Six Reasons Why Oregon-USC Will Be Next Year’s Game of the Year

USC upset No. 4 Oregon this past Saturday in front of a record crowd at Autzen Stadium.

The Ducks were eyeing a possible repeat National Championship game appearance after No. 2 Oklahoma State’s loss on Friday but were denied when Ducks kicker Alejandro Maldonado missed a game-tying field goal as time expired.

The game lived up to and exceeded all the hype. It featured a big upset, a rousing comeback and (unfortunately) the game being decided by a kicker.

Here are six reasons why next season’s edition* will be the biggest game of the year.

*This is assuming that Oregon and USC will play in the regular season, as the Pacific-12 Conference has yet to release the conference schedule for the 2012-13 season.

1. No more postseason sanctions

This is the main reason why next season’s matchup will be so important.

Following this season, USC’s two-year postseason ban, including the Pac-12 Championship game and bowl games, will expire. If it weren’t for the sanctions, USC would be in line for a rematch against Oregon in the conference championship game, this time for a Rose Bowl berth.

If you think the Trojans played hard last week, I’d be excited to see what Lane Kiffin could pull out with a BCS bowl game on the line.

Did I mention that the game will be played at the Coliseum next year?

2. Conference supremacy

Assuming the Ducks don’t lay an egg against Oregon State on Saturday, they’ll clinch their division and play in the inaugural Pac-12 Championship game against a subpar South division champion. Let’s face it, aside from USC, the South division is horrendous this year. Oregon will be a multiple-touchdown favorite and win easily.

That win will earn Oregon its third-straight conference title.

From 2002 until just three years ago, USC was the conference’s powerhouse, winning seven-straight conference titles.

With the sanctions gone, the talent in place and weakened opposition, USC is in a prime place to take back the crown of “Best in the West.”

3. Revenge

The Ducks were embarrassed at home, where they had had a 16-game conference win streak. Though they managed to fight back, and actually had an opportunity to win the game, they were outplayed, plain and simple.

The loss is only the Ducks’ second conference slip-up under Chip Kelly. The first came at the hands of Stanford in 2009. The next two years, Kelly’s squad exacted revenge in the form of a 52-31 and a 53-30 dismantling of the Cardinal.

Kelly is a man that is used to winning, and he’s not about to give up and let USC move back in as top dog. Despite what happens in the first game, we are very likely to see a rematch in the championship game to end the year.

4. National title implications

With USC most likely finishing in the Top-10 of the AP poll this season, and Oregon finishing in the Top-10 of the BCS (assuming the Ducks win out, which is not a given), it’s easy to assume that both of these teams will be ranked very high come next season.

Without knowing when (or if) these two teams will clash in the regular season, it’s hard to judge how high they’ll climb leading up to the game. If we’re treated to a late-season match-up, you can bet that these two teams will both be undefeated and ranked in the Top-5.

USC has a tradition of winning championships, but Oregon has been the team in the national spotlight as of late. It will be an epic clash of old vs. new.

5. Heisman implications

This might be a bit of a stretch (and wishful thinking on my part as a Pac-12 fan), but, if LaMichael James and Matt Barkley forgo the NFL draft and return for their senior seasons, we could be looking at a Heisman moment showcase.

Personally, I think that both James and Barkley will throw their stock into draft. Darron Thomas and, dare I say it, De’Anthony Thomas are both dark horse Heisman contenders for next year, and USC’s Lane Kiffin is a master recruiter and will have another top-ranked quarterback prospect replacing Barkley if he does leave. So, rest assured that there will be nationally-recognized names lighting up the scoreboard.

6. Recruiting

Oregon had invited a few prospect recruits to the game against USC, most notably a former-USC commit turned “free-agent” DE Arik Armstead. The loss is most likely going to result in a big blow for the Oregon 2012-13 recruiting class.

The Ducks and Trojans have always vied for the top prospects in California and Texas, usually with Oregon pilfering a top recruit here and there but ending with USC the obvious winner.

