ESPN College Football

At the Pac-12 meetings last week in Phoenix, it became clear that conference coaches and athletic directors as well as commissioner Larry Scott favor a potential four-team college football playoff including a requirement that each of the four participants wins its respective conference championship.

The reasoning for that is logical and unassailable: A national title contender should first prove it's the best team in its conference. College football folks -- coaches, administrators, etc. -- frequently talk about preserving the value of the regular season. Not requiring a playoff team to win its conference directly contravenes that.

On the other side of the playoff debate are the folks who don't want any such requirements. They say introducing one muddies things up. They say it's important to pick the "four best teams." Keep it simple and credible!

Four best teams? Er, how will we determine that? The ole BCS rankings? A selection committee?

Not acceptable.

There needs to be give and take here. If the Pac-12 and Big Ten are going to sacrifice their automatic tie-in to the Rose Bowl, that means they need to get something in return. Thankfully, Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany already has proposed an equitable plan that allows for both sides of this debate to get most of what they want.

It's the top-six plan: Conference champions would be required to be ranked in the top six of the final rankings in order to earn automatic berths in the four-team playoff. If four conference champions aren't ranked in the top six, then the highest ranked at-large teams would fill however many voids there are.

CBS Sports' Brett McMurphy went through all the scenarios. He found that, since 2004, only seven top-four teams in the final BCS standings would have missed the playoffs with this top-six plan.

Writes McMurphy:

Under this format, in the past eight years, 30 of the 32 teams in the playoff would have been conference champions. Only two teams -- No. 2 Alabama (in 2011) and No. 4 Ohio State (in 2005) -- that weren't a conference champion would have qualified for the national semifinals.

Using the conference affiliation for the schools for each season and not their future affiliation, the SEC would have had the most schools in the playoffs from 2004-11 with eight, including seven conference champions. The Pac-12 and Big 12 would have been next, each with six schools, followed by the Big Ten with five (four conference champions, one at-large), the Mountain West with four, the Big East with two and the ACC with one.

Of the Mountain West's four representatives, two were by Utah, now in the Pac-12, and two by TCU, which joins the Big 12 this fall.

That sounds about right.

The teams left out? Stanford and Texas, both twice, and Alabama, Michigan and LSU.

That sounds about right.

The best scenario to look at is 2008. From McMurphy's breakdown:

Top 6 ranked teams: No. 1 Oklahoma (Big 12 champ), No. 2 Florida (SEC champ), No. 3 Texas (at-large), No. 4 Alabama (at-large), No. 5 USC (Pac-10 champ), No. 6 Utah (Mountain West champ).

Conference champs in four-team playoff: No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 2 Florida, No. 5 USC, No. 6 Utah.

Non-conference champs in four-team playoff: None.

Top-6 teams left out: No. 3 Texas, No. 4 Alabama.

Revisionist history: The good news is that the top four conference champions are all ranked among the nation's top six teams. The bad news is No. 3 Texas and No. 4 Alabama, both of which didn't win their conference, would not be included in the playoff. Lower ranked, but conference champion, USC (No. 5) and Utah (No. 6) would have made the field.

In 2008, the top-six model would have created a far superior postseason. The most likely scenario would have seen USC, clearly the best team in 2008, beating Utah, which physically manhandled Alabama 31-17 in the Sugar Bowl, for the national title.

Wait ... did I just pull one of those "Just because" deals there, making assumptions about how good a team is?

Yes, I did. Most folks outside of the Southeast -- including Vegas bookies -- believed USC was the best team in 2008. It finished the regular season with the same record as Florida and Oklahoma, but its loss on the road against an Oregon State team that won nine games was deemed worse than the Gators' and Sooners' blemishes. That judgment was arbitrary and ran counter to what many folks believed: The Trojans in 2008 would have left a bootprint on the foreheads of either Florida or Oklahoma.

And, of course, when Utah held Alabama to 208 total yards -- 31 yards rushing! -- it's nearly impossible to say the Crimson Tide belonged in the same building. Oh, that's right, an Alabama team playing in its first BCS bowl game since 1999 was SO disappointed that it lost the SEC title game that it decided not to try hard in the Sugar Bowl. Please.

Of course, this analysis is bothering some folks. Good. That's how the "Just because" stuff felt for the Trojans in 2008 and for Oklahoma State last year. The most certain way to ensure the new four-team playoff will foment annual controversy is to make the "Just because" element its foundation. We'll still be debating the subjectivity -- and inherent biases -- of the system for weeks as the season winds down.

See, out here on the West Coast, the top-six plan seems simple. It seems fair. It doesn't muddy anything up. It actually provides clarity: Win your conference.

It first tries to award the highest-rated conference champions for, you know, accomplishing something during the regular season, then it makes sure that we don't end up with a three-loss team in the playoff.

It's the best and most equitable endgame in the four-team playoff scenario. And the Pac-12 and Big Ten should fight for it.

ESPN The Magazine and RecruitingNation compiled the past five years (2007-11) of ESPNU 150 rankings and then crowned college football's top 10 recruiting programs.

Here's how they did it:

Our methodology was simple: We re-tallied the scores following signing day and ranked the schools based on total number of ESPNU 150 recruits (there have been 900) hauled in over the last six years. Of course, like success on the field, recruiting is cyclical -- and fans of programs both on and off this list might look back on Feb. 1, 2012 as the day their team began its rise (or fall) on the trail.

