Here are my thoughts.

Conference tie breakers used:
Settle it on the field
- Head to head among tied teams
- Results vs opponents within the same division with the best record, repeated through the team with the worse record.

These two are the most consistently used in college football. Head to head chooses to let the dispute be settled on the field at the price of selecting the team that lost to the worst them. These tiebreakers favor an inconsistent team that plays up to a good team and down to a bad team over a team that plays at a consistent level throughout the season. It leans towards the upper end of a teams performance level.

At least with head to head you are using games between the teams. Head to head is also very effective for divisions where every team plays each other, never failing with a tie of an even number of teams and often succeeding when three teams are tied. If head to head fails the decent through the standings reduces to eliminating the team who lost to the best team, leaving the teams that lost to the worst teams. In cases where a group of teams beat all outsiders this method will always fail.

While head to head is here to stay, the decent down the standings should go.

Common Opponents
- Record against teams within the same division
- All common conference opponents

Comparing results vs common opponents is one of the most sound tiebreakers and should not be used more heavily.

A great, seldom used, tiebreaker
- Combined Record of non-division opponents

If head to head and division records are don't break the tie, the difference in cross over games can be used to break a tie. The team that beat the teams with the highest combined conference win loss record is a meaningful tiebreaker that would have a high degree of success.

Ineffective tiebreakers
- Eliminate teams not eligible for post season play
- All non-division opponents
- Results vs all conference opponents with the best record, repeated through the team with the worse record

Teams not eligible for post season play are usually eliminated a priori.

If a tie exists and is not broken by the record in the division, how will the non division opponents not be tied? Here a descent down the standings might make sense, but is inferior to the combined record of non-division opponents.

Interest of the conference
- Best overall W-L Record
- Least number of FCS teams played

These tiebreakers favor teams that benefit the perceived strength of the conference. Also teams have a direct say in controlling the number of FCS teams played.

Parity
- Eliminate the team with the most recent championship appearance

I like this tiebreaker as it gives a slight advantage to the underdog. It is also supported by the rich tradition of the Rose Bowl.

NFL Tiebreakers
- Total Point Head to head
- Total TD's in all games played

College football has a strong allergy to factors that make margin of victory a part of any procedure, as it is perceived as anti-sportsmanship.

Coin Flip
- BCS Standings
- BCS standings, unless top two are within 5 rankings, then head to head of top two in the BCS standings.
- Draw

The BCS standings are slightly better than luck of the draw, and almost guarantee the tie will be broken. The SEC rule is viewed as superior, but it would be even better to use the BCS to eliminate the lowest ranked team and reapply the rules.

Ideal Tie Breaker Procedures
When a group of tied teams is reach the procedures are followed until the tie is broken. The procedure is then repeated from the top.

1) Head to Head record of tied teams.
2) Division record of tied teams.
3) Record of tied teams vs all common conference opponents.
4) Combined conference record of non-division conference opponents.
5) Eliminate the team with the lowest BCS standings.
6) Eliminate team with most recent championship game appearance.
7) Draw lots publicly.

Cases in point
For the Big 12 south this would fall to #5, as the three teams would be tied at #4 at 11-13. #5 would eliminate Texas Tech, then Texas would win the head to head.

For the PAC 10, if USC loses to UCLA, this would fall to #5. #2, #3 and #4 are meaningless in this case. Oregon State would be eliminated, leaving USC as the PAC 10 champion. Currently the tie would be broken by California, the highest team in the PAC 10 standings they did not all beat. Oregon would be eliminated, crowning Oregon State.

These are the only possible ties this year that can't be settled by head to head.

The talk last year about teams from conferences like the WAC and MWC needing to soften their schedule to Hawaii like levels to improve their chances of an undefeated season and a BCS berth are silenced. Two undefeated teams, Boise State and Ball State, are likely to miss the BCS this year because a team with a more difficult schedule sits above them.

TCU will become the first team from outside the big 6 to qualify for an at large spot with a loss, and they did it with two losses. They would certainly have been ahead of Ball State with another win, showing even in these conferences differences in schedule can count for more than a single loss in the BCS.

Utah will be higher than Boise State in the BCS and earn the single guaranteed spot. The SEC champion will be in the NCG, and the loser of that game will be in the Sugar Bowl. Either Texas or Oklahoma will play Missouri next week for a chance at the NCG while the other waits to see if they will get an upgrade from the Fiesta Bowl, which would then go to Missouri. Virginia Tech will play Boston College for an Orange Bowl spot where they will play Cincinnati.

With a win over UCLA, USC would earn a Rose Bowl berth against Penn State. With a loss Oregon State would win the tie breaker (Oregon would be eliminated when record vs teams with as many conference wins as California are examined, and Oregon State wins the two way tie with USC), but USC's perception would be greatly tarnished with the loss. For now lets assume they win.

Utah looks set for the Fiesta Bowl. This leaves the Sugar Bowl with a choice between Boise State and Ohio State. A precedent will be set.

Never before had a BCS Bowl been forced to choose to select between a team outside the Big 6 and a lower ranked historical power. Every time a lower ranked team has been selected it has involved a historical tie in for a bowl or Notre Dame. Neither of those would be in play this time, though the assumption has always been that the outsider would draw the short lot. This year the BCS will be forced to make that choice.

Make up your mind. Is the BCS system good enough to use as a conference tie breaker and seed the National Championship game, or is it an arbitrary ranking imposed on college football that should be ignored? If the BCS ignores it in this case, what signal does that send?

Perhaps Boise State did not play the likes of USC. One could argue, neither did Ohio State. I would like to see Penn State vs Oregon.

