Almost a year ago we decided to try to quantify the stature of college football programs so that we could rank them against one another. (Click here for the 2010 Rankings.) Then our football guru, Anthony Stalter, wrote a little bit about each program and the direction that it’s headed.

Here’s how the total points are determined — 20 points for a national championship, 10 for a BCS title game loss, seven for a BCS bowl win, five for a BCS bowl loss, five for a BCS conference championship, three for a mid-major conference championship, two for a BCS conference runner-up and one for a major bowl appearance (i.e. a bowl that has a recent payout of more than $2 million, so for 2011 that would be Capital One, Outback, Chick-fil-A, Cotton, Gator, Insight, Holiday, Champs Sports and Alamo.) You’ll see the total points in parenthesis after the team’s name.

We put some thought into the point values for each accomplishment, paying special attention to how the point values are relative to one another. For example, we figured that one national championship would equate to four BCS conference championships, or three BCS bowl wins. We only looked at the last five years, as college football has increasingly become a fluid and fickle sport, and that’s about how far back a recruit will go when deciding amongst a list of schools.

Lastly, since a program is so dependent on the guy in charge, we added or subtracted points if the program saw an upgrade or downgrade at the head coach position in the last five years. A max of 10 points would be granted (or docked) based on the level of upgrade or downgrade. Again, we tried to quantify the hire relative to the program’s other accomplishments. For example, hiring Nick Saban is probably worth two BCS bowl appearances, or 10 points. (Sure, he might lead Alabama to more, but he also might bolt for another job in a year or two.)

So, without further ado, here are the rankings. Every year we’ll go through and update the numbers based on what the program did that year (while throwing out the oldest year of data), so don’t fret if your team isn’t quite where you want them right now. Everyone has a chance to move up.

1. Ohio State (58)

Previous Rank: #2 (+1)
Some college football fans will take issue with the Buckeyes being No. 1 because of their “soft schedule.” But this is a team that has dominated its conference five of the past six years and has finished no worse than second in each of the past six seasons. They’ve also appeared in two title games (though they lost both) and nine straight BCS bowl games, winning the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl in the past two years. They’ve got an interesting season coming up though. Five of their players including quarterback Terrelle Pryor, running back Dan Herron and receiver DeVier Posey will miss the first five games next year after being suspended. Can the Buckeyes stay unscathed until those players return?

2. Florida (51)

Previous Rank: #1 (-1)
If it weren’t for Urban Meyer leaving the program (and their lousy 2010 season), the Gators would probably still be ranked No. 1. They have three conference championships and two national championships in two years, but the lose of Meyer hurts big-time in these rankings. But don’t fret Florida fans, if Will Muschamp gets the program back on the right track then the Gators won’t be at No. 2 for long.

3. Oklahoma (47)

Previous Rank: #7 (+4)
The Sooners shot up our rankings quickly, moving from seventh to third in just one season. Of course, finally being able to win a BCS game under Bob Stoops certainly helped. Even if the victory came against overmatched UConn in the Fiesta Bowl, the BCS bowl win coupled with down years by Texas, Alabama and USC catapulted Oklahoma into the top 3. (They also now have four Big 12 championships in the last five years.) Whether or not OU remains ranked this high might be dependent on whether or not Texas rebounds after suffering its first losing season under Mack Brown. If the Longhorns stay down, there’s no reason to think the Sooners won’t rule the roost for a while, especially with Nebraska heading to the Big Ten.

4. Alabama (43)

Previous Rank: #4 (unchanged)
After winning the national championship in 2010, we thought Nick Saban’s team would steadily climb in these rankings every year. But ‘Bama took a step back this season record-wise, falling to 10-3 and settling for an appearance in the Capital One Bowl. The low point came in the final regular season game of the year when the Tide lost to Auburn 28-27 at home despite jumping out to a 24-0 lead in the first half. Still, Saban won’t have his team “down” (we use quotation marks around the word “down” seeing as how ‘Bama still had a winning year) for long and we suspect them to push Ohio State, Florida and Oklahoma in the short term.

