And now the countdown can finally begin. There was only one possible scenario where No.1  L.S.U. (13-0) wasn’t going to go to the B.C.S. national championship game in New Orleans. Experts believed they would have to be absolutely destroyed by 14^th ranked Georgia (10-3) in Saturday’s SEC title game.

Instead, L.S.U. won the game 42-10, clinching the team’s first conference championship since 2007. Most went with the assumption that a close loss would not keep the Tigers out of the championship game. However, a victory ensures that they will be playing their final game for the top prize.

Despite the lopsided final score, Georgia came to play in the first half, leading 10-0 early on with an outstanding defense. The Bulldogs did not allow L.S.U. any first downs, forcing seven consecutive three and outs. L.S.U. became the first SEC team since 2001 to not convert any first downs over the first 30 minutes of a game. Georgia manhandled them, allowing a mere 12 yards of total offense during that stretch.

But the Tigers received a spark from a familiar name toward the end of the first half. Cornerback Tyrann Mathieu returned a punt 62 yards for a touchdown with less than six minutes remaining in the second quarter to finally get L.S.U. on the board at 10-7.

The “Honey Badger” picked up where he left off last week against Arkansas, when he also returned a punt 92 yards for a touchdown. His efforts brought L.S.U. right back into the game. “My teammates love the name, and I think it depicts me on the field,” said Mathieu. “I just go with it. My teammates do a great job having my back. Anything I can do to help those guys, lift their spirits, I’ll do it.”

Receiver Tavarres King dropped a touchdown pass in the end zone on the opening drive. The Bulldogs then recovered an onside kick but received zero points from it. Freshman receiver Malcolm Mitchell dropped a pass inside the ten with nothing but green in front of him. Georgia then missed a 45-yard field goal attempt.

The Bulldogs also dropped an easy interception in the first half, while L.S.U. forced a turnover to start the second half after Aaron Murray fumbled on a scramble at his 26, becoming a touchdown with just two plays. Running back Kenny Hilliard ran it in from 15 yards out to give L.S.U. its first lead at 14-10.

Hilliard had three touchdowns – two rushing and one receiving. By the time he scored the third, the Tigers had pulled away at 28-10. L.S.U.’s defense gave up no points in the second half, becoming just as dominant as Georgia’s defense in the first half. Aaron Murray went just 16-40 with two interceptions and one touchdown, passing for 163 yards. The run game was progressively subdued as the team accumulated only 34 yards on the day.

Jordan Jefferson threw the ball 13 times and completed five passes for L.S.U., throwing for 30 yards and one touchdown. However, his ground attack made up for it completely, totaling 207 yards. Once again, L.S.U.’s ability to run and stop the run put the team unmistakably ahead of the competition.

With the regular season finally over, the popular consensus is L.S.U. and Alabama have established themselves as the best two teams in the nation. The only question that still remains is whether or not the BCS will vote two teams from the same conference to play each other for the national title.

“I would certainly understand if college football decides it should be two SEC teams playing for the national championship. It’s a very special conference with very special teams,” said L.S.U. coach Les Miles.

We’ll just have to wait and see.

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The Clemson Tigers dominated the Virginia Tech Hokies in the second half Saturday night, winning the ACC Championship game 38-10. The victory clinched Clemson its first ACC title since 1991, along with its first ever BCS bowl game bid, and its first trip to the Orange Bowl in 30 years.

“There have been a lot of walls built up around this program over the last 20 years and we knocked them down tonight,” said head coach Dabo Swinney. Clemson took the field ranked just twentieth in the BCS in comparison to Virginia Tech’s number five standing. However, the Tigers had great confidence in their chances after already defeating the Hokies earlier this season.

That confidence grew even stronger early in the game after Clemson recovered a Logan Thomas fumble on Virginia Tech’s first possession. The Tigers’ defense was desperate for a turnover, as this was the first one forced over the last four games. The ball was recovered at the Virginia Tech 24.

