The 2011 season is in the books and we are already looking ahead to next year. Here are a handful of non BCS teams that look to make some noise in 2012.

Tulsa

Tulsa returns their two leading rusher and although they lose their star senior quarterback G.J Kinne, R.S Sophomore Kalen Henderson looks to fill his shoes nicely. Henderson wasn’t recruited very highly out of high school but he showed flashes of brilliance as the backup for the Golden Hurricane last season. Tulsa returns 7 starters on defense and filling in the slots for graduating seniors are capable upperclassmen. Look for the Golden Hurricane to make some noise in Conference USA.

Louisiana Tech

The quarterback battle between senior Colby Cameron and sophomore Nick Isham is sure to be an interesting one this off season. Regardless who ends out on top, Louisiana Tech looks to be an offensive powerhouse in 2012. The Bulldogs return three starting wide outs and three linemen on offense. If Louisiana Tech has a weakness next season it will likely be on defense, which returns only 5 starters. If the defense can make some stops, look for the Bulldogs to dominate the WAC and be a dark horse BCS contender. Their toughest test will come at Houston against the Cougars on September 8.

Boise State

Kellen Moore is no longer a Bronco, but head coach Chris Petersen just signed a contract extension that will keep the 73-6 head coach around until 2017. Despite losing Moore and practically their entire defense (only 3 starters return), Petersen knows how to get his guys ready. New starting quarterback Joe Southwick will have some large shoes to fill but Boise State’s schedule got a little easier with TCU’s departure from the Mountain West Conference. With out of conference games at Michigan State and at home against BYU, the Broncos must go undefeated to obtain a BCS berth.

Toledo

This offensive juggernaut just got started last season. Toledo averaged 42.2 points last season behind the arm of sophomore quarterback Terrance Owens. Now with another year under his belt, and coming off an impressive performance in the bowl game against Air Force, Owens looks to take the Rockets to the next levels. Playing against weaker competition, look for Toledo to run the table in the MAC and possible go undefeated. Their toughest competition will be at home against Cincinnati and in Tucson against Arizona.

BYU

With the departure of sophomore quarterback Jake Heaps, BYU has to rely on the arm and legs of senior Riley Nelson. Nelson has moments of brilliance last season but also made some costly mistakes. BYU faces its toughest schedule in years playing in-state rivals Utah in Salt Lake City and then having to travel to Boise and South Bend to play the Broncos and Irish. BYU will have to rely on Nelson and junior wide receiver Cody Hoffman on offense and linebacker Kyle Van Noy and company to make stops on defense.

It’s bowling season. The regular season is over and the conference champions have been determined. Bowl matchups were established on Sunday and we decided to rate them in order of interest.

10. Ohio State vs. Florida

This is a game of particular interest, not necessarily because of the talent or success of these teams, but because of the tie that they now have: Urban Meyer. Meyer was the head coach or Florida when they beat the Buckeyes in the national championship back in 2007. He has recently decided to come out of coaching retirement and take the helm in Columbus. So Urban’s team of the past will be playing his team of the future.

9. Kansas State vs. Arkansas

Both of these teams are solid with only two losses each, to then top 10 teams. Kansas State has looked to have fallen as of late since losing 58-17 at home vs. Oklahoma. They have since barely beaten Texas A&M, Texas and Iowa State. Arkansas has looked good all season except for their two hiccups against the two teams in the national championship, LSU and Arkansas.

8. South Carolina vs. Nebraska

This matchup pits one of the nations bast offenses against one of its best defenses. Nebraska’s backfield of Taylor Martinez and Rex Burkhead will look to run all over the Gamecocks. South Carolina has finished the season strong beating Clemson on November 26.

7. Penn State vs. Houston

Houston lost a stunner to Southern Miss while Penn State has had to endure emotional heartbreak of their own with the release of Coach Paterno. Penn State Has the Cougar defense been exposed? Can Case Keenum recover from a subpar performance against Southern Miss?

6. Clemson vs. West Virginia

It’s hard to believe this is a BCS bowl game. West Virginia is 9-3 and barely ranked in the top-25 while Clemson appears to be slightly better, beating Virginia Tech in the ACC championship. The entertaining part of this game will be the passing game. Both teams throw the ball well and struggle on defense. This will be a shootout.

