Player Profile: Luke Joeckel

Luke Joeckel 

Position:  Offensive Tackle
School:  Texas A&M
Year:  Junior
Height:  6'6
Weight:  310
Projection:  Top 5 Pick, #1 OT

Strengths
-Good Frame (6'6 310).  Should be able to add weight without issues.
-Experienced.  Started every game at Left Tackle since his freshman year.
-Great Game Film.  Was dominant against Auburn and LSU.
-Quick feet that allows him to side side to side and get good drops in pass protection.
-Great character, Hard Working, and tough.  Plays through the whistle.
-Aggressive blocker who wants to dominate the defender
-Does a great job of getting into the right position to make a block.  Very technically sound.
-Very intelligent.  Good with reads and picking up blitzs, stunts, and twits.
-Can play in both man and zone blocking scheme.
-Understands how to play angles

Weaknesses
-Struggles with defenders who use their hands well.
-Speed rushers to the outside
-Needs to get stronger
-Isn't going to knock anybody back with is punch

Summary
Luke Joeckel is the top offensive tackle in this draft class and one of the five best players in the entire draft.  I wouldn't put Joeckel in the Joe Thomas, Jake Long, or Matt Khalil category, but he is just a notch below them.  Joeckel is an athletic tackle who can lock down pass rushers.  Joeckel is very aggressive and wants to take it to the defender.  This does cause him problems because he doesn't always get the depth he needs on his drops and good speed rushers can beat him to the outside.  Joeckel is a very tough blocker, but he could stand to improve his strength which will make his initial punch more effective.  Joeckel can play in both a man or a zone blocking scheme, but he seems to be a better fit in a zone scheme since he isn't very over powering.  He should test well at the combine, but what most teams will be impressed with is his game film where he dominated some of the SEC's best pass rushers.  He held Sam Montgomery, Barkevious Mingo, and Corey Lemonier in check.  Without a dominant QB prospect there is a great chance that Joeckel could go #1 overall.  But if he doesn't Philadelphia and Detroit could be options.  But he won't last past Arizona at #7.

Coaching Carousel (Remember these Names)

Now that the coaching carousel has ended (unless something unexpected comes up) we can go ahead and look to the future.  Next year, like every year, we have coaches who lose their jobs and schools are looking for the next great coach.  We all know about the big names like Chad Morris (Clemson OC) and Kirby Smart (Alabama DC) but what about the guys we don't know about?  Here is a list of coaches who may not be as hot of names now, but could easily be leading their own programs within the next few years.

Doug Nussmeier (Alabama Offensiver Coordinator)
After Alabama won the National Title, Nussmeier got a lot of love.  And why not.  All Nussmeier has done is take what Jim McElwain did before him and make the offense that much better.  They are a running team, but he's developing QB AJ McCarron into an elite college QB and giving a once pedestrian offense into a valid threat.  You also can't ignore what he did at Washington with Jake Locker and Keith Price.  Add in that schools love to hire Nick Saban assistants and that makes Nussmeier all the more attractive.


Scott Frost (Oregon Offensive Coordinator)
A lot of people may not know who Scott Frost is, but he has one heck of a resume.  He played at Stanford under Bill Walsh and then transferred to Nebraska and won a National Championship as a QB under Tom Osbourne.  He played safety in the NFL and was on teams coached by Bill Parcells, Bill Billicek, and Monte Kiffin.  As a coach he's worked with Bill Synder and Chip Kelly.  Add in that he was the defensive coordinator at Northern Iowa also.  Frost is a coach in the making.  He's a good recruiter and has now been promoted to offensive coordinator under Mark Helfrich.  It's only a matter of time before he gets a head job.  He reportedly was interviewed for the Louisiana Tech job this past season.  Don't be surprised if he gets hired at a Non BCS job soon and then works his way up to a BCS level school.


Tim Beck (Nebraska Offensive Coordinator)
What Beck has done for the Nebraska offense is nothing short of spectacular.  He's built an offense that can hurt defenses in multiple ways and allows QB Taylor Martinez to flourish in spite of some deficiencies.  That is pretty good considering how bad Nebraska's offense was before he took over.  Beck also benefits from having a defensive minded head coach and has been given the free reign to run what he wants.  He only has two years as a play caller under his belt but he has improved each year.  Add in that he was a former high school coach in Texas and a good recruiter, it's now wonder why UTEP was interested in him as their next coach. 

