The Dynasty begins

By Kirk Herbstreit
ESPN.com

After a mandatory breaking-in period, NCAA 2007 was ruled eligible for competitive play by the office "Council of Elders" (basically myself, Corso, and a magic 8-ball), a pivotal moment in the establishment of the FireMarkMay.com staff dynasty. Once the imprimatur was given, a heated conference discussion was undertaken followed by the establishment of teams. Alcohol and Frito Lay products were consumed in moderation.

We stole all of our Academic Decathlon equipment from Millard Fillmore High.

We chose the ACC for its inclusion of a title game and relative level of parity, after a few minor concessions. To keep things fair, Florida State, Miami, and Virginia Tech were considered ineligible. Suprisingly, no one cared. A rigorous Academic Decathlon was to determine the team selection process, but this was canceled due to lack of conflict or motivation. An even number of teams from each division was required, but had no apparent influence on team selection.

Here are the dynasties, alphabetically by team:

• Jimbo the Intern, a gregarious tailgater with sizeable knowledge of all things football and beer shocked us all by selecting Boston College, a normally "forbidden team" ineligible in all game modes due to our editor's unlimited hatred for "Fredo." Head Coach: Iwishiwas Adomer
• IrishOutsider, choosing last as 2006 champion, selected Georgia Tech out of sheer desire to run an unorthodox offense of his choosing while making hopefully relevant "Office Space" comments. Head Coach: Michael Bolton
• G-Money, the latest addition to the legal staff, selected Maryland for reasons unknown. Head Coach: Whiskey McGuirk
• Bloo, took the early lead in obvious tie-in humor by selecting North Carolina and proceeded to predict a sky blue beatdown on all who opposed his awesomeness. Head Coach: The Blue Meanie
• Trev, selected North Carolina State and immediately began to swear vengeance on Bloo for nailing his ex-girlfriend. Trev's habit of playing Xbox while wearing his Oakley's also weighed heavily in the decision. Head Coach: Albert von Beatdown
• Captain Eclectic, resident reference scholar, selected Virginia, allowing him to run the 3-4 defense with reckless abandon. He is excited about conquering southern recruiting. Head Coach: Robert E Lee IV
  

So, if we didn't have enough real football to breakdown during the week, this year's office dynasty will be sure to provide some additional simulated drama to the upcoming season. I can't wait to see this unfold, it's really anybody's to win at this early stage of the game. Here's my preseason rankings:

1. Georgia Tech
2. Boston College
3. Virginia
4. Maryland
5. NC State
6. North Carolina

Kirk Herbstreit can be seen each Saturday outsmarting Mark May on College Gameday. He can be heard every freaking play on NCAA 2007.