The No. 1, and No. 2, question on everyone's mind: What's next for college football?

By Mike Corasaniti

Nine minutes is an eternity in football.

With a little more than nine minutes to go in the fourth quarter, Collin Klein and his Kansas State Wildcats were down 52-24 to Baylor. After a cool little first down pass to his tight end, K-State was primed for another Collin Klein touchdown run.

On first and goal, Klein gets tripped up just before the end zone on the one yard line. And on three more successive plays, Baylor stops three more sneaks from Klein, ending any form of a Kansas State comeback and any form of a national championship in Manhattan, Kansas.

Then, about nine minutes later, the No. 2 team in the country decided to follow suit.

Oregon, who hadn't scored less than 43 points in a game all season long, was held to just 14 points over four whole quarters, blew a late touchdown, and was headed to overtime with Stanford. Shortly after, Oregon came up short to start off overtime, and Stanford responded with a 37-yard field goal. So long Oregon. So long national championship.

So now, the unfortunate question has to be asked. 

You don't want to ask it to Kansas State, the team that took down not one, not two, but four ranked teams. You don't want to ask it to Oregon, who put up 70, 62, and 59 points respectively in their last three games, only to hit the ultimate brick wall. And you certainly don't want to ask it to the Heisman hopefuls, especially Collin Klein, who's presence on this week's jinx-inducing Sports Illustrated may just haunt his dreams for the rest of his life. 

But in order to move forward, it has to be asked: What next?

 Well, there are a few obvious answers. First off, if the rest of the season goes somewhat according to plan, the national title road should run through still undefeated Notre Dame and whoever ends up coming out of the SEC.

Second, just to reaffirm that last point, we're going to have to accept the fact that once again, an SEC team will probably be national champion again this year.

Third, Kansas State and Oregon will fall down in the BCS rankings to as low as about No. 5 and No. 6. Officially, neither team is really eliminated from playing for the national championship. But more realistically, we'll probably be seeing Kansas State in the Fiesta Bowl and Oregon playing for the Rose Bowl. It really is unfortunate considering the kind of seasons both teams put together. But with as many good and exciting teams as there are right now, I'm expecting a few good match-ups similar to the caliber of Stanford-Oklahoma St. last year.

A whole lot of crazy is about to unfold this week with the new BCS rankings, new debates, and the next match-ups that will figure out the course of the rest of the season. But as the top teams fall and the world continues to melt down around us, we should just keep in mind that this is probably far from the last piece of crazy the college football world will face this season.

By Mike Corasaniti

College football fans are still about a year away from getting what they want, and probably still a lifetime away from getting what they really want.

In about fourteen months, four teams will go into January still with the hopes of calling themselves national champions. 

It's an improvement from the sport's current format (which will almost surely crash and burn in the coming months when K-State, Oregon, and Notre Dame all finish their seasons without a loss), but it still leaves a lot to be desired from fans all across the country. 

What about the one or two-loss SEC teams, that (although hard to admit) are still better than some of the undefeated teams left? What about the undefeateds that accusingly "sneak by" in easier conferences and never get a shot at proving their real worth? 

This year is no exception in considering the awesome potential an 8-team BCS playoff would hold for college football. So while we're sitting and waiting, hoping that the flawed system somehow at least works for this year and hopefully improves next year (please God don't let there by 5 undefeated teams), let's take a look at 5 story lines that would be just awesome to see unfold in a sports event that would be like no other.


National Semi-Final: No. 8  Texas A&M v. No. 4 Alabama

Think Alabama fans are the ones that to see this rematch? Think again.

Nothing would solidify Texas A&M's place in the SEC more, or set up a rivalry for years to come, than if the Aggies showed up at Alabama's doorstep and crushed the Tide once more. This time though, it would be an even more direct shot at the Tide's championship hopes.

BCS National Championship: No. 3 Notre Dame v. Anyone

This one is simple.

It announces the return of one of college football's most storied programs back to national prominence (despite how many people might have been happy to see them at the bottom of barrel). But, more importantly, it would give the opportunity for this years "odd man out" to play for something more than a Rose Bowl banner. 

Obviously, a four-team playoff would be enough for Notre Dame or any other left-out undefeated team to get a shot at a title. But the eight-team format is even more just to prove that, not only are they undefeated, but they beat two more top teams in the country to prove. 

And although I joked about it before, the college football karma gods say that it's only a matter of time before the season ends and seven or eight teams finish their campaigns without a loss. What will we do then?

BCS National Championship: No. 6 Florida v. No. 5 Georgia

How big do you think this cocktail party would get if a national title was on the line?

BCS National Championship: No. 7 LSU v. No. 4 Alabama

Admittedly, this match-up has become less and less exciting for people outside of the SEC football realm. The country doesn't love 9-3 or 10-6 or 3-0 final scores. But the country does, or at least should, love the fact that these two teams rose from the ranks of the stingy new playoff format to face off against each other once again for the championship.

And just to put it out there, a lot of people were annoyed when these two teams played for the title last season, saying the rematch was boring. But just think of the "earned" concept. If Bama proved they could beat Georgia and then, say K-State, and LSU proved they were better than both Oregon and, say, Notre Dame, people would be a lot more excited to see this southern brawl fold out.

BCS National Championship: No. 2 Oregon v. No. 1 Kanas St.

The best part about increasing the playoff field in college football is that when the two top teams in the country end up coming out of it, it gives closure, and it makes everyone happier with that fact that they even more so earned  their spot to play for the title.

This is looking more and more like the match-up we are going to see for the national title this year. It is going to be fast-paced, exciting, and with a ton and ton of scoring. It's the game anybody that's played Madden or likes classic gun-slinging football wants. 

So just imagine, when these two teams steamroll through the playoffs to meet each other for a title, how even more intensified the final meeting would be.