NCAA Football Power Rankings - Crimson Tide, Longhorns lead nation into bowl season

Betting season for the bowls is finally here, which means it’s time for the NCAA Power Rankings to come to an end for this season. It’s been an up-and-down year, but the BCS got it right, pitting Alabama against Texas in the championship game, and it’s only right they top our rankings.

1. (2) Alabama (13-0): The Crimson Tide looked like they had been preparing for last week’s game against Florida since losing to the Gators in last year’s SEC title game. Mark Ingram may be the NCAA football betting favorite for the Heisman after carving up Florida, but what about Greg McElroy’s play?

2. (3) Texas (13-0): Colt McCoy said he didn’t know the out-of-bounds rule before casually throwing the ball to the sidelines in Texas’ 13-12 win over Nebraska. I guess Donovan McNabb shouldn’t feel too bad about being a quarterback that doesn’t know rules.

3. (5) Cincinnati (12-0): Enjoy Brian Kelly while you still can, Bearcats fans. He’ll be at Notre Dame next year.

4. (1) Florida (12-1): The video of Tim Tebow crying on the sidelines after losing to Alabama puts me to sleep at night, like counting sheep. Still a phenomenal career, though.

5. (4) TCU (12-0): The Horned Frogs may need to look into scheduling a couple of major-conference teams next year, and we don’t mean Virginia and Clemson. However, their matchup with Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl should be the best game of the NCAA football betting bowl season.

6. (9) Oregon (10-2): The Ducks won a thrilling Rose Bowl, making their first trip to Pasadena since 1995. LaMichael James could be an NCAA football betting candidate for the Heisman next year.

7. (8) Boise State (12-0): I don’t care if that they beat Oregon. Play this game on a neutral field, and I’d bet the farm in my sportsbook that Oregon romps.

8. (7) Ohio State (10-2): The Buckeyes’ defense will face a stiff test from James, Jeremiah Masoli and the Oregon offense. This will be their first trip to the Rose Bowl since 2006.

9. (11) Georgia Tech (11-2): It’s great, everyone knows what the Yellow Jackets are going to do, which is run the ball, and no one can stop them. The triple option works with the right coach and personnel.

10. (12) LSU (9-3): Les Miles must stay awake at night thinking about the Tigers’ awful clock management against Ole Miss. They should be in a BCS bowl, or even...

11. (6) Pittsburgh (9-3): ...the Panthers, although they did blow a 21-point lead against the Bearcats. It’s a wonder that Darrelle Revis, the premier shutdown corner in the NFL, even went there.

12. (14) Virginia Tech (9-3): The Hokies will meet Tennessee in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl, and this should be one of the worst offensive displays of bowl season.

13. (16) Iowa (10-2): The Hawkeyes are basically in a BCS bowl by default, due to Miles’ mismanagement of the clock. The thing is, outside of LSU, I can’t come up with a better replacement for Iowa.

14. (15) BYU (10-2): The Cougars are in for an exciting time when they square off with Oregon State in the Las Vegas Bowl. A tip for sportsbook players? Take the over in this contest.

15. (13) Penn State (10-2): Joe Paterno needs to have his team ready for a hungry LSU squad in the Capital One Bowl.

16. (10) Oregon State (8-4): The Beavers came up just short in the “Civil War” against Oregon, but they did an excellent job holding their composure in rowdy Autzen Stadium.

17. (20) Nebraska (9-4): Here’s to the Cornhuskers for almost pulling off an improbable upset against Texas. If defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh doesn’t go in the first 10 NFL picks in the draft, every team that passed on him needs to fold.

18. (--) Miami (9-3): The Hurricanes are here for going 3-1 against ranked teams in their first four games of the season...although those Florida State and Oklahoma wins aren’t looking the best. It’s always good to have “The U” being competitive.

19. (--) Arizona (8-4): Here’s to the Wildcats, who dropped two in a row, and then rebounded to beat Arizona State and USC on the road to get to the Holiday Bowl, where they’ll face Nebraska.

20. (--) East Carolina (9-4): And another shout-out to the Pirates, who beat Houston to win the C-USA title for the second straight year. They’ll meet Arkansas in the Liberty Bowl.

Be sure to bookmark the Betting Edge at BetOnline, where you’ll find sports betting previews of every bowl game this season.