Welcome to the 2011 college football season! BCS Know How will be taking you through the six automatic-qualifying BCS conferences and five non-AQ conferences with profiles of each conference. We continue with the SEC. Scroll down to see our profiles of the other 10 conferences.

Conference: Southeastern Conference (SEC)

Active Since: 1933

Current Member Schools:
East Division: Florida Gators, Georgia Bulldogs, Kentucky Wildcats, South Carolina Gamecocks, Tennessee Volunteers, Vanderbilt Commodores.
West Division: Alabama Crimson Tide, Arkansas Razorbacks, Auburn Tigers, Louisiana State (LSU) Tigers, Mississippi State Bulldogs, Mississippi (Ole Miss) Rebels. (12)

Bowl Affiliations: Sugar Bowl (BCS), Music City Bowl, Liberty Bowl, Chick-fil-A Bowl, Outback Bowl, Capital One Bowl, Gator Bowl, Cotton Bowl, BBVA Compass Bowl. (9)

2010 Results:
Conference Champion – Auburn
Conference Runner-up – South Carolina
BCS Bowl Results: 2011 BCS National Championship Game – Auburn 22 vs. Oregon 19; 2011 Sugar Bowl – Ohio State 31 vs. Arkansas 26 (Ohio State’s victory was later vacated)
Overall Bowl Record: 5-5
Heisman Vote Recipients: Auburn QB Cam Newton (Heisman Recipient); Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett (7th Overall)

2011 Outlook: Somehow or another, the SEC delivers year in and year out.

Whether its the speedy style of football that has characterized the south for so long or the coaching legends paroling the sidelines, the SEC provides the nation with its best football, every year.

2010 was no different, as Auburn went from unranked and unheralded to BCS national champions.

Could it happen again in 2011? Many will start the season ranked, including the usual suspects at the top of the conference: LSU, Alabama, Florida and Georgia come to mind. But the likes of South Carolina and Arkansas, teams with resurgent 2010s, could be on the way to the top.

Unpredictable as ever, the SEC champion will again be tested week in and week out. But will that struggle (as it has been in the past few years) been enough to bring them to the BCS title game once again?

2011 Heisman Hopefuls: Alabama RB Trent Richardson, South Carolina RB Marcus Lattimore, Arkansas RB Knile Davis, Auburn RB Michael Dyer

BCS Know How’s 2010 Predictions:
Conference Champion – LSU Tigers
Conference Runner-up – South Carolina Gamecocks
BCS bids – Two: LSU Tigers – 2011 BCS National Championship Game; Alabama Crimson Tide – Sugar Bowl
Heisman Finalists – None

Welcome to the 2011 college football season! BCS Know How will be taking you through the six automatic-qualifying BCS conferences and five non-AQ conferences with profiles of each conference. We continue with the Pac-12. Scroll down to see our profiles of the other 10 conferences.

Conference: Pacific 12 Conference (Pac-12)

Active Since: 1915

Current Member Schools:

North Division: California Golden Bears, Oregon Ducks, Oregon State Beavers, Stanford Cardinal, Washington Huskies, Washington State Cougars.
South Division: Arizona Wildcats, Arizona State Sun Devils, UCLA Bruins, Southern California (USC) Trojans, Colorado Buffaloes, Utah Utes.  (12)

Bowl Affiliations: Rose Bowl (BCS), New Mexico Bowl, MAACO Las Vegas Bowl, Holiday Bowl, Alamo Bowl, Sun Bowl. (6)

2010 Results:
Conference Champion – Oregon
Conference Runner-up – Stanford
BCS Bowl Results: BCS National Championship Game – Auburn 22 vs. Oregon 19; Orange Bowl – Stanford 40 vs. Virginia Tech 12
Overall Bowl Record: 2-2
Heisman Vote Recipients: Andrew Luck (Second Overall); LaMichael James (Third Overall); Stanford FB/LB Owen Marecic (10th Overall).

2011 Outlook: While controversy may swirl around some sidelines in the newly expanded and renamed Pac-12, there is more than enough skill in this rejuvenated and powerful conference to take people’s minds off of any NCAA infractions or controversies very quickly.

Led by Heisman hopefuls Andrew Luck and LaMichael James (who finished second and third respectively in last year’s Heisman balloting), the firepower in the conference is at an all-time high, and not just because there are more teams than ever before.