Eddie Gran (Cincinnati Offensive Coordinator)
The former RB coach for the Florida State Seminoles was a rumored name for a couple lower tiered schools, but he ended up going to Cincinati to be Tommy Tuberville's offensive coordinator.  Gran is known for being an ace recruiter and has done so at Ole Miss and Florida State.  He's highly respected and the players love him.  It's only a matter of time before he gets a shot.  But going to Cincinnati to be a coordinator will only help his case.





Neal Brown (Kentucky Offensive Coordinator)
Brown almost wasn't included on this list because he was rumored to be on the short list with a few schools openings.  However after Tubberville left Texas Tech, Brown decided to go his alma mater Kentucky and be their new offensive coordinator.  Brown is a spread guru who learned his trade under Tony Franklin while at Troy.  At Tech he not only helped the Red Raiders keep their high flying offense, he was instrumental in the development of QB Seth Droege and leading them to a top 10 offense.  If he can jump start the Wildcat offense he would be even more enticing for schools looking for a new coach.


Jeremy Pruitt (Florida State Defensive Coordinator)
Here is a name that unless you are an Alabama or Florida State fan, you really don't know who he is.  Or maybe you recognize him from MTV's 2 a days where he was Hoover High's defensive coordinator.  But Pruitt is the new FSU DC after spending the past past two years as secondary coach for the Crimson Tide.  Pruitt is going to inherit a very talented Seminole defense and he'll have to chance to really impress a lot of people.  With some very good success, he could parlay that into a head coaching job in the future.

Bob Stitt (Colorado School of Mines Head Coach)
Unlike the previous coach listed, Stitt is actually a head coach.  But it's at the Division II level.  However it could be a matter of time before he lands in the FBS level.  Stitt is considered to be an offensive innovator and has influenced many of the top offensive minds in college football, including Dana Holgerson.  Stitt's name even got thrown about for the Colorado opening this year.  Now we may see Stitt as an offensive coordinator first, but schools are looking for the next Chip Kelly and the next great thing could go the unconventional route and hire Stitt to be their guy.

Coaching Carousel (Oregon Ducks)

Ohio State, Texas, USC, Florida, and Notre Dame might be the top jobs in college football.  But Oregon is right behind them.  The Ducks had always seemed to be an after thought in the Pac 12, but it when Mike Bellotti took over when the Ducks 1995 things began to change.  They won a share of the Pac 12 in 2000 and in 2001 the Ducks should have played for a National Title (Nebraska sneaked in).  But in 2006 Bellotti hired an unknown Chip Kelly to be his offensive coordinator from New Hampshire.  The rest is history. 

Kelly's uptempo offense jump started the Ducks, Bellotti was forced out, Kelly took over and turned the Ducks into the hippest program and a regular National Title Contender.  With Kelly's uptempo spread offense paired with Phil Knight's Nike money the Ducks are a very popular team.  They seem to be on the cutting edge of what's cool. And that has transformed the Ducks from a Pac 12 doormat to one of the top programs in the nation. 

Kelly's departure is going to hurt, but he's set the Ducks up for success.  Add in that Phil Knight's money and influence isn't going anywhere, the Ducks should be in a good situation to continue their success.  But to do so, they need to make a good hire here.  Luckily they've have some qualified candidates.

Listed below are the people I think have a shot to get the job.  I've only listed three people because I honestly think that they'll hire on of these three people.  I'd be shocked if they went outside of this group.

Potential Candidates

Mark Helfrich (Oregon Offensive Coordinator)
He has the be the odds on favorite.  Mainly because the Ducks want to keep some continuity and Helfrich has been Kelly's OC since he took over.  Kelly has endorsed Helrich and believes he can keep the program rolling.  But the concern is that Helfrich didn't call the plays and now that Kelly is gone, will he be as dynamic of a play caller?  But you can't ignore that their AD publicly stated that Helfrich would take over if Kelly left.  All signs point to him.

Nick Aliotti (Oregon Defensive Coordinator)
Here is another in house candidate that could get the job if they feel that Helfrich isn't the guy.  Unlike Helfrich, Aliotti has actually made the calls on his side of the ball and has had more control.  His defenses haven't been at the elite level, but because of the offense that the Ducks run it's probably never going to be the guy.  But Aliotti is probably at best the 2nd choice here.

Chris Peterson (Boise State Head Coach)
If the Ducks are going to go to the outside the first person they have to call is Chris Peterson.  Even though his name gets thrown out for every big job opening, this is one that he would probably think long and hard about.  Everything about this job fits what Peterson would like.  Add in that Peterson has coached at Oregon previously and it makes it all the more tempting.  If anybody is going to be hired from the outside it's him.  But that's if Oregon wants him and if he wants to go to Oregon. 

