 2-15
Independent              1-3          14-15           14-15                 5-7

ACC
Bowl Changes: NC State in, Virginia out.  My Current Bowl Order:  Clemson, Virginia Tech, Florida State, Miami, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Wake Forest, NC State.
My record: 45-19
This Week:  Miami(FL) over Virginia, Florida State over NC State, Virginia Tech over Duke, Maryland over Boston College, Wake Forest over North Carolina, Clemson over Georgia Tech

Big East
Bowl Changes:  My current Bowl Order:  Cincinnati, West Virginia, Rutgers, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, South Florida.
My Record: 31-16
This Week:  Pittsburgh over Connecticut, Syracuse over Louisville, West Virginia over Rutgers

Big 12
Bowl Changes: My current Bowl Order:  Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Kansas State, Texas Tech, Texas, Baylor, Missouri.
My Record: 39-10
This Week:  Texas A&M over Missouri, Oklahoma State over Baylor, Oklahoma over Kansas State, Texas over Kansas, Texas Tech over Iowa State

Big Ten
Bowl Changes: Purdue in, Northwestern out.  Current Bowl Order:  Wisconsin, Michigan State, Nebraska, Michigan, Penn State, Ohio State, Iowa, Illinois, Purdue.
My Record: 52-15
This Week:  Michigan State over Nebraska, Northwestern over Indiana, Michigan over Purdue, Penn State over Illinois, Iowa over Minnesota, Wisconsin over Ohio State

PAC-12
Bowl Changes:  California in, UCLA out.  Current Bowl Order:  Oregon, Stanford, Arizona State, Washington, Utah, California.
My Record: 46-14
This Week: Oregon over Washington State, Arizona State over Colorado, California over UCLA, USC over Stanford, Utah over Oregon State, Washington over Arizona

SEC
Bowl Changes: Current Bowl Order:  Alabama, LSU, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, Auburn, Tennessee, Mississippi State.
My Record: 50-11
This Week:  Arkansas over Vanderbilt, Georgia over Florida, Auburn over Ole Miss, Mississippi State over Kentucky, Tennessee over South Carolina

Conference USA
Bowl Changes:  Current Bowl Order:  Houston, Southern Mississippi, SMU, Tulsa, UTEP, Marshall, Central Florida.
My Record: 53-13
This Week:  Houston over Rice, Marshall over UAB, East Carolina over Tulane, Tulsa over SMU, Central Florida over Memphis, Southern Mississippi over UTEP

Mountain West
Bowl Changes:  Current Bowl Order:  Boise State, TCU, San Diego State, Air Force, Wyoming(tenuous)
My Record: 36-9
This Week: TCU over BYU, Air Force over New Mexico, Colorado State over UNLV, San Diego State over Wyoming

MAC
Bowl Changes:  Current Bowl Order:  Toledo, Northern Illinois, Temple, Eastern Michigan.  Western Michigan, Bowling Green and Ohio (alternates).
My Record: 57-19
This Week:  Central Michigan over Akron, Bowling Green over Kent State, Western Michigan over Ball State, Miami(OH) over Buffalo

WAC
Bowl Changes:  Utah State out, Fresno State in (qualifies at 6-7).  Current Bowl Order:  Nevada, Hawaii, Fresno State.
My Record: 33-13
This week:  San Jose State over Louisiana Tech, Hawaii over Idaho, Nevada over New Mexico State

Sun Belt
Bowl Changes:  Current Bowl Order:  Arkansas State, Louisiana-Lafayette.  Florida International and Troy (alternates).
My Record: 35-12
This Week:  Florida International over Troy, Arkansas State over North Texas, Louisiana-Lafayette over Middle Tennessee, Louisiana-Monroe over Western Kentucky

Independents
Bowl Changes: Navy out.  Notre Dame and BYU all remain projected bowl-eligible.
My Record: 21-8
This Week: TCU over BYU, Notre Dame over Navy, Army over Fordham

