Alabama Crimson Tide : – What else is there to say about the Crimson Tide that hasn’t been said yet? They are the greatest NCAAF Dynasty ever playing underneath the greatest college coach that the sport has ever seen. They are number one in both preseason polls and are probably going to run the table again.

  

Clemson Tigers:  – Despite going 13-0 in the regular season, everyone knew that these Paper Tigers had one fatal flaw: they never played anyone of Alabama’s caliber. They almost tasted victory though and with the return of Deshaun Watson they are the consensus number two. They are a mission to end the Crimson Tide and establish themselves as the Giant Killers.

Stanford Cardinals: – Not content to be known as the Harvard of the West, these academic overachievers have also been gridiron overachievers over the last decade. During that span they have gone to 6 straight bowls, with 5 of them being BCS bowls, and won 4 of them. Look for these braniacs to once gain rule over the Pac-12 with an iron, but well informed, fist.

Ohio State Buckeyes: – The original Giant Slayers and the winner of the first FBS playoff championship, the Buckeyes are looking to take back the Big-10 and takedown Clemson or Bama in the playoffs. Even when repeatedly sanctioned for recruiting violations, Urb Meyer’s band of killers has been putting together 10+ win seasons four years in a row.

Oklahoma Sooners: – Since America freed the world in 1945, Oklahoma has won more games with a better win percentage than any other NCAAF FBS team. However that hasn’t translated into BCS glory as the team has failed in all three of their attempts. Will the 4^th time be a charm? There’s only one way to find out, you have to tune in!

Michigan State Spartans: – The Spartans had an experience that every kid knows full well, getting promoted to the grown ups’ table at Thanksgiving. After backing into the Big-10 championship and a wild game against favorite Iowa they were able to secure the four seed and play in the FBS playoff. Unfortunately they drew Alabama in the first round but let’s tune in to see if they can repeat.

TCU Horned Frogs: – Originally a scrappy member of the mid-major Mountain West Conference, they established themselves as a threat when they took down Wisconsin in the 2011 Rose Bowl. After the team was severely hurt by recruiting violations, they have rebounded nicely and are no a force in the Big-12.

Houston University: – This former Conference USA king has been on absolute fire since 2012. After bumping up to the American Conference that rose from the ashes of the Big East. Tom Herman has resuscitated from the disastrous tenure of Tony Levine. The have since toppled Florida State in the 2015 Peach Bowl.

Iowa Hawkeyes: – One of the Big-10 originals, this Midwestern university was one crazy game away from making it to the BCS college playoffs. Kirk Ferentz is looking to keep their energy high and the intensity on max as they look to take the Big-10 from defending champs Michigan State and the always dangerous Ohio State.

Mississippi Rebels: – Fortunately they seems to have escaped the notice of social justice warriors everywhere who might take exception with their name. Hugh Freeze has turned Ole Miss around and increased their win total each year on the team. During that stretch they have gone 3-1 in 4 straight bowl games, including a win over OK State in the Sugar Bowl.

North Dakota State Bison: – The most famous, and most overrated, team in all of college sports. Since they refuse to play in a conference, their bowl eligibility is determined by their television ratings. After feasting on a diet of stiffies in the 2012 season, these paperest of tigers were matched up in the 2013 BCS Championship where Bama proceeded to murder them 42-14.

Michigan Wolverines: – After winning the very first BCS Championship, the Wolverines languished in mediocrity for 2 decades. Now under the leadership of Jim Harbaugh they have returned to elite form, finishing 10-3 and starching the Florida Gators in the 2015 Citrus Bowl. They also boast the largest football stadium in all of the US.

Baylor Bears: – Baylor is an old school, but have only recently become a force in the Big-12 (or as it should be known the state of Texas). After opening their new stadium in 2014, the team discovered that the best way to fill the stadium was to win games. A successful 2015 campaign led to a top 15  recruiting class with the crazily named Tren’Davarian Dickson leading the way.

Florida State Seminoles: – The Seminoles have managed to avoid controversy over the years by choosing a specific tribe of indian as their mascot and not having too many stereotypical caricatures. However, controversy still found them when allegations of rape and a systematic cover up surfaced against Famous Jameis Winston.

North Carolina Tarheels: – While known primarily for basketball, the UNC Tarheels have become known for their football team over the years. While they don’t have the wealth of accomplishment of the Men’s Hoops team, they have become accomplished in the ACC. New coach Larry Fedora has transformed the team and given them their first post season ranking in 20 years.

LSU Tigers: – The Colts to Alabama’s Patriots. While Sabin is stoic and by the numbers, Les Miles believes in rolling the dice. As MLK famously said at the end of his March on Washington, “You have to go out on a limb to pick the fruit”. The LSU Tigers are also the first team to win multiple championships in the BCS era after they crushed an undefeated Ohio State.

