ALMOST TO THE FINISH LINE

In August, hope is eternal in the college football world. That goes for players, coaches, alumni and fans. November on the other hand brings the stark reality of seasons that have come undone or have exceeded expectations beyond belief. This time of year teams are prepping for the final games of the season and preparing for conference championship games and looking forward to some holiday season bowling. Some teams are trying to put the final touches on their season to become bowl eligible. While other teams are already wishing August would come again and quickly.



Who's a winner this year:



Florida: Urban Meyer's game plan for this season was simple. WIN!!. It didn't have to look pretty and didn't have to be flashy. So far it has been mission accomplished. Say what you want about the Gators but you can not avoid the fact that they win and the defending National Champions, have been tested a few times this season and with out a doubt have passed with flying colors. No they haven't scored a bazillion points and don't have Tim Tebow vying for the Heisman but they have won. They have done the old fashion way with a stout defense and cram the ball down your throat offense. The Gators have told everyone what they are going to do on offense and dared someone to stop them. No one has and now all they need are two more easy regular season wins and a win over Alabama in the SEC Championship game and they will find themselves playing for a National Championship again.

Alabama: Ditto the Gators when it comes to Alabama. Old fashion football at it's best with a workhorse running back in Mark Ingram. Defense has ruled the roost in Bama. Bama's road to the SEC Championship game with Florida is a little more difficult with an Iron Bowl rivalry game against Auburn. It is a game the Crimson Tide should win and then they will be on the collision course with the Gators in the semi-final game for the National Championship.

Texas: Colt McCoy has been the quarterback we all remember from last year over the last half of the season. Jordan Shipley has been catching McCoy's passes and returning punts so well that he is being mentioned in the Heisman talk. Coach Mack Brown has not had the toughest schedule this year but has the Longhorns in a position to meet the Florida/Bama winner in Miami for the national title game.

TCU- Coach Gary Patterson has gone out and made TCU the team nobody wants to play. Each week it seems the Horned Frogs get stronger and stronger. A BCS Bowl is in the waiting for this squad but finishing no higher than second or third in the final BCS standings is the most they can hope for.

Boise State- Bronco quarterback Kellen Moore is a beast and putting up numbers so big that some are considering him as a top Heisman candidate. The Broncos are undefeated and will be heading to a very good bowl and maybe, just maybe,a BCS Bowl. Year in an year out the boys in blue are putting a product on the field that the rest of college football world doesn't want to play. Don't expect head coach Christ Peterson to hang out in Idaho forever.

SMU- The Mustangs are on the verge of qualifying for a bowl game and probably will be for the first time since 1984. While the Mustangs are a far cry from the powerhouses that rule the roost in college football. Head coach June Jones has done a splendid job in getting the 'Stangs back to respectability.

Temple- It's really hard to believe that this is the same Owls football team that back in 2006 broke a 20-game losing streak. Al Golden has done a masterful job in turning the program around. This former Big East member that now plays in the MAC Conference finished the 2008 season at 5-7. Golden has the Owls riding an eight game winning streak after losing the first two games of the season to Villanova and Penn State. They currently are 6-0 in the MAC East division. The Owls are looking to go to a bowl game for the first time since 1979.

Stanford - What can you say about what Jim Harbaugh has done with the Harvard of the West football team. USC and Oregon can tell you what the Cardinals are all about. They have a Heisman worthy running back in Toby Gerhart, a superb quarterback in Andrew Luck and a ranking in the top 25. With two high profile games left against Cal and Notre Dame, a top tier bowl game is not out of the question.

Georgia Tech - The best one loss team in the nation. With everyone running the wildcat formation Yellow Jacket coach Paul Johnson turned back the hands of time and put his own twist on the option. The Ramblin Wreck have proved you don't need to throw the ball to have success. They are the pride of the ACC, a conference that has taken some lumps this year. They find themselves BCS Bowl bound with a win in the ACC Championship game.