Here's the top-10.

1. Florida
2. Texas
3. USC
4. Alabama
5. Florida State
6. Notre Dame
T-7. Georgia
t-7: LSU
9. Miami
T-10. Ohio State
T-10. Oklahoma

Here's what it says about USC:

Top states: California (36), Florida (six), Arizona (four)
Surprise state: Georgia (three)
Sure, the Trojans have California locked up. But USC has also signed four of Arizona's 12 ESPNU 150 prospects and Georgia's second-best preps in 2008 (WR Brice Butler of Norcross) and 2010 (WR Markeith Ambles of McDonough). In 2012, USC signed seven ESPNU 150 commits -- OT Zach Banner (Lakewood, Wash.) was the lone out-of-state recruit.

(USC actually signed three out-of-state recruits, including receiver Nelson Agholor and DT Leonard Williams, who are both from Florida).

What's clear from this list: Sometimes teams with lots of ESPNU 150 players produce on the field (Alabama, LSU, Oklahoma, Ohio State) and sometimes they do not (Florida, Texas, Florida State, Notre Dame and Miami).

Florida is 15-11 over the past two seasons, when these highly rated classes should have been peaking. Texas is 13-12 over the same span. Miami has lost fewer than six games just once since 2007. Notre Dame's best years came the past two seasons -- both 8-5. Florida State has averaged 4.8 losses since 2007. Georgia was 10-4 this season, but it was a combined 14-12 in 2009 and 2010. Ohio State probably can be forgiven its 6-7 finish this year, based on the NCAA issues and firing of coach Jim Tressel. Oklahoma's lone blip was an 8-5 campaign in 2009. USC's "downturn" came in 2009 and 2010 when the Trojans went 17-9.

Conclusions?

Well, it's possible that Florida recruiting -- as good as it is -- is overrated. Perhaps the same can be said for Texas. Or at least these four programs -- Florida, Florida State, Miami and Texas -- aren't doing the best job of evaluating their wealth of in-state talent.

Coverage from around RecruitingNation:

DawgNation
Josh Harvey-Clemons talks about why he’s a Dawg: After months of exhaustive visits and speculation, top Peach State player Josh Harvey-Clemons, the nation's No. 1 outside linebacker prospect, went with his heart and chose to sign with Georgia.

GatorNation
Florida’s NSD filled with big misses: As the ink on the letters of intent began to dry and faxes started pouring in, the hopes for a No. 1-ranked class faded.

GeauxTigerNation
Plenty to like about LSU’s class: LSU missed out on defensive end Torshiro Davis, but finished strong by signing linebacker Kwon Alexander, the No. 29 overall prospect. Les Miles considers his 2012 class, ranked No. 14 in the nation, full of talent and potential.

HornsNation
Davis commitment caps Texas' big finish: The surprise signing-day commitment of Torshiro Davis capped a big finish for the Texas Longhorns.

SoonerNation
Going national: Stoops, Norvell see positives of recruiting nationally and it pays off with an elite recruiting class.

TideNation
Tears end Landon Collins’ recruiting drama: Landon Collins, the nation’s No. 1 safety, had a wacky recruiting experience. Collins is from Louisiana and his mother, April Justin, wanted him to go to LSU. But Collins committed to Alabama earlier this month, which didn’t sit well with mom. Collins stuck with the Tide, however, and signed on Wednesday.

WeAreSC
USC happy about 2012 recruiting class: Lane Kiffin gives his views on USC's 2012 recruiting class, the first class affected by NCAA sanctions.

WolverineNation
Hoke sour on social media: The Michigan coach says he doesn’t use Facebook, Twitter or even email. No email? “If I want to talk to you, I’ll call.”

RecruitingNation
Best laid plans: On a day for celebration, there were no hats or press conferences for Jameis Winston. The nation's top quarterback, a Florida State commit, is doing signing day his own way.

Receiver Nelson Agholor (Berkley Prep, Tampa, Fla.) has announced he will sign with USC.

Agholor, 6-foot-1, 180 pounds, the nation's No. 6 receiver and No. 47 overall on the ESPNU 150, picked the Trojans over Florida, Florida State, Oklahoma and Notre Dame.

Notre Dame entered 2011 as the Associated Press' preseason No. 16 team, expectations high and a BCS-bowl berth in sight.

Things didn't go according to plan. But were the Irish the biggest disappointment of this past college football season?

Turns out they'll have to settle for No. 2 in that category.

CBSSports.com's Brett McMurphy broke down the preseason AP poll, using it as a measuring stick to see whom the voters were right (or close to being right) about while acknowledging those they whiffed on. McMurphy listed the 48 schools that received a vote in the preseason poll and calculated the difference from where they finished in the final poll.

The numbers showed that preseason No. 8 Texas A&M, at minus-41, was the biggest disappointment of 2011, with Notre Dame right behind the Aggies at minus-33. Ohio State (minus-31), Mississippi State (minus-29) and Florida (minus-27) rounded out the top five disappointments. Those five, plus Missouri (preseason No. 21, minus-8) and Auburn (preseason No. 23, minus-4) made up the seven schools that were not ranked in the final poll after being ranked in the preseason.

Preseason unranked Baylor (plus-36) finished as the biggest surprise.

And, in a reassuring sign for sportswriters everywhere, No. 7 Stanford, No. 14 TCU and No. 19 Georgia finished in the exact same spots as their preseason rankings.

