Graham Watson:

BYU offensive line: The Cougars will have to fill four of the five starting spots on the offensive line, but do have some depth there since several players received playing time due to injuries and some shuffling last year.

Boise State wide receivers: Boise State lost its three starting receivers, including Jeremy Childs, who left early for the NFL. Childs led the team in receiving yards and receptions last year and now quarterback Kellen Moore is going to have to break in some new playmakers.

Brian Bennett:

Louisville: The biggest bunch of newbies are at quarterback, where there are four candidates for the job but not one who’s seen any significant playing time at this level.

South Florida: Look no farther than the offensive line, where four of five starters need to be replaced.

Tim Griffin:

Oklahoma offensive line: The departure of starting center Jon Cooper, tackle Phil Loadholt and guards Duke Robinson and Brandon Walker means that Sam Bradford will have an inexperienced group protecting him next season. Trent Williams moves to left tackle and Bob Stoops likes his incoming talent, if not its early work habits.

Texas defensive line: The major question dogging the Longhorns’ national title hopes will be rebuilding a defensive front that loses All-American defensive end Brian Orakpo, defensive tackle Roy Miller, defensive tackleAaron Lewis and defensive end Henry Melton from last season.

Texas Tech offensive line: New quarterback Taylor Potts will be relying on a retooled offensive line protecting his blind side after left tackle Rylan Reed, left guard Louis Vasquez and center Stephen Hamby all departed from last year.

Chris Low:

Alabama: The Crimson Tide are replacing three-year starter John Parker Wilson at quarterback, but losing the threesome of Andre Smith, Marlon Davis and Antoine Caldwell on the offensive line leaves the biggest void. They were at the crux of just about everything Alabama did on offense last season.

Georgia: Much of the focus this spring will be on Joe Cox and the quarterback position, but the Bulldogs’ most glaring weakness is the lack of a dominant pass-rusher from the defensive end position. They’ve got to find somebody who can consistently get to the quarterback.

LSU: Jordan Jefferson started the final two games at quarterback last season as a true freshman and enters 2009 as the favorite to win the job. His main competition will come from another true freshman, Russell Shepard, who graduated early and is going through spring practice.

Heather Dinich:

GEORGIA TECH — Having lost three of four starters on the defensive line, it’s easily one of the greenest groups in the whole conference.

MIAMI – The Canes are still young everywhere, but remember quarterback Jacory Harris has only started two games and his backups have no collegiate experience.

NORTH CAROLINA — The Tar Heels lost their top three receivers and will be counting heavily on inexperienced players to replace Hakeem Nicks, Brandon Tate and Brooks Foster.

Ted Miller

Arizona State — QB: Combined starts of the five candidates to replace Rudy Carpenter at quarterback? Zero.

Oregon – DT: Both starting defensive tackles are gone and this unofficial depth chart shows 14 combine tackles for seven potential replacements.

Oregon State — DE: Sackmasters Victor Butler and Slade Norris and their 41.5 combined sacks over the past two seasons are gone. Sophomore Kevin Frahm and senior Ben Terry, who split two sacks between themselves in 2008, are in.

Adam Rittenberg

Ohio State’s offensive line — Don’t be shocked if Ohio State enters 2009 with three sophomores (Mike Brewster, Mike Adams, J.B. Shugarts) and a transfer (Justin Boren) on its starting line.

Penn State’s defensive ends — Jerome Hayes should be back from another knee injury, but Penn State will be on the lookout for a proven pass rusher after losing Aaron Maybin, Maurice Evans and Josh Gaines.

Purdue’s wide receivers — New coach Danny Hope made wide receiver a peak priority in his first recruiting class after losing Greg Orton and Desmond Tardy, who combined for 136 receptions and 1,596 yards last year.

Wisconsin’s defensive line — The Badgers lose three multiyear starters (Matt Shaughnessy, Mike Newkirk and Jason Chapman) and don’t return many proven players aside from ends O’Brien Schofield and Dan Moore.

And — of course — everyone’s favorite green unit:

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The BCS does not release a post-bowl poll.  Their final poll is in December and is only used to decide their championship teams.