Winners of the newly created North and South divisions will face off in the inaugural Pac-12 Conference Championship Game, to be hosted at the participant who has the better record’s own stadium — an unusual and intriguing circumstance. The winner of the game will be named the first-ever Pac-12 champion and be awarded the conference’s automatic BCS bowl bid.

2011 Heisman Hopefuls: Stanford QB Andrew Luck, Oregon RB LaMichael James, USC QB Matt Barkley, Washington RB Chris Polk.

BCS Know How’s 2011 Predictions:
Conference Champion – Stanford Cardinal
Conference Runner-up – Arizona State Sun Devils
BCS bids – Two: Stanford Cardinal – Rose Bowl; Oregon Ducks – Sugar Bowl
Heisman Finalists – Stanford QB Andrew Luck, Oregon RB LaMichael James

Welcome to the 2011 college football season! BCS Know How will be taking you through the six automatic-qualifying BCS conferences and five non-AQ conferences with profiles of each conference. We begin with the ACC. Scroll down to see our profiles of the other 10 conferences.

Conference: Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC)

Active Since: 1953

Current Member Schools:

Atlantic Division: Boston College Eagles, Clemson Tigers, Florida State Seminoles, Maryland Terrapins, North Carolina State Wolfpack, Wake Forest Demon Deacons.
Coastal Division: Duke Blue Devils, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Miami (Fl.) Hurricanes, North Carolina Tar Heels, Virginia Cavaliers, Virginia Tech Hokies. (12)

Bowl Affiliations: Orange Bowl (BCS), Independence Bowl, Belk Bowl, Military Bowl, Champs Sports Bowl, Music City Bowl, Sun Bowl, Chick-fil-A Bowl (8)

2010 Results:
Conference Champion – Virginia Tech Hokies (11-3, 8-0, Coastal Division Champion)
Conference Runner-up – Florida State Seminoles (10-4, 6-2, Atlantic Division Champion)
BCS Bowl Result: 2011 Orange Bowl: Stanford 40 vs. Virginia Tech 12
Overall Bowl Record: 4-5

2011 Outlook: A consistently strong conference, the ACC delivers each year with talent from top to bottom.

2011 seems to be no different, as resurgent Miami, NC State, North Carolina and Boston College join the ranks of recent powers Virginia Tech, Florida State and Georgia Tech as legitimate contender’s for the conference’s BCS bid.

Can Virginia Tech make it two conference championships in a row, or will Florida State take that next step? Or could it be any of the handful of other teams seemingly on their way up?

Heisman Hopefuls: Virginia Tech RB David Wilson, Maryland QB Danny O’Brien, Florida State QB E.J. Manuel

BCS Know How’s 2011 Predictions:
Conference Champion – Florida State Seminoles
Conference Runner-up – Virginia Tech Hokies
BCS Bids – Florida State – Orange Bowl
Heisman Finalists: None

The Pac-12 conference officially welcomes Colorado and Utah to the conference Friday, marking the official start of the new Pacific 12 Conference, which has been restructured with the addition of the two new teams.

Utah joins the expanded conference after leaving the Mountain West Conference, while Colorado joins after leaving the Big 12.

Both teams agreed to the move in 2010, but finished out their 2010 seasons with their respective conferences.

The addition of an 11th and 12th team allows the Pac-12 conference to hold a college football conference championship game and for the conference to break into two divisions.

The divisions are as follows:

North		South
	Oregon Ducks		Arizona Wildcats
	Oregon State Beavers		Arizona State Sun Devils
	Washington Huskies		USC Trojans
	Washington State Cougars		UCLA Bruins
	California Golden Bears		Utah Utes
	Stanford Cardinal		Colorado Buffaloes

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The regular season champions of the North and South divisions will play in the inaugural Pac-12 Conference Championship Game, which will be played December 3, 2011 at the stadium of the team with the best record in the conference.

The winner of the game will also be guaranteed a spot among one of the five BCS Bowls, as part of the Pac-12 Conference’s automatic agreement with the BCS.

Maryland’s upset 38-31 victory over NC State on Saturday has given the ACC Atlantic Division title to the Florida State Seminoles, and in turn, a berth in the ACC Championship Game to be held next Saturday, December 4.

Florida State had not been in control of its own destiny on Saturday, instead playing Florida in a non-conference rivalry game while Maryland and NC State played in the game that would decide the Atlantic victor.