Clemson was unable to move the ball on the first two plays, but Tajh Boyd began the scoring with a 3^rd and 10 touchdown pass to tight end Dwayne Allen. After the teams exchanged punts Virginia Tech responded with less than a minute remaining in the first. Thomas led a 77 yard drive that ended with a 45 yard touchdown pass to receiver D.J. Coles to tie the game at seven.

But that would be Thomas’ only touchdown toss on a night where he struggled considerably. He may have thrown for 274 yards, but he also threw two interceptions on just 22-44 passing. Virginia Tech struggled on the ground as well. Running backs David Wilson and Josh Oglesby combined for just 54 yards rushing on 17 carries. Thomas’ two yards on 12 carries gave the team a total of only 56 for the entire four quarters.

The teams went into the half tied at 10 after the Hokies took advantage of a roughing the passer penalty late in the second quarter. The call kept their drive alive, allowing them to eventually make a 42 yard field goal with one second remaining. A trip to Miami for a spot in the Orange Bowl would come down to just 30 minutes of football.

Clemson came out of the half looking like a completely different team, clinching the berth with ease. The Tigers took a 17-10 lead early in the third quarter after Boyd finished off a drive with another touchdown pass to Allen. It was his second touchdown pass of three on the evening.

The sophomore quarterback went 20-29 with 240 yards passing on the evening, while also tallying an additional 28 yards on the ground. Boyd’s final touchdown pass was a 53 yard throw to star receiver Sammy Watkins on their next possession, giving Clemson a 24-10 lead.

Logan Thomas and the Hokies had no answers for Clemson’s defense, which completely took over in the second half. Virginia Tech’s final stand came late in the third quarter trailing 31-10 following an Andre Ellington 29 yard touchdown run. They moved the ball to the Clemson 30, but failed to convert on 4^th and 2 after a drop.

Boyd added one more touchdown for good measure, giving his team touchdowns on their first four possessions of the second half. And although he had a great game, Clemson’s 38 points would not have been possible without an outstanding ground attack. Andre Ellington ran for 125 yards on 20 attempts, and the team ran for 217 yards total.

Most teams would be proud of an 11-2 season, but Virginia Tech knows that they let an automatic BCS bid slip away in the second half. “It was one of those games where things didn’t happen right,” said head coach Frank Beamer. Meanwhile, Swinney and his Tigers will finally return to the Orange Bowl – a national stage where they can return their program back to glory.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to announce that I’m taking my Clemson talents to South Beach, baby.”

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LSU Tramples Arkansas; 41-17

Jordan Jefferson passed for 208 yards and rushed for 53 more as his two touchdowns helped lift LSU to a 41-17 decimation of the Arkansas Razorbacks, Friday night. Kenny Hilliard rushed for 102 yards and a touchdown, and Michael Ford added in another 96, as No. 1 LSU (12-0, 8-0 SEC) further solidified their standing as the most dominant team in college football.

The Razorbacks (10-2, 6-2 SEC) took an early 14-point lead, taking a recovered fumble to the house early in the first quarter. But that resilient, grind-it-out LSU offense never cracked, sticking to the running game and pounding Arkansas’ defense into the dirt. The Tigers scored three touchdowns, gave up an Arkansas field goal, and then capped the game off scoring three more unanswered touchdowns.

LSU looks towards facing No. 14 Georgia in the SEC Championship Game next Saturday, and will likely be voted into the BCS Championship Game regardless of the outcome.

Oregon Routs Oregon State, Clinches Pac-12 Championship Game

After a relatively slow start, the Oregon Ducks picked up steam, putting up big numbers in their routing of state, Pac-12 rival Oregon State Beavers on Saturday.

Darron Thomas ran the show, passing for 305 yards and four touchdowns. Electrifying freshman, De’Anthony Thomas, also kept the Oregon offense rolling, hauling in 10 receptions for 86 yards and a touchdown, and adding in 71 yards on the ground, as the No. 9 Ducks (10-2, 8-1 Pac-12) rolled over division rival Oregon State to solidify home field advantage in the Pac-12 Championship Game vs. UCLA next Saturday.