1. It’s impossible to know whether Gunner Kiel will turn into the Next Great Notre Dame Quarterback or just another guy. But the last-minute decision by Kiel, from Columbus, Ind., to spurn LSU and drive to the South Bend campus only three hours from home is a warming balm for Irish fans frustrated with the pace of head coach Brian Kelly’s progress. A pair of 8-5s is noticeably lacking in face cards. Notre Dame endorsed Kelly a few days ago by adding two years to his contract. Kiel endorsed him by showing up.

2. USF announced the other day that it has scheduled a home-and-home with Nevada, beginning with a trip to Reno on Sept. 8. The Wolf Pack will play in Tampa in 2015. That’s a nice get by the Bulls, but they buried the lead. More important is that in 2012, as it did three years ago, USF will play Florida State and Miami. They also played Florida and Miami in 2010. As the Big East and ACC struggle to create schedules in the wake of their realignment, here’s hoping USF continues to play the state’s bigger names.

3. Speaking of which: here are the five most interesting intersectional games for next season, excluding the traditional non-conference rivalries: Boise State at Michigan State on Fri., Aug. 31; Alabama vs. Michigan in Cowboys Stadium on Sept. 1; West Virginia at Florida State on Sept. 8; Virginia Tech vs. Cincinnati at FedEx Field on Sept. 29; Notre Dame at Oklahoma on Oct. 27.

The ink was barely dry on Rob Mullens' new contract to become Oregon's athletic director when he faced what perhaps will be considered the most important task of his tenure, even a decade down the road: Make football coach Chip Kelly happy.

It was the summer of 2010, and there was a general feeling among the pooh-bahs of Oregon sports -- most notably Nike founder Phil Knight and millionaire former AD Pat Kilkenny -- that Kelly sticking around for the long term in Eugene was the best chance for the football program to experience long-term success, a condition that keeps a department with an $80 million budget afloat.

So within 48 hours of his hiring, Mullens -- who was hired away from Kentucky in large part because of his skills with dollars and sense (no cents involved here) -- was on the phone with Kelly's agent working on a new contract.

The endgame was a six-year deal worth $20.5 million. Kelly made $2.4 million last year. He's making $2.8 million this year and will make $3.5 million the next. In 2014 and 2015, he'll pocket $4 million, which is roughly what the nation's highest-paid coaches made this year.

"People can look at the numbers and say it's high, but it fits within the marketplace," Mullens said. "It fits with the results. We have the person we want at the helm of our football program."

No other team in the nation is riding a streak of three consecutive BCS bowl games. That's a big reason Oregon merchandising sales went up from $1.5 million in 2007 -- the year Kelly left New Hampshire to become the Ducks' offensive coordinator -- to $2.25 million in 2010.

While it's difficult to quantify the entire picture financially, Mullens points out that the unprecedented success Kelly has produced over the past three years has more than paid for his big-dollar contract, mostly notably in exposure and increased donations. That revenue flow has been particularly important in a tough economy that has many athletic programs struggling, including many in the Pac-12.

Or at least it did. When the conference signed a $3 billion, 12-year TV contract with ESPN and Fox, athletic directors across the Pac-12 leaped into the air and clicked their heels. They also started to spend that money. Some on new coaches.

Sure, Kelly will make $3.5 million next year. But new UCLA coach Jim Mora, with no college coaching experience, will pocket $2.4 million. Washington State will pay Mike Leach $2.25 million.

In a lot of ways, Kelly's compensation pencils out pretty well for Oregon on the cash-for-accomplishment curve.

"It pays [for Oregon] because, one, he's a great coach," Mullens said. "Two, he's a perfect fit. That combination, you can never guarantee that. He has delivered the results."

In addition, Oregon is paying extra for stability. When the school committed to Kelly with SEC-like money, Kelly also committed to Oregon. His buyout dropped from $4 million last year to $3.75 million this year, but that number is almost prohibitive for even the richest athletic departments. In 2015-16, it will be $2 million, which is still pretty large by industry standards.

What does that buyout mean? Well, it means Kelly doesn't have wandering eyeballs. Further, it mutes all but the most uninformed rumor mills: Despite chatter to the contrary, Mullens said he has not been contacted this year by any college or NFL team that wanted to talk to Kelly about a job.

Further -- as Ken Goe of The Oregonian pointed out when there were rumors in December 2010 that Florida might come after Kelly after Urban Meyer resigned -- Kelly's contract has clauses that will make it a pain in the rear for a team to pursue him.

And a clause in the contract stipulates that Kelly must give Oregon 15 days' written notice before leaving, and further stipulates that he cannot leave during the regular season or before a postseason bowl game in which Oregon is a participant.

The sum total of all this suggests that Kelly wants to remain in Eugene, and Oregon wants him to stick around. There are no guarantees, of course, but the feeling at the administrative level -- and among key boosters -- is that Kelly is the right guy at the nexus of an athletic department that has ambitious, expansionist visions for itself.

No FBS athletic program thrives without football success, and Kelly's presence provides a sense of security for Oregon's cash cow. And as of today, it appears the marriage remains strong.

Anytime the SEC and the Big Ten square off, conference pride is at stake. Most of those matchups usually occur in bowl season, and this year is no different. The two leagues will face each other in three Jan. 2 bowls, with South Carolina playing Nebraska in the Capital One Bowl, Michigan State taking on Georgia in the Outback Bowl and Florida and Ohio State staging a 2007 national title game rematch in the TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl.