That has begun to change in the last few years. USC’s scholarship restrictions coupled with Oregon’s national attention has led to a fierce rivalry on the recruiting trail.

The rivalry reached a new high last year when four-star recruit De’Anthony Thomas decommitted from USC at the last moment and opted instead to go to Eugene.

Recruits know that if they want an opportunity to win a National Championship and get a lot of exposure, while staying on the West coast, they have either Oregon or USC as an option.

Oregon versus USC will becoming the game every West coast recruit circles on his calendar and very well could decide the future of these programs.

Post-Game: Oregon vs. Stanford

I, like the majority of sports writers around the country, severely underestimated Oregon's defense. The case could be made that we overestimated Stanford's defense, but I think the game's outcome was more a product of Oregon's dominance than Stanford's ineptness.

I had picked Stanford to win, 48-38, and here's why. I clearly thought that neither team would be able to contain the other, and that Stanford's two-dimensional offense would give it the edge. While it was true that Stanford had trouble stopping the big play, Oregon's defense contained Andrew Luck—causing him to throw two interceptions, for the first time this season.

The end box score will show that Stanford committed five turnovers.The casual fan who didn't watch the game will probably assume that that was the difference in the game, but the truth is that Oregon was firmly in control of the game and never trailed. Three of those five turnovers came on back-to-back-to-back plays to close out the game. They were painful to watch, but they weren't game-deciding.

The fact is that Oregon simply outplayed the Cardinal. Perhaps Stanford choked under the pressure. Perhaps Oregon really is that much better, and the loss to LSU was just a slip-up.

The Oregon running attack racked up 232 yards against Stanford's formerly-third-ranked rushing defense. LaMichael James contributed 146 of those yards on 20 carries and effectively tossed his hat back into the Heisman race.

Darron Thomas was efficient in his performance, throwing for 115 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. He also contributed to the ground game with 17 yards on seven carries.

No one expected Stanford to completely shut down Oregon's offense, but what surprised me the most was its inability to prevent the big plays. James exploded early in the second quarter for a 58 yard touchdown run, which obviously energized the then-ineffective Oregon offense. Darron Thomas then completed a fourth-down pass to De'Anthony Thomas for a 41 yard touchdown later in the second quarter. Darron kept it up in the third quarter with a 59 yard touchdown pass to Josh Huff.

The big plays weren't limited to the offense, though. Oregon intercepted two of Luck's passes and added big returns (one for a touchdown in the fourth quarter).

For Stanford, they'll need to rebound. The Cardinal fell all the way to No. 9 in this week's BCS standings. They have a rivalry game against the Cal Golden Bears this week, followed by a bout with Notre Dame the following week. The Cardinal should win those games, but they'll need to win big to be able get back into the good graces of the voters and try to earn back their "elite team" status.

For Oregon, their work is not done yet. The Ducks host an AP-ranked USC at Autzen this week. While I don't see Oregon getting trapped by this game, the Trojans will give Oregon a real test, and, more importantly, another opportunity to showcase their talents on a national stage against a respectable opponent. After that, the Ducks host their in-state rivals the Oregon State Beavers. Although it is a rivalry game, and anything can happen, Oregon will win this game by a lot. That just leaves the inaugural Pac-12 Championship game at Autzen against what looks to be UCLA. Chalk up another "W" for the Ducks in that one.

Preview: Oregon vs. Stanford

It's finally here—the preeminent Pac-12 game of the 2011 season: No. 7 Oregon Ducks (8-1, 6-0) versus No. 4 Stanford Cardinal (9-0, 7-0). 

Strangely enough, both teams have to be thinking in the backs or their minds about revenge. For Stanford, last year's match-up against the Ducks resulted in the Cardinal's only loss. For Oregon, the Ducks' only conference blemish in the Chip Kelly Era came at the hands of a sophomore Andrew Luck in 2009. No matter what either team says, it's personal.

