When afforded the chance in college football, you have got to take advantage.

On Saturday, teams like Florida and Texas took the opportunity given to them and opened their conference schedules with big wins over very strong opponents.

They were not the prettiest of wins, but the teams did the jobs they needed to do to get out of road conference games with the “W.”

Teams like Iowa, however, may have effectively killed their chances at a national title even before the season really started by losing to Arizona.

So three weeks are in the books in college football, and just like last year, not much has changed week to week.

Last week we saw Boise State get punished in the projected BCS rankings because of Virginia Tech’s shocking ineffectiveness against an FCS team. That will continue this week, but the Hokies victory (which was a struggle in and of itself) gives the Broncos some help in the newest projected BCS rankings. A victory over Wyoming also gives a nice little boost.

Texas and Florida, who had some nice computer rankings in week two, continue to ride the coattails of their computer love, and stay at the No.3 and No. 4 spots.

Not surprisingly, we find Alabama and Ohio State at No. 1 and No. 2 again this week, after the Buckeyes dispatched Ohio and Alabama took care of Duke.

Ohio State’s computer rankings are not nearly as good as they would like early this season, however, a nice boost is coming their way from a very strong Big Ten conference schedule.

Oklahoma, TCU and Oregon round out the projected top eight, all three taking nice strides on Saturday to show their strength.

TCU gets a boost up to No. 7 because of their victory over previously undefeated Baylor, while Oregon’s points massacre of Portland State certainly will not sit well with the strength of schedule hungry computers.

So, here’s what the BCS standings would look like if they were going to be released tomorrow, without any polling information.

Projected BCS Standings September 19

This is third in a series of conference profiles as part of BCS Know How’s season preview. Today’s conference is the Big 12.

Conference: Big 12 Conference (Big 12)

Active Since: 1996

Current Member Schools: Iowa State Cyclones, Kansas State Wildcats, Colorado Buffaloes, Kansas Jayhawks, Missouri Tigers, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Baylor Bears, Oklahoma State Cowboys, Texas A&M Aggies, Texas Tech Red Raiders, Oklahoma Sooners, Texas Longhorns. (12)

Bowl Affiliations: Fiesta Bowl (BCS), Insight Bowl, Texas Bowl, Alamo Bowl, Pinstripe Bowl, Holiday Bowl, Dallas Football Classic Bowl, AT&T Cotton Bowl. (8)

2009 Results:
Conference Champion – Texas
Conference Runner-up – Nebraska
BCS Bowl Results: 2010 BCS National Championship Game – Alabama 37 vs. Texas 21
Overall Bowl Record: 4-4
Heisman Vote Recipients: Texas QB Colt McCoy (3rd Overall); Nebraska DT Ndamukong Suh (4th Overall)

2010 Outlook: Sam Bradford. Colt McCoy. Ndamukong Suh. Gerald McCoy.

These were the names that reigned over the Big 12 the past few seasons. They, along with a bumper crop of Big 12 NFL recruits are all gone now, and the conference is looking to its youngsters to take the reigns from one of the most talent-laden conferences in BCS history.

Could it be that Colt and Sam’s replacements will battle it out for that crown, not to mention the Big 12 South Title, Big 12 Title and possibly the Heisman? Its too soon to tell, but QBs Landry Jones (Oklahoma) and Garrett Gilbert (Texas) will certainly be surrounded by talented squads in Austin and Norman.

That’s not to say that the rest of the South is lacking, either. Texas Tech and Oklahoma State look to improve upon good 2009 campaigns and could end up testing the top of the conference severely.

The Big 12 North, seemingly second fiddle to the South and the Red River rivalry, is reinvigorated after Nebraska nearly knocked off Texas in the Big 12 Championship Game. The ‘Huskers are joined by Missouri and even maybe Kansas State with legitimate shots at making the Championship Game.

