2011-2012 NCAA football bowl predictions

Trent Richardson #3 of the Alabama Crimson Tide is tackled by Eric Reid #1 of the LSU Tigers during their game at Bryant-Denny Stadium on November 5, 2011 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (November 4, 2011 - Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images North America)

Gildan New Mexico Bowl, Dec. 17th, 2 p.m. EST, ESPN
Temple vs. Wyoming

Winner: Temple. A team (Wyoming) which struggled for a half against Texas State does not get my vote of confidence.

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, Dec. 17th, 5:30 p.m. EST, ESPN
Ohio vs. Utah State

Winner: Utah State. In what is quite possibly the worst named bowl game ever, this one should go down to the wire. I give the edge to the Aggies.

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, Dec. 17th, 9 p.m. EST, ESPN
San Diego State vs. Louisiana-Lafayette

Winner: San Diego State. Expect SDSU running back Ronnie Hillman to run all over the Ragin’ Cajuns.

Beef ‘O’ Brady’s St. Petersburg Bowl, Dec. 20th, 8 p.m. EST, ESPN
Florida International vs. Marshall

Winner: Florida International. Three C-USA teams will win a bowl game. Marshall is not one of them. Florida International has a very underrated team.

S.D. County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl, Dec. 21st, 8 p.m. EST, ESPN
(18) TCU vs. Louisiana Tech

Winner: TCU. Is this a joke? TCU will dominate.

Photo: Gregory Bull/AP

MAACO Las Vegas Bowl, Dec. 22nd, 8 p.m. EST, ESPN
Arizona State vs. (7) Boise State

Winner: Boise State. This would have been a great game at the beginning of the season. Now, it’ll be a disappointing end for both teams, as this is not the game Kellen Moore deserves in his last collegiate game and ASU will have finished far below expectations.

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl, Dec. 24th, 8 p.m. EST, ESPN
Nevada vs. (21) Southern Miss

Winner: Southern Miss. If the Golden Eagles can shut down Case Keenum, they can shut down Nevada.

AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl, Dec. 26th, 5 p.m. EST, ESPN2
Missouri vs. North Carolina

Winner: Missouri. It’s had to pick against Mizzou when they finished on a three game winning streak and almost beat Baylor, while the Tarheels stumbled into a bowl bid.

Little Caesars Bowl, Dec. 27th, 4:30 p.m. EST, ESPN
Western Michigan vs. Purdue

WInner: Western Michigan. The first upset of the bowl season goes to the Broncos, the Michigan team playing in Detroit.

Belk Bowl, Dec. 27th, 8 p.m. EST, ESPN
Louisville vs. NC State

Winner: NC State. Quarterback Mike Glennon seemed to catch fire in the last two games for the Wolfpack, and should handle a young Louisville team.

Military Bowl Presented By Northrop Grumman, Dec. 28th, 4:30 p.m. EST, ESPN
Toledo vs. Air Force

Winner: Air Force. With head coach Tim Beckman leaving Toledo for Illinois, look for the Falcons to pull off the upset.

Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl, Dec. 28th, 8 p.m. EST, ESPN
California vs. (24) Texas

Winner: Texas. Don’t expect Texas to go with ridiculous play calling or revolving quarterbacks in this one. Texas wins their bowl games under Mack Brown as long as a McCoy isn’t hurt.

Champs Sports Bowl, Dec. 29th, 5:30 p.m. EST, ESPN
Florida State vs. Notre Dame

Winner: Notre Dame. Two overrated teams… I’m inclined to go with the one which chokes less on a big stage.

Valero Alamo Bowl, Dec. 29th, 9 p.m. EST, ESPN
Washington vs. (12) Baylor

Winner: Baylor. Big time.

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, Dec. 30th, Noon EST, ESPN
BYU vs. Tulsa

Winner:  Tulsa. This game should see plenty of offense. I give the slight edge to Tulsa.

New Era Pinstripe Bowl, Dec. 30th, 3:20 p.m. EST, ESPN
Rutgers vs. Iowa State

Winner: Iowa State. Look for the Cyclones to prove there was a reason they’re the team responsible for the national championship rematch.

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl, Dec. 30th, 6:40 p.m. EST, ESPN
Mississippi State vs. Wake Forest

Winner: Mississippi State. Although neither team was impressive this year, a month is a dangerous amount of time to have Dan Mullen gameplan.

