PHOENIX — While the NFL spent most of the summer in a lockout, college football had a busy offseason.

Too bad none of it was on the field.

From the sweater vest leaving Ohio State to the Hurricane of a mess at the University of Miami, it was the summer of dirt in college football, further tarnishing the image of a sport that wasn’t exactly sparkling to begin with.

Now, finally, it’s time to watch some football.

The season kicks off Thursday with a couple dozen not-so-exciting games.

To get you primed up what should be an interesting season, we’ve got a quick-hitting guide, chocked full of useful and, we’ll admit, some not-so-useful information.

Check it out:

New rulesFirst thing’s first. The NCAA instituted some new rules this season. We know, boring, but don’t want you jumping off the couch and yelling “What was that?!” after one of the guys in stripes waves off a TD.Taunting. This one could take points off the board. Any player who makes a taunting gesturing on the way to the end zone will be penalized on the spot, the score will be wiped out and the ball set back 15 yards. Same rules apply for after a TD is scored, with the penalty assessed on the kickoff. Deion Sanders would be so disappointed.10-second rundown. If a team commits a foul to stop the clock in the final minute of each half, the opponent has the option of running 10 seconds off the clock and taking the yardage penalty. They also could take the yards without the time or decline the yards and the time. We’re guessing they’ll take both.Intentional grounding. This rule was changed to reflect what the NFL does. A receiver no longer has to have a reasonable chance to catch a pass, he only has to be in the area of the pass to prevent intentional grounding.

New rivalries?The conference shuffling is a going to take a little getting used to. While Nebraska playing in the Big Ten kind of makes sense, it still seems king of weird, and just saying Pac-12 doesn’t sound right.But what the realignments have done is create what could be some fairly interesting new rivalries. OK, so we lost Oklahoma-Nebraska with the Cornhuskers’ shift in allegiances, but some of these new ones could be pretty good.Nebraska-Iowa. These two Midwestern monsters are not only neighbors, they are in the newly created Legends Division, another name that’s going to take some getting used to. The Plains will be rumbling for years to come.Utah-USC. These two teams don’t have proximity in their favor — geographically or culturally — but they have winning histories and BCS successes. They’re both in the Pac-12 South and could be fighting each other annually for a spot in the conference title game.Nebraska-Ohio State. These Midwestern powers haven’t met since Eisenhower was in the White House, but their Oct. 8 game could be the first of numerous big games.Utah-Colorado. These Rockies-sharing neighbors are the new guys in the Pac-12 and will be eager to show they belong in the new conference more than the other.

Teams to watchOklahoma. Duh. The Sooners are preseason No. 1, picked to win their eighth national title and second under coach Bob Stoops.Boise State. The BCS-bucking Broncos have a new conference after moving to the Mountain West and still have quarterback Kellen Moore.Ohio State. Like Miami, the Buckeyes fall into the can’t-look-away-from-the-car crash category. Coach Jim Tressel and his sweater vest are gone from Columbus in the wake of the tattoo scandal.Oregon. The Ducks have that bees-from-the-hive offense and those, uh, flashy unis.