It’s time for a quick early season review…

Here we are four weeks into the 2008 college football season… and so far, surprises have been few and far between. The teams we all predicted as title competitors still reside atop the rankings. USC, Georgia, Florida, Missouri, Oklahoma - all preseason favorites that we can expect will still be there at the end of the year. The Big East is a mess, Ohio State still can’t win the big game, while the SEC continues to assert its dominance.

Strongest Conference: SEC/Big 12 (Tie).

No one can discredit the SEC. Defending BCS champion Florida, perennial powers LSU, Georgia, Auburn, resurgent Alabama- how can you possibly argue with a resume like that? And as if that weren’t enough, recurrent cellar-dweller Vanderbilt has proven itself to be a force to be reckoned with. Expect at least seven bowl bids for this power conference, and don’t be surprised if you’re seeing two SEC teams in BCS games at the end of the season.

But don’t go tooting your horn as the best in the land just yet SEC fans - you aren’t the only part of the country playing some good football…

You can’t talk power conference without mention of the Big 12. Heisman hopeful Chase Daniel and the Missouri Tigers have been steamrolling everyone in their path. Texas and Oklahoma - no national championship discussion is legitimate without mention of their names. Texas Tech has one of the most potent offenses in the country. Mark Mangino and his Kansas Jayhawks just keep winning, while Colorado and Nebraska also seem to have turned things in a positive direction. Six or seven bowl games for this conference would surprise no one.

Weakest Conference (BCS): Big East

Connecticut currently leads the standings - need I say more? West Virginia, what happened? The grass isn’t so green sans Rich Rodriguez. Rutgers? Sure missing Ray Rice now, aren’t you? Syracuse is just pathetically bad, while Dave Wannstedt and Pitt just can’t seem to figure it out. This conference just isn’t very good top to bottom. UConn needed overtime to beat Temple. Yeah, that’s right. Temple. Just kind of makes you wonder what would happen if they’d played a team that wasn’t complete garbage…

Most Disappointing Team: Ohio State

A close game against Ohio followed by an absolute shellacking by Southern California. What’s happening in Columbus? They repeatedly get embarrassed by quality opponents, and suddenly struggle against mediocre opponents. Ohio State no longer sits atop the Big Ten pecking order. Wisconsin quietly has taken their brand of unexciting smash-mouth football to a top ten ranking, while Joe Pa and his Penn State are once again fighting for the conference crown.

National Title Favorite:

USC of course. This team is just impressive. No one in the PAC 10 can compete. The Trojan defense is incredible - perhaps the best of the Pete Carroll-era. Linebackers Ray Maualuga and Brian Cushing are a tandom more impressive than any other group of linebackers nationwide. Safety Taylor Mays is just menacing: 6-3, 230 pounds… sure makes coming across the middle an unfortunate experience for opposing receivers. Couple the incredible defense with a resurgent offense led by Mark Sanchez, and you have a team posed for yet another BCS title.