Insight Bowl, Dec. 30th, 10 p.m. EST, ESPN
Iowa vs. (14) Oklahoma

Winner: Oklahoma: The Sooners win their bowl games… as long as it’s not for a national championship.

Meineke Car Care of Texas Bowl, Dec. 31st, Noon EST, ESPN
Texas A&M vs. Northwestern

Winner: Northwestern. Prediction- one more blown game by the Aggies to leave the Big-12 in style!

CB Conroy Black and Utah will try and put the clamps on Tevin Washington and Georgia Tech's triple-option attack. (AP Photos)

Hyundai Sun Bowl, Dec. 31st, 2 p.m. EST, CBS
Georgia Tech vs. Utah

Winner: Georgia Tech. Even though the Utes seemed to find their stride without Jordan Wynn, it’ll be tough to win without him. This will be a run heavy game, and I expect Georgia Tech to come out on top.

AutoZone Liberty Bowl, Dec. 31st, 3:30 p.m. EST, ABC
Cincinnati vs. Vanderbilt

Winner: Cincinnati. As long as Cincinnati doesn’t start fighting like their basketball team and quarterback Zach Collaros returns from his injury, I’m taking Cincinnati. I’m thinking Collaros sucks it up for his final collegiate game and gives a gritty performance for the win.

Kraft Fight Hunger, Dec. 31st, 3:30 p.m. EST, ESPN
Illinois vs. UCLA

Winner: Illinois. Don’t let the little win streak in the Pac 12 fool you; the Bruins are not a good team. This snooze-fest will go down to whoever is on DEFENSE last.

Chick-fil-A Bowl, Dec. 31st, 7:30 p.m. EST, ESPN
Virginia vs. (25) Auburn

Winner: Auburn. I put faith in Auburn running back Michael Dyer’s ability to take over a bowl game like he did against Oregon last year as a freshman.

TicketCity Bowl, Jan. 2nd, Noon EST, ESPNU
(19) Houston vs. (22) Penn State

Winner: Houston. All year, I said Penn State was overrated. Keenum should help prove my point.

Outback Bowl, Jan. 2nd, 1 p.m. EST, ABC
(17) Michigan State vs. (16) Georgia

Winner: Michigan State. This is one of the most intriguing games on the bowl season. I’m picking the experienced quarterback in Kirk Cousins to redeem his loss to an SEC team in last years bowl game.

Capital One Bowl, Jan. 2nd, 1 p.m. EST, ESPN
(20) Nebraska vs. (9) South Carolina

Winner: South Carolina: Expect the Gamecocks to rattle Taylor Martinez early and often, forcing him to make his usual throwing mistakes.

Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl, Jan. 2nd, 1 p.m. EST, ESPN2
Ohio State vs. Florida

Winner: Florida. Look for the Gators to get some semblance of revenge in what is now the Urban Meyer Bowl.

Rose Bowl Game presented by Vizio, Jan. 2nd, 5 p.m. EST, ESPN
(10) Wisconsin vs. (5) Oregon

Winner: Oregon. In one of the best games of the bowl season, look for recently declared NFL Draft entree LaMichael James to outperform Wisconsin running back Montee Ball, giving Wisconsin two straight Rose Bowl losses and ending Oregon’s skid.

Stanford's Andrew Luck finished runner-up for the Heisman Trophy a second straight year, while Oklahoma State WR Justin Blackmon won the Biletnikoff Award for the second straight season. (AP Photos)

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, Jan. 2nd, 8:30 p.m. EST, ESPN
(4) Stanford vs. (3) Oklahoma State

Winner: Oklahoma State. This is by far my favorite matchup of all 35 games. In order for Stanford to win, coach Shaw will have to abandon his conservative playcalling, which I feel cost Andrew Luck the Heisman, and unleash the power of Luck.

Allstate Sugar Bowl, Jan. 3rd, 8:30 p.m. EST, ESPN
(13) Michigan vs. (11) Virginia Tech

Winner: Michigan. Although I anticipate Denard  Robinson having a big game, it’s Michigan’s defense that should stifle the Hokies enough to give them the win.

Discover Orange Bowl, Jan. 4th, 8:30 p.m. EST, ESPN
(23) West Virginia vs. (15) Clemson

Winner: Clemson. When teams like Boise State are left out of a BCS game and a Big LEast team makes it instead, you know there’s something wrong. Clemson will expose this flaw in the system.

AT&T Cotton Bowl, Jan. 6th, 8 p.m. EST, FOX
(8) Kansas State vs. (6) Arkansas

Winner: Arkansas. This should come down to who has the ball last. It should make for one exciting finish.