2010 Heisman Hopefuls: Oklahoma QB Landry Jones; Oklahoma State RB Kendall Hunter.

BCS Know How’s 2010 Predictions:
Conference Champion – Oklahoma Sooners
Conference Runner-up – Nebraska Cornhuskers
BCS bids – Two: Oklahoma – Fiesta Bowl; Texas – Sugar Bowl
Heisman Finalists – None

Valiant as it was, Texas’s comeback despite the game-ending injury to Colt McCoy was too little, too late, as the Alabama Crimson Tide captured the BCS National Championship 37-21 Thursday night.

McCoy and the Longhorns got a quick start after a Crimson Tide fake punt was intercepted, but on the very first series of the biggest game of his life, McCoy injured his throwing shoulder and was done for the game.

His backup Garrett Gilbert came in and looked shaky to put it lightly.

After scoring the first six points of the game, the Longhorns gave up 24 unanswered to finish the half, one of the scores coming on a 49-yard rush from Trent Richardson, who was featured heavily after Heisman Trophy recipient Mark Ingram came out of the game with an injury of his own.

However, a post-halftime revival and Jordan Shipley nearly brought the Longhorns all the way back, as Gilbert broke loose in the second half, throwing for two touchdowns, both to the Longhorn receiving star.

After bringing the game to within a field goal at 24-21, Gilbert showed his youth as he was sacked and fumbled the ball near the goal line.

Unlike McCoy, Ingram was able to return, and his one-yard touchdown run sealed the victory for the Tide late the fourth quarter.

Ingram broke the recent trend of Heisman winners coming up short in the national title game as he rushed for 116 yards and two touchdowns despite his injury. Richardson also contributed a 100-yard performance with two scores, as the Longhorn defense had no answer for the Tide’s strong rushing attack.

Alabama’s victory also gives the SEC four straight BCS national champions, a streak that looks more and more impressive as now three different schools have won the four titles: LSU, Florida (twice) and now ‘Bama.

Texas Longhorns (13-0) vs. Alabama Crimson Tide (13-0)

The storyline of this BCS National Title game has been building since the beginning of the season, when it seemed — even then — a foregone conclusion that the SEC champs would face off against Texas for the BCS title. And all these weeks later, after Alabama and Texas finished their regular season just the way they hoped to when the season began, the two will meet up in Pasadena for the BCS national title.

Mark Ingram and Colt McCoy, two Heisman finalists, will once again continue a long trend of Heisman finalists featuring prominently in the national championship game.

Most importantly, since these storylines have been building all season, lets get into the meat of the preview, because you’ve heard anything else that could be said already.

Offense: Colt McCoy has proven time and again that he is a winner during his career. However, this will be his first opportunity to win a national title. McCoy leads one of the nation’s most prolific offenses as one of the nation’s most prolific passers. McCoy’s senior season took a cue from the rest of his seasons, high completion percentage, tons of yards and he kept the turnovers down. McCoy didn’t even need to play entire games for most of this season, as the Longhorn offense was good enough to carry games without him.

Mark Ingram and Greg McElroy picked apart the Florida Gator defense in the SEC Championship Game, and come into the BCS National Title game as one of the most explosive offensive units in the country. Obviously Ingram’s statistical marvel of a season has helped to key the Tide’s success this year, but that is not to say that other pieces are equally important as the team scored a strong 31 points per game.

Defense: The Longhorn defense certainly looked strong in the Big 12 Championship Game against Nebraska, but the Cornhusker offense doesn’t really hold a candle to what the Tide bring to the table in terms of sheer offensive power. Ingram, McElroy, Julio Jones, and even return man Javier Arenas will be tough to stop like the Longhorns stopped the Huskers. The Longhorn defense did struggle to stop some mediocre opponents this season, giving up 39 to Texas A&M and 24 to Texas Tech. Performances like that will doom the Longhorns early.

Alabama, for all its strength on offense, may actually be strongest on the defensive side of the ball. The unit ranked first in the nation in scoring defense and second in total defense and rushing defense. However, the challenge will be stopping Colt McCoy, Jordan Shipley and the Longhorn passing offense. Not to worry, however, the Tide also led the nation in pass efficiency defense.