LaMichael James rushed for 142 yards and a touchdown through three quarters, but left the game early with what looked like a hyper-extended left elbow.

Alabama Cruises Past Auburn

Auburn didn’t even stand a chance. Trent Richardson destroyed the Tigers’ defense, stomping all over them for 203 yards on the ground, and the Alabama Crimson Tide sailed over rival Auburn in a 42-14 smack down in this year’s Iron Bowl.

A.J. McCarron picked up 184 passing yards and three touchdowns, but kudos went to Alabama’s stingy SEC defense. The No. 2 Crimson Tide (11-1, 7-1 SEC) held Auburn (7-5, 4-4 SEC) to 140 yards of total offense, limiting their electrifying running back, Michael Dyer, to a menial 48 yards through four quarters.

Houston Dismantles Tulsa, Remains Undefeated

Case Keenum continued to plead his case for Heisman candidacy, picking apart the Tulsa secondary for 457 yards (33-47) and five touchdowns in Houston’s 48-16 rout of the Golden Hurricane, Friday afternoon.

Keenum hit eight different receivers, including Patrick Edwards, who was on the receiving end of four touchdown passes and 187 yards worth of receptions and yards after the catch.

No. 6 Houston (12-0, 8-0 C-USA) will take on No. 24 Southern Mississippi in the Conference USA Championship Game next week, where the Cougars will look to expand on what has already been a golden season.

Wisconsin Smashes Penn State, Clinches Big Ten Championship Game

Montee Ball further padded his Heisman resume, adding in 156 yards and four touchdowns as the Wisconsin Badgers burrowed through Big Ten rival Penn State, 45-7 blowout. Russell Wilson picked up 186 passing yards and two touchdowns, and No. 15 Wisconsin (10-2, 6-2 Big Ten) solidified their position in the Big Ten Championship Game next week against No. 13 Michigan State.

Justin Tucker Saves the Day, Texas Squeezes Out Over Texas A&M.

Justin Tucker knocked down a clutch 40-yard field goal with time expiring, and the Texas Longhorns barely came out victorious over state, Big-12 rival, Texas A&M, squeezing out a 27-25 road win for all of the chips.

Led by QB Ryan Tannehill, A&M had marched down the field and scored on the Longhorn secondary, leaving just under two minutes for Texas to mount a game-winning drive. But Case McCoy would not be denied, scrambling to the A&M 23-yard line for a 25-yard pickup that would move Tucker into field goal position and seal the deal for the Longhorns.

Georgia Coasts Past Rival Georgia Tech, Clinches SEC Championship Game

Aaron Murray was the crutch for Georgia, passing for 252 yards and all four of his team’s touchdowns, and the No. 14 Bulldogs (10-2, 7-1 SEC) got the win over rival Georgia Tech in the “Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate” game on Saturday.

Though they allowed 243 yards on the ground, the Georgia defense forced two interceptions and held Georgia Tech to 112 passing yards. Georgia can only hope to improve on their rush defense, as they’ll have to take on a run-heavy No. 1 LSU in the SEC Championship Game next week.

Virginia Tech Zips UVA, 38-0

The score tells it all. David Wilson rushed for 153 yards and two touchdowns, and Virginia Tech completely dominated rival Virginia, leaving them scoreless through four quarters. Tech’s defense picked off UVA QB Michael Rocco twice, and No. 5 Virginia Tech (11-1, 7-1 ACC) smashed their division rival while advancing to the ACC Championship Game against No. 20 Clemson, next week.

Baylor Outscores Texas Tech, 66-42

Heisman hopeful, Robert Griffin III, looked on from the sidelines after suffering a concussion in the second quarter. But the damage had already been done. RG3 reached the endzone three times in the first half (once in the air, twice on the ground), and second string quarterback Nick Florence added in two more passing touchdowns as No. 17 Baylor advanced to 8-3 (5-3 Big-12)  in their win over rival Texas Tech.