And before you try to use Hawaii against them, remember Boise State has been here before and won. Boise State sold their tickets to the Fiesta Bowl, and would sell their share again. They travel VERY well, often setting attendance records at opponents stadiums in their conference games. And that is for the regular season. Does anyone question whether the 2007 Fiesta Bowl (after 2006) got higher TV ratings than this years Orange Bowl will get?

Does anyone outside of the Buckeye State want to see Ohio State play a third SEC team in as many years? Isn't it time to let someone else take a shot? Isn't it time Boise State learned what SEC football was like? Or maybe it is time for the East coast to learn what Boise State football is all about.

And if USC loses to UCLA, and it is a three way tie for an at large spot? Does that not diminish both USC and Ohio State? If USC can't beat a team thats not going to a Bowl, do they deserve a spot in a premier bowl? How do you let Oregon State, Cincinnati and Virginia Tech or Boston college in and leave out a top ten undefeated conference champion?

If a conference champion as low as #20 (Pittsbugh in 2004) can get into one of the four premier bowls, certainly a conference champion in the top 10 should get into one of the five premier bowls.

Boise State should be in a BCS bowl this year.

SYRACUSE: Oregon OC Chip Kelly is on the Orange's radar and will interview for the head coaching position this week. Illinois offensive coordinator Mike Locksley interviewed for the position last week, according to Rivals.com. Other likely candidates are Buffalo coach Turner Gill, East Carolina coach Skip Holtz, Florida assistant head coach Steve Addazio and New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator Doug Marrone.

WASHINGTON: Fresno State head coach Pat Hill took a flight to Washington yesterday. Rumors are swirling that Hill is a candidate for the Huskies coaching job. The Huskies had been wanting Lane Kiffen, but Tennessee has secured his services. Other potential candidates are Dennis Franchione, Texas Tech coach Mike Leach, and Cincinnati's Brian Kelly.

WYOMING: Missouri OC Dave Christensen has interviewed for the head coaching job and is thought to be the #1 candidate. A decision may come very quickly for the Cowboys.

CLEMSON: I'm hearing rumors that Swinney will be interviewed on Monday and may be named the head coach as early as Tuesday. One name that isn't a rumor is former Tennessee head coach Phil Fulmer, who confirmed his interest this week.

MISSISSIPPI STATE: The somewhat shocking resignation of Sly Croom has the Bulldogs looking for a new head coach. MSU will hire a search firm to conduct a national search, however Bulldogs AD Greg Byrne hinted that he would prefer a coach with knowledge of the SEC.

SAN DIEGO STATE: Could former Kansas and Minnesota head coach Glenn Mason be in the mix for the Aztecs? He's available and has a history of turning teams around, even if it is only for a season or two at a time.

If the rumors are true, it's one of the better hires that Tennessee could have made. While Kiffen lacks a boatload of skins to hang on his sherbert-colored walls, he certainly is a "name" coach who can recruit nationally - a must at UT.

I'm not convinced that Tommy Bowden isn't the best option for Tennessee, but -- if this pans out -- then Vols fans should be ready to celebrate come Monday.

If it doesn't pan out... what do you expect? It's the internet!

UPDATE 11/26/2008 8:00 AM

According to ESPN's Chris Lowe, Kiffen is not a done deal and that the UT team was on the road yesterday for coaching interviews. (No insight as to whom they were interviewing, though.)

Lowe knows for a fact that Kiffen has discussed the Vols job with potential assistants, including former Ole Miss coach Ed Oregeron, who coached with Kiffen at USC.

Orgeron was a recruiting whiz at Ole Miss, and he worked with Kiffin on the Southern California staff earlier this decade. I could see Orgeron coming as either a defensive coordinator, associate head coach and/or recruiting coordinator. I think the Vols will have their coach named by the middle of December. The other names to keep an eye on are Cincinnati's Brian Kelly, Texas Tech's Mike Leach and Air Force's Troy Calhoun. I think the Vols have also talked with Minnesota's Tim Brewster.

So... it isn't a done deal, but it is certainly a potential deal. Interesting.

UPDATE 11/29/2008 3:40 AM

According to an SI report, Tennessee has reached a deal with Lane Kiffin and he will be introduced at a press conference early next week. No confirmation/announcement will be held prior to the conclusion of the season out of deference to Coach Fulmer.

Tennessee and Lane Kiffin have reached a tentative agreement with the former Oakland Raiders coach to lead the Volunteers, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Friday.

A formal announcement was expected early next week, said the person, who requested anonymity because the deal had not been finalized.

So... there you have it, Vols Nation.

"We felt that after six seasons under coach Glenn the Wyoming football program was not making the kind of progress we had hoped for," Burman said in a statement. "We had hoped that after six seasons, we would be competing for a conference championship. That has not happened.

"I want to thank coach Glenn for the way in which he has represented our athletics department and our university over the past six years. There is no finer man, no finer person than Joe Glenn. He has been an outstanding ambassador for Cowboy and Cowgirl athletics, the University of Wyoming and the state of Wyoming. We will always be grateful to him for his service."

Glenn finishes his Wyoming career at 30-41 (15-31 in Mountain West Conference play), including a 4-8 (1-7 MWC) record this season to finish eighth in the conference after being picked to finish fourth and even contend for the conference championship.

The Cowboys had just two bowl-eligible seasons, though they were only invited to a bowl during the 2004 campaign. They finished 7-5 with a Las Vegas Bowl win.

It's tough to keep track of who coaches where these days in the MWC. Three guys are gone already, and several others are candidates at bigger schools. Looks like a wild off-season out in the Mountain West.

