Call my college football obsession unhealthy, but I really do enjoy watching postseason All-Star games. I know, I know; Me and the other 14 or so people who even bother to tune in, right? Maybe, but there's just something about seeing perennially underrated college stars go out onto a field with a chip on their shoulder with the intent to prove some ESPN twig wrong that really gets me excited. While the Senior Bowl has become the main attraction for NFL scouts and hordes of inquiring media types, other all-star games, like the Texas vs. The Nation Game or the East-West Shrine Bowl, still feature quality players from around the country and around all different levels of college football. What makes these games unique is that they are, in a very real sense, often actual All-Star games, with projected late-round/free agent types of players going out to lay it all on the line in what may be the final football game of their lives. Critical acclaim (not to mention potential pro draft status) or not, here are five players I'm keeping my eye out for in this Saturday's East-West Shrine Game.

RB Gartrell Johnson, Colorado State Johnson is one of those highly productive  runners who has unfortunately had to deal with being mislabeled by the so-called "experts" who project him as a next level fullback. At 6'0, 225-lb he definitely has a power runners body, but questions over his second-level speed have plagued him like a bad rash. Nevermind the reality that NFL 40-yard dash times are inflated to begin with, but if you saw this guy against Fresno State in the New Mexico Bowl (27 carries, 285 yards, 2 TDs) you know he has the size, speed, and balance to carry the load on the next level. I think he's a steal in the draft and should benefit from the exposure in Houston.

TE/H-Back Mark Hafner, Houston Are we looking at the next Dallas Clark? Maybe, as the 6'3 Hafner looks and plays more the part of the all-purpose H-back than your traditional tight end prospect. He was beast in Houston's spread offense this past season, snagging 86 balls for 907 yards and 11 touchdowns. Yet he was one of the most overlooked players in all of Conference-USA. Your classic "mid-major" sleeper, Hafner is the kind of guy who could thrive in the right NFL offense if just given the chance.

LB Robert Francois, Boston College Francois was a guy on a very productive defense at Boston College which typically got slapped with the label of "well-coached." Well-coached they were, but don't overlook Francois' natural talent just because he wasn't playing at an SEC school. While he's something of a tweener and could project as either a rush end or OLB at the next level, he's one of those underrated defenders who looks equally comfortable dropping into coverage or attacking the line of scrimmage to stuff a run play. I like his versatility on defense and although he did not get the same amount of credit as Mark Herzlich on BC's defense this year I could see him being a solid player at the next level.  

LB Michael Tauiliili, Duke Tauiliili is your classic case of a productive player who has had the unfortunate case of being stuck on a really bad team for most of his career. While he's had some disciplinary problems in the past, I've still always been impressed with his ability to read and react with respect to what goes on inside the tackles. He's been a one man wrecking crew against Navy in the past, and I'll be glad to see him move onto the next level. His size (5'10ish) is a concern, but he's a compact and explosive defender who causes problems for offensive linemen trying to block him at the second level.

FB Colin Mooney, Army You really can't help but like Mooney. I'll avoid the stereotypical label of "old school" or "throwback" because they're often widely overused, but Mooney runs with all the grace of rhinoceros. And you know what, I can appreciate that in a "he's not just a blocking back type" kind of way. Case in point, Mooney will surprise people with his speed. He's not entirely fluid or quick out of the gate, but like Gartrell Johnson he has intriguing speed when it comes to getting to the second level. I don't think a pro career is something that can come to fruition with this guy, but I wish him a great sendoff to a record-breaking season. For more on the East-West Shrine Game, visit the official website.

