Now that the writers are officially back (congrats, and welcome) life can finally get back to normal. We can stop reading books again, get back to eating our dinners from a TV tray and start petitioning networks not to cancel one of the best shows currently running.

Of course we’re talking about Friday Night Lights here. Who isn’t? Thanks to some negative off the cuff comments from NBC exec Ben Silverman and the news that last Friday’s episode represented the last the cast and crew were able to complete prior to the writer’s strike and you have a lot of people realizing all at once that they may have seen the last of the Taylors, Riggins, Garrity, et al.

And, as much as I want to see it continue, I’m not entirely convinced the quick death isn’t the best available fate. That’s how much I like the show, but that wasn’t always the case.

While there were a number of noteworthy critics lauding Friday Night Lights from the pilot episode, I gave the show a rather tepid but hopeful review after one episode. While relying too heavily on the precedents set by the book and the movie, I wrote the following:

“No longer set in 1988, the school is now the fictionalized Dillon. The players, while drawing heavily on their real-life models, aren’t real either. The super-quick cuts and Explosions in the Sky soundtrack are carried over from the film, but at this point the topic isn’t new…It’s become hyper-realistic, so bizarrely true that we don’t even notice anymore.”

I was wrong. The characters have revealed a depth that puts any reality show star to shame, the very people who are supposed to be real, relatable. Tim Riggins, in the 30-plus episodes we’ve seen thus far, has easily become the most compelling character on television, drinking pitchers before practice, yearning desperately for the girl who has made the breaks he’s never been able to catch. (And his hair reminds women of Jesus, so there’s that.)

Up against American Idol for most of its first season, FNL struggled for viewers. Websites started sprouting up in support of the show and, after some deliberation, NBC renewed it for a second season. On Friday nights.

As many predicted, the crappy time slot put the show in an almost impossible position. It’s tough to draw viewers on a night when there aren’t any and even the critical approval of sports-culture figureheads like Bill Simmons and Chuck Klosterman can’t replace the ad revenue that the show apparently cannot deliver. We’re not making art here, we’re pushing product and if the latter coincides with the former all the better. If not? There’s always My Dad is Better than Your Dad.

Which brings us to the very real possibility that last week’s mid-season ending was the ending. As fans of the show we’ve already been granted a death row reprieve once, the odds for a second in showbiz are about as long as Tim Street impregnating a beautiful and understanding waitress.

If that’s the case, however, I am prepared to let the show go. Cruelly cutting the cord, considering the circumstances behind it and the public support against it, would only serve to make the show even more memorable.

This isn’t a particularly profound or unique thought. You could have your pick of clichés to sum it up: better to burn out than fade way, if you love something set it free, always leave ‘em wanting more, etc. That last one is said to be the first rule of showbiz but the real rule is money, represented by eyes on TV screens, talks and, while everyone I know (and everyone you probably know if you’re reading this) loves the show, we apparently don’t know enough people.

At this point NBC isn’t saying whether the show will continue or not and there have been rumors that, should the show be canceled, ESPN might be interested in picking it up. Selfishly, I’d be delighted with more episodes but the “echoes in eternity” side of me knows it would be better if it ended right now.

What if we never know whether or not Tim Riggins escaped the painful precedent set by the male figures in his life? What if we never know whether or not Jason Street has his child and ultimately finds a replacement for the shine of Friday night lights? What if we never see Smash in a college uniform? So what?

As with all good art, the questions themselves are nearly destined to be more interesting than the answers. Try to recall the most memorable ending you’ve ever seen. Was it from your favorite movie or book or show? Did it answer every question or confirm your belief in the work? Or was it just an ending? Not necessarily life affirming but simply life, abrupt, unresolved endings and all?

For a show praised for its realism, there may not be a better ending than the one we’re looking at right now. What might be the final episode of Friday Night Lights ended last week with Street making an earnest appeal to his girlfriend to keep their child. His final words were these:

“So give it a chance.”

If those are the final words for Friday Night Lights as a whole, well, could you write a better ending?

Interested in fighting for that inch chance? Petitions are here, here and here. Personally, I just went out and bought the DVD of the first season—my first ever television series purchase—as someone said that would help. I think I’ll watch that now.

William Jennings Bryan's title is safe. Bo Pelini, while certainly young for his position, will likely never inspire any title as grandiose as the "Boy Orator of the Platte" but I think that's sort of the point.

We had a guy not too long ago who had perfected the art of saying something without saying anything at all. A smooth, slick and ultimately meaningless answer was always at the ready. Few men can talk football better than Bill Callahan, which made Pelini's press conference, where he was visibly nervous and even bought himself some time on a few questions with a "how do you mean" or two, that much more refreshing.

This isn't a coach who likes talking about football, this is a coach who loves coaching football. It's possible that this worried a few Nebraskan's as they tuned in Sunday and it's possible that it will worry a few more down the road but if I had to characterize Pelini's persona today there's a word that comes immediately to mind: Nebraskan.

Chuck Klosterman wrote perhaps my favorite passage regarding the Midwestern ethos while describing his upbringing in North Dakota in Fargo Rock City:

"...what this culture lacked (and still lacks) is an emphasis on ideas--especially ideas that don't serve a practical, tangible purpose. In North Dakota, life is about work. Everything is based on working hard, regardless of what it earns you. If you're spending a lot of time mulling over the state of the universe (or even the state of your own life), you're obviously not working. You probably need to get back to work."

Swap Nebraska for North Dakota in that passage and you have the perfect description of where I grew up and I couldn't help but think of it while watching Pelini undergo his first Q&A session as Nebraska's head coach. For some people, most of the people I knew back in Nebraska, talking about working is a lot more difficult than actually working. Pelini seems to be one of those people and those people are typically the ones you want working beside you.