So which league will come out on top this year? SEC blogger Chris Low and Big Ten blogger Brian Bennett debate that topic:

Brian Bennett: Well, Chris, it's bowl season again, which means some more SEC vs. Big Ten showdowns. I think I read somewhere that the SEC has had a little bit of success in the postseason, especially against the Big Ten. So I suppose you want to brag a little bit about your league. Let's go ahead and get that out of the way first, shall we?

Chris Low: Brag? Coming from SEC Country? We don't need to brag. We just flash our jewelry in these parts, and that usually suffices. Sure, it's been another banner year in the SEC with Alabama and LSU set to play for the BCS national championship and three other SEC teams ranked among the top 16 in the final BCS standings. But you've got to prove it every year, and South Carolina, Georgia and Florida all have tough matchups with Big Ten teams in the bowls. Speaking of the three bowl showdowns matching the SEC and Big Ten, which one do you think is the worst matchup for the Big Ten?

BB: Very restrained of you not to bring up last New Year's Day, Chris. I actually think all three Big Ten/SEC showdowns this year are good matchups that could go either way. If I had to pick the toughest one for the Big Ten, I'd probably go with the Capital One Bowl. While Nebraska had a nice season at 9-3, it has a challenging assignment in trying to solve South Carolina's defense. Especially up front, the Gamecocks can cause serious problems for the Huskers' run game, and I don't think the option is going to work well against all that speed. Taylor Martinez will have to have one of his best games, and when Nebraska has to rely on the pass, it doesn't always look pretty. Then again, South Carolina isn't exactly a juggernaut of an offensive club, either.

What's your take on that one?

CL: Couldn't agree more about South Carolina's defensive line. Those guys have played lights-out all season, and you're going to see three or four of them playing in the NFL at some point. They've made life miserable for opposing quarterbacks this season, and other than the Arkansas game, didn't give up much of anything the last nine games of the season. They're not the kind of dynamic pocket passing team you're used to seeing under Steve Spurrier, but sophomore quarterback Connor Shaw is tough as nails and isn't afraid to take off and run. They'll also run the zone read play with him. Honestly, the big concern with the Gamecocks is that they've been so wretched in bowl games. They've lost their past three and haven't played well in any of them. I want to see them break that drought before I get too high about their chances in the postseason.

Speaking of poor bowl performances, can Michigan State rebound from last year's debacle?

BB: I think so. The Spartans ran into an Alabama buzz saw last year, and I don't see Georgia being nearly as talented or as angry as the Crimson Tide were a year ago. This Michigan State team was playing extremely well down the stretch and came within a play or two of going to the Rose Bowl. The Spartans can dominate defensively, especially up front with All-America tackle Jerel Worthy, and they can knock a quarterback off his rhythm with their blitz schemes. But I think the biggest difference between this year's Michigan State and the one that got manhandled last year is a more productive, diverse offense. Kirk Cousins was very sharp in the second half of the season, and the offensive line continued to improve. Both teams have top-five defenses, but Georgia may have a harder time scoring.

Motivation will be a key for both teams, though, as they each lost in their conference title game. How good are these Dawgs, really?

CL: Motivation shouldn't be a problem for Georgia. At least, it better not be. The Bulldogs have a chance to win 11 games and really set themselves up nicely going into next season. Georgia has a chance to be a top-10 team in 2012 and build the kind of momentum this program hasn't had in the offseason since its Sugar Bowl victory over Hawaii to cap the 2007 season. How good are these Dawgs? They're a good team, not a great team. Defensively, they should be the best test the Spartans have faced all season. Jarvis Jones and Alec Ogletree are an exceptional linebacker tandem. Jones was the SEC's best big-play defender this season, and the Bulldogs didn't give up much in the secondary, either. I wouldn't underestimate Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray. He spreads the ball around and threw 33 touchdown passes this season.

What's your take on the Urban Meyer Bowl?

BB: The Meyer angle adds intrigue, but I'd be more interested to see these teams play next season. As is, we have a pair of 6-6 teams who had all kinds of offensive issues this year. Ohio State lost its final three games after looking like it might have turned things around. But at least the Buckeyes will be motivated to audition for Meyer, and they're a young team that should benefit from the extra bowl practices. Plus, the Buckeyes have a blossoming star at quarterback in freshman Braxton Miller. Maybe a new offensive coordinator can jump-start the Gators' attack, but we could be looking at a low-scoring game in Jacksonville. A 6-6 tie in regulation seems appropriate.

Can Florida finally put it all together?

CL: Florida could use anything remotely resembling a quality win this season. Of course, I don't know that you could call Ohio State a quality win. One of these days, the Buckeyes are going to beat an SEC team in a bowl game and have that win stick. The win over Arkansas last season was vacated thanks to tattoo-gate, so technically Ohio State is still 0-9 against the SEC. The Gators were hard to watch on offense this season, and there's no reason to think they will be significantly better in the bowl game. I agree that a 6-6 tie sounds about right with somebody winning in overtime on a field goal. The Gators are good enough on defense to get it done, so I'm predicting an SEC sweep.

That's right, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida will all come out victorious. And not only that, but something tells me the SEC stands a pretty good chance of winning the Allstate BCS National Championship Game, too. Call it a hunch.