Today is the last day where underclassmen can declare for the draft. With special thanks to Midwest Sports Fans, here is the list of underclassmen leaving so far: Early Draft Entrants

Position	Name	School	Year
CB	Asher Allen	Georgia	Jr.
WR	Kenny Britt	Rutgers	Jr.
OT	Eben Britton	Arizona	Jr.
RB	Donald Brown	Connecticut	Jr.
DE	Everette Brown	Florida State	Jr.
TE	James Casey	Rice	So.
WR	Jeremy Childs	Boise St.	Jr.
RB	Glen Coffee	Alabama	Jr.
WR	Austin Collie	BYU	Jr.
S	Emanuel Cook	South Carolina	Jr.
TE	Jared Cook	South Carolina	Jr.
WR	Michael Crabtree	Texas Tech	So.
TE	Andrew Davie	Arkansas	Jr.
CB	Vontae Davis	Illinois	Jr.
QB	Josh Freeman	Kansas State	Jr.
RB	Shonn Greene	Iowa	Jr.
WR	Brian Hartline	Ohio State	Jr.
WR	Darrius Heyward-Bey	Maryland	Jr.
RB	P.J. Hill	Wisconsin	Jr.
OL	Greg Isdaner	West Virginia	Jr.
DT	Ricky Jean-Francois	LSU	Jr.
DE	Paul Kruger	Utah	Jr.
WR	Jeremy Maclin	Missouri	Jr.
DL	Sen'Derrick Marks	Auburn	Jr.
DE	Aaron Maybin	Penn State	So.
RB	LeSean McCoy	Pittsburgh	So.
LB	Gerald McRath	Southern Miss	Jr.
CB	D.J. Moore	Vanderbilt	Jr.
RB	Knowshon Morenoa	Georgia	So.
CB	Captain Munnerlyn	South Carolina	Jr.
WR	Hakeem Nicks	North Carolina	Jr.
WR	Kevin Ogletree	Virginia	Jr.
DB	Jerraud Powers	Auburn	Jr.
QB	Mark Sanchez	USC	Jr.
OT	Andre Smith	Alabama	Jr.
DB	Sean Smith	Utah	Jr.
QB	Matthew Stafford	Georgia	Jr.
RB	Beanie Wells	Ohio State	Jr.

I hate doing this. I really do. But considering giving ridiculously early preseason "lookaheads" is all the rage these days, I thought I might as well share my Top 10 coming out of 2008 and going into 2009. Keep in mind we still have eight months to go before the start of next season, and between spring ball, a semester without football, and fall camp a lot can happen. Also, don't forget that some of these rankings are contingent on big name stars coming back for another season, like Oklahoma's Sam Bradford or USC's Mark Sanchez. Still, here's where some of the nation's top teams figure to fall going into the long, slow thaw of winter.

1) Florida-Hey, it's not like I wouldn't like to be contrarian here, but fresh off a National Title this team is just scary good and only figures to get better. Percy Harvin moves on to the NFL from the offense but the unit isn't short on experience or playmakers, with Jeffery Demps and Chris Rainey waiting in the wings. The defense should be stacked - with or without Brandon Spikes- and you know the coaching staff won't have any off days with Urban Meyer at the helm. All of this would make for a Top 5 team at least, but when you factor in the return of one of the greatest college football players ever, well, now it just starts to become unfair.

2) Texas-The team that many thought should be playing for a National Title this year may very well find itself playing for one in 2009, as the return of QB Colt McCoy, WR Jordan Shipley, and four of five starting offensive linemen make Texas' explosive offensive attack arguably the best in the Big XII. Losing stud DE Brian Orakpo hurts, but the return of LB's Sergio Kindle and Rodderick Muckelroy leave the Longhorn's no shortage of talent on Will Muschamp's defense. The secondary - young and inconsistent at times in 2008 -  should be much improved.

3) Alabama-It may be tempting to drop the Crimson Tide a few spots when you consider just how poorly they played without soon-to-be NFL bound left tackle Andre Smith in the Sugar Bowl, but remember that as a hole this team was remarkably young this past season. Losing Logan Coffee and John Parker Wilson hurt on offense, but the majority of the defense will be back as will emerging playmakers Mark Ingram at running back and Julio Jones at wide receiver. If this team can find a capable quarterback they look like the favorite in the SEC West.

