National championship odds
Notre Dame and Alabama will meet up in Miami for the BCS Championship Game Jan. 7. Even before the teams were officially announced, oddsmakers in Las Vegas had the Crimson Tide as an early favorite from as high as 10 points to as low as seven points.
Conference realignment
It was another busy week as the college landscape continued to shift under the weight of realignment. The Big East announced that it was adding Tulane and East Carolina (football only) to compensate for the loss of Rutgers to the Big Ten last week. To counteract the loss of Maryland to the Big Ten, the ACC reached out to Louisville, inviting the Cardinals to join the league in 2014. Meanwhile, Conference USA set its sights on FAU and Middle Tennessee State to fill the spots being vacated by Tulane and ECU. Got all of that? Good.
Coaching carousel
There are currently 15 FBS head coaching jobs currently. Kentucky, NC State and Idaho have hired new coaches. The Wildcats named former FSU defensive coordinator Mark Stoops their new coach, while NC State named former Northern Illinois coach Dave Doeren as its replacement for Tom O'Brien. Idaho hired Paul Petrino, the brother of former Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino, to lead the Vandals.
Everything coming up Irish
How great is it to be a Notre Dame fan? The Fighting Irish have earned a spot in the BCS National Championship in Miami and on Thursday, the men's basketball team defeated No. 8 Kentucky, 64-50. Students stormed the floor of the Joyce Center led by members of the football team, including Heisman Trophy finalist Manti Te'o, after the Irish earned their second win over the Wildcats in the past 13 attempts.
On the web
Every Thursday in our new online segment, Matt's Mailbag, I will be answering your questions about the college football season. Send me your questions by email, Twitter, or Facebook. Please include a first name, and I will answer them online at our College Gridiron 365 blog.
For more college football news, head over to our blog at OrlandoSentinel.com/collegegridiron or you can like us at Facebook.com/collegegridiron 365 and add me on Google +. Follow us on Twitter at @osmattmurschel and @gridiron365.