T-5. LSU (35)

Previous Rank: #6 (+1)
It’s been three years now since Les Miles took his team to a BCS bowl game. The Tigers won the 2008 national championship but since then, their offense has sputtered since JaMarcus Russell left the program to become the biggest bust since Ryan Leaf graced the NFL with his presence. Maybe their 41-point outburst in the Cotton Bowl against Texas A&M is a sign that LSU finally has found some offense but if not, they’re ceiling will probably remain right where it is.

T-5. Oregon (35)

Previous Rank: #13 (+8)
The Ducks jumped eight spots from last year thanks to yet another amazing coaching job by Chip Kelly. While their loss to Auburn in the title game stung, the pure fact that they appeared in the national championship was enough to catapult them into the top 5 (coupled with a Pac-10 title as well). Last year, we gave the Ducks two points for hiring Kelly but we bumped that up to seven this year because obviously the man can coach. Thanks to Kelly’s high-powered offense, it looks like many more Pac-10 titles are in Oregon’s future (and maybe that elusive national championship).

7. Virginia Tech (34)

Previous Rank: #9 (+2)
The Hokies got back on track this year by scooping up their fourth conference championship in the past six years. They also made their fourth BCS bowl appearance in the last six years, but were routed by Stanford in the Orange Bowl. Frank Beamer’s team should continue to compete for ACC titles, but the Hokies still seem like a long shot to make a national title appearance.

8. Auburn (28)

Previous Rank: unranked
Auburn didn’t even have a spot in these rankings last year before Cam Newton came around and set the college football world ablaze with his Heisman Trophy-winning talent. An undefeated season, a SEC championship and a win over Oregon in the national title game later and now the Tigers have a seat in our top 10. But will they stay here? Newton is jetting off to the NFL, as is defensive tackle Nick Fairley. The Tigers could crash and burn next season playing in a tough conference.

9. USC (26)

Previous Rank: #5 (-4)
We wrote last year that USC could fall in these rankings after Pete Carroll decided to leave the program, but little did we know the NCAA would hand the Trojans a two-year bowl ban for violating rules. Now USC can’t compete in a BCS bowl for the next two years, which certainly hurts the Trojans in these rankings. So did their 8-5 season last year, which included embarrassing losses to Washington, Oregon State and – gasp! – Notre Dame. Seeing as how they can’t compete in a bowl again next year, this won’t be the last time the Trojans drop in our rankings.

10. Texas (24)

Previous Rank: #3 (-7)
Can you say crash and burn? A year after making a national title appearance, the Longhorns suffered their first losing season under head coach Mack Brown. They went 5-7 overall, 2-6 in the Big 12 and shockingly finished last in the conference. It was the first time a Brown-led Longhorn team failed to qualify for a bowl and after losing Will Muschamp to the Gators in the offseason, there’s no doubt change is coming. Chances are UT will recover, but how high will they climb the Big 12 standings in one year?

11. Boise State (23)

Previous Rank: #8 (-3)
2010 didn’t go as planned for the Broncos. Things started off well enough, as Boise won its first 10 games, which included a 33-30 upset over No. 10 Virginia Tech in the opening week. But Nevada shocked the Broncos in the second to last week of the regular season and their slim national championship hopes went out the window. They settled for the Las Vegas Bowl, where they beat Utah 26-3. The Broncos will get their chance at redemption when they join the MWC next season, even though their biggest opponent, TCU, will be heading for the Big East in two years.

T-12. West Virginia (18)

Previous Rank: #9 (-3)
The Mountaineers took a step back in our rankings after struggling in a bad Big East. They still had a winning season but they watched UConn win the conference and settled for the Champs Sports Bowl, where they were thumped by NC State. Losing the explosive Noel Devine to the NFL won’t help their offense in 2011.

T-12. TCU (18)

Previous Rank: #20 (+8)
TCU makes a huge leap in the rankings after qualifying for their second consecutive BCS bowl and beating Wisconsin in Pasadena. The win over the Badgers was huge for Gary Patterson’s squad, which mowed through its soft schedule last year only to be embarrassed by a better Boise State team in the 2010 Fiesta Bowl. The Frogs proved this time around that they weren’t going to settle for just a conference championship. The next two years will tell a lot about Patterson’s team. Boise State joins the MWC next year and then in 2012, it’s off to the Big East for TCU. It’s time to find out how good this program can really be.