4) Oklahoma-We'll know by Thursday whether or not Sam Bradford is coming back or not, but in either case the Sooners should return a strong defense anchored by nine returning starters. The return of Ryan Reynolds (injured against Texas) at linebacker should bolster the unit, and even with the losses on the offense line and skill positions there is enough talent in the pipe to keep this team in the hunt for a Big XII and National Title.

5) USC-I know, I know. East Coast bias, right? Wrong. I like USC to make it back to a BCS bowl in 2009, but given the fact that they're going to have to replace six of their starting front seven on defense gives me cause for concern, especially considering their recent history of midseason PAC-10 hiccups. This might be the most talented team in the country, but if anything college football has shown us that experience trumps talent with the new 12-game schedule format.

6) Georgia Tech- Leave it to a longtime Navy fan to go out on a limb on this one. I know Georgia Tech was handled in the Peach Bowl and that ranking them above the LSU Tigers may seem blasphemous to our friends in SEC country, but consider for a moment that Johnson was working with an offense built primarily from freshmen and sophomores recruited for a radically different system. The last time he did that - 2002 at Navy- his team went 2-10 his first year but came around to finish 8-5 in 2003. Even if the defense isn't as good as it was in 2008 I don't see any reason to expect that Johnson's offense won't be incredibly more productive in 2009, making them the ACC favorite.

7) LSU-Settle down Tiger fans, I did not forget you. Had QB Jordan Jefferson and the Tigers played the rest of the 2008 season like they did in the 2008 Peach Bowl we may have had a different matchup in the SEC Title game, but even the 38-3 stomping of Georgia Tech is not enough for me to overlook the painful inconsistency of Les Miles' team in 2008. I like the Tiger offense moving forward under Jefferson, but a likely overhaul of the front seven on defense keeps me skeptical.

8 ) Ohio State-I know some analysts are already drinking the Terrelle Pryor cool-aid, but the Buckeyes do suffer some pretty significant personnel losses going into next season. Chris Wells and Brian Robiskie depart, and joining them may be fellow wideout Brian Hartline. Defensively the Buckeyes will have to retool, and despite the fact that they've replaced NFL talent in the past I think they struggle moving forward without all everything linebacker James Laurinaitis. Still, this looks like the Big 10's best team heading into 2009.

9) Oklahoma State-Here's a comparison for you: How about the Cowboys as next year's version of the 2008 Red Raiders? The defense may struggle, but with all the playmakers back on offense this could end up being a team which just outscores its opponents more often than not. Quarterback Zach Robinson and wideout Dez Bryant are legitimate Heisman darkhorses.

10) Boise State-I don't know if Boise State is really the tenth best team going into next season (ok, so I know they're not) but I do think they represent the best shot of a non-automatic qualifier getting to a BCS bowl game in 2009, which in and of itself deserves mention on a list like this. This season's freshmen sensation Kellen Moore returns at quarterback to direct an explosive offense which features several other young but talented skill position players.

Others to Consider:Virginia Tech, Penn State, Ole Miss, Kansas, Notre (gasp!) Dame

The harsh reality has set in, we now have a little over eight months before the 2009 college football season starts. There is still some football to watch with the Senior Bowl fast approaching and the NFL entering its Conference Championship week. But unless you are lucky enough to have rooting interest in one of those for teams...like me...it's nothing more than a reason to drink and gather with friends.

Kiss the 2008 season goodbye!

 

The last day to declare for the NFL draft and the biggest notable staying for another year is Tim Tebow. Well you can add another to that list as Gerald McCoy decided he wants to stay for another year with the Sooners. The other McCoy from Pittsburgh still has not made up his mind on what to do. Reports came out late last week that Shady McCoy was going to forgo his final two years of eligibility to enter the NFL Draft, but after a meeting with head coach Dave Wannstedt, he then said he was undecided. Let's make it easy for you Shady, most of the defense is gone, you still have Bill Stull at quarterback, and Matt Cavanaugh is still going to be your offensive coordinator. LEAVE NOW while you still have two good knees.

