1. LSU Tigers (12-2) Beat Ohio State in BCS Title Game

What an end to the season it was for the Bayou Bengals. After losing in the final game of the regular season to an unranked Arkansas team LSU looked like also-rans in this year's national championship chase. But after a string of good luck that really was impressive the Tigers worked their way back into contention and then hammered Ohio State 38-24. It was impressive to see just how good this team can be after they played this fantastic game against the Buckeyes.

2. USC Trojans (11-2) Beat Illinois in the Rose Bowl

In a game that should never have happened the Trojans hammered an Illinois team that had no business being in the Rose Bowl. When this team is healthy I'm not sure there is a better team in the country. I would love to see USC take on LSU for all the marbles. Too bad this is college football and the powers that be would rather have us discuss who would win instead of actually seeing it.

3. Georgia Bulldogs (11-2) Beat Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl

If you wanted to see an ugly football game, all you had to do was watch UGA take on the Warriors. The Sugar Bowl showed the country what the Advisor had been saying all year; Hawaii's not that good. One thing is for sure about this Georgia team, they are going to be great next year and the SEC better be ready for the Bulldogs.

4. Missouri Tigers (11-2) Beat Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl

The Tigers had an incredible season and should have played in a BCS bowl game and they proved it in the Cotton Bowl. Head coach, Gary Pinkel, did a fantastic job this year and really didn't get the accolades he probably deserved. I mean, come on, the Tigers were ranked #1 for a little while this season which is incredible.

5. Kansas Jayhawks (12-1) Beat Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl

The Jayhawks won the Orange Bowl and completed one of the unlikeliest seasons in recent memory. Head coach Mark Mangino did a great job this season, motivating a team to play above themselves. It will be interesting to see if he can keep it up next season.

6.  Ohio State Buckeyes (11-2) Lost to LSU in the BCS Title Game.

The Buckeyes played a sloppy game against LSU and really helped the Tigers win the game. OSU made some terrible mistakes (stupid penalties and turnovers) that they couldn't make against a Tiger team that was very athletic. I really think Ohio State could have played a lot better in this game.

7. W.Virginia Mountaineers (11-2) Beat Oklahoma in the Fiesta

You talk about a grade A beat down. The second half performance of the Mountaineer offense was nothing short of spectacular. Big plays came from all over the place against the Sooners and showed the Advisor that WVU has some fantastic athletes. You have to wonder what happened in that last game of the season against Pitt.

8. Oklahoma Sooners  (11-3) Lost to West Virginia in Fiesta Bowl

Well it official, Bob Stoops is no longer "Big Game Bob". In a game that the Sooners have no excuses in, they got destroyed by a West Virginia team without a coach and missing their best running back for most of the game. The Sooners have now lost 4 straight BCS bowl games and have been embarrassed in 2 of them. It is going to be up to this OU coaching staff to bring back the swagger of this team next season.

9. Virginia Tech Hokies (11-3) Lost to Kansas in the Orange Bowl

To tell you the truth, I'm not sure any team in the country did more with less than the Hokies. I was not impressed with this team all season long, but they continued to win and made a good showing in the Orange Bowl. Next season should be a rebuilding year, especially on defense, while the offense needs to find some difference makers at the skill spots.

10. Texas Longhorns (10-3) Beat Arizona State in the Holiday Bowl

The Longhorns looked terrific against the Sun Devils playing their most complete game of the season. The UT offense and defense were incredible which led to one of the most unexpected blow outs of the bowl season.

11. Tennessee Volunteers (10-4) Beat Wisconsin in the Outback Bowl

The Vols had an up and down season, but finished on a high note beating the Badgers in a good one down in Tampa. Next season will hinge on whether or not Phil Fulmer can find an adequate replacement for QB Erik Ainge.

12. Boston College Eagles (11-3) Beat Michigan State in the Champs Sports Bowl

The Eagles had a tough time getting past the Spartans, but they did it and finished with 11 wins in Jeff Jagodzinski's first season as head coach. It was a great year for BC, which saw these guys reach #2 in the country at one point this season. Next year could be tough with a lot of important people graduating including stud QB Matt Ryan.