In my mind, Bo left that press conference, immediately removed his tie like a young boy after Christmas Eve mass, put on a grey sweatshirt and started calling recruits. More likely, he probably had a nice dinner with his family, watched to see where LSU would land and then went to bed but the important thing here is perception and in the end it came down to this: Pelini may not be polished behind a mike but he already feels like one of us.

My favorite part of the press conference came after it was officially over. Dr. Tom had already stepped in and delivered the "one more question" decree and then there was Pelini, sort of looking around wondering if it was actually over. Somebody suggested a family photo and then a employee of the athletic department walked in front of the podium and asked Bo if he'd like a hat.

"Yeah, the white one," the 28th head football coach at Nebraska said before exiting stage left.

Good choice. The good guys always wear white hats.

The embattled Nebraska AD was officially ousted this afternoon at 2:15 p.m. according to the Lincoln Journal-Star.

Chancellor Harvey Perlman was quoted as saying:

"We are of course disappointed about the progress in our football program. Steve has done many positive things for Husker athletics during his tenure but I think only new leadership can objectively assess the state of our program and make the decisions necessary to move us forward."

Perlman is scheduled to speak to the media at 4:oo p.m.

Read the full press release here.

Like many others I suspect, the HPSWBT took an absolute beating over the weekend that was, posting a 3-7 record. I'll blame this solely on Mississippi. Not the school but the state. For three quarters each it looked like my Magnolia State parlay was going to pay off with two wins. Didn't happen. If not for Auburn, the week would've been a total loss.

Alas, another week begins anew and we've got work to do...

Kentucky @ South Carolina (-3.5)

The Wildcats have never beaten the Head Ball Coach but Kentucky's major questions seem to be on the defensive side of the ball but that's a good place to have them when facing the Gamecocks. Rich Brooks dream season will lose a little of its luster over the next three weeks but I don't think it will be here.

Arizona St. @ Washington St. (-9)

I'm officially the last person on the Sun Devil bandwagon. Over the past two weeks I've chastised friends of mine for taking ASU but they keep rolling along and Wazzu is some kind of awful. The Cougars have given up 95 points in two Pac-10 games.

NC State @ Florida St. (-18)

The Pack has one win this year. Against Wofford. But I'm not certain that Florida State can score 18 points, much less win by that much. Despite their struggles NC State has been able to put up at least two scores in each game this season. The Seminoles have topped 28 only once.

Kansas @ Kansas St. (-3)

"Bounce" is one of the most difficult things to predict in horse racing so trying to apply it to football, especially in 2007, is doubly absurd but I'll be real interested to see how the Wildcats come off their shocking win over Texas. Kansas seems to have the most at stake here with a nation full of disbelievers.

Florida @ LSU (-9)

Somewhat lost in last week's shock and awe is the fact that LSU slept through the first half of their game against Tulane. In my mind, USC was much more impressive against Washington than the Tigers were against the Green Wave. This is the SEC after all, the conference where everybody beats everybody. I'm not ready to call an outright win for Florida but it wouldn't surprise me.

Georgia @ Tennessee (-2)

The Bulldogs are the Jack Kerouac of college football. They do their best work on the road.

Virginia @ Middle Tennessee St. (+10)

After an absolute debacle in Laramie to open the season, Wahoo Wah could be one of the top teams in the admittedly abysmal ACC. Should probably mention here that the Blue Raiders lost to Florida Atlantic.

TCU @ Wyoming (-3)

Love the Cowboys defense but they can't really be the class of the Mountain West can they? Subquestion: I'm not really going to take 10 road teams this week, am I....

Oklahoma v. Texas ( +11)

...no, I'm not because there is no road team at the State Fair. The difference here, besides the four games prior to last week's shocking results, is that Oklahoma gave their game away. Texas got straight punched in the mouth. Sooners are still the class of the Big 12.

Nebraska @ Missouri (-7)

I'm going to have a lot to say about this game tomorrow but for now it comes down to three keys for the Cornhuskers: 1) Can the defense find some answers? If they can't now, with the Tigers running their mouths, they won't this year. 2) Can Nebraska run the ball? I feel like Lucky has gotten his due when you consider that for two games, USC and Ball St., Nebraska had to abandon the run entirely. 3) Can Sam Keller stop turning the ball over? The Surgeon has been the rock for Nebraska so far this year, but he's only one INT short of tying Zac Taylor's total from all of last year.

Last week: 3-7

Year to Date: 28-22

Look at that, we're already at the quarter-pole in the 2007 BCS Stakes. In brief: LSU, USC, Florida...good; Syracuse, Auburn, Notre Dame...bad. Oklahoma? Looked good but I need to see a bit more.

After 10 days on the road, canvassing five states and seeing an ugly Nebrask win and an ugly Nebraska loss, I'm finally back on my home turf. And, while I didn't struggle as badly with my picks while on the road in past years, I wasn't writing home about my 10-10 record either. You tread water for too long and the gators will eventually get ya.

Alas, every Thursday the agony and ecstasy begins anew. It's a pretty pathetic slate of games to round out the non-conference portion of the schedule and all the good action is in the SEC. Of course, many people will tell you this is always the case.

Texas Ag. & Mech @ Miami (-2.5)

Not often you get a non-conference battle as good as this on a Thursday night. After looking ugly against Montana State and surviving Fresno State, the Aggies finally found a team to pound on in UL-M, but this Miami game marks the beginning of a brutal schedule from here on out. Ag. & Mech. needs a win here in what looks a lot like a toss-up. Do you want Franchione under those circumstances? On the road? I don't. Miami's defense will do enough to give their offense time to get cranking.