The AP has Utah at #2.  The unbeaten Utes finished fourth in the Coaches poll.

Utah, USC and Texas are all claiming they deserve portions of the title as well, which kinda ticks me off.

I can understand USC and Utah claiming their shares….but Texas?  No, I’m sorry.  But a squeaker against the #10 team did NOT impress me at all.  Frankly, if not for some questionable calls and poor Buckeye tackling, Texas was defeated.  Their blustering about being “the true national champions” is a lot of hot Texas air.

—————–

Is it just me, or was that the dullest championship game ever?  Sorry, but I fell asleep twice, only to be awakened by announcers trying to fellate Tebow.

——————

Finally, when can we expect massive ESPN articles and TV shows about Bob Stoops and how Oklahoma should never be allowed to play in the championship game ever again?  That’s three he’s blown in six years, and five straight BCS embarrassments.

Get busy, ESPN.

Story By The Buckeye Battle Cry

Fairly or unfairly, Ohio State has become the national whipping boy for its recent struggles in big games, especially the BCS championship.

Well, the Buckeyes have some company in the basement of blame.

Oklahoma deserves the same treatment Ohio State has received in recent months. The Sooners' 24-14 loss to Florida in the FedEx BCS National Championship Game on Thursday marked their fifth consecutive loss in a BCS game and their third straight in the championship. Last I checked, Ohio State has a more recent BCS bowl win (2006 Fiesta) than Oklahoma (2003 Rose).

The biggest reason why Oklahoma likely won't receive the same backlash as the Buckeyes is the nature of its losses. Three of Oklahoma's BCS losses came by 10 points or fewer, two in the title game (2009 and 2004), while Ohio State dropped the last two championship games by a combined score of 79-38. More people were entertained by Thursday night's championship than they were in each of the past two years. It's easier to lash out at Ohio State than Oklahoma. 

But sorry Sooners, a loss is a loss. Oklahoma has lost its ability to win big-time bowl games, and head coach Bob Stoops should be treated exactly like his Ohio State colleague, Jim Tressel. My guess is if the Big Ten had a championship game like the Big 12, Ohio State would win its share, just like Oklahoma.

Make no mistake, there are dozens of programs and coaches around the country that would give anything to be like Oklahoma, Ohio State, Stoops and Tressel. Those two programs have repeatedly found a way to reach the national spotlight. 

But both teams haven't achieved their final goals, and both should be viewed equally. 

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Oklahoma Red-Shirt Sophomore, QB Sam Bradford, has won the 2008 Heisman Trophy! This means that Tim Tebow was denied becoming the second player ever to win two of College Football’s most prestigious awards, thus keeping Archie Griffin’s phenominal accomplishment safe. Thank You Ohio Native Bob Stoops and Sam Bradford for keeping Archie’s legend alive! Boomer Sooner!

photo courtesy of ESPN

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After watching her try to defend her defense of the Big XII Conference, I wanted to let the B/R Nation decide. But I did some quick research on this season’s bowl games and found something interesting.

ACC: 10 Postseason Representatives

• Wake Forest (Eagle Bank Bowl vs. Navy)
• North Carolina (Meineke Car Care Bowl vs. West Virginia)
• Florida State (Champs Sports Bowl vs. Wisconsin)
• Miami (Emerald Bowl vs. Cal)
• NC State (PapaJohns.com Bowl vs. Rutgers)
• Maryland (Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl vs. Nevada)
• Boston College (Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl vs. Vanderbilt)
• Georgia Tech (Chick-Fil-A Bowl vs. LSU)
• Clemson (Konica Minolta Gator Bowl vs. Nebraska)
• Virginia Tech (Orange Bowl vs. Cincinnati)

SEC: 8 Postseason Representatives

• Vanderbilt (Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl vs. Boston College)
• LSU (Chick-Fil-A Bowl vs. Georgia Tech)
• South Carolina (Outback Bowl vs. Iowa)
• Georgia (Capital One Bowl vs. Michigan State)
• Ole Miss (AT&T Cotton Bowl vs. Texas Tech)
• Kentucky (AutoZone Liberty Bowl vs. East Carolina)
• Alabama (Sugar Bowl vs. Utah)
• Florida (BCS National Championship vs. Oklahoma)