The winner controls its destiny in the North division and will most likely earn the right to play either UCLA or Arizona State in the inaugural Pac-12 Championship game. Both teams still have a realistic shot at making the championship game, although Oregon is more of a dark horse candidate.

Last season, the Ducks stunned Stanford as the Cardinal's 21-3 first quarter lead evaporated en route to a 52-31 Oregon win. The Ducks' defense managed to shut out the Heisman runner-up in the second half.

But that was at Autzen Stadium in Eugene. This game will be played on the Farm in Stanford Stadium, where the Ducks lost 51-42 in 2009.

Hmm, I'm beginning to see a pattern here. Last year the final score was 52-31; 83 combined points. In 2009 it was 51-42; 93 combined points. Anyone predicting a defensive struggle had better take his medication. The only one that will be getting a better workout than the players on Saturday will be the scoreboard operator. Well, and the Oregon Ducks' mascot.

To top it all off, ESPN's College GameDay will be attending the festivities. This marks the first time Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso, Chris Fowler, Desmond Howard and Erin Andrews have visited the Stanford campus as part of the weekly show. Oregon is no stranger to the crew, though. The Ducks are 5-1 in GameDay games, including wins earlier this year against Arizona State and last year against Stanford.

No matter the outcome, this game will give the Pac-12 conference some much needed exposure.

Until Stanford's marathon triple-overtime battle with USC two weeks ago, I was dead set on believing that they were just a little bit better than Oregon this year. I've since reevaluated my position, and no, the slaughtering of Oregon State last week did nothing to persuade me either way.

Let's take a closer look at the USC game and what made it so close.

Luck was 29 of 40 for 330 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. Not the most spectacular statistics but definitely not the box score of a poor performance.

The Cardinal dominated the time of possession (35:15), won the turnover battle, had more yards—rushing and passing—and yet USC still managed to keep it even until the third overtime. Stanford should have won that game by two possessions in regulation, but for inexplicable reasons, they didn't.

That should worry Cardinal fans. Championship teams should win games out of nowhere, not almost lose them.

The real question is whether Oregon's secondary can stop Andrew Luck's passing attack and whether Stanford's defensive line can contain LaMichael James and the Ducks' rushing attack. 

The answer to both is no. Both teams will score points in droves. The game will be decided by which team can most closely approach those goals.

I've looked at this game from every angle. These two teams are very evenly matched. It's possible that this game is decided by who has the ball last or by a timely turnover. But, for the sake of argument, here's a position by position breakdown of the game.

Quarterback:

Oregon's junior signal caller Darron Thomas has had a roller coaster season thus far. Before missing week 8's game against Washington State because of a knee injury suffered the previous week, Thomas averaged 204.5 ypg passing with 17 touchdowns and 3 interceptions, and he rushed for 19.3 ypg and 2 touchdowns. In his two games back, he's averaged 161.0 ypg passing with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions, and only 2.0 ypg rushing with no touchdowns. For Oregon to keep Stanford's defense honest, Thomas will need to return to his pre-injury form.

Stanford's Andrew Luck is the best quarterback in college football (sorry Case Keenum). He has a 71.3 completion percentage and has amassed 2424 yards (269.3 ypg), 26 touchdowns and 5 interceptions this season. He's a Heisman trophy favorite and the consensus overall first pick in the upcoming NFL draft. He having a bad game is as likely as the Ducks wearing the same uniform combination as last week.

Advantage: Stanford

Running Backs:

 Oregon is rushing team first...and second, and usually third. Game after game coach Chip Kelly has put the ball in the capable hands of his stable of runners. All-American LaMichael James is the star of the show and will most likely be Oregon's response to Luck. To date, with only seven games under his belt, he's gained 1061 yards on 133 carries. That's 151.6 ypg and 8.0 yards a carry, both of which lead the nation. Backup Kenjon Barner has rushed for 601 ypg, and freshman De'Anthony Thomas has also contributed to the ground game, adding 349 yards on 41 carries.