Terrance Ganaway trampled over the Tech defense, rushing for 246 yards and two touchdowns and the Baylor Bears moved on to the Big-12 Championship Game vs. No. 22 Texas next week.

Andrew Luck Picks Apart Notre Dame, Stanford Wins; 28-14

Andrew Luck proved why he’s the best QB in college football, completing 20 of his 30 pass attempts for 233 yards and four touchdowns, leading the Stanford Cardinal to a two-touchdown victory over the Fighting Irish.

Stepfan Taylor rushed for 118 yards on 20 carries, and the No. 4 Cardinal (11-1, 8-1 Pac-12) recorded their eleventh win of the season. They won’t, however, play in the Pac-12 Championship game because they lost the tiebreaker to Oregon earlier in the season.

South Carolina State Defeats Clemson

Connor Shaw did it all, passing for 210 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for 107 yards and another touchdown, as he led his South Carolina State Gamecocks to their tenth win of the season.

Kenny Miles also added in 71 rushing yards, but it was Shaw’s picture-perfect performance that got South Carolina State (10-2, 6-2 SEC) the win over Clemson, Saturday night.

Oklahoma Comfortably Crushes Iowa State.

After upsetting a perfect Oklahoma State the week before, Iowa State looked to make Oklahoma their next victim. The Sooners were not on board. Though Landry Jones was picked off twice, he still decimated the Iowa State defense for 256 yards. Blake Bell picked up two rushing touchdowns, but the MVP award would go to kicker, Michael Hunnicutt, who knocked down four field goals (20, 28, 37 & 21) and gave the Oklahoma Sooners (9-2, 6-2 Big-12) some desperately needed points.

Boise State Spreads Out Wyoming. Broncos Win; 36-14

At the helm of one of the nation’s most potent offenses, Kellen Moore stood tall, delivering three touchdown strikes and 279 passing yards in Boise State’s tenth win (10-1, 5-1 MWC) of the season.

Doug Martin rushed for 153 yards and two touchdowns, and the Bronco defense picked off Wisconsin QB, Brett Smith twice, as No. 7 Boise State advanced to the Midwest Conference Championship Game vs. New Mexico next week.

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Saturday marked the 108^th meeting between the Michigan Wolverines and Ohio State Buckeyes.  On this day, it was Michigan who found a way to come out on top with a 40-34 victory at home.

Michigan now leads the all-time series 58-44-6, but the Wolverines and their fans would not have known it coming into this match-up at The Big House in Ann Arbor. On the contrary, they felt particularly dominated by Ohio State in recent memory. Maybe it had to do with the fact that the Buckeyes were the ones who were doing all of the winning over the course of the last seven meetings.

Michigan was poised to put an end to the bullying, however. They entered the game ranked fifteenthin the BCS standings with a 9-2 record, whereas Ohio State, who is still suffering from the fallout from this past summer involving former head coach, Jim Tressel, along with several players, sat at just 6-5.

The Wolverines knew that this was their best opportunity in years, but the Buckeyes would not go down without a fight. Ohio State true freshman quarterback, Braxton Mille, came out firing, as he threw a 54 yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Corey Brown on the opening drive of the game. The play was the longest of the passing variety for the Buckeyes in all of 2011. In fact, the only two teams in the entire country to pass for less yardage than Ohio State were Army and Navy.

Michigan wanted to stop the bleeding right there, but went three and out on their first possession. However, they were able to force a three and out of their own, and senior quarterback, Denard Robinson, tied the game with a 41 yard touchdown run down the right sideline.

The following drive saw something for which Michigan fans had been waiting years. On third down from his own three yard line, Ohio State was flagged in the end zone on a Braxton Miller pass. The call was holding, which resulted in a safety against the Buckeyes. Michigan was awarded two points, which resulted in a 9-7 lead, their first lead against Ohio State since November 17, 2007.