Updated Bowl Predictions
National Championship Game:  Clemson vs Alabama
Rose:  Wisconsin vs Oregon
Sugar:  Boise State vs LSU
Fiesta:  Oklahoma State vs Stanford
Orange:  Cincinnati vs Oklahoma
Capitol One:  Arkansas vs Michigan State
Gator:  Florida vs Michigan
Cotton:  Texas A&M vs Georgia
Alamo: Kansas State vs Arizona State
Outback:  South Carolina vs Nebraska
Chick Fil-A:  Virginia Tech vs Auburn
Sun:  Georgia Tech vs Utah
Holiday:  Texas vs Washington
Champs:  Notre Dame vs Florida State
Liberty:  Mississippi State vs Houston
Belk:  Miami vs West Virginia
Independence:  Wake Forest vs Air Force
Music City:  Tennessee vs North Carolina
Pinstripe:  Rutgers vs Missouri
Kraft Fight Hunger:  Purdue vs South Florida
Meineke Car Care:  Ohio State vs Baylor
Insight:  Texas Tech vs Penn State
Ticket City:  Iowa vs SMU
Little Caesars:  Illinois vs Northern Illinois
Humanitarian: Temple vs Fresno State
Hawaii:  Hawaii vs Marshall
Beef O'Bradys:  Pittsburgh vs Southern Mississippi
Armed Forces:  BYU vs Tulsa
Las Vegas:  California vs TCU
Poinsettia:  San Diego State vs Nevada
GoDaddy.com:  Toledo vs Louisiana-Lafayette
New Orleans:  Arkansas State vs UTEP
BBVA Compass:  Syracuse vs Florida International
New Mexico:  Wyoming vs Eastern Michigan
Military:  Central Florida vs NC State

College Football Rewind - Week 7

We have hit the half-way point of the College Football Season.  After losing three unbeaten teams last week in Georgia Tech, Illinois, and Michigan, it has become pretty clear who the contenders and pretenders are.  I talked last week about the gap between teams.  I could argue there is a clear Top 10 teams right now.  Alabama, LSU, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Wisconsin, Stanford, Boise State, Clemson, Oregon and Arkansas.  The latter two have losses to LSU and Alabama, respectively, but have shown the talent level in other games to be included in this group.  In other years, the lines may have been more blurred.  Maybe Upset Saturday will hit us soon.  For one last week I am leaving Boise State in the Title Game.  If the unbeatens continue to prevail (mainly Oklahoma State, Wisconsin, Stanford and Clemson), a change will be necessary next week.

Overall Pick Record:  331-93, 78% (36-14 Last Week)

ACC (5-5 for the week, 47-29 overall, 29-11 non-conference, 6-7 BCS non-conf)

• Boston College is terrible!!
• Who is going to beat Clemson?  The trips to Georgia Tech (exposed) and South Carolina (Lattimore injury) got a lot less daunting after last week.  It might be the looming re-match with Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship.
• Mid-Season Thumbs Up:  Clemson, Georgia Tech and Wake Forest
• Mid-Season Thumbs Down:  Maryland, Florida State
• ACC Game of the Week - Georgia Tech at Miami - What a difference a week makes.  The Jackets come off their first loss and head to Miami for a match-up with a Hurricane team playing better football.

Bowl Changes: Virginia in, North Carolina State out.  My Current Bowl Order:  Clemson, Virginia Tech, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Miami, North Carolina, Wake Forest, Virginia (tenuous).

My record: 40-18
This Week:  Clemson over North Carolina, Wake Forest over Duke, Virginia Tech over Boston College, Florida State over Maryland, Virginia over North Carolina State (Military Bowl Battle), Miami over Georgia Tech

Big East (3-3 for the week, 31-19 overall, 25-13 non-conference, 4-9 BCS non-conf)

• Connecticut is just plain bad.  They might win one more game this year.  OK, I guess they have to lose the rest now.
• How do you figure South Florida?  I am sure now that they are falling off the radar, they will prove me wrong once again.
• Mid-Season Thumbs Up:  Rutgers, Cincinnati
• Mid-Season Thumbs Down:  Connecticut
• Big East Game of the Week - Cincinnati at South Florida - A chance for the Bulls to right the ship while the Bearcats try to keep up with Rutgers and West Virginia.

Bowl Changes:  My current Bowl Order:  West Virginia, Cincinnati, Rutgers, Pittsburgh, South Florida.

