It can easily be referred to as the craziest June in the history of college football – what with all the rumors swirling around regarding conference expansion and realignment across just about all of the major conferences.

But now that the dust has mostly settled, we can move on and attempt to assess the winners and losers as college football currently stands.

Here they are, in no particular order – starting with the winners:

College Football Conference Realignment Aftermath: Winners and Losers

WINNER: Big 12 Conference

The most obvious choice of all is obviously the Big 12 Conference, because well… it’s still alive and ticking.  Credit Texas for being the glue that kept the conference with ten teams – or credit someone else – but either way, the BCS still has one of its strongest conferences intact, and with just two minor casualties in Colorado and Nebraska.

WINNER: Texas

The Longhorns played the role of the hot girl that everyone wants to go to prom with – from the Big Ten courting them, to the Pac-10 making them the top desire, and to the Big 12 conference wanting to keep them.

When it was all said and done, not only does Texas stay, but they also will reel in a ton of extra cash for the university, and the conference in the form of a future TV deal that’s in the works.

WINNER: Big Ten Conference

The Big Ten was one of the biggest winners of the week – adding the Nebraska Cornhuskers and their tradition-rich football program to the mix.

On top of that, the Big Ten gets its 12^th team, which now can lead to a conference championship, more revenue, more exposure – and in the end, a likely bigger step towards major bowl victories, as each conference champion will have a shorter layoff between the end of the regular season and BCS bowl week.

WINNER: Nebraska

The Big Ten is a great fit for the Huskers, who find themselves as a part of the very lucrative Big Ten Network, plus one could argue they are in a conference that features a more cultural fit than they had when a part of the Big 12.

Also, the geographic nature of the Big Ten should potentially help Nebraska with the recruiting process going forward.

WINNER: Kansas Basketball

Many haven’t touched upon this one, but one of the biggest powers in college hoops may have found themselves without a major conference, and losing some big time programs to play against on a regular basis.  Instead, the Big 12 conference remains intact and the Jayhawks will still have Oklahoma and Texas frequenting their schedule during the winter months.

WINNER: The Big 12 Leftovers

Teams like Missouri, Baylor, Kansas and Kansas State were rumored to be hours from being without a conference.  The result would have likely been a move to a conference with significantly less competition, and also less money for their respective programs.

Instead, each school (and their representatives) can breathe a giant sigh of relief.

WINNER: The BCS

Honestly, if you look at the BCS, there could have been a significant change in the balance of conference power – and with the way the system is set up currently, it was a great possibility that a significantly weaker conference could have been earning an automatic berth with the changes that almost occurred.

Therefore, the minimal changes that did go through should keep legit automatic berths in play for all the major conferences – and everyone’s favorite BCS can continue to put mostly big-time schools in the major bowl games.

LOSER: Pac-10 Conference

This is the most glaringly obvious choice among the list of losers, considering that throughout the week, the Pac-10 was rumored to be hours from becoming a superconference featuring 16 teams, including Texas and Oklahoma from the Big 12.

Now, not only did they lose out on the Big 12’s best, they are also having issues with their own elite schools, mainly USC and the sanctions it is currently facing.

Fortunately, there are rumors that Utah may be moving to the Pac-10 – and combined with Colorado, they can boost the conference up to 12 teams.

LOSER: Mountain West Conference

Listen, the addition of Boise State to the MWC is a good thing – a great thing, actually.

However, there are several rumors pointing to Utah departing for the Pac-10, especially after the Big 12 powers decided to stay put.

On top of all this, the Mountain West appeared primed to steal away a major BCS berth if the Big 12 fell apart – and now that opportunity may have faded away as well.

LOSER: FOX Network

The rumors of a Pac-10 super conference also were pointing to FOX teaming up to form a network for the new and improved group of schools, but now that deal doesn’t seem to be anywhere near as lucrative as it could have been – and instead of stealing away some revenue and figures from ESPN, little has changed as the situation stands now.

LOSER: USC

With the Trojans facing sanctions, there could have been a boost for the school to be coupled with some of the biggest powers in college football, mainly Texas and Oklahoma moving to the Pac-10.  Having teams that travel well and bring in big money may have helped soften the blow that will result from the pending sanctions against the Trojans.

For those that don’t buy into this, think outside the box.  It may be two years without a bowl game, but adding in the loss of scholarships – and it is possible USC could be years from being elite again.

LOSER: Big 12 Conference

Finally, the conference realignment goes full-circle, with the Big 12 conference emerging also as a loser on my list.

It’s a winner for staying alive, but it’s a loser due to the fact that after losing Colorado and Nebraska, the Big 12 is in a position to lose its conference championship game.  Now, they can see how tough it can be to have such a long layoff before a major bowl game.  This has been a major sticking point for the Big Ten over recent years.

