The 2007-08 NCAA football season has been filled with excitement, as unranked teams take down top ranked opponents, leaving the BCS standings in chaos. The team that is statistically better, for example Applachian State, can come into a game and play spoiler, which eliminates a team like Michigan from a national championship. Nine unranked teams came into this season punishing highly ranked opponents in classic upset victories over some of our favorite teams. Once again, Ohio State was the No. 1 team in the country, playing at home against unranked Illinois.
All they had to do was defeat Illinois and the championship game could not have been denied. But head coach Ron Zook put together a master game plan against Ohio State.
Juice Williams plays quarterback for Illinois, but he is not as highly praised as Colt Brennan, John Booty and so many more. Williams threw touchdowns and ran the ball effectively against Ohio State.
Putting the icing on the cake, he committed the crucial fourth-down play against Ohio State that decided the outcome of the game.
What does this say for the BCS? This is a statement for the NCAA to pay attention to the underdogs.
Teams that are competing for a national title better come to play, no matter how good or bad the game goes. No team can be overlooked because speed, talent, and great coaching opens opportunities for anyone.
Every week the BCS polls decide which teams earn the right to play in the Sugar Bowl based on their performance, schedule and overall rankings.
With the competition so wide open, no team at the end of this season will stay undefeated. The SEC, Big 12, ACC and PAC-10 conferences are the toughest ones to win.
The SEC is the hardest conference in football. Florida, Tennessee, Arkansas, Georgia, Auburn, and Alabama could have easily represented the conference, but it is all LSU. The LSU Tigers have been dominating every week. They tend to make you hold your breath because they can beat you in a number of ways.
The PAC-10 for the first time in three years will not be praising USC or Cal, but the Oregon Ducks. The Ducks are the sleeper team in this conference. Dennis Dixon is having a good year with his arm, but UCLA and Arizona State want to keep him grounded.
Finally, the Big 12 shootout is between Kansas and Oklahoma. Kansas is the only team that has not lost yet. Kansas made believers out of sports anchors when they blew out Nebraska.
Oklahoma and Kansas will battle it out to stay alive in the BCS hunt.
Prediction:
The championship game will be a repeat of the 2003 rematch between Oklahoma and LSU.