Round 1

1. Indianapolis Colts = Andrew Luck QB Stanford
2. St. Louis Rams = Matt Kalil OT USC
3. Minnesota Vikings = Morris Claiborne CB LSU
4. Cleveland Browns = Robert Griffin III QB Baylor
5. Tampa Bay Bucs = Trent Richardson HB Alabama
6. Washington Redskins = Justin Blackmon WR Oklahoma State
7. Jacksonville Jaguars = Kendall Wright WR Baylor
8. Carolina Panthers = Riley Reiff OT Iowa
9. Miami Dolphins = David DeCastro OG Stanford
10. Buffalo Bills = Courtney Upshaw OLB Alabama
11. Kansas City Chiefs = Jonathan Martin OT Stanford
12. Seattle Seahawks = Michael Brockers DT LSU
13. Arizona Cardinals = Luke Kuechly ILB Boston College
14. Dallas Cowboys = Dre Kirkpatrick CB Alabama
15. Philadelphia Eagles = Devon Still DT Penn State
16. New York Jets = Melvin Ingram OLB South Carolina
17. Cincinnati Bengals (through Oakland) = Quinton Coples DE North Carolina
18. San Diego Chargers = Cordy Glenn OT Georgia
19. Chicago Bears = Michael Floyd WR Notre Dame
20. Tennessee Titans = Nick Perry DE USC
21. Cincinnati Bengals = Mark Barron SS Alabama
22. Cleveland Browns (through Atlanta) = Mike Adams OT Ohio State
23. Detroit Lions = Peter Konz OC Wisconsin
24. Pittsburgh Steelers = Dontari Poe NT Memphis
25. Denver Broncos = Fletcher Cox DT Mississippi State
26. Houston Texans = Brandon Thompson NT Clemson
27. New England Patriots (through New Orleans) = Whitney Mercilus DE Illinois
28. Green Bay Packers = Janoris Jenkins CB North Alabama
29. Baltimore Ravens = Don'ta Hightower ILB Alabama
30. San Francisco 49ers = Mohamed Sanu WR Rutgers
31. New England Patriots = Alfonzo Dennard CB Nebraska
32. New York Giants = Zach Brown OLB North Carolina

Round 2

33. St. Louis Rams = Jerel Worthy DT Michigan State
34. Indianapolis Colts = Dwayne Allen TE Clemson
35. Minnesota Vikings = Alshon Jeffery WR South Carolina
36. Tampa Bay Bucs = Stephon Gilmore CB South Carolina
37. Cleveland Browns = Andre Branch DE Clemson
38. Jacksonville Jaguars = Vinny Curry DE Marshall
39. Washington Redskins = Ryan Tannehill QB Texas A&M
40. Miami Dolphins = Coby Fleener TE Stanford
41. Buffalo Bills = Chase Minnifield CB Virginia
42. Carolina Panthers = Kelechi Osomele OG Iowa State
43. Kansas City Chiefs = David Wilson HB Virginia Tech
44. Seattle Seahawks = Kevin Zeitler OG Wisconsin
45. Dallas Cowboys = Bobby Wagner ILB Utah State
46. Philadelphia Eagles = Lavonte David OLB Nebraska
47. New York Jets = Zebrie Sanders OT Florida State
48. New England Patriots (through Oakland) = Rueben Randle WR LSU
49. San Diego Chargers = Chandler Jones OLB Syracuse
50. Chicago Bears = Brandon Boykin CB Georgia
51. Philadelphia Eagles (through Arizona) = Brandon Washington OG Miami (Fla)
52. Tennessee Titans = Ben Jones OC Georgia
53. Cincinnati Bengals = Lamar Miller HB Miami (Fla)
54. Detroit Lions = Leonard Johnson CB Iowa State
55. Atlanta Falcons = Orson Charles TE Georgia
56. Pittsburgh Steelers = Doug Martin HB Boise State
57. Denver Broncos = Trumaine Johnson CB Montana
58. Houston Texans = Brian Quick WR Appalachian State
59. New Orleans Saints = Ronnell Lewis OLB Oklahoma
60. Green Bay Packers = Markelle Martin FS Oklahoma State
61. Baltimore Ravens = Bobby Massie OT Ole Miss
62. San Francisco 49ers = George Iloka FS Boise State
63. New England Patriots = Kendall Reyes DT UConn
64. New York Giants = Amini Silatolu OG Midwestern State

Round 3

65. Indianapolis Colts = Jayron Hosley CB Virginia Tech
66. St. Louis Rams = Jonathan Massaquoi OLB Troy
67. Minnesota Vikings = Vontaze Burfict MLB Arizona State
68. Cleveland Browns = Nick Toon WR Wisconsin
69. Tampa Bay Bucs = Sean Spence OLB Miami (Fla)
70. Washington Redskins = Alameda Ta'amu NT Washington
71. Jacksonville Jaguars = Michael Brewster OC Ohio State
72. Buffalo Bills = Dwight Jones WR North Carolina
73. Chicago Bears (through Carolina) = Ladarius Green TE UL-Lafayette
74. Miami Dolphins = Brandon Weeden QB Oklahoma State
75. Kansas City Chiefs = Brock Osweiler QB Arizona State
76. Seattle Seahawks = Billy Winn DE Boise State
77. Philadelphia Eagles = Harrison Smith SS Notre Dame
78. New York Jets = Joe Adams WR Arkansas
79. San Diego Chargers = Stephen Hill WR Georgia Tech
80. Chicago Bears = Cam Johnson DE Virginia
81. Arizona Cardinals = Jared Crick DE Nebraska
82. Dallas Cowboys = Aaron Henry FS Wisconsin
83. Tennessee Titans = Terrell Manning OLB NC State
84. Cincinnati Bengals = Mike Martin DT Michigan
85. Atlanta Falcons = Shaun Prater CB Iowa
86. Detroit Lions = Travis Lewis OLB Oklahoma
87. Pittsburgh Steelers = Matt McCants OT UAB
88. Denver Broncos = Bernard Pierce HB Temple
89. Houston Texans = Coryell Judie CB Texas A&M
90. New Orleans Saints = DeVier Posey WR Ohio State
91. Green Bay Packers = Chris Polk HB Washington
92. Baltimore Ravens = Bruce Irvin OLB West Virginia
93. San Francisco 49ers = Audie Cole OLB NC State
94. New England Patriots = LaMichael James HB Oregon
95. New York Giants = Boom Herron HB Ohio State