Utah Utes: – This Pac-12 powerhouse holds the distinction of being the first mid-major team to beat an AQ team in a BCS Bowl game when they molly whopped Pitt a year before Boise State beat Oklahoma. They repeated this feet several years later, handing the Crimson Tide a rare bowl game loss.

Navy Midshipmen: – Their postseason ranking may have been more due to respect for the service academy than football prowess, but 11 wins in FBS football is impressive no matter who you are playing. This run first team of our future military leaders has ground down ranked teams to little nubs on a consistent basis.

Oregon Ducks: – The personal pet of Nike CEO and Founder Phil Knight, there is no better uniformed team in all of football. These offensive power houses have been regular season juggernauts for a decade but can’t seem to get it going in the post season. They are always worth watching if for no other reason than to see the dazzling new uniforms courtesy of Nike.

Oklahoma State: – the Big-12’s version of a red headed stepchild, OK State has been threatening to overtake Oklahoma as the premier team in this saucepan shaped state. Every year the two teams meet in their annual “Bedlam Series”. Right now the series is stacked heavily in Oklahoma’s favor 85-18-7 but look for OK State to rebound.

Wisconsin Badgers: – Big 10 stalwarts who took over the division when Ohio State had their latest spat of recruiting violations. They are also one half of the most played rivalry in all of college football, alongside Minnesota. Often considered to be the final member of the Big-10 upper class, they are lookingto take back control of the Big-10.

Tennessee Volunteers: – This once mighty franchise has started to actually look respectable over the last few years. After the ultimate snake Lane Kiffen abandoned them for USC (and flamed out leaving a still broken team behind) it looked bleak for the Vols. They have come back a lot,  but are still second fiddle to a women’s basketball team at the university.

Western Kentucky: – They are the only current Conference USA team that finished in the top 25 last season. Their accomplishments include winning the inaugural Bahamas Bowl as well as having a Wikipedia page dedicated to the program. As for theiron field accomplishments, who cares? They are a mid-major who didn’t capture our imaginations like Boise State.

Florida Gators: – Tim Tebow’s former stomping ground decided to grace the post season top 25 at number 25. After winning the Heisman, defeating Alabama, and leading Florida to win the BCS national championship, Tebow felt the next big career move was scrubbing out in the NFL. Florida has still been competitive though so watch for them to play the spoiler in the upcoming season.

Appalachian State Mountaineers: – The perennial kings of FCS football are ready to kick off another season. They are best known for becoming the first then FCS team to defeat a ranked FBS team when they bested Michigan way back in 2007. Now they are ready to show what they can do in the Sun Belt Conference in FBS

Southern Utah Thunderbirds: – The Thunderbirds are looking to make waves in the Big Sky conference this year. After reaching the playoffs in 2 of the last three seasons, expect them to play with feeling and emotion that is typically absent from this bland Mormon countryside.

Rice Owls: – One of the quieter teams in Conference USA, Rice has been looking to standout and make another statement like they did over Fresno State in the Hawaii Bowl two years ago. With tough games on the horizon against Stanford and Baylor they are going to have their work cut out for them. That makes their gimme game against Prairie View A&M a must win.

Furman Paladins: – Paladins were the holiest of knights in King Charlemagne’s court, fighting off barbarian hordes and uniting all of France. The Furman Paladins are likewise looking to rally up and conquer the Southern Conference in the FCS. Will they ultimately be successful and win the sports first true college playoff? Stay tuned to find out

Northwestern Wildcats: – Northwestern is known as one of the preeminent business schools. Unsurprisingly their players were also the ones who led the charge to get student-athletes paid. After successfully suing the NCAA, they have ensured that elite college programs, of which Northwestern is not one of, will have to officially pay players and not just hand them envelopes of cash in back rooms.

Kansas State Wildcats: – The red headed step child to the Kansas Jays in every sports, look for these Big 12 stalwarts to try and rewrite their history. Even with a lifetime win/loss record streaking in the wrong direction, the guys have had some pretty impressive stretches including the 15^th longest sterak on the AP Top 25 poll.

Hawaii Rainbow Warriors: – The Rainbow Warriors had the ignoble distinction of being the first non-AQ team to lose a BCS Bowl game when Georgia absolutely crushed them 41-10 in the 2008 Sugar Bowl. They have fallen on hard times since then and were only able to post a few winning seasons since with no bowl wins.

Western Michigan Broncos: – Playing out of the MAC in the FBS subdivision, the Broncos are looking to improve on their 8-5 season last year that saw them top Middle Tennessee in the Bahamas Bowl. If they want to get repeat bowl wins they are first going to have to best their traditional rival, Central Michigan University.