The Big 12 stood up and challenged the SEC for the title of One Conference to Rule Them All in 2008. They didn't exactly succeed, but the conference gave us a lot of great football last season.
However, that was then and this is now. The postseason was not entirely successful for the conference, with a 4-3 overall record in bowl games. How will that carry over into this fall? Who's on the rise? Who's hitting the skids? We'll talk about the big stories after the jump.
Since 2002, the Pac-10 has been derisively called USC and the nine dwarves. Its more than a little unfair, but that's the prevailing wisdom. Although the conference is consistently among the deepest and most competitive around, USC's monopolized that top spot. Any chance of that changing this year begins with decisions those programs make this spring.
It's not often a traditional power like Michigan can be called be called overlooked, but a 4-8 season will do plenty of things to a program other than just riling up the fanbase. In this case, it makes the Wolverines primed for a surprise season.
And they're not alone.
We'll even invite Florida State to the party dadgummit. Florida, Oklahoma, USC and Texas are laughing but inevitably they'll have their season(s) of woe. Until then, some big programs are giving us material in this feature on programs on the rise.
Spring has begun for college football's mightiest conference, the SEC. The Florida Gators are the defending BCS champions and could field one of the best teams of the era next year. Several new faces have arrived elsewhere, from head coaches to quarterbacks. Some teams are tinkering, others facing wholesale changes. Others like Georgia and LSU can finally begin to implement fixes to what ailed them in a puzzling 2008.
Our SEC Spring Storyline will look like a countdown, beginning with the number four, same as the total number of BCS championships claimed by the SEC since 2004.
Perhaps no other storyline carries as much national importance for college football as USC's quarterback battle. With the three Heisman Trophy finalists -- Tim Tebow, Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy -- returning to Florida, Oklahoma and Texas, respectively, USC may be next in line as a championship contender. The Trojans are hosting a three-man battle between Matt Barkley (left), Aaron Corp (middle) and Mitch Mustain to determine the school's next quarterback who will hopefully follow in the school's lineage of successful signal-callers and maybe even lead the team to a national title.
College Football Spring Storylines 2009 looks at the key developments and big news from spring ball.
College Football Spring Storylines 2009
College Football Spring Storylines 2009
College Football Spring Storylines 2009