My Record: 27-11
This Week:  Rutgers over Louisville, West Virginia over Syracuse, Cincinnati over South Florida

Big 12 (5-5 for the week, 42-18 overall, 27-3 non-conference, 6-3 BCS non-conf)

• A 27-3 finish in non-conference, with the losses coming to Arizona State, Georgia Tech and Arkansas.  Pretty impressive, but the measuring stick game of Texas A&M and Arkansas leaves the advantage still to the SEC.
• Missouri is still in trouble, just sayin'.  They will have to work to get to 6-6.
• The previous being said, I think this is a dangerous game for Oklahoma State at Missouri this week.  Missouri has played spoiler more than once before.
• Texas A&M blew two games against Oklahoma State and Arkansas.  Those are two really good teams.  The Aggies have recovered nicely against Texas Tech and Baylor to show they are also really good.  Oklahoma beware?
• Mid-Season Thumbs Up:  Kansas State
• Mid-Season Thumbs Down:  Missouri
• Big 12 Game of the Week - Oklahoma State at Missouri - National Championship implications pending.

Bowl Changes: My current Bowl Order:  Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Kansas State, Texas, Baylor, Texas Tech, Missouri.

My Record: 36-9
This Week:  Oklahoma State over Missouri (Unbeaten Watch), Kansas State over Kansas, Texas A&M over Iowa State, Oklahoma over Texas Tech

Big Ten (5-5 for the week, 49-28 overall, 34-13 non-conference, 6-5 BCS non-conf)

• Indiana and Minnesota are awful.  They will both still go 0-8 in the Big 10.
• Going to leave this one up - Take a look at Illinois schedule.  No Nebraska, Iowa or Michigan State.  Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio State at home.  I re-iterate - sleeper for the Big 10 Title Game.  Still a sleeper if that game was their oops.
• Ohio State will be 0-4 in Big Ten play.  Good Job Buckeyes!!
• Michigan State has given up 7 points or fewer in four of their five games.  The next two at home vs Michigan and Wisconsin will tell us exactly how good this defense is.
• How do you win a game in 2011 while completing one pass if you are not a Service Academy??
• Penn State is about to get exposed.
• Since last year's loss at Michigan State, Wisconsin is 13-1 and has outscored their opponents in the 13 wins by a score of 639-213, an average of 49-16.  They scored over 30 points in every game except for the Rose Bowl loss to TCU.  In the 9 conference games, the average score is 49-20.  The Spartans held Wisconsin to 24 last year and will need a repeat performance this year.
• Mid-Season Thumbs Up:  Michigan, Illinois
• Mid-Season Thumbs Down:  Ohio State
• Big 10 Game of the Week - Wisconsin at Michigan State - On paper, this looks like the toughest test for Wisconsin, although there are others that will not be a cakewalk. 

Bowl Changes: Current Bowl Order:  Wisconsin, Nebraska, Michigan State, Michigan, Illinois, Ohio State, Penn State, Iowa, Northwestern.

My Record: 49-13
This Week:  Illinois over Purdue, Iowa over Indiana, Nebraska over Minnesota, Penn State over Northwestern, Wisconsin over Michigan State

PAC-12 (5-5 for the week, 41-33 overall, 21-13 non-conference, 6-8 BCS non-conf)

• Leave this one up - Oregon State will go winless in 2011.  Congrats to the Beavers!!
• Leaving this one too - Washington and USC have many flaws, but one will play a big spoiler for Oregon or Stanford.
• If there was any question, Chip Kelly has a darn good offensive system.  Except in the SEC.
• The schedule hasn't allowed for much of a "wow-factor" in Andrew Luck's Heisman run.  That changes starting this week.
• Mid-Season Thumbs Up:  Washington State
• Mid-Season Thumbs Down:  California, Oregon State
• PAC-12 Game of the Week - Washington at Stanford - Opportunity for Washington to show they belong in a 3-way discussion with Oregon and Stanford.  First real test for the Cardinal.

Bowl Changes:  Current Bowl Order:  Oregon, Stanford, Arizona State, Washington, Utah, UCLA.