Someone who isn't making news headlines but should, Florida State's Myron Rolle will study at Oxford instead of entering this year's NFL draft. Rolle is a great story as he was one of the top recruits in his class, had a good career with the Seminoles, and used his talents on the field to get him a free education and a Rhodes Scholarship. Myron is the prime example of a student-athlete, congratulations to him and his family.

I was a bit rough on the Big 12 South last week, but there is no doubt there was and still is a lot of talented football players in that conference. The always great Barking Carnival takes a look at the Big 12 South and what each team will lose, and how they will look going into the 2009 season.

If you are anything like me, you did miss some of the bowl action. It is really hard to watch every game everyday...unless you have a DVR or zero life. Both Corn Nation and Spencer Hall over at Sporting News take you through the bowl season.Jon takes a look at the worst Big 12 Performances in the 2008-09 bowl season, while Spencer does his job taking you A to Z through it.

Finally, we will spend the next eight months arguing back and forth over if Florida is the true champion (which they are), or if USC and Utah could have beat them and deserve there share of the title. The man who had the first College Football Podcast, the Enligtened Spartan, takes a look at another argument; Which state had the greatest college football success in 2008. ES looks at both the FBS, FCS, and all of the lower divisions to make his point, it is definitely a great read. Here is a bit of a spoiler though...my state is the BEST!

Even with the 2008 college football season concluded and the National Title game in the rear-view mirror the headlines continue to roll in from across the national landscape, with the most notable stories dealing with player transfers, coaching moves, and NFL draft declarations. Here are some of the more under-the-radar moves that you may have missed over the past month, plus a little commentary on the side from yours truly.

Notable Transfers Always a relevant issue between the fall and spring semesters of the university system, several high profile players have already made a transfer to another school or declared their intention to do so. One of the highest profile players who has already transfered has been former Cypress Fair running back Sam McGuffie, who after a year and at least one confirmed concussion in Rich Rodriguez's spread offense is now taking his services to his hometown of Houston and the Rice Owls.

Personally I think this is a good move for McGuffie, who should benefit from the NCAA-mandated year off to adjust to Rice's own spread system. It'll  not only give him a chance to get his personal affairs in order and recover from the 2007 season, but should put him on track for being the Owls starting tailback come opening day 2010. It's also a great get by Rice, which despite a 10-3 finish this year will have to retool with the loss of quarterback Chase Clement and record setting wideouts Jarrett Dillard and James Casey.

Meanwhile two former starting quarterbacks will be looking to transfer schools, as Miami's Robert Marve and Iowa's Jake Christensen depart for (hopefully) greener pastures. Christensen, a redshirt junior who started every game in 2007 while throwing for 17 touchdowns and six interceptions, was beat out by Ricky Stanzi before the 2008 season began and saw little action for the Hawkeyes this season. He claims to have four offers already on the table, but his final destination remains up in the air.

Robert Marve meanwhile may soon find a school to call home, as one of the more ugly situations in college football seems to be slowly working itself out. Marve, who indicated an intent to transfer away from Miami last month but was not granted a release by head coach Randy Shannon, is now eligible to transfer to two instate schools in UCF and South Florida. The University of Miami is still barring Marve from transfering to in-state SEC or ACC schools however, as well as potential SEC destinations such as LSU or Tennessee. Marve and his family are still "evaluating" his potential options, but either UCF or south Florida would appear to be a good fit for the Tampa native.

Other notable players who have already transferred or indicated a desire to do so include former Gator transfer and Maryland backup quarterback Josh Portis (Division II California Pa.), former Penn State backup quarterback Pat Devlin (Delaware), and SouthCarolina quarterback Chris Smelley, who will make the biggest jump when he goes from holding a clipboard for Steve Spurrier to possibly catching on the Alabama baseball team. Such ends one of the greatest mascot-quarterback name T-Shirt relationships of all time, as who can forget this classis?