BB: OK, so Ohio State's win over Arkansas may not count, but I was there and I know it did happen. So the Big Ten can actually beat the big boys from the SEC. I may be naive, but I think the Big Ten gets a little revenge this bowl season. All three games are winnable, and I predict the league I cover takes two out of three from your southern friends. And maybe someday soon the Big Ten will be back in the national championship debate.

Michigan State defeated Michigan 28-14 on Oct. 15 and finished one game ahead of the Wolverines in the Big Ten's Legends Division.

The Spartans played in the inaugural Big Ten championship game on Saturday night, falling to Wisconsin 42-39 in one of the most entertaining games of the season.

Yet, when the BCS bowl games were announced on Sunday night, the Wolverines were picked to play Virginia Tech in the Allstate Sugar Bowl, while the Spartans were left out and will play Georgia in the lesser Outback Bowl.

"Michigan sat home on the couch and watched us," Cousins said. "I don't see how you get punished for playing and someone else gets to sit on the couch and get what they want. If this is the way the system is, I guess it's a broken system."

Oklahoma State might be asking the question of Alabama.

Without a playoff system in college football, the BCS objective is to match the two best teams in the country in the Jan. 9 Allstate BCS National Championship Game in New Orleans.

Whether you like the sport’s system for determining its national champion or not, the BCS got it right this season.

No. 1 LSU will play No. 2 Alabama in the Mercedes-Benz Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans with a BCS national championship on the line.

The Tigers and Crimson Tide are the two best teams in the country.

There’s no debate about whether or not the Tigers deserve to be there, after they blasted No. 14 Georgia 42-10 in the SEC championship game on Saturday night to finish the regular season with a 13-0 record. The Tigers have defeated the Pac-12 champion (Oregon), Big East champion (West Virginia) and six SEC teams which were ranked when they played them.

The Crimson Tide, whose only loss came against LSU 9-6 in overtime on Nov. 5 in Tuscaloosa, Ala., edged Oklahoma State for No. 2 in the final BCS standings released on Sunday night. The Crimson Tide had a .9419 BCS average, slightly ahead of the Pokes’ BCS average of .9333.

Alabama (11-1) was ranked No. 2 in the Harris Poll and USA Today coaches’ top 25 poll, which make up two-thirds of the BCS formula. The Pokes (11-1) were No. 3 in both human polls.

Alabama was also No. 2 in two of the six computer ratings in the BCS formula; OSU was No. 2 in the other four. A team’s average in the computer rankings is the other one-third in the BCS formula.

“The system that we have is the system,” Alabama coach Nick Saban told ESPN. “Regardless of what anybody thinks [of the system], it sort of is what it is. I think there are a lot of people out there who think these are the two best teams in the country and want to see them play again.”

LSU coach Les Miles said he didn’t have a problem playing the Crimson Tide again, even though the Tigers have already defeated them on the road this season.

“We look forward to playing Alabama,” Miles told ESPN. “The upside is you understand your opponent and you’ve seen them play. You’ve studied them before and obviously you’ve played them. It will be played in the same fashion with great enthusiasm and want to compete.”

OSU coach Mike Gundy, whose Cowboys will play No. 4 Stanford in the Jan. 2 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, said his team did everything it could in trying to impress voters by blasting rival Oklahoma 44-10 on Saturday night.

“We were very disappointed,” Gundy told ESPN. “We felt like our team had worked very hard. We had a tough loss [37-31 in double overtime at Iowa State on Nov. 18], but we came back and did everything we could do to dominate the game against Oklahoma. We felt like we had an opportunity by the way we played in the game.”

Gundy didn’t criticize the BCS system, saying his school “bought into the system several years ago.”

“We wanted the opportunity to settle the debate that had gone on all year about the offense of the Big 12, the defense of the SEC,” Gundy said. “We thought our defense was a lot better than most people thought. For whatever reason, people decided they wanted to see a rematch of LSU and Alabama. There obviously weren’t enough people who wanted to see the Big 12 champion against the SEC champion.”

The BCS didn’t get everything right on Sunday night.

After then-No. 6 Houston was upset by Southern Mississippi 49-28 in Saturday’s Conference USA championship game, there was one at-large selection available to BCS bowl games. By finishing in the top four of the final BCS standings, Stanford was guaranteed of earning an at-large selection under BCS rules.

With the Cougars out of the mix, the Allstate Sugar Bowl selected No. 11 Virginia Tech to play No. 13 Michigan in New Orleans on Jan. 3. The Hokies were routed by then-No. 20 Clemson 38-10 in Saturday night’s ACC championship game in Charlotte, N.C.

Sugar Bowl officials selected the Hokies over higher-ranked teams like No. 7 Boise State and No. 8 Kansas State.

The other BCS bowl matchups: No. 5 Oregon will play No. 10 Wisconsin in the Jan. 2 Rose Bowl Game presented by Vizio and No. 15 Clemson will play No. 23 West Virginia in the Jan. 4 Discover Orange Bowl.

