"Ball State could be on its way to a BCS bid this year if the Cardinals win out. Western Michigan had more votes in The Associated Press Top 25 poll this week than Iowa, and the Hawkeyes just beat No. 2 Penn State. (Hey, JoePa, at least Bill Cubit and the Broncos could win in Iowa City last year).

I think America sees the growth of this so-called mid-major conference into a college football machine. Central, Western and Ball state all could beat any Big Ten team this year -- that includes Ohio State and Penn State."

The MAC has four wins this season over the Big 10, including the Toledo win over Michigan. And yet still... I'm not sure that the MAC has eclipsed the Big 10.

There's no question that the conference has made strides this season.

But... Ball State is an undefeated 10-0... and well out of the current BCS discussions. At a minimum that indicates that the MAC hasn't reached the level of national awareness that the Mountain West and WAC are enjoying, let alone leaving the Big 10 in its wake.

I think TheRivalry, Esq says it best:

If there was ever any question that the MAC can field top 25 teams and compete with the (upper) middle class of the Big 10, that question was answered in 2008. It remains to be seen whether the other Midwest Bowl Subdivision conference can build on this years success, but one word of simple caution to all Big 10 teams: If you see a MAC school with a spread offense and a veteran quarterback, brace yourself...

Indeed.

So... without further ado... my updated bowl game projections for games played through November 8, 2008.

Click here for the complete 2008-2009 College Football Bowl Game Schedule

New Mexico Bowl - San Jose State vs Colorado State

St. Petersburg Bowl - South Florida vs Houston

Pioneer Las Vegas - TCU vs Oregon

Eagle Bank Bowl - Virginia vs Navy

R+L Carriers New Orleans - Memphis vs Troy

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia - BYU vs Nevada

Sheraton Hawaii - Hawaii vs Stanford

Motor City - Central Michigan vs Illinois

Meineke Car Care - Cincinnati vs Maryland

Champs Sports - Virginia Tech vs Wisconsin

Emerald - Arizona vs Miami

Independence - Akron vs Florida International

PapaJohns.com - West Virginia vs. Florida Atlantic

Valero Alamo - Minnesota vs. Oklahoma State

Roady's Humanitarian - Boise State vs Boston College

Texas - Rutgers vs. Louisiana Tech

Pacific Life Holiday - Cal vs. Missouri

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces - Air Force vs Rice

Brut Sun - Oregon State vs. Nebraska

Gaylord Hotels Music City - Georgia Tech vs. Kentucky

Insight - Kansas vs. Northwestern

Chick-fil-A - Ole Miss vs North Carolina

Outback - Iowa vs South Carolina

Capital One - Georgia vs. Michigan State

Konica Minolta Gator - Wake Forest vs Notre Dame

AT&T Cotton - Oklahoma vs LSU

AutoZone Liberty - Tulsa vs. Vanderbilt

International - Connecticut vs. Western Michigan

GMAC - East Carolina vs. Ball State

Rose Bowl - Penn State vs. USC

FedEx Orange - Florida State vs. Utah

Allstate Sugar - Alabama vs. Pittsburgh

Tostitos Fiesta - Texas vs. Ohio State

BCS National Championship Game - Texas Tech vs. Florida

The Graduation Success Rate measures how many players earned a four-year degree within a six-year window, accounting for both transfers into the footabll program as well as transfers out of the football program.

So how do the BCS schools stack up against one another? I'm glad you asked.

2008 NCAA Graduation Success Rate for BCS Football Programs

1. Notre Dame 94%
2. Stanford 93
T3. BC 92
T3. Duke 92
T3. Northwestern 92
6. Vanderbilt 91
7. Wake Forest 83
8. Texas Tech 79
T9. Baylor 78
T9. Nebraska 78
T9. UNC 78
T9. Penn State 78
T13. UConn 77
T13. Indiana 77
T15. Colorado 75
T15. Iowa 75
T15. Syracuse 75
T15. Virginia Tech 75
19. Cincinnati 73
T20. Illinois 70
T20. Michigan 70
T20. Miami 70
T20. Rutgers 70
24. Florida State 69
T25. Clemson 68
T25. Florida 68
T25. Maryland 68
T25. Wash State 68
.........................................
T29. Kansas State 67
T29. Pitt 67
31. Virginia 66
T32. South Carolina 65
T32. Washington 65
T34. Oregon State 64
T34. Ole Miss 63
T34. Miss State 63
T34. Purdue 63
T34. West Virginia 63
T34. Wisconsin 63
T40. Okla State 62
T40. UCLA 62
42. Arizona State 60
T43. N.C. State 59
T43. Missouri 59
45. Louisville 58
46. Auburn 57
T47. Kentucky 56
T47. Texas A&M 56
T47. South Florida 56
T50. Alabama 55
T50. Iowa State 55
T52. LSU 54
T52. Tennessee 54
T52. USC 54
T55. Cal 53
T55. Oregon 53
T55. Kansas 53
58. Ohio State 52
T58. Arkansas 52
T60. Minnesota 51
T60. Michigan State 51
62. Texas 50
T63. Georgia 48
T63. Georgia Tech 48
65. Oklahoma 46
66. Arizona 41