My Record: 45-9
This Week: UCLA over Arizona, Oregon over Colorado, Utah over California, Notre Dame over USC, Washington State over Oregon State, Washington over Stanford (Unbeaten Watch III)

SEC (5-5 for the week, 52-27 overall, 29-4 non-conference, 6-2 BCS non-conf)

• Still leaving this one - LSU or Alabama will lose to someone other than LSU or Alabama.  Only because how juicy would it be if they both had one loss and Boise State was one of two unbeatens?
• Kentucky is not good.  Not good at all. 
• Boise State, Clemson, BYU and Louisville remain the 4 non-conference losses for the SEC.
• The Vanderbilt/Tennessee game is shaping up to be a bowl-eligible playoff.
• I am not counting Arkansas out of the BCS.  The Hogs always give LSU trouble.
• Mid-Season Thumbs Up:  Auburn
• Mid-Season Thumbs Down:  Mississippi State, Florida, Kentucky
• SEC Game of the Week - Auburn at LSU - Will the Tigers of Auburn officially pass the torch to the Tigers of LSU?  What will two big suspensions mean for LSU?

Bowl Changes: Current Bowl Order:  Alabama, LSU, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, Auburn, Tennessee, Mississippi State

My Record: 46-10
This Week:  Jacksonville State over Kentucky, Arkansas over Mississippi, LSU over Auburn, Vanderbilt over Army, Alabama over Tennessee

Conference USA (5-5 this week, 35-40 overall, 19-24 non-conference, 5-16 BCS non-conf)

• The 5 BCS wins is currently tops of any non-BCS conference.  No one can fault them if the victims have been UCLA, Virginia, Boston College, Purdue and Louisville.
• UAB is staring at 0-9 and will thank Memphis for being in the conference this year.
• Tulsa is quietly lurking in the C-USA race after 3 losses to Top 10 teams in non-conference.  SMU and Houston beware.
• Mid-Season Thumbs Up:  Marshall
• Mid-Season Thumbs Down:  UAB, East Carolina
• C-USA Game of the Week - SMU at Southern Mississippi - The 2 hottest teams in C-USA go at it.  Houston may be unbeaten, but these two teams have shown improvement each week. 

Bowl Changes:  Current Bowl Order:  SMU, Houston, Southern Mississippi, Tulsa, Central Florida, Marshall, UTEP.

My Record: 50-9
This Week:  Central Florida over UAB, Navy over East Carolina, Tulane over Memphis, Houston over Marshall, Tulsa over Rice, UTEP over Colorado State, SMU over Southern Mississippi

Mountain West (3-4 for the week, 25-23 overall, 19-17 non-conference, 2-7 BCS non-conf)

• New Mexico is hands down the worst team in FBS, although that game November 12th against UNLV is my Hide-the-Women-and-Children Game of the Year.
• At 19-17 in non-conference, the Mountain West is by far the best Non-BCS league overall, with two BCS wins vs Georgia and Washington State.
• I continue to leave Boise State in my BCS Title Game, but that may change by the end of October.  The odds of two BCS-league unbeatens keeps increasing by the week.
• The conference pecking order 2 to 4 has played itself out.  Now everyone gets a crack at Boise State and it doesn't look like it will be pretty.  I am hoping for one close one from the bunch.
• Mid-Season Thumbs Down:  Colorado State
• MWC Game of the Week - Air Force at Boise State - Not much on the docket this week, so the Falcons get their chance to stun the Broncos on the Blue Turf.

Bowl Changes:  Current Bowl Order:  Boise State, TCU, San Diego State, Air Force, Wyoming(tenuous)

My Record: 33-9
This Week: TCU over New Mexico, Boise State over Air Force, UTEP over Colorado State

MAC (6-6 for the week, 40-49 overall, 21-30 non-conference, 3-26 BCS non-conf)

• The MAC is 18-4 in games against non-BCS opponents.
• Connecticut, Maryland and Indiana are the BCS victims for the MAC.  Those 26 losses show they are not afraid to play the big boys.
• It took Northern Illinois six weeks to play up to expectation.  Now the big question is whether this will be a trend or not.
• Mid-Season Thumbs Up:  Temple, Eastern Michigan, Bowling Green
• Mid-Season Thumbs Down:  Miami(OH), Ohio
• MAC Game of the Week - Temple at Bowling Green - after playing Toledo well, the Falcons get a crack at another league favorite on their turf.

Bowl Changes:  Current Bowl Order:  Toledo, Temple, Northern Illinois, Western Michigan.  Eastern Michigan, Bowling Green and Ohio (alternates).

