Thursday, October 29, 2009

Week 8 Heisman Contenders

1. Mark Ingram
Ingram will hold the top spot another week despite failing to run for 100 yards. He did however run for 99, which was almost as much as his quarterback McElroy threw for. Aiding Ingram's cause this week was the fact his usually reliable backup Richardson only mustered 18 yards on the ground, showing the strength of the Tennessee defense. Alabama is on a bye week this week, so unless someone pulls a Superman like performance, expect Ingram to sit atop the Heisman watch for another week. Ingram solidified himself as the top back this week, as Ryan Williams committed a costly fumble that led to Virginia Tech losing.

2. Tony Pike
Only in a year where Heisman candidates can a guy not lose ground by being injured. Tony Pike has been a steady force for Cincinnati and with Cincinnati still winning without him he has the benefit of his team remaining undefeated. Collaros is reportedly going to get the start this week, so this week really would kill Pike's hopes if he can't play. Pike has been a steady performer all season, but the one thing he is lacking is a truly signature performance. Without that signature performance and missing two games, Pike may be effectively eliminated from the competition this next week.

3. Case Keenum
Keenum's performance Saturday will hurt in the Heisman. Most Heisman contenders can afford going 25/36 for 233 yards and a touchdown, but Keenum can't. Keenum's schedule is easy from here on out and without at least an average of 3 touchdowns per game, he'll fall completely off the radar of some. I'll give him slack this week considering the game was well in hand and Keenum didn't have to do anything. He was still efficient with his passing percentage. Keenum might join Pike off this radar unless he does something huge this week. With big conference games coming up, the BCS schools may see some of their players step up and take these positions.

4. CJ Spiller
Spiller is an interesting case. I've said before I don't believe Spiller is a top 5, maybe not even top 10 back in the country. In terms of true running backs that run between the tackles I know he is not, but that's not why he is on this list. Clemson has a few losses this season, which puts Spiller in the same situation as Suh, but Clemson is going in the opposite direction of Nebraska and I gave the edge to Spiller. Luckily for Spiller, Clemson can still make the ACC Title game and are one upset from a BCS berth, keeping him in the spotlight. Spiller is a tremendous receiver out of the backfield and on returns he is a threat every single time. If Spiller keeps putting up 200+ all purpose yards a game, he'll get the respect from me.

5. Daryll Clark
I know many will call me homerish for this, but honestly he has just as good an argument as the others. Like Tim Tebow, Clark has a new set of receivers this season and Tebow had the luxury of Riley Cooper coming back. Tebow had a more experience line and a deeper set of backs, but who has the much better stats at this point? McCoy has an argument as his team is hot, but who has had the better overall season? Jimmy Clausen? How about Golden Tate, he is the better Heisman candidate on that team and is currently six in my Heisman Contenders. Clark had a problem with picks at the beginning of the season, but some of those were unlucky tips off receivers hands and he has thrown only 1 in the last 4. Sure 3 of his 7 are against Iowa, his one bad game but the other 4 were all against cupcakes out of conference, not from his other 3 conference games. Clark has 1884 yards already with 17 touchdowns. Add in 4 rushing touchdowns and his rushing yards put him over 2000 total yards for the season. His 17 touchdown passes are number 1 in BCS conference schools.

Week 8 Thoughts

The week started with a bang as North Carolina was dominating Florida State. Problem for North Carolina was there was too much time left on the clock and Florida State came storming back for the win. Pittsburgh continued the excitement early Saturday making a statement by destroying South Florida. Pittsburgh and Cincinnati are the frontrunners in the Big East with West Virginia the darkhorse. Georgia Tech showed they are going to make a run at the ACC Championship, while the Big 12 North continued to look pathetic with Nebraska turning the ball over 8 times in an ugly loss. Penn State and Oklahoma steamrolled Michigan and Kansas. But it was the close games in the SEC that set the mark for the day. Alabama needed a blocked field goal to defeat Tennessee as their offense continues to sputter and Florida held on to defeat a Mississippi State team that wouldn't quit. USC had to fight for their lives against Oregon State, as Taylor Mays delivered what might go down as the hit of the year (although it was illegal). Nevada and Idaho provided the fireworks for the week playing a 70-45 game, but the game of the week had to be Michigan State-Iowa. In a defensive grudge match, Michigan State broke it open with a hook and ladder and scored with time for one final Iowa push. With how the game was going it looked over, but Ricky Stanzi and Iowa seem possesed this year and Stanzi led his troops to down the field to position themselves for one play at the endzone. Stanzi threw a perfect pass on the slant route and Iowa won as time expired. The National Title race would be a disaster if Iowa, an SEC team, and Texas win out, but right now I just don't see that happening.

