RANKING THE 2011 BCS—WEEK 1

We are midway through the college football season and you know what that means?

The Bowl Championship Series rankings are finally here!

Now while for the most part, I like some of the placing of most of these teams on the original copy, there are some things I do beg to differ on.

Here is my list on how the top 10 should have gone…

     1)      LSU (7-0): It is only right that the LSU Tigers are the No. 1 in the BCS polls. Looking at their body of work you can see why. Beating Oregon, Mississippi St. and West Virginia away from Baton Rouge is no easy task and seeing that the Ducks and Mountaineers are still doing well, it adds on to the Tigers’ case. With an efficient offense and even better defense LSU has set itself up nicely for the epic showdown against Alabama on Nov. 5—as long as they do not overlook Auburn this week. THIS WEEK: vs. Auburn. RANKINGS: 1 (BCS), 1 (AP), 2 (Coaches), 1 (Harris), 3 (Computers).

     2)      ALABAMA (7-0): With all due respect, the Alabama Crimson Tide is a close No. 2 on my poll. Alabama impresses everyone thanks to its running game and stifling defense. Junior running back Trent Richardson already has 15 rushing touchdowns this season while the defense has only allowed seven points a game—best in the nation. Like the Tigers, the overall strength of schedule is strong with the Tide beating Penn State and Florida on the road, and Arkansas at home. The Tennessee Volunteers are next and Alabama will be looking to beat them by more than 31 (like LSU did). THIS WEEK: vs. Tennessee. RANKINGS: 2 (BCS), 2 (AP), 3 (Coaches), 2 (Harris), 2 (Computers).

     3)      OKLAHOMA (6-0): Almost as impressive as LSU and Alabama have played, the same can be said about the Oklahoma Sooners. The preseason No. 1 team has a lot of talent on the field and it continues to show. The Sooners boast the nation’s sixth-best scoring offense thanks to junior quarterback Landry Jones spreading the ball around. Oklahoma might have started sluggishly against Kansas, but the second half was where the team took care of business. With games against Kansas State and Texas A&M looming in the horizon, the Sooners must take care of business against Texas Tech first this week. THIS WEEK: vs. Texas Tech. RANKINGS: 3 (BCS), 3 (AP), 1 (Coaches), 3 (Harris), 4 (Computers).

     4)      OKLAHOMA ST. (6-0): Oklahoma State is finally living up to being a true dark horse candidate as the team comes in at No. 4 on my list. The Cowboys have not blown away ranked teams like LSU, Alabama or Oklahoma, but they do have the wins to show for it and a lofty No. 1 computer ranking. One of those wins came against Texas A&M, where Oklahoma St. trailed by 17 before taking the game in the second half with a 30-29 victory. With one of the best QB-to-WR tandems in Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon, the Cowboys look to keep the wins coming this week at Missouri. THIS WEEK: at Missouri. RANKINGS: 4 (BCS), 6 (AP), 6 (Coaches), 6 (Harris), 1 (Computers).

     5)      WISCONSIN (6-0): Wisconsin seems to have taken a page out of defending national champion Auburn’s playbook this year—have a talented quarterback for one year to guide the program to a championship. Auburn did it last year with Cam Newton and this year the Badgers landed North Carolina State transfer Russell Wilson to rejuvenate their offense. As a result, they are the highest-scoring team in the nation while Wilson is currently a Heisman candidate. However, the debate is who have they played? A soft non-conference schedule gives them no love from the computers and they have not played a true road game this season (Sept. 17’s game against Northern Illinois is designated as a neutral-site game). All of this will change as Wisconsin travels to East Lansing to take on Michigan St. this week. THIS WEEK: at Michigan State. RANKINGS: 6 (BCS), 4 (AP), 4 (Coaches), 4 (Harris), 11 (Computers).

     6)      BOISE ST. (6-0): For now, I have Wisconsin just ahead of Boise, based on who all Boise has played this season. The Broncos best opponent was a Georgia team that might be in the middle of the pack in the SEC but is improving, yet no one else on is really a team to lose sleep over. However, Boise St. helps out its case with back-to-back 50-point blowouts against Fresno State and Colorado State. Senior quarterback Kellen Moore is still running the offense and is still accurate with his passes despite breaking in some new receivers as main targets. The rest of the season might be one where Boise needs style points—and a lot of them—for a shot at the title, but for now, they appear to be BCS bound. THIS WEEK: vs. Air Force. RANKINGS: 5 (BCS), 5 (AP), 7 (Coaches), 5 (Harris), 6 (Computers).

     7)      CLEMSON (7-0): Clemson nearly reverted back to its old self last week against Maryland, yet the team found a way to win once again. Last week’s game against the Terps marked the fourth time that Clemson trailed or was tied at halftime only preserve its perfect 7-0 start thus far. It has not been pretty, but the Tigers’ stretch of wins against Auburn, Florida State and Virginia Tech while each team was ranked is a good reason why they are at this spot. Anything is possible in the unpredictable ACC, but Clemson must play more consistently at the beginning of games if they want to stay undefeated. THIS WEEK: vs. North Carolina. RANKINGS: 7 (BCS), 8 (AP), 8 (Coaches), 8 (Harris), 5 (Computers).