The two programs went back and forth throughout the first half, and Ohio State led 24-23 going into the locker room. The Wolverines were in an excellent position and aimed to finish off the deal in the second half. They opened the second half with a 20 yard touchdown reception by wide receiver, Martavious Odoms, capping off a nearly six minute drive that gave them the lead.

Ohio State was unable to take full advantage of a fumble by Michigan’s punter, as they only scored a field goal after starting the drive at the Wolverines’ 32. The game grew more intense as the teams exchanged touchdowns on the next two possessions, making the score 37-34 Michigan late in the fourth quarter.

After beginning at his own 20 yard line, Robinson led his team down to the Ohio State goal line, when running back Fitzgerald Toussaint rushed for a touchdown that appeared to end the game. However, video review showed that his knee was down before crossing the plane, and Michigan had to try again on third and goal.

Robinson ran in a touchdown on the following play, but two penalties against Michigan backed them up a total of 25 yards, where they were unable to convert. They settled for a field goal and had to find a way to stop Braxton Miller, who ran for a total of 100 yards. The drive began at the Ohio State 20 with 1:59 remaining. Miller was able to convert on fourthand six to keep the drive alive, but missed a costly opportunity on the previous play with an overthrow of a wide open DeVier Posey down the left sideline.

Miller did all he could, but Michigan sealed the victory with an interception by Courtney Avery. Miller threw for 235 yards and two touchdowns, but was outdueled by Robinson in the end. In the final home game of his career, Robinson was spectacular. He had five touchdowns, two rushing and three passing, as he ran for 170 yards and threw for 167.

Michigan’s defensive end, Ryan Van Bergen, perfectly summed up what this day meant for his school, saying, “This game is more than a win. It’s bigger than that. It encompasses way more.”

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Upset seemed to be the theme this week as No. 2 Oklahoma State fell to unranked Iowa State, No. 5 Oklahoma was taken out by No. 22 Baylor, and the No. 7 Clemson Tigers were dropped off by an unranked NC State squad. And as much as Oregon fought USC to not join the group of upset Top 10 teams, it was of no avail.

The No. 4 Oregon Ducks suffered a 38-35 loss at the hands of the USC Trojans, in what was an exciting, fight-to-the-finish showdown, Saturday night. By the third quarter, the Trojans had taken a 38-14 lead and looked to be cruising to victory. But the Ducks never gave up. Freshman De’Anthony Thomas ran a 96-yard kick return in for a score, and the tide shifted into Oregon’s favor.

Though LaMichael James couldn’t get it going with only 78 yards on 20 carries, backup RB Kenjon Barner picked up his slack, especially in the fourth quarter, rushing for 123 yards and two touchdowns on only 15 carries.

QB Darron Thomas also got it rolling, completing 23-of-35 pass attempts for 265 yards and a touchdown, but USC was able to shut down Oregon’s offense early, preventing them from getting the hot start that they needed.

USC QB Matt Barkley absolutely dismantled the Ducks’ defense, passing for 323 yards and four touchdowns, while completing 26-of-34 attempts. And his favorite target? The true freshman, Marquise Lee, who hauled in 187 and a touchdown on eight receptions; over 23 yards per reception. Barkley also hit WR Robert Woods seven times for two touchdowns.

The spotlight was on Oregon freshman, De’Anthony Thomas, who had verbally committed to USC before changing his mind and officially committing to the Ducks. Along with his kick return TD, he was also on the receiving end of a 29-yard touchdown pass.

For Oregon, hopes of a rematch against No. 1 LSU in the BCS Championship Game have been spoiled, and at 9-2 they MUST win next week’s rivalry game against Oregon State in order to maintain home field advantage in the Pac-12 Championship Game. The Trojans, however, are still feeling the results of the Reggie Bush scandal, and were banned from all bowl games after being found guilty of paying Bush to attend their school.

Their win over Oregon was beautiful, but it may have been in vain.

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Turnovers was the name of the game as the No. 8 Oregon Ducks forced three Washington turnovers in their 34-17 road win Sunday night.

