Georgia Southern knows how to make an announcement.

The above video is part of a comprehensive way in which the Stateboro, Ga., university announced it would make the jump from FCS to FBS in 2014. That's when the storied program will become a member of the Sun Belt Conference.

I know programs like Marshall and Western Kentucky have made the transition with varied levels of success, but I've never been a huge proponent of doing this. Marshall used to win national championships, now the Herd is a mid-level member of Conference USA.

The Eagles have won 10 Southern Conference titles and a record six FCS national championships since 1985. It won't surprise anyone if Georgia Southern is competitive in its new conference, but playing for NCAA hardware will officially end in 2014.

Georgia Southern is not alone in the move either. Appalachian State, another successful FCS program, is also making the leap. Of course, most college football fans remember the Mountaineers well as they pulled off possibly the biggest upset in history.

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It probably didn't take Nick Saban long to start thinking about a third consecutive BCS Championship.

If Alabama does pull off the legacy-defining accomplishment, the Crimson Tide will also claim the final BCS crown.

Starting with the 2014 season, the 125 Division I football teams will try to win a national championship through a Final Four playoff.

But before we switch to this new system, it's time to do a little predicting. Here are the 10 most likely BCS Championship Game matchups for next season.

Ohio State vs. Georgia

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Like I needed another reason to despise everything Virginia Tech, but then the Hokies go and make a Harlem Shake video. And can someone tell what the hell is Frank Beamer doing?

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The Gildan New Mexico Bowl didn't have a great audience, and I'm sure the TV audience wasn't much better, but what a way to get the bowl season going.

Not only did Arizona rally from 17 points down in the fourth quarter to win 49-48, but down 21-7 in the first quarter nose tackle Tevin Hood and true freshman linebacker Cody Ippolito had to be separated by teammates following a punch or two.

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It appears Ohio State made the cut, but not WVU as ESPN's new late-night show UNITE gives us every college football fan in 53 seconds.

You got to love the TEEEEEEEBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!
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As an Ohio-based blog, we felt a certain obligation to post the Akron Zips 2012 football poster.

Apparently when you hire a new coach, especially one with the Bowden name, you have no choice but to plaster his face on all of your promotional materials.

However, as a marketing executive I have always made it a point to include people with a certain look to help sell a program and concept. I'm sorry to say, Terry Bowden does not have that look.

A colleague of mine over at Crystal Ball Run had the funniest comment about the poster. Allen Kenney from BlatantHomerism.com said, "I believe he's pointing at the booster's daughter he'd like to screw."

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That's right, a story I wrote for Crystal Ball Run became the lead story at FoxSports.com on its College Football page. I've been fortunate over the years to land some stories in some of the nation's top newspapers, etc.

But it's still cool when your work is noticed by one of the major sports hubs.

So today was a cool day.

I actually wrote the piece as part of Heisman Week over at Crystal Ball Run, and this week I'll have a story on coaches who are arguably as secure in their jobs as anyone in the country.

If you get a chance, head over to the site and check out the outstanding writing. no comments

Bobby Petrino may be one heckuva football coach, but anyone who is surprised by the recent firestorm that he's involved with now hasn't paid attention to his history.

I'll be shocked if Arkansas actually fires the guy, but at least the AD has taken the right step by putting Petrino on administrative leave.

We'll see what happens from there.

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If you have an extra $1,000 to bet on a prop bet it would make sense to pick an SEC team to win the BCS National Championship.

Alabama made it seven in a row for college football's most dominant conference, but would you take the Crimson Tide to repeat?

LSU seems like a good bet as well, especially with all of the talent returning for Les Miles' team in 2012.

Who would you pick if you had to go outside of the SEC? Oklahoma? USC? Oregon?

There have been a number of those "way-too-early" Top 25 rankings, but we'll use the one crafted by ESPN's Mark Schlabach to offer you some "way-too-early" odds on who will win the championship.

25. Louisville

You have to like what Charlie Strong is building at Louisville, especially if you are a fan of the Cardinals.

Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is a future star, and Strong keeps stockpiling talent each recruiting season.

Louisville could quickly become a dominant force in the Big East, but it's hard to imagine the Cardinals could win enough this season to win it all.

Odds: 250-1

24. North Carolina State

Mike Glennon has become a solid leader, at quarterback, and North Carolina State's defense showed some improvement in the second half of the season.

Tom O'Brien believed when he bolted from Boston College for another ACC team that he would have more success. no comments

Matt Barkley should be applauded for returning for his final season at USC, and taking a shot at building on his legacy.

There are still those who will rip him for passing up the NFL's money and risking his health for the Trojans and Lane Kiffin one more season.

So if Barkley has a bad game or USC loses a game, the critics will come at him from about every direction.

Barkley probably doesn't care what anyone has to say about him, but he is one the top guys back in 2012 who will likely face the most scrutiny in college football.

Who are the rest?

Landry Jones, Oklahoma

Landry Jones is primed for his final run at Oklahoma and through the Big 12.

He'd love nothing more than to deliver that elusive BCS National Championship for the Sooners.

Jones had a nice 2011, but he was also inconsistent at inconvenient times as Oklahoma dropped to third in the Big 12.

OU fans are going to expect a lot from Jones in 2012, and if he slips even the slightest he is going to hear about it.

Tyrann Mathieu, LSU

Tyrann Mathieu is a polarizing figure who was easily one of the most scrutinized players in 2011.

There's no reason to think that will get any better this coming season. no comments