BBVA Compass Bowl, Jan. 7th, 1 p.m. EST, ESPN
SMU vs. Pittsburgh

Winner: SMU. June Jones almost became the head coach at ASU. Now, he faces the team whose coach actually did leave for ASU. Here’s to Jones staying at SMU another year.

GoDaddy.com Bowl, Jan. 8th, 9 p.m. EST, ESPN
Arkansas State vs. Northern Illinois

Winner: Northern Illinois. Arkansas State, caught up in the excitement over the Gus Malzahn hire, will fall to a more focused Northern Illinois team.

Allstate BCS National Championship Game, Jan. 9th, 8:30 p.m. EST, ESPN
(1) LSU vs. (2) Alabama

Winner: Alabama. Les Miles is known for being unpredictable in a game, and sometimes that could backfire. Especially with a revenge-minded Nick Saban on the other sideline ready to throw everything in his arsenal back at Miles and the Tigers. The Crimson Tide win by a touchdown. Yes, a TOUCHDOWN will win the game. These two teams know those as when someone runs past the last white line with the ball in their hand. Final 17-10, Alabama.

2011 NCAA football week 14 top 25

Southern California quarterback Matt Barkley celebrates USC's 50-0 win against UCLA after an NCAA college football game in Los Angeles, Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011. (AP Photo/Jae Hong)

We are approaching the end of the college football regular season. Soon, it will be time for bowl games and wondering who is playing whom. There will be more here on Torres Sports about bowl game predictions later, but as for now…

How about Matt Barkley’s late push for Heisman? I realize the coveted trophy may be out of his reach, but no one has been playing better than Barkley the past two months. Since his less than stellar performance against Arizona State on September 24, Barkley has bounced back by outperforming Andrew Luck in a loss, upsetting Oregon and throwing a school record six touchdowns in a game twice. Barkley’s numbers since October 1 are 207 completions on 297 attempts for 2,409 yards, 29 touchdowns, 4 interceptions, and 2 rushing touchdowns. Even Southern California athletic director Pat Haden regrets not campaigning for Barkley as a Heisman candidate earlier. It’s a shame Barkley was never considered for the award and likely won’t be invited to New York for the ceremony because of the sanctions imposed on USC. At this point, Barkley may be one of the best college quarterbacks to never win the Heisman trophy, as it is highly unlikely he will return for his senior year. The question is, if he did, where would USC be ranked entering the season?

Unless Georgia is blessed with an early Christmas miracle, the national championship game will be a rematch of Alabama and LSU. Alabama’s season is over as they will not play in the conference championship game. ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit believe that even if LSU were to lose to Georgia, they would still have done enough to play in the title game. I personally don’t believe if such a scenario played out, an LSU-Alabama rematch would be the most logical game. A championship game in which neither team won their conference? Please. The country is on an SEC high though, and there’s hardly any way we’ll see anything else. Once again, a plus-one system should be installed in college football to determine a true champion.

The game of the week goes to Michigan and Ohio State. Ohio State is not the team it once was, yet it still gave a highly ranked Michigan team a run for its money. Michigan responded by finally beating the Buckeyes for the first time since 2003. I guess that’s what happens when Jim Tressel isn’t with Ohio State anymore. The lead changed back and forth as each team gave the other its best shot like it were a prized heavyweight fight. In a prestigious rivalry game like Ohio State-Michigan, there’s not much else one could ask for. It may not have been as good as the epic 2006 “Game of the Century” but it sure beat any contest played between the two while Rich Rodriguez was at Michigan.

1- LSU Tigers

2- Alabama Crimson Tide

3- Houston Cougars

4- Stanford Cardinal

5- Virginia Tech Hokies

6- Boise State Broncos

7- Oklahoma State Cowboys

8- Oregon Ducks

9- USC Trojans

10- Arkansas Razorbacks

11- Georgia Bulldogs

12- Michigan State Spartans

13- Wisconsin Badgers

14- Oklahoma Sooners

15- Kansas State Wildcats

16- South Carolina Gamecocks

17- Michigan Wolverines

18- TCU Horned Frogs

19- Baylor Bears

20- Nebraska Cornhuskers

21- Clemson Tigers

22- Southern Miss Golden Eagles

23- West Virginia Mountaineers

24- Missouri Tigers

25- Texas Longhorns

Sandusky, LSU-Alabama and the week 11 NCAA football top 25

STATE COLLEGE, PA - NOVEMBER 09: Penn State University head football coach Joe Paterno watches his team during practice on November 9, 2011 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

There are several games coming this weekend that look to be very entertaining or will have a big outcome on the BCS race. Not much will be said about these games though until Saturday, as there is bigger news in college football.