5. Michigan State vs. Georgia

Georgia looked good for one half against LSU minus a few key mistakes. Michigan State is wondering why their instate rival, Michigan, is in the Sugar Bowl while the Spartans are on the outside looking in despite winning the Legends division and beating the Wolverines during the regular season. Both of these teams want revenge which makes this game a must see.

4. Michigan vs. Virginia Tech

Because LSU and Alabama are both in the championship, Michigan was chosen to take the SEC slot for the Sugar Bowl. Virginia Tech is a head scratcher because they lost twice to Clemson while teams like TCU Houston lost once to top-25 caliber teams. Michigan is on a roll and Denard Robinson is in the zone right now. The Wolverines have won three in a row including a pummeling of Nebraska. However, this game may just come down to a defensive struggle.

3. Oklahoma State vs. Stanford

Both of these teams have a great offense and a prolific pass attack. Heisman hopeful Andrew Luck should be ready to go out with a bang while Oklahoma State looks to keep the ball rolling after pounding Oklahoma last week 44-10. If you want to see a lot of points on the board, tune into this game.

2. Oregon vs. Wisconsin

The battle of the running back. Wisconsin’s Montee Ball and Oregon’s LaMichael will be ready to run the ball, a lot. It will be interesting to see if Wisconsin can keep up with the fast paced Chip Kelly offense. This should be another barnburner.

1. Alabama vs. LSU

The rematch. We are all hoping the score is a little higher than 9-6, but we can be sure of one thing, this game will get physical. It’s not just the national championship, it’s much more personal. Alabama wants revenge while LSU wants to prove the first result wasn’t a fluke. I expect the bag of tricks to be opened and points to be scored.

National Championship Musical Chairs

With Stanford losing to Oregon last week, there remain only two undefeated teams left in the national championship debate: LSU and Oklahoma State. However, there are many more one loss teams still in consideration.

Houston is also undefeated at 10-0 but has had a far from hardy strength of scheduled to be in national championship consideration.

That leaves four one-loss teams still in the hunt for the national championship.

Alabama

The Tide has lost one game this year to the number one team in the country, LSU. They managed to hold the Tigers to just nine points in their overtime loss. Alabama’s inability to make crucial field goals cost them the game.

But the Crimson Tide still have a chance for redemption. It will take a win against #24 Auburn and an Oklahoma State loss. If that happens, can anybody say rematch?

Oregon

The Ducks are similar to Alabama in the fact that their one loss came to LSU. Since losing to the Tigers in week one, the Ducks have crushed every opponent, including then-undefeated and 4th-ranked Stanford.

The problem is Oregon really has little control of their own fate. Essentially, Oregon would need Oklahoma to lose this week to Baylor or next week to Iowa State and then beat Oklahoma State on December 3.

On top of that they would more than likely need Alabama to lose to Auburn on November 26.

Oklahoma

The Sooners have one unexplainable loss to Texas Tech. They have beaten teams like Texas, Florida State and Kansas State. They find themselves currently ranked 5th.

Oklahoma has the most control over their own fate out of any one-loss team. If Oklahoma wins out, they should play the SEC champ (most likely LSU) for the national title. The problem is they have an offensive juggernaut in Oklahoma State to go through.

Arkansas

The Razorbacks’ one loss came to Alabama earlier this year. They have since beaten Texas A&M, Auburn, and South Carolina.

The problem with Arkansas is that they lost to Alabama. Sure, it was a respectable win (if that even exists), but even if Arkansas wins out it will come down to a three-way tie between LSU, Alabama and Arkansas (assuming Bama wins out and LSU only loses to the Razorbacks).

The tiebreaker would come down to the head-to-head results of the two top ranked teams in the BCS polls. Meaning if Arkansas beats LSU, they would need Alabama to lose, too, and fall below them in the BCS rankings. It’s a tall order for the Hogs.

Ultimately, Oklahoma State and LSU have the best chance of playing each other for the national title. Of the one-loss teams, I’d say Oklahoma has the best shot if they can beat Oklahoma State.

The other one-loss teams essentially have to rely on someone else to keep their hopes alive. Regardless, it will be an interesting next few weeks.

