Get It Over With...Hopefully

All right, let's try to get this realignment bull out of the way. I know there will continue to be questions about who might go where in future years, how conference championships (and the BCS) might play out with the changes. But can we please get past this year's round of adjustments?

Nebraska goes to the Big Ten. I see no reason why they shouldn't dominate. Let's be honest, they fit pretty well in that conference's dynamic. Traditionally, they focus on running the ball well out of the I-formation, throwing when they need to, and defense. Sound familiar (Wisconsin, Michigan, you know)? But they come from a conference where all the power was in the South and they still won championships and competed every year. And for most of us, the only two teams worth paying attention to in the Big Ten were Michigan or Ohio State depending on if you loved or hated one or the other. So I personally believe Nebraska will shake things up right away, which of course is what they want to do. All the conference has to do is institute a Conference Championship game and the Midwest will lose its mind.

The Pac-10 added two teams, Colorado and Utah. That was good because now they could institute a Conference Championship game, but now that USC is under an NCAA ban, the possibilities really open up. Colorado was a nice add since it took strength away from the Big 12, but really what else is Colorado going to do for the conference? I don't think they'll do much because they really haven't been that big of a factor in national conversation for awhile...I could be wrong. Utah, on the other hand, is in prime position to shake up the conference. They come in with a program that has had some big "upsets" the past couple of years and can compete immediately, not to mention the recruiting they'll be able to do with the Trojans' hands being tied.

It seems to me that of all the shifters, Colorado and Boise State gained the least. Colorado might get more money or more air time, but can they compete? (Then again, the Pac-10 isn't exactly Goliath, is it?) I should imagine that Boise is going to have a slightly tougher time in the Mountain West than it did in the WAC, what with Air Force and BYU being there. But even if they win out, they're going to be in the same types of bowl games as they were before, with little to no change (see Utah or BYU of the last couple years).

So anyway, there it is. Teams have shifted, but honestly aside from the implementation of a couple of new Conference Championships (which were needed) and a weaker Big 12 Conference, not much has changed.