Happy New Year's Eve and best wishes to the Iowa State Cyclones

The final day of 2009 has finally arrived. What a year that seemed to pass by at record speed.

We have seen plenty this past 2009 and cheers to a better 2010 to each and all ...

Iowa State vs. Minnesota kicks off a 5 p.m. on the NFL Network. It is nice to see the in-state school in a bowl game in coach Paul Rhoads first season.

The MWC, Big East and Big Ten are off to good starts in th 2009-10 bowl season.

Have a safe and enjoyable New Year's Eve and a great new year in 2010.

peace

Out with Mike Leach at Texas Tech ...

As the attorney for Mike Leach was suggesting on Tuesday, Texas Tech has chosen to dismiss head football coach Mike Leach for cause ...

Mike Leach fired: Texas Tech coach's methods seen as cruel‎ - Christian Science Monitor

Mike Leach, the most successful coach in Texas Tech football history, was fired Wednesday after being accused of punishing receiver Adam James for not ...

Texas Tech Coach Mike Leach Fired!!‎ - Gather.com
Texas Tech Red Raiders fire Mike Leach - ESPN
Dec 30, 2009 ... Texas Tech fired coach Mike Leach on Wednesday, two days after he was suspended by the school as it investigated his treatment of a player ...

Mike Leach becomes the second coach in the Big 12 Conference dismissed this season, due to the treatment of players.

Ex-Kansas coach Mangino getting $3 million from KU - Associated ... - Sporting News
Dec 16, 2009 ... Former Kansas football coach Mark Mangino will be paid $3 ... Comparing what he'd have gotten had they terminated him "without cause" with ...

Big Ten opens 2009-10 bowl season at 1-0

Wisconsin 20, Miami 14 in the 2009 Champs Sports Bowl on Tuesday, Dec. 29Th on ESPN.

Today, December 30Th, two more bowl games are played ...

Roady's Humanitarian with Bowling Green vs. Idaho from Boise, Idaho at Bronco Stadium at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN.

Followed by the Prime Time match up on ESPN:

Pacific Life Holiday Bowl

Arizona vs. Nebraska
from San Diego and Qualcomm Stadium
7 p.m. on ESPN/ESPN Radio

My picks have definitely fallen off this bowl season, but we were happy to see Wisconsin win and help boost the Big Ten off at 1-0 start this 2009-10 bowl season.

Tonight, it should be an interesting game with two programs that we have ties too. Both schools won last season in bowl games and are looking to build for the 2010 season.

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It's certainly been an odd week so far in College Football with the news at Florida and now Texas Tech

What's going on around College Football, since Christmas? Urban Meyer is going and now on leave of absence. Now, Texas Tech is suspending coach Mike Leach, due to treatment of one of his players.

Who makes the hires while Meyer is away? - ESPN (blog)‎
Assuming Urban Meyer is indeed coming back after his leave, you know it's going to be his call at the end of the day. Most signs point to Chuck Heater ...
Ex-Gators cast doubt on Urban Meyer's sub - USA Today (blog)
To understand Meyer's flip-flop, one must first understand his past - SI.com
Florida's Interim Coach Is Like Meyer, but With a Passion All His Own - New York Times

What impact will Urban Meyer's leave of absence have on the Gators recruiting for 2010 and beyond?

Meyer's leave will have impact on Florida recruiting - USA Today
With signing day a little more than five weeks away, Urban Meyer's decision to take a leave of absence as Florida coach has created uncertainty with some of ...
Urban Meyer's gridiron guessing game - Palm Beach Post (blog)

The news out of the Texas Tech pre-bowl camp is even more odd ...

Leach's attorney says coach did no wrong‎ - AP
The lawyer for Mike Leach says the suspended Texas Tech coach did nothing wrong in how he treated a player with a "mild" concussion. ...

Texas Tech suspends Mike Leach after player complains about treatment‎ - USA Today
Texas Tech has suspended coach Mike Leach from all duties following a complaint from a player and his parents regarding Leach's treatment of the athlete ...

At least college football fans can enjoy some more bowl action today, with two more bowl games on ESPN ...

