SI.com’s Stewart Mandel has come up with a post-spring pre-season top 25 poll. The Tennessee Volunteers are not even “on the cusp.”

So the new URL, the new look, the new content and categorization — the new blog — has been up and running FOR THREE WHOLE STRAIGHT DAYS IN A ROW ALTOGETHER BACK TO BACK ONE AFTER THE OTHER WITHOUT A HITCH, ETC., ETC., ETC.

Ahhh.

So here’s some of what I would have blogged on had the site been, you know, actually working.

Sincere congratulations to both the Texas Longhorns and Burnt Orange Nation, who blogged with excellence all season and especially through the month preceding the National Championship game.

And the cow’s still giving milk.

My three favorite BON things in the last week or two are the following pictures, which I won’t steal unless they say I can. Which makes it not stealing.

But for now:

• Picture Number 1 — Look at the picture first, before reading the caption. Something is not right with this picture. What is it?
• Picture Number 2 — Uh, good point. With all the talk about USC’s three-pete, you almost forget that the first of three was AP-only.  Oh, and they lost the last one.
• Picture Number 3 — Thousand words and all. For those under-rockers and those reading this post in the year 2073, that’s Vince Young — who lost the Heisman Trophy to running back Reggie Bush, who lost the National Championship game to Vince Young — striking the Heisman pose with the National Championship trophy.

As the bowl games draw near, here’s a list of BCS team blogs to help you keep up with the teams that are, you know, still playing football. Salty language warning for some of these.

Rose Bowl

USC Trojans

• Trojan Wire
• Heisman Pundit
• SC Football
• Inside USC
• Tribute to Troy
• Student Body Right
• Boi from Troy

Texas Longhorns

• Burnt Orange Nation
• Bevo Beat

Orange Bowl

Penn State

• 50-Yard Lion
• Nittany Blog
• Bleed Blue ‘n’ White

Florida State

Does anyone in Tallahassee blog?

Fiesta Bowl

Notre Dame

• Blue-Gray Sky
• Kanka Sports
• Kelly Green
• The Irish Brogue

Ohio State

• Buckeye Commentary
• Around the Oval
• Buckeye Sports Blitz
• Walking to the Shoe

Sugar Bowl

Georgia

• Georgia Sports Blog
• I’m a Realist
• Dawg News
• The Junkyard Blawg

West Virginia

• WV Law Dog Blog

The Final Animated BCS Race to the Rose Bowl is up and running on its own static page.

UPDATE: The Final Animated BCS Race to the Rose Bowl is up and running on its own static page.

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Only one week left, and it’s still looking like the Trojans and the Longhorns will finish Nos. 1 and 2:

Pesky Texas A&M couldn’t keep pace with the Longhorns, and the only real change in the line up this week is that everyone is one week closer to their final position.

The final two big games before the bowls are this Saturday: Texas plays Colorado for the Big XII Championship, and USC hosts No. 12 UCLA.

ABC has both games, Texas-Colorado at 1:00 and UCLA-USC at 4:30. If both the ‘horns and the Trojans win, they’ll meet in the Rose Bowl for the National Championship.

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If you have any questions at all about the BCS, check out Fanblogs’ excellent Primer to the 2005-2006 BCS Championship.

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See the Race to the Rose Bowl from the beginning:

• Week Twelve
• Week Eleven
• Week Ten
• Week Nine
• Week Eight
• Week Seven
• Week Six
• Week Five
• Week Four
• Week Three
• Week Two
• Week One
• Preseason

Entering the home stretch:

The Trojans and the Longhorns remain Nos. 1 and 2, and Penn State, LSU, Virginia Tech, and Ohio State all move up one spot due to Miami falling from No. 3 to No. 9 after losing to Georgia Tech. Oregon jumped from No. 10 to No. 7 after clobbering Oregon State, and the Fighting Irish improved by one position. Auburn rounds out the top ten.

The Tennessee Volunteers round out the top 117, and some players are behaving badly.

Games remaining that either will or could impact the Race:

• Texas at Texas A&M, November 25, 2005 (12:00, ABC)
• UCLA (12) at USC (1), December 3, 2005 (4:30, ABC)

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See the Race to the Rose Bowl from the beginning:

• Week Eleven
• Week Ten
• Week Nine
• Week Eight
• Week Seven
• Week Six
• Week Five
• Week Four
• Week Three
• Week Two
• Week One
• Preseason

UPDATE: This is Week Eleven. If you’re looking for the latest, see the Animated BCS Race to the Rose Bowl: Final Bowl Selections.

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Only a few weeks left to go, and the Race to the Rose Bowl is tightening:Alabama’s loss to the LSU Tigers left the USC Trojans and the Texas Longhorns as the only remaining unbeaten teams. Miami moves up to the third spot behind the unbeatens, and LSU vaults over the Hokies to the fifth position behind number four Penn State. Georgia dropped out of the top ten after a loss to Auburn and is replaced by Notre Dame.

Games remaining that either will or could impact the Race:

• Texas at Texas A&M, November 25, 2005 (12:00, ABC)
• UCLA at USC, December 3, 2005 (4:30, ABC)

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See the Race to the Rose Bowl from the beginning:

• Week Ten
• Week Nine
• Week Eight
• Week Seven
• Week Six
• Week Five
• Week Four
• Week Three
• Week Two
• Week One
• Preseason

Rounding the final corner:

Virginia Tech drops, but not by much, after getting thrashed by Miami, Georgia re-enters the Race, and Oregon’s putrid yellow and green breaks the top ten.

Games remaining that either will or could impact the Race:

• USC at California, November 12, 2005
• LSU at Alabama, November 12, 2005 (3:30, CBS, maybe)
• Texas at Texas A&M, November 25, 2005 (12:00, ABC)
• UCLA at USC, December 3, 2005 (4:30, ABC)

College Football News’ Run to the Rose Bowl has Three Unbeaten Contenders — USC, Texas, and Alabama — and eight No Margin for Errors — Miami, Penn State, Virginia Tech, LSU, Georgia, Oregon, Texas Tech, and UCLA.

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See the Race to the Rose Bowl from the beginning:

• Week Nine
• Week Eight
• Week Seven
• Week Six
• Week Five
• Week Four
• Week Three
• Week Two
• Week One
• Preseason

Even as the Tennessee Volunteers have come up lame, stumbled, fallen, fallen, and fallen out of the Top 25 altogether, the Race to the Rose Bowl goes on.

Georgia drops out of the top ten after losing to the Gators, and USC takes over the top spot it lost last week to the Longhorns.

Tonight’s game between the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Miami Hurricanes is huge. Plus, there are still a lot of games that either will or could impact the Race:

• USC at California, November 12, 2005
• LSU at Alabama, November 12, 2005 (3:30, CBS, maybe)
• Texas at Texas A&M, November 25, 2005 (12:00, ABC)
• Florida State at Florida, November 26, 2005 (3:30, CBS)
• UCLA at USC, December 3, 2005 (4:30, ABC)

College Football News’ Road to the Rose Bowl has Five Unbeaten Contenders — USC, Texas, Virginia Tech, Alabama, and UCLA — and eight No Margin for Errors — Miami, Penn State, LSU, Florida State, Georgia, Wisconsin, Oregon, and Texas Tech.

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See the Race to the Rose Bowl from the beginning:

• Week Eight
• Week Seven
• Week Six
• Week Five
• Week Four
• Week Three
• Week Two
• Week One
• Preseason