Paul Prattles On

Poor Charlie Brown... Every time he tries to kick the football, Lucy pulls it away.  She keeps telling him that if he'll just act thus way, think that way, or believe this or that, he'll be able to kick the ball, but she always pulls it away.  Charlie never gets to play, not really. This must be how the Group of 5, and many other teams feel, with the latest news of SEC expansion.  Take TCU, for example.  From 1923-1995, they were part of the Southwest Conference, with Texas, Texas A&M, Arkansas (left in '92 to join the SEC), SMU, Houston, Baylor, and Rice.  When the Big 12 formed, the Horned Frogs, along with SMU, Houston, and Rice were cast off, and so TCU joined the WAC where they stayed for 5 years (1996-2000).  They then joined CUSA for 4 years (2001-2004), followed by the Mountain West Conference for 7 years (2005-2011). They achieved enough success to be invited into the Big 12 in 2012, finally reaching Power 5 status, what every G5 team dreams of...

Welcome back! Starting July 19 and continuing each weekday through August 6, I will preview all 130 FBS teams in order from #130 to #1.  These are my own Power Rankings, using a formula I devised.  This is where the teams stand now, and not their predicted finish.  I will update these Power Rankings each Tuesday throughout the season based on the results that week. Beginning August 9 and continuing through August 20, I will preview each conference, one per weekday, with predicted order of finish, predicted division and conference champions, key games, etc.  Below, you will not find in-depth previews- there are plenty of places to find that kind of preview.  Instead, you will find stats and info that I feel are interesting.  As a reader, I assume that you are a little more than a casual fan, which means you understand basic abbreviations such as TO for turnover, TFL for tackles for loss, etc.  None of the abbreviations I use are made up by me; all are p...

Welcome back! Starting July 19 and continuing each weekday through August 6, I will preview all 130 FBS teams in order from #130 to #1.  These are my own Power Rankings, using a formula I devised.  This is where the teams stand now, and not their predicted finish.  I will update these Power Rankings each Tuesday throughout the season based on the results that week. Beginning August 9 and continuing through August 20, I will preview each conference, one per weekday, with predicted order of finish, predicted division and conference champions, key games, etc.  Below, you will not find in-depth previews- there are plenty of places to find that kind of preview.  Instead, you will find stats and info that I feel are interesting.  As a reader, I assume that you are a little more than a casual fan, which means you understand basic abbreviations such as TO for turnover, TFL for tackles for loss, etc.  None of the abbreviations I use are made up by me; all are p...

Welcome back! Starting July 19 and continuing each weekday through August 6, I will preview all 130 FBS teams in order from #130 to #1.  These are my own Power Rankings, using a formula I devised.  This is where the teams stand now, and not their predicted finish.  I will update these Power Rankings each Tuesday throughout the season based on the results that week. Beginning August 9 and continuing through August 20, I will preview each conference, one per weekday, with predicted order of finish, predicted division and conference champions, key games, etc.  Below, you will not find in-depth previews- there are plenty of places to find that kind of preview.  Instead, you will find stats and info that I feel are interesting.  As a reader, I assume that you are a little more than a casual fan, which means you understand basic abbreviations such as TO for turnover, TFL for tackles for loss, etc.  None of the abbreviations I use are made up by me; all are p...