San Diego State has fired coach Chuck Long, a source close to the situation told ESPN.com's Joe Schad on Sunday.

The Aztecs athletic department has scheduled a news conference for 4 p.m. ET Sunday, regarding an announcement about its football program, according to the school's Web site.

But... the past is the past. THIS time, I think I got it right. (And I don't have any teams playing in more than one bowl!)

So... without further ado... my updated bowl game projections for games played through November 22, 2008.

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

BCS National Championship Game - Florida vs Oklahoma
Fiesta Bowl - Texas vs USC
Rose Bowl - Oregon State vs Penn State
Sugar Bowl - Alabama vs Utah
Orange Bowl - Boston College vs Cincinnati

New Mexico - Colorado State vs. Nevada
St. Petersburg - Rutgers vs. Memphis
Las Vegas - BYU vs. Arizona
EagleBank - Clemson vs Navy
New Orleans - Southern Miss vs Troy
Poinsettia - TCU vs Fresno State*
Hawaii - Hawaii vs Western Michigan*
Motor City - Ball State vs Minnesota
Meineke Car Care - UNC vs West Virginia
Champs Sports - Miami vs Iowa
Emerald - Maryland vs San Jose State*
Independence - LaTech* vs U La-La*
Papajohns.com - Pitt vs Arkansas State*
Alamo - Northwestern vs Oklahoma State
Humanitarian - Boise State vs Wake Forest
Texas - Northern Illinois* vs Rice
Holiday - Cal vs Missouri
Armed Forces - Air Force vs Tulsa
Sun - Oregon vs Notre Dame**
Music City - Kentucky vs VaTech
Insight - Wisconsin vs Kansas
Peach/Chick-fil-A - LSU vs Georgia Tech
Outback - Michigan State vs South Carolina
Capital One - Ohio State vs Georgia
Gator - Florida State vs Nebraska
Cotton - Texas Tech vs Ole Miss
Liberty - Houston vs Vandy
International - UConn vs Buffalo
GMAC - ECU vs Central Michigan

* At large teams shown with asterisk when partner conference aren't projected to have enough eligible teams.
** Yeah, I know. I said ND was a lock for the Gator. They suck and so do I.

The full list of college football bowl games is online.

Bowl slots available: 64
Teams eligible: 63
Teams on the bubble: 19
Teams not eligible: 38

BOWL ELIGIBLE
Air Force (8-4)
Alabama (11-0)
Arizona (6-5)
Ball State (11-0)
Boise State (11-0)
Boston College (8-3)
Buffalo (7-4)
BYU (10-2)
California (7-4)
Central Michigan (8-3)
x-Cincinnati (9-2)
Colorado State (6-6)
Connecticut (7-3)
East Carolina (7-4)
Florida (10-1)
y-Florida State (8-3)
Fresno State (6-5)
Georgia (9-2)
Georgia Tech (8-3)
Houston (7-4)
Iowa (8-4)
Kansas (6-5)
Kentucky (6-5)
LSU (7-4)
Louisiana Tech (7-4)
Maryland (7-4)
Miami, Fla. (7-4)
Michigan State (9-3)
Minnesota (7-5)
Mississippi (7-4)
Missouri (9-2)
Navy (6-4)
Nebraska (7-4)
Nevada (6-5)
North Carolina (7-4)
Northern Illinois (6-5)
Northwestern (9-3)
Notre Dame (6-5)
Ohio State (10-2)
Oklahoma (10-1)
Oklahoma State (9-2)
Oregon (8-3)
Oregon State (8-3)
Penn State (11-1)
Pittsburgh (7-3)
Rice (8-3)
Rutgers (6-5)
San Jose State (6-6)
South Carolina (7-4)
South Florida (6-4)
USC (9-1)
Texas (10-1)
Texas Tech (10-1)
TCU (10-2)
Troy (6-4)
Tulsa (9-2)
Utah (12-0)
Vanderbilt (6-5)
Virginia Tech (7-4)
Wake Forest (6-5)
West Virginia (7-3)
Western Michigan (9-2)
Wisconsin (7-5)

ON THE BUBBLE
Akron (5-6)
Arizona State (4-6)
Arkansas State (5-5)
Auburn (5-6)
Bowling Green (5-6)
y-Clemson (6-5)
Colorado (5-6)
Florida Atlantic (5-6)
Florida International (4-6)
x-Hawaii (6-5)
Louisiana-Lafayette (5-5)
Louisville (5-6)
Memphis (5-6)
Middle Tennessee (5-6)
North Carolina State (5-6)
Southern Miss (5-6)
UCLA (4-6)
UTEP (5-6)
Virginia (5-6)

NOT ELIGIBLE
Arkansas (4-7)
Army (3-8)
Baylor (4-7)
Central Florida (4-7)
Duke (4-7)
Eastern Michigan (2-9)
Idaho (2-10)
Illinois (5-7)
Indiana (3-9)
Iowa State (2-10)
Kansas State (5-7)
Kent State (3-8)
Louisiana-Monroe (4-8)
Marshall (4-7)
Miami of Ohio (2-9)
Michigan (3-9)
Mississippi State (4-7)
New Mexico (4-8)
New Mexico State (3-8)
North Texas (1-10)
Ohio (3-8)
Purdue (4-8)
San Diego State (2-10)
SMU (1-10)
Stanford (5-7)
Syracuse (2-9)
Temple (4-7)
Tennessee (4-7)
Texas A&M (4-7)
Toledo (3-8)
Tulane (2-9)
UAB (3-8)
UNLV (5-7)
Utah State (2-9)
Washington (0-11)
x-Washington State (2-10)
y-Western Kentucky (2-9)
Wyoming (4-8)

x-play 13-game regular season
y-won 2 games against FCS schools, must win 7 total games.