The Prime Time Game on ESPN tonight:

Champs Sports

Miami-FL vs. Wisconsin
Orlando, Fla. at the Florida Citrus Bowl
Kickoff is Dec. 29Th at 7 p.m. Central Time

The Wisconsin Badgers didn't fare well last year in Orlando vs. Florida State, so will the trip to face the Hurricanes be better in 2009? Maybe a prime time game for the Badgers will allow them to play better, than last year's day game in the 2008 Champs Sports Bowl?

Both teams finished 5-3 in their respective conferences, the ACC and the Big Ten; and 9-3 overall for the season.

Our Pick: Miami-FL 34, Wisconsin 32

The Tune up Game before tonight's Prime Time game on ESPN:

EagleBank

UCLA vs. Temple
Washington, D.C. at RFK Stadium
Kickoff is Dec. 29 at 3:30 p.m. Central Time

A Pac 10 vs. MAC showdown in Washington D.C. When is the last time a MAC team won a bowl game? Heck, the same can be said for UCLA, who have not been stellar in bowl games either. UCLA was only 3-6 in the Pac 10 in '09, 6-6 overall. Temple finished 7-1 in the MAC East, tied with Ohio U for first place. The Owls were 9-3 overall.

Our Pick: Temple 27, UCLA 24

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Oops, there is a Bowl Game today on ESPN2, we can't forget the Independence Bowl, the eleventh bowl for '09-'10 season

ESPN2 will spotlight the Independence Bowl from Shreveport, LA today at 4 p.m. Central Time, with an SEC-Big 12 match up.

Georgia vs. Texas A&M

Georgia defeated in-state rival Georgia Tech, but overall, had a very disappointing 2009 season. Texas A&M is rebuilding under second year coach Mike Sherman, who made the move from the NFL to the college game.

Our pick:

Texas A&M 24, Georgia 21

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ESPN continues it's Bowl coverage tonight with the Music City Bowl

Did you ever ask yourself why there are so many Bowl Games in College Football?

The tenth bowl game of the 2009-10 College Football Bowl Schedule is played tonight in front of another ESPN audience. The first ten bowl games are all on ESPN. Tomorrow night, ESPN2 gets into the action.

Bowl Line up through Sunday, December 27Th

• December 19Th - New Mexico, Wyoming 35, Fresno State 28 (2 OT) from Albuquerque, N.M. in University Stadium


• December 19Th - St. Petersburg pres. by Beef 'O' Brady's, Rutgers 45, UCF 24, from St. Petersburg, Fla. at Tropicana Field


• December 20Th - R+L Carriers New Orleans, Middle Tennessee 42, Southern Miss 32, from New Orleans in the Louisiana Superdome


• December 22Nd - MAACO Las Vegas, BYU 44, Oregon State 20, from Las Vegas at Sam Boyd Stadium


• December 23Rd - S.D. County Credit Union Poinsettia, Utah 37, Cal 27 from San Diego and Qualcomm Stadium


• December 24Th - Sheraton Hawaii, SMU 45, Nevada 10, from Honolulu at Aloha Stadium


• December 26Th - Little Caesars, Marshall 21, Ohio 17, from Detroit at Ford Field


• December 26Th - Meineke Car Care, Pitt 19, North Carolina 17, from Charlotte, N.C. at Bank of America Stadium


• December 26Th - Emerald, USC 24, Boston College 13, from San Francisco and AT&T Park

Next up: the 2009-10 College Bowl season's tenth bowl game on ESPN

• Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl - Kentucky vs. Clemson from Nashville, Tenn. at LP Field
  Dec. 27 at 7:30 p.m. Central Time on ESPN

The SEC kicks off their bowl season vs. the ACC, who are 0-2 in bowls thus far, with the Kentucky Wildcats. The Clemson Tigers were within a possession of winning the ACC Championship and a bid in a BCS bowl.

Kentucky finished tied for fourth in the SEC East at 3-5 with South Carolina. The Wildcats were 7-5 in the regular season. Clemson finished runner-up in the ACC title game and 6-2 in the Atlantic Division, 8-5 overall.

Kentucky finished 7-6 in 2008 and won 25-19 over East Carolina in last year's Liberty Bowl. The Wildcats are 8-5 lifetime in bowl games and are looking for their fourth straight bowl games, with the streak starting in '06 with a 28-20 win vs. Clemson in the Music City Bowl. The Wildcats are lead by coach Rich Brooks, who is in his seven season in Lexington.

