I'm not here to dispute or defend the BCS

and the 2010 version could be the same if they manage to see off the lesser lights.Their attack looks okay enough, with the versatile Donovan floating behind the pacy Jozy Altidore, whose holding play and pace impressed me greatly when I saw him in this years Confederations Cup. The one problem they have is a lack of pace and creativity in midfield, except for Michael Bradley. The other midfielders, Mathis and all, are all industrious and hardworking, but I wonder whether they have the guile to unlock some of the best defenses in world football. Having said that, they have a coach whose attention to detail leaves nothing to chance, and a squad who know how to perform on the big stage, having been quarter finalists in the last edition and having come so close to winning the dress rehearsal to the World cup, the Confederations Cup, this year. One position of strength for them is the goalkeeping department where Tim Howard, Marcus Hahnemann and Brad Guzan are all good shot stoppers with height and good reflexes. They will be on heavy duty next year if the defense is not up to scratchPrediction: Second in the group should be seen as a success and there should be few problems for the U.S as they survey their group.

They breezed through qualifying but making it to the round of 16 should be their goal and anything beyond that should be a surprise. It is a very big deal in Algeria that the side made it in the first place, so they may not be too bothered about missing out on the knockout rounds. That said, if they managed to beat Egypt, they could upset the U.S too. They should have enough to beat Slovenia, but without any major stars to step up when needed, won't be viewed as dark horses just yet.Their game against the US will decide second place, unless England are defeated by one of the teams. Algeria have worked so hard to reach this tournament that anything they get out of this will be an added bonus, but this will be a chance for them to showcase to the world what they bring to the table. They have skill, no doubt, but whether they have the discipline to last 95 minutes against world class opposition remains to be seen.They are here after a 24 year wait and will be keen to make a go at it.

We cannot expect them to cause an upset like in Spain '82 where they defeated West Germany, but they will not be pushovers either Teams will have to play well to beat them. Pacy on the ball, and a high-octane pressing defensive game will ensure that they allow no breathing space to opponents, although, as in the qualifiers, they need to improve their defending on counterattacks and set pieces. Prediction: They won't finish bottom, but there's little chance of them making it past England. They must beat the Slovenia and hope to nic something off the US to have any chance of going through. Slovenia will be happy just to be here. It is one of the beauties of these global tournaments that it pits small nations against the might of the bigger superpowers, and Slovenia is certainly one of the smaller teams.

The fact that they beat Russia in the play-offs shows that Matjaz Kek's side cannot be underestimated, but England and the U.S. will not view them with any particular concern, and they are also Algerias best chance to put some pressure on the US for second place.They finished ahead of Poland and the Czech Republic in their qualifying, which signifies a victory in itself for them. Their game is based on a stout defense, and they will be tough to get through. Robert Koren is the closest thing they have to star, and will be looking to Zlatko Dedic for the ammunition in front of goals. They conceded only four goals through qualifying and will once again depend on their line of defense to keep clean sheets and try to hit their opponents on the break, although with their lack of pace, will find it difficult to prize teams open. Most likely, they will fight hard, but could be forced to battle with Algeria to ensure they are not left with the wooden spoon Prediction: Bottom of the group. The Bowl Championship Series sets out to do one thing and one thing only.And it does it very well.I sat down to write this and started going at it from an angle that most definitely would have made people angry with my stance.I then deleted all of it, not because I don't want people to disagree with me, but because I realized the point I was making wasn't the one I set out to make.I'm not here to dispute or defend the BCS.