Originally posted to KP’s Blog (via Fox Sports) on March 16, 2009

Looking for a reason to not take a team far in the tournament? You’re not alone there. But hey, if you look hard enough, there are plenty of reasons to shy away from even the biggest powers in college basketball… from injuries, to offensive woes, defensive woes, free throw shooting, and even single points of failure. Take the following examples, which in the end could eventually assist you in throwing the finishing touches on the masterpiece that is your 2009 bracket.

Reasons To Avoid Some of the Higher Seeds in the Tournament *

Free Throw Shooting
Think about it, March Madness is chock full of close games. When down to the wire, it’s often the players with ice in their veins from the charity stripe that win the tight games. Last year, there were teams like Clemson and Memphis with atrocious numbers from the line. For Clemson, it hit them and they were out quick. For Memphis, their talent put them in the title game, but in the end, we all know it was the free throw shooting that cost them a National Title. As for this year, take the following two teams, and how they rank in the country…

(1) Louisville – 64.3% FT – Rank: 298th
(3) Syracuse – 63.9% FT – Rank: 303rd

Offensive Rebounds Per Game
Hey, what’s better than a second chance? Well, besides making due with your first chance, but still, often teams can earn those big victories by getting a high total of second chance points. Let’s look at a few teams that have struggled to get offensive boards this season…

(5) Purdue – 9.4 per game – Rank: 303rd
(8) BYU – 9.2 per game – Rank: 308th
(6) Arizona State – 8.4 per game – Rank: 324th
(8) Ohio State – 8.1 per game – Rank: 328th

Assist Turnover Ratio
More often than not, it’s efficiency and a quality team effort that can vault a team deep into the tournament. Specifically, there’s assist turnover ratio, where a team can dish out the rock frequently, while not turning the ball over. Take the following teams, who have struggled in this category throughout the year…

(4) Washington – 0.88 ATR – Rank: 212th
(4) Wake Forest – 0.83 ATR – Rank: 251st
(5) Florida State – 0.78 ATR – Rank: 278th

Fouls Per Game
Plain and simple, you can’t win a game without your starting lineup on the court. A team needs to have discipline to avoid silly fouls, while also keeping an opponent off the line and away from the double bonus. In particular, these teams have committed a large number of fouls throughout the season…

(8) Oklahoma State – 21.3 per game – Rank: 15th
(3) Missouri – 19.9 per game – Rank: 61st
(4) Washington – 19.5 per game – Rank: 83rd

Three Point Shooting
This one has two parts. First, for the teams that struggle from behind the arc, and therefore when facing a physical opponent, can struggle to keep a team honest by mixing it up from deep. Then there are the teams that live and die by the three, and when an off night arrives, this team is likely doomed for elimination. Take the following examples of each…

Struggles from Behind the Arc
(2) Memphis – 32% – Rank: 261st
(4) Wake Forest – 31.8% – Rank: 266th

Live and Die by the 3
(7) California – 43.4% – Rank: 1st
(4) Xavier – 39.9% – Rank: 13th
(6) UCLA – 39.8% – Rank: 14th
(4) Gonzaga – 39.4% – Rank: 19th

Injuries
It’s tough to gauge the severity of an injury, especially since more often than not, a school will downplay a certain injury to confuse and complicate an opponent’s game plan. Still, in some cases, it’s an injury to a star player that in the end can derail a team that once had high hopes of a National Title entering the tournament. Take the following examples…

(1) North Carolina – Ty Lawson
Rested for a few games in the ACC tournament, it’s said that Lawson should play, but who knows how bad the toe injury will be. One thing’s for certain, the ‘Heels hope that “this little piggy will go to the basket”.

(1) Pittsburgh – Levance Fields
Fields has been nursing groin and back injuries, both of which can linger on and cause problems, but the hope in Pittsburgh is that he’ll be fine.

(1) Connecticut – Jerome Dyson
UConn’s second leading scorer, Dyson’s season ended after being diagnosed with a torn lateral meniscus in his right knee. The Huskies have depth and talent, but Dyson definitely has been missed.

(5) Illinois – Chester Frazier
Likely the feistiest defender for the Illini, Frasier reportedly will be very limited in the opening round game against #12 seed Western Kentucky.

(6) Marquette – Dominic James
This one hurt for the Golden Eagles, as James ran the point, and was one of the team’s better players. Since he went down, Marquette clearly hasn’t been the same team.

Single Points of Failure
And last but not least, there are the teams that have one player that puts up the majority of the scoring on offense. Upon meeting a tough defensive opponent that can shut this player down, it’s often difficult to find others to step up and put points on the board. In particular, the following teams and players come to mind…

(3) Kansas – Sherron Collins – 18.3 PPG
Sure, Cole Aldrich averages a double-double per game, but Collins is the heart and soul of this Jayhawks team.

(5) Florida State – Toney Douglas – 21.3 PPG
Outside of Douglas, no one else on the Florida State roster averages in double figures.

(6) Arizona State – James Harden – 20.8 PPG
Pendergraph does average over 14 a game, but the Sun Devils live and die by Harden.

* Stats courtesy of NCAA website and StatSheet.com