including two runner-up finishes -- without any titles

Florida State moved into the Atlantic Coast Conference and Penn State joined the Big Ten. South Carolina landed in the Southeastern Conference. The Big East gathered Miami, Syracuse, Virginia Tech, West Virginia and Pittsburgh.As most of the powerful major-college football independents joined conferences in the early 1990s, it was becoming more difficult to create bowl matchups that helped poll voters determine which team was No. 1 at the end of the season.Roy Kramer, commissioner of the SEC from 1990-2002, recognized what the changing landscape and tie-ins between conferences and bowls were doing to the postseason, and crafted a solution that turned out to be the initial steps toward the College Football Playoff.As we began to look at it, and the fans were talking about it and so forth, there was an interest in putting together the possibility where if you had the No. 1 and 2 teams available that they would meet, Kramer told the AP recently.What started as the Bowl Coalition grew into the Bowl Alliance and eventually became the Bowl Championship Series. As the postseason changed in the 1990s, The Associated Press college football polls role changed, too. The AP was and still is crowning a champion, but those in charge of setting the bowl matchups were making it easier for the voters to make their final choice.The 1990s started with two so-called split championships, when the media members voting on the AP poll had a different final No. 1 from those voting in the coaches poll conducted by the other major wire service, United Press International.In 1990, AP crowned Colorado and the coaches voted Georgia Tech No. 1. The next season Miami -- and Washington (coaches) each claimed a national title after unbeaten seasons as the Pac-10s agreement with the Rose Bowl did not allow the Huskies to play the Hurricanes. It might seem bizarre now but for decades that was the norm in college football.In 1992, the Bowl Coalition was formed and arranged a Sugar Bowl with No. 1 Miami and No. 2 Alabama that made for a nice tidy championship when the Crimson Tide rolled.The Big Ten, Pac-10 and Rose Bowl were not part of the new structure but the model worked just fine until 1997.That season No. 1 Michigan beat No. 8 Washington State in the Rose Bowl and was voted national champ by the AP. No. 2 Nebraska beat No. 3 Tennessee in the Orange Bowl and the coaches voted the Cornhuskers No. 1.After much negotiating and assurances to Rose Bowl officials that their game would rarely be played without at least one of its long-term conference partners, the Big Ten and Pac-12 got on board and the BCS was born in 1998.And, of course, when the very first BCS standings were released in late October, UCLA from the Pac-10 was No. 1 and Ohio State from the Big Ten was No. 2, meaning neither would be playing in the Rose Bowl if that held.That had never happened in about 50 years and that was our sales pitch to them, to the Rose Bowl, Kramer said. Ill never forget the president of the Rose Bowl called me very late one night and he said, `Roy you said this wouldnt happen and I said, `Relax if it does, it wont happen for another 50 years.The AP poll was part of the BCS standings formula that determined which teams played in the championship game from 1998-2004. News organizations were growing increasingly uncomfortable with their writers and broadcasters determining bowl matchups that had millions of dollars in payouts so the AP requested that its poll be dropped from the formula.BEST PROGRAMSFlorida State appeared in 100 percent of all polls taken.Nebraska, 100 percent.Florida, 98.82 percent.BEST RIVALRYFlorida State vs. Florida. The Gators and Seminoles met 12 times during the decade and the lowest ranking either team entered the game with was No. 11. Four top-five matchups. Bobby Bowden and the Seminoles went 7-4-1 against Steve Spurriers Gators, but UF won the Sugar Bowl rematch 52-20 to win the 1996 national title.MAIN TAKEAWAYAs much as fans complain about polls, the BCS showed that generally they were still more comfortable with polls than computer ratings to determine the best teams. Once fans got a steady taste of settling it on the field, though, they wanted more.---Follow Ralph D. Russo at www.Twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP---Online:More on the APs Top 100 retrospective: http://collegefootball.ap.org/ap-poll-all-time Magic Jerseys China . After a replay, the winner will meet Sunderland in the quarterfinals. Sagbo did well to control Sone Alukos right cross and fire past Brighton goalkeeper Peter Brezovan. Aluko was making his first start in four months after recovering from an Achilles injury. Wholesale Custom Magic Shirts . After the whistle, Thornton skated the length of the ice, pulled Orpik to the ice from behind and punched him in the face several times. http://www.custommagicjersey.com/custom-penny-hardaway-jersey-large-71v.html . Once again, DeLaet finished tied for second at a PGA Tour stop on the weekend, this time at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. The