Oklahoma @ Tulsa (+23)

It's a great week for Big 12 weeknight games. Props to Oklahoma for going on the road against an in-state school. The Sooners earth-movers are too dominant for Tulsa to give them real fits, but the Golden Hurricanes can put some points of their own and, with a jacked Friday night lights crowd, I think they sneak in under the number.

Georgia @ Alabama (-3.5)

I've ridden the Saban express for the past two weeks but this is my stop. The win against Arkansas was nice but you can't overlook the fact that the Tide lost a three touchdown lead twice. The Dawgs have struggled in Tuscaloosa of late, but Richt won his only trip and I've got a feeling that the notion of starting 0-2 in the SEC will be enough to motivate UGA.

Georgia Tech @ Virginia (+3.5)

No shame for the Ramblin' Wreck in a loss to Boston College last week. The Eagles just might be the class of the ACC. Meanwhile, Virginia has swept Tobacco Road over the past two weeks, barely, but the last time I checked that didn't really earn you anything on the gridiron.

South Carolina @ LSU (-16.5)

I have four very strong thoughts on this game: 1) I fully expect LSU to win, 2) If I had to choose one coach to go in and win a conference game in Baton Rouge it would be Steve Spurrier, 3) South Carolina is not the 12th best team in the land, and 4) that said, 16.5 seems like a helluva lot of points a good Gamecock defense. Head Ball Coach loves to win games he shouldn't by uglying things up and that should be the case here. I doubt Blake Mitchell, who needs a permission slip just to audible, will be able to handle Bo Pelini's blitzes but USC's defense is nothing to scoff at either. It won't be the prettiest game of the weekend but it should be the most fun.

Kentucky @ Arkansas (-6)

I loved what Kentucky did last week and if they win here I'll be positively ecstatic, but I have a feeling that Darren McFadden has other ideas. The boss hawg had a huge game against 'Bama only to miss Arkansas' crucial offensive series with tweetie birds circling his head. Darren McFadden hates that ####. Expect him to take it out on the Wildcats.

Oregon @ Stanford (+16.5)

The Ducks have finally looked as flashy as their uniforms thus far in 2007. I rolled with the spunky Jim Harbaugh in week one against UCLA and the Cardinal got creamed. Then UCLA got creamed. Not Stanford gets creamed again.

Northwestern @ Ohio State (-22.5)

Northwestern should have beat Duke last week in the big conference brainiac bowl outgaining the Blue Devils 509 to 306, but they didn't, ensuring their school will live on in terms of major conference futility. Out west, Ohio State took a couple shots from Washington but won on the road. Don't look now, but the Buckeyes could be your Big 10 favorite, because...

Penn State @ Michigan (-3)

...I'm not sure the Lions have enough roar. The Big 10 needs Penn State to win here. Wisconsin is an underwhelming 3-0, nobody outside of Ohio wants to see the Buckeyes in the mix again and if Michigan can win the conference, well, start printing your Appy State - Big 10 Champions shirts. That leaves Penn State. The fate of the conference is in your hands. If the Nittanies can win here they're the legitimate front-runner. I don't think they can. Michigan's been exposed up the middle but now they're playing somebody more their speed and flavor (i.e. vanilla). If the Wolverines open 0-3 at the Big House I suggest it be repossessed.

Ball State @ Nebraska (-22.5)

This is not a motivational pick. I'm not picking against Nebraska for the first time this season to light a metaphorical fire under any metaphorical ####. Sadly, I'm not sure the Cornhuskers read this blog so I'd just be throwing a pick away if that was my motivation. It's not. I'm fairly certain Nebraska will win here. That's the Callahan way. Get embarrassed against the good teams and roll it up on teams you're physically better than by running the football. Ball State, to quote my favorite piece of scouting ever to come out of Indiana, is a bunch of mites, but mites are notoriously annoying and hard to contain. The Cardinals can score enough to keep this closer than three touchdowns and, if they get much closer than that, seats could get real hot in Lincoln. BSU is dangerous, but Nebraska has a lot to prove after last week.

Last Week: 5-5

Year to Date: 18-12

It always hits the fan when I'm away for a football Saturday. After starting 8-2 in Week 1, HPSWBT kissed its sister in Week 2 at 5-5. Using spotty airport Internet service, I will now attempt to make 10 picks before my computer craps out...

TCU @ USAFA (+8) - Hell hath no fury like a Horned Frog scorned.

West Virginia @ Maryland (+16.5) - A bonus IDGOOSBITC pick! Here's hoping Freidgen remembers the pasting WV put on the Terps last year on Thursday.

Arkansas @ Alabama (-3) - Saban's first big test and I'll give him the benefit of the doubt at home. Be prepared to hear from a lot of 'Bama fans if they win here.

Boston College @ Georgia Tech (-7) - It's unfortunate that the two best teams in the ACC have to meet in Week 3. I like the Jackets quite a bit but something seems to be brewing with this Eagles team.

Louisville @ Kentucky (+6.5) - There might not be a more fun game to watch this Saturday. If the Wildcats are serious about contending this year they need to beat a Cardinals team that looked more than vulnerable last week.

USM @ ECU (+1) - Pirates come crashing back to earth after their first win over UNC in 30 years.

FSU @ Colorado (+4) - Are these programs headed in different directions? I don't see any reason to take the 'Noles here especially on the road.

