ESPN

• Vote: Are you a fan of the blue turf? | Would Boise State win the Pac-10?
• Rank 'Em: Which teams are the biggest threat to the BCS this season?
• Chat: Non-AQ blogger Andrea Adelson talks Mountain West, WAC and more, 2 ET

A lot of college football fans will tell you their two favorite teams are their team and whoever plays their rival that Saturday. But it sure feels like Boise State is gaining ground on the latter part of that equation.

There are a lot of things working in Boise State's favor as it builds a nationwide network of fans. The Broncos play at least five games on ESPN or ESPN2 this season, all on weekday nights when college football fans are craving something to tide them over until Saturday. And since it's safe to say the BCS isn't America's most popular institution, it only makes sense to support the team whose diverse playbook has helped poke holes in the system's flaws. Plus, let's be honest, who doesn't love them some blue turf?

So as long as they aren't playing your team, is Boise State America's team?

Brian (Greensboro)

Ivan, pretend that Boise State is any BCS conference this year...where do you rank them? Is it still third (AP), fifth (Coaches) or something else?

Ivan Maisel

I understand your point. But Boise State has won two Fiesta Bowls in the last four years. They have 20-plus starters returning from an undefeated team. I don't think anyone need apologize for ranking the Broncos high. And if they lose, we'll be wrong and we'll all move on. Full transcript

Jeremy (Corvallis)

How do you think Boise would do in the PAC-10? It's much easier to get up for 1 (max. 2) games per year, compared to having to show up every week (except against Wazzu).

Pac-10 blogger Ted Miller

Hard to say: Boise is a good team, and it is particularly good at preparing for big games. But as you say, playing a quality foe just about every week is something the Broncos have not done. I do think this year's Boise State team would finish in the top-third of the Pac-10, perhaps even win the conference. Full transcript

• Vote: What is the right move for BYU? | What about the original Notre Dame?
• Rank 'Em: How will the Mountain West race unfold this season?

You thought we were done with conference reshuffling just because the regular season is right around the corner and fans are already staking out prime tailgating real estate? Think again. As Andy Katz reported yesterday, BYU is inching ever closer to ditching the Mountain West Conference in favor of football independence (and WAC dependence in the rest of its athletic offerings).

But is making a move to become the "Notre Dame of the West" really a wise plan? Do they only get NBC in Provo? As Brian Kelly starts his first season as coach of the Fighting Irish -- the fourth coach in 10 seasons at the school -- South Bend isn't exactly the center of the college football universe that perhaps it once was.

Meanwhile, even with Fresno State and Nevada coming aboard, SportsNation blogger laneguzman wonders if BYU's departure would lead TCU to make a move of its own.

• "Why stay in the MWC without BYU and Utah? What good is a going undefeated and not being able to play for the nation championship? Why should your other sports suffer playing in the MWC when they could join a stronger conference. The Big 12 in baseball perhaps?" -- Check out laneguzman's blog

Kevin (Provo)

What are BYU's chances of having another 10+ win season with their tough schedule?

College Football Nation blogger Andrea Adelson

It's going to be tough. The schedule is absolutely brutal. Washington is going to be better; Air Force is going to be better; FSU is going to be better; Nevada is going to be better. That's just the first 4. There are high hopes at Utah St., too. And then BYU has to play at TCU and at Utah. This team is young and inexperienced without a QB at this point. So I think a 10-win season is going to be an absolute testament to Bronco Mendenhall if it happens. Full transcript

“

This is ridiculous. Some needs to put a stop to all this madness. College Football was great because of the passion and tradition. Lets just call college football NFL JR. Greed is ruining this sport. Sad. If BYU leaves the MWC they will get whats coming to them.

” -- davidpimp03

“

Ironically, the only thing that is saving the MWC from falling behind the Sunbelt and MAC to #11 is the addition of Boise St.(which it shunned too long). If BSU had stayed in the WAC...? Hawaii, BSU, Nevada and Fresno would definitely be better than what is left in the MWC now.

” -- bodhisamaya

• Vote: GameDay Pick 'Em | Heisman Watch | SportsNation Top 25
• Vote on big topics: Charlie Weis' future | Auburn at Georgia
• Blogger chat wraps: ACC | Big 12 | Big East | Big Ten | Pac-10 | SEC | Others
• More wraps: Mark Schlabach | Pat Forde | Mel Kiper | Ivan Maisel | Bruce Feldman
• Special guests: Brad Edwards | Boise State cornerback Kyle Wilson

It won't be an easy weekend for BCS Cinderellas, even though they're all playing at home. Cincinnati faces No. 25 West Virginia, TCU gets the pressure of GameDay and No. 16 Utah, and Boise State deals with a surprising 7-3 Idaho (and a visiting AD who doesn't like to fly on planes with Broncos markings).