14. Nebraska (15)

Previous Rank: #16 (+2)
The Cornhuskers moved up in our rankings after finishing as the Big 12’s runner up, but there’s no doubt 2010 didn’t go the way the Nebraska faithful thought it would. They lost at home to a bad Texas team in mid October and then an injury to quarterback Taylor Martinez cost them a win against Texas A&M in November. They fought hard in the Big 12 Championship Game before losing to Oklahoma, but then didn’t bother to show up for the Holiday Bowl against Washington. But let’s not overlook how this team beat No. 14 Oklahoma State and No. 6 Missouri in back-to-back games in October and still finished a very respectable 10-4. They’ll have their work cut out for them next year in the Big Ten, but the Huskers are built for the conference and not having to face explosive offenses like Oklahoma State and Oklahoma should help their cause.

T-15. Georgia Tech (14)

Previous Rank: #13 (-2)
Georgia Tech only moved back two spots but if the Jackets have another year like they just did, then they’ll be moving back further next season. A year after making a BCS appearance, the Jackets played .500 ball in the regular season and then were held to only a touchdown by Air Force in the Independence Bowl. Losing Josh Nesbitt to injury certainly hurt Paul Johnson’s triple-option attack. But the Jackets had already lost three games prior to Nesbitt’s injury, which included an embarrassing 28-25 defeat to Kansas in mid September. Hopefully Johnson can resurrect things in 2011.

T-15. Penn State (14)

Previous Rank: #11 (-4)
Considering they replaced all three starting linebackers and their quarterback from a year ago, it’s not hard to see why Penn State took a step back in our rankings this year. But they held their own, especially considering they had to play Alabama, Iowa, Ohio State and Michigan State this season. Their loss at home to Illinois was unexpected but again, this was a young team that still found a way to win seven games with four ranked opponents on their schedule. They probably won’t win a Big Ten title next year, but the Lions will be competitive. They usually are under Joe Pa.

T-15. Wisconsin (14)

Previous Rank: unranked
Wisconsin cracks our rankings after putting together a great season, which included back-to-back wins over Ohio State and Iowa in October. If it weren’t for that Oct. 2 loss to Michigan State, the Badgers would have been in the national title discussion. The loss to TCU in the Rose Bowl hurt, but Wisconsin made a statement to the rest of the Big Ten that it isn’t going anywhere. It’s going to be fun to watch the Badgers compete against Ohio State and Nebraska next season.

T-18. Iowa (12)

Previous Rank: #17 (-1)
Iowa only drops one spot in our rankings but the Hawkeyes had one disastrous season. The loss to Arizona in the third week of the season hurt, as did the three-straight losses to Northwestern, Ohio State and 3-9 Minnesota. Then star receiver Derrell Johnson-Koulianos gets charged with operating a drug house (charges were later dropped) and starting running back Adam Robinson is suspended for violating team rules. Beating Missouri in the Insight Bowl was the one saving grace of the season, but that’s a far cry from topping Georgia Tech in the Orange Bowl one year earlier.

T-18. Arkansas (12)

Previous Rank: unranked
If they can successfully replace NFL prospect Ryan Mallett, we get the feeling that Arkansas will be a part of these rankings for years to come. The Razorbacks overcame losses to Alabama and Auburn earlier in the season to win six games down the stretch, including back-to-back victories over Mississippi State and LSU in November. A win over Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl was not to be, but clearly Bobby Petrino has this program heading in the right direction.

20. Michigan (11)

Previous Rank: unranked
Rich Rodriguez may have produced his first winning season in Ann Arbor, but embarrassing losses to Michigan State, Wisconsin, Ohio State and then Mississippi State in the Gator Bowl was all UM could bare. In three years, Rich Rod’s collective record against Ohio State and Michigan State was 0-6. That’s something new head coach Brady Hoke better change if he’s going to last long as Rich Rod’s replacement. He certainly has his work cut out for him, especially considering he needs to build a defense after the previous staff pretty much ignored that side of the ball for three seasons.