Big XII: 7 Postseason Representatives

• Missouri (Valero Alamo vs. Northwestern)
• Oklahoma State (Pacific Life Holiday Bowl vs. Oregon)
• Kansas (Insight Bowl vs. Minnesota)
• Nebraska (Konica Minolta Gator Bowl vs. Clemson)
• Texas Tech (AT&T Cotton Bowl vs. Ole Miss)
• Texas (Fiesta Bowl vs. Ohio State)
• Oklahoma (BCS National Championship vs. Florida)

Big Ten: 7 Postseason Representatives

• Wisconsin (Champs Sports Bowl vs. Florida State)
• Northwestern (Valero Alamo Bowl vs. Missouri)
• Minnesota (Insight Bowl vs. Kansas)
• Iowa (Outback Bowl vs. South Carolina)
• Michigan State (Capitol One Bowl vs. Georgia)
• Penn State (Rose Bowl vs. USC)
• Ohio State (Fiesta Bowl vs. Texas)

Big East: 6 Postseason Representatives

• South Florida (St. Petersburg Bowl vs. Memphis)
• West Virginia (Meineke Car Care Bowl vs. North Carolina)
• Rutgers (PapaJohns.com Bowl vs. N.C. State)
• Pitt (Brut Sun Bowl vs. Oregon State)
• UConn (International Bowl vs. Buffalo)
• Cincinnati (Orange Bowl vs. Virginia Tech)

Pac 10: 5 Postseason Representatives

• Arizona (Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl vs. BYU)
• Cal (Emerald Bowl vs. Miami (FL))
• Oregon (Pacific Life Holiday Bowl vs. Oklahoma State)
• Oregon State (Brut Sun Bowl vs. Pitt)
• USC (Rose Bowl vs. Penn State)

And this is just the main conferences. How do you think the smaller conferences did this seaason?

Mountain West: 5 Postseason Representatives

• Colorado State (New Mexico Bowl vs. Fresno State)
• BYU (Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl vs. Arizona)
• TCU (SDCCU Poinsettia Bowl vs. Boise State)
• Air Force (Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl vs. Houston) 
• Utah (Sugar Bowl vs. Alabama)

WAC: 5 Postseason Representatives 

• Fresno State (New Mexico Bowl vs. Colorado State) 
• Hawaii (Sheraton Hawaii Bowl vs. Notre Dame)
• Louisiana Tech (Independence Bowl vs. Northern Illinois)
• Nevada (Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl vs. Maryland)
• Boise State (SDCCU Poinsettia Bowl vs. TCU)

So when you do the simple mathematics of who is in the bowl games, the Big XII is not as dominating as Lisa wants them to be. She gave so much credit to Colt McCoy, Sam Bradford and Graham Harrell (who royally got the shaft in the Heisman) but none to Mack Brown, Mike Leach or Bob Stoops. It’s always good to be the quarterback, but you can’t be a great QB without a great coach to teach you the fundamental basics.

But it was a team effort that got a majority of these teams into their respective bowl games. But to just single out one player or position as the reason of their success is downright dumb. In regards to the SEC being dominant, I’m surprised no one threw former Tennessee Quarterback Peyton Manning’s name in the mix if you’re going to do name dropping.

Regardless, the Big XII is in as much trouble this bowl season as everyone else. And even though no one has flat out said that Oklahoma will slaughter Florida or vice versa, you have to know that someone wants to start the fireworks.

It’s good that you know stats and everything, Lisa, but the facts do not support your main argument. You called the SEC weak this season, but really didn’t give a reason to their weakness. You just went on about how great the quarterbacks of the Big XII look in their uniforms. But the numbers aren’t the only thing that people look at. They look at who has proven themselves to be a leader.

In all honesty, all four quarterbacks involved in the Heisman Chase have proven themselves to be leaders. But after tonight, only one will hold up the Heisman…and Tebow would much rather have a National Championship. And we all know about the Heisman Curse.

So here’s a better poll question: Who has been the stronger conference and who has been the weaker conference this year?

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Penn State head coach Joe Paterno has been named one of nine finalists for the Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year Award. 