USC fans still have BCS hope, but know their team can't lose again. Boise State, Cincinnati and Iowa fans wonder what more their teams can do, besides pray for a loss by one of the top 3.

Now that Ohio State has two losses SportsNation thinks Ohio State is using Terrelle Pryor incorrectly. Fans, however, still think Sam Bradford is a first-round pick.

Florida State kicked off Week 8 with a needed win, and Alabama, Florida and Texas face opponents they shouldn't overlook.

• Vote: "GameDay" Pick 'Em | Heisman Watch | SportsNation Top 25
• Vote on big games: Tennessee at Alabama | Texas at Missouri
• Blogger chat wraps: ACC | Big 12 | Big East | Big Ten | Pac-10 | SEC | Others
• Other wraps: Brad Edwards | Bruce Feldman | Ivan Maisel | Pat Forde | Mark Schlabach

“

Mark Ingram is a good reason for [Alabama's] passing to be less of a factor. Wait until next year for any shot of a Vols upset.

” -- Beano Cook

“

I pick Florida to win this game, but to be seen as legitimately No. 1, the Gators should win convincingly, even more so than against Arkansas.

” -- IdahoanTyke

“

My ranking: 1. Iowa; 2. Florida; 3. Alabama; 4. Texas; 5. Virginia Tech; 6. TCU; 7. Boise State; 8. USC; 9. Oregon; 10. LSU.

” -- CheezusCrust

• Fan blogger predictions for Week 8: nunyabiz81 | jodiemeeks23ppat54 | dfpsports | IdahoanTyke | codywin25 | gbirkem2 | utesfan2 | Sportsguru6

While whiteford73 and his buddies run around what looks like an intramural football field, plenty of fans dressed their profiles with pictures from college and professional games this week.

In other news, Page 2 is looking for college tailgaters. Upload your pictures to the Tailgating group.

These are our favorite photos uploaded this week. If any of the images make you want to put on facepaint and sign team songs, click to view a larger picture and to comment. If you have a great picture or saw one you think the world should see, leave a brief description and a link in the Conversation section below.

Despite the surprise offseason moves, a recalcitrant wide receiver and a new coaching staff, Broncos fans like settodiablita had something to cheer about in Week 1. Fans are resilient.

These are our favorite photos uploaded this week. If any of the images make you want to trade a franchise player, click them to view a larger picture and to comment. If you have a great picture or saw one you think the world should see, leave a brief description and a link in the Conversation section below.

• Your rankings: What does your top 25 look like after the first week of games?

Memories of Steve Young, Jim McMahon and Ty Detmer weren't enough to earn BYU much respect from SportsNation entering the season, but Max Hall may have changed all of that by leading the Cougars to an upset win against Oklahoma.

Voters ranked BYU No. 24 in SportsNation's preseason top 25, behind fellow Mountain West contenders TCU (No. 19) and Utah (No. 17) and WAC power Boise State (No. 15). And when it came to the opening game, just 12 percent of SportsNation picked BYU to beat the Sooners in Dallas, less than half the support Nevada received on the road against Notre Dame.

The road doesn't get that much easier for BYU, which faces Tulane this week on ESPN2 but still has games against Florida State, Colorado State, TCU and Utah. But based on Saturday, we're giving Hall the nod over Courtney Cox as the fall's most successful Cougar.

• SportsNation blogger Lionsfanatic52 can't quite find room for BYU in his top 10 this week, but he does move the Cougars from No. 20 to No. 11, one spot ahead of the Sooners.
• Rather than giving the Mountain West an automatic bid in the BCS, blogger DedaloRafael would like to see the Pac-10 strengthen its case by adding BYU and Utah and creating a conference championship game. Boise State would like to know if Oregon's spot is negotiable.

“

Its time to add the MWC into the BCS mix. What is the ACC dooing in there? Didn't they have a bunch of bad losses this week to D1-aa teams? ... I think the MWC may not have the all around talent as the SEC or Big Ten and Big 12, but they are a heck of a lot better than the Big East and ACC.

” -- pucrepeap

“

BYU hung with OU all game long. They definitely didn't win because Bradford went out. OU was 1st and goal on the 2 yard line after a really bad PI call in the endzone... and they held them to a field goal, which ended up deciding the game! AND they won with 4 turnovers. So by no means did they play the perfect game. They didn't even play a great game.

” -- LikeISeeIt

While you've been grilling and enjoying the last, lazy day of summer, Michelle Beadle and Colin Cowherd have been cooking up another day of "SportsNation" TV.

Argue the hot topics of the day and vote on the biggest stories from the world of sports. The show airs on ESPNEWS at 4 p.m. and ESPN2 at midnight ET.

Note: Broadcast voting results as of this afternoon (ET).