Players of the Week
1. Terrence Cody
I'm only stating the obvious here. Cody might have performed the most memorable play of the season to date (unless you consider Ricky Stanzi's throw the best). The monster in the middle blocked Tennesee's game winning field goal try, but he didn't do this just once but twice considering he had blocked another kick earlier in the quarter. Cody preserved Alabama's undefeated and moved them one step closer to the SEC Championship game, which with a win could propel them to the National Championship game. In a game where the offense sputtered, McElroy had 120, Ingram was under 100, and Richardson did nothing to spell him, Alabama's defense won the game. They gave Crompton over 250 yards through the air but they didn't break and won the game.

2. Allen Bradford
No it's not Stafon Johnson or Joe McKnight, it's Bradford who carried the load for the Trojans this week. Without Bradford's breakout performance, USC could have 2 losses right now. Bradford had 147 on the ground with over 9 yards a carry. Bradford's touchdowns were clutch and allowed USC to hold to beat the resilient Beavers from Oregon State. USC's offense has stepped it up, as it is clear the defense isn't close to the defense of last season. Last year the strength was in the linebackers, but this year it is in the secondary, which caused problems playing Quizz Rodgers. The defense gave up 36 points, but it doesn't matter since Bradford and company put up 42. The only problem USC has in the backfield is getting everyone enough carries and letting the backs get into a groove.

3. Colt McCoy
Right when McCoy has been officially eliminated from everyone's Heisman list, he pops right back up. McCoy looked like the McCoy of old against the Sean Weatherspoon led Missouri defense slicing them up for 269 yards on 26-31 throwing. Whittaker led Texas with only 36 yards on the ground, but that was a result of what McCoy was accomplishing through the air. If Texas wants to win a National Championship, they'll have to become more multi-faceted. With their air game looking improved and McCoy and Shipley always being threats, look for the pressure to be on the backs especially with defenses keying on the pass in the coming weeks. McCoy isn't at the top of Heisman lists, but with an open race he could rise faster than most would think.

4. Colin Kaepernick
I really thought Nevada was going to be a better team this season than how they have played this far. They finally stepped it up this week though. Idaho became bowl eligible for the first time in years last week, but the Nevada offense just ran circles around their defense. Kaepernick had an okay 178 yards through the air with 2 touchdowns, but it was his work in the ground game that turned the rout on. On just 15 carries, Kaepernick sliced his way to 230 yards and 4 touchdowns against a team that thought they were one of the season's surprises. If Nevada can keep up this offensive play and improve their defense look out Boise State. This could be Boise State's last challenge.

5. CJ Spiller
Big time players play their best in big time games. I haven't been on the Spiller bandwagon at all this season, but he deserves his props this week against Miami. I've never considered Spiller a very good running back and still don't to a degree, but he is great out of the backfield and a tremendous returner. Spiller only had 81 on the ground but he had 6 catches for over 100 yards and a touchdown in the receiving game. His most important play was his kickoff return for a touchdown. Clemson had to play this game in Miami and easily could have gotten rattled by a Miami score, but Clemson held strong, did what they had to do and won the game in overtime capitalizing on Miami's mistakes. If Clemson can win some more games, which they are capable of, they can make the ACC Championship game and Spiller will get his votes.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Week 8 Rankings