Paterno, the 2008 Big Ten Coach of the Year, has been named National Coach of the Year three times (1978, 1982, 1986) by the Football Writers Association of America. He also was a finalist for the award in 1997 and 2005. 

Florida’s Urban Meyer, Alabama’s Nick Saban and Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops are the other previous winners nominated for this year’s award. 

The 2008 nominees are: 

• Mack Brown, Texas
• Pete Carroll, USC
• Mike Leach, Texas Tech
• Urban Meyer, Florida
• Joe Paterno, Penn State
• Chris Petersen, Boise State
• Nick Saban, Alabama
• Bob Stoops, Oklahoma
• Kyle Whittingham, Utah

I’m not sure what Cincinnati’s Brian Kelly did to tick off the national voters for these awards, but how he’s repeatedly left off these lists baffles me. Few coaches in America could have handled a very difficult quarterback situation better than Kelly did this fall.

Paterno doesn’t have a great shot to win the award — my vote will go to Saban — but the nomination is still nice. 

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Penn State’s Joe Paterno, Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald and Ohio State’s Jim Tressel are among the 10 finalists for the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award.

Voting for the award will take place Dec. 12-22, with the winner being announced Dec. 31 during halftime of the Music City Bowl. Fans can cast their votes here, and votes from College Football Hall of Fame members and national media also will be included in the selection process.

The 10 finalists are:

• Mack Brown, Texas
• Brady Hoke, Ball State
• Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern
• Urban Meyer, Florida
• Joe Paterno, Penn State
• Chris Petersen, Boise State
• Nick Saban, Alabama
• Bob Stoops, Oklahoma
• Jim Tressel, Ohio State
• Kyle Whittingham, Utah

Paterno, named Big Ten Coach of the Year last month, guided Penn State to an 11-1 record, a share of the league title and a Rose Bowl appearance. Fitzgerald led an underrated Northwestern team to a 9-3 mark and an Alamo Bowl appearance. Tressel helped Ohio State to a share of the Big Ten title and a BCS bowl appearance for the fourth consecutive season.

My vote goes to Saban, though there are strong arguments for Brown and the three non-BCS coaches (Whittingham, Petersen and Hoke). Paterno and Fitzgerald certainly deserve to be on the list, but I’m a little surprised about Tressel. Though he did a good job transitioning Terrelle Pryor and helping Ohio State bounce back from the USC disaster, the Buckeyes were a preseason national title contender and finished 10-2. Most Ohio State fans were somewhat disappointed with this season.

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Penn State’s Joe Paterno, Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald and Ohio State’s Jim Tressel are among the 10 finalists for the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award. 

Voting for the award will take place Dec. 12-22, with the winner being announced Dec. 31 during halftime of the Music City Bowl. Fans can cast their votes here, and votes from College Football Hall of Fame members and national media also will be included in the selection process. 

The 10 finalists are:

• Mack Brown, Texas
• Brady Hoke, Ball State
• Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern
• Urban Meyer, Florida,
• Joe Paterno, Penn State
• Chris Petersen, Boise State
• Nick Saban, Alabama
• Bob Stoops, Oklahoma
• Jim Tressel, Ohio State
• Kyle Whittingham, Utah

Paterno, named Big Ten Coach of the Year last month, guided Penn State to an 11-1 record, a share of the league title and a Rose Bowl appearance. Fitzgerald led an underrated Northwestern team to a 9-3 mark and an Alamo Bowl appearance. Tressel helped Ohio State to a share of the Big Ten title and a BCS bowl appearance for the fourth consecutive season. 

My vote goes to Saban, though there are strong arguments for Brown and the three non-BCS coaches (Whittingham, Petersen and Hoke). Paterno and Fitzgerald certainly deserve to be on the list, but I’m a little surprised about Tressel. Though he did a good job transitioning Terrelle Pryor and helping Ohio State bounce back from the USC disaster, the Buckeyes were a preseason national title contender and finished 10-2. Most Ohio State fans were somewhat disappointed with this season. 