Coaching Moves While much of the attention this past week focused on Boston College's handling of the Jeff Jagodzinski situation, there have been a number of other comings and goings in the coaching scene. For starters Ben Miller - who was promoted to the position of defensive coordinator at Louisville last month with the resignation of Ron English - resigned to take the co-defensive coordinator position at Kansas. Look for former Utah State headman and current Kragthorpe assistant Brent Guy to possibly be named to the post as early as this week.   Maryland, meanwhile, has found a solid replacement for defensive coordinator Chris Cosh, who moved on to join Bill Snyder's staff at Kansas State last month.

The Terps have hired University of Massachusetts headman Don Brown to lead their defense. Brown was one of the more aggressive defensive coaches in the entire FCS, and his move to Maryland should give the Terps an instant lift. Not only did Brown's 4-3 defenses lead UMass deep into the playoffs in 2006 and 2007, but he engineered UMass' defense during their 1998 championship run while serving as defensive coordinator. Ironically, it was Paul Johnson's Georgia Southern team which lost to UMass in the Championship game that year, a dynamic which repeated again when Brown's team came within a point of upsetting Johnson's 9-4 Navy team early in 2006. Considering Brown's history against Johnson as well as Brown's familiarity with defending Rhode Island's triple option attack, Maryland's future games against Georgia Tech should figure to be a great battle of coaching minds. For more on this coaching change, check out our friend Frank over at the UMass Football Blog. Oh yea, and some old fart is apparently coming back for yet another season...

On to the NFL The list of underclassman declaring for the NFL draft continues to grow, with the latest wave bringing in a plethora of talented receivers to the 2009 draft class. Not only has two-time Biletnikoff trophy winner and altogether man-beast Michael Crabtree declared for the draft, but Missouri's do-it-all playmkaer Jeremy Maclin has as well. If that wasn't enough to keep NFL scouts drooling than the addition of Maryland's Darius Hayward-Bay pushes things over the top, as the 6-4 wide receiver has been widely reported by scouts to possess 4.3/40 speed. Whether or not that's true I'm not exactly sure, but all three of these playmakers should easily find themselves as first day -if not first round- draft picks.  One player to possibly look out for as a sleeper in all of this is BYU's Austin Collie, who actually led the nation in receiving yards per game this year and set a MWC record with eleven consecutive 100-yard games. I was surprised when Collie declared for the draft, mostly because of the depth of this year's class and the sure fact that he could only elevate his stock going into 2009. Collie may drop to the 4th round or below because of his lack of notoriety or "measurable" success, but he's still as solid of an all around athlete and receiver as you will find at the college level.

There have also been a number of other high-profile names to commit to going pro this season, among them a number of running backs. While I certainly can't argue with the decisions of those like Knowshon Moreno, Donald Brown, or Shonn Green, the decision of Wisconsin's PJ Hill to take his talents out of Madison seem a bit perplexing. This is a deep class running back wise as it stands, and despite solid numbers as a true freshmen Hill has never really been the "wow" back that scouts gravitate towards. The fact that several other power-type backs who are presumed to have better speed "measurables" than Hill have declared for the draft (notably Chris Wells of Ohio State) does not do much for Hill's stock.

He may have been the Big 10's Freshmen of the Year in 2006, but injury concerns and declining production make him a mid-round selection at best in the draft. If he tests well at the combine I think he's a potential sleeper, but right now he's looking a lot like former Badger Ron Dayne in more ways than one. Oh yea, and just in case you've been encased in carbonate or something this past weekend, this dude is coming back for one more go around. Greatest ever? If you don't think so now, let's talk in a year.