Toledo @ Kansas (-21.5) - The Jayhawk juggernaut keeps on rolling. Toledo gave up 52 points to Central Michigan last week. The Chippewas gave up 52 points to Kansas the week before that, therefore KU 104 Toledo 0.

Wyoming @ Boise State (-12.5) - Getting back to the wild blue yonder will mark the beginning of another streak for the Broncos.

USC @ Nebraska (+10) - Biased? Absolutely but I have to believe.

Last week: 5-5

Year to Date: 13-7

The HPSWBT compiled an 8-2 record in Week 1, Nebraska looked dominant in their opener and Michigan is out of the Top 25. All is right with the world.

Due to work conflicts I wasn't able to watch as much football as I would've liked last Saturday, but has that ever stopped me from throwing out a pick or two? Never. The good news is I'm heading for the hills for this weekend's Wake-Nebraska match-up then meandering over the next week to Lincoln for USC-Nebraska. Starting on Friday, it's nothing but college football which, really, is the way it should always be.

And, for the record, the goalposts won't come down after Nebraska beats the Trojans. Not on my watch. I can't even believe we're talking about this. Act like you've been there before. (Fair warning, that last link is an audio link so have your volume adjusted accordingly.)

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Oregon St. @ Cincinnati (+3.5)

The very definition of the IDGOOSBITC pick is to generate a rooting interest for a game in which you have none. Do I really like Oregon State here? Not really, but in a seeming toss-up I'll take a team that can run the ball even on the road. Sure Cincinnati has former Demon Deacon Ben Mauk spreading things out and throwing for 300 yards last week but the Bearcats also gave up 175 yards rushing to FCS SEMO. Should be a tight game, but I think Oregon State can control the ball so that's where I'm going. Look at that, I have a rooting interest come Thursday. Go Beavers!

Alabama @ Vanderbilt (+3.5)

I could be very wrong but I'm making a Saban play here. I'm not willing to believe in Alabama simply after a 52-6 win over Western Carolina, not yet, but they have a lot less history to overcome than Vanderbilt does. The talent deficit at Alabama will be their ultimate undoing down the road in the SEC this year but this weekend is not that week.

Boise State @ Washington (+3)

Can we officially invite Boise State to the Pac-10 now? They're favored on the road against U-Dub. Everybody is high on Jake Locker after 265 total yards last week. Of course, that was against Syracuse, perhaps the worst BCS conference team in the country. Still, I'm willing to take Ty Willingham with a promising yet unproven QB and the points at home.

Virginia Tech @ LSU (-12.5)

This number is going down?! How? Sean Glennon looked awful against ECU last week so how is he going to fare against Bo Pelini's marauders? I'll be everything I have that VT doesn't score an offensive touchdown.

Fresno St. @ Texas Ag. & Mech (-17)

This isn't the Fresno State of three or four years ago, but they still have Pat Hill and the Aggies were still out gained on offense last week by FCS Montana State (i.e. D1-AA...see, I'm trying to adapt to the times). Dennis Franchione had this to say after the game, "We're not Michigan tonight." Does that inspire confidence in anyone? Me neither.

TCU @ Texas (-9)

The worst thing to happen to the Frogs last week was Texas looking unimpressive against Arkansas State. Does anyone really think that the Longhorns 21-13 win last week exposed some major deficiencies? Not yet. Not in week two. TCU is a quality squad with a salty defense that should only get stronger with the probable return of Tommy Blake but I can't believe Mack Brown will let the eyes of Texas wander off his Longhorns for long.

California @ Colorado State (+14)

Forget for a moment the home field advantage. How is Cal, clearly the superior team in the Pac-10, less of a favorite against CSU than Arizona State is over a Colorado team that just beat the Rams? The Golden Bears defense will be good enough again in the foothills. Good enough against USC? That remains to be seen.

Missouri @ Ole Miss (+6)

For one half Ole Miss looked pretty decent. Defensively, Missouri never looked decent. If not for Pig Brown and some fortuitous turnovers courtesy of the Illini the Tigers would've been looking at a long road and a must-win against Nebraska to crack the Top 25. Now they're supposed to win in the SEC? I don't care if it's the Rebels, I don't see any reason to lay the points on the road.

La. Tech @ Hawaii (-28)

I normally hate these huge spread games but I don't really see a better one on the board. Hawaii should be up 21 points by the time Louisiana Tech steps off the plane. Colt Brennan and his Hawaii head will take care of the rest.

Nebraska @ Wake Forest (+8)

This early in the season, my fortunes will ride with my team. Add in the fact that Riley Skinner likely won't be there and Nebraska did nothing to dissuade me with their performance against Nevada and I'll be rooting for more than a win Saturday in Winston-Salem.

Last Week: 8-2

Year to Date: 8-2

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Further Reading: There are a number of intriguing lines this week that I can't quite bring myself to take a stand on. I'm still not sure how the Sun Deveils are two touchdown favorites against a Colorado team that everyone says was way better than 2-10 last year...I'm not certain Miami is quite ready to go into Norman and win, but Sam Bradford will find the going considerably tougher against the Hurricanes...Jimmy Clausen may not survive Saturday's game against Penn State, but something is still holding me back from hammering the Nittanies, namely their offense...South Carolina didn't win anyone over with last week's performance against the Ragin' Cajuns, but on the road against Georgia seems like the sort of situation Head Ball Coach lives for...Is South Florida really a touchdown better than K-State right now? According to the wise-guys they are. I'd love to take the Bulls here...we'll find out what Kentucky is made off this week against Kent State; historically aren't Lexington and Ames about equal when it comes to football?

