College football appears headed to a four-team playoff. Penn State coach Bill O’Brien as one of its proponents. He said that he is a big believer in playoffs. He added that let the best team win. He said that he is just a rookie head coach and just worry about Penn State, but at the same time, playoff football in the NFL is a neat experience, and the best teams rise to the top and the champion is a true champion.

Last week in Florida, Conference commissioners, Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick and other top college football officials met and before the next round of Bowl Championship Series meetings in June in Chicago, they have agreed to consider several four-team playoff scenarios.

Until the 2014 season, proposed BCS changes would not go into effect and some key issues still need to be ironed out. At bowl sites or on the campus of the top two seeds, the semifinal games could be played. Also under consideration is whether to include teams that did not win a conference championship.

Finally, it needs to be decided whether to determine the four teams or create a selection committee similar to that used in basketball or stick with the current formula of polls and computer rankings.

The top two teams in the final BCS standings play for the national championship under the current BCS rules. In one of the five BCS bowl games, Champions of the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC conferences automatically receive a spot – Rose, Fiesta, Orange, Sugar and BCS National Championship Game. In the system’s 14-year history (2005 and 2008), Penn State only came close to playing for a BCS championship twice.

The Cowboys are not innocent in the recent defections from the Big 12 but at the moment they are a Big 12 representative and the conference is looking for them to represent this weekend.

The Aggies are favored by three-points as the home favorite, according to the Las Vegas Hilton Superbook and with good reason. If you can’t make it to Las Vegas before the kick off you can always get in on the action at the online sportsbook Legends.com.

The Aggies are solid this year. The battle between two of the most powerful teams in the Big 12 promises to be the game of the week. The Aggies rank No. 8 in the college football rankings and the Cowboys rank No. 7. Las Vegas places special emphasis on a college team on their home turf.

This confuses the average bettor but the line is never a consideration in college football. This game is all about pride and desire. Who wants it more?

Cowboys quarterback, Brandon Weeden is the leading passer in college football and he is capable of dissecting this Texas A&M defense. Weeden is a surprise candidate for the Heisman Trophy early in the season and if he comes through in this huge game he will be the runaway leader for the coveted trophy.

Ryan Tannehill, the Aggies senior quarterback is battle tested and capable of destroying this average defense. The edge in the quarterback department goes to the Oklahoma State Cowboys and Weeden but don’t write off Tannehill.

The outlook on this game is simple: Expect scoring and plenty of it. Enjoy a great college football team between two of the best in the Big 12.

I’ve heard many people say that you always want to be against the Top 25, because the sportsbooks believe the public will almost always be on the side of the ranked team. I’ve heard that you should always be the underdog if they are playing at home. I’ve even heard specific rules like, always take the lesser ranked team if they are favored. Some I like, some I don’t, but the bottom line is, good teams and bad teams can win against the spread.

I like good teams that stumble out of the gates. If you remember back to last year, Virginia Tech was the perfect example of this. They lost their opener to Boise State, then lost their 2nd game in embarrassing fashion. After that, the kicked butt. Nobody talked about them until late, but by season’s end, their 0-2 start made Hokie loyalists money, as they finished 10-3 against the spread.

They weren’t the only money maker in college football. Here are some of the teams that fared well against the spread last season: North Carolina State (9-3), Ohio State (10-2-1), Illinois (8-4), Oklahoma State (10-3), Central Florida (10-3), Tulsa (8-4), Northern Illinois (10-2-1), Boise State (9-4), Stanford (8-3-1), Auburn (9-3-1), Washington State (8-3), Arkansas (9-3), Hawaii (10-3).

Not all of those are great teams and not all of them are losers – don’t be tricked, there’s great value in winners and losers alike!

Stanford Cardinal’s Andrew Luck will be at or near the top of the list. Although Luck opted to return for his junior year in Palo Alto, he would have been the first player taken in this year’s NFL draft. This season, the Stanford signal caller is the betting odds favorite (3/1) to win the Heisman Trophy. Andrew threw for 3,338 yards and 32 touchdowns.

