Anything is possible on any given weekend in football Increasing parity allows more opportunities for sucess
John Allen
During the months of labor strife in Major League Baseball, many writers have talked about how baseball needs to become more like the National Football League in terms of the unity between players and owners.
One thing many of them miss is the NFL's rise to becoming the nation's top sport has come about in large part to the competitiveness of the league. Literally any team can win the Super Bowl. Take last year for instance. Most experts had the New England Patriots picked for last in their five-team division. Despite losing franchise quarterback Drew Bledsoe in the second game, the Patriots rode a wave of confidence and a sixth-round pick at starting quarterback all the way to a Super Bowl win.
On any given Sunday ...
And now, on any given Saturday.
Competitive college football each and every Saturday has been slower to develop. But this season at least five teams can say they have a good chance of winning the national championship and the number of cream puff games is on the decline. Part of that comes from the BCS, which has forced teams with major bowl dreams to improve their schedules.
But the other part comes from the lower level teams improving their talent base. As recruiting services have exploded on the Internet, more and more players are finding places to play - whether it is at LSU or Louisiana Tech, Florida or South Florida, Colorado or Northern Colorado.
With all this talent also comes more games. Because of a quirk in the calendar, all NCAA Division I-A teams can schedule 12 games this season. Most have and in certain situations, a team can play up to 15 games.
Playoff fever
With more games to watch, the cry at the end of the season will still be the same - playoffs.
All divisions except I-A have a playoff system that works well to determine a champion. Hopefully this season, the Texas A&M-Kingsville squad, led by quarterback Abel Gonzalez, will get another shot at winning the Division II title.
But in Division I-A, it will be possible for a team that doesn't play in its league championship game to play in the national championship game like last year. Texas and Oklahoma are two of the five favorites to play for the national title and they both play in the Big 12's South Division. It is possible that the one who plays in the Big 12 championship game will not be the one playing for the national championship.
For Texas football fans this could be a very big year. Texas, Texas A&M and Texas Tech are all looking good for earning a bowl bids; Texas Christian will contend for the Conference USA title; Sam Houston State is among the favorites in Division I-AA; obviously Texas A&M-Kingsville and Tarleton State are Division II powers; and Trinity could go further in the Division III playoffs this season.