It's tough to take much away from week one wins against your traditional menu of cupcakes. Every impressive performance is tempered by "but they played _______". Still, overvaluing a good day against a bad team is better than trying to assess what happened in Ann Arbor. That might take months. Today, we'll just start with the weekend that was... 

The block heard 'round the world. How much more is there to say about Appalachian State? The most amazing thing to immediately come out of their win was this little tidbit from Yahoo! Sports: 0 people playing in all of Yahoo's college pick'em games picked the Mountaineers. Zero. There wasn't one ASU alum who wanted to goad a Wolverine in his group? Not a single unabashed homer? That's how illogical a victory for Appy State seemed coming in but that's not why I'm comfortable calling it the greatest college football upset ever.

I'm confident doing that because when everyone in the country started asking the question Saturday afternoon there wasn't one readily available game to refute the claim. Dan Borst listed the top 10 upsets for FOXSports.com, ranking ASU-UM #3 but, without looking, which two games beat it out? Pete Fiutak claimed that Temple's 1998 win over Virginia Tech was bigger, but how many people remembered that immediately after the sky fell at the Big House?

Quite simply, college football didn't have that one David v. Goliath game that everyone could recall. Now they do.

Formerly easier to say. From a national perspective the biggest issue to come to light in the Appy State aftermath was not scheduling or Lloyd Carr's future or poll position but rather how ridiculous the whole 1-AA/Football Championship Series naming swap truly is. Every single story on Saturday had to use the phrase "formerly 1-AA" to describe the enormity of the upset because the FCS/FBS distinction wasn't ever an issue prior to this. But now that we all have had the opportunity to read and work with it, we can officially toss the "formerly 1-AA" tag, ignore the unwieldy Subdivision and just go with the abbreviations.

Thank you Appalachian State for ending our long national nightmare.

Simple. Effective. I don't know why I was watching Idaho-USC late Saturday night given the sure blowout that awaited, but I'm glad I was because I was able to see one of the best tributes to a teammate in recent memory. After scoring their first touchdown of the season the Trojans lined up for the extra point without their kicker in tribute to Mario Danelo. They took the delay of game and displayed as much class in 25-seconds as you're likely to see all season.

The Red River Rivals. The Big 12's two heavyweights opened in the opposite fashion of what I would've predicted on Saturday night. Texas, who returns nearly all of their major offensive talent from last year, put up a head scratcher beating Arkansas State 21-13. Meanwhile Oklahoma, who simply had to start a new QB and replace Adrian Peterson, dropped 79 on North Texas.

SEC v. Big 12 a judges decision. Georgia looked impressive in shutting down a speedy Oklahoma State squad, limiting the Cowboys to 266 total yards, but Auburn was outplayed for most of four quarters against Kansas State. I felt coming in that both Georgia and Auburn were overvalued a bit but now I only feel that way about one team. Additionally, Ron Prince will get Kansas State turned around. Considering their tumultuous fall camp, having a realistic chance to win at Auburn in the final two minutes was nothing short of masterful.

Still no 'D' in Mizzou. Yes, Missouri put up 429 yards of total offense but they had to after allowing 435 to Illinois who was running with their back-up quarterback. If not for five Illini turnovers Missouri loses this Arch Rivalry game and Gary Pinkel is already hearing the boos.

The Trajan font shan't be topped. Kansas is going to be a factor in the Big 12 race, believe it. I saw a number of people picking the Jayhawks to lose to Central Michigan and their 14 returning starters. Final score? 52-7 KU. Consider yourself warned.

Glory Days. After one game Hawaii is leading the nation in passing yards. No surprise there, but the number one rushing team in the country is...Nebraska? Is this 1995 again? I was so amused by this that I nabbed the screen shot to your right just to remember what it felt like.

We didn't get to see the mythic right arm of Sam Keller, but getting 233 yards on the ground out of the Marlon Lucky (the nation's leading rusher!) and another 70 or so from true freshman Quentin Castille probably answered the more pressing question for Nebraska--can they run the football? The answer is yes...against Nevada.

It's the day I've waited for almost all of 2007 for: the reconvening of the Hi-Plains Sports Wagering Brain Trust (HPSWBT). It's a small group of like-minded individuals, visionaries really, who like matching wits with the best college odds makers in the world. Right now it's just me, the ghost of Steve McQueen in character as the Cincinnati Kid, and that Canadian dude that Philip Seymour Hoffman played in that movie. Phil Steele continues to apply and continues to be rejected. This is the third year of HPSWBT and for those of you unfamiliar with our method you can find a full explanation here or just read the abbreviated version below:

• We're not very fond of working. Research? That's not gambling. We're gamblers and we eternally have hunches.
• That said, no money ever actually changes hands. Entertainment and pride purposes only.
• Each week we pick 10 games that look intriguing from a spread perspective. They may not be the 10 biggest games, but the 10 best games to (theoretically) wager on.
• I always try to avoid the Nebraska game but never do.

Last year we finished 75-60-4, highlighted by a 7-o start on our special "I Don't Go Out on Saturdays Because It's Too Crowded" picks, abbreviated IDGOOSBITC. We're also fond of acronyms. Let's get started...

LSU @ Miss. St. (+17.5)

Why wait to take a Thursday night game you really don't like but want a rooting interest? I really want to take the Bulldogs here with the points at home, but I can't quite make myself do it. Maybe if Croom made the Tigers wear purple (psychological advantage!) I could but, unable to confirm that, I think Mississippi State might actually be this bad.