After starting off the season 6-0, the Wisconsin Badgers have lost two in a row. Teams have have good streaks and bad streaks all the time though, so what makes this any different? Well, for starters, the Badgers’ two losses came despite Wisconsin scoring first in both games. Both games saw Wisconsin’s opponent score the winning TD in the final 30 seconds of the game. Needless to say, both games were heart breakers for the Badgers who are now 6-2 and currently sit 4 games back from “Leaders” division leader, Penn State (by the way, congrats to Coach Paterno on his record setting 409th win). Although everyone knows a game isn’t won in the final quarter, but rather through the whole game, Badger fans can’t help but blame one person. No, it’s not any of the defense, it’s not even a member of the organization. It’s Mary, as in Hail Mary.

The Hail Mary originated in 1975 when Dallas Cowboys QB Roger Staubach used it to describe his desperation heave to Drew Pearson during an NFL playoff game against the Vikings. Since then, desperation deep bombs in or near the endzone have been coined the “Hail Mary.” We saw it with Doug Flutie at Boston College, Jim McMahan at BYU, and Marcus Randall at LSU.

But during the last two weeks, Mary appeared to be rooting against Wisconsin.

On October 22, the Badgers went up 14-0 early on Michigan State. Then, in the second quarter, all hades broke loose. Wisconsin went scoreless in the second quarter while the Spartans scored 23 straight points. The Badgers mounted a mini comeback and found themselves tied 31-31 with just over a minute left in the game. After a Wisconsin sack caused a fumble, recovered by MSU, the Spartans marched down the field to the Badgers’ 44 yard-line with four seconds left. The Hail Mary attempt was their only option.

Michigan State QB Kirk Cousins heaved the ball down field. It flew just beyond the reach of a Wisconsin defender and off the helmet of a Michigan State receiver and into Keith Nichol’s hands. The Hail Mary was successful.

Flash forward one week. Wisconsin at Ohio State. Again, Wisconsin scored early but lost the lead and had to mount a comeback in the fourth quarter. This time though, they scored to go up 29-26 with a little more than a minute remaining in the game. It appeared Ohio State was going to have to pull off what Michigan State did one week earlier in order to win the game.

And sure enough, OSU QB Braxton Miller marched the Buckeyes down the field and capped off the drive with a 40 yard toss to his receiver, Devin Smith for a touchdown. This wasn’t a typical Hail Mary, as there was still time left on the clock. The real Hail Mary attempt would be Wisconsin’s.

So with just seconds left in the game, Wisconsin QB Russell Wilson lined up to attempt a Hail Mary of his own. He dropped back giving time for his receivers to head for the endzone, went to throw the ball and got hit as he was releasing. The ball landed harmlessly fifteen yards down field.

A loss is always tough to deal with. Badger fans, players and coaches are trying to figure out what went wrong and how to fix it. My suggestion, try to get on Mary’s good side.

–Jake Edmonds, Contributor

Currently, I believe that there are only 8 undefeated teams left in FBS play. Those teams include: LSU, Alabama, Stanford, Clemson, Ok. St., Houston, Boise St., and Kansas St.

The biggest surprise of that list is definitely Kansas St. It just goes to show that old-man Bill Snyder can still coach with the best of them in Manhattan – or the “Little Apple” as many call the college town located in Kansas.

Anyways, so here’s the deal….who is going to remain undefeated throughout the rest of the season? And is it possible that a one-loss team can make it into the BCS title game?

In this post, I’m going to give my prediction of how the national title game will all shake out.

The Undefeated

First of all, I only see the winner of LSU-Alabama, Boise St., and Houston going undefeated the rest of the season. The Tide and the Tigers are just heads nd heels above the rest of the competition at this point, Boise St. is not going to be challenged by any of their MWC opponents – yes, not even TCU this season, and Houston plays in C-USA which is devoid of any legit talent (they may run into trouble with SMU, but I doubt it).

That being said, where are the other teams going to slip up? I see Oklahoma bouncing back from their defeat against Texas Tech to beat both Ok.St. in December, and Kansas St. this week. Basically, I still predict that the Sooners will make it into a BCS game as the Big 12 champion.

As for Stanford, they have a very good shot as well, but still have to go through USC and Oregon. I’m guessing that they will lose one of those two games, although I’m rooting for Andrew Luck all the way.

Clemson still has G. Tech this week…which I think they will win. But their rivalry game against South Carolina is almost a toss-up now that the Gamecocks have found a decent QB to replace knucklehead, Stephen Garcia. I’m going to go out on a limb and pick South Carolina in a minor upset.

