45-43: Miss-ing th Ole times, Boilermake or break, and Bulling Forward. Ole Miss, Purdue, and South Florida.

Finals have wreaked havok on my life this week, causing this delayed three-team recap, and costing me years of my life in stress-realted illnesses. Thats right I said finals, because I'm one of those sick masochists who puts himself through two 300-level classes in a rushed five week period. Starting Monday I'm back at it again. In the Meantime lets go back to that dream world where Universities exist only to provide us college football and focus on what's really important.

45. Rivals says: South Florida

I Say........

45. Ole Miss Rebels

The picture of Colonel Reb was not, as many would assume, intended to look like an old geizer whose age fits the nickname of Ole Miss that is commonly used for the University of Mississippi. It is actually just some old guy watching Ole Miss play last season. Depressing, disappointing, and lackluster. The Rebels started last season as a top 10 team, soon thereafter found themselves at number four, and then proceeded to flush their season down the drain. A 9-4 finish, good only for third in the SEC West was capped by a win in the underachievers bowl against Oklahoma State. Last season was the window of opportunity for this team but they went out the back door instead. This year, the Rebs travel to Alabama, LSU, and Arkansas, and anything better than a fourth place finish would have to be considered a success. The defense should be tough but the offense looks pretty shaky. Star RB Dexter McCluster is now in the NFL, and Jevon Snead left early to go hang out on some practice squad somewhere (honestly, you were the most disappointing player in the country last year, what made you think leaving early after that was a good choice). The latter may actually improve the Rebs, the former will definitely hurt. The Rebs have a solid if unspectacular team, unfortunately, in the SEC that usually means you are like the 30th best team in the conference. That being said, a bowl is easily achievable, just don't look for the BCS or Cotton this year.

Rivals says: Ole Miss

I say.......

44. Purdue Boilermakers

Okay, so maybe I have more fiath in this squad than most. Rivals has this team at 62. The Boilermakers have failed to reach a bowl in two consecutive seasons and if this streak hits three, head coach Danny Hope will be looking for a new job. I think the talent is there, and the schedule is favorable for Purdue to be a dark horse in a stacked Big 10 this year. They gained a big transfer this season in former Miami starting QB Robert Marve, so they have experience behind center even though they are replacing a senior. Marve will also have three senior WR's to hurl the ball at and a decently experienced line in front of him. If the Boilers disappoint agains, it will be on the defense that starts a lot of sophmores and was dead last in the Big 10 in defending the run in 2009. Here comes the big advantage though, a conference schedule that doesn't include Penn St. or Iowa. This confernce should have four schools that are constant in the top 25 all year, and Purdue gets to skip two of them. The hardest out of conference game will be at Notre Dame on opening day, and the Irish haven't scared anyone since Lou Holtz started using a colostomy bag. Last year they had Oregon, Notre Dame, and a surprising loss to N. Illinois. Western Illinois, the bad BSU, and Toledo should make for a much easier path and a 9-10 win season is possible, though unlikely.

Rivals say: Texas A&M

I say.........

43. South Florida Bulls

The Bulls are consistant in a bad way, every they start 5-0 and then finish outside the final top 25. Three years in a row, the only team to start at least 5-0 each season during that span. In return, the Bulls have not once actually won the Big East (the worst and smallest BCS confernce). The Bulls also have the prestige of being one of three teams to fire a coach this offseason for mistreating players. Jim Levitt, the man who essentially built the program, was fired for slapping a player in the face!

Well Levitt is gone now, and although he meant a lot to the program, his absence will go largly unoticed. South Florida will continue to pick up the leftovers after Florida, Florida St., and Miami have their share at the recruiting table. The Bulls will have a proven playmaker at QB to build around though. Sophmore B.J. Daniels looked great in replaced injured senoir Matt Grothe last season and with nine starts under his belt should be ready to go against the rest of the Big East (a conference that always defends the throw poorly). The problem is the defense, which will likely be starting more sophmores and freshmen that juniors and seniors. Again, a bowl is likely but a Big East title looks unlikely. As a matter of fact with Florida and Miami on the out of conference schedule, a 6-6 season is more likely.