Would you put your unconditional trust in Bill Belichick?
New England continues to make surprise moves, the latest being the trade of Richard Seymour to the Raiders. Pats fans are just along for the ride.

Did Sam Bradford make the right decision coming back to college?
The defending Heisman champion is out for at least a few weeks with a shoulder injury suffered in Oklahoma's loss to BYU.

Which Michael Jordan feat would you rather witness in person?
Would you rather have been in the building and seen MJ hit a game-winning shot or seen him hit one of his gravity-defying dunk-contest slams?

Is Jimmy Clausen a legitimate Heisman hopeful?
The Notre Dame quarterback has a 158.3 rating after throwing for 315 yards and four touchdown passes in Week 1 against Nevada.

Is BYU a BCS championship contender?
The Cougars surprised the nation by knocking off the Sooners 14-13. And they certainly grabbed plenty of attention for the Mountain West Conference.

What is "SportsNation" TV, and how do you make your voice heard? Read about the new ESPN show that features fan opinions with calls, tweets, polls, rankers and more.

College football is back, and we feel like kids in the stands at The Swamp.

Defending champ Florida is the favorite to win the BCS title again among fan bloggers on ESPN.com. They also pick Colt McCoy for the Heisman trophy.

To kick off the season, we've rounded up some of your predictions on the key games and issues. Each week we'll feature the best college football blogs and photos (thanks gatrstacked for our Gator fan picture this week) posted in the profiles.

Click through this week's posts below and enjoy the games.

Nevada at No. 23 Notre Dame: Does this ever really end? It seems every year we are left wondering how ND ended up with their absurdly high preseason ranking. ... Does anyone remember San Diego State last season? This is my upset special. -- pettyofficerkeller2

No. 5 Alabama at No. 7 Virginia Tech: This will probably be the best game of the year other than the national championship. There is no more quarterback controversey, which means this is Tyrod Taylor's year to lead this team to an ACC title and a BCS bowl game. -- tjroundup

No. 20 BYU at No. 3 Oklahoma: BYU has hopes of crashing the BCS party. One way to make a statement would be to upset the nation's third-ranked team led by the reigning Heisman Trophy winner. Still unsure of their offensive line starters, the Cougars face a monster test in OU's defense. -- Sportsguru6

Week 1: utesfan2 | cardon032 | Sportsguru6tjroundup | pettyofficerkeller2 | dfpsports
Bowl predictions: Chris72970 | Donovant22 | bsu415 | Slaton_20 | ndgunner22 | orionben666 | RamblinWreck | stupid546 | Urkalboy25 | tjroundup | mps88 | thebigvt757 | DaBeezfanofdayanks | Schnoppys 94
Heisman: ndgunner22 | Monkeyduck2008 | phillyfan0091 | earn88hardt | yourqueen2b

Columbia, South Carolina, meet Newcastle, England. You probably have some common ancestors. You both have frequently indecipherable, yet highly amusing, accents. And you both love football, if of slightly different varieties. You've also both been relegated. Sorry about that.

Fortunately for fans of the Gamecocks, their relegation is only hypothetical (longtime Premier League mainstay Newcastle's is more alarmingly real for its fans, who will kick off their season Saturday cheering on their lads against West Bromwich Albion in the Championship, English soccer's equivalent of the old I-AA gridiron designation on this side of the Atlantic).

South Carolina ended up on the wrong side of the cut line when SportsNation voted for the 40 teams that should make up Pat Forde's new and improved top flight of college football. Then again, maybe SportsNation mistakenly let its director of operations cast its vote instead. These things have been known to happen.

Things won't become official until Forde, Ivan Maisel and Mark Schlabach conduct a draft for their 40 teams Tuesday, but here's how things look in SportsNation's relegation zone.

Last Five In: Colorado, Pittsburgh, Utah, Illinois, Oregon State
First Five Out: South Carolina, BYU, Louisville, Kansas, North Carolina

• Tebow-gate aside, voters say Steve Spurrier has been good for South Carolina.
• Pick your own top 40 teams for a college football revolution
• Groups: South Carolina Gamecocks | Southeastern Conference | Oregon State Beavers

“

Awesome idea, but how about the winner of the lower division gets thrown in the mix of the national championship. America loves an underdog...

” -- orangebloodmike8

“

You just hit everything right on the HEAD! You got it right. Absolutely right. Promotion/relegation in college football would be amazingly popular!! The conferences are dated. Most teams in power conferences don't deserve to be there. Conference championships are TERRIBLE!! I have been boycotting bowl games since I realized that true champions are not crowned in this terrible system. My team is the Indiana Hoosiers, and the NCAA should take a lot of stock in the fact that even I am for this set up 100 percent.

” -- JRWambach1983