Prediction: Alabama 32 vs. Texas 21. This is being cast as a David vs. Goliath-type matchup between the favorite Tide and “underdog” Longhorns. It’s certainly not that. However, Alabama is just better enough than the Longhorns on both sides of the ball and even on special teams to warrant the favorite status, one which they’ll live up to. McCoy, for all his winning in college, will leave without a national title.

The 2010-11 BCS bowl matchups have been announced, take a look HERE.

The BCS Bowl matchups have been announced and are as follows:

Winners in RED

Rose Bowl – January 1^st 2010

Oregon Ducks 17 vs. Ohio State 26 F

FULL PREVIEW

Comment: We’ve known this matchup for a while, and this may be the best game on the slate of BCS bowl games when all is said and done. Oregon comes into the game as one of the nation’s hottest teams after clinching the Pac-10’s BCS bid in their “Civil War” against Oregon State. Ohio State hasn’t played in quite some time, but the Buckeyes are used to taking long breaks between their final game and their bowl game due to the early end to the Big 10 schedule.

Sugar Bowl – January 1^st 2010

Florida Gators 51 vs. Cincinnati Bearcats 24 F

FULL PREVIEW

Comment: All season the goal for Florida was to repeat as National Champions. The Gators will not get a chance to do that after losing in the SEC Championship Game, but they still receive a bid to the Sugar Bowl to face off against the Cincinnati Bearcats. The Bearcats come off a last minute comeback victory against Pittsburgh which secured the Big East crown for Cincinnati. This will be the Bearcats second straight BCS bowl game.

Fiesta Bowl – January 4^th 2010

Boise State Broncos 17 vs. TCU Horned Frogs 10 F

FULL PREVIEW

Comment: For the first time in the history of the BCS, TCU is headed to a BCS bowl game. Also a first, two non-BCS schools have received BCS bowl bids. The two teams ran through their seasons without much competition, completing undefeated seasons and winning their conferences. This might as well be considered as the non-BCS National Title game and is sure to be a shootout.

Orange Bowl – January 5^th 2010

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 14 vs. Iowa Hawkeyes 24 F

FULL PREVIEW

Comment: The ACC Champion Yellow Jackets and the Big 10 corunner-up Iowa Hawkeyes meet in Florida to decide the Orange Bowl champ. Georgia Tech needed to hold of CJ Spiller and the Clemson Tigers to get the ACC’s automatic BCS bowl bid as the conference champion. Iowa gets one of the BCS’s four at-large bid mainly on the strength of their early season success, which led to the Hawkeyes best season in a few years and a BCS bowl bid for the first time since 2003.

BCS National Championship Game – January 7^th 2010

FULL PREVIEW

Alabama Crimson Tide 37 vs. Texas Longhorns 21 F

Comment: The nation’s two best teams according to the BCS are the Tide and Longhorns, and the two will meet in Pasadena to figure out just who is the best in the nation. The Tide clinched their spot here with a victory over Florida in the SEC Championship Game, while Texas needed a field goal with all zeros on the clock in the Big 12 Championship Game to secure their spot here. Both teams have struggled at times during the season, but did just enough to finish the season undefeated and make their way to the National Title Game.

BCS Know How will have full previews of these games in the coming days. Stay tuned!