I wasn't surprised to see some of the finest academic institutions grabbing the top spots, but I was SHOCKED to see Texas Tech at #8. Kudos to the Red Raiders!

The average GSR scores of the six BCS conferences:

1. ACC........72.3
2. Big East...67.4
3. Big Ten....66
4. Big 12.....63.2
5. Pac-10.....61.3
6. SEC.........60.5

For all the blustering about the Pac10's high academic standards, I would have expected one of those standards to be.... graduation.

The following are updated through October 27, 2008:

1 BIG 12 (78.18)
2 BIG TEN (77.24)
3 ATLANTIC COAST (76.97)
4 SOUTHEASTERN (76.54)
5 PAC-10 (74.33)
6 BIG EAST (73.44)
7 MOUNTAIN WEST (70.27)
8 I-A INDEPENDENTS (67.33)
9 WESTERN ATHLETIC (65.57)
10 MID-AMERICAN (65.18)
11 CONFERENCE USA (63.31)
12 SUN BELT (61.11)

A find a couple facets of the current rankings rather fascinating:

- The SEC is the fourth best conference, top-to-bottom? Seriously? The SEC is 20-7 out-of-conference against DI-A teams this year. Granted, three of those seven losses are to the ACC, but... the ACC returned the favor in losing three to the SEC. Sagarin has three SEC teams in his top ten, but the ACC gets the slight nod when you contrast the middle and bottom of each conference, which makes sense when you consider that there are... like... forty-seven teams tied for first in the ACC.

- Is another non-BCS blowout in the offing? Cinderella teams from the WAC (Boise State), Mountain West (Utah, TCU), MAC (Ball State), and C-USA (Tulsa) are all looking to qualify into a BCS bowl this year. Sagarin's ratings would seem to indicate that their resumes might be lacking if and when they get to the big stage.

- The BCS conferences are head-and-shoulders above the non-BCS conferences. The separation between the Big East and Mountain West is statically significant, and I don't think we've seen any rankings that dispute that designation in the last four years.

Here's the unofficial BCS rankings, as per BCSGuru.com.

Unofficial BCS Rankings

1. Texas
2. Alabama
3. Penn State
4. Oklahoma
5. Oklahoma State*
6. USC*
7. Texas Tech*
8. Utah**
9. Georgia**
10. Florida**
11. Ohio State
12. Boise State
13. LSU
14. South Florida
15. TCU

Note: Sam cautions that the two clusters of teams (those with one asterisk and then those with two) may be so closely ranked that the exact positions may fluctuate. In other words, the any of the one asterisk teams could be number five, six or seven)

As you can see, this is going to be VERY interesting poll, with three non-BCS conference teams in the initial top 15. Of course, TCU plays Utah later this year, so one of those two will drop out of contention for an automatic qualifier spot. But, as it stands today, at least one non-BCS conference team would be an automatic qualifier.

Remember, only one non-BCS conference team can be an "automatic qualifier", by virtue of being ranked in the top twelve in the BCS or being ranked higher than a BCS conference champion - such as the ACC or Big East in this unofficial poll. After the first non-BCS team is in, then the selection process is not required to select another non-BCS team.

Another important note of distinction, it would appear that Texas & Alabama control their own destiny. While SEC & Big XII fans have lamented having to play a championship game in the past, the conference championship games appear as if they will give both the Longhorns and the Crimson Tide one final chance to lock up a BCS berth. In other words, it is very possible that Penn State can win all of it's games and still not make it to the BCS National Championship game.

One fun trivia note - of the twenty #1 & #2 teams in the past ten initial BCS polls, statistically at least one of the two has appeared in every National Championship game (10 appearances).

Note: Ben Prather will be posting the official BCS rankings tonight in its own separate thread. Enjoy!