Top 5 available on the board

Kirk Cousins QB Michigan State
Nick Foles QB Arizona
Isaiah Pead HB Cincinnati
T.Y. Hilton WR Florida International
Michael Egnew TE Missouri

Coming off of a 7-6 season in 2010, the expectation was for modest improvement. Phil Steele picked Baylor 8th in the Big 12 and we picked them 7th. What happened on the offensive side of the football was far from modest. It was outstanding. Led by Superman Socks himself, Robert Griffin III, the Bears increased their points per game from 31.2 to 45.3. RG3 was dynamic and he posted a 37 to 6 TD to INT ratio on his way to winning the prestigous Heisman Trophy. But he didn't do it alone. RB Terrance Ganaway ran for over 1500 yards and 21 TDs. WR Kendall Wright caught 108 passes and 14 TDs and three other Baylor plays also posted 40+ reception seasons. The only thing that held Baylor back was it's defense.

As good as they were on offense, the defense was the exact opposite. The Bears gave up a whopping 488.5 yards per game and allowed 37.2 points per game. The good news for Baylor is that on many nights the offense was better than the defense was bad. RG3 and the Bears took center stage on the opening Friday of the season as they surprised TCU 50-48. RG3 and the Bears would go on to beat the likes of Oklahoma and Texas en route to a 10-3 season. To get the inside scoop on the 2011 Baylor Bears we caught up with Jay Beck of the Big 12 website Turfburner.

CFBZ: It was a fantastic year for the Baylor Bears. What was the one defining moment for Baylor's 2011 season?

Turfburner: There were several, but if I had to pick just one, it would have to be the victory over Kansas.  What, wait a minute.  A victory over a team that finished 2-10 was the defining moment?  Yes, yes it was because of the way it happened.  Baylor came in having lost two of their last three games.  Robert Griffin had been having a very good season, but was almost an afterthought in the Heisman race at that point.  And then the fourth quarter in Lawrence changed all that.

Baylor somehow trailed 24-3 entering the fourth quarter but that was when Griffin took over.  He scored on a 49 yard touchdown run and then threw touchdown passes of 36 and 67 yards and all of a sudden Baylor had tied it at 24 and the game went to overtime.  RGIII then threw a 14 yard touchdown and the Bears defense held up their end of the bargain and Baylor got out of Lawrence with a 31-24 win.

That game catapulted Baylor to wins in their final three regular season games including a win over Oklahoma the following week when Robert Griffin officially took over the Heisman race for the rest of the way.  If they had lost to Kansas, there's no telling what would have happened to the Bears' season.

CFBZ: If Baylor could play one game over again from last year which one would it be?

Turfburner: That's a tough call between the Kansas State and Oklahoma State games which were two of their three losses.  They should have beaten Kansas State but couldn't hold onto a nine point lead entering the fourth quarter.  RGIII had a chance to bring them back but threw his first interception of the season and then couldn't get anything going on their final drive.

That said, I would probably have to go with the Oklahoma State game.  They lost to the Cowboys 59-24, but looking at the stat line, you wouldn't have guessed it was so lopsided since they gained 622 total yards.  But it was by far their worst performance of the year with a good chunk of those yards coming against the OSU reserves. Baylor was down 49-3 entering the fourth quarter which tells you about all you need to know.  They scored 21 points in the fourth quarter, but at that point, RGIII all but fell out of the Heisman race in many people's mind, that is until he got back into against Kansas which was the answer to your first question.

CFBZ: Phil Bennett took over the defense this year but the results in year one were not good. Are the Bears on the right track on the defensive side of the football?

Turfburner: That's a tough question and one I'm not sure I know the answer too. I like Bennett as the coordinator and think he very well could be the guy for the job, but it was simply not a good first year.  That leads me to believe they simply need to focus on recruiting more talent to that side of the ball.

The most disturbing thing to me is that they really didn't improve throughout the year.  There were moments they looked okay, but the fact is they gave up 48 points to TCU in the opener and finished by giving up 56 points to Washington in the Alamo Bowl.  They simply don't have anything to hang their hat on at the moment on defense.  Offenses in the Big 12 aren't going to get worse, not to mention, Griffin isn't going to be around  to carry the offense so the defense is going to have to improve immensely if they hope to maintain the level they reached in 2011.

CFBZ: Who are some under the radar players for the Bears that you think can step up and have an impact on the field next season?

Turfburner: There are big shoes to fill with their top three offensive threats heading to the NFL.  A guy a lot of people will likely be talking about is running back Lache Seastrunk.  Most college football fans remember his name since he was at the center of the Will Lyles investigation.  He redshirted his freshman year at Oregon before transferring and had to sit out the 2011 season.  With Terrance Ganaway graduating, Seastrunk should get a long hard look this spring and into the fall to fill the void at running back.

Another guy that I would expect big things from is wide receiver, Tevin Reese.  He's not exactly unknown since he did have 51 catches in 2011, but was often overshadowed by Kendall Wright.  Assuming they can find someone to get him the ball, he should have every opportunity to be option number one in Baylor's passing game.

CFBZ: Who replaces RG3?

Turfburner: Senior Nick Florence is probably the guy who will get the first shot at replacing the gigantic shoes Griffin left to fill.  He replaced Griffin in 2009 during his freshman season after RGIII tore his ACL and performed reasonably well, although they didn't win a lot of games after RGIII went out.  He has seen limited action since, however.

They had planned on redshirting him last season leaving him with two years of eligibility after Griffin was gone.  But then RGIII suffered a concussion in the 11th game of the year and they decided to play him (which was crazy to me, by the way) in the second half which was his only action all year.  He did great though, going 9-12 while throwing two touchdowns allowing Baylor to pull away from Texas Tech for the win.  He's not near the threat Griffin was running the ball, but has a solid arm and knows Art Briles offense inside and out giving him a leg up in the race for the starting job.

If not Florence, the next guy in line figures to be third year sophomore, Bryce Petty.  He played in six games last year but threw a grand total of four passes all year.  He's a big guy at 6'3" 230 pounds but lacks the experience that Florence brings to the table.