Here are a few other intriguing bowl games outside of the BCS:

• No. 6 Arkansas will play No. 8 Kansas State in the Jan. 6 Cotton Bowl in Arlington, Texas. The Razorbacks, whose only losses came against LSU and Alabama, probably would have played in a BCS bowl if they weren’t in the SEC (BCS rules allow only two teams from one conference to play in BCS bowl games). The Wildcats were just as deserving as Virginia Tech to play in the Sugar Bowl.
• Florida State and Notre Dame, two of the sport’s traditional heavyweights, will meet in the Dec. 29 Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando, Fla. Both teams had disappointing seasons after high preseason expectations, but should bring back good teams in 2012.
• Penn State, which finished 9-3 and tied with Wisconsin for first place in the Big Ten Leaders Division, slipped all the way to the Jan. 2 TicketCity Bowl at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. The Nittany Lions will play Houston. It seems obvious that bowl games sitting higher in the Big Ten’s pecking order wouldn’t want PSU because of the Jerry Sandusky scandal.
• Ohio State (which last week hired Urban Meyer as its new coach) will play Florida (Meyer’s old school) in the Jan. 2 TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla. OSU interim coach Luke Fickell will coach the Buckeyes in the bowl game, but Meyer figures to be a very interested observer.

Arizona athletic director Greg Byrne said Tuesday he talked to a lot of people about the Wildcats' coaching vacancy, and the name that came up the most -- and, presumably, the best -- was Rich Rodriguez.

Byrne highlighted three people he chatted with during a news conference introducing Rodriguez: former Florida coach Urban Meyer, current Arizona basketball coach Sean Miller and Charlie Ragle, a high school coach in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Ragle, coach at state power Chaparral High, had two players sign at Michigan, offensive lineman Taylor Lewan and defensive end Craig Roh, when Rodriguez was the Wolverines' coach. Ragle later asked if he and his staff could come up and visit and see how the Wolverines did things.

"He said, 'I've never dealt with a major college coach that had devoted so much time and interest in our program,'" Byrne said of the conversation. "Coach Ragle told me that he'd never been more impressed in dealing with a coaching staff."

Byrne then talked to Meyer.

"He said, 'Greg, if you hire Rich Rodriguez, you're getting one of the five greatest minds in college football,'" Byrne said.

Then he talked to Miller on a flight to New York, where he would meet with Rodriguez for a second time.

"He said, 'Greg, I'd think about a couple of things. Who is the most hungry guy out there? And the second thing is who do the coaches in the Pac-12 not want to have show up in Tucson, Ariz.?'" Byrne said. "He said, 'My opinion is it's Rich Rodriguez.'"

Byrne also will get Rodriguez at a discount.

Rodriguez, 48, signed a six-year, $15 million contract with Michigan in 2007, an average of $2.5 million a year. His Arizona contract will pay him an average of $1.91 million over five years. He will make $1.45 million in his first year, $1.5 million in his second, $1.6 million his third, $1.7 million his fourth and $1.8 million his fifth. He also will receive $300,000 annually from Nike and IMG.

Rodriguez surely endeared himself to Arizona fans when he took to the podium and immediately started talking about Rose Bowls and national championships.

"Why not us?" he said. "Why can't we win it all?"

He also tried to allay fears that this was a stepping stone to getting back to a big-money program to prove his critics wrong.

"This is my final coaching stop," he said. "I hope to be able to do this another 12 or 15 years."

How much did he want Wildcats fans to embrace him? Apparently a lot.

Said Rodriguez, "I will not just coach Arizona football. I will live it."

That might sound like the hyperbole of a man desperate to ingratiate himself. And Rodriguez did sound like that at times. But he also knows he's no longer the hot coaching prospect he once was. There are questions about him. He's the rising star who fell.

He admitted that he has reverted back to his attitude from West Virginia, where he had his major success. He's got the chip back on his shoulder.

"I've got something to prove," he said.

Other notable points from Rodriguez.

• He said that Byrne asked him a lot of questions about the NCAA issues he had at Michigan. "There were issues," he said. "The issues were fixed, cleaned up. And I assure you -- I assured him -- that there would never be one again in the future."
• He said he'd hire some staff members quickly -- over the next two weeks -- but he wanted the entire staff filled out before Christmas. He said he wanted a mix of guys he's coached with and guys who know the West Coast.
• He said he would consider coaches on the present staff, but he also said he's not too worried about coaches who lack Pac-12 experience: "The best coaches can recruit anywhere."
• Rodriguez said he first met with Byrne in Michigan "a couple of weeks ago" and met with him two subsequent times, in New York -- the Wildcats were playing basketball there on Nov. 17 and 18 -- and El Paso, Texas, where Rodriguez was calling the UTEP-Tulsa game on Nov. 19.
• As for Michigan, Rodriguez was asked what he'd learned from the experience. He didn't really answer: "It's frustrating to watch them because they are doing so well. Those are all of my guys. But I'm proud of them because they are doing so well."
• He tipped his cap to former coach Mike Stoops: "Mike Stoops did some great things here. There are some good players here ... Mike Stoops is a good football coach."
• He tipped his cap to interim coach Tim Kish: "I think what he's done in a difficult situation has been absolutely remarkable."
• He said he spent last spring hanging out with friend and California coach Jeff Tedford: "He might be regretting that now."
• Expect the Arizona offense to look a lot like Oregon's offense: "We do like to play fast. I think the huddle is the biggest waste of time in football."
• He hit lots of talking points: the rivalry with Arizona State, the 'Zona Zoo, the Tucson community, how former players are welcome around the program and how much he and his family looked forward to warm weather.

And when he concluded, he said, "Bear down."

