So did the BCS get it right? How about the AP?

After all was said and done, if we all take a step back and look at this thing from what we have to work with, did the BCS get it right? How about the AP poll, which doesn't necessarily have to agree with the BCS (although in this case it did)?

Here is the final AP poll:
1. Florida (48)
2. Utah (16)
3. USC (1)
4. Texas
5. Oklahoma
6. Alabama
7. TCU
8. Penn State
9. Ohio State
10. Oregon
11. Boise State
12. Texas Tech
13. Georgia
14. Mississippi
15. Virginia Tech
16. Oklahoma State
17. Cincinnati
18. Oregon State
19. Missouri
20. Iowa
21. Florida State
22. Georgia Tech
23. West Virginia
24. Michigan State
25. Brigham Young

From top-to-bottom, in my opinion, I think this is pretty darn close to how the teams stack up.

Here's my own FINAL top 25:
1. Florida
2. USC
3. Utah
4. Texas
5. Oklahoma
6. Alabama
7. Penn State
8. Ohio State
9. TCU
10. Boise State
11. Oregon
12. Texas Tech
13. Georgia
14. Mississippi
15. Oklahoma State
16. Virginia Tech
17. Cincinnati
18. LSU
19. Oregon State
20. Missouri
21. Iowa
22. Florida State
23. Georgia Tech
24. West Virginia
25. Brigham Young

Added: LSU
Dropped: Michigan State

When you really look at it, there's not a whole lot of changes. I think Georgia Tech is a good team and LSU absolutely crushed them, and seeing as LSU's schedule was one of the toughest in the country, I have them FAR above the AP. Because of LSU's addition, someone had to get kicked out and I think Michigan State is the worst of the other 25 teams. I also dropped TCU below Penn State and Ohio State. Other than that, the only other changes were flip-flopping Virginia Tech-Oklahoma State, Oregon-Boise State, and the big one, Utah-USC. This last one I struggled with, but in my mind, put those two teams on the field and USC comes out victorious.

Bottom-Line: The BCS got the National Champion right, even if it didn't get the National Title game right, but in no way does that excuse the fact that a playoff in some sort would be beneficial for the fans, the media, and the sport in general. I don't care what it is...a plus-1, a four-team system after the bowl games, an 8-team system instead of bowl games, Ksquared's new conferences and playoff system, anything! Look at the top four teams in the AP and my poll - Florida, Utah, USC, Texas...Give or take Oklahoma and you've got a pretty sweet semi-finals, no matter how you cut it.

One last note: I predicted Florida to have 446 total yards with 1 turnover, Oklahoma to have 374 yards with 2 turnovers, and Florida winning the Title. In the end, Florida had 480 total yards with 2 turnovers, Oklahoma had 363 yards with 2 turnovers, and Florida won the Title. How's that for ending the year on a high-note?

As we close out the College Football season, thank you to everyone who follows and reads this blog...You are the reason I do this, truly. Though it is obvious my first love is college football, I will find other things to write about going forward (including college recruitment and Spring games), so stay tuned!!!

Ksquared's BCS National Championship Bowl Prediction

FINALLY!

Doesn't it seem like we've waited for a year and a day for this game!?! I'm already starting to look at recruiting classes for next year and we don't even have a National Champion in college football yet...So, without further ado...

January 8, 2009 - Fedex BCS National Championship Game - Miami, FL
#2 Florida vs. #1 Oklahoma - 8:00 pm ET
The Good: What's not to like? Two Heisman trophy quarterbacks, two explosive offenses, and two very disciplined defenses. This is the right matchup for the Championship, regardless of what you read in the media (wait, I am the media, aren't I?)...Anyhow, There aren't two more balanced teams in football and their major common denominator is leadership at quarterback, which just can't be argued. Look for a VERY physical game and a game dominated by speedy special teams play and hard-hitting defense.

The Bad: USC and Utah are left on the outside looking in...And they shouldn't be. I point especially to Rick Reilly's nicely written column about any argument against Utah being the National Champion (and the fact that there isn't one). Other than that, with the BCS being what it is, this game is the best we've g0t, which really isn't all that bad.

The Ugly Prediction: I am siding with the rest of the country on this one. Florida will make Oklahoma pay for a soft secondary and the Gator D will make enough big plays to limit Bradford to a less-than-Heisman performance. Oklahoma keeps it close with an offensive line that continues to create gaps for it's fast running backs, but special teams rules the night and Florida wins that matchup, hands-down.

Florida
Rushing: 122 yards
Passing: 324 yards
Turnovers: 1

Oklahoma
Rushing: 164 yards
Passing: 210 yards
Turnovers: 2

Florida 31 - Oklahoma 26