Despite having the most elite quarterback in the land, Stanford has a very competent run game. The team's leading rusher Stephan Taylor has racked up 891 yards this season. In contrast to James's quick, get-to-the-edge speed, Taylor is a power-I formation back that will run straight up the middle. Oregon has shown a weakness to larger running backs in the past, which is evident when looking at Toby Gerhart's 2009 performance of 223 yards on 38 carries.

Advantage: Oregon (but not by as much as you might think)

Wide Receivers:

With the graduation of Jeff Maehl last year, Darron Thomas lost his go-to receiver and has yet to find a replacement. True freshmen De'Anthony Thomas is the team's leading receiver with 25 receptions for 382 yards, followed closely by Lavasier Tuinei with 28 receptions for 360 yards. To make matters worse, Oregon wideouts have developed the nasty habit of dropping balls. For Oregon to keep Stanford from stacking the box, De. Thomas, Tuinei, Josh Huff and tight end David Paulson will need to get open, and Darron Thomas will have to get the ball to them on time and on target.

Stanford would have the clear edge in this comparison if their star wide receiver Chris Owusu wasn't labeled as doubtful for the game. In his absence, leading receiver Griff Whalen and senior Coby Fleener will have to step up to keep Oregon's corners guessing. Whalen has 534 yards on 36 receptions with two touchdowns, and Fleener has 431 yards on 20 receptions. Oregon's numbers are comparable with Stanford's, but it's more who's throwing to the receivers that makes them dangerous.

Advantage: Stanford. Luck strikes again.

 

Defense:

The Oregon defense has come alive as of late. Many called last year's unit "underrated" and it seems like maybe the 2011 version might also be flying under the radar after shutting out the Washington Huskies at home in the second half last week. The Ducks D allows 20.8 points/game (26th), 234.6 ypg passing and 149.2 ypg rushing. Oregon has 10 interceptions to its name but is without controversial cornerback/punt returner Cliff Harris , who intercepted Luck twice last year, because of suspension. All of these statistics become much more impressive when you take into account that Oregon has the worst time of possession of any FBS school. That's right, it's dead last. That means that the Oregon defense has been on the field longer than any other squad in the nation.

Statistically, the Stanford defense is superior to Oregon's. The Cardinal only gives up 16.6 points a game (11th). The defense does allow slightly more yards through the air than Oregon's (245.1 ypg) but makes up for it with its stingy, 3rd-best run defense (78.9 ypg). Unfortunately, statistics can be misleading sometimes. Stanford has yet to play a team the caliber of Oregon, and has padded its stats with games against San Jose State and Duke, not that I blame them.

Advantage: Neither. Both defenses are going to be torn up in this game.

X-factor

De'Anthony Thomas has improved every game since his poor performance in Oregon's opener against LSU. He has grown into a true threat from any aspect of the offense. He averages 8.5 yards per rush and 15.3 yards per catch and has seen time as a return man in special teams. If Thomas has a big game, the Ducks will win.

For Stanford, the x-factor is not a player but its home-field advantage. Normally this is strictly considered an advantage, but Cardinal fans aren't accustomed to such big games. Will the fans be able to keep their team going even if Oregon takes an early lead? Will they be able to distract the up-tempo Oregon offense? Will they be able to prevent a sea of green and yellow from invading the stands? This is your time to shine, Cardinal faithful.

Prediction

My prediction is for Oregon. That's right, I think Lee Corso is going to don the Oregon Duck mascot head at the conclusion of College GameDay. As far as the game goes, I have to take Stanford. Luck is just too good. If the game were in Eugene, I'd probably take the Ducks, but it's not.

The spread is 3.5 points in favor of Stanford. I could be wrong but I'm going to take the points. The over/under right now is at 68. Take the over if you're a betting man. That's about as close to a sure thing as you'll get in sports. 

A late scoring drive puts this one away.