Previous 2011 Exit Surveys

ACC- Clemson Tigers, Duke Blue Devils, FSU Seminoles, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Miami Hurricanes, North Carolina Tar Heels, NC State Wolfpack, Virginia Cavaliers, Virginia Tech Hokies, Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Big 12- Iowa State Cyclones, Kansas Jayhawks, Oklahoma Sooners

Big East- Cincinnati Bearcats, Louisville Cardinals, Pittsburgh Panthers, Syracuse Orange, UConn Huskies, USF Bulls, West Virginia Mountaineers

Big Ten- Iowa Hawkeyes, Michigan Wolverines, Michigan State Spartans, Minnesota Golden Gophers, Northwestern Wildcats, Ohio State Buckeyes, Penn State Nittany Lions, Purdue Boilermakers, Wisconsin Badgers

Pac-12- Arizona Wildcats, Oregon Ducks, Oregon State Beavers, USC Trojans, Utah Utes

SEC- Arkansas Razorbacks, Kentucky Wildcats, LSU Tigers, Missouri Tigers, Ole Miss Rebels, South Carolina Gamecocks, Tennessee Volunteers

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It seems like just a couple of years ago that Georgia State started it's football program. Wait a minute, it was only a couple of years ago! After two years and nine wins, the Panthers are now looking at bigger and better things. The AJC reported on their possible move:

Georgia State’s athletics department commissioned a report that explores the expenses and revenues from moving from the FCS, where Georgia State currently plays, to the FBS, which features bowls games and the BCS. The report concludes that “GSU is well-positioned to make a transition to FBS” and “that the Sun Belt would be the best fit.”

Sounds like good news to me. Obviously it would be a big jump and would require a substantial increase in expenses. As stated above, the Sun Belt would be the most likely landing spot but who knows...down the road they could end up a member of the Big East....if it's still around...

Fresh off a 7-6 debut season with the Louisville Cardinals, Charlie Strong had his work cut out for him this year. Louisville returned only 3 offensive starters and 6 defensive starters this season. According to Phil Steele, Louisville was the least experienced team in the Big East and second to only Auburn in the entire FBS. Louisville played like an inexperienced team early in the season as they opened just 2-4. To make matters worse they also accumulated losses to Sun Belt (FIU) and Conference USA (Marshall) schools. Louisville found themselves down the stretch as they finished 5-1 in the regular season including an upset of a ranked West Virginia team. Once again Louisville finished out the season 7-6 under Charlie Strong but this time they posted a 5-2 conference record (vs 3-4 in 2010). We caught up with Mark Ennis, co-manager of Big East Coast Bias and co-host of The Two Man Game on ESPN 680 in Louisville, to get his take on the 2011 version of the Louisville Cardinals.

CFBZ: Louisville went 5-2 in the Big East and tied for the Conference Title. What were the primary factors in their success this year?

Mark: Early in the season the biggest reason was the play of the Cardinals defense, particularly the defensive line. Greg Scruggs at end and the young defensive tackles Brandon Dunn and Jamaine Brooks played really well and were stout against the run while providing enough pass rush to keep Louisville from having to blitz so much. The play of the defense was crucial because the offense struggled so much in the first half of the year. In the second half of the season the defense was plagued by injuries and it was the maturation of Teddy Bridgewater and the freshman skill position players like Michaelee Harris, Eli Rogers, and DeVante Parker that gave Louisville's offense life and propelled them in conference play.

CFBZ: Out of conference, the Cardinals struggled as they went just 2-4. Was there any reason for Louisville performing this poorly out of conference?

Mark: I think Louisville really was just bad matchups for the teams they played when they played them. Louisville had an absurd number of freshmen on the offensive line, at receiver, and in the secondary and when they matched up even with average teams like Marshall and FIU, all of the youth showed. TY Hilton for FIU torched the Louisville secondary and Marshall's Vinny Curry pushed the Louisville freshmen on the offensive line around. North Carolina was loaded with NFL caliber players on the defense and it was the first game with Shawn Watson calling plays. If you want to put a positive spin on it, Louisville wasn't blown out in any of those games and had chances late to win the game in each case. And the Cardinals beat Kentucky.

CFBZ: What is the lasting memory you will have of this season?

Mark: Easily the lasting memory of this season will be the Cardinals going on the road and winning at West Virginia. The game came just a week after the messy realignment battle where West Virginia was ultimately chosen over Louisville to be the 10th member of the Big 12. West Virginia senator Joe Manchin went on a Morgantown radio station and told Louisville to 'go home and toughen up a bit' before trying to match up with West Virginia. Early in the game week, Louisville decided to not bring cheerleaders out of safety concerns. Louisville won the game despite being outgained and allowing Geno Smith to throw for over 400 yards. It was a gritty win and the lasting memory of it will always be Adrian Bushell blocking a West Virginia field goal attempt and Andrew Johnson returning it for a touchdown in a silent stadium, then stopping to blow kisses to the West Virginia cheerleaders. After the game, Charlie Strong crowd-surfed the Louisville team in celebration.

CFBZ: Heading into the off-season what are the biggest concerns about this team for 2012?

Mark: I think the biggest concerns are at defensive tackle.  Louisville has just three scholarship defensive tackles returning, so they'll likely move one defensive end that keeps growing (BJ Butler) to a three-technique tackle position and then have to press freshman DeAngelo Brown into duty instead of allowing him to redshirt. After that, Louisville will likely have to rely on star freshmen signees at inside linebacker, too. Dexter Heyman has started for the past two years in the middle and has been one of the real leaders of the team for the defense. With him gone, Louisville signed two US Army All-American linebackers in Nick Dawson and Keith Brown, as well as another pretty highly rated linebacker in James Burgess. Burgess and Brown are both already enrolled and will have a chance to play right away. Dawson will when he arrives in the fall as well.  

In a non-personnel sense, the biggest concern will be how Louisville handles no longer being the underdog. I've seen Louisville in some preseason top 25 rankings and virtually everyone expects them to  be one of the favorites to win the conference in 2012, so how will they handle having some expectations instead of really having nothing expected of them in their first two years under Charlie Strong. In 2010, they were just Kragthorpe's kids and Charlie was making the most of them. In 2011, they were the second youngest team in the country and again, he was just making the most of them. Now, his system is in place, there's plenty of talent and experience, and the coaching staff has stayed intact. How will they handle that?

