College Football Wrap: What We Learned in 2013

Now that the 2013 college football season is over, it's time to reflect on what we learned this past season.

It seemed like a lot, but then again, some things remain the same. So, with that said, lets look back at 2013:

Injuries can kill a team ... Outside of Alabama three-peating, the teams with the highest expectations were Florida and Georgia, but injuries brought them crashing down. Florida not only lost their starting quarterback but several defensive players who were the heart of this team. Same with Georgia. The Bulldog players were dropping like flies. Seems like every week, they were losing a player or two, especially on defense were they could ill afford it. By the end of the season, both of their starting QBs were gone, along with several running backs and defensive stars and so was their season. You also have to wonder where would Oregon be, had Marcus Mariota been healthy all season.

The best team doesn't always win ... Ask Georgia, Alabama, Stanford, Florida. All lost to teams they probably should have beaten, but mistakes such as Florida had against Georgia Southern and Stanford suffered against Utah or the miracle finishes Auburn had against Georgia and Alabama proves sometimes it's just not your day. 

Never speak ill of the Rose Bowl ... When Oregon players basically said playing in another Rose Bowl meant nothing to them, that comment came back and bit them in the tailfeathers. They were blown out in their next game, effectively killing both their BCS chances and hopes of winning the Pac 12. Say what you want, the Rose Bowl is still the Grand Daddy of them all, and the Ducks were reminded of that.

Texas is apparently the jumping point for coaches getting raises ... If you're a football coach who wants a raise, just have your name linked to the Longhorns job. That opening, which is supposed to be the best coaching job in America, has gotten raises for Nick Saban, Kevin Sumlin, Gus Malzhan, and Art Briles. So coaches, if you want that raise, you'd better get your name on that Texas coaching wish list. 

The BCS finally got it right ... It took a while, but there's no controversy this year. There aren't  any undefeated deserving teams being left out, no conference non-champions making the championship game, nor bad teams making it through the back door. In short, the last BCS may be the best one yet. Yes, it could be argued that there were one-loss teams with tougher schedules, but the BCS was never that philosophically deep. Nor logically.

That's just my Top Five. Here are just a few honorable mentions:

• The SEC is still the best, but other conferences are finally catching up
• The Heisman committee may need to redefine its rules for winning the trophy
• The Big Ten Conference, overall, is still pretty lousy
• Johnny Manziel was not the best player in the nation or even on his team this year
• Oregon is still Oregon, and for that matter, so is Stanford
• You don't have to play good defense to win a championship

Well, that wraps it up. Enjoy the bowl season, folks!