Two congratulations to hand out, first to the Florida Gators for winning the BCS National Championship. My second congrats go out to my friend John Radcliff of the Mountainlair, he won his second In The Bleachers Bowl Bonanza title in three years edging out Tell Burke by one point. I will be in contact with all of those who won prizes.

A little bit of a sloppy game last night but that I expected when the teams have around a month off between their conference title games and the BCS title game. Both Tebow and Bradford had two interceptions, but Bradford's came at a very bad time at the end of the second quarter. Add to that the mistake Bob Stoops made not going for the field goal in the first quarter and there's the 10 points Oklahoma needed to tie the game. If you want to get even more into it, the blocked FG would've won the Sooners the game.

As I said in the Podcast, Florida's edge on Special Teams was going to be the big factor in this game, and it turned out to be. It was great to see a championship game live up to the hype. The game was still in doubt heading into the latter parts of the 4th quarter. Mr. Electric, Percy Harvin broke off a few long runs for the Gators and set them up for the winning score. I feel that's the last we'll see Harvin in a college setting.

The next questions surround the fact of how good was the Big 12. We heard all season how they were better than the SEC and have surpassed them in the conference rankings. All the Big 12 supports pointed to having 3 teams in the Top 10 with Oklahoma, Texas, and Texas Tech. Bowl season comes around and Oklahoma and Texas score the least points they did all year against their opponents, and Texas Tech puts up only 1 point more than their previous season low against Ole Miss.

The other Big 12 South team Oklahoma State has 42 points put on them by Oregon. I think my assumption was right all along, the Big 12 was full of above average offenses, but below average defenses. Overall the Big 12 won 4 bowl games against Clemson, Northwestern, Minnesota, and Ohio State.

Only the Ohio State one is impressive, and even then, Texas was suppose to wipe them off the field. But they needed a late TD to win that game. Missouri needed overtime to beat Northwestern, and the Nebraska-Clemson game was very close. Anyway, I was glad to see a competitive championship game and am sad to see a close to the 2008-09 season. We only have a little more than 8 months till the 2009-10 season kicks off. One final note, I was glad to see the AP Writers, who were all clamoring for Utah, come together in unity to put their votes where their mouths are...wimps!

To steal a quote from Colonel Sink right before the invasion of Europe; "Tonight is the night of nights". The waiting is over as the BCS National Championship Game between Florida and Oklahoma will kick off from Miami, a little after 8pm EST on Fox.

Although some people don't think that this game is the Championship game, that it was already decided when Utah beat Alabama; I refuse to be that rebel because I believe in the BCS. Plus I also can't take a guy seriously who still thinks Pacific still has a College Football team. Thanks to Dr. Saturday for pointing out that blunder.

A group of fans will go home from Miami dejected and disappointed, come tomorrow if they were caught crying on camera they will probably be ridiculed by Spencer in Friday's Curious Index, especially if they are a Sooners fan. I have already given my prediction on who I think will win; I think Florida has a decided advantage in the Special Teams aspect, I think their quick defensive line will not allow Bradford to sit in the pocket like he is use to, and I don't think the Sooners will be able to stop the Gators.

For the Sooners to win they have to establish the run to keep the Gators off balance and use their weapons at wide receiver and tight end to find holes in the Florida secondary. The Gators haven't faced a passing attack like the Sooners this year so it will be a test for their secondary.

If you haven't already got enough pregame material; below are some good previews to check out. Enjoy the game everyone, savor it because we don't have another one for 9 months.

