College football is two weeks into the twelve game season. Up until now, the season has already been marked by upsets and close games. The AP top 25 shows Alabama at the top, in the number one spot for two weeks in a row, followed by Oregon, Clemson, Ohio State and Stanford. No. 15 Texas; fell from the ranks after an upset loss to unranked BYU, the most noticeable upset so far.
“BYU was able to pull off the big win. I love having bragging rights when it comes to my BYU team. They are my favorite college team, and I hope to attend there for school in the future,” senior Jake Hughes said.
Alabama at Texas A&M is an upcoming game that is a rematch from last years competition. Texas A&M won 29-24, on the road at Alabama, whom was previously ranked, number one.
The main headline is the new college football playoff system, taking place in the 2014 season. The new system will allow four teams to compete for the national title. Smaller schools will now have a chance to make it to the big game.
“With the new playoff system, it is going to be very interesting to see small schools like Boise State or Northern Iowa be able to compete for the National Championship,” junior Joey Twellman said.
The original College Bowl championship series consisted of the Orange, Rose, Fiesta, Sugar and BCS championship bowl games. This format was introduced in 1998. The BCS championship is a selection system designed, through polls and computer statistics, to determine a No. 1 and No. 2 team in the NCAA Division-1 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). After the final polls, the two top teams are chosen to play in the BCS National Championship Game which determines the BCS National Champion, but not the champion for independent voting systems.
“I think the original bowl series should be kept because of the traditions,” sophomore Owen Pyatt said.
Now, four teams will be able to compete for the BCS national championship, now called the College Football Playoff. The Rose and Sugar bowls will serve as the first two venues. The winner of both of these games will play for the National title.
In 2015, the Orange and Cotton bowls will host the College Football Playoff. The following year the Fiesta and Chick-fil-A bowls will host the new system. This process will rotate every three years.
![Holding the disc, senior Nathan Thompson waits for an opportunity to pass to senior Timmy Fry. Parkway United’s ultimate frisbee team is made up of students from each of the four Parkway schools. “The one thing I really like about ultimate [frisbee] is the community because it’s so different from any other sport I've been a part of. [My] national teammates are people who we play against in the regular season, so we see each other all the time. It's always fun hanging out with [them],” Thompson said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/C96A6823-1200x800.jpg)
![Senior Josie Grunzinger watches the football game intently from the sidelines on Oct. 18. Grunzinger stood out to the crowd as the only girl on the football team, encouraging other girls who want to play football to take a chance and go for a sport outside of their comfort zone. “If you think you could [play football] and you want to do it, just try it, because all it takes is to actually try it out,” Grunzinger said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Untitled-design-1200x675.png)
![With her arms held high, junior Jenna Rickelman throws the ball across the pool during a girls water polo practice. With hours of practice after school and over the summer, Rickelman saw many improvements in her water polo skills. “When I look at [my] stats, I'm so much better than I was last year,” Rickelman said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Untitled-design-2-.png)
![Putting on his helmet, catcher and senior Tommy Eschbach prepares to get in his primary stance. Despite losing 6-1 against Eureka on April 16, Eschbach didn’t let the tough loss affect his playing or mental health. “It's [so] easy to get caught up in the sport and what you're doing that [after] one bad game or a stretch of games it is hard to remind yourself that your worth as a person isn't directly related to your performance on the field,” Eschbach said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/DSC_0415-1-1-1200x800.jpg)
![Sports organizations have changed lives on and off the field, improving athletes’ muscle strength, reducing their risk of diseases and building energetic work capacity worldwide. However, many student-athletes struggle to balance schoolwork and athletic commitments, hoping to seek more understanding and support from their teachers and coaches. “To lessen mental strain student-athletes [face] and create a healthier, more comfortable lifestyle, there shouldn’t be any homework. I'm already [at school] for eight hours and [homework] creates a bigger load for student-athletes in AP or honors classes,” track and field sprinter and sophomore Lucy Penton said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC_0095-1-e1713883278514-1200x847.jpg)
![At the Spring Pep Rally on March 8, boys varsity water poloist and junior Jack Brau stands with the boys water polo team. The group, hoping to include everyone — whether boy or girl, varsity or JV — cheered on the girls water polo team during the sports team runouts. “Even though we all play separate games and have different practices, we like to see ourselves as one big group who represent one water polo [team],” Brau said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC_8810-1-1200x800.jpg)
![Looking for an open teammate, freshman Patrick May passes the ball across the court at the Nov. 28 game against Parkway Central. May started in the game against the Colts. ”Growing up, [my parents] always gave me a basketball, [and] we had a basketball hoop outside. I grew up playing [all the time], playing on the [driveway] and shooting hoops with my dad.” May said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/image2-1-1200x801.jpg)