Fell out of the Top 20: Georgia, Cincinnati, Florida State, Notre Dame

Florida State was going to have a tough time with Virginia Tech regardless, but not having Christian Ponder on the field to start the game will make things incredibly difficult for the Seminoles.

Reports say Ponder will not start tonight’s ACC Championship Game, and that E.J. Manuel will get the nod.

Ponder is battling an injury in his throwing elbow, and coach Jimbo Fisher apparently wants to give him time to heal. It seems like an odd time to be giving someone time to heal, seeing the Seminoles are playing for a conference title.

It could just be wording, however, and perhaps Ponder isn’t healthy enough to play and Fisher thinks Manuel provides the Seminoles the best chance at victory under the circumstances (this is the more likely scenario). The reports do say that Ponder will be available if necessary.

Whatever the case, it might be time to get in on some late action on Virginia Tech.

One of my favorite writers, Andy Staples, made a very good point on Friday: Unless there are major upsets today, it will go down as a day that none of us remember. Sure, Oregon fans will likely remember the day the Ducks beat Oregon State to get into the national title game. And Auburn fans probably will remember when they won the SEC title. But other than that, most of us will look back at this day like, “meh.”

Now, if Oregon State or South Carolina do the unthinkable, things might change.

We might forget, at least for a weekend, that Miami has hired and fired and hired and accepted the resignation — all according to Twitter — of Jon Gruden.

The fact that Cam Newton’s dad solicited funds for his son without his son knowing might slip our minds, at least for a day.

Everyone might stop making fun of Rich Rodriguez for blaring Josh Groban at the Michigan football banquet at the end of an emotional plea for his job that is making most Michigan fans cringe.

Some upsets today would make us forget a lot of that. So what I’m saying is the only person rooting harder for those upsets than the people in Fort Worth, Texas is Rich Rodriguez. Seriously, dude. Josh Groban is even dogging you for liking his song.

This is my final time leading you through a college football Saturday, at least for this year. I’m sure I’ll be back with some bowl stuff, but I’d like to thank Anthony and the Scores Report for letting me hang out with all of you this season. Hopefully this will continue in the future. But before I make you all raise your hands while listening to “You Raise Me Up” let me just make some picks.

No. 2 Oregon at Oregon State, 3:30 p.m.: This is one of those games that you’d think would be truly scary for the top-ranked team in the country (in the human polls, anyway). But something tells me the somewhat close calls Oregon has had against Cal and Arizona make the Ducks more prepared for this game than they would have been normally. Oregon State is going to come out fired up, and Corvallis is an incredibly difficult place to win. But the Beavers just don’t have the firepower to keep up with the Ducks in this one. Pick: Oregon 31-24.

No. 1 Auburn vs. No. 19 South Carolina, 4 p.m.: It’s tough to beat a team twice in one season, or so they say, because the losing team normally has more adjustments to make than the winning team does. In this case, however, I don’t know if that works. Sure, Marcus Lattimore didn’t play the whole game the first time around, and that’s a big deal. And sure, Stephen Garcia was pulled because Steve Spurrier is an ego-maniac. But this regular season matchup represented the game that Auburn truly realized what to do with Cam Newton. Since then, he’s been completely unstoppable. I don’t know if that’s going to change today. Pick: Auburn 24-20.

No. 21 Florida State vs. No. 15 Virginia Tech, 7:45 p.m.: The Seminoles can be a dangerous team when Christian Ponder is on his game. He’s been on it lately, and the defense has some serious talent at most positions. Now, the ‘Noles haven’t played a team as good as Virginia Tech lately, and maybe not this year. Tyrod Taylor and the Hokies are rolling since losing their first two games against Boise State and James Madison. I think the Hokies are super-motivated in this one and win it. Pick: Va Tech 34-28.

No. 9 Oklahoma vs. No. 13 Nebraska, 8 p.m.: I’ve been a big fan of the Cornhuskers all season, but what they’re doing lately shouldn’t give even the most blind fan confidence. Nebraska’s offense is in complete flux since Bo Pelini screamed at Taylor Martinez a couple weeks ago, and as good as the defense is, it cannot thrive when continually put in awful situations. Oklahoma won’t expose the Nebraska defense, but it will get enough done with short fields. Pick: Oklahoma 21-16.