The Seminoles were convincing in their 31-7 victory over Florida, however the game could not effect the race for the spot in the ACC Championship Game.

An NC State victory would have given the Wolfpack the Atlantic crown and sent them on their way to Charlotte, North Carolina to play for the ACC’s automatic BCS bowl bid and likely trip to the Orange Bowl. However with a chance to control their own BCS destiny, the Wolfpack fell just short against the Terrapins.

The Virginia Tech Hokies will be awaiting the Seminoles after they clinched their spot in the game last weekend, and rounded out their ACC schedule on Saturday with a convincing victory over Virginia.

The Oregon Ducks used a very familiar formula on Friday night, staying in the game during the first half until exploding in the second half, to beat Arizona at home 48-29 and capture a second straight Pac-10 title.

Although the victory assures Oregon of a BCS and Rose Bowl bid, the Ducks will certainly be looking for a bit more — namely a berth in the BCS National Championship Game. The Ducks remain undefeated and improve their record to 11-0, just one of four teams remaining in the FBS to be undefeated.

The Ducks used a well-balanced attack that featured a variety of key contributions from an array of players to take control in the second half.

The Ducks’ Heisman hopeful, running back LaMichael James, did his job — rushing for 126 yards and two touchdowns — to help the Ducks claim a victory in their final home game.

The Ducks’ final test will come next weekend against Oregon State in the “Civil War.” A victory against their traditional in-state rival would likely be enough to get the Ducks to the BCS title game, however a loss would send shock waves throughout the college football landscape.

Atlantic Coast Conference

Conference Leaders: Florida State (8-3, 6-2; Atlantic Division) and Virginia Tech (9-2, 7-0; Clinched Coastal Division)

Lurking: North Carolina State (8-3, 5-2; Atlantic Division)

Game of Last Week: North Carolina State 29 vs. North Carolina 25. Down nine points late, NC State used a couple of exciting plays to stay alive in the Atlantic Division race until its final weekend.

Game of Next Week: NC State vs. Maryland. A victory for the Wolfpack would give them the Atlantic Division crown, while a Maryland victory would hand the title to Florida State.

Bowl Eligible Teams: Florida State Seminoles, Virginia Tech Hokies, Maryland Terrapins, North Carolina State Wolfpack, North Carolina Tar Heels, Miami Hurricanes, Boston College Eagles, Clemson Tigers, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

Pac-10

Conference Leader: Oregon (10-0, 7-0)

Lurking: Stanford (10-1, 7-1)

Game of Last Week: Oregon State 36 vs. USC 7. USC continued its historic struggles in the state of Oregon, falling to Oregon State yet again, this time barely putting up a fight while Matt Barkley had to leave the game after injuring his ankle.

Game of Next Week: Oregon vs. Arizona. What will likely be Oregon’s final matchup against a ranked team until bowl season may be the final time Oregon could be in danger of falling victim to an upset.

Bowl Eligible Teams: Oregon Ducks, Arizona Wildcats, Stanford Cardinal.

SEC

Conference Leaders: South Carolina (8-3, 5-3; East Division) and Auburn (11-0, 7-0; West Division) have clinched their respective conference titles and will play in the SEC Championship Game on December 4th.

Game of Last Week: Arkansas 38 vs. Mississippi State 31. The Bulldogs and Razorbacks went back and forth on Saturday, neither team ever taking control until Arkansas finally was able to contain the Bulldog offense in the second overtime.

Game of Next Week: Auburn vs. Alabama. The Iron Bowl. Two top-12 teams. A chance for the No. 2 team in the country to fall victim to its instate rival looking for a season-defining win. What could be better?

Bowl Eligible Teams: LSU Tigers, Auburn Tigers, Alabama Crimson Tide, Mississippi State Bulldogs, Arkansas Razorbacks, South Carolina Gamecocks, Florida Gators, Kentucky Wildcats.

With their victory over Miami on Saturday, the Virginia Tech Hokies clinched a spot in the ACC Championship Game, to be held December 4th in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The Hokies started the season with two crushing losses to Boise State and FCS James Madison, but rebounded and are now the only remaining team in the ACC to be undefeated through conference play.

The Hokies play Virginia next weekend, and a win there would give them a perfect 8-0 run through their ACC schedule and 10 straight wins headed into the ACC Championship Game.

