And, as a KU fan, I am fully aware that, as Mark steps to the podium to accept that "national championship" trophy, his heart will explode. As he topples from the straining stage KU fans around the world will resign themselves to our place in college football's pantheon: 3-8, 2-9 seasons yearning for victories over either of our rivals MU or KSU while holding out for another Mangino while suffering under the likes of coaches similar to guys like Mason and Allen. Those men who bring so much promise but who eventually break our hearts and leave us pining for college basketball by homecoming. Oh, the horror.

Toronto McKee

UCLA certainly is the shame of the Pac-10, but I doubt they'll finish in the top half of the conference (they'll be lucky to split Oregon and USC, and more likely will lose both). The winner of ASU vs USC should be in the running for an at large BCS berth. All this speculation could be pointless, of course, since 3 more games is an eternity in this crazy season.

Crash Davis

And as an LSU fan living in Oregon, I believe I have a unique perspective. I've watched all the Ducks' games, and they are a very good team. But that defense of theirs is certainly a liability.

As for the rest of the Pac-10, I think people are forgetting that Oregon St. (big losers to Cincinnati) and UCLA (holy crap, a loss to Notre Dame) are in the top half of the conference. Arizona St. didn't play anyone until the Ducks, so we'll see if they're pretenders, and I think we've seen how overrated USC was.

Greek McPapadopoulos

Crash Davis

Greek McPapadopoulos

TheGeneral

The Big 10/11 just needs to add Notre Lame and go to a championship game. They'd actually benefit from it because, if for some reason a Big 10/11 team actually makes it to the BCS championship game bowl Tostitos thing, they don't have to wait an ice age before they play it.

TheGeneral

Crash Davis

Arizona State?

Marcelo

iHaveaRagingTebowner

elwood

FightTiger

Pharmacoug

josereyes.theroof wishes to perform Tim Harris's sack-dance for you

Speaking of which, the team that LSU lost to, by blowing a big lead, now has 4 losses as well.

Crash Davis

Central Michigan, South-Eastern Louisiana, Toledo and Florida International are bad as it is, but then in conference they play Baylor, Iowa State and very crappy Nebraska and TAMU teams. Call me when they play Tex- oh wait.

Abe Froman's Sausage

The biggest problem with college football over the past 20 years is the loss of tradition. Look, I'm not going to call it the Capitol One Bowl. It's the Citrus Bowl. And the game in Atlanta is the Peach Bowl. Can't you just sponsor the game and not rename it? But I can take all of that, really. I can even take them messing with the Rose Bowl. But, when they start threatening Michigan and Ohio State, something is wrong.

Abe Froman's Sausage

When "every team" includes Arizona, Washington State, and Oregon State, I'm not that impressed.

Additionally - that one team that Oregon lost to, at home mind you, has now lost 4 in a row.

Meanwhile...that team Kansas lost to...oh, wait.

The Gentleman Masher

Herbies_Wingman

(HA HA HA!)

roland_t_flakfizer

SonofSpurrier

1) @Abe Froman's Sausage: To add to your Pac-10 bandwagon, it's the only conference where you play every team in the conference. So the least the Big-10 could do is do a true round robin like the Pac-10. There's a good argument to be made that team at the top of the Pac-10 is a more legit. conference champion than any conference where a team doesn't play every other team in the conference.

2) NCAA doesn't allow conference championship games for conferences with fewer than 12 teams. This is why the ACC had to wait till BC joined to divide into two divisions. Standing at 10 and 11 teams each respectively, this is why the Pac-10 and Big-10 can't have a sanctioned conference championship game even if they wished.

GraniteInMyVeins

My google-fu didn't find any mentions of a NCAA rule against conference championships. where'd you hear that from and what rule is it?

drewheyman

Jackfruit

He said non undeafted Big 12 team.

Abe Froman's Sausage

[www.youtube.com]

Matt_T

PeteJayhawk

Now that's laughable.

PeteJayhawk

buttons

The Big Ten is going to go and get some ridiculous school like Iowa State to be our chew toy while we have a conference championship game, which instantly diminishes Ohio State-Michigan. If we're not getting Notre Dame or West Virginia, we shouldn't do it and we should let Penn State go to the Big East where they really belong anyway.

The Pac 10 doesn't have anybody to add. Hawaii? Boise State? They don't need a title game because they aren't as stupid (and greedy) as the Big Ten.

Those two conferences are linked at the hip, and the Pac 10 is the one that's showing all the class and tradition. When you see Rutgers in the Big Ten in a few years, remember that money means more to Jim Delany then tradition.

/rant

Abe Froman's Sausage

stealofthedraft

If a non-undefeated team from the Big 12 jumps over them, it'll be laughable.

Signal to Noise

Boy Howdy

/fact check myself

Burning River

By the way Dan, conferences with less than 10 teams can't have a conference championship. ( See the Pac 10 and Big 11.)

Burning River

Phony Gwynn

Oh wait, they didn't? Or even a non-conference opponent with balls, like Mizzou did with the Fighting [NAME REDACTED]i?

Let's just put it this way: a lot of eyes in the media will be opened to the real story (not just the Cinderella one) on November the 24th.

Turd Ferguson

Weed Against Speed

Slothrop

/Domer who loves Bizarro College Football season.

preciousroy

I could think of a few things...

FightTiger

Baylor would like to thank Mr. Shanoff for his kind words.

Bud Fox

BloggyMcBlogBlog

OchentaYcinco

BigRicks

Im a people person. Who drinks. (and who is now also dedicated to cruelty...)

StuScott Booyahs

suedevsleather

MENDOZA!!!!!

Chicago Jones

ClownForPound

Unky Rob

katolesce

Botswana Meat Commission FC

Sarcastro

ClownForPound

Im a people person. Who drinks. (and who is now also dedicated to cruelty...)

StuScott Booyahs

Disgruntled Goat

Hit Bull Win Steak