Michigan holds the current mark for the consecutive bowl game appearances with 33 straight bowl games. (The Husker fans in the crowd would be upset if I didn't mention that the record is held by Nebraska at 35 straight bowl games.)

...

So... from the looks of things, the streak should be safe, but it's not a certainty by any means. Michigan has a lot of talent, but no one can accurately predict just how quickly the team will gel. A couple of turnovers or breakdowns could turn a game I perceive to be a W into a loss.

If UM fails to make a bowl game this season -- which is certainly a possibility -- then the streak would likely pass to Florida State, who has an active streak of 26 straight bowl games.

So... while Rich Rod is trying to set a course for the future, he better watch his six. I know RR doesn't want to be the coach that snapped the streak.

We all kind of had a laugh & a chuckle, deciding it was best to have a little faith in Rich Rodriguez.

Fast forward three months and CBS Sportsline is catching up to our little chat from July.

Rich Rodriguez's debut season in Ann Arbor started shaky with a loss to Utah, looked worse after blowout losses at Notre Dame and to Illinois before sinking to new lows on Saturday because of a 13-10 loss to little-regarded Toledo (2-4).

Michigan (2-4) has its worst six-game record since 1967 -- two seasons before Bo Schembechler took over -- and its streak of playing in 33 consecutive bowls is looking as if it's due to end.

"We can't go anywhere but up -- obviously," cornerback Morgan Trent said.

Well, the Wolverines could continue to tumble. Michigan plays at No. 3 Penn State on Saturday and hosts No. 20 Michigan State next, hoping to avoid a fourth loss this season at home.

Michigan needs four more wins to be bowl eligible. Let's look:

@ #3 Penn State
#20 MICHIGAN STATE
@ Purdue
@ Minnesota (unranked but getting votes)
Northwestern
@ #12 Ohio State

Now... I'm not the smartest football mind in the room, but I don't see four wins. Anybody?

So... I ask you again... is Michigan's bowl streak in jeopardy?

One one hand, this is one game - and a nonconference matchup at that. The reality of the situation is that Ohio State is likely the class of the Big 10 and a loss at USC would do nothing to alter their Rose Bowl plans. While the Buckeyes would likely fall to the bottom of the top ten, a lost to Southern Cal wouldn't even eliminate Ohio State from national championship contention. After all, its early in the season and we've seen plenty of one-loss (and multiple loss!) teams make it to the BCS title game.

On the other hand - when was the last time the Big 10 had a big win in a nonconference game?? While Michigan's upset of Florida got a lot of attention last year, the top two conference teams endured inhumane beatings in their BCS games - to the extent that even the non-football watching public was left wondering who would throw Illinois and Ohio State to the BCS lions.

Like it or not, the Ohio State Buckeyes have become the answer to too many bad sports trivia questions over the last few seasons. Not only have the Buckeyes failed to carry the Big 10 banner in the BCS, their performance has left some wondering if tOSU even knows that there is a banner.

In my opinion -- and we all know what opinions are like -- I think a loss by Ohio State would be absolutely devastating to the Buckeyes title hopes and to the Big 10 conference as a whole. While the Bucks cannot win a national championship in LA on Saturday, I have to think that they can absolutely lose one. And not only would a USC win knock out the Buckeyes, but it would relegate the entire Big 10 conference to BCS also-rans for 2008.

Just as Clemson's jaw-dropping defeat to Alabama neutered the ACC, I think an Ohio State loss to USC -- even though USC is really, really good -- limits the Big 10 conference to their Rose Bowl representative and that's it for 2008. No second BCS team. No at-large berth. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200.

And it's not just my opinion, but Rich Rodriguez is thinking that way, too.

"We talked about it a little bit as coaches back at our Big Ten meetings," Rodriguez said. "I think sometimes the Big Ten gets bashed a little bit unfairly. I think you need to look at an entire body of work at the end of the year instead of just one or two games as far as judging a league. But perception is what it is. The best way, as coaches we said, to change it is to win some big games."

Michigan beating Notre Dame isn't going to do it.

Wisconsin beating Fresno State isn't going to change the conference's lot in life.

The fate of Big 10 football for the 2008 season (and beyond) rests squarely on the shoulders of the Ohio State Buckeyes.

If they win, the Buckeyes will be in the driver's seat for the BCS championship. A victory means that the Big 10 conference is relevant.

If they lose, the BCS will be out of reach for years to come for Ohio State. And Big 10 football... well, welcome back to the dark ages.

CLICK-CLACK.