1. Alabama
2. Florida
3. Texas
4. Iowa
5. TCU
6. Cincinnati
7. Boise State
8. LSU
9. USC
10. Oregon
11. Penn State
12. Georgia Tech
13. Oklahoma State
14. Virginia Tech
15. Ohio State
16. Houston
17. Pittsburgh
18. Arizona
19. Wisconsin
20. Miami
21. Mississippi
22. Oklahoma
23. Utah
24. West Virginia
25. Notre Dame

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Week 7 Heisman Contenders

1. Mark Ingram
At this point in the season, it would take a major screw up by Ingram to lose the Heisman. His team seems to be connecting on all cylinders and he's carrying the offense on his shoulders. Alabama is probably the best player in the country and that never hurts the cause for a Heisman candidate. Ingram should surpass the 1000 yard mark either this week or next. Ingram's next major test is LSU, which should be the hardest for him before Alabama plays Florida in the SEC Championship game. Ingram's 200+ yard performance on the ground against South Carolina has set him apart from the rest of the pack, considering he ripped most of those yards after initial contact and when the game was close in score. Those are signs of a tough, clutch player.

2. Tony Pike
Pike could take a fall after this week, but Heisman Contenders rewards year to date performance and not projected output. News broke recently that Pike will not start this week, rather his backup Collaros. Collaros is a pretty fun quarterback to watch, being much more mobile than Pike, but Cincinnati will miss Pike's arm if he doesn't see action in the game. Pike has 1633 yards on the season through the air and a 15/3 ratio at the midway point through the season. If he continued that rate (meaning he played every game), he'd end up with about 3500 yards and 33 touchdowns, which is impressive but still not close to the numbers of Sam Bradford a season ago. Cincinnati has to continue to roll if Pike has any shot at this award.

3. Ryan Williams
Ryan Williams gets a break from Heisman Contenders this week. Although his team lost, Williams still managed 100 yards (including a big 66 yard run) despite playing will an illness. Williams continues to be the most exciting freshman (true or redshirt) in the country over Matt Barkley. It should be interesting to see how many carries Darren Evans will get next season with Williams performing at such a high level. Through the first seven games of the season, Williams has 999 all purpose yards and 11 touchdowns, amazing statistics for a guy that wasn't even supposed to start this season. Hokie nation knew how good Williams could be, but most of the nation didn't.

4. Case Keenum
Houston won big again, keeping Keenum in the hunt for the trophy. Keenum is number one in the country in passing yards per game, a statistic expected from him if he wants the trophy. Through just six games he has 2501 yards and 19 touchdown passes. Unlike Pike, Keenum will approach the numbers of Bradford from a season ago, but will his conference hold him back from winning the trophy? Keenum has already proved he can beat the big boys. Oklahoma State hasn't had the season they wanted with injuries and suspensions, but they keep managing to win. Houston also beat Texas Tech, a team that seems to be clicking right now and although Sheffield wasn't the quarterback against Houston, must people won't remember that little detail.

5. Tim Tebow
The interesting case of Tim Tebow. The purpose of this blog entry at the beginning of the season was to show who I thought was most deserving of the trophy, but as we enter the back half of the season the purpose changes to projecting who will win the Heisman trophy. As much as the media says Tebow is the Heisman favorite or one of the front runners at this point, what justification do the voters have for that vote? Yes, they can say Tebow does enough for his team to win and that they are ranked as the top team in the nation in some polls, but that argument better supports Mark Ingram. Tebow is riding reputation at this point and until he makes a statement, he does not deserve this trophy.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Week 7 Rankings

1. Alabama
2. Florida
3. Texas
4. Iowa
5. Cincinnati
6. Boise State
7. USC
8. LSU
9. Miami
10. Oregon
11. Penn State
12. TCU
13. Oklahoma State
14. Georgia Tech
15. Virginia Tech
16. Ohio State
17. BYU
18. Houston
19. Texas Tech
20. Boston College
21. Arizona
22. Wisconsin
23. Pittsburgh
24. Arkansas
25. Kansas