Oregon 38, Stanford 48

Reaction to Week 11 BCS rankings

The weekly BCS rankings were released last night and, depending on how you view one-loss teams being ranked higher than undefeated teams, there weren't really any big surprises. For reference, here are the current BCS rankings:

1. LSU

2. Oklahoma State

3. Alabama

4. Stanford

5. Boise State

6. Oklahoma

7. Oregon

8. Arkansas

9. Clemson

10. Virgina Tech

11. Houston

12. Penn State

13. South Carolina

14. Kansas State

15. Georgia

16. Texas

17. Michigan State

18. Wisconsin

19. Nebraska

20. Auburn

21. Georgia Tech

22. Southern Miss

23. Cincinnati 

24. Michigan

25. Baylor

Notes on 11-25:

No. 12 Penn State might win the award for the worst one-loss team in the history of college football. To be fair, the Nittany Lions would probably be the worst undefeated team ever if they didn't have the moxy to schedule Alabama and instead scheduled another Indiana State-esque team to trounce--so kudos there. To be realistic, they haven't played a ranked team all year outside of Alabama. Their remaining schedule looks like this: Nebraska, at Ohio State, at Wisconsin. They won't be favored in any of those games and will most likely lose them all. Enjoy No. 12 while it lasts, Happy Valley residents.

No. 16 Texas falls into the same category as Penn State. Its two losses are at the hands of two top-10 teams in Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, but its wins leave something to be desired. The Longhorns' marquee win right now is UCLA...ouch. They do have a chance to prove their worth in the top-25 with upcoming games against Kansas State, Texas A&M and Baylor.

One team that I think is ranked too low is No. 21 Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets boasts a win against a top-5 team in Clemson and both of its losses are on the road. I think Georgia Tech should switch spots with Texas for the time being.

Notes on the Top 10:

At No. 1 we have LSU coming off of the thrilling win against Alabama in the "Game of the Century." No surprises there.

No. 2 falls to Oklahoma State. The Cowboys had a close call against Kansas State last weekend but managed to pull out a victory, 52-45. If the Cowboys can win a home game against Oklahoma in Bedlam, they'll most likely get a National Championship game bid.

I, for one, was not surprised to see the Crimson Tide only fall to No. 3. A 3-point loss in overtime to the No. 1 team in the country is about the best loss you can hope for.

No. 4 Stanford held steady after an easy victory against Oregon State. The Cardinal has the biggest game of its season coming up this weekend against Oregon. ESPN's College GameDay will be on hand to add some pressure and national attention to the two west coast teams. The winner will control its destiny in the North division. A win by Stanford gives the Cardinal a legitimate chance to play in the National Championship game, and don't count out Oregon if it can upset Andrew Luck and company in Palo Alto.

Poor Boise State is holding steady at No. 5. Unfortunately for them, I think that's about as high as they can hope for. With the sheer volume of quality one-loss teams waiting for the few remaining undefeateds to fall, it looks like the Broncos are going to be passed up for a title bid again. Here's your consolation prize: an under-hyped BCS bowl in which you'll likely crush your opponent.

Here we come to that competitive group of one-loss teams I was talking about, headlined by No. 6 Oklahoma. The Sooners must feel pretty good right now. After an embarrassing defeat at home to a 30-point 'dog two weeks ago, Oklahoma came roaring back with victories against (formerly undefeated) Kansas State and Texas A&M, the former of which is made all the more impressive after K-State almost knocked off Oklahoma State this past weekend.

Nos. 7 Oregon and 8 Arkansas are proof that I don't understand the BCS process. Last week after Arkansas managed to squeak by Vanderbilt because of a missed field goal, they move up three places past Oregon to No. 7, much to my amazement. This week, when I feel like they've finally earned their No. 7 spot by beating No. 9 South Carolina, they fall behind Oregon. You win this round, computers.

Rounding out the Top-10 we have two teams that have a lot in common. Both teams have one loss, both teams had last weekend off, and both teams play in the ACC. I'm talking about No. 9 Clemson and No. 10 Virginia Tech who could be on a collision coarse to meet in the ACC Championship game.