My Record: 53-17
This Week:  Northern Illinois over Buffalo, Western Michigan over Eastern Michigan, Ball State over Central Michigan, Temple over Bowling Green, Ohio over Akron, Toledo over Miami(OH)

WAC (4-3 for the week, 20-31 overall, 12-23 non-conference, 2-12 BCS non-conf)

• The 3 WAC favorites (Nevada, Hawaii and Fresno State) are a combined 9-10.  One lost by 20 to UNLV and the other two have each lost a game by at least 49 points.
• After looking at it, Fresno State might go 5-2 in the WAC, but a 13th game might leave them at 6-7 and out of the bowls.
• Mid-Season Thumbs Up:  Utah State, San Jose State
• Mid-Season Thumbs Down:  Louisiana Tech, Hawaii
• WAC Game of the Week - Fresno State at Nevada - Two league favorites go at it to give us some indication how the WAC might play out.

Bowl Changes:  Fresno State out.  Current Bowl Order:  Nevada, Hawaii, Utah State.

My Record: 31-12
This week:  Utah State over Louisiana Tech, Nevada over Fresno State, Hawaii over New Mexico State

Sun Belt (3-3 for the week, 23-32 overall, 11-20 non-conf, 2-15 BCS non-conf)

• Mid-Season Thumbs Up:  Louisian-Lafayette, Arkansas State
• Mid-Season Thumbs Down:  Troy
• Sun Belt Game of the Week -  Arkansas State defeated Florida International Tuesday night in the Game of the Week.  Arkansas State is the #1 challenger to Louisiana-Lafayette.

Bowl Changes:  Current Bowl Order:  Louisiana-Lafayette, Arkansas State.  Florida International, Louisiana-Monroe and Troy (alternates).

My Record: 33-10
This Week:  Arkansas State over Florida International, Louisiana-Lafayette over Western Kentucky, Louisiana-Monroe over North Texas, Middle Tennessee over Florida Atlantic

Independents (1-1 for the week, 13-12 overall, 5-5 BCS)

• Notre Dame should be 9-2 heading to Stanford for the season finale and a BCS bowl on the line.
• Mid-Season Thumbs Down:  Army
• Independent Game of the Week - USC at Notre Dame - Both teams have had their ups and downs, but it appears as though Notre Dame is closer to rounding into Top 10 form.

Bowl Changes: Notre Dame, BYU and Navy all remain projected bowl-eligible.

My Record: 19-6
This Week: Navy over East Carolina, BYU over Idaho State, Vanderbilt over Army, Notre Dame over USC

Updated Bowl Predictions
National Championship Game:  Boise State vs Alabama
Rose:  Wisconsin vs Oregon
Sugar:  Oklahoma vs LSU
Fiesta:  Oklahoma State vs Stanford
Orange:  West Virginia vs Clemson
Capitol One:  Arkansas vs Nebraska
Gator:  Florida vs Michigan
Cotton:  Texas A&M vs Georgia
Alamo: Kansas State vs Arizona State
Outback:  South Carolina vs Michigan State
Chick Fil-A:  Virginia Tech vs Auburn
Sun:  Miami(FL) vs Utah
Holiday:  Baylor vs Washington
Champs:  Notre Dame vs Florida State
Liberty:  Mississippi State vs SMU
Belk:  Georgia Tech vs Cincinnati
Independence:  Wake Forest vs Air Force
Music City:  Tennessee vs North Carolina
Pinstripe:  Rutgers vs Missouri
Kraft Fight Hunger:  UTEP vs Northwestern
Meineke Car Care:  Ohio State vs Texas Tech
Insight:  Texas vs Illinois
Ticket City:  Penn State vs Houston
Little Caesars:  Iowa vs Temple
Humanitarian: Northern Illinois vs Utah State
Hawaii:  Hawaii vs Marshall
Beef O'Bradys:  Pittsburgh vs Southern Mississippi
Armed Forces:  BYU vs Tulsa
Las Vegas:  UCLA vs TCU
Poinsettia:  San Diego State vs Nevada
GoDaddy.com:  Toledo vs Arkansas State
New Orleans:  Central Florida vs Louisiana-Lafayette
BBVA Compass:  South Florida vs Florida International
New Mexico:  Wyoming vs Western Michigan
Military:  Navy vs Virginia