Fixing the Bowls

It's a yearly tradition.  College football fans are not happy with the bowls.  Whether they find them meaningless, full of bad match ups, or not having a true playoff people are starting to (if not already) really hate them. 

I am one of the minority who actually like the bowls.  They fun and different.  Their a reward for the players and the coaches.  Plus it gives us a chance to watch a lot of college football and see some match up that we will never get in the regular season. 

However we do have some hope as the four team playoff will be coming in a few years.  This does not mean that Bowls are going away.  But we do need to fix some of the things that would make them a lot better.  Listed below are a few ideas that I feel would really spice up Bowl season and get back a lot the interest we once had.

1.  Eligible Teams
Right now if you win six games you are eligible to make a bowl.  And with the amount of Bowls and conference tie ins, your assured that you make one.  That means we get to see some "great" match ups between two 6-6 teams.  That's not very exciting if you ask me.  Bowl Games are suppose to be a reward for a good season.  Going .500 isn't a good season.  What they should do is increase the wins to be eligible to seven.  That's at least having a winning record.  This will force some teams not to be eligible and we'd have some better match ups.

2.  Eliminating Bowls
This idea is a little harder for me since I love watching football, but they need to cut back on the amount of bowl games.  Because of the previous idea (moving the eligibility from 6 to 7 wins) there will be a need to cut games because there won't be enough eligible teams to fill up all the bowls.  Right now we have 35 Bowls, that just way too many.  If you move it up to seven wins to get it there would only be enough teams qualified for 32 bowls.  Personally I think we could shrink it down even more.  Maybe down to 25-28 bowls.  That could be easy by getting rid of bowls that are played in the same stadium or the same town.  Here would be the 10 Bowls I'd eliminate:

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Who wants to travel to Boise Idaho in the middle of December to play a bowl?  Blue field not withstanding.

Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl
Tropicana Field is a horrible place for Football and Florida is overrun with Bowl Games anyways.

Little Caesars Bowl
Same as the Potato Bowl, but substitute Boise for Detroit.

Russell Athletic Bowl
They already play the Capital One Bowl at the Citrus Bowl, why do we need another game there?

New Era Pinstripe Bowl
This is tough because New York would be a fun place to go, but it's in a baseball stadium and in a cold weather environment.

Heart of Dallas Bowl
Similar to the Russell Athletic Bowl, they already play the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.  Why another game?  At least this one is played in the Cotton Bowl.

BBVA Compass Bowl
When I think of going to a bowl game location, I"m not hoping to go to Birmingham Alabama.


3.  No Repeat Visits
Game attendance is down.  Part of that is the economy and travel costs.  But another part is some teams are going to the same site two years (or more) in a row.  Let's look at Nebraska for a second.  They are known for having some of the most well traveled fans.  However their game in the Capital One Bowl this past year wasn't as highly attended as previous bowls.  A big reason for that is the Huskers were just at the Capital One Bowl the year before.  From now on they should have a rule about not being able to go to the same bowl two years in a row.  Nebraska could have easily been slotted to the Outback Bowl instead.

4.  Return New Years Day MagicOne of the best things about the old bowl format was that New Years Day was when all the big time bowl games were (BCS Bowls now).  I understand that they don't want two major bowl games going on at the same time, so they string them out over the week.  But that just drags it out so long.  They should have January 1st be the last day of the bowl season.  There is no problem with having three big bowls on that final day.  Or heck have them on New Year's Eve or the day before.  Not January 7th.

5.  Pay the Winner
Every year there are plenty of teams that are not motivated to play in the bowl games.  They'd don't want to be there and are more interested in the off the field stuff.  What is worse is we've grown to almost accept it.  That's not right.  What we need to do is reward the winning team.  Instead of paying both teams (money goes to the conference) the winning team should get the lions share of the money while the loser still gets some, just not as much.  That might motivate the coaches to be more focused.  The players always get some form of a grab bag full of high dollar stuff.  What we should do is only give the winning team the perks.  That might motivate the players to care more.

Bonus

Don't use Bowls in Playoff
A bonus one here.  With the four team playoff coming down the road, please don't use any of the current Bowls as semi-finals.  The Championship is OK.  But that will kill the those bowls.  Fans won't want to travel to both games and then the stadium will be filled with corporate sponsors or local fans which won't lead to a good crowd.  Instead have those games at home sites where they will be much better for the game.