Predictions:

There are a couple games that could change the Top 25 this week. Top-25 teams that I see losing this weekend:

No. 7 Oregon losing to No. 4 Stanford

No. 10 Virginia Tech losing to No. 21 Georgia Tech

No. 12 Penn State losing to No. 19 Nebraska

No. 23 Cincinnati losing to West Virginia

No. 20 Auburn losing to No. 15 Georgia

No. 1 LSU losing to Western Kentucky...just seeing if you're paying attention

Preview: Oregon vs. Washington

This Saturday at 7:30 pm, the No. 8 Oregon Ducks (7-1, 5-0 Pac-12) takes on the Washington Huskies (6-2, 4-1 Pac-12) at Husky Stadium. Washington's only conference loss came two weeks ago against undefeated Stanford in Palo Alto, 65-21, while Oregon's only blemish thus far occurred in the first week of the season against now-No. 1 LSU.

To both Ducks and Huskies fans, this is a heated rivalry between bitter enemies fighting for dominance in the Great Northwest. Well, it is for anyone who has followed these teams for a few decades. If you've only been following college football for the past seven years or less, you've never seen the Huskies beat the Ducks, in fact. The last time Washington dashed Ducks fans hopes was back in 2003. But the streak has to end sometime, right? Right?

Both teams have a lot to lose in this match-up as the winner has a chance to win the Pac-12 North division. Even with a win, though, Washington would need some help. A Huskies upset would give Oregon its first conference loss, but Stanford would still be perfect. An Oregon win over Stanford on Nov. 12 would result in a three-team tie in the North division.

Here's where it gets tricky. According to the Pac-12's tiebreakers, after the final week of the regular season, if the above scenario occurred, the lowest ranked team in the BCS standings would be eliminated from contention, then head-to-head wins would be applied. That would result in Oregon getting the bid to play the South champion in the inaugural Pac-12 Championship game. For the Washington to make it, it would need Stanford to lose two games, and that's not likely to happen as long as Andrew Luck is there.

But that's getting ahead of ourselves.

On Saturday, Washington will first need to show that it can stay with the high-flying Ducks. Oregon's offense averages 526.9 ypg (7th in FBS) and 47.5 ppg (4th in FBS). Oregon's prolific offense is lead by a stable of running backs to the tune of 309.3 ypg rushing. Unfortunately for the Huskies, Oregon All-American running back LaMichael James is reported to be one-hundred percent after the horrific elbow injury that he suffered late in the game against California.

We saw James last week against Washington State. He was not quite up to his Heisman-runner-up form, as he rushed for only 53 yards on 13 carries, but he said after the game that he was just feeling it out and didn't feel like he needed to play as if he was trying to rush for 300 yards.

Oregon is not the only Northwest team with a skilled back, though. Washington's Chris Polk has rushed for 1016 yards (5th in FBS), versus James's 905 yards. Of course, that's not taking into account that James missed Oregon's last two games with injuries and had rushed for 200-plus yards in the three games prior to the games missed by the injury.

Oregon's running game has been stifled in the past by teams with stout defense lines like LSU. Unfortunately, Washington's defense ranks 43rd nationally against the run. I don't see the Huskies stopping James, Kenyon Barner, Darron Thomas and De'Anthony Thomas. The game will have to be a shootout for Washington to have a chance.

Fortunately for Washington, if Oregon has shown a weakness this year, it's been its defense. Nationally, Oregon ranks 26th, allowing almost 400 ypg to opposing teams. The Ducks (ironically) have been particularly weak through the air, allowing 239.4 ypg. Huskies sophomore quarterback Keith Price will have to exploit this weakness if he wants his team to have a shot on Saturday.

But what should Ducks fans really be worried about? It's not the shaky pass defense, nor James's purple and gold counterpart Chris Polk nor the fact that every one is picking the Ducks. What should keep the green and yellow faithful on their toes the whole game is knowing that the Huskies and its fans will be emotionally invested even more than usual because it will be the last game in beloved Husky Stadium for quite some time, as it is slated to be renovated following Saturday's showdown.