The results were determined by evaluating each team's regular-season, nonconference schedule against BCS opponents from the time the BCS was formed (1998) through 2007. Since teams don't get to chose their bowl opponents, those games are excluded.

1. Florida State 70.3%

No. of nonconf. gms.	Rec. vs. BCS	Rec. vs. I-A non-BCS	Rec. vs. I-AA	Pct. of gms. vs. BCS
37	16-10 (.615)	9-1 (.900)	1-0 (1.000)	.703

The Seminoles have begun playing softer nonconference schedules in recent seasons, including -- gasp! -- Division I-AA Citadel in 2005. Nevertheless, over the past decade, no other program has been willing to play the big boys more often out of conference. Of course, Florida State's annual matchup against Miami became conference fare when the Hurricanes joined the ACC in 2004. Notably, FSU is 5-5 in its past 10 meetings with rival Florida, but 0-4 since 2004. We wonder whether Bobby Bowden's crew, coming off back-to-back 7-6 seasons, will continue to scale back schedule difficulty in the coming years. The Seminoles will play more I-AA teams (two) in 2008 than they did in the previous 12 years combined (one).

2. USC 64.9%
3. Georgia Tech 57.1%

< Click here for teams 4-8 >

9. Clemson , Duke , Penn State , Stanford , Syracuse , Virginia 50%

No surprise at the top, really. FSU lived the "any one, anywhere, any time" mantra for the better part of the last two decades.

What is surprising to me is just how dominant the ACC is in the list. Of the top 14 teams, 7 are from the ACC. The Big10 and Pac10 both check in with three teams each. The Big East checks in with one team. How many from the SEC? Try zero. How many from the Big 12? Nada. What's up with that? Look I'm not saying the ACC is better - it clearly isn't this year and hasn't been for several seasons.

But... when it comes to strapping it on against anybody, the ACC leads the pack.

The Indy Star contacted FBS schools in an attempt to determine what percentage of football players (and scholarship atheletes, in general) were admitted despite falling below a university's minimum academic standards.

The results? Shocking.

At Cal, 95% of the football players admitted during the 2004-2005 year were special admissions. Georgia ('99-'00) and Texas A&M ('04-'05) both had 94% special admissions. On the opposite end of the spectrum, sixteen of the fifty-five responding schools -- including several of the nation's elite football schools -- did not have any special admits at all (Michigan State, Nebraska, North Carolina, Purdue, Texas Tech, Connecticut, Minnesota, Texas, Colorado, Kansas State, Mississippi State, Mississippi, Illinois, Michigan, Virginia, Ohio State).

Here's a rundown of the schools with special admits that did comply with the request:

Alabama - 21%
Arizona - 33%
Auburn - 12%
Cal - 95%
Floirda - 18%
Florida State - 65%
Georgia - 94%
Georgia Tech - 9%
Indiana - 42%
Iowa - 41%
Iowa State - 21%
Kentucky - 64%
LSU - 82%
Louisville - 38%
Missouri - 61%
NC State - 25%
Oklahoma - 81%
Texas A&M - 94%
Washington - 48%
Washington State - 60%
West Virginia - 23%

Schools with zero special admissions reported in the football department:
Michigan State, Nebraska, North Carolina, Purdue, Texas Tech, Connecticut, Minnesota, Texas, Colorado, Kansas State, Mississippi State, Mississippi, Illinois, Michigan, Virginia, Ohio State

I'm impressed that some of the higher ranked academic schools aren't taking any special admits. That's impressive. Then again, there's a time and place for special admits. All, college is about lifting people up right? I don't know where you draw the line, but 95% special admits is insane.

1. USC
2. Ohio State
3. Florida
4. Georgia
5. LSU

50. Central Florida

Since the official components of the BCS poll are not available, BCS Guru has substitited the AP Poll rankings for the Harris Poll results, and used a median of 23 football computer polls to substitute for those computer polls which have not been published. All in all, it's an outcome that would likely be remarkable similar to the actual poll, were it available.

For those watching for Cinderella, look no further than #15 BYU. The Cougars get more love from the computers than the human polls, which could indicate some room for BYU to move up closer to the BCS top ten if they can impress more voters in advance of the first official results. Utah (#20) and Fresno State (#24) finish out the top twenty-five for the non-BCS teams.

Check out the full results and the backstory over at BCS Guru!