Note: A 6-6 team may be selected for participation in a bowl game if that team is a member of a conference with which the bowl organization has a contractual affiliation, and there is no other team in that conference with a winning record. If the conference with which the bowl is affiliated has no bowl eligible team, the bowl may invite a team with a 6-6 record from another conference only if there is no other team with a winning record available in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Any team playing 13 games, must win at least seven games to be bowl eligible.

Tie Breakers are listed if ties remain after head to head.

ACC: 8 Bowl Slots, Plus 1 BCS slot

Eligible: 8 - Florida State, Wake Forest, Maryland, Boston College, North Carolina, Virgina Tech, Miami (FL), Georgia Tech
Needs 1 win: 2 - Clemson, Virginia, NC State
Eliminated: 1 - Duke

Projected: +0. Any number from 8-11 is possible. They will likely have 9 eligible teams.

Coastal:
If Virginia Tech beats Virginia they will go to the championship game, otherwise Georgia Tech will go.

Atlantic:
If Boston College beats Maryland they will go to the championship game, otherwise FSU will go.

Big 10: 6 Slots, plus 1 BCS slot
Eligible: 7 - Michigan State, Penn State, Ohio State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Iowa, Wisconsin
Eliminated: 4 - Michigan, Indiana, Purdue, Illinois

Projected: 0. They will likely have 7 eligible teams, but could place a second team in a BCS bowl.

Penn State will be in the Rose Bowl, unless they manage to earn a spot in the championship game.
Ohio State will be eligible for a BCS at large spot.

Big 12: 7 Slots, plus 2 BCS slots

Eligible: 7 - Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, Texas Tech, Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State
Needs 1 win: 1 - Colorado
Eliminated: 4 - Kansas State, Texas A&M, Iowa State, Baylor

Projected: -2. Any number from 7-8 is possible. Colorado would be fortunate to get the win. They will likely have 7-8 eligible teams, leaving them short two slots if they are able to send two teams to a BCS bowl.

Missouri will be in the Big 12 championship game.

The south depends on three game, the favored teams listed first:
A) Texas Tech vs Baylor
B) Oklahoma vs Oklahoma State
C) Texas vs Texas A&M

If all three favored teams teams win the highest ranked team in the BCS standings will go to the championship game.
If A only is an upset, Texas will go to the championship
If B only is an upset, Texas Tech will go to the championship
If C only is an upset, Oklahoma will go the championship
If two are an upset, the winner of the third will go to the championship
If all three are an upset, Texas Tech will go to the championship, as Oklahoma and Oklahoma State would be eliminated after the first round of head to head.

Big East + Notre Dame: 5 Slots, plus 1 BCS slot

Eligible: 7 - Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, West Virginia, Connecticut, South Florida, Notre Dame, Rutgers
Needs 1 win: 1 - Louisville
Eliminated: 1 - Syracuse

Projected: +1. Any number from 7-8 is possible. They will likely have 7-8 teams eligible, giving them an extra bowl eligible team or two.

[edited to fix WV's chances ]

If Cincinnati beats Syracuse they will win the Big East.

If Cincinnati loses to Louisville and West Virginia beats Pittsburgh and USF, West Virginia will win the Big East.

If Syracuse beats Cincinnati, WV loses to Pittsburgh and USF, Louisville beats Rutgers and Connecticut beats USF and Pittsburgh, then Connecticut would win the Big East.

If Connecticut beats USF and Pittsburgh, Cincinnati loses to Syracuse and exactly one of: WV beats Pittsburgh, WV beats USF, Rutgers beats Lousiville, then a three way tie with Cincinnati, Connecticut and either WV or Rutgers would occur.

Cincinnati wins all other cases.

In the event of a three way tie, the tie breaker would be BCS standings. If Cincinnati loses to Syracuse, WV loses to USF or Rutgers, and Connecticut beats Pittsburgh it might be interesting to see if any Big East teams even appears in the BCS standings. Connecticut would likely be the highest.

C-USA: 6 Slots

Eligible: 4 - East Carolina, Tulsa, Rice, Houston
Needs 1 win: 3 - Memphis, S. Miss, UTEP
Eliminated: 5 - UAB, UCF, Tulane, SMU, Marshall

Projected: +0. Any number from 4-7 is possible. They will likely have 5-6 teams eligible, possibly leaving them short a slot.

East Carolina will be in the C-USA championship game.

If Houston beats Rice they will win the C-USA West
If Rice wins and Tulsa beats Marshall, Tulsa wins the west
If Rice wins and Tulsa loses to Marshall, Rice wins the west

MAC: 3 Slots

Eligible: 5 - Ball State, C. Michigan, W. Michigan, Buffalo, N. Illinois
Needs 1 win: 2 - Akron, Bowling Green
Eliminated: 6 - Temple, Miami (OH), Kent State, Ohio, Toledo, E. Michigan

Projected: +3. Any number from 5-7 is possible. They will likely have 6 teams eligible leaving them an extra 3 eligible teams. Ball State may become eligible for a BCS at large bid, but would be an unlikely pick.

Buffalo will be in the MAC championship game.

If Ball State beats Western Michigan they win the MAC West.
If Western Michigan beats Ball State and Central Michigan loses to Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan wins the MAC West.
If Western Michigan and Central Michigan win a three way tie occurs.