Connecticut at South Florida, 8 p.m.: This game will decide the Big East champion. The Big East is booty. Pick: USF 17-13.

I figured it was only a matter of time before Auburn jumped Boise State in the human polls. I just thought it would come after a win a little bigger than at Ole Miss — a team that is now 3-5 and lost at home to Jacksonville State.

But the latest USA Today/ESPN coaches poll is out, and there are the Tigers, 23 points ahead of Boise at No. 2.

I get it, Auburn has better credentials to this point in the season than Boise State does. It plays a tougher schedule, and is deserving of the No. 2 spot in the polls. (Side note: Saw Oregon for the second time live last night, and my god, the Ducks are good. I mean, I was impressed with the way they blitzed UCLA, but they made USC look slow last night. That’s crazy.)

What I don’t get is the timing. If you had Boise State No. 2 in your poll last week, what did the two teams do this week that made you change your mind? The Broncos were a little sloppy, and obviously not fully on their game on Tuesday, and still blew Louisiana Tech. To me, that’s the measure of a really good team, one that can still win handily while not at its best. Auburn, meanwhile, looked pretty slick in a 20-point win of its own against Ole Miss. Impressive, for sure, but not so impressive that you would think, “Wow, this is the performance that pushes Auburn to No. 2!”

Of course, I don’t know how important this jump really is. Boise needed Auburn and/or Oregon to lose anyway, and now that just becomes more evident. The Tigers and Ducks will still be Nos. 1 and 2 in the BCS standings when they’re released tonight, and the Broncos will continue to have to root against other teams for their own self interest.

A couple other notes from the poll: Missouri falls to No. 14 and Michigan State to No. 15 after some tough losses Saturday. Florida State fell from No. 15 to No. 24 after its loss Thursday. Of course, in the spirit of this always sane poll, that’s one spot in front of NC State, the team it just lost to. Which has the same record.

Welcome to a new feature on The Scores Report. We thought it would be interesting to tally up all the major accomplishments of a college football program and assign a point value to each category in order to rank them against one another. Then our football guru, Anthony Stalter, wrote a little bit about each program and the direction that it’s headed.

Here’s how the points are calculated — 20 points for a national championship, 10 for a BCS title game loss, seven for a BCS bowl win, five for a BCS bowl loss, five for a BCS conference championship, three for a mid-major conference championship, two for a BCS conference runner-up and one for a major bowl appearance (i.e. a bowl that has a recent payout of more than $2 million — Capital One, Outback, Chick-fil-A, Cotton, Gator, Holiday, Champs Sports and Alamo.) You’ll see the total points in parenthesis after the team’s name.

We put some thought into the point values for each accomplishment, paying special attention to how the point values are relative to one another. For example, we figured that one national championship would equate to four BCS conference championships, or three BCS bowl wins. We only looked at the last five years, as college football has increasingly become a fluid and fickle sport, and that’s about how far back a recruit will go when deciding amongst a list of schools.

Lastly, since a program is so dependent on the guy in charge, we added or subtracted points if the program upgraded or downgraded its head coach in the last five years. A max of 10 points would be granted (or docked) based on the level of upgrade or downgrade. Again, we tried to quantify the hire relative to the program’s other accomplishments. For example, hiring Nick Saban is probably worth two BCS bowl appearances, or 10 points. (Sure, he might lead Alabama to more, but he also might bolt for another job in a year or two.)

So, without further ado, here are the rankings. Every year we’ll go through and update the numbers based on what the program did that year (while throwing out the oldest year of data), so don’t fret if your team isn’t quite where you want them right now. Everyone has a chance to move up.

1. Florida Gators (61)

National Championship: ’08-W, ’06-W
BCS Bowl: ’09-W
Conference Championship: ’09-RU, ’08-W, ’06-W
Major Bowl Appearance: ’07, ’05
It’s hard to argue that the Gators don’t deserve the top spot with two national championship victories, three BCS bowl wins, two conference championships and five bowl appearances in the past five years. Considering they play in college football’s toughest conference, what Urban Meyer’s program has been able to accomplish in the past five years has been incredibly impressive. The program dodged a bullet when Meyer rejoined the team.