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Until January 1st, we won’t be blessed with any real outstanding bowls, except for the Poinsettia Bowl (TCU v Boise State), Champs Sports Bowl (Florida State v Wisconsin), Emerald Bowl (Cal v Miami), Holiday Bowl (Oregon v Oklahoma State) and Chick-Fil-A Bowl (LSU v Georgia Tech).

Our reward for watching all of the lesser-compelling bowls? The BCS Bowls. The biggees. The cream of the crop bowls. Or are they?

Here are the BCS Bowls and their cases for why they are compelling, or why they are not. See if you agree with the verdicts.

The Allstate Sugar Bowl (Alabama vs. Utah)

Quick, whichever team wins will make a strong case for… what? Think about that for a minute. The Crimson Tide had their hearts broken after losing the SEC Conference Championship Game to the Florida Gators. Still reeling, they now face the Mountain West champs, the Utah Utes.

If Bama wins, everyone will say “Big deal, the Utes didn’t belong here because they don’t play in a BCS conference.” If the Utes win, everyone will say “Told ya, the Tide were overrated to begin with, and this just proves that point.”

This Sugar Bowl may have a winner, but not in the PR dept. It’s anti-climatic, doesn’t prove anything and except for a possible “We belong here” case for the Utes, won’t bolster the Utes’ case for playing in the NC game (after all, they are playing the second place SEC team) and will not have resolved anything. No matter who wins.

Verdict: Not compelling

The Tostitos Fiesta Bowl (Texas vs. Ohio State)

Holy smokes, this bowl is going to need a shrink on hand to tend to all the psyches of these teams’ players. Let’s look at what story lines are involved here.

You’ve got one ticked-off Longhorns team who feels they should have represented the Big 12 South in the Conference Championship and gotten a possible shot at the NC. Instead, they have to watch a team they beat – Oklahoma – get that shot when both the Sooners and the Longhorns have the same amount of losses. Think there’s a bit to prove on the field here?

On the other hand, you have the Ohio State Buckeyes, who are making their yearly saunter into a BCS Bowl with a bit of a chip on their shoulders- they are tired of hearing “over rated”, tired of “0-11″ (even though that record is against the SEC and they are now playing a Big 12 team), and tired of hearing how they haven’t recently deserved to be in BCS Bowls.

The end result? If Texas beats the nuts out of Ohio State and Florida beats the boom out of the Sooners in the NC, we could have another split championship. How many heads will roll if the Buckeyes are in the preseason top ten rankings next year? If Ohio State beats Texas, then the Buckeyes will have restored some dignity, finally shut up the naysayers and proved that Texas got what it deserved.

Verdict: Very compelling

The Rose Bowl presented by Citi (USC vs. Penn State)

The last few Rose Bowls have been duds, in part because the Rose Bowl did not get their traditional No. 1 Pac-10 champ vs No. 1 Big Ten champ; Ohio State went to the NC game two years in a row. This year, it’s a bit different. Big Ten Co-champ Penn State has only loss, a hiccup against Iowa, while the Pac-10 champ, USC, also had one hiccup against Oregon State.

Both teams have strong cases for being in the NC but unfortunately, their respective conferences’ strength took a nose dive in the public opinion polls. Here is their chance to prove that their one-loss records are just as worthy as Oklahoma’s and Florida’s. Both teams have very good D- USC is No. 1 and Penn State is No. 5. This game will expose which team truly has the better D, and which team’s statistical rankings in college football are legit and which are a result of playing in a soft conference.

Throw in a possible last game for HC Joe Paterno and definite last game for USC OC Steve Sarkisian, two of the best linebackers in the nation (Brian Cushing and Rey Maualuga) playing against Linebacker U, two strong-armed and mobile quarterbacks (Daryll Clark and Mark Sanchez), superb rushing from both teams, and you’ve got a heckuva match-up, probably the second best of the BCS Bowls.

Verdict: Very compelling

The FedEx Orange Bowl (Virginia Tech vs. Cincinnati)

Yep, count anyone who watches this game as desperate – including myself – for some football. If this bowl isn’t a perfect example as to why auto-berths should be ditched, then nothing is. Sorta like all the freight companies still charging a 15% surcharge when gas in California is now around .80 a gallon. If no one complains about it, and still pays for it, why should they drop the surcharge?