If the national picture does shake out with jut 4 undefeated teams left at the end of the season, who is going to play in the title game?

My Title Game Prediction

Okay, so Houston is not going to get a crack at the title game….its sad, but true. And they probably wouldn’t deserve it anyways if they did make it. Still, a BCS game is a very nice consolation for 6th-year senior, Case Keenum, and his teammates.

We know that the winner of LSU and Alabama will be in the title game for sure. So that leaves us with the never-ending saga of Boise St. Time and time again, the Broncos are right there in the hunt for the national title game. They’ve always been tripped up, either by a loss, or by the BCS selection committee.

So what will happen this year. I’m crossing my fingers that they will finally get their chance this season. There you have it….that is my PREDICTION. I see the winner of LSU and Bama playing Boise St. in the BCS Championship game this season.

Then again, I’m always wrong. So don’t be surprised if a one-loss Oklahoma, LSU, Bama, Stanford, Oregon, Wisconisn, etc. somehow back their way into the title game.

That’s the beauty of sports…you never know what to predict!

Just a few days ago, oft-troubled South Carolina QB, Stephen Garcia, was kicked off the team for good after being caught in possession of marijuana or some sort of drug.

Garcia had already been suspended twice during spring ball and was basically on his last strike. Sadly, he probably won’t have another chance in football and probably wasted some very good talent.

This begs the question – is Garcia the exception, or is their an underlying problem in college athletics and football where athletes feel entitled to not follow team rules and in extreme cases, the law itself?

In my opinion, college athletes don’t get the credit they deserve when it comes to our perceptions of their character.

18 and an all-star

It’s not easy being in the spotlight at the ripe, young age of 18 years old for many college athletes. Although they may look like grown men physically, emotionally and mentally there is still a lot of maturing to be done.

That being said, its no surprise that some of these young men (and women) make mistakes that they know they shouldn’t have made. We’ve all been there and done that.

College athletes just get a whole lot more attention shined upon them if they slip up. In some cases, yes, the problem may stem from a character issue. But in most others, the issue is simply one of having to grow up and maturing the hard way.

Make A Wish

It should also be noted that for every Stephen Garcia, there is an Andrew Luck, Tim Tebow, and a myriad of other college athletes who show great class and character both on and off the field.

And its not only upper-class, Caucasian student-athletes that tend to develop strong character traits. No, these types come from all socioeconomic backgrounds, races, and religions.

Perhaps there is no better example of this than that of Oklahoma State stand-out wide receiver, Justin Blackmon.

ESPN has recently been airing a special series called, “Make A Wish,” where college or professional athletes help to make a dream come true for young children battling physical hardships.

The latest installment of the series featured Blackmon, an African American male who sports a nice little “fo-hawk,” and a 9-year old girl named Liv. Liv was diagnosed with a form of leukemia several years ago. In the time frame leading up to today, she underwent a 108 weeks of chemotherapy.

But all those hard days and hours Liv had to endure were probably forgotten the day she met Blackmon at an OSU basketball event. To make a long story short, Blackmon took the initiative to develop a friendship with this young girl, visiting her at her hospital room without invitation. Liv became Blackmon’s #1 fan, and Blackmon became hers.

Liv even gave Blackmon a pink wristband, setting it in his locker before a particular game, that Blackmon puts on for each and every game to honor and remember Liv.

Now granted, Blackmon is a special player that will most certainly be a 1st round draft pick in the NFL. But he also fits into the demographic of most college athletes – an African-American who comes from a middle-to-low class background.

And much like the rest of those in his demographic, Blackmon is a good, young man who obviously cares about the well-being of others. So the next time you read about an athlete being dismissed from his team or being up to no good, don’t think negatively about athletes and their occasional stupidity and arrogance.

Just remember why Justin Blackmon wear’s a pink wristband every time he steps on the field.

For a storied program that plays in the Rose Bowl of all places, UCLA sure hasn’t lived up to its names in, well, the past decade plus a few years. After last week’s 49-20 whoopin’ to a very average Texas team that rotates two very young quarterbacks, nobody mentioned a thing about the loss. Why? Because it was expected from a program that is very much mired in mediocrity.