2. Ohio State Buckeyes (58)

National Championship: ’07-L, ’06-RU
BCS Bowl: ’09-W, ’08-L, ’05-W
Conference Championship: ’09-W, ’08-RU, ’07-W, ’06-W, ’05-RU
The Buckeyes are subjected to criticism every year because they play in a weak conference that doesn’t have a title game, but keep in mind that they have absolutely owned the Big Ten over the past five years. They have finished no worse than second in each of the past five seasons and have also appeared in two title games. While it’s true they lost in both of those appearances, just getting there helped them greatly in these rankings.

3. Texas Longhorns (49)

National Championship: ’09-L, ’05-W
BCS Bowl: ’08-W,
Conference Championship: ’09-W, ’05-W
Major Bowl Appearance: ’07, ’06
The Longhorns have been a model of consistency. They’ve made a bowl appearance in each of the last five years, won a national championship in 2005 and made a title appearance this past last year. It’ll be interesting to see how Mack Brown’s program fares in 2010 now that Colt McCoy has graduated and youngster Garrett Gilbert is set to take over at quarterback.

4. Alabama Crimson Tide (43)

National Championship: ’09-W
BCS Bowl: ’08-L
Conference Championship: ’09-W, ’08-RU
Major Bowl Appearance: ’05
Chances are that Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide will steadily climb to the top of these rankings over the next couple years. The 2009 season proved that there is a changing of the guard in the SEC (especially now that Tim Tebow has graduated) and with Heisman winner Mark Ingram set to return next year, ‘Bama has a very realistic shot to repeat as national champions. (Alabama gets 10 extra points for a big upgrade at head coach.)

5. USC Trojans (41)

National Championship: ’05-L
BCS Bowl: ’08-W, ’07-W, ’06-W
Conference Championship: ’08-W, ’07-W, ’06-W, ’05-W
There’s a chance that USC could fall in these rankings now that Pete Carroll has decided to coach in the NFL again. That said, if Lane Kiffin (and more specially, Monte Kiffin) can turn around a defense that failed the Trojans last season, then USC might not skip a beat. Their offense should be explosive again next year now that quarterback Matt Barkley has a full year of experience under his belt, but the Trojans could still have a tough time gaining the power back in the Pac-10. (The Trojans are docked 10 points for losing Pete Carroll.)

6. LSU Tigers (37)

National Championship: ’07-W
BCS Bowl: ’06-W
Conference Championship: ’07-W, ’05-W
Major Bowl Appearance: ’09, ’08, ’07
After winning the national championship and a conference title in 2007, Les Miles’ program has taken a small step backwards the past two years. The Tigers have failed to make a BCS bowl appearance in each of the last two seasons and must find a way to become more consistent on offense in order to climb back to the top of the SEC standings.

7. Oklahoma Sooners (36)

National Championship: ’08-L
BCS Bowl: ’07-L, ’06-L
Conference Championship: ’08-W, ’07-W, ’06-W
Major Bowl Appearance: ’05
After making a title appearance in 2008, Oklahoma was supposed to have at least one more shot at a national championship with Sam Bradford under center before he went to the NFL. But a shoulder injury destroyed Bradford and the Sooners’ 2009 season and with his decision to skip his senior year, the Oklahoma program is now in a state of flux. The only good thing that came out of Bradford’s injury was that young quarterback Landry Jones got plenty of snaps last season and if the offensive line can come together, the Sooners should challenge for more Big 12 titles over the next couple years.

8. Boise State Broncos (28)

BCS Bowl: ’09-W, ’06-W
MM Conference Championship: ’09-W, ’08-W, ’07-W
Just because they don’t play in a BCS conference doesn’t mean that Boise State hasn’t been one of the most impressive programs in college football over the past couple years. In fact, they have. They’ve won their conference championship three years running and have two BCS bowl wins in the past five seasons. Chances are that Chris Petersen will have the Broncos atop the WAC again next year, although they might not climb much higher in these rankings because they don’t have a legitimate shot at playing for a national title thanks to the BCS system. (The Broncos get five points for hiring Petersen.)

