After losing to LSU in the regular season, many thought Alabama's national championship hopes were bleak.The Tide did miss out an a chance at the SEC Championship, but a string of Alabama-friendly outcomes, including winning the rest of their games, is sending Alabama to New Orleans for a rematch with LSU and an improbable shot at winning it all. With a loss to the Tigers at home, many things had to happen to get Bama back ...

John Calipari brought in arguably the best recruiting class in a decade for the Kentucky Wildcats this season, and these freshmen have made an impression. Through 12 games, these four kids have proven their worth and shown flashes of brilliance.With four recruits in the top 20 in the class, including three in the top nine, this recruiting class was one of the best ever, and they have proven to be so.Even though most of these ...

Assuming Oklahoma junior quarterback Landry Jones does indeed return for his senior season in Norman, he will have made a wise choice.Jones' performance faded considerably down the stretch this season, as he clearly struggled adjusting to the loss of star receiver Ryan Broyles.Indeed, in his last three games, Jones threw for five interceptions and zero touchdowns, completing just over 50 percent of his throws against Iowa State and Oklahoma State. His two crucial fumbles against Oklahoma ...

The most recent rumor about Penn State's search for a head football coach is that the Nittany Lions are aggressively pursuing Boise State's Chris Petersen.  While I think acquiring Chris Petersen is an absolute long shot for the Nittany Lions, I think it is a perfect fit for both parties involved.Petersen just ended his 2011 season with Boise State by leading them to a 12-1 record and a win over Arizona State in the MAACO ...

EJ Manuel has had his ups and downs with a fairly disappointing junior season thanks to the injury bug, but he should be just fine and dandy in the immediate future. If Manuel can perform well in the Champs Sports Bowl against Notre Dame, then the 2012 season will once again have a ton of upside. However, win or lose against the Irish, and there will still be a short list of improvements EJ must ...

Going into the MAACO Bowl Las Vegas, Doug Martin was well thought of by NFL scouts and experts. Many had him projected as a third-, fourth- or fifth-round pick.On Thursday night, he probably increased his value. Martin showed everyone that he is more than just your average runner.On the opening kickoff of the game in Vegas, Martin took the ball from two yards deep in the end zone and proceeded to cut and juke his ...

If you had told me the Hoosiers would be sporting a 12-0 record heading into Big Ten play I probably would have laughed in your face.But they've knocked off (then-)No.1 Kentucky, and instead it looks like the Hoosiers are laughing at everyone that doubted them, including me.Now comes the true test, however: conference play, which hasn't been too kind to the Hoosiers, who finished 1-18, 4-15 and 3-16 in the past three seasons of Big ...

As the Pac-12 basketball conference schedule begins within the week, many teams that are quite familiar with each other will be matching up.We often forget that the mascots of these teams can also become quite familiar with each other, so it's necessary to break down which Pac-12 mascots are most powerful.Here are my power rankings of the Pac-12 basketball mascots.Begin Slideshow

Former Ohio State quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith was arrested tonight in Cleveland, Ohio, according to a WOIO report.He was reportedly arrested on a "driving under suspension" warrant by Cleveland police after being stopped on a traffic violation.Troy Smith played quarterback at Ohio State from 2003 through the 2006 season, losing the BCS National Championship game to the Florida Gators in the season he won the Heisman Trophy.His career at Ohio State was ...

Let's get something straight right away: I don't think the BCS is a broken system. I think it does an incredibly effective job at doing exactly what it was meant to do, and it shouldn't be tampered with in any way, shape or form.That said, I absolutely hate what it does.What the BCS has done since it's institution in 1998 is ensure that the two best teams in the country, as determined by a myriad ...