Texas Tech @ SMU (+8)

I'm tired of hearing how awful and unevenly split the Big 12 is right now. The conference isn't worse than the Big East (Colin Cowherd). It isn't the 5th or 6th ranked conference in the BCS (Tim Brando). It is, however, the conference with the most intriguing slate of games on opening weekend as you'll soon see. The Red Raiders haven't lost to SMU since Bush Sr. was in office, winning each of the past 11 games by double-digits which, the ghost of Steve McQueen tells me, is more than eight.

Baylor @ TCU (-21)

The Frogs will win this game just not by that much. You have to figure the Bears can score at least twice which should be enough.

CSU v. Colorado (-2.5)

The Buffs need this game with a roadie against ASU and Florida State at Folsom in weeks 2 and 3. Colorado State has 18 returning starters but Dan Hawkins has questions of progress and nepotism to answer which, I believe, is called motivation.

Mizzou v. Illinois (+4.5)

The most shocking line of the week (sorry Hawaii). I know the Illini should be better this year but they're still young and they're still a team that's won eight games in the last four years. Missouri is the fashionable pick for the Big 12 North and, from what I've heard, could average 25 points per game playing only with their tight ends and Chase Daniel on offense. Four and a half points?

Kansas State @ Auburn (-13.5)

The only thing worse than picking Kansas State is having to root for them but given everyones dim view of the Big 12 I think I have to. Few teams have had a more tumultuous fall camp than KSU but I think Prince can ugly this up enough to keep it close against an Auburn squad that should be less than explosive with the ball.

Oklahoma St. @ Georgia (-6)

This line keeps going down, down, down and for good reason. Georgia returns a mere four starters on defense and they're facing a potent Okie State offense. This is a big game for both programs, OSU is on the come and could open some eyes here while Georgia is hearing echoes of being overrated early on. Should be a good one and should be an outright win for OSU.

Tennessee @ Cal (-6)

Erik Ainge's pinky problem only strengthens this play. Asking a team with 11 new starters to go on the road and beat a top 15 foe seems like a bit much. Keeping it close might be a challenge. Kudos to the Vols for scheduling this home and home, however.

Georgia Tech @ Notre Dame (-2.5)

Let the nightmare begin for Notre Dame! That's more wishful thinking on my part than actual prognosis. Part of me thinks Chuck Weis might pull a win out of his hat here, but the part of me that likes to see ND lose is larger.

Nevada @ Nebraska (-21)

I thought this number would be a little lower but what can you do? Under Callahan Nebraska has won their season opener by an average of 32 points but Nevada is easily the best team they've played to start a season thus far. The game plan will be vanilla but Nebraska should be physical enough to dictate play on both sides of the ball.

Football season is upon us...enjoy!

Only in college can the comedic styling of Will Ferrell and the chronic *cough* chicanery of Snoop Dogg represent the whole of American culture, but that's what makes that period of your life fun: it's wildly irrational and wholly uninformed.

So maybe I shouldn't blame U.S.C. linebacker Brian Cushing for his comments to the New York Post a few days ago. They were wildly irrational and wholly uninformed, but I'm here to help him with that.

Cushing had this to say in the story:

We're America's Team. The best players want to come here. The tradition is amazing. Everyone wants to play us. People love to be around the program. I mean, there are celebrities at every practice.

Like, totally. I understand how the sight of Nick Lachey can make you a little starstruck, but America's team? Could the high ratio of celebrities to grad assistants at Trojan practices perhaps be a product of their location? L.A. loves a winner and forgets everyone else. It's a town that runs on yesterday's news, eternally searching for the next big thing.

U.S.C. is that thing now--in L.A.--but there are a couple million college football fans everywhere else in the country who absolutely salivate at the thought of seeing U.S.C. lose. College football is the best sport in America because this notion of universal popularity doesn't exist. It's a regional sport played on a national stage. Fans are tied to their schools in a way that can't be achieved with a pro franchise. Every Saturday there's much more at stake than a simple win or loss, the pride of a specific people and place, a local ethos, is on the line.

And, I'm sorry, but L.A. will never do that as well as places like Athens and Norman and Morgantown, cities and towns we know because of college football.

U.S.C. can claim right now to be the best team in America and get only a small argument. One day away from the first games of the season, that's the consensus. But claiming the mythical title of Amerca's Team?

The rest of the country will have something to say about that. Adam Duritz and Larry the Cable Guy are celebrities too. I think.

Two things guaranteed to start a fight in any college town bar that's worth visiting:

1) Conference strength.

2) Schedule strength.

Most of the time the two are related but over the next four weeks the majority of the games we'll watch will be the dreaded and erratic non-conference games. Some are good match-ups, most are not but they will be used as argument fodder throughout October and November to determine everything from national title contenders to a coach's future to my personal worth (nice work this year, Nebraska).

But if there's so much riding on these games that really don't determine who eventually gets to the BCS bowls, shouldn't we look at which teams and conferences have done the best job scheduling out of conference from a fan's perspective in 2007? Yes, we should. That's why I created the Compelling Scheduling Index or CSI (oh, I get it...it's quite clever). I went through each BCS conference team and scored their schedule using the following criteria:

5 Pts. - Any Game vs. Top 20 Win% Last 15 Years (BCS only) - The best games are the big ones between big programs, Cal-Tenn., USC-Nebraska, VT-LSU, but games like this are scheduled years in advance. When USC-Nebraska agreed to a home and home Nebraska was USC and USC was Nebraska in terms of talent and ranking. Now it's the inverse. By using win percentage over the past 15 years I tried to account for that lead time. And sorry Toledo and Boise State, you qualified in terms of winning percentage but you're just not as compelling as Wisconsin or Penn State. BCS only.