LaMichael James had yet another star-studded performance, rushing for 156 yards and a touchdown—his most since his 239-yard explosion vs. California in early October. Freshman De’Anthony Thomas and Kenjon Barner also put in a touchdown apiece, but it was Eddie Pleasant, Oregon’s senior Safety, who picked off quarterback Keith Price twice and, ultimately, put the Ducks in a winning situation.

“This is a big time win for us,” said James. “Coming into this atmosphere, hostile crowd, they wanted to win.” Oregon’s Darr0n Thomas passed for 169 yards and a touchdown, completing 13-of-29 attempts and hitting five different receivers. But the easiest part is over.

Next week, Oregon faces Andrew Luck and conference rival, No. 4 Stanford Cardinal. They’ll be sure to have their hands full, as Luck will spread the Duck defense further than they can handle. If the Ducks can summon the strength to overcome their Pac-12 rival, they might find themselves in the running for a BCS bid later on in the season.

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The Big 12 Conference is apparently falling apart at the seams. Oklahoma University, Oklahoma State University, and surprise defector Texas are all entertaining the possibility of leaving the conference. Sources close to the situation say that Oklahoma and Oklahoma State are both in serious pursuit of joining the newly formed Pac 12.

Texas is currently working to save the Big 12 going so far as to fly UT officials to Norman, Oklahoma last weekend to try to convince Oklahoma to stay in the Big 12. However UT officials have begun informal exploratory talks with Pac 12 officials to join as well.

This news comes right on the heels of the SEC announcing that they will admit Texas A&M, another Big 12 team, conditionally next season barring any legal ramifications with A&M leaving. This would bring the SEC to 13 teams, and reports say the SEC wants to include a 14^th team to equally split the division lines of East and West.

The team that the SEC think fits the 14th spot perfectly happens to be Missouri, another Big 12 team. With Nebraska leaving for the Big Ten and Colorado for the Pac 12 last year, the Big 12 only has 10 teams at the moment, and these new potential moves could cripple the Big 12 down to 5 teams.

The five teams left would be Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State, Baylor, and Texas Tech who would form a hypothetical Subpar 5 Conference. None of these universities could garner the huge national media attention needed to keep a conference together. A small exception could be Kansas and Kansas State for their basketball programs, but neither have the marketability of college football.

If UT, OU and OK State all make a run for the Pac 12 this could cause more repercussions on that Subpar 5 Conference. The Pac 12 would have a total of 15 teams and leave them looking for the last puzzle piece to become a 16 team super conference. That 16^th team would most likely be Texas Tech, as they were involved earlier this year in a 4 team deal to bring UT, OU, OK State and Texas Tech to the then Pac-10.

The deal fell apart as the universities opted to stay in the Big 12, but it seems now as if the deal could happen, just a year late. With only 4 teams, the Big 12 would be incapable of surviving, heading towards sure dissolution. This crumbling would invoke a feeding frenzy as the remaining major conferences Big Ten, SEC, and ACC  swoop in and try to get at least two of the remaining teams to form their own super conference.

Landing two of these teams could bring the ACC to 16 teams, as an article on the New York Times website states. Officials from the ACC are currently in talks with Pittsburgh and Syracuse to join their conference. There is seemingly nothing that can stop this giant realignment. The possible roadblock of the recent TV deal signings by UT and the Pac 12 can easily be solved.

The Longhorn Network would get reduced into the Pac-16 as a downsized regional network, joining the six regional networks that already exist within the conference. Even if UT refuses an invitation, the Pac 12 would drop their offer to Texas Tech and extend two new offers to Kansas and Kansas State still leaving the Big 12 with only 4 teams.

Anyway this shakes out, it seems as though college football is inevitably moving towards the era of super conferences. An idea that could make all college football fans happy; the entrance of super conferences brings about talk of a playoff system and the eventual demise of the flawed BCS system.

There would have to be more realignment and the death of a few conferences, but that’s not more absurd than what’s currently taking place. It was once said that you have to break a few eggs to make an omelet, as long as the egg is the BCS, bring on the super conferences.
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