The tie breaker would be conference record of cross over games. Central Michigan and Western Michigan played the same schedule and would beat Ball State. Central Michigan would then win head to head.

MWC: 4 Slots

Eligible: 5 - Utah, TCU, BYU, Air Force, Colorado State
Eliminated: 4 - Wyoming, New Mexico, SDSU, UNLV

Projected: +0. The MWC will have 5 teams eligible and will almost certainly send Utah to the BCS. TCU may also be eligible for a BCS at large, but stands no chance of being selected.

Utah wins the MWC outright with a win over BYU.
Utah and BYU would share the title if BYU beats Utah, along with TCU if TCU beats Air Force.

Navy / Independent: 1 Slot

Eligible: 1 - Navy

Projected: +0.

PAC 10: 6 Slots, plus 1 BCS slot

Eligible: 5 - USC, Oregon State, Oregon, Arizona, California
Needs 2 wins: 2 - UCLA, Arizona State
Eliminated: 2 - Washington, Washington State, Stanford

Projected: -3. Any number from 5 to 6 is possible. They will likely get 5 teams eligible and could qualify a second BCS team leaving them 2 short. If Oregon State wins the PAC 10 and USC remains BCS eligible, USC would likely gain a BCS bid.

Oregon State wins the PAC 10 with a win over Oregon.
If Oregon beats Oregon State, and USC defeats UCLA the team highest in the BCS standings would go to the Rose Bowl. This would be USC, unless they lose to Notre Dame.

SEC: 8 Slots, plus 2 BCS slots

Eligible: 8 - Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Kentucky, Alabama, LSU, Mississippi, Vanderbilt
Needs 1 win: 1 - Auburn
Eliminated: 3 - Mississippi State, Tennessee, Arkansas

Projected: -2. Any number from 8-10 is possible. They will likely get 8 teams eligible, leaving them two teams short. If Georgia loses to Georgia Tech and Florida or Alabama lose their two remaining games they may not place a second team in the BCS.

Alabama will play Florida in the SEC championship game.

Sun Belt: 1 Slot

Eligible: 1 - Troy
Needs 1 win: 3 - LA-Lafayette, Arkansas State, Middle Tennessee State, Florida Atlantic
Needs 2 wins: 1 - Florida International
Eliminated: 2 - LA-Monroe, North Texas

Projected: +2. Any number from 2 to 4 teams is possible. They will likely have 2-3 eligible teams.

The Sun Belt has no tie breakers (as indicated by last years split championship with two teams) (at least the MWC publishes an official statement that they don't use any tiebreakers)

Troy has clinched a share of the Sun Belt championship.
Arkansas State can claim a share of the title by defeating Troy and North Texas.
If Arkansas State beats Troy, Louisiana Lafayette can claim a share of the title with a win over Middle Tennessee State.

WAC: 3 Slots

Eligible: 5 - Boise State, San Jose State, LA Tech, Nevada, Fresno State
Needs 1 win: 1 - Hawaii
Eliminated: 3 - New Mexico State, Utah State, Idaho

Projected: +3. Any number from 5-6 is possible. They will likely have 6 eligible teams. Boise State will likely be eligible for a BCS at large spot, but are not likely to get selected.

Boise State has clinched the WAC championship.

Total
Although the PAC 10, SEC and Big 12 could be lacking a total of 7 teams, the Big East, WAC, MAC and Sun Belt should have 9 extra teams available to fill the gaps. Perhaps we need another bowl for those final 2 teams.

The recent moves by the Sun Belt and WAC to position themselves as alternates in several bowl games may well pay off this year. Perhaps the MAC should take notes.

HD receivers will not automatically change to the HD station. For Direct TV you will have to manually select 616-1, not the normal 616 the mtn is on.

The mtn has been determined in holding on to its rights to the game, possibly the most nationally compelling MWC game annually. With all eye watching, this is the perfect time to unveil HD on its (mostly new) viewing audience. Actually it wold have been better 3 months ago...but I'll take it now.

HD broadcasts will begin 1 PM ET with this programming:
1 PM ET: MWC Pregame Show
2 PM ET: Wyoming vs CSU
5 PM ET: Post Game Show
6 PM ET: Utah vs BYU

Some cable providers carrying the mtn will only broadcast HD from 5 PM through the conclusion of the Utah BYU game.

BYU #14 at Utah #7, Utah favored by 6.5

Utah all but clinches a BCS Berth with a win. BYU likely gets a BCS berth with a win and a Boise State loss.

Utah wins the conference title outright, while BYU can claim at least a third of the title with a win, half if Air Force beats TCU.

This is the second time this rivalry has featured 2 ranked teams. 1994 #21 Utah beat #20 BYU 34-31. The home team is 3-6 in the last 9 games, and 10 of the last 11 have been decided by less than 7 points. Since 1988 the series is 10-10, 5-5 since 1998.

Utah leads the series all time 49-30-4, excluding Utah's 3-3 record vs the Brigham Young Academy that proceeded BYU.

This should be the best of the 84 meeting to date, though not the battle of unbeatens some had dreamed of. Any with reports of tickets going for $1600, it had better be!

PS...

Utah by 5!

ACC: 8 Bowl Slots, Plus 1 BCS slot

Eligible: 8 - Florida State, Wake Forest, Maryland, Boston College, North Carolina, Virgina Tech, Miami (FL), Georgia Tech
Needs 1 win: 1 - Virginia
Needs 2 wins: 3- Clemson, Duke, North Carolina State
Eliminated: NONE

Projected: +1. Any number from 8-12 is possible. They will likely have 9-10 eligible teams, possibly giving them and extra eligible team.