T-9. West Virginia Mountaineers (27)

BCS Bowl: ’07-W, ’05-W
Conference Championship: ’09-RU, ’08-RU, ’07-W, ’06-RU, ’05-W
Major Bowl Appearance: ’09, ’06
It’s easy to forget how good the Mountaineers have been over the past five years, because the last time they made an appearance in a BCS bowl was in 2007. But they have finished no worse than second in the Big East over the last five seasons and have made a bowl appearance every year since 2005. Even after losing Pat White and Steve Slaton in the past two drafts, WVU still found a way to compete in the Big East. While it certainly wasn’t any fault of their own, the Mountaineers lose five points for losing Rich Rodriguez. Although Bill Stewart has proven to be a fine coach, Rich Rod brought WVU its two conference championships the past five years and thus far, Stewart has not been able to duplicate that success.

T-9. Virginia Tech Hokies (27)

BCS Bowl: ’08-W, ’07-L
Conference Championship: ’08-W, ’07-W, ’05-L
Major Bowl Appearance: ’09, ’06, ’05
Georgia Tech unseated Virginia Tech in the ACC last year, but the Hokies did win the conference twice in the last five years and also made two BCS bowl appearances. VA Tech has always found a way to compete at a high level under Frank Beamer and will probably continue to do so for years to come.

11. Penn State Nittany Lions (25)

BCS Bowl: ’08-L, ’05-W
Conference Championship: ’08-W, ’05-W
Major Bowl Appearance: ’09, ’07, ’06
Penn State has challenged Ohio State several times over the last couple years for supremacy in the Big Ten. Although USC embarrassed them in the 2008 Rose Bowl, the Nittany Lions have an impressive five-year resume, which includes BCS bowl appearances in ’08 and 05, as well as conference championships in those same years.

12. Georgia Bulldogs (19)

BCS Bowl: ’07-W, ’05-L
Conference Championship: ’05-W
Major Bowl Appearance: ’08, ’06
Georgia fell significantly short of expectations in 2008, but they still secured a BCS bowl appearance that year by winning the SEC. While in-state rival Georgia Tech is breathing down Georgia’s neck in these rankings, the Bulldogs still remain a top 12 program in college football.

T-13. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (18)

BCS Bowl: ’09-L
Conference Championship: ’09-W, ’06-RU
Major Bowl Appearance: ’08, ’06
The Yellow Jackets were definitely aided by their BCS bowl appearance last year and the hiring of Paul Johnson. If they can continue to stay atop the ACC, it’s only a matter of time before GA Tech leapfrogs up these rankings. (Georgia Tech gets four points for upgrading from Chan Gailey to Paul Johnson.)

T-13. Oregon Ducks (18)

BCS Bowl: ’09-L
Conference Championship: ’09-W, ’08-RU, ’05-RU
Major Bowl Appearance: ’08, ’05
Chip Kelly did an outstanding job avoiding a disaster last year after the Ducks were embarrassed by Boise State in the opening week of the season. Oregon went on to win their conference while also clinching a BCS bowl appearance and if the power has in fact shifted in the Pac-10, then the Ducks will climb in these rankings next year. (The Ducks get two points for hiring Kelly.)

15. Cincinnati Bearcats (15)

BCS Bowl: ’09-L, ’08-L
Conference Championship: ’09-W, ’08-W
Due to the loss of Brian Kelly, there’s a ton of uncertainty surrounding the Cincinnati program. However, if new head coach Butch Jones does a similar job in Cincinnati as he did at Central Michigan, then there’s no reason to think the Bearcats can’t win their third straight Big East title next season. (Cincy loses five points for losing Kelly.)

16. Nebraska Cornhuskers (13)

Conference Championship: ’09-RU, ’06-RU
Major Bowl Appearance: ’09, ’08, ’06, ’05
Bo Pelini is doing great things in Lincoln and although he lost some major talent this offseason, Nebraska should still have a dominant defense next season. Now, if only Pelini can figure out how to get more firepower on offense, then the Huskers could add a Big 12 title to their five-year resume. (Nebraska gets five points for hiring Pelini.)