As if conference realignment issues and NCAA sanctions across the nation didn’t put a black eye on the sport already, Penn State had to give it a kick in the crotch. I won’t go into the details of the story here (ESPN has a good timeline of Jerry Sandusky and the scandal), but it sickens me that the university would cover up such a hideous act. Everyone knows what Sandusky allegedly did was wrong, but what surprises me also is the reaction coming out of Happy Valley. Students and fans showing up at head coach Joe Paterno’s home and chanting, “We want Joe,” and, “Beat Nebraska,” after it was reported he knew about the scandal and never reported it to the police? People on campus marching in support of Paterno? No one linked to the scandal should be supported during this time. I understand Paterno is a living legend, but his continued presence at Penn State made the school’s fans look ridiculous in front of everyone else in the country. This is why he and president Graham Spanier are now out at Penn State. There is no excuse for Sandusky’s actions, nor the athletic department’s inaction. This is a crime against several kids. These children had their lives changed in a sadistic manner and each of them went unprotected for years. Anyone who thinks even one person involved was in the right is definitely in the wrong.

On a lighter note, but still full of defensive arguments, LSU edged out Alabama 9-6. Yes, the supposed game of the decade ended in a final score of 9-6. The game’s highlights were ineffective quarterback play by both teams and Alabama missing four field goals. This is why Alabama does not deserve to be ranked third in the BCS nor do they deserve a rematch in the national title game. The only way Alabama might deserve to play in the national title game now would be if LSU, Boise State, Stanford and Oklahoma State all lost in the upcoming weeks, and that’s still a maybe. If teams like Oregon and West Virginia, far less touted than the Crimson Tide, can put up over twenty points on LSU then Alabama should have performed better. Don’t get me wrong, I believe Alabama is a great team and perhaps even better than LSU still. But if all you can do is put up six points after being within striking distance four other times, you do not deserve a rematch. Michigan was more worthy of a rematch versus Ohio State in 2006, and everyone in the SEC was crying foul. Now that they’re the ones involved in a possible rematch, everyone is on board. The SEC bias in this country needs to die down. The SEC is not the end all be all in college football. They produce one seemingly flawless team every year, but the rest are teams with holes somewhere that can be beat by other schools.

Lastly, the game of the week certainly did not go to LSU and Alabama. That honor goes to Kansas State and Oklahoma State. In what was the exact opposite of the SEC dogfight, these two teams put on a show in a back and forth shootout. The only ones not entertained by the game would be each of the defensive coordinators. Either way, the game gave fans everything they look for in a college football game: excitement, scoring, clutch performances and a dramatic finish.

1- LSU Tigers: The Tigers proved they are the best… sort of. What happened to the monster offense we saw all season? Oh, that was only against average defenses. I see.

2- Boise State Broncos: This is me making the case that Boise State deserves the shot to play against all those who fear to schedule them in the middle of the regular season. To back up this theory, they have to take down TCU this weekend.

3- Stanford Cardinal: The Cardinal have a huge test against Oregon. Stanford kept up with Oregon last year for only the first half; this year they’ll have to put together four quarters of great football to beat the Ducks.

4- Oklahoma State Cowboys: Look for the Cowboys to be in yet another shootout against Texas Tech this weekend, although this one should fizzle out in Oklahoma State’s favor by the end of the third quarter.

5- Alabama Crimson Tide: The best team not playing for the national championship will have to do what Bob Stoops does at Oklahoma to win BCS points: run up the scoring on every remaining opponent. This shouldn’t be too hard to do  against Mississippi State.

6- Oregon Ducks: The Ducks could vault the Crimson Tide in my opinion with a convincing win over Stanford. If they keep the ball away from Andrew Luck, they can do it.

7- Arkansas Razorbacks: The only team standing in LSU’s way of reaching the BCS title game will need to use their next two games to prepare for the Tigers.

8- Houston Cougars: Has Case Keenum broken another record? I’ve lost count. I’m sure he’s bound to against Tulane this weekend.

9- Oklahoma Sooners: I almost feel as if the BCS ranked Baylor in the top 25 this week just to give Oklahoma a more credible win.