Here are 10 things I’ll be watching in college football this weekend:

1. Will Oklahoma bounce back against Kansas State?

The No. 9 Sooners were stunned by unranked Texas Tech 41-38 last week, ending their 39-game home winning streak. OU hasn’t lost consecutive conference games since a four-game slide in 1998. The Wildcats are off to a 7-0 start but haven’t beaten OU since the 2003 Big 12 championship game. Wildcats quarterback Collin Klein ran for 10 touchdowns in the past three games, but the Cats are averaging only 153.9 passing yards per game. The Red Raiders were able to expose OU’s secondary while totaling 572 yards of offense last week.

2. Should Clemson be on upset alert?

Heading into Saturday night’s game at Georgia Tech, the Tigers are aiming for their first 9-0 start since 1981, when they finished 12-0 and won a national championship. Georgia Tech has dropped two games in a row, scoring only 28 points and averaging only 253 yards of offense in losses to Virginia and Miami. But Tech’s triple-option offense might pose problems for Clemson’s defense, which surrendered 83 points in victories over Maryland and North Carolina. The Tigers scored 115 points and had 1,026 yards of offense in their last two games.

3. What does USC have to do to upset Stanford?

The No. 6 Cardinal will be going for their 16th consecutive victory in Saturday night’s trip to USC. The Trojans will have to slow down Stanford’s running game, which ran for a school-record 446 yards in last week’s 65-21 rout of Washington. The Trojans will need another big game from receiver Robert Woods, who had 12 catches for 224 yards with three touchdowns in last season’s 37-35 loss to Stanford. USC quarterback Matt Barkley has thrown nine touchdowns with only one interception during a three-game winning streak.

4. Who starts at quarterback for Florida?

Gators coach Will Muschamp said senior John Brantley is ready to go for Saturday’s game against No. 22 Georgia in Jacksonville, Fla. But Brantley hasn’t played since injuring his ankle early in the Gators’ 38-10 loss to Alabama on Oct. 1 and hasn’t practiced much over the past three weeks. Brantley might get a chance to play against the Bulldogs, but don’t be surprised if freshmen Jeff Driskel and Jacoby Brissett take most of the snaps. Georgia has to do a better job of taking care of the football -- it has had 12 turnovers in its three consecutive losses to UF.

5. Who’s going to run the ball for South Carolina?

The No. 13 Gamecocks begin life without star tailback Marcus Lattimore, who will miss the rest of the season after tearing knee ligaments in a 14-12 victory over Mississippi State on Oct. 15. Freshman Brandon Wilds will get the start in Saturday’s game at Tennessee, after running for 75 yards on 13 carries so far this season. Quarterback Connor Shaw will have to carry a bigger load on offense, and former USC basketball player Bruce Ellington might get some snaps out of “Wildcats" plays. Volunteers freshman quarterback Justin Worley makes his first start after senior Matt Simms was benched last week.

6. Should Oklahoma State be worried about Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III?

The No. 3 Cowboys’ defense has held up so far this season but will be tested by Griffin, who has thrown 22 touchdowns and two interceptions this season. Baylor’s defense has been exposed by strong passing attacks, giving up 681 yards of offense in a 55-28 loss to Texas A&M on Oct. 15. The Bears allowed 725 yards in a 55-28 loss to OSU last season. Griffin played very well against the Aggies, throwing for a school-record 430 yards with three touchdowns. Baylor has lost five straight and 14 of 15 games to the Pokes.

7. Can Michigan State get up for another big game?

The No. 11 Spartans just completed a trifecta of emotional victories, defeating Ohio State (17-7), Michigan (28-14) and Wisconsin (37-31). The Spartans defeated the then-No. 6 Badgers on quarterback Kirk Cousins’ 44-yard touchdown pass to Keith Nichol on a Hail Mary pass on the final play of the game. Now Michigan State has to regroup to play at No. 14 Nebraska on Saturday. MSU’s defense, which allowed 220 rushing yards to the Badgers, will have to slow down Cornhuskers quarterback Taylor Martinez and I-back Rex Burkhead. The winner gets the inside track to winning the Big Ten’s Legends division.

8. Will Wisconsin rebound to beat Ohio State?

The Badgers saw their BCS national championship hopes all but end with last week’s loss at Michigan State. But Wisconsin can still win the Big Ten’s Leaders division and play in the inaugural Big Ten championship game in Indianapolis on Dec. 3. The Buckeyes had an extra week to prepare, after upsetting Illinois 17-7 on Oct. 15. Ohio State completed only one pass for 17 yards against the Illini, but tailback Dan “Boom” Herron ran for 91 yards with two touchdowns in his first action of the season.

9. Can Texas A&M’s defense shut down another opponent?

Missouri’s trip to Texas A&M on Saturday night will be a matchup of potential future SEC teams. The No. 16 Aggies have struggled defending the pass all season, but they were much better in last week’s 33-17 victory over Iowa State, allowing only 305 yards of offense. Missouri has won four of its last five games against Texas A&M. Tigers quarterback James Franklin struggled in last week’s 45-24 loss to Oklahoma State, completing only 14 of 27 passes for 184 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions.

10. Can Penn State do it again?

The Nittany Lions have won six games in a row heading into Saturday’s game against Illinois, and they’ve done it with a menacing defense and mediocre offense. Penn State tailback Silas Redd has been very good lately, with four straight 100-yard games. But the Nittany Lions remain unsettled at quarterback, although Matt McGloin played well in last week’s 34-24 victory at Northwestern. The Illini have lost two straight games after a 6-0 start.