If you’re wondering why and what has led to the downfall of this once great football power, I’ve compiled a few reasons why I believe UCLA Football is becoming more and more of a “has-been”, starting with its current head coach.

Rick, You’re Overrated

Remember the last year that the University of Washington made it to the Rose Bowl? That year, they were led by a coach named Rick Neuheisel. The same Rick Neuheisel who is currently at the helm of the UCLA Bruins. Rick certainly had a few good years at both Colorado and Washington, but I’m starting to wonder if his true colors are showing in his current gig.

In the past two+ seasons, Neuheisel has led the Bruins to a very paltry, 11-16 record overall. That has included two 8th place finished in the old Pac-10. This year, he is struggling with a very young team. But even with senior-laden teams the past few years, Neuheisel has struggled to put together wins.

Part of the problem is that Neuheisel has been unable to develop his highly gifted, but underachieving quarterbacks. From Ben Olsen to current QB, Kevin Prince, UCLA hasn’t had a solid gunslinger for several years now. The talent is there, the coaching to get them to reach their potential is not.

Secondly, Neuheisel seems to run a dictatorship down there in Pasedena, where its either his way, or well, his way, when it comes to how the team is ran. The best example of this comes from Rick’s feud with former UCLA OC, Norm Chow. Chow is getting old, there is no question about that. But the guy’s resume is amazing and he’s proven time and time again that he is an offensive mastermind.

But when push came to shove, Neuheisel dismissed Chow’s pro-style offense (which led to Chow leaving UCLA for Utah), for his herky-jerky and unorthodox offense. If you’re going to bring a guy like Chow in, you may as well let him have full control of the offense.

Instead, Neuheisel has tried to implement his own “Pistol” offense to no avail. Prince, and the backs and receivers around him have looked lost at times trying to run Neuheisel’s scheme, and consequently, you get results such as a 4-8, 5-7 season.

Poor Facilities

UCLA has also struggled to upkeep and upgrade their football facilities over the past decade. In contrast, schools like Oregon and USC have thrown millions of dollars into improving their school’s weight rooms, practice fields, and more.

Basically, the UCLA Football program is not competing with the top football programs financially, and thus, they are not competing on the football field either.

Adding onto this fact, the Rose Bowl is a good 30 minute drive from UCLA campus, making it hard to sell out the venue when you’re football team is posting .500% seasons at best. A decrease in ticket sales and revenue only adds to the program’s $ problems.

Basketball-Rich Tradition

Lastly, UCLA is and always will be a “basketball school.” You can blame John Wooden for that mantra, I guess. While UCLA football has struggled, UCLA basketball still cranks out top-notch NBA talent such as Jordan Farmar, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love, and more.

As long as UCLA basketball is the No.1 priority for the athletic department, the football program will remain irrelevant and an afterthought.

Hope on the Horizon?

Neuheisel keeps talking about getting over the hump and finally winning games in Pasedena. But I don’t see it happening, especially with the the changing landscape of college football. All the Pac-12 schools are only going to get more and more serious with their football programs as the conference slowly moves towards more expansion and super conference status one day. This is only going to make it harder for UCLA football to find success on the field.

Expect Rick to be gone by season’s end and another 5-7 or 6-6 campaign from UCLA this year…and perhaps the next, and the next.

Is Anyone Clean?

In today’s collegiate sports and more specifically, College Football landscape, it’s getting harder and harder to find a powerhouse program that has not come under the scrutiny of the NCAA due to violations. From USC starting with Reggie Bush, to Ohio State, to Boise State, to Oregon, and up until just recently, The University of Miami, major Division I programs are breaking NCAA rules right and left.

Winning and Money Comes First

So this begs the question, why is it that more and more programs are choosing to blatantly violate NCAA rules and regulations, knowing that the consequences and punishment may be harsh? It comes down to one factor…well actually two factors. The first factor is winning. The second and more significant factor of the two is a direct correlate of the first – known as money. Sadly, morality just doesn’t stand a chance against these two prize fighters.

The Little Red Devil

When push comes to shove, more and more programs are choosing that little red devil on one shoulder over the white angel on the other. When that little red devil tells them that it’s okay to give improper benefits to a prized recruit in order to land a commitment from them, coaches and administration alike crumble and give in.

