College Football Minute

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1. North Carolina should be applauded for the public release of its thorough investigation of nearly two decades of academic fraud perpetrated by, and on behalf of, student-athletes. Done applauding? Good, because the report is a nightmare. Neither coaches nor athletic administrators have been implicated. It's also apparent that none of them asked any questions in all that time, either. Maybe everyone trusted the academic advisors did their job appropriately. As President Reagan said, "Trust, but verify."

2. In four games at home, Alabama quarterback Blake Sims, has thrown for 1,359 yards and completed 70 percent of his passes with a TD/INT ratio of 11 to two. In two games on the road, Sims has thrown for 389 yards and completed 58 percent of passes with a TD/INT ratio of two to one. Sims is an inexperienced senior in a new offense who doesn't know what to do until he gets word from the sideline. That makes life difficult in a loud stadium. The bad news: Alabama next plays at Tennessee and at LSU. The good news: Somehow, those are the Tide's last road games. Their last three are at home.

3. SMU might think it has found the formula for success in hiring coaching lifer Larry Brown, who won a national title, to lead men's basketball. The Mustangs won the NIT, and there's a pulse in Moody Coliseum. Fast-forward: The Dallas Morning News reported that SMU is waving $4 million per year at Mack Brown, a coaching lifer who won a national title, to revivify football. Hiring by formula doesn't work. The right coach for the job is the guy who wins. That might be Mack Brown at SMU. But Larry Brown and Mack Brown are two different people in two different situations.

Florida State is 7-0, but you might not know it from the national pessimism surrounding the team. With three close games (against teams currently ranked in the top 26 in the nation, mind you), the prevailing wisdom seems to be that the Seminoles are struggling to get by and it's just a matter of time before they're felled.

In fairness, that's partially true. The FSU secondary blew the coverage on what could've been a game-winning touchdown for Notre Dame, and if a flag hadn't been thrown in the process, the Seminoles would be in a tough position in the chase for a playoff spot. Part is probably an exaggeration.

The close game against Clemson came without Jameis Winston. The comeback win over NC State was actually a 49-17 FSU advantage after the first quarter. The narrow margin against Oklahoma State was a mix of first-game jitters and a failure to put the Cowboys away rather than any real threat that the Noles might lose that game.

But narrative is important when discussing a subjective playoff system, so it remains a talking point for Florida State. The question is, does a less-than-dominant season necessarily preclude a team from winning a national title?

We figured the best way to determine that was to look back at history -- specifically, the past 10 national champions -- to figure out what level of dominance was most characteristic of a championship team.

To continue reading this story, click here.

Player in the spotlight
LSU QB Anthony Jennings: Against Ole Miss, he's got a chance to prove he can be effective versus the nation's stingiest defense and assert himself as the leader of the offense.

Upset Watch
No. 13 Ohio State at Penn State: The Nits rank second in the Big Ten in defensive efficiency and lead the conference in yards per play allowed (4.5). Penn State has allowed an FBS-low 2.0 yards per rush.

Cupcake game
UAB at Arkansas: The Blazers of Conference USA had three turnovers in a loss at Middle Tennessee. This is what Arkansas needs to halt its three-game losing streak.

Most to prove
Lane Kiffin: Tell us how you really feel, Vols. The Alabama offensive coordinator returns to Knoxville, Tennessee, for the first time since he bolted after one season to go to USC.

Most to lose
The Big Ten: Ohio State and Michigan State could be walking into trap games, and neither can afford another loss as the league's top hopes for playoff representatives.