Maryland and Miami control their own fate for the ACC championship game. If they lose a game, and they both have tough tests ahead, the conference is up in the air. I might comment with further detail later this week.

Big 10: 6 Slots, plus 1 BCS slot
Eligible: 7 - Michigan State, Penn State, Ohio State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Iowa, Wisconsin
Needs 1 win: 1 - Illinois
Eliminated: 3 - Michigan, Indiana, Purdue

Projected: 0. Any number from 7-8 is possible. They will likely have 7 or 8 eligible teams, but could place a second team in a BCS bowl.

If Penn State beats Michigan State they are the champions.
If Penn State loses and Ohio State beats Michigan Ohio State will be the champions.
If Michigan State beats Penn State and Ohio State loses Michigan State will be the champions.

Big 12: 7 Slots, plus 2 BCS slots

Eligible: 7 - Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, Texas Tech, Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State
Needs 1 win: 1 - Colorado
Eliminated: 4 - Kansas State, Texas A&M, Iowa State, Baylor

Projected: -2. Any number from 7-8 is possible. Colorado would be fortunate to get the win. They will likely have 7-8 eligible teams, leaving them short two slots if they are able to send two teams to a BCS bowl.

Missouri will be in the Big 12 championship game.

If Texas Tech beats Oklahoma they will be in the Big 12 championship game.
Texas Tech would also win if they lose to Oklahoma and Oklahoma then lost to Oklahoma State.
Texas would win if Oklahoma beat Texas Tech and Texas Tech lost to Baylor.
Oklahoma would win if they beat Texas Tech and Oklahoma State and Texas lost to Texas A&M.

If Texas Tech loses to Oklahoma and Texas, Oklahoma and Texas Tech win their other games the highest ranked team in the BCS standings will be in the Big 12 championship game. This would likely be Oklahoma.

Big East + Notre Dame: 5 Slots, plus 1 BCS slot

Eligible: 6 - Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, West Virginia, Connecticut, South Florida, Notre Dame
Needs 1 win: 2 - Louisville, Rutgers
Eliminated: 1 - Syracuse

Projected: +1. Any number from 6-8 is possible. They will likely have 7-8 teams eligible, giving them an extra bowl eligible team or two.

Like the ACC, the Big East championship picture is still very cloudy. It is tractable now and I may get around to it latter this week. If Cincinnati defeats Pittsburgh they will have a very strong lead.

C-USA: 6 Slots

Eligible: 4 - East Carolina, Tulsa, Rice, Houston
Needs 1 win: 3 - Memphis, S. Miss, UTEP
Needs 2 wins: 1 - Marshall
Eliminated: 4 - UAB, UCF, Tulane, SMU

Projected: +0. Any number from 4-8 is possible. They will likely have 5-6 teams eligible, possibly leaving them short a slot.

Houston controls their own fate.
Tulsa needs Houston to lose to Rice or UTEP and to beat Tulane and Marshall.
Rice needs to beat Houston and Marshall and have Tulsa lose to Tulane or Marshall.
UTEP might have possibilities if they beat Houston and Tulsa or Rice lose both their remaining games, though I would have to examine the tie breakers more fully.

East Carolina needs to beat UAB or UTEP.
Marshall needs East Carolina to lose to both UAB and UTEP and beat Rice and Tulsa.
Memphis needs East Carolina to lose to both UAB and UTEP and Marshall to lose to Rice or Tulsa, while beating both UCF and Tulane.
Unexplored remote possibilities exist for the other C-USA east teams should East Carolina lose bothe games while Marshall and Memphis both drop a game.

MAC: 3 Slots

Eligible: 4 - Ball State, C. Michigan, W. Michigan, Buffalo
Needs 1 win: 3 - Akron, Bowling Green, N. Illinois
Eliminated: 6 - Temple, Miami (OH), Kent State, Ohio, Toledo, E. Michigan

Projected: +4. Any number from 5-7 is possible. They will likely have 6-7 teams eligible leaving them an extra 3 or 4 eligible teams.

Central Michigan needs to beat Ball State to win the MAC West.
Ball State needs to beat Central Michigan and Western Michigan to win the MAC West.
Western Michigan needs Ball State to beat Central Michigan and Central Michigan to lose to Eastern Michigan to win the MAC West.
If Ball State beats Central Michigan, Western Michigan beats Ball State and Central Michigan beats Eastern Michigan tiebreakers are employed. This would fall to which team had the stronger opponents from the MAC East.

MWC: 4 Slots

Eligible: 4- Utah, TCU, BYU, Air Force
Needs 1 win: 2 - Colorado State, UNLV
Eliminated: 3 - Wyoming, New Mexico, SDSU

Projected: +0. Any number from 4-6 is possible. They will likely have 4-5 teams eligible and could send one to the BCS, leaving them anywhere from one short to one over.

Utah wins the MWC outright with a win over BYU.
Utah and BYU would share the title if BYU beats Utah, along with TCU if TCU beats Air Force.

Navy / Independent: 1 Slot

Eligible: 1 - Navy

Projected: +0.

PAC 10: 6 Slots, plus 1 BCS slot

Eligible: 5 - USC, Oregon State, Oregon, Arizona, California
Needs 1 win: 1 - Stanford
Needs 2 wins: 2 - UCLA, Arizona State
Eliminated: 2 - Washington, Washington State

Projected: -2. Any number from 5 to 7 is possible. They will likely get 5-6 teams eligible and could qualify a second BCS team leaving them 2 short.