Previous 2011 Exit Surveys

ACC- Clemson Tigers, Duke Blue Devils, FSU Seminoles, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Miami Hurricanes, North Carolina Tar Heels, NC State Wolfpack, Virginia Cavaliers, Virginia Tech Hokies, Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Big 12- Iowa State Cyclones, Kansas Jayhawks, Oklahoma Sooners

Big East- Cincinnati Bearcats, Pittsburgh Panthers, Syracuse Orange, UConn Huskies, USF Bulls, West Virginia Mountaineers

Big Ten- Iowa Hawkeyes, Michigan Wolverines, Michigan State Spartans, Minnesota Golden Gophers, Northwestern Wildcats, Ohio State Buckeyes, Penn State Nittany Lions, Purdue Boilermakers, Wisconsin Badgers

Pac-12- Arizona Wildcats, Oregon Ducks, Oregon State Beavers, USC Trojans, Utah Utes

SEC- Arkansas Razorbacks, Kentucky Wildcats, LSU Tigers, Missouri Tigers, Ole Miss Rebels, South Carolina Gamecocks, Tennessee Volunteers

After the first five games, the 2011 season looked like it was going to be a long one for the Wolfpack. At that point they were 2-3 with their only wins coming against Liberty and South Alabama. They had conference losses to Wake Forest and Georgia Tech and had been blown out by 30 points at the hands of the Bearcats of Cincinatti. Under first year starting QB Mike Glennon, they were able to right the ship and win 6 of the last 8 (including a shut-out of rival UNC and an upset of ACC Champion Clemson) to finish 8-5 overall and 4-4 in the conference. We caught up with James from the NC State based blog Riddick & Reynolds to get his take on the 2011 season and beyond.

CFBZ: After NC State started 2-3 there were some rumblings about Tom O'Brien being on the Hot Seat. After finishing 8-5, what are your thoughts on the job O'Brien is doing?

Riddick & Reynolds: I think things cooled down quite considerably over the back-half of the season, as you might expect, for a variety of reasons. 
Guys got healthy that were injured early on, rebuilding the depth Tom O'Brien teams rely on to succeed. The talk and distraction surrounding the Russell Wilson/Mike Glennon decision faded midway through the season due to two factors: Wisconsin lost a couple of heartbreakers to take them out of the national title picture, and Mike Glennon, after a few shaky starts early on, began to show the kind of talent that O'Brien bragged about heading into the year. And when you end the season with a nice bowl win in your home state in front of a mostly-NC State crowd, that tends to smooth over a lot of tension that might have surrounded coach O'Brien at the beginning of the year. 

To put it another way, fans and media alike tend to have very short memories, for better or worse.

CFBZ: O'Brien made the controversial decision to let Russell Wilson walk and go with Mike Glennon as his QB. Now that the season is over, did he make the right decision?

Riddick & Reynolds: I think so, which is consistent with what I said at the beginning of the year. I understood Tom's decision at the time because of what it meant for the team not in the next few months but over the next few years. 

I think everyone agrees it would've been nice to see Russell conclude his career at State; most folks nationally will henceforth consider Russell a Wisconsin quarterback, not a three-years-at-NC State-before-transferring-to-Wisconsin quarterback. In that sense, we kind of lost "ownership" of Russell as an alum of the Wolfpack football program.

That said, imagine where NC State would be today as it prepares for spring practice had Russell come back last year. No Russell Wilson AND no Mike Glennon, with O'Brien looking at starting largely unheralded and unproven RS Soph Tyler Brosius at the most critical spot on the field. With the returning starters on both sides of the ball, 2012 has the potential to be a good season for the Pack. Having Glennon under center, not Brosius, gives O'Brien and the team a better shot at reaching its full potential.

I have great memories of Russell Wilson making unbelievable plays in a Wolfpack uniform, and with some luck and good fortune, I'll get to say I saw Mike Glennon take this team further than it's ever been in the Tom O'Brien era.

CFBZ: If you could have a "do over" for any game which would it be?

Riddick & Reynolds: I'm debating on whether or not to answer with the Wake Forest loss in week two or the Boston College loss in week 10, as they both stung and hurt our Atlantic Division standing. But when it comes down to it, I think you have to go with the 14-10 BC loss.
There are certain teams that seem to have every team's number for one reason or another, and no matter how up or down Boston College is, State has struggled against O'Brien's former team since he left Chestnut Hill for Raleigh. State's lone win against the Eagles since O'Brien donned Wolfpack Red came in 2010 at home; all other attempts at solving BC's voodoo over the Pack have been fruitless.
This loss particularly hurt because State was so inept at generating any offense against a BC team that gave up 30 points or more four times in 2011. It's the lone blemish in a great closing stretch that began with the 13-0 shutout of UNC the week prior. Winning five-straight to close out the year would've been extra nice, but having BC douse our joy over beating the Heels was extra not-nice.
The Wake lose was tough to swallow but (humble brag) I called it before the season started due to Glennon's inexperience and our abysmal road record against the Deacs. And as much as Wake Forest exceeded their meager expectations, losing that game didn't sting quite as much as it might have seemed at the time.

CFBZ: What is the lasting memory you will have of this season?

Riddick & Reynolds: I think my big takeaway from 2012 is this was another year under O'Brien where we were left to wonder what might have been had injuries not played such a large role in this team's fortunes. 

While the total number of starts missed wasn't the highest it's been under O'Brien, the fact that so many of them came concurrently on the defensive line really sunk the effectiveness of our defense. The ability of State's defensive scheme to succeed starts up front: pressure from the line frees up the blitzing linebackers, which in turn allows our secondary to be more effective as quarterbacks have less time to pick apart the zone. When the defensive line was done in by injuries, our linebackers weren't able to make plays, giving opposing quarterbacks more time to operate. 

That said, it was a big year for several players on the squad. Mike Glennon, as mentioned before, answered the bell and put up some gaudy numbers in spite of the pressure heaped upon him by "The Decision." Even more impressively, David Amerson broke Dre Bly's ACC record for interceptions in a single season by two and put the rest of the country on notice that he was a cornerback to be feared. Seeing what a bigger, stronger, more experienced Amerson can do in 2012 is nice to think about (assuming opposing teams are still stupid enough to throw his way).

CFBZ: Heading into the off-season what are the biggest concerns about this team for 2012?

Riddick & Reynolds: We lose two very good linebackers in Audi Cole (graduation) and Terrell Manning (early NFL departure). Jon Tenuta will tell you he can coach up the next batch to replace them, but their loss will create a very big and noticeable void over the defensive middle to start next season. 