After all, what happens if you choose morality over cheating a little bit? Well, your arch rival wins over that prized recruit that you were dying to have. And how does your arch rival win over that recruit? It’s simple enough. They cheat. They value winning and money from future BCS bowl games over doing the right thing.

A New Mindset

Sadly, the mindset of College Football and other collegiate sports has come down to this: If you don’t cheat, then somebody else will, and you’ll be ending up on the short end of things. So where do things go from here? What will the collegiate landscape look like in five, or maybe ten years from now?

My Prediction for the Future

From my viewpoint, I wouldn’t be surprised if the rate of busted schools continues to increase throughout the next few years. A good handful of strong programs are probably getting away with violations right now.

Now it’s not entirely coaches and agents faults. They have a job to do, especially for coaches who have to bring in wins to keep from landing in the hot seat. These days, it seems as if one-and-a-half bad seasons will land a coach right on the unemployed list. So you can’t entirely blame them – or at least you can sympathize with them – for wanting to cheat a little here and there. After all, their job depends on it.

How to Correct the Problem

So how can we revert back to the yesteryears when collegiate sports programs were more trustworthy? How can we get them to again choose morality over winning and money? Better yet, how can morality coincide with winning and money so that coaches and school administrators don’t have to pick between one or the other?

First of all, punishments laid down by the NCAA must be harsher. Programs will have to learn that if they do cheat, they will be severely punished for doing so. That means, yes if necessary, laying down more death penalties in the future.

Secondly, in some way, the greed in College Football and collegiate sports must recede to a reasonable level. There will always be money involved in sports, that much is given. But the bond and relationship between winning and making money is just too strong right now in collegiate sports.

The problem with the whole dilemma is that the BCS is probably here to stay. That’s the problem with greed. Once you get that first hefty paycheck, you won’t ever want to be paid anything less. Such is the problem with the BCS, BCS schools, and ultimately, the college landscape.

Suggestions

I’ve rambled on long enough about the problems of collegiate sports, and I don’t really have very many solutions and answers. For anyone reading this blog, what comments or suggestions do you have about how things could change for the better?

Leave a comment if you have a suggestion, or if you just have an opinion about this issue and whether or not you think I’m right or wrong.

Its an age old rivalry, as big in Utah as Yankees vs Red Socks or Duke vs UNC are elsewhere. However, it does bring about an interesting dichitomy between the colors red and blue. There are dozens of organizations, products and companies the sport the opposite color of their rival. Here are a couple more rivals that drive Red vs Blue.

Republicans vs Democrats

Coka-Cola vs Pepsi-Cola

Target vs Wal-Mart

Matrix’s Red Pill vs Blue Pill

Hot vs Cold

Fire vs Ice

Ever heard of that Halo parody? what was that called again?

Well the list goes on. The colors or red and blue represent the opposites of a spectrum. Even physics will show this with red & blue-shifting. And while moderation green seems to do some good in theory, Red vs Blue is always much more entertaining.

The NFL Draft is always exciting. The best part for me is watching my favorite college players begin their journey into the professional world. I also enjoy mocking teams who pick my least favorite players and cheering when the teams I like pick solid candidates. The 2011 NFL Draft did no disappoint. There were a lot of great players taken along with several busts waiting to happen.

As everyone predicted, Cam Newton went first. But I still don’t see why everyone predicted that and why he was eventually selected by the Carolina Panthers. Running quarterbacks tear it up in college, but does their game really translate to the NFL? To answer your question, not really. To back up my answer, let’s discuss the NFL’s most prolific and successful running QB, Michael Vick.

During his time with the Falcons, Vick was a joy to watch. His running game was explosive, breath taking, and extremely fun. But spectacle doesn’t always win games. Vick took the Falcons to the play offs several times but never once did they make it to the Super Bowl and secure one of those coveted rings. With the limited success of even the best running QB, the investment in Cam Newton just seems more baffling.

Although Cam might end up becoming a bust, I doubt that #2 pick, Von Miller will. Miller played extremely well as a linebacker down at Texas A&M and is going to do great in Denver with the Broncos. The guy has all the tools he needs to be a great competitor at the next levels. He has got size, strength, speed, and vision, and his track record speaks for itself. As junior, he led the nation with 17 sacks, was a first-team All-American, and received the Butkus Award. I think this pick will end up serving the Broncos a lot better than Newton will benefit the Panthers.