10- Virginia Tech Hokies: The Hokies have silently fought their way back into the top ten, but can easily be taken out of it by Georgia Tech on Thursday.

11- Clemson Tigers: I feel for Wake Forest, Clemson’s next opponent. Two weeks is far too long for a team to be storing up rage after falling out of the top ten.

12- Penn State Nittany Lions: It feels so wrong to put Penn State so high up in the rankings not just because of the Sandusky situation, but because this team is not that good. Nebraska will most likely continue to put a hurting on Penn State.

13- Michigan State Spartans: Whether Michigan State gets the Iowa team that beat Michigan or lost to Minnesota is irrelevant. The Spartans should win either way.

14- Georgia Bulldogs: The Bulldogs could have an impressive win against Auburn to continue their seven game winning streak. Just don’t ask Mark Richt about suspended players in a disrespectful manner. The reporter could have received a far worse tongue lashing.

15- Wisconsin Badgers: Wisconsin will beat Minnesota. Moving on…

16- South Carolina Gamecocks: I’ll admit it myself, I have had South Carolina overrated far too many times this season. In reality they’re no better than this position right here.

17- Kansas State Wildcats: As long as the Wildcats don’t allow over 50 points like they did to the two Oklahoma teams, they should be in good shape against Texas A&M.

18- Nebraska Cornhuskers: The game at Penn State could get ugly in so many ways.

19- Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: The Yellow Jackets will have to open up their playbook a bit more if they wish to beat Virginia Tech.

20- Cincinnati Bearcats: The Bearcats are finally getting some credit after defeating Pittsburgh. They can make an even bigger statement by beating West Virginia.

21- Texas Longhorns: Missouri will be a nice tune-up for what looks to be a challenging three game final stretch.

22- Southern Miss Golden Eagles:  Six points in week two are the reason why Southern Miss isn’t undefeated. They should go on to face an undefeated Houston team for the C-USA championship.

23- USC Trojans: The win over Colorado was expected, but that doesn’t mean the Trojans didn’t look good. Look for them to avenge last year’s loss to Washington on Saturday.

24- Michigan Wolverines: Michigan clearly does not play well outside of the Big House. They may not make it out of Illinois with a win.

25- TCU Horned Frogs: TCU can clear up the BCS picture a bit by upsetting Boise State in what has become somewhat of a rivalry between two underdogs adored by the country.

2011 NCAA football week 10 top 25

The top two teams will battle to find out who is the best on Saturday

The biggest game of the year is finally here. No. 1 LSU is set to take on no. 2 Alabama in a battle that could not only determine the future SEC champion, but possible the national champion. Personally, I believe Alabama is still the better team despite LSU having a few better performances. The game should be the true test and give the country an answer as to who the best team is. Look for sensational performances from all of the big names involved, but the game may come down to the final possession. My prediction is Alabama forcing one more turnover than LSU; enough to walk away with a victory. Alabama 27, LSU 24.

As I predicted last week, the game of the week goes to Stanford and USC. These two teams gave the country an instant classic. It had everything you can ask for: a newly heated rivalry, two star quarterbacks, a Heisman contender rising up to the challenge, replay controversy, and multiple overtimes. In the end, it wasn’t Stanford’s Luck that did the trick, but USC’s lack thereof which made the difference. Regardless of the outcome, the country learned from this game that USC is better than given credit for and Andrew Luck is every bit as good as advertised.

One last thing… I’m sick of conference realignment.

1- LSU Tigers: The Tigers can prove to everyone they’re the best team in the country on Saturday.

2- Alabama Crimson Tide: Ditto what was said about the Tigers above.

3- Boise State Broncos: Many have the Broncos lower than this, but I like to give where credit has been due for the past few years.

4- Stanford Cardinal: Some see the win over USC as Stanford not being as good as everyone thought. I see it as the Cardinal beating a team that deserves far more respect.

5- Oklahoma State Cowboys: This team seems to be on upset alert every week and yet they come through big. Next upset alert comes against formerly undefeated Kansas State.

6- Oregon Ducks: Can a banged up Oregon team hold off a Washington team attempting to prove their worth in the Pac-12? I say yes they can.

7- Arkansas Razorbacks: Big SEC game comes as Arkansas hosts South Carolina. I’m taking the Razorbacks.

8- Houston Cougars: Record setting quarterback Case Keenum should have no problem handling a 1-7 UAB team.

9- Oklahoma Sooners: It really shouldn’t matter which Texas A&M team shows up to play the Sooners.