Oregon State wins the PAC 10 with wins over Arizona and Oregon State.
USC wins with an Oregon State loss to Arizona and a win over UCLA.
If Oregon beats Oregon State, USC defeats UCLA and Oregon State defeats Arizona the team highest in the BCS standings would go to the Rose Bowl. This would be USC, unless they lose to Notre Dame.

SEC: 8 Slots, plus 2 BCS slots

Eligible: 8 - Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Kentucky, Alabama, LSU, Mississippi, Vanderbilt
Needs 1 win: 1 - Auburn
Needs 2 wins: 1- Arkansas
Eliminated: 2 - Mississippi State, Tennessee

Projected: -2. Any number from 8-10 is possible. They will likely get 8 teams eligible, leaving them two teams short. If Georgia loses to Georgia Tech and Florida or Alabama lose their two remaining games they may not place a second team in the BCS.

Alabama will play Florida in the SEC championship game.

Sun Belt: 1 Slot

Eligible: 1 - Troy
Needs 1 win: 1 - LA-Lafayette, Florida Atlantic
Needs 2 wins: 3 - Florida International, Arkansas State, Middle Tennessee State
Eliminated: LA-Monroe, North Texas

Projected: +2. Any number from 1 to 5 teams is possible. They will likely have 2-3 eligible teams.

Troy would win the Sun Belt with a win over LA-Lafayette.
LA-Lafayette would win the Sun Belt with a win over Troy and Middle Tennessee State.
After this, ugliness ensues.

WAC: 3 Slots

Eligible: 5 - Boise State, San Jose State, LA Tech, Nevada, Fresno State
Needs 1 win: 1 - Hawaii
Eliminated: 3 - New Mexico State, Utah State, Idaho

Projected: +6. Any number from 5-6 is possible. They will likely have 6 eligible teams and have an outside shot at a BCS bowl.

Boise State wins the WAC with a win over Nevada or Fresno State or a Nevada loss to LA Tech.
Nevada wins the WAC with a win over Boise State and LA Tech and a Boise State loss to Fresno State.

Total
Although the PAC 10, SEC and Big 12 could be lacking a total of 6 teams, the ACC, Big East, WAC, MAC and Sun Belt should have 11 extra teams available to fill the gaps. Perhaps we need another two bowls for those final 5 teams.

The recent moves by the Sun Belt and WAC to position themselves as alternates in several bowl games may well pay off this year.

"The long and short of it is, the administration and I are completely and firmly committed to building a championship football program at North Carolina," he told reporters a week ago. "My family and I are very happy in Chapel Hill."

Just my two cents: You can go ahead and add the words "today" and "for now" to the end of each sentence.

Davis's comments haven't gone unnoticed in ACC country, either.

J.P. Giglio from the News & Observer says Davis's future is "brighter than Tennessee" and runs down the potential moves for Butch, who can almost write his own ticket for any opening in the country.

Let's be clear, Davis can coach. UNC was one of the 10 worst programs in the BCS era before Davis arrived. In less than two seasons, Davis has the Heels 7-2 and ranked in the top 20.

...

With Davis' original intent in mind, there are few jobs he would leave UNC for. Save for Florida, and that would be awkward given his Miami background - although not impossible based on Rick Pitino's precedent in college basketball - there likely isn't a job in the SEC that Davis would take.

That leaves, in order:

1) University of Texas

Texas Tech, Missouri and Kansas have all made noise in the past two seasons but the Big 12 is essentially the Big 2 - Texas and Oklahoma.

Given Davis' past at Oklahoma State, I'm going to rule out Oklahoma - which also fired Davis' right-hand man, John Blake, so I don't think the two would be eager to run to Norman.

Davis recruiting at Texas is a frightening proposition. The 2001 Miami team, that won the national title the year after Davis left, was, from No. 1 through No. 85, the most-talented team in the history of the game.

He could give that roster a run for its money with Texas' recruiting resources and rich talent base.

Of course, Mack Brown is the coach at Texas. But Brown, after 11 seasons and a national title in Austin, could take another job or leave coaching to get an AD or commissioner job.

The pressure would be greater to deliver at Texas than at Chapel Hill, but Brown handled the transition and so could Davis.

2) Dallas Cowboys
...

3) Penn State

It's a longshot but it would at least be worth a conversation. Like the ACC, the Big Ten is ripe for domination. There's Ohio State and not exactly.

On the verge of another Big Ten title, Joe Paterno has reconfirmed that his successor will be his call and Davis won't be his choice.

But replacing a legend never works - like Frank Solich, like Ray Perkins - so the PSU search committee would have to cast a wider net in 2010.

Interestingly enough, Paterno almost took the Miami job when Davis was ultimately hired in 1995.

4) USC

Talk about owning a conference, please, Carroll owns everything west of Austin.

Los Angeles might be a little out of Davis' comfort zone, but it's an unbelievable recruiting base and you're guaranteed an annual crack at the national title.

Plus, at USC, there's no NFL team in LA and no one really cares about the basketball program.

I know what you're thinking... why in the world would Texas ever hire a Tarheels football coach? Oh... wait.

I'm just being honest here when I say that I can't think of too many people other than Butch Davis who could even step into Mack Brown's shoes at Texas. Can you?

And -- despite the prominent shadow -- I don't think its much of a stretch to see Davis taking over for JoPa. The field of really strong, viable candidates has definitely dwindled. (You don't hear Greg Schiano's name much these days, do ya?)

Could Davis take over at Notre Dame? I think Davis could coach circles around Charlie Weis. And he already has, now that I think about it. Think the Irish faithful want some Butch? You betchya!

What do yall think? Butch in 2009 - Carolina Blue or something new?