The Hokies will either face the Florida State Seminoles or the North Carolina State Wolfpack in the ACC Championship Game.

If the Maryland Terrapins beat NC State next Saturday, the Hokies will face Florida State, however if the Wolfpack beat the Terrapins, the Hokies will see NC State on the other sideline.

Atlantic Coast Conference

Conference Leaders: Florida State (7-3, 5-2; Atlantic Division) and Virginia Tech (8-2, 6-0; Coastal Division)

Lurking: Maryland (7-3, 4-2; Atlantic Division) and Miami (7-3, 5-2; Coastal Division)

Game of Last Week: Florida State 16 vs. Clemson 13. Kicker Dustin Hopkins blasted a 55-yard game-winning kick to give the Seminoles a win after two crushing losses in previous weeks.

Game of Next Week: Virginia Tech vs. Miami. A victory here will give Virginia Tech the Coastal Division crown, while a Miami victory leaves the conference race up for grabs on the final weekend.

Bowl Eligible Teams: Florida State Seminoles, Virginia Tech Hokies, Maryland Terrapins, North Carolina State Wolfpack, North Carolina Tar Heels, Miami Hurricanes.

Pac-10

Conference Leader: Oregon (10-0, 7-0)

Lurking: Stanford (9-1, 6-1)

Game of Last Week: Oregon 15 vs. California 13. The Bears were able to do what many had tried and failed to do — stop Oregon’s explosive offense. But even a valiant effort on defense just wasn’t enough as a missed field goal doomed the Bears and allowed Oregon to remain undefeated and at No. 1 in the BCS.

Game of Next Week: Stanford vs. California. Just a week after giving Oregon all kinds of trouble, the Bears will welcome Stanford to Berkeley for the revival of the rivalry game, hoping to knock the Cardinal out of the BCS at-large race.

Bowl Eligible Teams: Oregon Ducks, Arizona Wildcats, Stanford Cardinal.

SEC

Conference Leaders: South Carolina (7-3, 5-3; East Division) and Auburn (11-0, 7-0; West Division) have clinched their respective conference titles and will play in the SEC Championship Game on December 4th.

Game of Last Week: Auburn 49 vs. Georgia 31. A recently revitalized Georgia team gave the Tigers all they could handle for about three quarters until Cam Newton and Auburn pulled away and clinched the SEC West crown.

Game of Next Week: Arkansas vs. Mississippi State. A very important game in terms of bowl positioning and for Arkansas, a slim chance of keeping a BCS at-large bid hope alive.

Bowl Eligible Teams: LSU Tigers, Auburn Tigers, Alabama Crimson Tide, Mississippi State Bulldogs, Arkansas Razorbacks, South Carolina Gamecocks, Florida Gators, Kentucky Wildcats.

After their victories on Saturday, the Auburn Tigers and the South Carolina Gamecocks have both clinched a spot in the 2010 SEC Championship Game to be played on December 4th in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Tigers defeated Georgia 49-31 in Jordan-Hare Stadium to stretch their record to 11-0 and 7-0 in conference, which was good enough to secure the SEC West Division Crown.

A victory over Alabama in Thanksgiving weekend’s Iron Bowl against Alabama would give the Tigers an undefeated season, but even a loss there coupled with LSU winning the rest of their games would only be enough to give LSU a tie for the SEC West lead — and Auburn holds the all-important head-to-head tiebreaker.

The Florida Gators and South Carolina Gamecocks played what amounted to a SEC Semifinal on Saturday night, as the winner in the matchup would be awarded the SEC East crown and a spot in the SEC Championship Game. Both teams were two losses clear of the rest of the division after Georgia lost to Auburn, and neither team will play another conference game this season.

The Gamecocks proved too much for the Gators, beating Florida 36-14 on their way to clinching a berth in the SEC Championship Game and their first SEC East title. The Gamecocks stretched their record to 7-3 and 5-3 in conference with the victory.

The Tigers and Gamecocks have already played this season, with Auburn topping South Carolina 35-27 at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

This game will be a neutral site game, and although Auburn is geographically closer to Atlanta than South Carolina is, the Gamecocks will be the “home team,” as designated by the SEC.

A victory in the SEC Championship Game assures the winner a BCS bowl bid, although Auburn will be looking for a bid to the BCS National Championship Game when the final weekend of the season rolls around.