10- Nebraska Cornhuskers: After losing to Wisconsin in their first Big Ten game, the Cornhuskers have won three straight conference games. Look for them to make it four games in a row. 

11- Virginia Tech Hokies: Quarterback Logan Thomas had been playing great for three weeks before Duke slowed him down. He’ll have a week to right the ship before facing Georgia Tech.

12- South Carolina Gamecocks: The Gamecocks have only scored 14 points in their past two games. They’ll need more than that to beat Arkansas.

13- Clemson Tigers: Just as they were quickly becoming America’s favorite dark horse, the Tigers fell from contention as they lost to Georgia Tech.

14- Kansas State Wildcats: I predict a beating from one Oklahoma team will be followed by another. Poor Wildcats.

15- Michigan Wolverines: The Wolverines bounced back from their in-state loss to Michigan State by trouncing Purdue. Next is at Illinois.

16- Arizona State Sun Devils: The Sun Devils dominated Colorado on Homecoming night, and now face UCLA, the team in which Brock Osweiler faced when he first made a name for himself as the ASU quarterback.

17- Penn State Nittany Lions: The arguably worst 8-1 team ever should be brought back down to earth against Nebraska.

18- Michigan State Spartans: Speaking of being brought back down the earth by Nebraska, there was no miracle in store for the Spartans.

19- Georgia Bulldogs: After a five game winning streak against SEC teams, there’s no way the Bulldogs’ roll comes to a halt against New Mexico State.

20- Wisconsin Badgers: Injuries are no excuse for a team this talented to lose to Ohio State and their spiffy Nike pro-combat uniforms.

21- Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: Climbing back into the rankings are the Yellow Jackets, who knocked Clemson off the ranks of the unbeaten.

22- Cincinnati Bearcats: Cincinnati could be the best Big LEast team in the country. A win against Pittsburgh could further improve that statement.

23- Southern Miss Golden Eagles: More love to C-USA as the Golden Eagles climb to 23 after beating conference foe UTEP.

24- Texas Longhorns: Although Kansas is simply a horrible team this year, the Longhorns looked good in running over the Jayhawks.

25- USC Trojans: Despite the loss, this team showed the nation it is better than any other rankings give them credit for. Should Barkley and Luck both enter the NFL draft in April, they could continue their epic rivalry for years to come.

2011 NCAA football week 9 top 25

Well, they finally did it. The LSU Tigers have sold me on surpassing Alabama in the rankings for the upcoming week. LSU destroyed Auburn, which isn’t too hard too do these days, but the fact is this has been the case for each team they’ve faced all season. The big showdown between the two is coming in two weeks though, and both teams have a bye week to prepare for each other. It should be the game of the year.

Look for the Stanford versus USC game to be the best of the weekend. The Trojans will be looking for revenge after suffering two straight losses to the Cardinal. With former head coach Jim Harbaugh no longer at Stanford, it’ll be up to Andrew Luck to win the game for the Cardinal. Expect Luck to have a performance in which he solidifies the top spot in the Heisman race.

There was no game that compared to Wisconsin versus Michigan State over the weekend. If someone who knew nothing about college football asked me, “What makes college football so great?” I would direct them to this game to find out exactly what is to love about the sport. The back and forth battle between two high profile teams in the same conference was exhilarating, but nothing could have prepared fans for what took place at the end. Kirk Cousins’ Hail Mary pass will be a highlight we see in college football montage’s for years to come.

1- LSU Tigers

2- Alabama Crimson Tide

3- Boise State Broncos

4- Oklahoma State Cowboys

5- Stanford Cardinal

CLEMSON, SC - OCTOBER 22: Tajh Boyd #10 of the Clemson Tigers throws a pass in warmups prior to the start of their game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Memorial Stadium on October 22, 2011 in Clemson, South Carolina. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)

6- Clemson Tigers

7- Kansas State Wildcats

8- Oregon Ducks

9- Arkansas Razorbacks

10- Houston Cougars

11- Michigan State Spartans

12- Oklahoma Sooners

13- Wisconsin Badgers

14- Nebraska Cornhuskers

15- South Carolina Gamecocks

16- Virginia Tech Hokies

17- Michigan Wolverines

18- Texas A&M Aggies

19- Arizona State Sun Devils

20- USC Trojans

21-Penn State Nittany Lions

22- Texas Tech Red Raiders

23- Cincinnati Bearcats

24- Georgia Bulldogs

25- Southern Miss Golden Eagles