Alabama Crimson Tide Tag

There are just a few weeks left in the college football regular season and things took a crazy turn this past weekend.  I think everyone, including myself, had (4) Alabama penciled in for the BCS Championship game until (8) Texas A&M pulled off the surprising 29-24 upset last Saturday.  This has opened up the field a little bit for spots in the national championship.  So lets take a little time sort of some of this chaos caused by the Alabama loss.

The loss does not eliminate Alabama from BCS contention but it puts them on the outside looking in when it looked like they were a lock.  Here are the current BCS standings as we head into this weekend's games.

BCS Standings

1. Kansas State
2. Oregon
3. Notre Dame
4. Alabama
5. Georgia
6. Florida
7. LSU
8. Texas A&M
9. South Carolina
10. Florida State

BCS Forecast

In the driver's seat:

So at the moment we are looking at a Big XII and Pac 12 showdown in Miami.  Both (1) Kansas State and (2) Oregon control their own destiny.  If Oregon and K-State win out then I believe both would be in the BCS Championship.  Oregon is an absolute no doubter if they win their last 2 regular season games and the Pac 12 Championship.  Kansas State does not have a conference championship game to bolster their resume but an undefeated record should be more than enough to secure a spot in the title game.

So it might be a little early but I think its time to start looking at the legitimate contenders as we have reached the half way point of the college football season.  As for the usual the SEC has a strong presence in the second edition of the BCS standings in 2012.  The SEC currently has 4 teams in the BCS top 10 and 7 in the top 25.  Most college football experts say the path to the national championship is through the SEC and this year is no exception.

Current 2012 BCS Standings

1.  Alabama
2.  Florida
3.  Oregon
4.  Kansas State
5.  Notre Dame
6.  LSU
7.  South Carolina
8.  Oregon State
9.  Oklahoma
10.  USC

Full BCS Standings

Football season is so close I can taste it.  Every year around this time you can feel the excitement in the sports community.  Football is by far the most popular sport in this country and everyone has a favorite pro team and a school that they are passionate about.  In the world of college football there are high expectations right now on many different campuses across the country.  [So called] Experts have already begun making predictions for teams and individual awards.  At this moment everything is up in the air.

Which teams or players will surprise you this season?  Who will win the Heisman?  Which teams will meet in the National Championship game?  These are all questions that everyone, including myself, can take a stab at answering but nothing is certain right now.  We have reached the calm before the storm.  In a few short weeks the thunderous cheers of tens of thousands will echo in college stadium across America.  But before we get to opening weekend,  here is a list of 10 things you should know about college football as we head into the 2012 regular season.

The schedule makers struck gold this year.  This will be the fourth edition of the annual Cowboys Classic and I don't think we could have landed a better match-up.  These two historic programs have combined for over 1,700 wins and both rank in the top 10 all-time in wins and winning percentage (Michigan: 895 - .734, Alabama: 814 - .697).  Alabama (14) and Michigan (11) are also #3 and #4 respectively in national championships won by a college football program.  Needless to say, these are two of the most accomplished athletic programs in the history of collegiate sports.

The Crimson Tide and Wolverines have only met in three previous engagements.  The maize and blue have managed to grab the advantage 2 games to 1 in the limited but eventful all-time series.  The last meeting between these two teams was at the 2000 Orange Bowl.  Turned out to be a great game that needed extra time to decide the winner.  Michigan ended up the victor with a 35-34 victory in what would be the last collegiate game for some guy named Tom Brady.

The first BCS standings of the 2011 college football season were released this past Sunday!  Speculation has already began for millions of college football fans across the country, however there really aren't any surprises in the initial BCS standings.  LSU(1) and Alabama(2) are sitting in the top 2 spots with Oklahoma not far behind in third.  There is a bit off a drop off to fourth but Oklahoma State is basically in the same position as any of the top 8 teams.  Of those eight teams (LSU, Alabama, Oklahoma, Oklahoma St., Boise St., Wisconsin, Stanford, & Clemson), Boise State probably faces the toughest battle to get to the BCS Championship game.  Same tune different year for the Broncos but their schedule is really just second or third rate compared to the rest of the title contenders.  The dark horse National Champion from this group is most likely Wisconsin.  The Badgers are beating opponents by an average of 40 points a game.  They are the class of the Big 10 this year and are the strong favorites at this point to win the first ever Big 10 Championship game.

