Well I guess it is time to say goodbye to the 2007 college football season. 

After a year where we learned to expect the unexpected, we saw pretty much what we expected from the national champioship game between LSU and Ohio State.

Although the Tigers got off to a slow start, they eventually regrouped and pretty much dominated the game for the final three quarters. 

Now debate will rage on, for a couple days at least, about whether or not LSU is really the best team in the nation. Many have already said that they think USC and Goergia are better teams. 

The fact of the matter is, the season is over. And the system that is currently in place in college football has decided that the LSU Tigers are the national champs. Now, I know I talked a lot of trash on Les Miles throughout the season, but you have to respect LSU for not giving up when they came out of the gate a little sluggish. After falling behind 10-0 in the opening minutes, the Tigers bounced back and dominated a slower, overpowered Buckeyes team. And while I am still not a fan of Miles or LSU, at least now it is over and we can move on.

So what is the natural thing to do on the day after the national championship? well, unless it was your team that won it, it is time to start talking about next year. So here we go.

I think there will be four or five really good teams next year. I know I am bias, but I am expecting big things from my Sooners. As long as we can stay healthy, we should be even better next year. I look for Sam Bradford to avoid that Sophomore slump and be even better than this year. Statistically, that may not show, but his leadership and control of the offense should be improved. Demarco Murray should have the chance to star as the Sooners main running back. Granted, Chris Brown should get some carries, but at least they will only be sharing time between two backs rather than three now that Patrick is moving on. So I think OU has a strong chance at winning their third Big 12 Champioship in a row and make it to the national title game. The question will be whether or not they are loose enough to win it once they get there.

I think Georgia will build on a great 2007 season. They return their starting running back and quarterback. If they begin 2008 as hot as they finished 2007, the Bulldogs could certainly go all the way.

Florida could also make a run in 2008. They are returing the Heisman Trophy winner after all. They will look to build on a Tebow's personal performance this year and the Gators should be very strong.

You also have to mention USC when you start talking about favorites for 2008. The Trojans lose starter John David Booty at quarterback, but keep young Joe McKnight and his unique explosive talents at running back.

Finally, and I know some people might not respect this, but you have to consider Ohio State a legitimate threat next season. The Buckeyes are returning a lot of young talent and considering the strength, or lack there of, of their conference, they could make some noise again next season. So those are my favorites right now for next season. Oklahoma, Georgia, Florida, USC and Ohio State. Now I know a lot can happen between now and then, but hey, its fun to think about.

You might notice that national champs LSU is not on that list. The fact is, the Tigers lose a lot of seniors this year. Granted they will return a lot of talent in back-up quarterback Ryan Perrilloux and speedster Trindon Holliday, but I think they will be hurt by the loss of leadership. It will be difficult to replace leaders like Jacob Hester, Matt Flynn and Glenn Dorsey. And often that leadership is what gets you through an extremely tough regular season SEC schedule. I look for the Tigers to lose three or four games next year. And while they were the first two-loss champion this year, I can't imaging a team with three losses playing for the title. Congrats to them on 2007 though.

So what about some dark horses?

Four teams come to mind based on their success this season. I think the three obvious teams would be West Virginia, Missouri and Kansas. Now Kansas and Missouri will probably cancel each other out, but both teams have a chance to have incredible years once again. We will just have to wait and see if they can learn to handle success and play when the bullseye is on their chest. West Virginia's success will depend heavily on how their new coach performs. Will they be able to carry that care-free, nothing-to-lose attitude they displayed in the Fiesta Bowl into the 2008 season? Guess we will find out.

So who is that mysterious fourth team? Illinois. If the Illini can find a replacement for RB Rashard Mendenhall, who will probably go pro, they could make a lot of noise in a not-so-tough Big Ten conference. The Zooker brings back QB Juice Williams and a very dangerous spread offense that could certainly surprise a lot of people.  Everyone knows Ron Zook can recruit, so I don't look for Illinois to be any worse than they were this year. And they weren't half bad.

So that's it for 2007 college football. My Sooners lost a big one to end the year, but you can't ignore all the good things they did. They are afterall the first team to win back to back Big 12 Championships. I just hope we can learn to win the bigger one. And I think they can.

So enjoy the offseason.  Where everyteam is undefeated and has a chance at a national championship. Next year could be your year.