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Week 7 Thoughts

Week 7 was the best week yet of football this season. All the top teams seemed to play tight games and went down to the wire. Kansas, Ohio State and Virginia Tech will both exit the top 10 this week. The rest of the Top Ten; Alabama, Florida, Texas, Boise State, and USC all struggled to win their games. LSU had the week off and Cincinnati was the lone team to cruise to victory and they took the victory at a price with Pike going down. The Heisman race now has a frontrunner. Mark Ingram ran for over 200 yards in the South Carolina game and is the country's best player right now. Suh and Williams got hit with their team's losing. Conference play is rolling and college football is in full blast. The National Title picture instead of becoming clearer is just foggier with Boise State and Cincinnati continuing to win.

Top Players
1. Mark Ingram
Alabama was a one man show Saturday night in a closer than expected game against South Carolina. McElroy and Jones struggled in the game, but Ingram picked up the slack. Ingram has not only dethroned Jahvid Best as the best running back in the country, but he has officially taken the title as the best player in the country. Ingram plays better in the bigger games and he carries his team more than I dare say Tebow and McCoy do. Tebow has running backs at his disposal and McCoy has Jordan Shipley outshining him. Ingram had 246 yards on the ground and 23 receiving, which was 23 more yards through the air than Julio Jones did. Ingram is Alabama and possibly a future National Champion.

2. Josh Nesbitt
Nesbitt hasn't had the best year at the helm for Georgia Tech throwing the ball. He threw a pick and only completed one of seven passes versus a stingy Virginia Tech defense. Problem for the Hokies was that one completion was a 51 yard play to Thomas and Nesbitt was dominant in the ground game going for 122 yards, but more importantly 3 touchdowns. In a game that Tyrod Taylor was supposed to be the better mobile back and Ryan Williams was a Heisman candidate, it was Nesbitt who looked the best on the ground. Scoring 28 points on a Hokie defense and even more so considering the time consuming offense Georgia Tech runs.

3. Matt Barkley
Barkley has a very similar background to his counterpart from Saturday, Jimmy Clausen. Barkley's future may have been predicted as brighter before the game, but it was Clausen that was getting the Heisman attention. Barkley came out of the game champion in two regards. First, the freshman guided his team to victory, the most important part to either quarterback. Second, it was Barkley and not Clausen who dominated the statline. Barkley threw for a smooth 380 yards to go along with his 2 touchdowns. No one will mention that Notre Dame's pass defense sucks, but I'll give Barkley the credit just for the situation and how he handled it.

4. AJ Wallace
I'm not usually one to be a homer and put Penn State players up here, but Wallace deserves the mention. Wallace didn't dominate a stat book with his 4 tackles, but it's what he doesn't get credit for in the statbook. First, one his tackles had major meaning. He combined with Navorro Bowman on a fourth down goal line stand to beat the ball carrier to the outside and tackle him and preserve the shutout for the Nittany Lions. But the reason Wallace is on here is for what he did against Eric Decker. Decker is one of my favorite players to watch, as he can make the hard catch even when he is well defended. Well Decker didn't get much opportunity Saturday. Wallace had Decker's number and didn't allow Decker to catch a ball under his watch. Decker's only catch came on a decent enough schemed play that found both safeties misplay a interception and getting split by Decker.

5. Texas Defense
Someone had to win the Red River shootout and it was the Texas defense that stepped up to the task. The first thing they did was knock Heisman winner Sam Bradford out of the game and force Oklahoma to rely on the freshman Landry Jones. Jones had 250 yards through the air, but it did little good and he threw two picks. The impressive part of the defensive performance was Texas' stifling run defense. DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown were expected to be one of the top running duos in the country, but behind the offensive line they couldn't do anything. Brown had 23 yards, but Murray and the team's total were both negative. McCoy didn't have his best day, but the defense allowed him to still win the game.