     8)      STANFORD (6-0): Another team that no one is really talking about as a whole is Stanford. Sure, they have Heisman hopeful and possible No. 1 pick Andrew Luck quarterbacking them, but not many people know much about them. Quietly, the team is 6-0, but like Wisconsin they get little to no love from the computers (Kenneth Massey has the Cardinal ranked No. 20 in his ratings). Part of this is that Stanford has yet to face a team that is above .500 at this point, but the second half will be much tougher. Games against Washington, USC, Oregon and Notre Dame will determine if this team is indeed a title contender. THIS WEEK: vs. Washington. RANKINGS: 8 (BCS), 7 (AP), 5 (Coaches), 7 (Harris), 8 (tie) (Computers).

     9)      OREGON (5-1): There are two great one-loss teams in college football so far, but in my opinion the Oregon Ducks narrowly take the cake here at No. 9. The Ducks have shaken off their season-opening loss to LSU in Cowboys Stadium quite well, by scoring many points with the quickness. Only one computer ranking has Oregon in the top 10—Richard Billingsley has the team at No. 7—but it did not stop the team from beating then-No. 18 Arizona State without Heisman candidate LaMichael James and Darron Thomas for most of the second half. The Ducks should have no trouble against Colorado and Washington State if both players decide to nurse their injuries, but if all’s not well for back-to-back road games at Washington and Stanford, they could be in trouble. THIS WEEK: at Colorado. RANKINGS: 10 (BCS), 9 (AP), 8 (Coaches), 9 (Harris), 12 (Computers).

     10)   ARKANSAS (5-1): The Arkansas Razorbacks have not missed a beat without Ryan Mallett, but they will come in at No. 10 in my poll. Like Oregon, Arkansas lost to a top team for its only loss, but games against Troy and Texas A&M show that this team can be vulnerable at times. The Razorbacks do have a pair of road game coming up against Ole Miss and Vanderbilt, so all they must do is take care of business and everything will follow. THIS WEEK: at Ole Miss. RANKINGS: 9 (BCS), 10 (AP), 10 (Coaches), 10 (Harris), 8 (tie) (Computers).

\    NEXT FIVE UP: Kansas State (6-0), Virginia Tech (6-1), Nebraska (5-1), South Carolina (6-1), Texas A&M (4-2)

PLAYOFF OR NO PLAYOFF? THAT IS THE QUESTION...

As the confetti and streamers fell down for Auburn at the University of Phoenix Stadium on Jan. 10, it marked the end of the season but there were still two undefeated teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivison--Auburn and TCU.

The National Championship Game itself was good, but who is to say that TCU could not hang with Auburn or Oregon?

Sadly, with the way that college football is currently, we may never find out unless a non-automatic qualifier starts in the top ten of the preseason polls, goes undefeated, and is at least one of two undefeated teams at the end of the regular season.

The Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) does not use a playoff to determine its champion much like the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA). Although another game was added in 2006, there can still be a small possibility of split national champions in the major polls.

The best way to combat this is a 16- or, most preferably, a 32-team playoff. So here are some simple solutions to make this work.

1. Include every conference

- How can you determine a champion without opening access to all 11 FBS conference champions? Many people think a playoff regardless of conference affiliation is the best thing, but isn't that the same as denying the non-AQ's in the current format? In this way, conferences like the Sun Belt would have the opportunity to play for a national title, something which is impossible for them now. 2010 TEAMS THAT FIT THE CRITERIA (11 teams): Virginia Tech, Oklahoma, UConn, Wisconsin, UCF, Miami (Ohio), TCU, Oregon, Auburn, FIU, Nevada.

2. The final regular season Top 25 of the BCS, AP, and Coaches polls are in

-Have you ever heard of a team in the top 25 missing the NCAA basketball tournament? I don't think so. This is why a playoff 32 teams is perfect, because the tournament would still have the quality, yet not be too watered down. REMAINING 2010 TEAMS THAT FIT THE CRITERIA (18 teams): Stanford, Ohio St., Oklahoma, Arkansas, Michigan St., Boise St., LSU, Missouri, Oklahoma St., Alabama, Texas A&M, Nebraska, Utah, South Carolina, Mississippi St., West Virginia, Florida St., Hawaii

3. Filling out the bracket (if necessary)

-This is where if you are a bubble team you are sweating bullets. You have to hope that a double-digit win team gets included if they didn't meet the first two standards. Maybe you include a conference co-champ, or the top teams from the BCS not already selected to the tournament. I'd pick Northern Illinois, Pittsburgh, and Troy for their performances in 2010, but a committee can finish the puzzle.

4. Location, location, location

-Now that the 32-team filled is set, the fun part begins for the venues. The first round should be played at the highest seed's house, but after that, they should play the game at the most prestigious bowls. The top five (Cotton, Fiesta, Orange, Rose, Sugar) will have an even chance at their spots in a five-year span with two hosting quarterfinals, two more hosting the semifinals, and the winning bid hosting the title game. The other 10 bowls will have a permanent spot. VENUES: Sun, Capital One get the last two quarterfinal spots. Alamo, Chick-fil-A, Gator, Holiday, Independence, Liberty, Outback, and Pinstripe are second round destinations.

5. Don't forget the bowl games!

-Although this note is about making a playoff in college football, people (like myself) still love bowl games. The remaining teams over .500 that were not selected for the tournament will get to play in the remaining 19 bowl games. They won't advance if they win but it still keeps a tradition alive. Think of it as the college football version of the NIT.

There you have it. A great solution to the system we have now.

It may not be perfect, but it keeps the integrity and rivalries intact, while finding a clear cut champion.

As Auburn quarterback Cam Newton took in the experience of winning a national championship...

Non-AQ teams like Boise State and TCU wonder will they ever get the chance to do the same.