Clemson was 7-6 in 2008 and fell short 21-26 in last season's Gator Bowl to Nebraska. Coach Dabo Swinney is in his first full season at the head of the Tigers program, after taking over for Tommy Bowden in the middle of the 2008 campaign. The Tigers have lost three straight bowl games and are 15-16 overall.

Who wants this game more is the real question in many bowl games. Will it be the Wildcats who have won 5 of the last 7 games this season? Or, will it be Clemson, who have lost two straight, after a six game winning streak in the middle of the season?

Prediction:

• Kentucky Wildcats 28
• Clemson Tigers 26

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Florida's Urban Meyer is stepping aside as head football coach for "faith and family" ...

He suggests that he has not taken care of himself, as a football coach.

It's an interesting development on the college football landscape. How his decision is factored by the pressure for success at the major college football level at SEC schools? It's Alabama Nick Saban, who is heading to the BCS Title Game, while Florida QB Tim Tebew winds down his college career in the Sugar Bowl, in now a game that could be Urban Meyer's last as a head football coach.

Source: Urban Meyer changes plans, taking leave of absence‎ - Miami Herald
Florida coach Urban Meyer told to the Gators he is not resigning but taking an indefinite leave of absence. Offensive coordinator Steve Addazio will be ...
Louisville AD Tom Jurich understands if Strong is interested in ...‎ - The Canadian Press
Meyer's Situation Is Not the First‎ - New York Times (blog)

If the decision is primarily due to coach Urban Meyer's health? That he is leaving college football, then we want to wish him a speedy recovery. However, remember when Florida basketball coach Billy Donavan was ready to step away from the basketball position at Florida to leave for the NBA? There was plenty of drama with that on again, off again saga.

Stay tuned ...

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The Christmas fest is complete; now, more College Bowls to digest for the season!

Hopefully, everyone had a very, merry Christmas with family and friends ...

We were pleased with both Utah and SMU in their respective bowl wins in the Poinsettia and Hawaii bowls, respectively ...

Wed., Dec. 23: Poinsettia in San Diego, Mountain West vs. Pac-10, Utah 37, California 27
Thu., Dec. 24: Hawaii in Honolulu, C-USA vs. WAC, SMU 45, Nevada 10

Saturday, December 26, 2009, there three more bowl games up for display, all on ESPN ...

• Sat., Dec. 26 at 12 p.m. Central Time
  Little Caesars Bowl from Detroit
  MAC vs. Big Ten (C-USA fills the Big Ten void): Ohio U vs. Marshall
• Sat., Dec. 26 at 3 p.m. Central Time
  Meineke Car Care Bowl from Charlotte
  ACC vs. Big East: North Carolina vs. Pittsburgh
• Sat., Dec. 26 at 7:30 p.m. Central Time
  Emerald Bowl from San Francisco
  Pac-10 vs. ACC: Southern California vs. Boston College

Our Picks for Saturday, December 26, 2009:

• Ohio U. 30, Marshal 24
• North Carolina 33, Pittsburgh 28
• Boston College 28, USC 25

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The College Bowl spotlight continues on Tuesday, December 22, 2009 with the MACCO Las Vegas Bowl: BYU vs. Oregon State

A 7 p.m. kickoff from Las Vegas on ESPN on Tuesday, December 22ND ...

MAACO Bowl Las Vegas
12/22/2009 - Maaco Bowl Las Vegas The Matchup: OREGON ST. (8-4, 6-3 Pac-10) vs. BYU (10-2, 7-1 MWC) Dec. 22, 2009, 5 PM PT, ESPN Sam Boyd Stadium Las ...

The Mountain West vs. Pac-10 with Brigham Young vs. Oregon State in a game that should be exciting to watch.

Brigham Young finished the 2009 season at 10-2 overall, second in the MWC with a 7-1 mark. While Oregon State finished 2009 with a 8-4 overall record, 6-3 in the Pac 10, tied for second place with Arizona and Stanford. The BYU Cougars lost two games at home to Florida State and TCU, while Oregon State lost to Cincinnati and Arizona at home and on the road @ USC and @ Oregon.