Denard Robinson was a lethal two way threat last year passing for 2,750 yards and rushing for 1,702 yards with a combined 32 touchdowns. Although he is actually closer to 5-9, he is listed as 6-foot.

As evidenced by his 4,718 yards passing and 38 touchdowns, Landry Jones was a force in 2010. In the preseason rankings he will be carrying an added burden this year as the QB for the top team.

Robert Griffin holds the school record for yards (6,073) and TD passes (40). Last season with 22 touchdowns, he threw for 3,501 yards. He might be the most athletic and intelligent QB of the bunch.

If Case Keenum stays healthy he could end up with every major NCAA career record but the one he wants most is career passing yards. Keenum has 13,586 and the record is 17, 072 held by Hawaii’s Tommy Change.

Matt Barkley had 2791 yards passing and 26 touchdowns for a Trojan team that was and will be, on NCAA probation.

While gaining 486 yards on the ground and five scores, Darron Thomas was a dual threat passing for 2,881 yards and 30 touchdowns.

On Sept. 5, 2015, the Longhorns are scheduled to play in South Bend. On Sept. 3, 2016 and again on Aug. 31, 2019, the Fighting Irish are slated to play in Austin. On Sept. 12, 2020, the Longhorns return to South Bend.

Texas coach Mack Brown said, “We are so excited we were able to schedule a four-game series with Notre Dame. I love college football history and nobody has more historical programs than Texas and Notre Dame. The renewal of this rivalry should be a lot of fun to be a part of and something that college football fans across the country can really enjoy.”

Brian Kelly, new Notre Dame Coach was equally happy.

He said, “Starting a series with the Texas Longhorns is great not just for Notre Dame, but college football, and we couldn’t be happier about it. When I look at the job Coach Brown has done at Texas in reviving a once proud tradition, I see many parallels to what our staff plans to do at Notre Dame.”

He added, “The addition of Texas to our future schedules is just another example of the type of high-profile programs we plan on playing as an independent. We look forward to embracing our unique status within college football and continuing to schedule games against similar programs down the road.”

With 845 wins, Texas is No. 2 in NCAA history and with 837 Notre Dame is third. With the Fighting Irish, they have played 10 times and winning eight out of them. At Austin, in 1996 was the time when Irish and Longhorns last played.

About the ongoing grief following Berry’s death, Cristobal clearly did not want to say much in a preseason videoconference. About the March 25 killing, Cristobal has made very few public comments but he noted that the focus of the team is on the coming season and not the tragedy.

Cristobal said, “Kendall will always be a brother of our family. We’re a strong football team. We’ll always keep him in our mind and we’re looking forward to a great football season.”

Outside the front doors of a recreation center, Berry was stabbed to death on FIU’s main campus. A number of shocked students have witnessed the incident.

Quentin Rashad Wyche has been charged with Berry’s murder. Wyche had once tried out for FIU’s football and he remains held without bond in a Miami jail awaiting trial. About 24 hours after the killing, he turned himself in to police, and court documents show that after he and Wyche fought over Berry’s girlfriend, Berry was stabbed.

As a walk-on last summer, Wyche tried unsuccessfully to make FIU’s team.

Cristobal said, “We’ve had a great offseason. Guys have really been working hard. As you know, one beautiful thing about college football, it always brings groups of young men together with a common goal and a common purpose. These are strong-minded young men that have very, very high standards and goals, and I’ll tell you what, it’s been a great, great offseason.”

On Aug. 9, FIU opens training camp and it starts the new season Sept. 11 against Rutgers. According to the league’s preseason poll, in the Sun Belt Conference this season, the Panthers were picked to finish sixth.

The Big Ten is now eligible to hold a football championship game, after adding Nebraska as its 12th team in June. On Aug. 2-3 when athletic directors and Big Ten officials meet in Chicago, a decision on scheduling a title game could be finalized and would make for a good football bet.