Cincinnati- The best team in Ohio isn't the Buckeyes but the Bearcats. Many thought the Bearcats season would unwind when starting quarterback Tony Pike went down with an injury but they might have gotten better with Zach Collaros under center. The Bearcats get Illinois this weekend and then hope to secure the Big East Championship with a win over #9 Pittsburgh the following week.

Pittsburgh - Coach Dave Wannestadt has been saying for years that the Panthers are close to turning the corner. Doubters have said that he couldn't get it done at Pitt. But guess what?, they are 8-1 and ranked #9 in the country. They beat Cincy in a couple of weeks and the Big East Championship gets to call Pitt home and then a BCS game.

Miami - It's not the "U" we all remember from the late 80's and 90's but head coach Randy Shannon has this club on the upswing. They don't have all the swagger they once have but they have shown glimpses of it. They have a quarterback in Jacory Harris, who could be making a lot of noise if he matures over the next two years as much as he did between his freshman and sophomore year.

Central Michigan - The Chippewas are 9-2 overall and lead the MAC West with 7-0 conference record. They have a future NFL quarterback in Dan LeFevour, who has thrown for over 2500 yards and 22 touchdowns. The Chippys are setting themselves up for a showdown with Temple in the MAC Championship Game but must first get by a pesky Northern Illinois Husky squad next weekend.

Appalachin State - Yeah, I know not a FBS school, but so what. Any college at any level would love to be having the success that head coach Jerry Moore is having with the Mountaineers. Last Saturday they clinched their fifth straight Southern Conference Championship.

Who can't wait for next year to start:

Florida State: It has been a nightmare for the Noles and Bobby Bowden. The losses piled up early. They are now trying to just get one more win to even qualify for a bowl game. The starting quarterback, Christian Ponder, goes down for the season with an injury. Alumni and Board Of Trustees calling for Bowden to step down or be fired. 2010 can not come soon enough.

Illinois - The Fightin' Illini though with Juice Williams at quarterback they would contend for a Big Ten title. Could not have been further from the truth. Head coach Ron Zook shows, like he did at Florida, that he can recruit but falls short on game day. A 2-6 conference record and 3-7 overall would get most coaches fired but the administration is sticking behind the Zooker for at least one more year.

Michigan - Another Big Ten school with aspirations of grandeur in 2009. They came out the gate hot and then cooled off big time. Coach Rich Rodriquez left West Virginia to come to the maize and blue and many are now wishing he would go back. The latest problem at Michigan is an investigation into off season practice and conditioning.

USC - The Trojans losers. How many would have said before the first game of the season that USC would be hanging on to three losses with games still to play. Not many. Pete Caroll's winning in So Cal has attracted a lot of attention and thus he has seen many of his top assistants bolt for head coaching jobs. With a freshman quarterback under center this year the Men of Troy are anxious for 09' to come to an end and look for better things in 2010.

Oklahoma - Bob Stoops must be wondering to himself, what could have been this year. First they loose a standout receiver to a season ending injury before the season even starts. In the first game they lose Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Sam Bradford, they didn't know it then, for the season. The injury bug kept biting all year as the Sooners have been without three more starters just on the defensive side for the last two games and will be without them for the rest of the season.

Georgia - Head coach Mark Richt knew that 2009 would be a rebuilding year with the loss of Matt Stafford and Knowshaun Moreno to the NFL but he didn't know the losses would be as many and come as often. And the latest hit for the Dawgs is the loss of UGA VII to a heart ailment. Even the mascot couldn't take it anymore.

Notre Dame - We hear it every year that the Domers will be playing for the National Championship. With all the talent the Irish had on the offensive side of the ball this year it wasn't a far stretch. But with losses to Michigan, USC, Navy and Pittsburgh and games still left against UConn and Standford, they could be looking at a six loss season and the end of the Charlie Weis era or experiment.

Before I finish I want to send condolences to Chris Speilman and his family. Speilman was a standout linebacker at Ohio State and later in the NFL. Yesterday he lost his wife, Stefanie to an 11-year courageous battle with breast cancer. Stefanie left behind Chris and their four children. It's not always about the game.