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

TCU had been on my mind after learning earlier in the day that the Horned Frogs will be coming to Virginia in 2009.

The contracts will be signed shortly, but agreement has been reached.

I'm not sure about the origin of the TCU-UVa talks, but the Cavaliers would not visit TCU, located in Fort Worth, until 2011 at the earliest and probably not till 2012. The Cavaliers already have lengthy trip planned to Southern California for 2010.

TCU and Virginia last hooked up in the 1994 Independence Bowl - a 20-10 win for the Cavs.

ACC: 8 Bowl Slots, Plus 1 BCS slot

Eligible: 8 - Florida State, Wake Forest, Maryland, Boston College, North Carolina, Virgina Tech, Miami (FL), Georgia Tech
Needs 1 win: 1 - Virginia
Needs 2 wins: 2- Clemson, Duke
Needs 3 wins: 1- North Carolina State
Eliminated: NONE

Projected: +1. Any number from 8-12 is possible. They will likely have 9 or 10 eligible teams, possibly giving them and extra eligible team.

Big 10: 6 Slots, plus 1 BCS slot
Eligible: 6- Michigan State, Penn State, Ohio State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Iowa
Needs 1 win: 2- Wisconsin, Illinois
Eliminated: 3- Michigan, Indiana, Purdue

Projected: -1. Any number from 6-8 is possible. They will likely have 7 or 8 eligible teams, but could place a second team in a BCS bowl.

Big 12: 7 Slots, plus 2 BCS slots

Eligible: 7 - Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, Texas Tech, Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State
Needs 1 win: 1 - Colorado
Needs 2 wins: 2 - Kansas State and Texas A&M
Eliminated: 2 - Iowa State, Baylor

Projected: -2. Any number from 7-10 is possible. Colorado would be fortunate to get the win. They will likely have 7-8 eligible teams, leaving them short two slots if they are able to send two teams to a BCS bowl.

Big East + Notre Dame: 5 Slots, plus 1 BCS slot

Eligible: 5 - Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, West Virginia, Connecticut, South Florida
Needs 1 win: 2 - Notre Dame, Louisville
Needs 2 wins: 1 - Rutgers
Eliminated: 1 - Syrause

Projected: +1. Any number from 5-8 is possible. They will likely have 7-8 teams eligible, giving them an extra bowl eligible team or two.

C-USA: 6 Slots

Eligible: 3 - East Carolina, Tulsa, Rice
Needs 1 win: 2 - Memphis, Houston
Needs 2 wins: 3 - Marshall, S. Miss, UTEP
Eliminated: 4 - UAB, UCF, Tulane, SMU

Projected: -1. Any number from 3-8 is possible. They will likely have 5-6 teams eligible, possibly leaving them short a slot.

MAC: 3 Slots

Eligible: 3 - Ball State, C. Michigan, W. Michigan
Needs 1 win: 4 - Akron, Buffalo, Bowling Green, N. Illinois
Needs 3 wins: 1 - Temple
Eliminated: 5 - Miami (OH), Kent State, Ohio, Toledo, E. Michigan

Projected: +4. Any number from 4-7 is possible. They will likely have 6-7 teams eligible leaving them an extra 3 or 4 eligible teams.

MWC: 4 Slots

Eligible: 4- Utah, TCU, BYU, Air Force
Needs 2 wins: 3 - Colorado State, UNLV, Wyoming
Eliminated: 2 - New Mexico, SDSU

Projected: +0. Any number from 4-6 is possible. They will likely have 4-5 teams eligible and could send one to the BCS, leaving them anywhere from one short to one over.

Navy / Independent: 1 Slot

Eligible: 1 - Navy

Projected: +0.

PAC 10: 6 Slots, plus 1 BCS slot

Eligible: 5 - USC, Oregon State, Oregon, Arizona, California
Needs 1 win: 1 - Stanford
Needs 3 wins: 2 - UCLA, Arizona State
Eliminated: 2 - Washington, Washington State

Projected: -2.

SEC: 8 Slots, plus 2 BCS slots

Eligible: 6 - Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Kentucky, Alabama, LSU
Needs 1 win: 3 - Vanderbilt, Mississippi, Auburn
Needs 2 wins: 1- Arkansas
Needs 3 wins: 1- Mississippi State
Eliminated: 1 - Tennessee

Projected: -2. Any number from 6-10 is possible. They will likely get 8 teams eligible, leaving them two teams short.

Sun Belt: 1 Slot

Eligible: 1 - Troy
Needs 1 win: 1 - LA-Lafayette
Needs 2 wins: 3 - Florida International, Arkansas State, Florida Atlantic
Needs 3 wins: Middle Tennessee State
Eliminated: LA-Monroe, North Texas

Projected: +2. Any number from 1 to 5 teams. They will likely have 2-3 eligible teams.

WAC: 3 Slots

Eligible: 2 - Boise State, San Jose State
Needs 1 win: 4 - LA Tech, Nevada, Hawaii, Fresno State
Needs 3 wins: 1 - New Mexico State
Eliminated: 2 - Utah State, Idaho

Projected: +2. Any number from 3-7 is possible. They will likely have 5-6 eligible teams and have an outside shot at a BCS bowl.

Total
Although the PAC 10, SEC, Big 12, C-USA and Big 10 could be lacking a total of 8 teams, the ACC, Big East, WAC, MAC and Sun Belt should have 10 extra teams available to fill the gaps. Perhaps we need another bowl for those final 2.

The recent moves by the Sun Belt and WAC to position themselves as alternates in several bowl games may well pay off this year.