THE GOALINE: RANKING THE CONFERENCES

BY #31 MARC WILLIAMS (FORMER OREGON ST. BEAVER)

1. Southeastern Conference

Goaline: The Southeastern Conference has too many heavy-hitters to produce an undefeated team. However, the SEC Champion will eventually go on to play in the National Championship game.

SEC Champ- LSU or Florida


2. Atlantic Coast Conference

Goaline: This one's a toss up. At least six or seven teams have a shot at the Atlantic Coast Conference Title this year. Although this year's BCS championship game probably won't include an ACC representative; the ACC is the only conference in America that can go toe-to-toe with the SEC because of the recruiting battles.

ACC Champ- Virginia Tech


3. Pac Ten

Goaline: Any conference team planning a trip to the Rose Bowl this season will have to go through the state of California (literally). The USC Trojans are legitimate contenders to play for the title in Arizona.

Pac Ten Champ- USC


4. Big Ten

Goal-line: Michigan has the offensive power returning to contend for the Big Ten Title in 2007. The Wolverines can relax while the Buckeyes rebuild this year. Meanwhile, Wisconsin is loaded and could give Michigan a run for their money.

Big Ten Champ- Wisconsin


5. Big East

Goaline: Critics never expected the Big East Conference to be this competitive with the departure of Miami and Virginia Tech. With the emergence of Rutgers and South Florida; look for the Big East to make BCS noise again in 07.

Big East Champ- West Virginia

6. Big 12

Goaline: The Longhorns said good-bye to Vince Young in 0'6, and the Sooners said "so-long" to Adrian Peterson in '07. There are no significant superstars gracing across the campuses of Big 12 schools this season; therefore look for the emergence of a possibly new conference champion.

Big 12 Champ- Texas A&M


7. WAC

Goal-line: Both Ian Johnson (Boise State) and Colt Brennan (Hawaii) will not only battle each other for the Heisman Trophy, but the Western Athletic Conference crown is at stake as well. Look for Brennan to emerge as the Heisman front-runner.

WAC Champ- Hawaii


8. Mountain West

Goaline: BYU and other Mountain West Conference counterparts will likely disagree, but the conference crown is TCU's to lose.

Mountain West Champ- TCU


9. Conference USA

Goaline: Both Tulsa and Southern Mississippi have a great opportunity to rack up seven or eight conference wins this season. With a smash-mouth offensive attack and veteran group on defense; look for Southern Mississippi be the favorite to return to the league championship game.

Conference USA Champ- Southern Mississippi


10. Mid-American Conference

Goal-line: Western Michigan has enough players with experience to run the table in the MAC.

MAC Champ- Western Michigan