Coaching Carousel (Grading the Hires)

Arkansas Razorbacks
In:  Bret Bielema
Out:  John L Smith
Analysis:  There were plenty of names that gone thrown around.  But when Arkansas finally hired Bret Bielema away from Wisconsin, everybody was shocked.  It wasn't that Bielema wasn't a good coach, just that nobody saw it coming.  The hire was also intriguing because Bielema has always coached in the Midwest and has no real recruiting ties to the South.  That and he won't be able to find huge lineman like he had up in Cheese Land.  This is a boom or bust hire in my opinion.
Grade:  B+


Auburn Tigers
In:  Gus Malzahn
Out: Gene Chizik
Analysis:  This is a home run hire in my opinion.  After having defensive coach after defensive coach the Tigers broke the mold and got an offensive mind.  You had to know that when Malzahn left Auburn to Arkansas State he was just doing so to prep for his next job.  Who knew that he'd be right back at Auburn.  Malzahn brings his exciting brand of football back and even hired DC Ellis Johnson whose been a great DC in the SEC for years.  Look for Auburn to be back on the rise.
Grade:  A


Boston College Eagles
In:  Steve Adazzio
Out:  Frank Spaziani
Analysis:  At one point Boston College was a consistent top 25 program.  But after winning only two games this past season there needed to be a change.  Adazzio was a surprise hire, but he makes a lot of sense.  Adazzio is form the Northeast and has recruited the area in the past at Temple and with Florida.  His big challenge will be keeping the talented players in the area to start coming back to BC.  This wasn't an exciting or sexy hire, but Adazzio was a good choice.
Grade:  B+

California Golden Bears
In:  Sonny Dykes
Out:  Jeff Tedford
Analysis:  Much like what they did when they hired Tedford, the Bears went back to the well and brought in another offensive guru.  This time they went out and plucked Sonny Dykes from Louisiana Tech.  But the big change is that Dykes has head coaching experience prior to coming to Cal.  Add in that he was a successful coordinator at Arizona and he should fit right in.  I really like this hire.
Grade:  A+

Cincinnati Bearcats
In:  Tommy Tuberville
Out:  Butch Jones
Analysis:  Not a fan of this hire at all.  The Bearcats have had some good coaches over the years.  Mark Dantoni, Brian Kelly, and Butch Jones.  They could have easily gotten a good MAC coach or coordinator looking to get their first job and been fine.  But you have to believe that their AD wanted somebody who might look to be there for a while.  Well if he believes that then he's failed because Tuberville is a lot like Bobby Petrino in that he's always looking for the next job and wants back into the SEC bad.  The Bearcats will be looking for a new coach in three years.
Grade:  D

Colorado Buffaloes
In:  Mike MacIntrye
Out:  John Embree
Analysis:  Colorado has enjoyed some success in their past, but they've been just terrible ever since 2001.  They need somebody to come in and build it from the ground up and they might have gotten the right guy to do so.  Mike MacIntrye build the San Jose State job from one of the worst in FCS, to a BCS ranked team.  His ties to California will be big, but he has to keep the likes of Collin Klein, Cain Kolter, and Kenny Bell's instate if he wants to be successful.
Grade:  A

Kentucky Wildcats
In:  Mark Stoops
Out:  Joker Phillips
Analysis:  I'll have to admit I wasn't a big fan of this hire when I first heard about it.  But the more and more that I look the Wildcats could have made a great decision.  Much like his brothers, Mark Stoops is a defensive guru and did a great job rebuilding Florida State's defense the last couple of years.  Kentucky's defense lately has been atrocious.  But Stoops made a great decision of hiring Neal Brown as his offensive coordinator.  Brown was being talked about as a head coach for some jobs, but will bring his spread offense he ran at Texas Tech last year.
Grade:  A-

North Carolina State Wolfpack
In:  Dan Doren
Out:  Tom O'Brein
Analysis:  Doren comes to NC State from Northern Illinois after leading them to the MAC's first every BCS game.  Doren is a defensive coach who was the defensive coordinator at Wisconsin before.  My concern about Doren is that he's only been a head coach for two years and he took over a great situation that Jerry Kill left him.  But he is bringing Matt Canada (former Wisconsin Offensive Coordinator) with him to run the offense and Canada is a very bright mind in my opinion. 
Grade:  B-