Projected 2010 BCS Bowls

	Rose Bowl Pasadena, California. January 1st
	Ohio State Buckeyes
vs.
	Oregon Ducks
	Comment: Oregon made this matchup official on Thursday by clinching the Pac-10 Championship by defeated Oregon State. Ohio State clinched a spot in the Rose Bowl weeks ago, and now will prepare for the talented Duck attack
	Sugar Bowl New Orleans, Louisiana. January 1st
	Florida Gators
vs.
	TCU Horned Frogs
	Comment: TCU is assured a BCS bowl with their final BCS ranking as the highest ranked non-BCS school. Florida, after losing the SEC Championship Game will likely still receive a BCS bowl bid, and the Sugar Bowl will be happy to take a replacement SEC team after losing Alabama to the National Championship Game.
	Fiesta Bowl Glendale, Arizona. January 4th
	Boise State Broncos
vs.
	Iowa Hawkeyes
	Comment: Boise State continues to be the most attractive candidate for a BCS at-large selection that hasn’t already been assumed, and the Fiesta Bowl, after losing Big 12 Champ Texas to the National Title game, will want an attractive game. Boise State put together one of the greatest games in college football history at the Fiesta Bowl just a few years ago, and the Fiesta Bowl remembers it and will want more excitement. The Hawkeyes are the next most attractive candidates for at-large selection, and will likely land here.
	Orange Bowl Miami, Florida. January 5th
	Cincinnati Bearcats
vs.
	Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
	Comment: Both teams need late comeback victories to clinch their respective conference championships, but pulled out victories late. The ACC and Big East Champs have met here many times before, and could easily be doing it again this year. Georgia Tech is assured of this bid as the ACC Champion.
	2009 Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game Pasadena, California. January 7th
	Alabama Crimson Tide
vs.
	Texas Longhorns
	Comment: While its not what we expected, this Alabama vs. Texas matchup has been in the cards for quite some time. After Alabama clinched the SEC championship earlier in the day, they replaced the Gators in this slot. The Longhorns followed suit in the Big 12, although had a bit more trouble, but won all the same. Therefore this matchup is basically in the books. Its gonna be a good one.

Oh what could have been.

We waiting weeks for this weekend to come, hoping that it would deliver the drama and intrigue that the rest of the season was missing, and it did not dissapoint.

Texas, playing in what was supposed to be a cakewalk of a Big 12 Championship Game instead needed instant replay on the clock and a 46-yard field goal that just sneaked in the uprights to clinch victory and a likely shot at the national title game.

Alabama and Florida were supposed to play in the season’s most intriguing game. Instead what we got was an Alabama romp, blowing out the Gators and likely clinching their shot at the national title.

So it’s likely that we’ll get that SEC Champ vs. Texas game when the last BCS standings are released tomorrow.

But it could have been much different.

If Texas had lost, we would have entered one of the messiest final BCS rankings in the system’s history, but we avoided that by the slimmest of margins.

So here’s our reality for tomorrow, and what we know so far:

• We know that Oregon and Ohio State will make the Rose Bowl game and continue the Big Ten vs. Pac-10 rivalry.
• We know that Cincinnati will receive a BCS bowl bid, we just don’t know from where.
• We know that Georgia Tech is going to get a bid to the Orange Bowl with their victory over Clemson in the ACC Championship Game, as the bowl and the conference have ties that allow for the conference champion to receive an automatic bid there.
• We are almost 100% sure that Alabama and Texas will meet for the national title game after winning every game they needed to in order to get to the biggest game of the season.
• We can also be pretty sure that Florida will receive a Sugar Bowl bid despite losing the SEC Championship Game, as the Sugar Bowl will likely want an SEC team despite the SEC Champ going to the National Title Game.
• Another thing that’s guaranteed: TCU will get a BCS bowl bid due to the BCS’s automatic bid qualifying policy for non-BCS schools.

So the six BCS conference bid are set, and two at-large bids are also nearly set in stone.

That leaves two openings. Iowa, Penn State, Boise State, Virginia Tech, LSU and BYU will all likely be eligible tomorrow.

It seems like the Big Ten teams that trail behind Ohio State; Iowa and Penn State, will be one of the at-large selections. The other selection cannot be a Big Ten team, but could be any of the other teams mentioned.

If logic holds up, Boise State would receive that bid, and we at BCS Know How project that they will in fact get that final bid.

Here’s a look at what the BCS standings might look like when they are released tomorrow:

Projected BCS Standings December 6th

By beating Nebraska 13-12 in the Big 12 Championship Game, the Texas Longhorns have clinched the Big 12 crown and a berth in the National Title Game.

The Longhorns will face the Alabama Crimson Tide on January 7th for the BCS National Title Game.

Colt McCoy and the Longhorn offense struggled all night, but did just enough to complete Texas’s undefeated run through the Big 12 season.