BYU looks to rebound in 2009, after losing in the 2008 Las Vegas Bowl to Arizona 21-31. BYU is playing in their fifth straight Las Vegas Bowl and is 2-2 in those previous games. Oregon State won the Las Vegas Bowl in 2003 over New Mexico 55-14. The Cougars should be a stronger foe for the Beavers in 2009. Oregon State won the 2008 Sun Bowl over Pittsburgh, 3-0.

Prediction for the 2009 Las Vegas Bowl:

Will the BYU coach get his alma mater? The crystal ball is a little foggy on this one ...

Brigham Young 30

Oregon State 28

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Iowa Basketball: When does two years equal the past 13 months? The answer is in a recent story in The Gezette

The Gazette's December 21, 2009 print version made the following comment about Iowa basketball player, Anthony Tucker's off the field problems ...

" (picture) Anthony Tucker... Second arrest in 2 years "

Well the young man enrolled at the University of Iowa in August of 2008, so he has been a college student for only 17 months or so. He has had two arrests in two seasons at Iowa, but in two years? More like the past 13 months.

The sophomore starting shooting guard has been suspended indefinitely, until the legal matter is resolved. This is the second suspension in 13 months for the sophomore from Minnesota.

The player has yet to play a game in the Big Ten, due to academic and legal woes as a true freshman during the 2008-09 season. Now, it appears that Iowa may miss him for his second straight Big Ten season.

Iowa enters the Big Ten schedule vs. Purdue on Tuesday, December 29Th at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. No Iowa player on the current roster has more than one year of Big Ten experience. Three key players are true freshmen.

Iowa has signed four players for the 2010-11 season. Will another roster spot be soon opening up in Iowa City for the Hawkeyes?

Hawkeyes' Tucker suspended indefinitely - Dubuque Telegraph Herald
Anthony Tucker's continuning trouble with alcohol has resulted in his indefinite suspension from the Iowa men's basketball team. ...
Hawks step up in Tucker's absence - Quad City Times
Hawkeyes win, questions remain - Burlington Hawk Eye
Iowa's Anthony Tucker Arrested for Public Intoxication - Bleacher Report

peace

Sunday Bowl Game tonight, after busy day in the NFL with Steelers vs. Packers going down to the Wire

Next up on Sunday, December 20, 2009:
7:30 p.m. Central Time kickoff on ESPN
New Orleans Bowl from New Orleans, LA
Sun Belt vs. C-USA
Middle Tennessee vs. Southern Mississippi

The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders finished 7-1 in the Sun Belt in 2009, with an overall record of 9-3 on the season. While the Southern Miss Golden Eagles, they finished third in the C-USA East Division with a 5-3 record, 7-5 overall. An ESPN audience can tune in to see the Blue Raiders vs. the Golden Eagles square off in the Louisiana Super Dome.

Southern Miss is returning to the New Orleans Bowl in 2009 again, after finishing 7-6 in 2008 with a 30-27 OT win over Troy. The Golden Eagles are 9-8 overall in bowl games. Coach Larry Fedora is in his second season at the helm for the Golden Eagles.

Middle Tennessee State is coming off a 5-7 record in 2008. The Blue Raiders are making only their second bowl trip ever in the school's history. The Blue Raiders lost 14-31 to Central Michigan in the 2006 Motor City Bowl. Coach Rick Stockstill is in his fourth season at the helm for the Blue Raiders.

Middle Tennessee State enters the game on a six game win streak. The wins all came in conference play. Southern Miss lost their final conference game to lose out in an opportunity for the C-USA Title in 2009.

Prediction:

Southern Miss 30, Middle Tennessee State 17

In the NFL today: Pittsburgh beats Green Bay 37-36 on the final play of the game. Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin's failed onside kick attempt with the Steelers up 30-28 late provided plenty of drama for everyone watching. But, the Steelers took the ball all the way down the field in the final two minutes. Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger's career high 503 yards passing and a final TD pass from 18 yards on the final play of the game was the difference. Wow!

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Exciting finish in New Mexico, with next bowl coming up in St. Petersburg

Great finish in the first bowl game of the season with Wyoming defeating Fresno State in OT 35-28 in the New Mexico Bowl to kick off the 2009-10 bowl season.