College Football - Top 5 Players Post-1980 - Big Ten Edition

Wisconsin Badgers

1. Ron Dayne, RB
2. Jamar Fletcher, CB
3. Joe Thomas, OT
4. Tim Krumrie, DT
5. Jim Leonhard, S

Dayne was an easy choice as #1.  The former Heisman winner is the signature player in the Football resurgence at Wisconsin.  Fletcher and Leonhard are tied for the school record with 21 interceptions, 5 of which Fletcher took to the house.  Thomas was the most dominant in a pretty impressive group of tackles.  The final two choices were tough, but Leohnard also starred as a punt returner and Krumrie was a 2-time All-American and 3-time Big Ten First Teamer.

Michigan Wolverines

1. Charles Woodson, CB
2. Anthony Carter, WR
3. Desmond Howard, WR
4. Jake Long, OT
5. Steve Hutchinson, OG

Woodson gets the nod at #1 as a Heisman winner and two-time All-American.  His impact was shown at cornerback, as a punt returner and on offense.  Carter was a three-time All-American whose overall career accomplishments are enough to place him in front of Howard, the other Heisman winner on the Wolverine list.  Long and Hutchinson grab the last spots over a bevy of pass rushers who were tough to separate from one another.

Ohio State Buckeyes

1. James Laurinaitis, LB
2. Eddie George, RB
3. Orlando Pace, OT
4. Chris Spielman, LB
5. Antoine Winfield, CB

When I think about Ohio State Football, I think defense.  That gives the nod to Laurinaitis over George for best Buckeye of the last 30+ years.  Laurinaitis spear-headed the defenses that dominated the Big Ten in the 2000's.  George and Pace eminate from the power-running attack of the mid-1990's.  The list concludes with Spielman, who is the poster-child for OSU Football and Winfield, another in the long line of great defensive players.

Michigan State Spartans

1. Percy Snow, LB
2. Tony Mandarich, OT
3. Lorenzo White, RB
4. Charles Rogers, WR
5. Flozell Adams, OT

The Top 3 players on this list define Spartan Football.  Snow was an animal at linebacker in the late 1980's, garnering the Butkus and Lombardi awards his senior season.  Mandarich, despite what happened after his college career, was a beast opening holes for White, one of the all-time workhorses in the Big Ten.  Rogers was a TD machine and Adams finishes off Sparty's list.

Iowa Hawkeyes

1. Chuck Long, QB
2. Larry Station, LB
3. Jared DeVries, DE
4. Bob Sanders, S
5. Tim Dwight, WR

Another easy choice for #1, as the highly-decorated Long heads the Hawkeye list.  Long was the Heisman runner-up in his senior season and won every major quarterback award.  In a College Football world where passing has increased and spread offenses are the norm, Long has weathered 25 years and is still the top QB in this period.  Four other decorated Iowans follow, with defensive stalwarts Station, DeVries and Sanders and wide receiver/special teams ace Dwight rounding out the list.

Illinois Fighting Illini

1. Simeon Rice, DE
2. David Williams, WR
3. Dana Howard, LB
4. Moe Gardner, DT
5. Jack Trudeau, QB

The Big Ten's all-time sack leader heads the list of Fighting Illini.  Rice was an imposing force and his 44.5 sacks, including 16 in one season, are still a Big Ten Record.  Many forget how good 2-time All-American Williams was because of a pedestrian pro career.  Howard was a tackling machine who was Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year twice in his career.  Gardener was another defensive stalwart and Trudeau rounds out the list as the all-time Illinois passing leader.

Indiana Hoosiers

1. Anthony Thompson, RB
2. Antwaan Randle El, QB
3. Mike Dumas, S
4. Van Waiters, LB
5. Vaughn Dunbar, RB

This was a two-horse race for #1 and one of the toughest in the conference.  In the end I went with Thompson, a 2-time Big Ten Player of the Year and Heisman runner-up.  Randle El was a nightmare for defensive coordinators, but he comes in #2 mainly because he never got the Hoosiers to a bowl game.  Dumas and Waiters are defensive stand-outs on typically porous Hoosier defensive teams.  Dunbar rounds out the list as the second best Hoosier RB since 1980.

