Putting the Power back in Powerhouse

The mighty are re-emerging among themselves once again in college football

By Brett Samuels

(AP Photo/John Raoux)

They’re back ladies and gentlemen. Amid a season of surprises and the occasional shocker, the powerhouses we’ve come to love and loathe have regained the spotlight in the college football world.

Gone are the days when Boise State would captivate and frustrate the nation by beating one ranked team at the start of the season before going undefeated against a weak conference schedule, thus igniting an argument about whether they deserved a shot to play for the championship against a team from a major conference.

But take a look at the recent BCS standings and AP polls and you’ll see Florida, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Ohio State, and USC all surging toward the top. For the past few years these programs failed to live up to the expectations that come with being among the nation’s most prestigious college football squads.

Now, after lying dormant for anywhere from one to five years, all of them have rediscovered their swagger and find themselves in the heart of the discussion for who should earn BCS bowl bids.

Florida gained some more believers this past weekend after dismantling South Carolina, a team once ranked as high as No. 3 in the country. Life after Tim Tebow has had its fair share of struggles for the Gators, but they have put it back together this season, earning a 7-0 record, and a No.2 ranking in the BCS standings.

After their most recent victory, Florida center Joe Harrison told ESPN.com he liked the direction the team was heading.

"We're on our way to being what Florida used to be, what Florida's known for," Harrison said. "We hope to accomplish that this season."

Another undefeated team that has regained its reputation as a proud program this season is Notre Dame. When former coach Charlie Weis was fired in 2009, the Fighting Irish still hadn’t recorded a win in a BCS bowl game in the school’s history. Worse, they had lost their place among college football royalty.

However since being hired in 2010, Brian Kelly has led the team back to the top where they are once again a player in the national championship conversation.

Even though ESPN analyst David Pollack has said on College Gameday that he doesn’t believe the Irish can withstand a difficult remaining schedule to go undefeated, the Irish have still been a must watch team every Saturday so far, something fans haven’t been able to say for a long time.

Ohio State faced adversity two summers ago when it lost coach Jim Tressel and Terrelle Pryor as a result of off field controversy. It struggled last year under interim coach Luke Fickell too. But now Urban Meyer has taken the reigns at his Alma mater and led them to an undefeated so far. NCAA sanctions leave the Buckeyes out of the bowl picture for this season, but Heisman trophy candidate quarterback Braxton Miller will be back next season, so keep an eye on the Buckeyes to make a trip back to a BCS bowl for the Big Ten very soon.

There’s also Oklahoma, who has been a notorious disappointment in previous appearances in major bowl games. This year the Sooners lost to NO. 4 Kansas State, but they are just one lucky way from being able to redeem themselves in a big way.

USC faced severe NCAA penalties the past couple seasons, losing scholarships and bowl eligibility. However this year senior quarterback Matt Barkley and his gang of talented weapons have the Trojans hanging around at NO. 10 in the BCS standings. They are still very much in control of their own destiny, and might find themselves returning to familiar territory with a spot in this year’s Rose Bowl.

The little guys of college football continue to make the occasional ripples. Duke is bowl eligible for the first time in 18 years.

Even though the team was blown out by Penn State, the Iowa crowd brought their A game to Kinnick Stadium.

However this year it has been the teams we typically see as the Goliaths of the world making the big waves. Whether you love them or not, its something fans will have to accept for now.