10 thoughts

1 Southern Cal athletic director Pat Haden has publicly supported Lane Kiffin, but it's hard to imagine Kiffin surviving another tumultuous season.

2 This is the final season of the BCS, which is reason to celebrate. A four-team playoff won't mark the end of college football's annual outrage, though. I'm sure we'll complain about the bubble teams that get left out.

3 Since 2010, Texas is 22-16 overall and 11-15 in the Big 12. Think about that.

4 Want to see what the arms race in college football looks like? Google Oregon and Alabama football facility. Nebraska, too.

5 A number of coaches have become vocal critics of hurry-up offenses that attempt to snap the ball before the defense gets set. Oregon has mastered it. It will be interesting to see if more teams begin using that strategy.

6 The new targeting rule inevitably will create controversy. Increased player safety is never a bad idea, but borderline hits could be interpreted differently from one officiating crew to the next.

7 The SEC has won seven consecutive national championships and had six teams ranked in the top 12 in the Associated Press preseason poll. But remember, Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops thinks the SEC's dominance is a bunch of "propaganda."

8 We love offense as much as the next person, but 55 FBS teams averaged at least 30 points last season. Sixty teams averaged at least 400 total yards per game. Hopefully defenses catch up at some point.

9 Coaching turnover is common, and 31 FBS teams have new head coaches this season. Among them, Bobby Petrino resurfaced at Western Kentucky after his embarrassing dismissal from Arkansas.

10 Alabama coach Nick Saban is 8-1 in conference or national championship games. Nobody is better at preparing a team for a big game than Saban.

Chip Scoggins