Next up:
Sat., Dec. 19 at 7 p.m. Central Time
St. Petersburg Bowl from St. Petersburg, Fla.
Big East vs. C-USA: Rutgers vs. Central Florida

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights were picked by some in the pre-season to be the top contender in the Big East Conference in 2009, but the Scarlet Knights finished 3-4, tied for fourth in the Big East, and 8-4 overall. Central Florida Knights didn't enter the 2009 season with high expectations, but finished second in the C-USA East Division at 6-2, 8-4 overall for the 2009 season.

Rutgers was 8-5 in 2008 and won 29-23 in the Papajohns.com Bowl 29-23 over North Carolina State, while Central Florida finished 4-8 in 2008 and have only played in two bowl games in the school's history, losing both games, including the 2007 Liberty Bowl 3-10 to Mississippi State. Rutgers is 3-2 all-time in bowl games.

Prediction for the St. Petersburg Bowl:

Could three be the charm, as the Central Florida plays in its third bowl ever vs. a Rutgers team that is seeking to win their fourth straight bowl game in four years.

Rutgers 38, Central Florida 26

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Sidenote: Iowa beats Drake in basketball to stop a two game skid in the series, as well as win one of the three games in the Iowa Four Pack series. Creighton travels to undefeated New Mexico to face Steve Alford's club that is rising in the Top 25 right now.

The 2009-10 College Football Bowl Season kicks off on Saturday, December 19, 2009 through Thursday, January 7, 2010

Saturday, December 19, 2009 kicks off the bowl season for 2009-10 through Christmas, the holiday season, the New Year and closing out on Thursday, January 7, 2009 with the BCS Title Game from Pasadena, California in the Rose Bowl, with the #Alabama Crimson Tide facing #2 Texas Longhorn (though my #3 team, behind #2 TCU) for the BCS title.

Today, the 2009 New Mexico Bowl will kick off at 3:30 pm, Central Time, in Albuquerque, New Mexico with the Mountain West vs. WAC with a game matching Wyoming vs. Fresno State. ESPN Preview of the game between Wyoming and Fresno State.

Phil Steele's preview magazine picked Fresno State at the beginning of the season to play again in the New Mexico Bowl, but to face Utah (MWC), who are headed to the Poinsettia vs. Cal on Wednesday, December 23Rd.

The Wyoming Cowboys finished 5Th in the MWC with a 6-6 overall record and 4-4 in conference play. The Cowboys went 0-4 against four Top 25 teams in 2009 (#3 Texas, @ #21 Utah, #14 BYU and #2 TCU). Wyoming is coached by first year coach Dave Christensen, who was OC at Missouri prior to accepting the job in Laramie.

The Cowboys were 4-8 in 2008 and are headed to their first bowl, since the 2004 season, when the Cowboys beat UCLA 24-21 in the Las Vegas Bowl. The Cowboys are looking to get to .500 in bowls, bringing a 5-6 mark into the New Mexico Bowl vs. Fresno State.

The Fresno State Bulldogs finished 3Rd in the WAC with a 8-4 overall record and 6-2 in conference play. The Bulldogs went 0-3 against four Top 25 teams in 2009 (@ #24 Wisconsin, #6 Boise State and @ #5 Cincinnati) all in September of the regular season.

The Bulldogs were 7-6 in 2008 and lost in the New Mexico Bowl 35-40 to Colorado State (MWC team) in last year's game. The Bulldogs bring a 10-8 bowl mark to Albuquerque this season. The last bowl win for the Bulldogs was 2007, when Fresno State defeated Georgia Tech 40-28 in the Humanitarian Bowl in coach Chan Gailey's final season at Georgia Tech.

Can David knock off Goliath in New Mexico? The Wyoming Cowboys are trying to obtain their first winning season, since the 2004 season. The top QB for the Cowboys is a freshman right out of San Jose CA, Austyn Carta-Samuels who is 6-2 210 and was a Phil Steele #85 rated QB out of high school last season. Fresno State is lead by first year starter, QB Ryan Colburn, a junior.

Most of the wins this season by Wyoming was with 30 points on the score board. They had one win where they beat New Mexico 37-13 at home and scored over 30 points. By the way, the Cowboys haven't won in New Mexico, since the 2006 season. Fresno State is far superior football program to the Lobos (3-7-1 in bowls), who won the '07 New Mexico Bowl.