Final Thoughts About the Championship Game - [Saurian Sagacity]
BCS Title Preview - [The Reitmeyer Rant]
Hold that pose: Florida, Oklahoma play for No. 1 - [Yahoo Sports]
Oklahoma Defense vs. Florida Offense - [Crimson And Cream Machine]
Oklahoma Offense vs. Florida Defense - [Crimson and Cream Machine]
Oklahoma vs Florida - [Heisman Pundit]
Gators-Sooners: The B/R Guide To The BCS Championship Game - [Bleacher Report]
My prediction: Florida 45 Oklahoma 21

FedEx BCS National Championship Game (8 ET, FOX) After 33 bowl games, several major holidays, and the saturated fat content of more double chocolate cookies than you'd probably care to remember, the biggest day of the college football year is almost upon us. Seems kinda anticlimactic, don't it? I don't know about you, but a part of me almost seems to care less about the matchup between Oklahoma and Florida in Thursday's BCS National Title game. Sure, there's the intrigue with Oklahoma's key injuries, and yes, there is the potential storyline over what some are already calling a "split" national title, but as I look at a game like this I tend to wonder if it'll really live up to its billing.

For those of you who listened to the show last night (and if you did not, you can catch it here) you know that I brought up my reservations on this game in a fairly incoherent manner. I apologize for that, but with the excess of medication I've been taking for an untimely viral infection in my sinus cavity I've been somewhat "loopy" the past few days. In a nutshell though my feelings boil down to this; will this game be nothing more than a continuation of what we've seen the past two seasons with an SEC team taking a non-SEC team to the woodshed? Or can "Big Game Bobby" Stoops and his Sooners, already a somewhat controversial pick to even be in this game, overcome a Florida team which was operating with what can only be described as scary precision by year's end?

I bring up this question - our final in our series of bowl previews - because frankly I don't like the growing perception that this game is becoming irrelevant. That's right I said it, irrelevant. Between those who constantly push the idea of SEC domination and those who assert that a playoff is the only way to go it increasingly feels like the BCS National Championship does not matter. And the fact that we've seen SEC teams dominate non-SEC teams (albeit the same Big 10 team) the last two years, coupled with the fact that the Sooners have lost their last two attempts at a BCS National Title, does little to ease my anxiety. I'm not going to pretend to be unbiased in my hope for this game.

I think Tim Tebow is the greatest thing ever but for as much as I like the guy I want Oklahoma to win thursday, or at the very least play competitively. I've just seen too much in the breakdown of competitive parody in each and every pro sport to want it any other way, and with a Florida win tonight my fear is that we'll get back to this idea that anyone outside of the SEC (with the exception of USC) really does not matter when it comes to contending for a national title. Maybe this makes me a little paranoid, maybe this makes me slightly regionalistic in my outlook, but I actually like our system as it is, and frankly I don't want it to change.

But for that to happen we need good title games. We need the back-and-forth slugfest, the edge of your seat realization for the finale of four months of anticipation, debate, and controversy. In a nutshell we need the 2006 Fiesta Bowl, and we shouldn't be afraid to say so. So as I watch the game Thursday I'll be hopeful -cautiously so, but hopeful - that what I am viewing will one day be looked upon as a classic. Naive? Maybe. But for college football's greatest stage, should we really expect anything else?

The last game of the 2008-09 college football season is Thursday night between Oklahoma and Florida, and to get the scoop on the big championship game, download this week's In The Bleachers Podcast. Brian and Adam go through the key injuries for each team, and also look how each of their offenses, defenses, and special teams stack up against each other.

Also in this episode, the In The Bleachers staff looks at the impact of Utah's win over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, the lackluster Orange Bowl, and the dominance that USC has over the Big Ten with their convincing win in the Rose Bowl.

To listen to the episode you can download it here, or subscribe as laid out below. Remember, if you want the podcast you must subscribe to the Feedbuner but if you want to subscribe to the blog please use the RSS feed. This is for iTunes to be able to archive the shows. You can also search for "In The Bleachers" on iTunes and subscribe to the podcast that way. Enjoy this week’s episode of In The Bleachers and if you have any questions or comments to the show please email them to inthebleachers AT gmail DOT com.

With another Bowl Season in the books and a 1-6 record this season in those games, the Big Ten did not help silence its critics that said they are a conference on the way down. I am not here to add another 200 words on how terrible the Big Ten is, nor am I here to try and rationalize how they have gone 4-11 in the past two Bowl Seasons and are still the power they once were.