Friday, October 16, 2009

Heisman Contender - Week 6

1. Ryan Williams
Williams is performing well for Virginia Tech and if he was name Darren Evans, he would be at the top of everyone's list right now, not a doubt in my mind. Being a freshman kills one's Heisman campaign, but being the playmaker on a Top 5 team is criteria number 2 for a Heisman winner. Being a quarterback is criteria 1, but every now and than that's ignored. Williams biggest competition at the moment also happens to be a running back. It's that kind of year.

2. Mark Ingram
If Mark Ingram didn't get the flu, he would be the clear Heisman favorite. His stats suffered as a result and he hasn't been one to pad his stats against crappy opponents. Trent Richardson is killing Ingram's Heisman hopes and that is a good thing if you're an Alabama fan. Ingram is still the primary runner, but in the same way Coffee was last year with Ingram getting significant second team reps. Alabama is rolling through their schedule now and if Ingram can stay healthy, he will end the running back drought for the Heisman.

3. Ndamukong Suh
I'm all for a defensive player winning the Heisman and if the Heisman was given today, I would given Suh my imaginary first place vote. The reason he is at number 3, you might ask? The list is Heisman contenders. Suh is a contender and in my opinion the best candidate right now, but I don't believe he is the front runner because it is more difficult to sustain defensive statistics than offensive statistics. Suh will not win this award without ridiculous statistics and the crappy part of playing defensive tackle is that you can play a stout defensive game, but not have any stats. Some of the best defensive tackles in the country never get noticed, but Suh's athletic ability is keeping him in this race.

4. Tony Pike
Pike's Heisman campaign could be coming to an end. It was announced a surgery option will be considered Monday for the injury to the forearm he took against South Florida. I'm going to give him credit for what he's done to date this season though. I really believed Cincinnati was overrated, but I was wrong even though I still believe they're getting too much credit. Don't get me wrong, with Pike leading the offense they're one of the better teams in the country. But National Championship worthy, no way in the world. The Big East doesn't provide much competition at all. Look at how Auburn looked great because of a win over Big East power West Virginia and than they fell flat to Arkansas.

5. Case Keenum
Keenum's reign on this watch is coming to an end. Keenum led his team to a win over another BCS school in Mississippi State, but despite his 4 touchdown passes he threw two picks with one being returned. Keenum runs a fun offense to watch, but Houston just doesn't have the schedule to get Keenum his credit and realistically he isn't going to throw for 500 yards and 6 touchdowns every single week. Keenum gets the last spot this week only because I want to go against media favoritism and support a player who has played better than Tim Tebow this season. This contest shouldn't be a popularity race.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Week 6 Thoughts

College football is finally starting to gain some stability and staying power this week. There were not any monumental upsets and the one that "shocked" some people was one I have been waiting for all season: Arkansas over Auburn. Auburn has the opportune SEC schedule, one that looks no worse than, gasp, a Big Ten schedule. Arkansas plays the tougher schedule, but was clearly the better team led by Ryan Mallett and one of the most underrated offenses in the country. This week saw several top 10 teams take the week off and the other teams in the top 10 did fairly well and there were not too many scary moments for the teams at the top. Florida had the big win of the week by beating LSU, but as I have been saying LSU is vastly overrated and it just goes to show Florida is not the team everyone expected at the beginning of the season. Do not get me wrong, Florida very well could go undefeated and win the National Championship (I say they lose to Alabama in the SEC Championship), but they are no where near the caliber of 2005 Texas and USC and other recent teams that went down as some of the best. Pollsters still voting Florida number 1 have Tebow-syndrome, Alabama is clearly playing the best football in the country. The team possibly playing the second best is the team Alabama beat to open the season. Iowa and Kansas maintained their perfect seasons this week, but both showed me that their time is limited.

Five Stars of the Week
1. Jonathan Crompton
You got to hand it to the guy. There is no one in college football the past two years taking as much heat as Crompton has. Even when he has one good play, people are already anticipating how he'll mess up the next one. This week Tennessee had Georgia. Now Georgia is not the same Georgia people are accustomed to, but they are still a decent team and were the lone team to knock off South Carolina, a task Ole Miss could not accomplish. The game was expected to be close because of both team's defenses. Most people would assume Tennessee giving up 19 points would be an automatic loss, but credit Kiffin for sticking with the senior this season despite opposition. Crompton was very efficient at 20-27 for 310 yards and threw for four touchdowns. Georgia's defense has not lived up to expectations, but I promise you they are not that bad. Credit the Tennessee quarterback.