4 Pts. - Any Game vs. Top 40 Win% Last 15 Years (BCS only) - The second tier. Keep in mind we're looking at successful programs over the last 15 years so there are some surprises here. While playing Alabama or West Virginia will always look impressive, based on their results over the past 15 years it's traditionally been less difficult than playing Kansas State or Oregon.

3 Pts. - Any BCS Team - Even seeing Northwestern play Duke is more intriguing than seeing Northwestern play Northeastern. At least Northwestern and Duke are working with similar resources. I do, however, like that symmetry in the Wildcats home opener.

2 Pts. - Rivalry Games - If you play a team every year you're not actively going out and scheduling them but a team should get credit for keeping that tradition alive. Therefore, Georgia Tech doesn't get a full five points for playing Georgia but they do get two for not dodging them in favor of a creampuff.

1 Pts. - Any non-BCS team on the road - If one of the Goliaths is willing to play a David on their home turf I'm interested.

-3 Pts. - Any 1-AA Opponent - I understand the reasoning behind these games, easy win, easy money for all involved, but fans hate these games. I can't reward big time programs for showering sacrificial lambs with money. Simply put, no making it rain on them foes in the CSI.

The Curious Case of Notre Dame - The Irish are still an Independent so I'm sure they won't mind being left out of my survey because their entire schedule is non-conference. For match-ups against USC, Michigan and Michigan State the game was scored as a rivalry game for those schools.

After totaling up each schools non-conference schedule, I divided that number by the number of non-conference games played to reach a CSI PPG score. This accounts for the fact that the Pac-10 only plays three such games while the Big East plays five.

The conference total was determined by adding the raw scores for each school and simply dividing by the number of teams in the conference.

With that out of the way, let's get to the results. You can see the entire spreadsheet here.

The Top Teams

0. Duke - You should know that Duke scored as high as any team in the country with games against UConn, Northwestern, at Navy and Notre Dame. However, no game involving Duke is compelling so now that you're aware, disregard this score. Cheers to the Blue Devils for scheduling up, however.

1. Washington - A classic case of the ambiguity we're working with here. Washington receives no points for playing Boise State, but they get four points for playing Syracuse. Fair? When they made the schedule it probably was. Throw in Ohio State and factor in the shortened Pac-10 non-conference schedule and you have your top team.

Tie 2. Miami and Florida State - They may not be what they once were, but these two will still play anyone anywhere. Between the two they'll play Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Colorado and Alabama. Congrats, but tell me again how Florida State is going to be resurgent this year?

4. Syracuse - Could be another long year for the Orange with games against Washington, Iowa, and Illinois. Yes, those teams are mostly down right now but Louisville and West Virginia aren't playing them.

5. USC - Nebraska and Notre Dame, simple as that. Pete Carroll has never dodged anyone.

Tie 6. Colorado & Wake Forest

8. Nebraska

9. Iowa

Of course the big question here is where's the SEC? LSU scored at the top of the conference with a CSI PPG of 1.5 based largely on their game against Virginia Tech. Outside of that, it's pretty slim pickings in the Southeastern.

The Conference Breakdown

Based on the top 10 teams above, you could've probably guessed that the ACC scored the highest of the BCS conferences. The totals are below:

1. ACC - 5.08

2. Pac-10 - 3.58

3. Big 12 - 3.16

4. Big East - 3.08

5. Big 10 - 2.00

6. Southeastern - 1.33

You might be skeptical of a system that ranks Duke as the team that scheduled the best this year and the SEC as the conference that did the worst but keep in mind we're not talking about schedule strength, rather trying to determine which teams went out and actually scheduled opponents with a pulse. Every team in the SEC except LSU will play a D-1AA opponent this season.

Are you interested in watching those games? Me neither. I'm also not that interested in seeing Duke play anyone but at least they're trying and that's the case CSI set out to solve.

Case closed?

In case you missed it, Nebraska is the 5th most overrated team of the past 10 years. What does that mean? Not a whole hell of a lot but let's talk about it anyway.

ESPN went to the trouble of conducting a survey that looked at the last 10 years of preseason poll rankings versus final AP poll rankings when they simply could've gone here and not had to do anything, but that's not really the point. The point is, in the most literal sense, I guess this method can determine whether or not a team was over or underrated. Technically, because Miami started the 2002 season as the AP #1 and finished as the #2 they were overrated. Failures.

Or maybe the Hurricanes didn't fail. Just maybe it was the pollsters fault. Is it possible that Miami was, perhaps, incorrectly rated to start? Who knows? This whole process deals in absolutes and if I were more intelligent I would know whether or not the "survey" was wrecked by some sort of logical fallacy or just sheer stupidity. But, bear with me know, that's still not my point. While we're riding the roller coasters and eating corn dogs here in Hypotheticaland, let's take a day and head over to What If World (I think it's like a Disney-Universal package deal sort of thing):

Suddenly you're flush with cash and you decide to do something no great men or women do today--found a university. Now if you're like me you would give this school the most selective admissions requirements in the world because it doesn't matter if what you're teaching is any good if people can't get in more people will want to get in. That's step one, but step two would be creating a top notch football program at Your Last Name U. Ten years later, the program is up and running. Would you rather have your program mentioned alongside:

Group A: FSU, Tennessee, Washington, Miami (Not OH), Ohio State, Nebraska, Florida Michigan, Texas, Clemson.

OR

Group B: Washington St, Boise St, Oregon, Arkansas, Wisconsin, Louisville, TCU, Boston College, Iowa, Maryland.

If you're on the fence, Group A has eight national titles and Group B has zero and here's where the totally obvious reveal comes in: Group A is comprised of the 10 most overrated teams of the past 10 years!!