1. The SEC presidents will decide which school to invite as the league’s 14th member. Athletic administrators, I am told, don’t want Missouri because of the travel to Columbia. For instance, it’s 1,000 miles from there to Gainesville, Fla. Add the remote nature of so many SEC campuses, and travel of non-revenue teams will incur a sharp increase in either time (commercial travel through Atlanta) or money ($30,000 charter flights).

2. If your Heisman tastes run toward the dual-threat quarterback a la Cam Newton (2010), then Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III may be your guy. You may know that Griffin has rushed 60 times for 280 yards and two touchdowns (sick), and that he ranks second in the nation in passing efficiency with a rating of 212.94 (sicker). Thanks to the ESPN Stats & Info geeks, you now know that on passes of 25 yards or more this season, Griffin has completed 12 of 16 for nine touchdowns (sickest).

3. If North Carolina hires Bubba Cunningham, it will be the best hire the university has made regarding football since it took Mack Brown away from Tulane in 1988. Cunningham cut his teeth in the athletic department of Notre Dame, his alma mater. As athletic director at Ball State in 2003, he hired Brady Hoke. At Tulsa in 2007, he hired Todd Graham. That’s good news for a North Carolina program without a permanent coach and about to be penalized by the NCAA.

1. The NCAA closed its investigation of Auburn over the recruitment of former quarterback Cam Newton and removed the shadow that hovered over his Heisman Trophy and the Tigers’ crystal football. It is good to know once and for all that 80 interviews conducted by the NCAA didn’t find evidence worthy of a Letter of Inquiry. Auburn will have to live with the conspiracy theorists, of course -- that’s the price of success today -- but the Tigers’ miracle climb to the BCS title should get its due from anyone who held back.

2. Northwestern quarterback Dan Persa has been limited in his comeback from an Achilles’ tendon tear late last season. After rushing for 519 yards last season, he has minus-8 yards in two games. But Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz, whose Hawkeyes play the Wildcats this week, said the lack of rushing isn’t the same as being immobile. “He may not be running north and south but he's running east, west,” Ferentz said. “…The real danger right there is you've got a guy who can break the pocket and still throw the ball down the field.”

3. You may have seen when the AP poll came out Sunday that there are no ranked teams from Florida for the first time since Dec. 6, 1982. Just to put that into perspective, that poll came out nine days before Alabama coach Bear Bryant announced his retirement. Former Florida coach Urban Meyer, who has already retired, was an 18-year-old shortstop in the Atlanta Braves’ minor-league system. And since that poll, Florida schools have won 10 national championships, a total which won’t increase in 2011.

1. Pittsburgh’s 44-17 rout of South Florida on Thursday night may be a boon for Todd Graham’s Panthers but it is one more indignity for the reeling Big East. The No. 16 Bulls are the conference’s highest-ranked team and held some promise as the league’s rejoinder to its critics, particularly in the wake of the decision by Pittsburgh and founding member Syracuse to abandon the league. Maybe Pittsburgh will carry the flag for the Big East. But these are the same Panthers who struggled against Iowa and Notre Dame.

2. Florida quarterback John Brantley looks more comfortable in the offense of new coordinator Charlie Weis than he ever did playing in Urban Meyer’s spread attack last season. But as Todd McShay pointed out in today’s ESPNU College Football podcast, Brantley’s success has come in short, quick passes, not downfield throws. Against a fast, experienced Alabama defense, Brantley must do more than dump the ball off if the No. 12 Gators are to upset the No. 3 Crimson Tide.

3. A reader and Longhorns fan challenged my comment that TCU has supplanted Texas as the state’s most successful program. Since the beginning of 2006, TCU is 58-11; Texas is 55-15. In that time, the Horned Frogs and the Longhorns each have been to two BCS bowls; each has won one. Texas fans argue that strength of schedule should be considered. But given TCU’s momentum -- 16-1 in 2010-11 vs. Texas’ 8-7 -- it’s hard to see why the Horned Frogs shouldn’t be considered the best.

1. In 1940, when Cornell received five downs to score and beat Dartmouth, 7-3, Cornell offered a forfeit and Dartmouth accepted. In 1990, when Colorado got five downs to beat Missouri, 33-31, Buffaloes coach Bill McCartney flat refused to offer a forfeit. Colorado went on to a share of the national championship. From selfless to selfish to a shrug: Syracuse beat Toledo, 33-30, because of an officiating error and both sides agree that NCAA rules don’t allow a remedy. A rule change may create more problems than it would solve. That’s little solace for the Rockets.

2. The matchup of Alabama coach Nick Saban versus Florida coach Will Muschamp, a former assistant to Saban at LSU, will gain a lot of attention as the No. 3 Crimson Tide prepares to play the No. 12 Gators. Keep this in mind: in his 16 seasons as an FBS head coach, Saban has lost 53 games. As far as I can tell, none of those losses came to a team led by a first-year head coach. That seems more relevant than the discussion of Saban losing to a protégé.

3. No. 7 Wisconsin has committed two turnovers in four games, No. 4 Stanford one turnover in three. What do they have in common? Savvy veterans running their offenses. The Badgers’ Russell Wilson, a fifth-year transfer from North Carolina State, has thrown one interception in an offense he didn’t really learn until August (freshman Joe Brennan threw the other pick). The Cardinal’s Andrew Luck has thrown one interception, which bounced off a Stanford receiver’s hand. Sometimes, it’s not what a quarterback does. It’s what he doesn’t do.