As it's become a running theme, I'll also keep a close eye on our injury situation as a barometer for how good this team can be. If we manage to avoid the injury [strike]curse[/strike] bug like we did in 2010, there's great potential for this squad with a seasoned Mike Glennon at the helm. But if history is a predictor of future results, State stands to lose its fair share of folks at key positions, forcing O'Brien to rely on untested or under-skilled replacements. 

State recently replaced the strength and conditioning coach that O'Brien brought with him from BC, so perhaps the days of massive attrition are behind us. 

*knock on wood*

Previous 2011 Exit Surveys

ACC- Clemson Tigers, Duke Blue Devils, FSU Seminoles, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Miami Hurricanes, North Carolina Tar Heels, Virginia Cavaliers, Virginia Tech Hokies, Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Big 12- Iowa State Cyclones, Kansas Jayhawks, Oklahoma Sooners

Big East- Cincinnati Bearcats, Pittsburgh Panthers, Syracuse Orange, UConn Huskies, USF Bulls, West Virginia Mountaineers

Big Ten- Iowa Hawkeyes, Michigan Wolverines, Michigan State Spartans, Minnesota Golden Gophers, Northwestern Wildcats, Ohio State Buckeyes, Penn State Nittany Lions, Purdue Boilermakers, Wisconsin Badgers

Pac-12- Arizona Wildcats, Oregon Ducks, Oregon State Beavers, USC Trojans, Utah Utes

SEC- Arkansas Razorbacks, Kentucky Wildcats, LSU Tigers, Missouri Tigers, Ole Miss Rebels, South Carolina Gamecocks, Tennessee Volunteers

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Alabama Crimson Tide:

CFBZ Top 100 Recruits: 8

Total Class: 26

Top Ranked Recruit: S Landon Collins

5-Stars: 3 (Collins, LB Reggie Ragland; WR Cryus Jones)

4-Stars: 15 (S Eddie Williams; LB Dillion Lee; RB TJ Yeldon; LB Denzel Devall; CB Geno Smith; LB Tyler Hayes; WR Amari Cooper; DT Korren Kirven; RB Kenyan Drake; DT Dalvin Tomlinson; WR Chris Black; OT Brandon Greene; DE Ryan Anderson; OT Alphonse Taylor; CB Travell Dixon)

Arkansas Razorbacks:

CFBZ Top 100 Recruits: 0

Total Class: 24

Top Ranked Recruit: RB Jonathan Williams

5-Stars: 0

4-Stars: 4 (Williams; DE Deatrich Wise; DE Taiwan Johnson; WR Keon Hatcher)

Name you may know: CB Ray Buchanan Jr

Auburn Tigers:

CFBZ Top 100 Recruits: 3

Total Class: 20

Top Ranked Recruit: OT Avery Young

5-Stars: 2 (Young; OT Jordan Diamond)

4-Stars: 10 (TE Ricky Parks; LB Cassanova McKinzy; DT Tyler Nero; CB Josh Hosley; QB Zeke Pike; WR Jaquay Williams; RB Jovon Robinson; WR Ricardo Louis; OT Patrick Miller; OT Shane Callahan)

Florida Gators:

CFBZ Top 100 Recruits: 5

Total Class: 23

Top Ranked Recruit: OT DJ Humphries

5-Stars: 3 (Humphries; CB Brian Poole; DE Jonathan Bullard)

4-Stars: 10 (TE Kent Taylor; TE Colin Thompson; S Marcus Maye; DE Dante Fowler; OT Jessamen Dunker; S Rhaheim Ledbetter; RB Matt Jones; DT Dante Phillips; LB Jeremi Powell; DT Damien Jacobs)

Name you may know: DE Bryan Cox Jr

Georgia Bulldogs:

CFBZ Top 100 Recruits: 5

Total Class: 19

Top Ranked Recruit: RB Keith Marshall

5-Stars: 4 (Marshall, OT John Theus, LB Josh Harvey-Clemons, DE Jordan Jenkins)

4-Stars: 5 (DT Jonathan Taylor, CB Sheldon Dawson; RB Todd Gurley, DE Leonard Floyd; DE Josh Dawson)

Kentucky Wildcats:

CFBZ Top 100 Recruits: 0

Total Class: 29

Top Ranked Recruit: DT Thomas Chapman

5-Stars: 0

4-Stars: 0

Names you may know: Twins Daron and Zack Blaylock

LSU Tigers:

CFBZ Top 100 Recruits: 1

Total Class: 26

Top Ranked Recruit: LB Kwon Alexander

5-Stars: 0

4-Stars: 12 (Alexander; TE John Thomas; G Vadal Alexander; CB Derrick Raymond; DE Danielle Hunter; LB Corey Thompson; CB Dwayne Thomas, LB Lorenzo Phillips, LB Ronnie Feist, T Derek Edinburgh, WR Avery Johnson, RB Jeremy Hill)

Mississippi State Bulldogs

CFBZ Top 100 Recruits: 1

Total Class: 28

Top Ranked Recruit: DT Quay Evans

5-Stars: 2 (Evans, DE Denico Autry)

4-Stars: 3 (DT Nick James; CB Will Redmond; LB Beniquez Brown)

Missouri Tigers:

CFBZ Top 100 Recruits: 1

Total Class: 18

Top Ranked Recruit: WR Dorial Green-Beckham

5-Stars: 1 (Green-Beckham)

4-Stars: 3 (C Evan Boehm; LB Donavin Newsom; QB Maty Mauk)

Ole Miss Rebels:

CFBZ Top 100 Recruits: 1

Total Class: 17

Top Ranked Recruit: DE Channing Ward

5-Stars: 1 (Ward)

4-Stars: 0

South Carolina Gamecocks:

CFBZ Top 100 Recruits: 3

Total Class: 25

Top Ranked Recruit: WR Shaq Roland

5-Stars: 1 (Roland)

4-Stars: 5 (RB Mike Davis; G Joe Harris; T Brock Stadnik; WR Kwinton Smith; TE Jerell Adams)

Name you may know: S Chaz Elder

Tennessee Volunteers:

CFBZ Top 100 Recruits: 0

Total Class: 22

Top Ranked Recruit: WR Cordarrelle Patterson

5-Stars: 1 (Patterson)

4-Stars: 4 (S LaDarrell McNeil; DT Danny O'Brien; DE Trent Taylor; WR Jason Croom)