13. Michigan Wolverines (9-4) Beat Florida in the Capital One Bowl

I will say I was totally shocked at how well the Wolverines played against the Gators. If not for a couple of fumbles by RB Mike Hart inside the Florida 5 yard line this game could have been an absolute beat down. Congrats to Lloyd Carr for a great career and good luck to Michigan, which will be playing next season without Hart and QB Chad Henne for the first time in like 10 years.

14. Cincinnati Bearcats (10-3) Beat Southern Miss in the Papa John's.com Bowl

The Bearcats had a great year and should be looking good next season. Cincy has a really solid corp of guys coming back and could be a for real challenger for the Big East Crown.

15. BYU Cougars (11-2) Beat UCLA in the Las Vegas Bowl

The Cougars avenged their early season loss to the Bruins and finished the season with an impressive 11 wins. I really think BYU was the class of the non-BCS conferences and I would have liked to see them in a little better game.

16. Auburn Tigers (9-4) Beat Clemson in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl

The Tigers had a decent season and really needed their win against Clemson to make this year satisfactory. While the Tigers had some good wins this season (Florida, Arkansas and Alabama) they also had some terrible losses (Mississippi State, South Florida and a blowout loss to Georgia). I think next year should be a lot of fun for the Tigers as it looks like they may open up the offense.

18. Florida Gators (9-4) Lost to Michigan in the Capital 1 Bowl

The Gators really disappointed the Advisor in their bowl game and to be honest really makes me question how good they are going to be next season. Now on offense they should be fine with QB Time Tebow and WR Percy Harvin coming back, but did you see what Michigan did to the Gator defense. 524 yards is a lot no matter how you look at it and giving up 41 points is even worse. Next season all eyes will be on the Florida defense to see if they can hold up their end of the deal.

19. Arizona State (10-3) Lost to Texas in the Holiday Bowl

The Sun Devils were hammered by the Longhorns which leaves a very bad taste in the mouths of ASU fans. What started out as such a great season, really fell apart at the end of the year. Losing 3 out of your last 5 games will make everyone forget about that impressive 8-0 start State jumped out to.

20. Hawaii Warriors (12-1) Lost to Georgia in the Sugar Bowl

The Warriors were hammered by Georgia in a game they were dreadfully overmatched in. Too be honest who really thought Hawaii had a chance in this game. I mean the intricate passing offense that Hawaii runs didn't have a chance against a Bulldog defense that could get to the quarterback every play. Next season will be interesting without not only QB Colt Brennan, but also head coach June Jones who left for SMU.

21. Illinois Illini' (9-4) Lost to USC in the Rose Bowl.

The Rose Bowl simply wasn't a fair contest. There is no way Illinois was one of the elite teams in the country and really shouldn't have been allowed to play in a BCS Bowl Game. While I will say the Illini' gave a better effort than I thought they would, in the end USC was simply too good. RB Rashard Mendenhall did have a fantastic game however.

22. Wisconsin Badgers (9-4) Lost to Tennessee in the Outback Bowl

The Badgers lost a close one to Tennessee to cap a season that has to be considered somewhat of a disappointment. I really thought this could be UW's year with so many players coming back, but this team never really seemed to gel. Next season will be a huge test for head coach Bret Bielema.

23. Oregon Ducks (9-4) Beat South Florida in the Sun Bowl

I was very impressed with the Ducks in their blowout over the Bulls and wished they could have played like that after QB Dennis Dixon was hurt against Arizona. No team looked better than this Oregon team when Dixon was at the helm. It really was sad to see such a great player go down and watch as his team fell apart without him. Their bowl performance did bode well for the future.

24. Texas Tech Red Raiders (9-4) Beat Virginia in the Gator Bowl

One thing you never do is pick against Mike Leach in a bowl game. Leach has now won 5 out of his last 6 bowl games which is very impressive when you considered some of the teams he has beaten. Next season look out for this team.  Graham Harrell will have 2 seasons under his belt and WR Michael Crabtree will be a year older. Maybe they can find some guys that know how to tackle. That should help things out a lot in Lubbock.

25. Penn State Nittany Lions (9-4) Beat Texas A&M in the Gator Bowl

How about Joe Pa? He has now won 3 bowl games in a row and will be back for more next season. I wonder how many dry eyes were in Happy Valley when they realized QB Anthony Morelli had just played his last game for PSU. I really think the fans took it pretty hard.

 

 

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