Purdue Boilermakers

1. Drew Brees, QB
2. Rod Woodson, CB
3. Ryan Kerrigan, DE
4. Jim Everett, QB
5. Mike Alstott, RB 

Brees tops the list as the record-setting quarterback that took the Boilermakers back to the Rose Bowl.  He edges out the do-everything Woodson, who was a 2-time All-American Cornerback who also returned punts and played offense.  Sackmaster Kerrigan, pre-Brees record-setter Everett and the punishing Alstott round out the Purdue Five.

Penn State Nittany Lions

1. Paul Posluszny, LB
2. Shane Conlan, LB
3. LaVar Arrington, LB
4. Curt Warner, RB
5. Steve Wisniewski, OG

 Penn State is definitely Linebacker U., with three of the greatest heading this list.  On a list that includes 5 two-time All-Americans, distinguishing between them can be difficult.  Posluszny eclipsed most of the records and edges out Conlan who was part of a National Championship team.  Warner and Wisniewski were big-time offensive players on championship teams of the 1980's.

Minnesota Golden Gophers

1. Tyrone Carter, S
2. Darrell Thompson, RB
3. Eric Decker, WR
4. Ben Hamilton, OL
5. Laurence Maroney, RB

The only defensive player on the list, Tyrone Carter comes in as the #1 Gopher post-1980.  The 2-time All-American and Jim Thorpe award winner beats out Thompson, the teams all-time leading rusher for the top spot.  Decker's huge receiving numbers, Hamilton's superb line play and Maroney's three 1,000 yard seasons earn them the final 3 spots on my list.

Northwestern Wildcats

1. Pat Fitzgerald, LB
2. Darnell Autry, RB
3. Brett Basanez, QB 
4. Damien Anderson, RB
5. Chris Hinton, OT

The current coach is also the best player on my Northwestern list.  Fitzgerald was a 2-time All-American who led Northwestern to their only Rose Bowl in the past 63 years.  Autry was the star running back on that same Rose Bowl team.  Basanez set Wildcat passing records on his way to Big Ten Player of the Year.  Anderson parlays a huge senior season to #4 on the list and the rock-solid Hinton rounds it out.

Nebraska Cornhuskers

1. Mike Rozier, RB
2. Broderick Thomas, LB
3. Dave Rimington, C
4. Grant Wistrom, DE
5. Tommie Frazier, QB

Heisman winner Rozier heads the list on the newest member of the Big Ten.  With almost 1,700 yards as a junior and over 2,100 as a senior, Rozier was an unstoppable force in the early 1980's.  Thomas followed him as a 2-time All-American in the mid-to-late 1980's.  Rimington may be one of the best collegiate centers of all-time.  Wistrom was the defensive star on the National Championship teams of the mid-90's, with Frazier rounding out the list as the quarterback of the back-to-back Championship teams.

Wisconsin Badgers Plays of the Year Accumulation

Last year, I looked back on the Top 10 plays of the Wisconsin Badger Football Season.  Through five games, there are definitely some candidates for 2011 and there are hopefully many more to come.  Here is an accumulation of the plays so far.  Feel free to comment with any you feel I may have missed.  Currently, they are in no order.

• Russell Wilson's 46 yard TD run vs UNLV (video) from ESPN
• Montee Ball's 22 yard TD run vs UNLV (video) from ESPN
• Nick Toon 10 yard TD on fade pattern from Russell Wilson vs Oregon State (video) from ESPN
• James White 49 yard TD run vs South Dakota (same video as below)
• Russell Wilson 59 yard TD pass to Nick Toon vs South Dakota (video) from ESPN
• Mike Taylor INT of Taylor Martinez vs Nebraska (video) from ESPN
• Jared Abbrederis 36 yd. TD catch from Russell Wilson vs. Nebraska (video) from ESPN
• Nick Toon's 46 yard TD catch from Russell Wilson vs Nebraska (video) from ESPN
• Montee Ball 25 yard TD pass to Russell Wilson vs Indiana (video) from ESPN
• Montee Ball's 54 yard TD run vs Indiana (video) from ESPN
• Jared Abbrederis 60 yard punt return TD vs Indiana (video) from ESPN