2. Mark Ingram
Ingram continues to come up big for Alabama. Glen Coffee leaving has not done anything to the Alabama run game except possibly upgrading it. That is not because Coffee was not a very good back himself, it's just it gives an experienced Ingram to run the ball more and Trent Richardson a chance to play too. Mississippi has a strong defensive front and were doing a good job of getting pressure of McElroy. With McElroy not playing his best, Ingram took control of the game rushing for 172 yards on 28 carries, scoring along the way and adding 16 receiving yards. Richardson added 40 yards behind him too. With Alabama playing the best football in the country right now, Ingram could find himself rejoining the Heisman race soon and being there until the end.

3. Ross Homan
Granted, Homan was not part of the 14 defensive points Ohio State put on the board from pick 6's, but he was by far the best player on the field Saturday. Homan had 15 tackles, two sacks, and a forced fumble as he roamed the field for the Buckeyes. It seemed like every play Homan was in on the tackle. The most impressive part of the entire Buckeye defense's play was the fact they did not get any time to rest. They scored 3 non-offensive touchdowns and at one point played about the first 12 minutes of the 3rd quarter without a break and without breaking down. Defense won Ohio State the football game and is the reason Ohio State is in the driver's seat to win the Big Ten. Homan was the lead man Saturday stopping a John Clay that went off on Minnesota the previous week and holding him to just 59 yards on 20 carries or less than 3 ypc.

4. Thaddeus Lewis
NC State has had a very up and down year to this point, but despite the wins and losses the problem has been the consistency of the offense. Blame this game on the defense and the fact Thaddeus Lewis did not get the message. The Duke quarterback shocked the Wolfpack, throwing for 459 yards, 5 touchdown passes, 1 touchdown run, and 0 interceptions to lead a disrespected Duke offense up and down the field. Duke is a different team under Cutliffe and give him a couple years to get his own recruits and Duke could start making noise in the ACC. They are at .500 6 games into the season and almost shocked Virginia Tech recently, an abrupt change from the Duke football tradition, or lack there of. If Lewis can play half as well as he played here, Duke will win a few more games this season and possibly go to a bowl game. Maryland, Wake Forest, and Virginia are all winnable games for the Blue Devils.

5. Steven Sheffield
Yes, there were probably more important performances this week than Lewis and Sheffield. Yes, Sheffield was playing a less than stellar defense and playing in a very good offensive system. However, both performances were impressive despite the situation, both in conference games and not against some lower level team. Sheffield replaced an injured Taylor Potts and looked flawless leading the Texas Tech offense to a devastating win over Kansas State. Despite an interception, Sheffield threw for 490 yards and 7 touchdowns. He also added 19 yards on the ground. Many fans like what they're seeing from Sheffield and some want him to take Potts place even when Potts is healthy again. Graham Harrell may be gone, but Texas Tech is showing the system never dies with quarterback changes. The tradition continues.

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Week 6 Rankings

1. Alabama
2. Florida
3. Texas
4. Boise State
5. Virginia Tech
6. Kansas
7. USC
8. Ohio State
9. Cincinnati
10. LSU
11. Miami
12. Iowa
13. Oregon
14. Penn State
15. TCU
16. Oklahoma State
17. South Florida
18. Arkansas
19. Oklahoma
20. Georgia Tech
21. BYU
22. Nebraska
23. Houston
24. Wisconsin
25. South Carolina

