Every year there are hundreds of prognosticators that give their slant on the college football season.  They tell you who has the best players.  They rank the teams.  They even tell you who may finish where in the conference races.  That's all fine and dandy if you want to know who would be the best team on paper.  That's not what I want.  The (still) mythical national championship of college football is decided by an elite group of sportswriters and a bunch of coaches who don't have time to look at any other games but their own.  But still, we want not to know who has the best team, we want to know, "Who will play for the national championship in the Rose Bowl next January."  There is only one way to do this:  you have to pick all the games for every week of the season and then guess at how the poll makers will react.  So... that's what I did. 

I looked at every major college football game this season and picked a winner.  I looked at each game individually, without regard to standings and record.  I then started with the Coaches poll and guessed at what the teams would do based on their performance that week.  I only did a Top Ten, because, well does anything else really matter? 

Ahh, the smell of dead grass on the playing field; August is a brutally hot time in most parts of the country, yet that is where we choose to start our college football season every year and this one is no exception.  There are seven games in August this year with four of them involving ranked teams.  Have no fear, though.  None shall perish before the start of September. 

In September, however, the story changes.  In many places, leaves start to turn as the cool, crisp nights invade what was the sauna of summer.  Also in September is when many a statement is made about who the real contenders are for the title, "National Champion."  This year starts with a UCLA at Alabama meeting on September 1^st.  Alabama should start to bring back a bit of the shine to its program with a thrilling win against the team that started the Bama downward spiral last year.  On September 8^th, Notre Dame travels to Nebraska where the Big Red will roll over the boys from South Bend.  September 15^th is noted for the Tennessee game at Florida and Georgia Tech at FSU. The Vols are looking for redemption after last year's controversial win in Knoxville.  Alas, to no avail as the Gators beat the Vols by ten.  Tech has come close to beating FSU the past two years.  This is the year they do it...again.  FSU wins by a nose at home.  The last week in September will be awesome as three games with National Championship implications are played:  Clemson at Georgia Tech, UCLA at Oregon State, and Miami at Pittsburgh (Thursday).  The road to the Big East Championship this year runs through Pitt, believe or not.  Both Virginia Tech and Miami have to play at Pitt.  I only think one of them will win there.  It just happens to be Miami.  UCLA and Oregon State will be a great game and in great games I usually pick the home team.  This time is no exception.  Clemson will have a very good team this year and this is their only difficult road game.  Its just a little too much, however, and the Ramblin' Wreck take it.

We get to the end of September very close with what we started.  My top ten at the end of September looks like this: 

1. Florida
2. Miami
3. Oklahoma
4. Nebraska
5. Florida State
6. Texas
7. Oregon
8. Virginia Tech
9. Michigan
10. Oregon State

In October, as things do change, the look of champions remains the same.  You have to produce in October.  This is usually the meat of the conference schedule and is when most teams will lose focus for a game and drop one.  October starts of with a bang.  On October 6^th all hell breaks loose in Death Valley as Florida visits LSU, Colorado visits Kansas State, and Oklahoma and Texas meet for their most significant game in twenty years.  The Wildcats should hand the Buffaloes their first loss, Oklahoma handles the Longhorns easily, and the Tigers will unseat a number one Florida team in Baton Rouge...again.  The rest of the month is a splattering of good games, but only three other significant games:  On October 13^th, the Seminoles bring the Canes to Tallahassee.  In what should be an all out war, Miami still comes out on top.  The next week Colorado travels to Austin to see the Longhorns.  Texas finally plays up to their potential and slam Colorado.  The last week in October is a barnburner:  Oklahoma at Nebraska.  Last year Oklahoma used their home win against the Cornhuskers to propel them to championship.  This year the home team wins again as #3Nebraska beats #2 Oklahoma.

The end of October brings a very differently ordered top ten: 

1. Miami
2. Nebraska
3. Oregon
4. Florida
5. Virginia Tech
6. Michigan
7. Oklahoma
8. Florida State
9. Oregon State
10. Clemson 

While the order is very different, only one team, Texas, has dropped out.  Clemson, who should be about 7-1 with the lone loss that one at Georgia Tech, replaces Texas.

November is the time to go out and get that ring and this November that's especially true...

The beginning of November has the Miami Hurricanes hanging on to the number one position.  But they are one of a dozen closely matched teams and all still have a shot at the National Championship.  The first weekend in November has three excellent games on the docket:  Virginia Tech at Pittsburgh, Florida State at Clemson, and Tennessee at Notre Dame.  The Tennessee game will have no real significance on the National Championship picture, but its bound to be a great game.  The Clemson game finally solidifies Clemson as a top ten power again with a win against Daddy Bowden and in a shocker that's not really a shocker Pittsburgh beats VA Tech at home.The second week of November finds Kansas State at Nebraska and UCLA hosting the number three Oregon Ducks.  Nebraska will hold off the Wildcats to remain undefeated, but UCLA shoots down the Ducks and their championship dreams in a wild one at the Rose Bowl.November 17^th has the annual war between FSU and Florida.  This one is being played in Gainesville and I think a wounded FSU leaves Gainesville with their worst loss in a long time. Thanksgiving weekend will be one to watch this year, but only one game will really matter:  an undefeated Nebraska team rumbling into Colorado and a possible top ten Buffalo team.  Colorado takes down the Huskers in a classic game that isn't decided until late in the fourth quarter.That leaves us at the end of November with only four significant games left and a top ten that has only six of its original members. 

The top ten at the end of November look like this:

1. Miami
2. Florida
3. Oklahoma
4. Georgia Tech
5. Colorado
6. Virginia Tech
7. Nebraska
8. UCLA
9. Oregon
10. Oregon State

December is where champions are made.  That's figuratively and literally as two of the four significant games are championship games.  Everyone will have to wait until December 1^st to see who will play in the Rose Bowl.  Possibly four teams with a chance for the title will play monster games that day.  The SEC championship game is a rematch between Florida and Mississippi State as the Bulldogs win the west on the fifth tie-breaker or something similar to that.  It doesn't really matter, though, as Florida usually rolls over anybody they play in the SEC championship.  The Big Twelve championship game is another rematch:  Oklahoma and Nebraska.  This one turns out differently as the Sooners roll on to their second consecutive Big Twelve Championship.  Oregon State travels to Oregon for the annual installment of the "Civil War".  They might have been able to call it that when both had losing programs, but the civility will be left behind very quickly if they remain national powerhouses.  Oregon State loses to Oregon who, by that time, will have stretched their home winning streak to 26 games.  Miami has to travel to Blacksburg for the game with Virginia Tech and it proves to be fatal.  Virginia Tech beats top ranked Miami and ends the run of the rookie coach just inched short of the goal line.

That leaves the rankings going into the bowl games as follows:

1. Florida
2. Oklahoma
3. Georgia Tech
4. Virginia Tech
5. Miami
6. Colorado
7. UCLA
8. Oregon
9. Clemson
10. Nebraska

Which means the major bowls line up as follows...

Rose Bowl (and National Championship):  Oklahoma vs. Florida

Sugar Bowl:  Virginia Tech vs Nebraska

Orange Bowl: Georgia Tech vs Miami

Fiesta Bowl:  UCLA vs Colorado

The only thing that matters is that first game.  A match up between coaching twins.  The Sooners again use defense and shutdown the young Florida skill players.  A close, but never in doubt, game as Oklahoma takes its second in a row.

There you have it.  The 2001 college football season in a nutshell.  We have some easy picks and some surprise teams (Colorado, Clemson).  One thing is sure, though...it's going to fun.  It always is.