Find FINAL Projected BCS Bowls (Dec. 6th) HERE

—–

Projected 2010 BCS Bowls

	Rose Bowl Pasadena, California. January 1st
	Ohio State Buckeyes
vs.
	Oregon Ducks
	Comment: Oregon will get the chance to make this matchup official on Thursday when they face off against Oregon State in their “Civil War” to decide the Pac-10 Champ, who will play in Pasadena on January 1st. BCS Know How projects the Ducks will be victorious at home.
	Sugar Bowl New Orleans, Louisiana. January 1st
	Alabama Crimson Tide
vs.
	TCU Horned Frogs
	Comment: TCU is all but assured of a BCS bowl bid, and the Sugar Bowl is as likely as any to take the Horned Frogs, as last year’s BCS buster team, Utah, had great success against the Crimson Tide in New Orleans. Alabama will have a shot at the national title and could be replaced here by Florida, but BCS Know How projects the Gators will win the SEC Championship Game this year.
	Fiesta Bowl Glendale, Arizona. January 4th
	Boise State Broncos
vs.
	Iowa Hawkeyes
	Comment: With Oklahoma State’s loss, Boise State’s BCS bowl bid hopes are great helped. Now the only thing the Broncos will need to hope against will be either Texas or Georgia Tech losing in their conference championship games, which would make either of them likely BCS at-large candidates.
	Orange Bowl Miami, Florida. January 5th
	Cincinnati Bearcats
vs.
	Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
	Comment: Georgia Tech goes in stumbling to the ACC Championship Game, but so do the Clemson Tigers, and BCS Know How projects the Yellow Jackets will pull the victory out at the ACC Championship Game, giving the Jackets a BCS bowl bid, likely to be the Orange Bowl bid. Cincinnati will face Pitt for the Big East crown and is projected to take the victory.
	2009 Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game Pasadena, California. January 7th
	Florida Gators
vs.
	Texas Longhorns
	Comment: What we’ve expected all along, and if both can win out, this is the matchup the country has been waiting to see. Florida and Texas were supposed to get here, and with just one more victory each, that’s exactly what we’re going to get. Hold on to your hats.

We went into this weekend hoping for some upsets, and while we got a couple of interesting ones, it didn’t change a whole lot at the top of the BCS standings.

The upsets came in the final weekend of November, and the final full weekend of college football action as this unusually upset-free season comes to a close.

Georgia Tech – already having secured a spot in the ACC Championship Game – and knowing a BCS bowl bid is the best they could do, overlooked a very game Georgia team and fell to the Bulldogs in the rivalry game.

In Bedlam, Oklahoma State, who had a lot more riding on the game than Oklahoma did – looking for a BCS bowl at-large bid – slipped terribly, not able to score a single point and falling to the Sooners 27-0.

No. 9 Pittsburgh, who had been looking towards a Big East showdown with the Cincinnati Bearcats, obviously overlooked the Backyard Brawl, and fell to West Virginia on a last second field goal.

Texas and Alabama had some trouble finding victory over the long weekend, but neither actually lost. No harm, no foul, and the SEC Championship as a national semifinal holds true for a second consecutive year, as Florida and Alabama will face off to see who gets to represent the conference in the national title game. The loser of the game, although not happy, will likely still see a Sugar Bowl bid in their future.

Surprisingly, five of the six BCS conferences will hold “conference championship” games, although only three (Big 12, ACC and SEC) actually have official games with such a name.

The Pac-10 and Big East will feature matchups that will decide the conference’s regular season title winners and BCS bowls bids after this weekend’s action was not enough to decide either crown.

The Pac-10 will feature a Thursday Civil War between Oregon and Oregon State, the winner likely headed to the Rose Bowl. The Big East will see an undefeated Cincinnati and the aforementioned Pitt face off for the Big East crown.

But that is all the future, for right now all we can do is project this week’s BCS standings, which will be released after the slate of FOX NFL games tomorrow on the OT show:

Projected BCS Standings November 29th