Tonight the BCS Selection Show announced who is going where and when. If you missed it here are the highlights.

BCS National Championship Game: Texas Longhorns vs. Alabama Crime Tide
Not a huge surprise after last night's rout of the Florida Gators by Alabama (sorry Tim Tebow fans, he's human after all). Texas narrowly escaped Nebraska to head to Pasadena and the Rowl Bowl stadium to decided the National Championship Title.

Rose Bowl: Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Oregon Ducks
The Bucknut fans head to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl to face the Oregon Ducks who clinched their spot with their win over the Oregon Beavers.

Sugar Bowl: Cincinatti Bearcats vs. Florida Gators
Tim Tebow was brought down to earth with a lost to Alabama and his Florida Gator must settle for a Sugar Bowl match up against the undefeated Bearcats from the Big East.

Fiesta Bowl: Boise State Broncos  vs. TCU Horned Frogs
The Broncos are riding the blue turf all the way to the Fiesta Bowl to match up against the undefeated Horned

The Alabama Crimson Tide has clinched a trip to Pasadena for the 2010 BCS Championship! Travel with your fellow Crimson Tide Fans for the ultimate college football trip. Alabama BCS Championship Travel Packages are the best value when planning your trip to this once in a lifetime football game. Travel Packages include BCS National Championship Tickets, plus lodging accommodations in the Pasadena, California area, game day transfers and fun Crimson Tide fan parties! Join in with your fellow Crimson Tide fans at the BCS National Championship Game.

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The 2009 SEC Championship will be held on December 5 in Atlanta at the Georgia Dome. The Florida Gators have already clinched their spot into the big game. The winner of this game has a good chance to clinch a spot into the National Championship.

SEC Championship Packages include hotel accommodations in downtown Atlanta, guaranteed game tickets to the SEC Championship, SEC Fanfare tickets, ticket holder and lanyard, and hotel taxes. The hotels are within walking distance to the Georgia Dome.

SEC Championship Tickets can also be purchased at all ares of the Georgia Dome. All tickets are fully guaranteed and can be purchased securely online or by calling our office.

After a great weekend of college football, the BCS has made their selections to the top major bowl games. You can purchase your travel package now to any of these great games. The BCS Bowl games are as followed:

• BCS National Championship: Florida Gators vs. Oklahoma Sooners
  
• Rose Bowl: Penn State Nittany Lions vs. USC Trojans
  
• Orange Bowl: Cincinnati Bearcats vs. Virginia Tech Hokies
  
• Sugar Bowl: Utah Utes vs. Alabama Crimson Tide
  
• Fiesta Bowl: Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Texas Longhorns

When you purchase a BCS Bowl Game package with Sports Traveler, you will receive a free $20 gas card. One gift card per order.

Rose Bowl

Rose Bowl Packages are available with hotel accommodations in the Pasadena, guaranteed game ticket, transportation to the game, plus options on the Rose Bowl Parade.

Penn State Rose Bowl Packages can be purchased with airfare options from Pennsylvania. These packages also include your hotel accommodations, game tickets, admission to the Penn State Pep Rally, and more.

Rose

The Penn State Nittany Lions are most likely heading to the 2009 Rose Bowl. Now, where will the rest of the top teams head for Bowl Season? Some of our experts have these predictions:

Rose Bowl - This is the easiest bowl to determine at this point. We already know Penn State is going. They will be facing off against the winner of the Pac-10, Oregon State or USC. Even though USC has a better overall record, both teams have the same conference record with Oregon State having the tiebreaker. With a victory over #23 Oregon, we will be seeing an Oregon State/Penn State Rose Bowl.

Orange Bowl - With the Orange Bowl, we typically see the winner of the Big East play the winner of the ACC. The Big East is a more obvious right now. Cincinnati is currently leading the conference over West Virginia. With a victory this weekend, Cincy will clinch their BCS berth. West Virginia will need to win its two final games and a Cincinnati loss to go to the Orange Bowl.

The ACC is up for the grabs. We don't even