Back to the four-loss Hokies playing the two-loss Bearcats. There are some feel-good stories behind these two teams- the Hokies are still recovering from their campus shootings and a huge loss of talent on their roster, while the Bearcats are enjoying their first ten-win season in decades. Still, you can’t get past the fact that one of these teams shouldn’t be playing in a BCS Bowl, and the other team is playing because, well, someone has to represent the Big East. The Hokies have great D (No. 7), but dreadful O (No. 107), while the Bearcats have very good D (No. 26), and average O (No. 50). The outcome should be obvious- three and outs, lots of punts and a plethora of field goals.

Verdict: Not compelling.

The FedEx BCS Championship Game (Oklahoma vs. Florida)

This has to be compelling, doesn’t it? Of course! It’s the National Championship game, the one game where everyone agrees it reflects the two best teams in the country. Yeah, Ok, we’re not sold either. There are nine teams that all have solid arguments for why they should be in this game, but since this is what we have, let’s just say these are the two best. We don’t have a choice, so deal with it

The Gators suffered a hiccup to, as it turns out, a pretty good Ole Miss team, while the Sooners’ hiccup was against a strong Longhorns team. Both have coaches who have won a BCS Championship, so both coaches know the drill.

But there are two lingering questions in the back of everyone’s mind: did Florida deserve to jump up to No. 2 by winning the the SEC- a conference clearly not as strong as everyone thought it would be – and can Bob Stoops actually game-prep his players to show up in a BCS Bowl?

No doubt, if the Sooners fall apart after a game-changing play- which they are infamous for – the second question will be answered. But if that happens, does it necessarily mean the Gators are the best team, or that they played an opponent who tanked another BCS Bowl?

The BCS hopes both teams will play their best, but as the past couple of Championship Games have shown, one team forgets to show up. And let’s not forget the excuses, either. One team will claim the other team had an advantage because they didn’t have to travel far. One team will claim the refs are biased, one team will claim the other team had an easier path, and one team might have to think long and hard about their head coach’s future if they lose.

Finally, the outcome of this game could cause a split championship.

Verdict: Extremely compelling.

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It’s time for the second half of today’s mailbag.

But first, a couple of housekeeping items. There has been some confusion about a recent post, where I wrote that Iowa’s recent trips to the Outback Bowl wouldn’t be held against the Hawkeyes for possible selection this season. This wasn’t a shot at Iowa. It referred to the fact that bowls sometimes like to select new teams rather than ones they have hosted recently. But from everyone I’ve spoken to, the Outback Bowl would have no trouble selecting Iowa again, and I’m sure the Hawkeyes would represent well.

Also, one user brought up the fact that there were no Big Ten power rankings this week. With no games last Saturday, the power rankings didn’t change from after Week 13. 

OK, on to your questions. 

Jamal from Baltimore writes: Adam, great work on the blog, I’ve been reading it all season. I’ve heard some internet rumors (take those for whatever they’re worth) that Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Bradley may be looking into the Syracuse opening. Do you think the ‘Cuse would hire Bradley? Would it really leave Penn State, and would it be because of administration’s desire to have a national search for head coach when JoePa retires?

Adam Rittenberg: If I were Syracuse AD Daryl Gross, I’d definitely give Bradley a call. Bradley should be Joe Paterno’s successor at Penn State, but the longer the school drags its feet in naming him coach-in-waiting, the more he has to start looking out for No. 1. Now I don’t believe Bradley is at the top of Syracuse’s list, but he should get a look and absolutely deserves to be a head coach somewhere (Penn State!). He seems very happy at Penn State, but he has to be wondering why a succession plan hasn’t been put in place like it has elsewhere. He’s the obvious choice there, but someone is holding up the process, whether it’s the administration or Paterno. 

Suzanne from Miami writes: Hey Adam, Maybe you can answer this question in Part 2. If UCLA pulls a ridiculous upset this weekend and Oregon State goes to the Rose Bowl, will that push USC out of BCS bowl and keep Ohio State in? Bowl games don’t usually like picking teams that have just lost, correct?