Only two teams have held Fresno State under 30 points all season. In those two games, Fresno State lost @ # 5 Cincinnati (L, 20-28) and @ Nevada (L, 14-52), so defense is key. Teams have put up points on Fresno State, but winning those shootouts can be dangerous, as the Illinois Fighting Illini found out, in a 52-53 loss to end the Fighting Illini's season.

• Wyoming wins if the game is 28 points or less


• Fresno State wins, if they can force enough points and make it a shoot out, over 35 points


• MWC is a better conference than the WAC and will be going for its third straight win, since San Jose State's 20-12 win over New Mexico in the 2006 New Mexico Bowl

Our pick: Wyoming 30, Fresno State 25... Go Cowboys and Happy Holidays!

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Two Hawkeye Football Players named to Walter Camp team for 2009

Iowa linebacker and offensive tackle are named to named to the 2009 Walter Camp (pictured left) All-America team.

Angerer and Bulaga named All-Americans - HawkeyeReport.com

Angerer, Bulaga named Camp all-Americans - Gazette Online (blog) - Marc Morehouse
Iowa's Pat Angerer (43) intercepts a pass intended for Wisconsin's Travis Beckum (9) during the second half of this NCAA college football game, Saturday, ...

Iowa running back Shonn Greene was a first team Walter Camp member in 2008.

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Our Take on the final Top 25 at end of the regular college football season and Final 2

What a regular season in 2009 ... five schools finish undefeated during the regular season, but only two can head to Pasadina for the BCS title game. Maybe this is the year that a +2 system for the BCS title game would better take care of business?

• Alabama
• TCU
• Texas
• Cincinnati
• Boise State

Clearly, everyone has Alabama #1 and at the top of the list after Alabama defeated Florida 32-13 in the SEC Championship game. Can we project RB Mark Ingram #1 in the Heisman ballots too?

The trouble comes for #2 in the final rankings. Who has Texas beat in 2009? Does the 2009 Big 12 Championship game with Nebraska warrant reconsideration for TCU, Cincinnati or Boise State as the #2 team, in place of Texas? Texas defeated Nebraska 13-12 on the final second with a 46 yard field goal in the Big 12 Championship game.

It would be more apparent today that the two non-BCS teams should get cracks at the BCS programs. Judging from the Texas-Nebraska game, TCU can be projected to be equal on defense to Nebraska and better on offense to the Cornhuskers. Place TCU in place of Nebraska vs. Texas and the projected outcome would be a TCU win over Texas. TCU beat Georgia Tech's final opponent (Clemson) on the road and took out Top 25 teams Brigham Young on road and Utah at home in MWC play.

The Big East conference game in a way came down to a miscue on a late extra point kick. Cincinnati defeated Pittsburgh 45-44 in the final minutes, after the Panthers missed their final extra point to take a six point lead. The Bearcats made all of their final possession marching down field to score their final touchdown and win by 1.

Boise State finished the regular season with a 42-7 win over New Mexico State in WAC play to finish undefeated in the regular season for the third time in four seasons. Boise State's marqee win was in the season opener at home vs. Oregon 19-8.

Congratulations to other conference championship game winners:

• Georgia Tech in winning the ACC Championship game in a 39-34 win over Clemson
• East Carolina in winning the C-USA Championship game in a 38-32 win over Houston
• Central Michigan in winning the MAC Championship game in a 20-10 win over Ohio U

The BCS Title Game would be better off as follows:

• #1 Alabama vs. #2 TCU, but most will project it a SEC vs. Big 12 affair again.
• We would suggest TCU would give Alabama a far better game than Texas.

Our Picks for the best BCS Bowl Lineup for the 2009-2010 season:

• BCS Title Game: Alabama vs. TCU
• Rose: Oregon vs. Ohio State
• Fiesta: Texas vs. Boise State
• Orange: Georgia Tech vs. Iowa
• Sugar: Florida vs. Cincinnati

Our final Top 25 teams at the conclusion of the 2009 regular season:

1. Alabama (13-0, 9-0* SEC)
2. TCU (12-0, 8-0 MWC)
3. Texas (13-0, 9-0* Big 12)
4. Florida (12-1, 8-1* SEC)
5. Cincinnati (12-0, 7-0 Big East)
6. Boise State (13-0, 8-0 WAC)
7. Oregon (10-2, 8-1 Pac 10)
8. Ohio State (10-2, 7-1 Big Ten)
9. Iowa (10-2, 6-2 Big Ten)
10. Georgia Tech (11-2, 8-1* ACC)
11. Penn State (10-2, 6-2 Big Ten)
12. Virginia Tech (9-3, 6-2 ACC)
13. LSU (9-3, 5-3 SEC)
14. Brigham Young (10-2, 7-1 MWC)
15. Arizona (8-4, 6-3 Pac 10)
16. West Virginia (9-3, 5-2 Big East)
17. Miami-FL (9-3, 5-3 ACC)
18. Pittsburgh (9-3, 5-2 Big East)
19. Oregon State (8-4, 6-3 Pac 10)
20. Oklahoma State (8-4, 6-3 Pac 10)
21. Utah (9-3, 6-2 MWC)
22. Stanford (8-4, 6-3 Pac 10)
23. USC (8-4, 5-4 Pac 10)
24. Wisconsin (9-3, 5-3 Big Ten)
25. Central Michigan (11-2, 9-0* MAC)

* Conference title game win or loss counted in conference record

Final kudos for one team for each conference in pecking order:

• ACC - Clemson (8-5, 6-3* runner-up)
• Big 12 - Nebraska (9-4, 6-3* runner-up)
• Big East - Rutgers (8-4, 3-4)
• Big Ten - Northwestern (8-4, 5-3)
• C-USA - East Carolina (9-4, 8-1* champion)
• Independents - Navy (8-4)
• MAC - Ohio U. (9-4, 7-2* runner-up)
• MWC - Air Force (7-5, 5-3)
• Pac 10 - California (8-4, 5-4)
• SEC - Mississippi (8-4, 4-4)
• Sun Belt - Troy (9-3, 8-0 champion)
• WAC - Nevada (8-4, 7-1)

* Conference title game win or loss counted in conference record

The 2009 regular football season had some wonderful moments. The Iowa Hawkeyes went 9-0 for the first time in the school's history, but injuries caught up to them in the tenth game. Overall, college football was down in many ways. Alabama appears to be clearly the team to beat nationally. They had an outstanding regular season and coach Nick Saban had his troups ready for every test this season. Congratulations to TCU, Texas, Cincinnati and Boise State for undefeated regular seasons as well.

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Who should Notre Dame hire to replace Charlie Weis?

"It is critical to this program and to its place in this university and
college football that we compete at the highest level, that we compete for
national championships." - Notre Dame Athletics Director Jack Swarbrick

Notre Dame Fires Charlie Weis - US News and World Report

First, is it realistic for an Independent in major College Football to compete for national championships in the current landscape and at the 85 scholarship limit for FBS schools?

Our first choice for the University of Notre Dame head football job would be Pat Fitzgerald of Northwestern University. Think how Ara Parseghian, who coached at Northwestern for eight years prior to moving onto University of Notre Dame, did in South Bend?


Rumor has it that AD Jack Swarbrick is partial to a defensive minded coach. Well, former NU linebacker, defensive assistant turned head coach Pat Fitzgerald would appear to fit that bill better than anyone in our opinion. The academic standards at Northwestern would go hand and hand with the standards at the University of Notre Dame.

Of course, the challenge may be getting Pat Fitzgerald to move on from his alma mater, but the success of Ara Parseghian would be a good role model to pattern young Fitzgerald after.

Other articles on the Notre Dame search and Pat Fitzgerald ...

Can Notre Dame find its savior? - National Football Post
Similarly, Northwestern's Pat Fitzgerald, whose offense is gimmicky, hasn't been mentioned, but he's an intense, defensive-minded leader who has performed ...
The next Irish football coach will not walk into one of the nation's best ... - ESPN
The Next Notre Dame Coach is... - 1070 The Fan - Indianapolis
Charlie Weis never adjusted to college - The Detroit News

We know many say Brian Kelly, head coach at Cincinnati, but clearly Pat Fitzgerald is the head coach that Notre Dame should take a very close look at. The post-Weis era will be a challenge for whoever the University of Notre Dame land.

As a person more partial to Boston College, rather than Notre Dame, we would suggest Fitzgerald as a great candidate to build the passion of Irish Football back up. Fitzgerald's passion for the sport of college football would be a great selling point, in our opinion. His recruiting has been on the upswing and South Bend should only enhance his ability to recruit.


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