It’s not often that BCS Conferences hand out golden tickets to non-BCS teams, but there have been some recent examples.

This year, Utah begins play in the revamped Pac-12, while TCU will join the Big East in 2012.

Last year at this time all anyone could talk about was some or all of the BCS conferences expanding to 16 teams.

That talked has subsided a great deal, and has left many on the outside wondering if they’ll ever get a shot at the BCS pie.

Here is a look at 20 teams who could benefit the most from joining a BCS conference.

20. Army

West Point doesn’t really need to be in a BCS conference to be taken seriously.

But a conference like the Big East wouldn’t be harmed by adding Army and all of its history.

Plus, it might actually be interesting if the Army-Navy game was actually a conference (see later slide on Navy).

19. Temple

At one time, the Owls were part of the Big East.

After years of horrendous play, embarrassing attendance figures and general malaise involving the program, the conference booted Temple after the 2004 season.

Under Al Golden, Temple became respectable in the Mid-American Conference. If the Owls can actually win and start to draw some fans, it seems someone would like to have that Philadelphia TV market. no comments

Tailgating is as much a part of college football as Knute Rockne and the Army-Navy game.

Until recently the Florida-Georgia game used to be called “The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.” So partying before the game is part of the college football culture.

Of course, everyone does it a little different, and every student body thinks their school does it best. Just ask any Ohio University graduate about who parties hardest.

There will be some outstanding tailgates this fall, but let’s take a look at 30 you shouldn’t miss.

30. BYU at Hawaii (Dec. 3)

Maybe the tailgate atmosphere won’t be the best you have ever seen, but who is going to argue that hanging out in Hawaii on Dec. 3 is a bad thing?

29. Ole Miss at Mississippi State (Nov. 26)

The Egg Bowl is a nice rivalry, but it seems to be a bigger deal to Mississippi State.

So the party should be a lot of fun in Starkville, especially since the Bulldogs have been the better team the past two years.

Plus, Dan Mullen has really stoked the fire in this one.

28. Louisville at Kentucky (Sept. 17)

For big-time programs, this is a cute little game.

But these two teams look forward to this early season contest, and both fan bases are equally stoked.

Louisville is getting better under Charlie Strong, and Joker Phillips is a good SEC coach.

It’s sort of a trailer-park version of the Kentucky Derby party. no comments

Rich Rodriguez has a huge ego.

So when he recently admitted he made a mistake by leaving his alma mater West Virginia for what he thought was a better opportunity at Michigan, it was a shock to many.

The shock wasn’t that he regretted the move, but rather that he actually admitted it.

Will Rich Rodriguez coach again? Of course he will. He has a good enough track record of success for someone to not give him another shot.

But his legacy will always include the mistake he made of leaving WVU for Michigan.

Rodriguez is not the only coach who made a questionable coaching change. In the past 30 years, here are the coaches who had a serious lapse of judgment.

10. Randy Edsall

OK, this may seem a bit premature, but this is an early prediction.

Randy Edsall was the face of UConn football and led the Huskies to their first BCS Bowl Game.

So how does he follow it up?

He bolts for Maryland and the ACC. Not really much of an upgrade.

9. Nick Saban

Anyone who knows anything about football will tell you Nick Saban is one of the best coaches in the game.

Saban also has one of the sweetest jobs also. It doesn’t get much better than winning at Alabama.

Seriously, does this guy ever pay for a meal or drink in Tuscaloosa?

However, Saban should have never bolted for the NFL’s Miami Dolphins after the outstanding work he did at LSU.

Of course you could say he wouldn’t be at Alabama right now if he didn’t go to Miami, and of course he collected some pretty hefty pay checks for two years.

But Saban is a college football coach. He doesn’t need the NFL to validate anything. no comments

Every college football team in the BCS plays at least one cupcake every year.

Coaches want that one guaranteed win (just don’t ask Houston Nutt about this), and athletic directors want to fill the seats to add funds to the department’s coffers.

Some fans don’t mind as they like an occasional home game that you don’t have to worry about.

However, there are some “cupcake” games worth boycotting. Here are 25 of them.

25. Texas State at Texas Tech (Sept. 3)

Maybe there are a few Texas high school buddies taking the field together in this game, but very few Tech fans will know this.

What they will know is Texas State is one of the Southland Conference bottom-feeders.

Everybody is excited for the season opener, so naturally the Red Raiders fans will fill Jones AT&T Stadium.

24. The Citadel at South Carolina (Nov. 19)

In fairness to the Gamecocks, the rest of their schedule is legit.

So playing a cupcake is acceptable.

But when you play great game after great game, it’s hard to get excited to face a Bulldogs team that went 3-8 in 2010.

23. Ball State at Oklahoma (Oct. 1)

There was a time when Mid-American Conference teams were know for going on the road and pulling off an upset or two a season.

That’s ancient history to newer fans.