Adam Rittenberg: It’s an interesting question, Suzanne. My sense is that USC would still get a BCS at-large berth despite the loss. But it could go either way. The Trojans have the head-to-head win against Ohio State, but anyone with any football sense can see this Ohio State team is much better than the one that visited the L.A. Coliseum on Sept. 13. Also, USC would have a bad loss on its résumé, while Ohio State’s only two losses are against Top 10 teams (USC and Penn State). Both teams are very attractive to bowl games, even at 10-2, so it would create an interesting situation. My concern is that Ohio State’s recent BCS title game performances would be held against it in determining the at-large spot. Boise State also could be in play should USC lose. 

Dan from Minneapolis writes: Adam, Why is Oklahoma not getting penalized like Ohio State did for recent Bowl Performances? Just like OSU, they are awesome in their conference, but have failed the last 4 times on the big bowl stage. OSU at least has a winning BCS record. Shouldn’t OU’s performance have played a vital role because you know it would have had it been Ohio State. I for one, really want a competitive BCS Championship game and if OU is in it, I am afraid it will be another blow-out

Adam Rittenberg: Overall conference strength helped the Sooners this season, and they won a couple of national showcase games (Texas Tech, Oklahoma State). But you’re absolutely right. Oklahoma has been a bad big-game team in recent years, and a strong performance in the BCS title game will be critical for Bob Stoops. The same holds true for Jim Tressel and Ohio State in what should be a BCS bowl appearance. Despite all the debate, the BCS is setting up to have some very competitive games. But Oklahoma should and will be ripped like Ohio State if it stumbles again this season.

Mike from White Lake writes: Interesting to see three assistants from MSU make your MAC coaching list. I would be surprised to see [Don] Treadwell go this year with his son Blake joining the squad next year as one of the Midwest’s top OL. He might very well be redshirted but I wonder if that may encourage Treadwell to stay a couple of years and hold out for a better head coching job down the line. Your thoughts?

Adam Rittenberg: I did see that about Treadwell’s son coming to Michigan State, and it could be a factor in Don remaining there. But head-coaching opportunities don’t come along too often, and there are a bunch of vacancies right now in the MAC. If your ultimate goal is to be a head coach, you have to capitalize when the opportunity presents itself. It could go either way with Treadwell, but I would think he’ll at least talk to one or more of those schools. Michigan State’s coaching staff had a phenomenal season, getting a team with so-so talent to 9-3 and third place in the Big Ten. Those assistants deserve to get a look for top jobs.

Ross from Minneapolis writes: In today’s mailbag, you said that Northwestern deserves a better bowl than Iowa “by any measure on on the field.” And while it is true that NW beat Iowa, I think there are plenty of on-field factors that cut in Iowa’s favor. * Northwestern has a one-game advantage in the overall record, but should we really ignore the fact that they played a ridiculously easy non-conference schedule (a I-AA school and three I-A schools with losing records in Syracuse, Duke, and Ohio)? Iowa’s non-conference schedule wasn’t anything great, but it did include a road game against Pitt, a far better team than any that Northwestern played. Had Iowa played NW’s cupcake non-conference schedule, I think they would have the same overall records. * They each played one elite level opponent. Iowa beat Penn State, while Northwestern got run off the field by Ohio State. * Iowa’s four losses came by a combined margin of 12 points, while Northwestern’s three losses came by a whopping 54 points. * Against common opponents: — Michigan State: both teams lost, but Iowa’s loss was by 3 in East Lansing, while Northwestern lost by 17 in Evanston — Indiana: Iowa beat them by 35 in Bloomington, while Northwestern lost by 2 in Bloomington — Purdue: Northwestern beat them by 22 in Evanston, while Iowa beat them by only 5 in Iowa City — Minnesota: Iowa beat them by 55 in Minneapolis, while Northwestern beat them by only 7 in Minneapolis — Illinois: Northwestern beat them 17 in Evanston, while Iowa lost to them by 3 in Champaign Total against common opponents: Iowa was 3-2 with a +89 point differential. Northwestern was 3-2 with a +27 point differential. I understand why Northwestern fans are upset, but unless you want to base the decision solely on one head-to-head result, I don’t think on-field results are cut and dried at all. In fact, you can make a pretty compelling case that Iowa’s body of work in B10 play is more impressive than Northwestern’s body of work in B10 play.

