Nicholas Sparks once wrote, “In the blink of an eye, something happens by chance – when you least expect it – sets you on a course that you never planned, into a future you never imagined.” This quote is very applicable to sports as one play can change the entire course of a game or season and chance the course that everyone expected. As the college football regular season comes to an end this weekend, we’ve seen several moments that changed what we all expected. From who won games, to suspensions, who will win awards, and who failed to live up to expectations – the past few months have been full of drama and excitement. Here’s a college football 6 pack of where things stand now and what’s to come…

The Iron Bowl had the craziest ending to a football game that I’ve ever seen. After all the hype for top-ranked Alabama to travel to 4^th-ranked Auburn, many wondered if it would be a close game or if the Tide would just keep rolling. In true rivalry fashion, the Iron Bowl gave us a game that was both close and memorable. Yes, the finish has been played over and over, but as I watched it live, I couldn’t believe that the returner stayed in bounds and avoided all those tackles (here it is once more: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsupViGHy_0).  However, there was questionable play calling by both coaches late in the game (particularly choosing to go for it or not on 4^th down) that lead to the game being tied with just 1 second remaining. In the end, Nick Saban cost his team the game by trying to kick the 57-yard field goal with a freshman kicker instead of going to OT. While we will never know what may have happened then, it wouldn’t have been nearly as dramatic of an ending. It appears that the Tide’s reign will come to an end this year, but if you ask me the one team I wouldn’t want to face, it’s Alabama.

In the Midwest, a rivalry was renewed between Michigan and Ohio State. While the Wolverines were looking for a glimmer of hope in a rough season, the Buckeyes hoped to keep their national championship hopes alive. An on-field scuffle in the first half lead to ejections for both teams, and one Buckeye giving the double bird (since 1 just wasn’t enough) to the entire stadium on his way down the tunnel. On the field, OSU didn’t look sharp, and it took a failed 2-point conversion by U of M to give the Buckeyes the victory. For the record, I agree with Hoke’s decision to go for 2 when at home to try to get the win, but it was poorly executed. This game left many questions about how good the Buckeyes are after such a poor defensive outing. It’s no shock to most who follow the Big Ten that were no suspensions for the ejected OSU players since they are playing for a chance to go to the national championship and Jim Delaney doesn’t want to hurt the conferences’ revenue there. I’m with the conspiracy theorists here who believe that if it was players from almost any other school, there would have been punishment. The conference clearly cares more about its football reputation than moral standards. To add insult to the rest of us, many OSU faithful have made light of the behavior with memes and shirts to basically honor the player whose actions are in question. In the meantime, we will get a better idea of what the #2 Buckeyes really are when they play the #10 Spartans for the B1G title.

While there are still games to play this weekend, the debate for who should play in the BCS Championship Game is already going strong. Should the game have teams with best records or the best teams, knowing that these are often not that same thing? Florida State is #1 and will likely win this weekend, but it’s unknown if they’ll have their star QB on the team for the bowl game. Ohio State is #2 and will face their first top-10 opponent since the 2010 Sugar Bowl (37 games ago). Then, there’s a large group of 1-loss teams who would all like to make their argument on why they should play in the title game. After they beat Alabama on Saturday, the Auburn AD already started his campaign to jump OSU to play in the title game – already assuming that they will beat Mizzou. Among his statements were that it’s “impossible” for a 1-loss SEC team that wins their title game to be left out of the BCS title game and went on to say it would be a disservice to the nation for that to happen like it did in 2004. This leads me to get on my soapbox (or mound as we’ll start calling it): News flash, no team or conference has the “right” to play for the championship and every team with losses has excuses/reasons that it happened. Ultimately, in this system, your record and the voters will decide who’s best for the championship and it just might be “un-American” this year!

There is also a lot of discussion for who should win the Heisman Trophy. The frontrunner is definitely Jameis Winston and would be my vote based on how he’s played this year. However, the voters have become very conscious of the character of the winners after past scandals, which make the decision very difficult. Since Winston has been accused of rape but the charges (if any) won’t come out until after ballots are cast, the voters have to guess what will come from the prosecutor since delaying the votes is not an option. If they want to go the safe route and not vote for Winston, my pick is AJ McCarron. I feel like he tends to get over-looked like Miguel Cabrera once did in the MVP votes because he has been good every year. McCarron has had a third straight great season for the most successful program in America. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have the gaudy stats that some past winners have and the team just lost. Still, maybe it will feel a little more like a “lifetime achievement” this year, but all McCarron has done is be on 3 national championship teams and compile a record of 36-3 as a starter for the Tide. I would say it’s hard to argue that he’s been among the best players in the country with numbers like that!

The conversation for who should be Coach of the Year is a 3-man race in my opinion. Ironically, they were announced today as the 3 finalists for the Maxwell COY Award. Two of them will face off on Saturday in the SEC Championship Game. Gary Pinkel has turned around a Missouri squad that 5-7 last year to 11-1 this year as they adjust to playing in the SEC. Gus Malzahn had a phenomenal first year at Auburn (with a little luck) after taking over a team that was 3-9 last season. Each lead their teams to big upsets and are on the top 5 this week. However, my vote would go to David Cutcliffe, who just lead Duke to a division title and their first 10-win season in school history. For a school that is known for basketball, the football culture is changing under Cutcliffe (I still expect them to get throttled by FSU this weekend). Since he took over in 2008, the Blue Devils went to their first bowl since 1994 and the team is making consecutive bowl appearances for the first time in school history.

Finally, for a little more “mound time” in this 6 pack, I’m so ready for the end of the BCS system. My biggest gripe? The exceptions made for Non-BCS Schools. As people will pick apart the BCS conferences for their strength of schedule (for the record, I don’t think the AAC should be considered one), it’s laughable to me that schools like Fresno State and Northern Illinois are even in the discussion to play in the top bowl games. Luckily, the Bulldogs lost last week to end their chances, but Northern Illinois continues to roll through the very weak MAC. We all saw what happened when they were given a chance in the BCS last year and got pasted. If they go this year, the same will happen – unless they get the winner from the AAC, where it might be close. I’m also done hearing that Jordan Lynch should be considered for the Heisman. It’s given to the best player in college football, not a kid running a gimmick offense in a conference that’s barely D-1.

Extra Point: Bill O’Brien may be the coach I have the most respect for. He came into a mess at Penn State and didn’t bolt when the sanctions were levied. Now 2 seasons into the job, I’m wondering when he’ll double as a motivational speaker. The way he has gotten his team to play up to their level of competition to play spoiler and upset superior teams is very impressive. Their “bowl game” was at Camp Randall on Saturday when they took it to Wisconsin. Now, the question will be if PSU can keep him around as I’m sure AD’s and other programs are equally as impressed by all this.