Murphy said, “We’d be very interested. The Big Ten has got such history and tradition, and to have a championship in Lambeau Field would be tremendous. It’d be good for our community and good for college football to have it in such a historic venue.”

In hosting a potential Big Ten championship, several other Midwest facilities have expressed interest, including Cleveland Browns Stadium, Chicago’s Soldier Field and Detroit’s Ford Field. Also considered, as a strong candidate is Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium.

Before joining the Packers, Murphy served as athletic director at Northwestern and he anticipates a formal bidding process to begin, if the league decides it will have a championship game beginning in 2011.
For a championship game site, weather could factor into the Big Ten’s decision, as leagues as Big 12 and the SEC usually hold their football championship games at indoor facilities.

Murphy joked, “Early December, that’s balmy in Green Bay, to me, that’s part of the attraction of college football, to play in the elements. We’re going to have a Super Bowl in New York in February, so it’s not that much different.”

In 1982-83 when St. Norbert College hosted Fordham, Lambeau Field last hosted college football. Legendary Packers coach Vince Lombardi Alma mater is St. Norbert College.

For playing a role in what the NCAA says were major rules violations, Coach Rich Rodriguez and Labadie received a letter of reprimand from the school along with five others. For failing to promptly and correctly file forms tracking hours players spent with the team, was the blame on Labadie.

Labadie said, “I’ve been looking for a move out of athletics since our third child was born a couple years ago. It was a hard decision, but I’m excited about it and I’m very thankful for my time at Michigan. I don’t think people should think his departure has anything to do with the NCAA investigation.”

For Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, he said he has accepted a job as an account representative. Dave Brandon, Athletic director confirmed and stressed that the resignation was made for family reasons.

For Aug. 13-14 in Seattle, an NCAA hearing on the case is planned. The accusation that charged Rodriguez with a failure to promote an atmosphere of compliance in his program is the only NCAA accusation the school strongly disagreed with.

At the hearing, it will be a key argument because either one would almost certainly lead to harsher penalties from the NCAA.

For legal and other expenses related to the investigation and so far, Michigan has received nearly $500,000 in bills, the Veritas Insurance Co. has paid all invoices.

The Big 10 started all the super conference talk months ago, just as the season ended. They sent invitations to four teams: Nebraska, Missouri, Rutgers and Connecticut. The two latter teams were a curious choice since Pittsburgh and Syracuse would seem to fit better in the Big 10 based on the historic pasts of those two schools. As of this writing, only Nebraska has accepted the Big 10 invitation thus far.

Next to make waves was the PAC 10. The PAC 10 just recently sent invitations to six teams: Texas, Texas A&M, Colorado, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech. The goal to create two divisions, East and West and host a championship game. This plan has been derailed in recent days as Texas A&M has agreed to move to the SEC and only Colorado has accepted the invitation to the PAC 10.

The Mountain West, college football odds favorite, could be the big winner. They have already accepted Boise State and if Kansas and Kansas State are left with no options once the Big 12 implodes, the Mountain West will the most viable option.

The linebacker position is looking rather thin, as they’re trying to replace three starters. There will be players that will be seeing some action this season like inside linebacker Aveni Leung-Wai, USC transfer Uona Kaveinga, who won’t be eligible to play until the 2011 season, as well as several walk-ons. Leung-Wai will be relied on a lot this season because of injuries to Shane Hunter and Brandon Ogaltree, Austen Jorgenson hasn’t returned to school, and three players who they signed out of high school haven’t arrived yet.

BYU have quarterbacks aplenty to choose from, Riley Nelson, James Lark, and Jake Heaps, who all had nice outings in practice, so it will be hard to make a choice as to who will be starting.

The best play came from Heaps, who connected with a wide open McKay Jacobson for a 57-yard pass, along with completing two of four passes for 72 yards. Lark went five for seven for 44 yards and Nelson threw for 33 yards on four of five passes with a touchdown to tight end Richard Wilson for four yards.