I come to show that the Big Ten is not as bad as many thing, but with a few improvements they might become a better conference. They have three of the top storied programs in their conference with Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State. All three teams are in the top 10 in all time wins. First let's dismiss the notion that there is not any speed in the conference. If you watched the Ohio State-Texas game last night, you saw that Ohio State has plenty of speed. Also, let's forget the notion that the SEC has owned the Big Ten in bowl games the last few years. Yes, Ohio State has gotten blown out in the title games but just look at the past few years when the Big Ten and SEC has played in Bowl Games:

2008-2009
Outback Bowl - Iowa 21, South Carolina 10
Capital One Bowl - Georgia 24, Michigan State 12

2007-2008
Outback Bowl - Tennessee 21, Wisconsin 17
Capital One Bowl - Michigan 41, Florida 35
BCS Title Game - LSU 38, Ohio State 24

2006-2007
Outback Bowl - Penn State 20, Tennessee 10
Capital One Bowl - Wisconsin 17, Arkansas 14
BCS Title Game - Florida 41, Ohio State 14

2005-2006
Outback Bowl - Florida 31, Iowa 24
Capital One Bowl - Wisconsin 24, Auburn 10

2004-2005
Music City Bowl - Minnesota 20, Alabama 16
Outback Bowl - Georgia 24, Wisconsin 21
Capital One Bowl - Iowa 30, LSU 25

Your eyes do not deceive you, the Big Ten is 7-6 against the SEC in the past 5 years in bowl games.

A few things have hurt the Big Ten the past two years in bowl season. In 2007-08 with Ohio State playing in the Title game, the Rose Bowl placed second place Illinois in the Rose Bowl against USC just to keep the Big Ten-Pac Ten alignment going. That also hurt the rest of the conference because it bumped each team up a bowl game to play a harder opponent. Again in 2008-09 the Big Ten got two teams in BCS Bowl games, so it created lopsided games such as Kansas/Minnesota and many thought Northwestern/Missouri. Also if you look at the Big Ten bowl alignments, they only have one game against an ACC opponent, the rest are against the Big 12, SEC, and Pac Ten.

Last year there was one against a MAC opponent, but that is a rarity. Now to get on how to improve this conference. I think the Big Ten needs to follow the lead of the Pac Ten. There have been rumors floating around for years that the Big Ten is trying to woo Notre Dame, Syracuse, Rutgers, Pitt...etc. Those teams aren't coming anytime soon, and when you talk about Syracuse and Pitt, they are not going to leave the Big East because it is the best basketball conference in the country, and those two teams thrive on basketball. If the powers to be in the Big Ten are dead set on keeping 11 teams, they need to add another conference game. Right now there are 8 conference games and 4 out of conference games.

With the way teams schedule OOC games, they are going to go 3-1 or 4-0 which means they only need to go 2-6 or 3-5 in conference play to make a bowl. That could include teams, that in some years do not play either Ohio State or Michigan. If you aren't going to add a 12th team to get the conference title game, add a 9th conference game and rotate each year the team you do not play. This will get more deserving teams in those bowl games. Not just teams who beat up on 4 MAC/Conference USA/Sun Belt opponents, and that isn't even counting the FCS teams that are on the schedule. That's what the conference has to do.

Now it is up to the teams to start putting better schemes on the field which if you look, they are moving towards. The spread offense is working it way into the conference. Ohio State, Northwestern, Penn State, and Michigan all use it as a big part of their offense. And they are all having success with it. High School kids want to see points scored, not 3 yards and a cloud of dust. Once that happens, they will be playing against the spread more and be able to defend it more when the Big Ten teams play in the bowl games. Like I said earlier, it is never as good as it seems, it is never as bad as it seems, reality falls somewhere in the middle. For the Big Ten their perception is at an all-time low, but with a few breaks, with a few adjustments they could be back to what they once were.