Alas, we come to the last week of this wacky college gridiron season. What started with Appalachian State beating Michigan (by the way the Mountaineers went on to win the Division 1 Championship Subdivision - what used to be called Division IAA); will end with two less then deserving teams playing for the infamous National Championship. Maybe "less then deserving" is a little overboard. Suffice it to say that LSU and Ohio State are equally as deserving as eight or ten other teams. But I've argued on behalf of a playoff system before and therefore I need not rant again.

This week's musings:

Congrats go to East Carolina. Having been written off by every knowledgeable columnist (including your humble scribe) not only did they show up in Hawaii but they ended up beating the heavily favored Broncos of Boise. In losing efforts, Colorado, Central Michigan, and Central Florida deserve credit for making games closer than they were supposed to be.

This brings us to the last 17 games. That's right, it's New Year's Eve and we still have 17 games left. Of those 17, almost all should be worth watching.

Air Force vs California - Can Cal get back on track? I doubt it - the Falcons provide too many unique problems and they are happy to be there (Cal expected to be playing in a BCS game or for a national title so the Armed Forces Bowl is small potatoes).

Fresno State/Georgia Tech - A Tech alumnus recently informed me that it's really an Institute of Technology (like Devry I assume). Anyway the question here is will the Yellow Jackets be focused with all the coaching mayhem going on around them. Actually, it won't matter. This could be the only case of the west coast being better than the east. Bulldogs win (remember I am a Fresno State alumnus).

Clemson/Auburn - Possibly the most interesting matchup of the bowl season. To close to call but expect a lot of athletic play from two very athletic teams. I'll bet on the Tigers.

Oregon, Kentucky, and Oklahoma State win the other New Years Eve games.

New Years Day - Tennessee whips Wisconsin, and Florida destroys Michigan. You might notice a theme here. Simply put, speed wins and the Big 10 doesn't have enough to keep up with the SEC.

Missouri beats Arkansas but it'll be closer than most think it should be. Meanwhile, Virginia and Texas Tech will have a high scoring, exciting affair. I lean towards UVA but that's just a hunch.

Then there's Hawaii/Georgia. If Hawaii beats Georgia convincingly or just wins (that would make them 13-0), do they get consideration for the national title. I think they should especially since Georgia is playing as good as anyone over the last month. I'm going to step out on the limb here and predict the upset. Warriors go undefeated and the debate begins.

Oklahoma will beat West Virginia because they are just a little bit better all the way around and Virginia Tech takes down Kansas for the same reason.

Rutgers and Tulsa win over the weekend, which brings us to the BCS Championship Game. In a continuation of an aforementioned theme, Ohio State will not be able to keep up with LSU. Like last year's debacle, team speed will rule the day. It's not necessarily the skill positions but rather the linebackers and linemen. The Tigers will be a step or two ahead the whole game. At that point, we can start arguing about a National Champion.