Name you may know: S Deion Bonner

Texas A&M Aggies:

CFBZ Top 100 Recruits: 3

Total Class: 20

Top Ranked Recruit: RB Trey Williams

5-Stars: 1 (Williams)

4-Stars: 5 (QB Matt Davis, WR Thomas Johnson; G Germain Ifedi; CB De'Vante Harris; S Kenneth Marshall)

Vanderbilt Commodores:

CFBZ Top 100 Recruits: 0

Total Class: 22

Top Ranked Recruit: RB Brian Kimbrow

5-Stars: 0

4-Stars: 1 (Kimbrow)

*Star rankings used are from Scout.com

#10 South Carolina Gamecocks

South Carolina finished #10 in our final poll of the year so it makes a lot of sense to have them here to start 2012. The Gamecocks exceeded our expectations last season by overcoming the loss of Marcus Lattimore and the demise of Stephen Garcia. They were just a three point loss to Auburn away from playing in the SEC Championship Game for the second straight year. This year the Gamecocks will have to replace a lot of talent (Alshon Jeffrey, Melvin Ingram, Antonio Allen, C.C. Whitlock, Stephon Gilmore) especially on the defensive side of the football. They return 7 starters on offense and 6 on defense. QB Connor Shaw grew into the position once he took over for Garcia but he's still more dangerous with his feet than he is with his arm. If he can improve his passing this season and create more balance for the Gamecocks they could be a very dangerous team. The schedule is not a killer (East Carolina, UAB, Wofford, Kentucky should be freebies) but they do get LSU and Arkansas out of the SEC West.

#9 West Virginia Mountaineers

I did a double-take when I got a couple of ballots in from my voters but here is West Virginia. The Orange Bowl crushing of Dabo Swinney's dreams is still fresh in a lot of minds and maybe it will kick start the Mountaineers next season as they enter the Big 12. The Mountaineers finished 16th in our final poll and they return 8 starters on offense and 6 on defense. In their second year under Dana Holgersen they should be more consistent on offense and Geno Smith could turn out to be a Heisman contender. The big key for the Mountaineers is they have to get more from their ground game and they need their defense to make improvements as they will be playing a lot of high octane offenses.

#8 Florida State Seminoles

Florida State was one of the most disappointing teams last year when you think about how hyped they were and how they delivered. They got bit by the injury bug last season, especially on the offensive line. I didn't personally put FSU in my top 10, but my other three voters all had them in their polls. The biggest thing in favor of FSU is that they play in the ACC and it is anybody's for the taking. In the ACC there is no 10,000 pound gorilla like Alabama, LSU, Oregon or Oklahoma that everybody has to look up to. FSU returns 6 starters on offense and 8 on defense. Despite finishing 23rd in our final poll, they definitely have the talent to finish in the Top 10 this season.

#7 Arkansas Razorbacks

Arkansas flirted with being able to play with the big two in the SEC West but came up just short. A pretty good case could be made for the Razorbacks as the #3 team in the country last year and they finished 4th in our final poll. Despite losing a ton of talent at the WR position (Joe Adams, Greg Childs, Jarius Wright) I expect the Razorbacks to reload and might even have a better offense this season with a more experienced Tyler Wilson and a returning Knile Davis. My concern for Arkansas is on the defensive side of the football. They changed Defensive Coordinators but they also lose a bunch of talent (Jake Bequette, Jerico Nelson, Jerry Franklin, Tramain Thomas). Arkansas should be very good next season but I just don't see the defensive making enough improvement to get past Alabama and LSU.

#6 Georgia Bulldogs

Georgia finished 19th in our final poll and made huge strides from 2010 to 2011. The biggest concern about Georgia coming into this season is their ability (or lack thereof) to win the big game. Georgia beat every team on their schedule that they were supposed to beat but they went 0-4 against teams that finished in our Top 11 (Boise State, LSU, Michigan State, South Carolina). Georgia is banking on Todd Grantham's defense to take another step behind All-American LB Jarvis Jones, potential superstar Alec Ogletree (who missed half the 2011 season with a foot injury) and ball-hawking Safety Bacarri Rambo. Georgia returns nine starters on defense with Brandon Boykin being the biggest loss (as well as CB Sanders Comings missing the first two games with suspension). Georgia returns six starters on offense but has very talented young players. The key to this Georgia team will be how the offensive line comes together.

#5 Oregon Ducks

Oregon losses Darron Thomas, LaMichael James and David Paulson on the offensive side of the football. Those are big losses but under Chip Kelly, Oregon has become an offensive machine. Losing Chip Kelly to the NFL would have been a much bigger loss for this team. Expect Oregon to reload and be just as good this year on offense. Another positive for Oregon is that their schedule opens up very soft and that will allow them to get their feet under them. With a couple of breaks the Ducks could find themselves playing for the National Title again.

#4 Alabama Crimson Tide

Alabama returns just four starters on defense and has to replace their Heisman Trophy contending RB Trent Richardson. If any other team lost this much they wouldn't be this high. But this isn't any other team. It's Alabama, and Nick Saban has built up and earned the benefit of the doubt. Alabama won't be as good next year but they will be good and will get better as the year goes on. Bama opens with Michigan (a team that just barely missed our poll) and then has Arkansas in the third game of the season. Those games are probably the lynch-pin of this season for the Tide. Another interesting storyline will be their new Offensive Coordinator and how quickly he can get them used to whatever changes he brings.

#3 Oklahoma Sooners

Oklahoma returns 8 startes on offense and 7 on defense and also has QB Landry Jones returning. Besides our number one team in this poll (keep reading you are almost there), Oklahoma was the only other team to receive a first place vote. A key for Oklahoma is to avoid injuries (they are part of the game but OU got killed with injuries last year). Oklahoma made some changes on their defensive staff and they should help the team get better this year. The offense should be explosive and if the defense can keep from getting gashed (like they did against Texas Tech), OU has a very good shot at playing for a title this year.

#2 USC Trojans

Oh Lane Kiffin, we want to hate you but we have to respect what you did last year. The signature win over Oregon still resonates in my mind and it's one of the reasons that many think USC will be a contender this season. USC returns 8 starters on offense and 7 on defense. Losing OT Matt Kalil will hurt and losing some beef up front on defense will also hurt. That being said, with Matt Barkley and his talented receivers you simply can't count the Trojans out.