Can you believe it? When you consistently start the season in the Top 5 there's not a lot of room to move up, but there's a ton of room to move down. Basically what this survey reveals is which programs are respected on a national level and which ones aren't.

If you follow college football at all you know that the one thing fans want is RESPECT. They want it from you, they want it from message board trolls and, most of all, they want it from the national media. It's more effective, and possibly more important, than that wacky way we determine the national title.

So what we know now is that teams in the underrated group probably have a legitimate gripe, but we also know that teams in the overrated group are right where they want to be. My only hope for the next 10 years is for Nebraska to overtake Florida State as the most overrated team in the country because that will mean Nebraska is back to being just another overvalued team...at the top of the polls. Perception is reality.

(Ed. The graphical accompaniment to this post in no way implies that Elvis was overrated. Rather, crappy art is overrated. Also, as this is a blog it is entirely obvious that I am the sole author of this work and operating without editorial assistance but I like parenthetical insertions from editors. This is a decision I will continue to make.)

This is Mo Purify's new Mohawk. It's the haircut that's sweeping the nation in fall camps across the country, but that's not what interests me. Look a little closer at Purify's right arm and you'll notice that he has the requisite area code tattoo, 707 for Eureka, CA.

I'm not sure if this is a new addition or not. He may not have had it last season but I am sure he'll have it next season...and the season after that...and the season after that, etc. which is too bad because I'm officially declaring this whole area code trend dead. Yes, for 2007 ZIP codes are the new area codes. As best I can tell, nobody is on board with this yet but they'll come. Once we get Darren McFadden on board the rest of college football should follow like Felix Jones on the speed option out of the Wildcat set.

Now, one of my ultimate pet peeves is people who are ashamed of where they're from and the Reggie Bush-led trend of using your area code to represent regional pride is basically the antithesis of that. The problem, however, is that when you get right down to it, area codes just aren't that specific. For example, the entire state of Nebraska, all 77,358 square miles of it, has only two area codes. Back when Bush was shredding defenses and shoving quarterbacks over goal lines, I was quite fond of writing 308 in dry erase marker on my glasses each day before work. Problem was that all of my Boston co-workers, most of whom are intimately aware of western Nebraska geography, would frequently ask me if I was from Kearney.

I am not. I grew up over 300 miles away from Kearney. All we shared were those three little digits. Since I've adopted the ZIP Method all of those questions have gone away. Five digits, highly specific. Every town with a post office has their own special number and cities are meticulously divided as well. If you're an urban dweller you can't quite get to the exact street you live on but you can get a lot closer than you can with the officially passe area code. And if five-digits aren't specific enough there's still hope.

While the NCAA will likely argue over the +1 format for years to come, the USPS has been utilizing the +4 format since 1983 and if the Postal Service can be more more progressive than the sport's governing body, don't you think you can be a bit more visionary than your average blue-chipper?

No fancy intro here, lists were made to be listed so let's get to it...

5 THINGS YOU SHOULD NEVER WEAR TO A COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAME

1. A foam corn head: This category really applies to any foam rubber piece of headgear made using a mold (Wolverines, Hogs and Gators included), but I'm sad to admit that my own Cornhusker faithful are by far the most egregious offenders here. Now I love corn more than a starving pilgrim in the middle of his first New England winter and I take it in all its forms--on the cob, in the can, with milk and on the rocks--but I don't ever want it higher than my lips. A big ear of foam corn makes a piece of cheese look like haute couture.

2. Camouflage: I understand the appeal here. When you're out fighting the elements and engaging in the thrill of the hunt you want to let your prey know what hit it. There you are in the blind and a succulent duck, your duck, takes flight. Boom! The hound hauls it back and you and your hat scream "War Eagle baby!" That's great if you're carrying a rifle, but if you're heading to the game the school colors should be fine.

3. Overalls of any color: Clemson seems to be Public Enemy No. 1 when it comes to Crayola-#### coveralls. All that rubbing the rock is dirty business. But as garish as this orange is it may actually be better than these striped numbers which are available in just about every color combination you can imagine. But just because they're in your team's colors doesn't mean you should take advantage of that option. Some things you can't unsee and some things you can't unwear. These overalls are both.

4. A visor: Are you a Heisman Trophy winning, 5-time SEC Coach of the Year with six conference titles and one Sears Trophy? No? Then get that half-assed hat off your head.

It takes a lot of hard work to get to the point where you can simply answer the phone with, "Yeah, this head ball coach." No question of which ball coach, no need to even ask for him by name. There is only one.

If you've achieved that level of success in your chosen field, then you can consider the visor part of your wardrobe. If not, well, you're probably better off that way anyway.

5. Stadium Pants: Nothing says I'm an #### like these pants and you'll only pay $135 to broadcast that very fact to everyone within shouting distance.

I suppose this is a natural progression, first you get some pants with lobsters all over them to prove you probably don't ever sail boats, and that's not so bad. Nobody laughs directly in your face. But then you wake up in a bush six hours after a game some Saturday and find Colonel Reb in places you never thought possible. It happens just that quick.

I'm not quite sure which would be the more potent combination, stadium pants with a visor or coveralls with the camouflage, but I do know that both of those outfits are worn by thousands every Saturday and that doesn't even include the foam heads.

Luckily--well not really luckily more like thanks in large part to me--you won't be one of those people.

Gratuities are welcome and appreciated.

We're pretty lucky in Big 12 country when it comes to football. The entire experience--quality of play, traditions, fan fervor, tailgating opulence--is pretty high. The SEC, however, is a