Adam Rittenberg: These are fair points, Ross, and should be taken into account when evaluating the two teams. Iowa’s nonconference schedule was tougher with the Pitt game, which would have been a nice win for the Hawkeyes. And Iowa is the only team among the Big Ten’s second tier — Northwestern, Michigan State, Iowa — with a win against an elite opponent. But I really don’t think the head-to-head matchup should be minimized. What type of message does that send in a sport where every game is supposedly meaningful? If the roles were reversed and Iowa had beaten Northwestern in Evanston, Hawkeyes fans would demand that their team get a better bowl than Northwestern. We can throw out common opponents, margin of victory, margin of defeat and other factors. But the head-to-head matchup trumps all of those. The bottom line is both of these teams had strong seasons, and Iowa really hit its stride from mid-October on. The Hawkeyes likely will go to the Outback Bowl and give an SEC team all it can handle. Northwestern likely will go to the Alamo Bowl and face an extremely tough test from the Big 12. Both teams have opportunities to validate their seasons and represent the league well. 

Adam from Indianapolis writes: I posted this as a comment to your first mailbag session today, but I wanted to make sure that you saw it. In that session, you wrote “should USC jump into the title game, the Rose Bowl likely would take a team not from the Pac-10″. Not only is likely for the Rose Bowl to choose outside of the Pac-10, it is near impossible for a Pac-10 choice to even be possible. In order for a team to be eligible for at large selection, it must have 9 wins AND be in the top 14 of the BCS standings. Oregon would be the only other Pac-10 team that could be eligible, and it would take even more voter collusion than occurred this week (for Texas) to move the Ducks up to the top 14 from its current position of 19th. Perhaps you already knew this (or overlooked it), however your comment implied that a non Pac-10 team would have preference, which is not the case. The Rose Bowl would do anything to protect its sacred Big Ten/Pac-10 match up, and would choose a Pac-10 replacement if it could.

Adam Rittenberg: Thanks for the note, Adam. You’re right, and I should have been more definitive. It would be almost impossible for the Rose Bowl to take a Pac-10 team if USC goes to the title game. Oregon is 19th in the BCS standings, and the Ducks won’t move up too much after this weekend. It would be Big Ten vs. Big 12/SEC in the Rose Bowl should the Trojans head to Miami.

J.J. from Minneapolis writes: Adam: What are the chances of the Gophers going to the Champs Sports Bowl? If we do go there, who will we play? End the suspense please!!!

Adam Rittenberg: It will be either Wisconsin or Minnesota in the Champs Sports Bowl, and the decision largely depends on what Wisconsin wants to do. If the Badgers would prefer not to go to a fifth straight Florida bowl, they could voice their concern to the Champs Sports people and target a trip to the Insight Bowl in Arizona. This is pretty unlikely, though. My latest projections have Wisconsin in Champs Sports and Minnesota in Insight. The likely Champs Sports opponents include Florida State, Georgia Tech and Clemson.

Craig from Cambridge, Ill., writes: I was watching College Game Day Final Saturday night and was surprised by one of the guys’ comments while discussing who should be the Big Twelve South champion. Somebody (I don’t remember who) jokingly threw out, “they out to decided it by graduation rate”. I got a laugh out of it at the time, but while laying in bed I put some more thought into it. The NCAA will defend any change to it’s FBS college football system because change would negatively affect the student atheletes. With than in mind, shouldn’t the NCAA and the conferences reward their student atheletes by using graduation rates as tie breakers? In this instance Texas Tech would win the tie breaker by virtue of it’s higher graduation rate, instead of which team a bunch of computers and pollsters think is better. How about in the Big Ten where co-champions abound? This would definately put STUDENT back in student athelete.

Adam Rittenberg: Now that would be a great idea, Craig. It would force some of the football factories out there to actually care about graduating their players. I’ll bring it up to Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany the next time I chat with him. Then again, the Big Ten tiebreakers aren’t as absurd as the Big 12’s.  

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