We are getting closer to a new look at Heismanpundit.com. In the meantime, we'll be using this template for the next couple days as a place-holder.

Should be up and running some time next week. Thanks for your patience.

This is off topic, but I just wanted to let you know that we are all in this together! Watch this special football video for inspiration:



And for you volleyball types:



For some reason, I can watch these videos over and over again.

Will ESPN be hosting 'Game Day' at Northern Illinois on Sept. 20 as the Huskies take on Indiana State?

After all, there was recently a horrible shooting in which five students were tragically killed.

Hosting 'Game Day' there would help in the healing process, just like it did with Virginia Tech's massacre, no?

If not, then I ask: What is the general rule of thumb that ESPN follows on something like this? Is there a minimum number of dead required in order for such a tragedy to be exploited?

Just wondering.

Today is National Signing Day for college football and, though I continue my work to refurbish this site, I thought I'd take a look at five of the names you can expect to see contending for Heismans in the coming years.

First and foremost on the list is Terrell Pryor, who really is the next Vince Young from what I can see. In fact, he may be even faster. He is down to Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State. Where ever he goes, expect him to be a top Heisman candidate by year three.

The best running back in this class looks to be Jermie Calhoun, who is heading to Oklahoma. This guy has power and speed and should be an instant star for the Sooners.

Colorado isn't a traditional Heisman power, but it has had a running back win the trophy in the last 15 years. Darrell Scott signed with the Buffaloes and should be very productive right away.

Whenever you play quarterback for Notre Dame, you have a chance to win the Heisman. Dayne Crist signed with the Irish and could be ready to step in if Jimmy Clausen doesn't live up to his billing.

If Florida State can stop its slide, then E.J. Manuel has the skill set to be one of the top quarterbacks in the country.

I'm sure there are others out there I have missed. Anyone have any Heisman sleepers signing today?

Now that the season is over, I decided to take the time to work on something I've wanted to do for a while--redesign this site.

We're in the middle of doing just that right now, so as you can see, posting is minimal. I'll be back in full fury soon to talk about the recruiting wars and the very interesting coaching changes going on right now...and what it all means.

So, stay tuned. We'll be back soon, better than ever!

Here's an early Heisman Watch for 2008, to be adjusted as time passes. This is not a projection of the eventual order of the voting, but a list of who has the best chance of actually winning the trophy:

1. Chris Wells, Ohio State--The clear front runner right now after showcasing his skills to the tune of 146 yards and a 65-yard touchdown against LSU that came while everyone in the country was still watching. He's got speed, power and a stiff arm befitting a Heisman winner. He's an elite junior running back, a prime NFL prospect, coming off a 1,600-yard season, who plays for a traditional power that will be gunning for a national title in 2008. He'll get a chance to launch his campaign early with a marquee matchup in the Coliseum against USC and big games against Illinois and Michigan to close it out. In short, he's set up perfectly for a run at the Heisman.

Any questions?

2. Pat White, West Virginia--He's been around seemingly forever, but this is his senior year and he has a chance to go down as one of the winningest quarterbacks in NCAA history. Has any quarterback ever led his team to four 11-win seasons?

3. Chase Daniel, Missouri--Being a Heisman finalist this year will be a big boon to his candidacy next year. Howerver, it will be tough for the Tigers to duplicate their success.

4. Stafon Johnson, USC--Johnson was USC's best running back last season, averaging almost seven yards per carry and, if given the shot, he could take full advantage of the love affair Heisman voters have traditionally had with Trojan tailbacks.

5. Steve Slaton, West Virginia--Slaton disappeared last year, in part due to injury and in part to the emergence of Noel Devine. If for some reason Devine has off-the-field issues or gets hurt (not a stretch by any means), Slaton's numbers could once again be worthy of Heisman consideration.

6. Colt McCoy, Texas--His sophomore slump is out of the way, so now it may be time for McCoy to bounce back. He's not flashy, but he's the clear leader of the Longhorns.

7. Marlon Lucky, Nebraska--If and when Nebraska ever returns to the college football elite, you can be sure there will be a player given the credit for helping to make it happen. If it happens this year, it will be because of new coach Bo Pelini and, most likely, the production of Lucky.

8. Matthew Stafford, Georgia--The Dawgs are gunning for a national title, so Stafford will be in the spotlight. If he can put together a big season, he'll be a serious candidate.

9. Ryan Perrilloux, LSU--The spread system run by Gary Crowton is a perfect fit for Perrilloux, who showed flashes of brilliance for the Tigers this season. Many have questions about his maturity, but there is no doubting his talent.

10. Percy Harvin, Florida--Harvin is the most exciting player in college football, but he would probably need to have 1,000 yards both rushing and receiving to have a shot, as he does not return punts or kicks at this time. Think he can't do it? He had 764 rushing yards and 858 receiving yards despite missing two games due to injury.

So where is Tim Tebow?

It's not that Tebow can't finish as high as No. 2 in next year's Heisman, it's just that he can't win it. Heismandment No. 9 says no more two-time winners and I am confident it will apply here to Tebow. As it stands, there is already talk from Urban Meyer of heading to a two-quarterback system. Tebow may still be the best player in college football next year, but his stats may not come close to what he did this year and that's one reason why--Tebow fatigue being another--he won't win the Heisman.

It's very early, but here are my top 10 team heading into next season. While this past year was exciting, there weren't really any great teams. Expect next year to feature a wealth of great teams.

1. Georgia--Everyone is back, though the Dawgs will have to leave the South for the first time since 1965 when it plays at Arizona State.

2. LSU--Think the Tigers will be down? Think again. They will actually be upgrading at quarterback and running back.

3. Florida--The Gator defense can only get better. Expect USC transfer Emmanuel Moody to be the runner Urban Meyer has been looking for.