T-17. Florida State Seminoles (12)

BCS Bowl: ’05-L
Conference Championship: ’05-W
Major Bowl Appearance: ’09, ’08
The Seminoles are staying afloat in the top 20 because of their BCS bowl appearance in 2005, but they’ll need to add at least a conference title if they want to move up in these rankings. They were runners up in 2009 and they have some talent on the offensive side of the ball so maybe they can put it all together in 2010.

T-17. Iowa Hawkeyes (12)

BCS Bowl: ’09-W
Conference Championship: ’09-RU
Major Bowl Appearance: ’08, ’06, ’05
The Hawkeyes made a ton of noise in 2009, but an injury to quarterback Ricky Stanzi in the second half of the season ruined their chances of beating Ohio State and winning the Big 10. Nevertheless, Iowa continues to be one of the top 3 teams in the conference and more BCS bowl appearances aren’t out of the question.

T-17. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (12)

BCS Bowl: ’06-L, ’05-L
The Irish are at a disadvantage in these rankings because they don’t belong to a conference, but that’s their own fault. There’s plenty of reason for optimism in South Bend now that Brian Kelly has been hired, but this is a program is in much need of consistency. Kelly has won everywhere he’s gone, but can he recruit will enough to win at ND over the long haul? We’ll find out. (The Irish get two points for hiring Brian Kelly.)

20. TCU Horned Frogs (11)

BCS Bowl: ’09-L
MM Conference Championship: ’09-W, ’05-W
TCU was a juggernaut last year, but Boise State proved how valuable experience is because the Broncos made the Horned Frogs look completely befuddled in the Fiesta Bowl. Still, Gary Patterson has this program on the right track and even though they won’t have a legitimate chance to compete for a national title every year, more BCS bowl appearances and conference championships are well within reach.

Just missed the cut: Utah (10), Wake Forest (10)

Photos from fOTOGLIF

In a game that they weren’t expected to win, Florida State beat West Virginia 33-21 in the Gator Bowl on New Year’s Day and won in head coach Bobby Bowden’s final game for the Seminoles.

Florida State definitely had an advantage when West Virginia starting quarterback Jarrett Brown left the game late in the first half because of an ankle injury. But even with that advantage, the Mountaineers couldn’t stop the run at that was the difference in the end. The Seminoles racked up 225 yards on the ground, which included 121 yards by sophomore Jermaine Thomas, who also had two touchdowns.

Quarterback E.J. Manuel also grew today as a player. He completed 17 of his 24 pass attempts for 189 yards and no interceptions. He also rushed 14 times for 69 yards and a touchdown and didn’t make any big mistakes to cost his team.

With Manuel and Thomas in the backfield, the Seminoles have a bright future ahead of them. But while their future was on full display today, it was also nice to see their immediate past go out on a high note. Bowden is a college football coaching legend and whether FSU fans wanted to see him gone or not, they have to admit that he’s done more good for the Seminoles over the years than bad.

Way to go out on top, Bobby.

Photo from fOTOGLIF
]]> http://www.scoresreport.com/2010/01/01/florida-state-wins-in-bobby-bowden%e2%80%99s-final-game/feed/ 0 http://www.scoresreport.com/2009/12/02/big-ten-finally-wins-big-tenacc-challenge/ http://www.scoresreport.com/2009/12/02/big-ten-finally-wins-big-tenacc-challenge/#comments Thu, 03 Dec 2009 04:34:27 +0000 John Paulsen http://www.scoresreport.com/?p=30339 It took 11 years, but the Big Ten finally beat the ACC in the annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge, which pits teams from each conference against one another.

Illinois overcame a second-half 23-point deficit to beat Clemson on the road and unranked Wisconsin upset #5 Duke in Madison to put the Big Ten in position to win. The victory was sealed by #16 Ohio State’s “easy” win against Florida State in Columbus.

The Big Ten won the Challenge, 6-5. It was the first time that Duke lost in the Challenge.