pride of Weyburn, Sask. Custom Magic Jersey China . They reached the 100-point plateau for the fourth time in five games, bested the visiting Trail Blazers by 34 in the paint and scored 19 of the final 25 points in regulation. Authentic Custom Magic Jersey .com) - The game was all punts and field goals before Kodi Whitfields catch. FARMINGDALE, N.Y. -- My fellow Americans, this is exactly what youve been waiting for.All right, so maybe not all of it. Not the part where Rickie Fowler, who looked assured of a Ryder Cup qualifying spot with four holes to play at the Barclays, stumbled down the stretch and failed to get it done.And not the part where Zach Johnson, who hasnt won since last summer, backed his way onto the roster with a 48th-place finish. Or the part where Bubba Watson never made a serious run at those last spots this week, or where J.B. Holmes parlayed an impressive start into a 41st-place result, or where Jim Furyk also finished 41st, or where Matt Kuchar was 64th, each of them unable to mount a serious challenge for one of those automatic berths.Sooooo -- not exactly what youve been waiting for. But maybe, kinda, sorta what youve been waiting for?Thats because after three losing teams this decade, after watching U.S. player after U.S. player implode with the pressure on, after seeing too many of these instances of guys backing their way onto the team or collapsing when the pressure is greatest, along comes Patrick Reed.Reed knew exactly what was at stake entering the final round. Starting the week in the eighth and final qualifying position, he needed to retain that spot by days end in order to clinch a place on the team. But he was also trying to win the tournament, a task which may or may not have proved beneficial to the Ryder Cup subplot.Like every pro golfer since the beginning of time, Reed contested that he was only focused on playing his best golf and everything else would fall into place. Hell, Tiger Woods offered that idea so much that Nike once made it an advertising slogan: Winning Takes Care of Everything.Reed was no different. Even after he won, he insisted that he was only thinking about getting the victory, not the Ryder Cup residuals.Coming into the week, we said, Well, you know what? Go ahead and do what you can do and get the job done, he explained. If you go and win it takes care of everything else: Gets you into the Tournament of Champions, gets you into Ryder Cup, gets you to lead FedEx. It takes care of everything.Thats a rational explanation, except for the fact that the Ryder Cup tends to do irrational things to players.Guys who have hit a million tee shots in their lives freeze over the first swing and just hope to make contact. Guys who normally play with all the emotion of a bassett hound start pumping fists and slamming clubs.dddddddddddd And yes, guys who say theyre simply trying to play their best and everything will take care of itself often wind up thinking too much about the repercussions.So while its a mature stance for Reed to insist hes just attempting to compartmentalize a win at Bethpage Black without worrying about the impending Ryder Cup scenario, thats easier said than done.This is a player who bleeds red, white and blue. This is a player who received global appeal by shushing the home European fans two years ago. This is a player who earned a late opportunity to represent the U.S. at the recent Olympics and jumped at it.With all of that and much more on the line Sunday afternoon, Reed was solid and efficient, if not flashy and dominant.He entered the day trailing by one stroke, and finished it winning by one. He posted a 1-under 70. He hit a few brilliant shots and a couple that hed like to have back.As if he needed more pressure, Reed is the type who prides himself on being a winner. Four victories on the PGA Tour by the age of 26 have assisted in that idea, but he hadnt done much to add to that résumé lately. His most recent win had come in January of last year, while this season he owned nine previous top-10s -- including two runner-up finishes -- without any titles.Top-10ing is great, he said. Top-10ing is great for making a living. But at the end of the day, every time we play golf tournaments, we dont settle for top-10s. Were going out there to try to get a W and try to get hardware and try to get a trophy. Because at the end of the day, a bunch of top-10s, its great. But its going to make you be on that bubble, as you saw. Ive had -- it feels like a hundred top-10s this year, and Ive just kind of stayed there on that six, seven, eight, nine stretch, on the Ryder Cup (standings), and it takes something like a win to be able to solidify yourself.Reed solidified himself this week. He solidified his place on this leaderboard, which in turn solidified his place on the Ryder Cup team.The entire performance of U.S. players might not have been exactly what American fans have been waiting for, but Reeds ability to force his way onto the team rather than backing into it should be taken as a heavy dose of exactly whats been needed. ' ' '