#1 LSU Tigers

LSU was the team to beat for the majority of last season. They won their division and then they won their conference. After all that, they had to beat a team that they already beat and they just couldn't get up for that game. Tip your hats to Alabama and spread the blame around at LSU because there is enough for everybody. LSU will return 7 offensive starters and even though Rueben Randle is going pro I see no reason why LSU will not be better on offense this year. Zach Mettenberger will take over for Jordan Jefferson and he will give LSU an actual passing threat. The good news for LSU is with Spencer Ware, Michael Ford, Alfred Blue and Kenny Hilliard in the backfield it generally won't be up to Mettenberger to win games. On defense, LSU is still going to be supremely talented despite returning only five starters. Three out of four Zealots have LSU in the drivers seat going into spring ball.

Fresh off an 11-2 season in 2009, the Hawkeyes fell short of expectations and sent QB Ricky Stanzi out with an 8-5 record in 2010. Heading into 2011, the Hawkeyes were not only dealing with replacing Stanzi but also five more players that were drafted in the 2011 NFL Draft. When the dust settled on the season...RB Marcus Coker finished second in the league in rushing behind Heisman contender Montee Ball, WR Marvin McNutt finished first in the conference in receiving yards and QB James Vandenberg posted an impressive 25 to 7 INT ratio as well as finishing third in the conference (behind Kirk Cousins and Russell Wilson) in passing yards. If I would have told you that before the season, you probably would have thought Iowa would finish better than 7-6. We caught up with our buddy Ross from the Iowa blog Black Heart Gold Pants to get his take on the 2011 season and also get a glimpse into 2012.

CFBZ: In our Pre-Season Preview you said you thought 8-4 would make for a fairly successful season. Iowa finished up 7-6. Was this season a success, a failure or somewhere in between?

BHGP: This season didn't finish too far off of my 8-4 prediction, but it was unquestionably a failure.  It was a failure as much for the number of losses as it was for the teams they lost to (a frustrating 3OT road loss to Iowa State and a baffling road loss to Minnesota) and the ways they lost them (seeing the same flaws on offense, defense, and special teams exploited again and again).  It was also a failure for the lack of improvement over the course of the season; the team that got its doors blown off by Michigan State or stomped by Nebraska didn't look markedly different than the team that struggled against Iowa State and Pitt in September.  Given the schedule and the returning talent Iowa had at several positions, an 8-4 regular season should not have been the tallest hurdle for them to overcome.  Alas, it was and the way they lost several of those five games made it even more difficult to take.

CFBZ: Which players surprised you this year with their performance?

BHGP: The most pleasant surprises for Iowa in 2011 for me were the arrival of Christian Kirksey as a potential star linebacker and the emergence of Marvin McNutt as a full-blown star at wide receiver.  McNutt had been good in 2009 and 2010, so Iowa fans thought we knew what he was capable of -- yet few of us expected him to put up the greatest receiving season in Iowa history: 82 receptions, 1315 yards, and 12 TDs.  He rewrote the Iowa single-season and career record books and left Iowa fans with their mouths agape on many occasions.  Kirksey emerged as Iowa's leading tackler and a defensive stalwart at home against either the run or the pass and as a sophomore in 2011, he should have plenty of time to get even better in 2012 and 2013 for Iowa.  It's harder to place a finger on the biggest disappointment; even in a 7-6 season, there weren't any particular players that were notably bad.  The biggest frustrations were probably QB James Vandenberg's inconsistency (he was frequently brilliant on the road, awful at home) and struggles under pressure and the general under-performance of the Iowa defensive line.  There were good individual players in that unit, particularly DT Mike Daniels and DE Broderick Binns, but as a whole the unit struggled for most of the season to generate pressure or contain the running game, which led to the worst overall Iowa defense in several years.

CFBZ: What is the lasting memory you will have of this season?

BHGP: The overall feeling for this season will undoubtedly be disappointment, given the unimpressive 7-6 record and ugly losses to the likes of Minnesota and Iowa State.  The memories of those painful losses, as well as the moribund offensive performances in the losses to Penn State and Nebraska, will linger for a while -- but so too will the thrill of the tense win over Michigan or the improbable come-from-behind win against Pitt.  There's no question that, overall, this season was a disappointment given the skill Iowa had at several positions and the easy scheduled that they were given -- but that doesn't mean that they weren't a few bright spots to remember all the same.

CFBZ: With Marcus Coker leaving the program, who steps in at RB next year?

BHGP: The more things change, the more they stay the same.  Iowa hasn't had a running back use all four years of eligibility since Damian Sims in 2007 and only once since then has the previous year's leading rusher returned the following season (Adam Robinson in 2010; he didn't make it to Year Three).  Which is to say that Iowa fans are unfortunately accustomed to turmoil at the running back position.  Marcus Coker's departure leaves a big, 1400-yard shaped hole in the offense, though, and no obvious replacements to fill it (especially since his main backup, true freshman Mika'il McCall, has also transferred away from the program).  The most likely scenario is Iowa turning to more of a RB-by-committee approach to replace Coker's production.  Jordan Canzeri, a speedy but sprightly true freshman, started the Insight Bowl against Oklahoma and did okay, but he's not a 15-20 carry a back workhorse.  He's a guy who should probably get 5-10 carries as well as another 5-7 looks in the passing game, since his strength is in the open field.  A pair of incoming freshmen, speedy stud Greg Garmon and steady grinder Barkley Hill, are the most likely names to fill out the RB rotation.

CFBZ: What are the primary areas of concern for Iowa going into the off-season?

BHGP: Iowa's used to off-season turmoil in certain areas (like, say, running back), but that hasn't been the case in the coaching staff, which has been one of the Big Ten's most remarkably stable staffs since Kirk Ferentz's arrival at Iowa in 1999.  So much for stability; defensive coordinator Norm Parker retired after the Insight Bowl, defensive line coach Rick Kaczenski left Iowa for the same job at Nebraska, and offensive coordinator Ken O'Keefe shockingly left for the wide receivers coach position with the Miami Dolphins.  That's a lot of turnover at a place that's hardly seen any shake-ups over the last decade.  On one hand, new blood and/or new responsibilities could energize a program that had seemed stagnant in recent years... but it could also lead to more chaos and more disappointment.  It's difficult to know what to expect from Iowa in 2012, which is both exciting and a little frightening.