Purdue Boilermakers
In:  Darrell Hazell
Out:  Danny Hope
Analysis:  Purdue kept the Big 10 tradition of hiring MAC coaches to fill their openings.  They did so by hiring former MAC coach of the Year, Darrell Hazell from Kent State.  Under Hazell's leadership the Golden Flashes were one win away from a BCS appearance.  Hazell is an offensive minded coach and the Boilermakers want to get back to their offensive prowless they use to be under Joe Tiller.  This was a pretty good hire in my opinion.  Hazell did wonders with the Kent State program, but he'll have an upward battle trying to win the Leaders Division with Ohio State and Wisconsin in the same division.
Grade:  B

South Florida Bulls
In:  Willie Taggert
Out:  Skip Holtz
Analysis:  Out of all the recent hires, this is one of the ones I like the most.  Taggert has shown that he can coach by leading Western Kentucky from a transitional team to their first bowl game.  Taggert is a great fit in Tampa because he is from the state of Florida, has recruited the state while at Western Kentucky, and has the respect of the top coaches in the state.  Taggert will succeed at USF and will probably be at an even better job in the future.
Grade:  A+

Tennessee Volunteers
In:  Butch Jones
Out:  Derek Dooley
Analysis:  The problem that I have with the Vols hiring Butch Jones is that he's never really proved that he can rebuild a program.  In both previous jobs that Jones has had he's taken over for Brian Kelly.  In both spots he inherited good teams.  But in both spots he didn't really improve the teams much.  Heck at Cincinnati they were coming off a BCS appearances and Jones never won the conference.  How is he going to do at Tennessee and in the SEC.  Let's just say I'm not optimistic.
Grade:  C-

Texas Tech Red Raiders
In:  Kliff Kingsbury
Out:  Tommy Tuberville
Analysis:  This was a bold move for the Red Raiders.  they need to replace Tommy Tubberville and in my opinion went the route of getting somebody they hope would stick around for a while.  That normally backfires.  But Kingsbury was a hot name because of the success Texas A&M and Houston's offenses had while he was the offensive coordinator.  But you wonder how much of that was Kingsbury and not Kevin Sumlin who in his own way is a great offensive mind.  Plus Kingsbury is still very young in his coaching career with only five years under his belt.  Can he run his own program and recruit against some of the best?  We'll find out.
Grade:  D+

Wisconsin Badgers
In:  Brian Anderson
Out:  Brett Bielema
Analysis:  It seemed like an entirety, but when Wisconsin was finally ready to make a hire they knocked it out of the park.  Anderson was a hot name in coaching circles  who name popped up for jobs at Colorado and California.  After being an coordinator at Utah under Urban Meyer he built the Utah State program into a WAC champion.  Now he takes over the best job open this year and a team that is loaded.  The thing to watch is what type of offense he'll run.  He hired Andy Ludwig as his offensive coordinator who has been a spread guy in the past.  But with the type of lineman and running backs it will be interesting to see what they do.  But they should be fine either way. 
Grade:  A

NCAA Top 25 (Finals Standings)

1.  Alabama Crimson Tide (13-1)
It was a complete domination for the Crimson Tide in the BCS Title Game giving Alabama their third National Title in four years.  Pretty amazing what they've done this year after losing all that talent from last year's team.

2.  Oregon Ducks (12-1)
Oregon just had too much speed for KState and ran away with an easy 35-17 win.  But you have to wonder what could have been if they would have survived the Stanford game.

3.  Texas A&M Aggies (11-2)
Easily the hottest team in college football right now is A&M.  Lead by Heisman winning QB Johnny Manziel, they ran wild on Oklahoma and gave the National Champs their only loss.

4.  Georgia Bulldogs (12-2)
Georgia didn't let their SEC Title shortcomings carry over to bowl season.  Instead they put up record offensive numbers in a 14 point win over Nebraska.

5.  Stanford Cardinal (12-2)
I'll be the first to admit that I didn't have too much faith in Stanford.  But they proved me and a lot of others wrong showing that they are here to stay and will be a force in the Pac 12 for years to come.

6.  Ohio State Buckeyes (12-0)
The Buckeyes finished the season undefeated, but didn't play in the Big 10 Title game or a bowl because of NCAA sanctions.  I would have had them higher, but they struggled through most of their weak schedule and just can't justify them over the five teams ahead of them.

7.  Florida Gators (11-2)
It's too bad that the Gators got the 2nd SEC spot in the BCS game, because they really didn't seem to excited to be playing.  That showed in their loss to an average Louisville team.

8.  Notre Dame Fighting Irish (12-1)
Wow, didn't see their blow out loss against Alabama coming.  But a Notre Dame fan I know summed it up great noting that the Irish players looked jittery before the game.  But looking back on their season they really didn't beat a good team, except Stanford.  But that was on a controversial goal line play.