As of today, Vegas has  Oregon as a 16.5 point favorite. I understand that this game is special to the Huskies and that they want revenge for the past better part of a decade, and that they have an outstanding running back, and that the Ducks have performed less-than-efficiently on the road this year, but I'm still taking Oregon with the points (not that I'm actually betting). Oregon has something to prove after even allowing Washington State fans hope in the second half last week in Autzen. The Ducks might under-perform every once in awhile, but not two weeks in a row.

Prediction: Oregon 44, Washington 20

Conference Realignment

Will 2011 go down in the annuls of college football as the beginning of the New Era of Superconferences—when a conference such as the SEC cemented its dominance by pilfering Missouri and Texas A&M from the Big XII?

Or will it be remembered as that chaotic time when every team seemed to be jumping to greener pastures (and then to even greener pastures in TCU's case) so much so that the U.S. Congress had to step in and put a stop to the conglomeration of conferences, something the NCAA has failed to do.

Only time will tell, as the cliche goes.

The real question is whether all of these conference realignments are good for the sport. As some of our younger fans might not know, conference realignments have been around almost as long as conferences have. The Big XII didn't even exist before 1994, when it combined member schools from the Big Eight and Southwest conferences.

The Pacific-12 Conference was the Pacific-8 Conference before adding the Arizona schools in the mid-1990s. That's well-known to even the younger generation. But did you know that the conference, originally the Pacific Coast Conference, was founded in 1915 with only four schools: University of California (Berkeley), University of Washington, University of Oregon and Oregon State University (Oregon Agricultural College).

This may seem more like the natural evolution of a conference than something even remotely related to our current situation, but there were schools that left the conference too. Idaho and Montana both joined and left the conference during its formation. Even current members Oregon, Oregon State and Washington State left the conference when it briefly disbanded in 1959, only to rejoin the new Pacific-8 Conference in 1964.

Even the powerhouse known as the Southeastern Conference wasn't founded in 1934 as it is now (though very close). I'll spare you another history lesson, but suffice it to say, the SEC, like every other major conference, has experienced realignment in its history.

So, what makes this year special? What makes it different than every other conferences bid to strengthen itself (and, let's face it, make more money in the process)?

For one, the quantity and frequency and changes. To date, Utah, Colorado, Boise State, TCU (twice), Nebraska, Missouri, Texas A&M, West Virginia, BYU, Pittsburgh, and Syracuse have all left, planned on leaving or have been rumored to leave their conferences in the past 18 months. That's not even counting the short-lived proposal for the Pac-16 Conference.

But that in it of itself isn't enough to get the senators in Washington to turn their heads. So what is? The Bowl Championship Series.

The BCS is a huge, convoluted, revenue-generating machine. That isn't new; in fact, that's what it was designed to do. But realignment is further defining the difference between BCS schools and non-BCS schools. And that difference is millions of dollars a year.

College football is the only major sport that you will see a separate entity a) determine its champion and b) decide the allocation of tens of millions of dollars based on its own (sometimes flawed) guidelines.

So what gives congress the right to interfere in how the NCAA chooses to run its business? Mostly because a large portion of those millions of dollars are going to state-funded schools. But not all state schools, just the ones that meet the requirements of BCS conferences and that have a representative of the conference attend one of the BCS's bowl games (of which BCS-appointed committees decide).

Will Congress be college football fans' knight in shiny armor and break the tyranny of the BCS once and for all?

No.

Why? Because the BCS makes money, lots of it. And as any company that makes money, they have many lobbyists right this second guarding their interests in Washington D.C..

But don't worry. College football is not coming to an end. It's just changing. We might see the number of BCS conferences shrink as the Big East loses its lofty status (and rightly so), and we might see 14 or even 16 team conferences instead of the twelve or ten that we're used to. But college football is a living, breathing organism, and it will adapt.