Previous 2011 Exit Surveys

ACC- Clemson Tigers, Duke Blue Devils, FSU Seminoles, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Miami Hurricanes, North Carolina Tar Heels, Virginia Cavaliers, Virginia Tech Hokies, Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Big 12- Iowa State Cyclones, Kansas Jayhawks, Oklahoma Sooners

Big East- Cincinnati Bearcats, Pittsburgh Panthers, Syracuse Orange, UConn Huskies, USF Bulls, West Virginia Mountaineers

Big Ten- Michigan Wolverines, Michigan State Spartans, Minnesota Golden Gophers, Northwestern Wildcats, Ohio State Buckeyes, Penn State Nittany Lions, Purdue Boilermakers, Wisconsin Badgers

Pac-12- Arizona Wildcats, Oregon Ducks, Oregon State Beavers, USC Trojans, Utah Utes

SEC- Arkansas Razorbacks, Kentucky Wildcats, LSU Tigers, Missouri Tigers, Ole Miss Rebels, South Carolina Gamecocks, Tennessee Volunteers

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In three years at Iowa State, Paul Rhoads has taken Iowa State from a doormat to a competent team. The Cyclones are no longer a team that the opposition can expect to pencil in as a victory. Just ask Iowa, UConn, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State. The Cyclones beat all of those teams last season. Some were bigger wins than others but all were important victories for Rhoads and his team. The Cyclones finished the regular season at 6-6 after dropping a game by seven points at #11 Kansas State. Despite losing to Rutgers in this years Insight Bowl, Rhoads has now taken Iowa State to bowl games in two out of the last three years and is looking to taking them further. We caught up with the gang at Wide Right & Natty Lite to get their take on the 2011 Iowa State Cyclones and to get a sneak peak into 2012.

CFBZ: You said before the season that you thought the Cyclones would go 5-7 or 6-6. After finishing 6-7 how do you feel about the season?

Wide Right & Natty Lite: It definitely ended on a sour note, as the offense looked completely unprepared in the Pinstripe Bowl, and Jared Barnett finally looked 100% freshman. But overall, the season was a success. The team found a way to come together after a bad stretch (Texas, Baylor, Missouri, Texas A&M) and pulled off the biggest upset of the college football season. I think a lot of people around the country discovered that Iowa State was no longer a team to be taken lightly. I'm also fairly certain that any Alabama fan would declare Iowa State's season a success as well...

CFBZ: Iowa State used two QBs this year. Who would you like to see as the full-time starter in 2012?

Wide Right & Natty Lite: Given that each of the QBs produced half of our win total, you would want the QB with more time left to play take the job. I think a lot of Iowa State fans were hoping Steele Jantz would step in and rediscover the magic he found during the Iowa game this year when he came in for Barnett in the bowl game, but he looked just as out of sync if not more so than Barnett. In short, absolutely Jared Barnett, who will be a redshirt sophomore over the senior Jantz.

CFBZ: If you could have a "do over" for any game which would it be?

Wide Right & Natty Lite: The Texas game to open Big 12 conference play is the game that a lot of Iowa State fans would like to have back. The program had the most momentum it had seen in  years with a primetime slot on FX against the biggest brand in college football. Three turnovers later and the Cyclones are digging out of a hole against a team that was not all that much more talented, handing them the game over on a silver platter. This feeling ended up setting the tone for most of the month of October.

CFBZ: What is the lasting memory you will have of this season?

Wide Right & Natty Lite: Well, this is easy, isn't it? 50,000 fans all trying to fit on the field at Jack Trice on November 18th, 2011. I personally picked up the flu that day from being outside for what seemed like 20 hours, but it was worth it. As any Iowa State fan knows all too well, there was always the prevailing thought in the back of the mind that Iowa State would blow it somehow, after the pick, after Oklahoma State tied in the first OT, or fumble during the last scoring play... But it never happened.

CFBZ: Heading into the off-season what are the biggest concerns about this team for 2012?

Wide Right & Natty Lite: The biggest concern for this team is the defensive backfield. With defensive backs coach Bobby Elliot moving on to Notre Dame, and former starters Leonard Johnson (likely day 2 draft pick) and Ter'Ran Benton graduating, Iowa State will have to rely on a combination of freshmen and JUCOs and yet to be named DB coach to fill the void.

Previous 2011 Exit Surveys

ACC- Clemson Tigers, Duke Blue Devils, FSU Seminoles, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Miami Hurricanes, North Carolina Tar Heels, Virginia Tech Hokies, Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Big 12- Kansas Jayhawks, Oklahoma Sooners

Big East- Cincinnati Bearcats, Pittsburgh Panthers, Syracuse Orange, UConn Huskies, USF Bulls, West Virginia Mountaineers

Big Ten- Michigan Wolverines, Michigan State Spartans, Minnesota Golden Gophers, Northwestern Wildcats, Ohio State Buckeyes, Penn State Nittany Lions, Purdue Boilermakers, Wisconsin Badgers

Pac-12- Arizona Wildcats, Oregon Ducks, Oregon State Beavers, USC Trojans, Utah Utes

SEC- Arkansas Razorbacks, Kentucky Wildcats, LSU Tigers, Missouri Tigers, Ole Miss Rebels, South Carolina Gamecocks, Tennessee Volunteers

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Lately, the Big East has been picking up some steam and they have six schools (Boise State, Houston, Memphis, San Diego State, SMU and UCF) that will be joining the conference for the 2013 season. Brett McMurphy from CBS Sports had an article a few days ago talking about how the Big East has been pushing Boise State to join the conference in 2012. He went on to say that Boise State has reached out to the WAC to see if they could support some of Boise's other sports programs if they do jump to the Big East. McMurphy also said he's talked to two other sources that think the Broncos will play the 2012 season in the Big East.

Just as the Big East was hit hard by defections, the Big East has now hit the lower rungs of the FBS hard. So hard in fact that the Mountain West Conference and Conference USA will both be folding and merging into one conference. Let's take a look at this new conference from an East/West perspective:

I love college football but let's be honest for minute. Does that look appealing to you? Best case scenario is you get a Championship Game out of this conference that is Southern Miss against Hawaii. Not exactly must see TV. I will take some #MACtion over that any day of the week. Do you want some more good news? This new league is looking to expand to 18 to 24 teams. Call me a killjoy, but I'm not exactly looking forward to this merger.

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