9.  South Carolina Gamecocks (11-2)
5 SEC Teams in the final top 10?  I guess it says wonders about the talent atop the conference.  South Carolina struggled with Michigan for a while, but took over when it counted.

10.  Florida State Seminoles (12-2)
They didn't win by a huge margin, but the Seminoles dominated Northern Illinois despite a lack luster effort on their part.  But what do you expect when you have to face a MAC team who lost to their only BCS opponent (Iowa, yuck!).

11. Clemson Tigers (11-2)
This was a good news/bad news game for the Tigers.  Good news is that the Tigers got a huge win over LSU and had their defense play well.  But the bad news is that Tajh Boyd played great and that could cause him to declare for the draft and ruin any big time hopes they have for a huge year next year.

13. LSU Tigers (10-3)
Not even a poor Clemson defense allowed the bad LSU offense to score enough points to get the win.  Now the Tigers have to hope that their backups are ready to step up for all the NFL talent leaving.  Otherwise they could fall down in the SEC West pecking order.

12. Kansas State Wildcats (11-2)
In what was suppose to be a match up that could have been for the National Title, it ended up being just like the Alabama/Notre Dame game.  But its' too bad KState's lack of speed was exposed and they got ran by the Ducks.

14. Louisville Cardinals (11-2)
You have to wonder where this Louisville team was against Syracuse and UConn.  But the Cardinals end the season on a big high and should be the favorite to win the Big East again.  With the move to the ACC on the way, the future is really bright for the Cardinals.

15.  Oklahoma Sooners (10-3)
Do you remember when Oklahoma had a lock down defense?  Yeah it wasn't that long ago, but after giving up 41 points and nearly 700 yards it seems like light years ago.

16. Texas Longhorns (9-4)
A lot of people picked Oregon State to win this game in the Bowl Pools, but the Longhorns actually showed up and got the upset.  But it's too bad that this once proud program is just average.  And it will be as long as Mack Brown is still the coach.

17. Boise State Broncos (11-2)
One thing that you don't bet against is Boise State in bowl games.  You give Chris Peterson a couple of weeks to prepare and he'll get you.  A talented (but inconsistent) Washington team found that out.

18. Oregon State Beavers (9-4)
The Beavers had the lead and looked to be on their way to win until they allowed Texas to rally in the 4th quarter to steal the win.  But that sums up Oregon State's season.  Lots of promise, but failed in critical times.

19. Nebraska Cornhuskers (10-4)
Yeah they got steam rolled against Wisconsin, but they bounced back and had Georgia on the ropes till the 4th quarter.  The Huskers return all their weapons on offense and if they can get their D figured out, they could be dangerous.

20.  Northwestern Wildcats (10-3)
In all the Big 10 vs SEC match ups it was the Wildcats that actually got the win for the conference.  The win was also the first time the Wildcats have won a bowl game since the 1960s.  That's pretty amazing.

21. Utah State Aggies (11-2)
This season was bittersweet for the Aggies.  They won 11 games this year and won their second bowl game in schools history.  The Aggies are on their way to the Mountain West and have a bright future ahead of them.  But because of their success they lost ther head coach Brian Anderson to Wisconsin.  But they hired from within and look to keep the momentum going.

22. Penn State Nittany Lions (8-4)
Penn State wasn't able to play in a bowl game, but they had to feel like they were winners during Bowl Season.  Mainly because their head coach Bill O'Brien turned down NFL offers to stay with Penn State.  That was great for this school.

23.  Northern Illinois Huskies (12-2)
People shouldn't be hammering Nothern Illinois for being in the Orange Bowl, but because it's not their fault.  But it's not good when they can't beat an uninspired Florida State team.  However they should have never been put into this spot with their them not beating a single BCS Conference team all year long.

24. San Jose State Spartans (11-2)
The job that Mike MacIntrye did at San Jose State is quite remarkable.  For the longest time SJSU has been one of the worst FCS teams in America.  But he turned them into a WAC contender and a team that was ranked in the final BCS standings.  But that's also why he got hired at Colorado.

25.  Arkansas State Red Wolves (10-3)
One of the hottest teams at the end of the season was the Red Wolves of Arkansas State.  They really took to Gus Malzahn's coaching and built off of the success that Hugh Freeze started the year before.  But they'll have to try and keep that going with their fourth coach in four years.  All while switching from a spread based offense to a power based.