4. Oklahoma--The Sooners might end up being the best team if Sam Bradford can avoid a sophomore slump.

5. West Virginia--The Greatest Show on Earth is apparently back, as Steve Slaton is expected to return to the Mountaineers.

6. USC--Having the most talent in college football will once again assure the Trojans of at least a Pac-10 title.

7. Ohio State--The Buckeyes were young this year. Next year they'll have the best running back in the country to lead them.

8. Arizona State--Dennis Erickson has things rolling in the Desert. The Sun Devils figure to be better in Year Two.

9. Texas--I think the emergence of John Chiles will help the Longhorns return to previous form.

10. Missouri--Chase Daniel will be a prime Heisman candidate and the Tiger offense should once again be potent.

On the cusp--BYU, Michigan, Kansas, Oregon, Auburn

The clamor continues for a fix to the current BCS mess. As ESPN writes, there is a proposal for 8-team playoffs, or a plus-one feature to the current system.

I am not going to dismiss these issues out of hand, but in my mind they ignore the ROOT cause of why people are so dissatisfied with the BCS.

You can't fix the BCS, you can't create a playoff system, you can't find a true national champion in college football until there is some sort of schedule and conference reform.

Why are some people pissed off that Ohio State made it to the title game? It's because the Buckeyes played in a weak conference and supplemented that league schedule with three in-state non-BCS cupcakes.

Why do some people get pissed off at the SEC? It's because some SEC teams don't play out of conference road games and because many schedule seven or eight home games to boot. Furthermore, the SEC, Big 12 and ACC play a conference championship game, which can give a team an extra boost while allowing a conference crown to be claimed without playing a round-robin schedule.

It's not the BCS that is broken. It's the data we use to calculate the rankings that are askew. How can we possibly sort out the best team when some play markedly easier schedules and others have built-in advantages? There is no level playing field when it comes to picking a champion and yet we insist that it is the post-season that is to blame and not the regular season.

This mess would not be fixed by a playoff or a plus one. It would merely transfer those same issues to another championship process. An eight-game playoff between eight teams who took starkly varying routes to get there would not be any more fair than the current BCS.

So what to do?

First, how about some schedule reform? Try these on for size:

1. You have to play six road games to be eligible for the national title. Some say that making money is more important for a school athletic department. Fine. If a school wants to make money, let it schedule home games to its heart's content. It just won't be able to win a title as a result. A choice would then have to be made and then we'd see which is more important--money or glory.

2. You must play against a minimum of 11 BCS conference teams. Want to schedule a creampuff from 1-AA? Go ahead. But your other two opponents out of conference better be legitimate teams from BCS conferences.

3. No more conference championship games. Each conference should have a round robin approach where every team plays all the others. Theoretically, you could have 12 conferences with 10 teams each in college football (this would require conference realignment). From that group you would have 12 true champions. With those 12 you could have a BCS, a playoff, a plus one, or whatever your heart desires. But it would be fair and virtually unassailable.

I realize some of these solutions are pipe dreams, but they would directly address the actual root causes of the current dissatisfaction.

So the next time someone advocates a playoff or a plus-one, ask them if they support schedule reform as a first step. Then you'll know how serious they are about crowning a true college football champion.

1. Georgia (11-2)--I thought the Bulldogs should have been in New Orleans. In my opinion, they were the best team this year.

2. USC (11-2)--The Trojans' talent can be breathtaking at times. But lackluster coaching and injuries created another 'what if' season.

3. LSU (12-2)--The Tigers now have two controversial BCS titles in the last five years.

4. West Virginia (11-2)--Don't look now, but the Mountaineers have three-straight 11-win seasons and could be back for more in '08.

5. Missouri (11-2)--I've always said that Missouri was a sleeping giant in college football. The Tigers finally woke up this year.

6. Ohio State (11-2)--The Buckeyes are consistent and always in position to challenge for a title. Jim Tressel seems satisfied with that and who can blame him?

7. Kansas (12-1)--The Jayhawks were 8 points away from a perfect season.

8. Oklahoma (11-3)--The Sooners had to bear the brunt of catching the 'Greatest Show on Earth' on a good night.

9. Virginia Tech (11-3)--The Hokies were the class of the ACC this year.

10. Tennessee (10-4)--The Vols were one of five SEC teams to win at least nine games.

On the cusp: Oregon, Hawaii, Auburn, Michigan, Texas Tech

Well, I got that one wrong, didn't I?

Congrats to LSU for totally out-classing Ohio State and winning its second national title in five years.

While I don't think Les Miles is a particularly good game coach, he deserves credit for hiring two very bright coordinators. Gary Crowton's spread attack using multiple formations confused Ohio State's defenders while Bo Pelini's attacking defense plopped a wrench in the Buckeye offensive scheme.

For someone who preaches the importance of scheme as much as I do, I sure didn't give it enough credence going in. For the third-straight season, a team utilizing spread-type schemes won the national title.

As for Ohio State, it is remarkable to me that for the second-straight title game, the Buckeyes installed seemingly nothing new on the offensive side of the ball. It was almost as if Jim Tressel was content to play his style, win or lose. His sound, consistent style of play is good enough to win 10 or 11 games each year but it is just no match for dynamic teams with great athletes.

About the only things I got right were Ohio State's point total and the emergence of Chris Wells as the Heisman front runner for 2008. The junior-to-be was the best player on the field last night and it is really a travesty that he didn't get the ball more. But even during the regular season, the Buckeyes struggled when they didn't get him the ball enough. It was no different last night.

And so it goes. LSU wins the title, the first champion to have two losses. Technically, that makes the Tigers the worst team to ever win a title, but that would probably be true of any other team that won it this year as well.

I'll have more thoughts later today on the season.