Instead, playing a team like Ball State is like playing a Football Championship Subdivision team. Especially when David Letterman’s alma mater went 4-8 last year.

22. Eastern Michigan at Michigan (Sept. 17)

Remember the previous slide?

MAC teams don’t excite many folks outside of the MAC. Now imagine a home game with the conference’s worst team.

OK, Michigan fans had it pretty rough during the Rich Rodriguez years, so a guaranteed win is just fine with them.

The Wolverines also play Western Michigan the first weekend of the season, so if Brady Hoke’s team can win those two and pull an upset of Michigan State, they’ll win the state championship. no comments

But what if the eventual winner comes from outside that top 10? Who are the most likely dark horses?

Ohio State’s Terrelle Pryor would be the ultimate dark horse since he will miss the first five games of the season. How about his replacement?

Well, here’s a look at our Official 50 Heisman watch list for 2011.

50. John Brantley, QB, Florida

As the quarterback at Florida, John Brantley has to make the list.

He also has the genius Charlie Weis calling the plays, so he’s bound for a huge season.

Just ask Jimmy Clausen.

49. Tajh Boyd, QB, Clemson

If Tajh Boyd actually wins the Heisman, it will easily be the best name on the trophy since Rashaan Salaam.

But Boyd is ready to take over at Clemson for Kyle Parker.

He had a nice spring, and if he can help Clemson return to some level of respectability, it’s possible Boyd could move up this list.

48. Stephen Garcia, QB, South Carolina

Will Stephen Garcia play in 2011?

His coach, Steve Spurrier, may not have a choice but to stick with the talented-but-beleaguered Garcia.

The only way Garcia remains in this discussion is if he cuts back on the interceptions.

47. Tauren Poole, RB, Tennessee

Tauren Poole is under consideration because he’s an exciting runner who has a knack of breaking off some big runs.

He’s still learning how to be a more instinctive runner, but Heisman winners are always big-time performers and Poole has that skill.

Before you can decide who has the toughest schedule based on the caliber the coaches a team plays, you have to figure out who the best coaches are.

So here are the Top 20 with the total number of points a team gets for playing that coach:

1. Nick Saban, Alabama (20)

2. Chris Petersen, Boise State (19)

3. Bob Stoops, Oklahoma, (18)

4. Chip Kelly, Oregon (17)

5. Dan Mullen, Mississippi State (16)

6. Gary Patterson, TCU (15)

7. Jim Tressel, Ohio State (14)

8. Kirk Ferentz, Iowa (13)

9. Jimbo Fisher, Florida State (12)

10. Kevin Sumlin, Houston (11)

11. Kyle Whittingham, Utah (10)

12. June Jones, SMU (9)

13. Ken Niumatalolo, Navy (8)

14. Brian Kelly, Notre Dame (7)

15. Mike Riley, Oregon State (6)

16. Butch Davis, North Carolina (5)

17. Bobby Petrino, Arkansas (4)

18. Bo Pelini, Nebraska (3)

19. Charlie Strong, Louisville (2)

20. Rich Ellerson, Army (1)

Shocked WVU’s Bill Stewart isn’t listed?

You also earn a point for playing against some of the legends in coaching, such as Joe Paterno, Steve Spurrier and Mack Brown.

There’s also another factor to consider, if your head coach has the potential to get outcoached each week, then the number increases as well.

So here are the Top 10 toughest schedules this upcoming season based on opposing coaches. no comments

The criticism: BCS teams who schedule cupcakes to pick up easy victories.

They exist on every big-time program’s schedule.

However, take a closer look and you’ll see some outstanding back-to-back games for many of the nation’s best teams.

How about this three-game stretch for the Miami Hurricanes -- at No. 25 Virginia Tech (Oct. 8), at North Carolina (Oct. 15), and Georgia Tech (Oct. 22)? That doesn’t even come close to making the top 25 toughest back-to-back games in 2011.

Neither does top-ranked Oklahoma’s early season run at No. 17 Florida State (Sept. 17) and No. 22 Missouri (Sept. 24).

Of course, the SEC dominates the list.

25. Nebraska

Tough stretch: at No. 15 Wisconsin (Oct. 1), No. 5 Ohio State (Oct. 8)

Welcome to the Big Ten.

The Cornhuskers are a big-time program that has a history of these types of challenges.

It also helps that Bo Pelini was schooled in the Big Ten and SEC, so he understands what it takes to get his team pumped up for these games.

24. Purdue

Tough stretch: at No. 15 Wisconsin (Nov. 5), No. 5 Ohio State (Nov. 12), Iowa (Nov. 19)

The Boilermakers are Big Ten bottom feeders and a 0-3 run in these late-season games is why Danny Hope’s team will finish with a losing record.

Something just doesn’t seem fair about making Purdue go back-to-back with arguably the best two Big Ten teams. no comments