The most recent update finds Clemson coach Tommy Bowden vaulting to the top of the Hot Seat Rankings, on the strength (or lack thereof) of his team's performance against Alabama. While I'm not sure that TB is wearing the hottest pants in the nation, Joe goes on to explain the ranking in his blog:

Anything less than 8 wins by Tommy Bowden in 2008, and the Tommy Bowden era is OVER at Clemson. Tommy Bowden is not only coaching for his job, but if he does not get to 8 wins in 2008, Clemson AD Terry Don Phillips will find himself out of a job as well. Let’s just be very clear about the Alabama game: Alabama came out and smashed Clemson in the mouth, and the Clemson players QUIT on Tommy Bowden. This is not the first time the Clemson players have QUIT on Tommy Bowden, and it will not be the last. Bowden entered the game against Alabama with four times the talent and four times the experience of the Tide, and the Tigers got their ass handed to them. For some reason, Tommy Bowden believes that he can continue to put mediocre and underperforming teams onto the field at Clemson and keep his job, but make no doubt about it, Tommy Bowden is now fighting for his coaching career.

Again, I don't know if I would go *that far*, but... then again, if Bowden doesn't post eight wins, then... yeah, he's going out on a rail. All we've heard this season is that this squad is the most talented in epic annals of Tiger football history. If Bowden can't win eight games, then bye-bye. I get that. I'm just not sure that it qualifies him as the #1 target of the college coaching axe.

The rest of the Coaches Hot Seat top ten:

2. Mike Sherman, Texas A&M
3. Ty Willingham, Washington
4. Dave Wannstedt, Pittsburgh
5. Greg Robinson, Syracuse
6. Chuck Long, San Diego State
7. Steve Kragthorpe, Louisville
8. Phil Fulmer, Tennessee
9. Al Groh, Virginia
10. Kirk Ferentz, Iowa

Again, I'm not 100% sure I agree with the list. For example, I think Joe Glenn's days at Wyoming are numbered despite the Cowboys win over Ohio.

Whereas I do not believe that Fulmer can do anything at all to lose his job this year, even if the Vols lose another four or five games this season. Fulmer is - in my opinion - safe this season, as evidenced by his recent contract extension.

I'm still not convinced that Steve Kragthorpe has anything to worry about at Lousiville, either. Yes... his team had more turnovers than points, but the UofL AD made a pretty strong case that Kragthorpe was left a mostly bare cupboard of rotting and/or expired goods. While Petrino contends otherwise, at least Kragthorpe has his AD -- who himself is safe by virtue of the rest of the school's athletics and revenues - in his corner. Kragthorpe rebuilt Tulsa from nothing to three bowls in a state where Golden Hurricane football is *at least* third fiddle, so if there was ever a guy you would want to inherit a bare cupboard....

Meanwhile... way down at #29... is our friend Cheeseburger Charlie Weis. Seriously?! #29?! Dude? Dude. Dude!

Finally, I think the Tim Brewster experiment might be on its last refrains, especially after the attention given to the academic failings of his recruits and the prospect of filling a new stadium in 2009. After all, what's going to fill the seats - a .500 team with Brewster or a hot new coach? It's a rhetorical question, but you're free to answer as you will.

Check out the Coaches Hot Seat for the full rundown.

Surprise #1? Ten of the top 14 travel distances belong to BCS teams.
Surprise #2? Nineteen of the bottom 22 are BCS teams.

Note: These are DRIVING DISTANCES, so Hawaii is not included.
Note: Because there is no bridge to Hawaii. Seriously.

Which college football teams travel the most miles for games in 2008?

1. Fresno State 18,190 miles
2. UTEP 15,016
3. Florida International 14,692
4. Florida Atlantic 14,534
5. Louisiana Tech 13,648
6. Notre Dame 13,348
7. Oregon State 13,278
8. San Diego State 13,134
9. Stanford 12,984
10. Idaho 12,798

Again, no big surprise that the most geographically diverse conferences are leading the top spots. After all, the longest roundtrip for a WAC conference game is 4,348 miles. (Idaho at Louisiana Tech)

The one standout is Notre Dame. The Irish go from sea to shining sea with games at Washington, at Boston College, and at USC.

I know what you're thinking and the answer is YES - college football players can accrue frequent flier miles for their travel. (NCAA Bylaws § 16.12.1.11(b))

Which college football teams travel the fewest miles for games in 2008?

110. Virginia 3,060 miles
111. Nebraska 3,050
112. Mississippi State 3,036
113. Indiana 3,018
114. Duke 2,922
115. Miami (Ohio) 2,874
116. Central Michigan 2,599
117. Ball State 2,464
118. Purdue 2,280
119. N.C. State 1,734

Again, it's not that shocking that the least geographically diverse conferences primarily make up the bottom of the list. The Pack play two games (@ UNC and @ Duke) where the total roundtrip is less than 100 miles... combined! I don't know that it's right to "criticize" the Wolfpack for After all, NC State was ranked as the #60 most difficult pre-season schedule. The fact that they never cross more than one state line when traveling... bonus.

Which BCS teams lead their conference in miles traveled for games in 2008?

Pac10 - Oregon State (7th) 13,278
ACC - Miami (21st) 9,952
Big XII - Colorado (22nd) 9,166
Big East - South Florida (42nd) 7,462
Big 10 - Ohio State (46th) 7,364
SEC - Georgia (47th) 7,264

Check out the whole thing over at Rivals. There's some interesting details on the longest & shortest road trips as well as the complete list of how many miles each team travels this year.

I'm basing my list simply on perceived stature, which I believe is generally more static than factors such as current roster, current salary, and other more dynamic factors.

The Top College Football Coaching Jobs

1. Notre Dame - The most visible head coaching job in the country, with (arguably) the top legacy and traditions in all of college football.

2. Texas

3. Michigan

4. Ohio State

5. Oklahoma

6. USC

7. Nebraska

8. Alabama

9. Florida

10. Georgia

11. Florida State

12. Miami

13. UCLA

14. Penn State

15. Tennessee

16. Texas A&M

17. LSU

18. Iowa

19. Wisconsin

20. Colorado

Just outside the top twenty (alphabetical): Arizona State, Auburn, BYU, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Missouri, Ole Miss, Oregon, Virginia Tech, Washington, WVU

Not that you need an invitation, but... tell me where I'm wrong.

Playboy 2008 College Football Preseason Poll
Predicted finish in parenthesis

1. Oklahoma (12-0)
2. Ohio State (11-1)
3. Florida (11-1)
4. Missouri (11-1)
5. USC (11-1)
6. Georgia (10-2)
7. West Virginia (10-2)
8. LSU (9-3)
9. Auburn (9-3)
10. Kansas (9-3)
11. Texas Tech (9-3)
12. Arizona State (9-3)
13. Texas (9-3)
14. Wisconsin (9-3)
15. Clemson (9-3)
16. Utah (9-3)
17. Cincinnati (9-4)
18. Virginia Tech (8-4)
19. Arkansas (8-4)
20. Boise State (9-3)
21. Illinois (8-4)
22. Kansas State (8-4)
23. Tennessee (8-4)
24. Oregon State (8-4)
25. Georgia Tech (8-4)
26. BYU (10-2)
27. Arizona (8-4)
28. California (8-4)
29. Rutgers (8-5)
30. Central Florida (8-4)
31. Michigan (7-5)
32. Penn State (7-5)
33. Nebraska (7-5)
34. Oklahoma State (7-5)
35. Colorado (7-5)
36. Purdue (7-5)
37. Connecticut (7-5)
38. Louisville (7-5)
39. Oregon (7-5)
40. Alabama (7-5)
41. Mississippi State (7-5)
42. South Carolina (7-5)
43. Florida State (7-5)
44. UCLA (7-5)
45. Boston College (7-5)
46. Texas A&M (7-5)
47. Miami (7-5)
48. Virginia (7-5)
49. Notre Dame (7-5)
50. New Mexico (7-5)

In honor of Playboys presumptive champion, Oklahoma, we proudly link to Playboy's Oklahoma Sooners model (NSFW) in Playboy's Girls of the Big 12 college pictorial edition (~very~ NSFW).

While the study takes all recruiting into account (not just college football) it's interesting to contrast who spent what on how successful their efforts are percieved to have been by contrasting them to the Rivals.com college football team recruiting rankings.

College Recruiting Expenses vs. College Football Recruiting Rankings

A few other notables from the top-twenty in spending:

Texas - $1,156,800
Oklahoma - $1,120,800
Georgia Tech - $1,111,900
West Virginia - $1,094,200

Here's a few interesting takeaways from the report:

- Recruiting budgets at the top-twenty spenders repesents just 1-3% of the athletic departments budget.
- 21 schools spent more than $1 million on recruiting.
- USF had the lowest spend among BCS schools at less than $500,000.
- Louisiana-Monroe spent the least in DI-A - $134,300.
- Of the BCS conferences, the SEC spends the most on recruiting ($13,129,700) while the Big East spent the least ($6,125,700).

The complete list of spending by school is online... enjoy.