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Heisman Contenders - Week 5

1. Tim Tebow, Florida
It's hard to believe that a player can jump to the top of the Heisman ballot without even playing, but Tebow has done that. Ryan Williams would have taken the top spot this week, but his Hokies struggled to put away a less than stellar Duke team. Tebow's Heisman hopes are on the line this weekend if he does not find a way onto the field and his team manages to lose. Tebow has not played near spectacular this season, but neither has anybody else and everyone is looking for a player to finally step up and claim Heisman front runner status. Tebow's concussion is the most talked about story in college football right now and for once the Tebow hype is warranted. This is a top 5 matchup with major national title implications and Florida is very vulnerable against a raucous LSU crowd and a team that seems to have Urban Meyer's number. Big players come up big in big games. Time for Tebow to suit up and play.
Season Stats - 44/68/643 6/1, 55/271/5

2. Ryan Williams, Virginia Tech
Williams did not have the best game last week, but he still is not getting enough credit from the nation. Virginia Tech was the popular preseason pick for a team to fall flat on their face this season and Williams is not allowing for any of that. Virginia Tech has fought back from an early season loss to Alabama to beat the hottest team in the country in Miami. Williams has been the catalyst for the offense and Virginia Tech fans hope Tyrod Taylor's improved passing continues over the next couple months. Virginia Tech struggled to beat Duke this past week and Williams had his worst ypc of the season. He rushed for 83 yards but on 24 carries and failed to catch a pass for the first time this season. His team still won though, thus resulting in him being ahead of Case Keenum.
Season Stats - 108/575/8, 6/120

3. Case Keenum, Houston
It was a rough week for the Heisman Contenders last week as their teams went a combined 1-3 with the one win almost being a huge upset. Keenum put up a ridiculous statline in the loss and from all indications if Houston had a half-hearted effort defensively they could have won this game. Keenum threw an unbelieveable 76 passes and completed 51 of them for 536 yards with 5 touchdowns and no turnovers. If Keenum can win out and continue to put up a statline like this, he should creep back into the Heisman race in terms of the media, but he'll take a major fall in most people's eyes with the loss. I still give the guy credit, as he is the most deserving player in the country of the award at this point.
Season Stats - 144/210/1696 13/2, 18/52/3

4. Tony Pike, Cincinnati
Stadium Stories has yet to jump on the Cincinnati bandwagon. Most people put them in the Top 10, but I still have them at 14 and believe their run has a lot to do with their schedule rather than their play. However, in a year where teams are struggling and college football is down in general, Cincinnati is playing very well. Pike is the ring leader of the offense and has come from being a fifth stringer on the verge of being cut a couple seasons ago to being one of the best quarterbacks in the country. Pike did not have one his best days this past Saturday against Miami (OH), but I will give him the benefit of the doubt since a lot of other Heisman Contenders struggled this week.
Season Stats - 116/174/1493 13/3, 14/41/2

5. Golden Tate, Notre Dame
With the lackluster performances of the country's best lately, Colt McCoy could find his name here soon and underdog Toby Gerhart, a back to back top performer of the week, could find his name here soon. That is not to take away from Golden Tate who is becoming this Notre Dame offense. I gave Clausen credit in the performers of the week, but I feel Tate is the better Heisman candidate. Wide receivers struggle to garner Heisman hype unlike the other skill positions, but Tate has the Wildcat position helping him majorly in the stats category. If he performs like he did last week against some decent teams, Tate could jump all the way to the top of this whole race. If you didn't hear he caught 9 balls for 244 yards and touchdown and added 31 yards on the ground in a single carry against a Washington defense that shut down USC.
Season Stats - 33/602/4, 13/93/1

Monday, October 5, 2009

Week 5 thoughts

In my return to the armchair this week, college football went its first week without a top 5 upset, but their is an asterisk next to that since only 3 of the 5 teams played. College football saw a week without Superman or Colt McCoy, but there were still highs and lows in the week. The Michigan Cinderella story stalled, as Michigan State got back on track after a lackluster start to the season. Penn State awakened a week late, as the the team they beat struggled against Arkansas State. USC steamrolled California and Oregon continues to prove they are a legit threat to win the Pac-10 along with the darkhorse, Stanford. Houston went down despite Case Keenum completing 51 passes for over 500 yards. Go figure. Miami effectively ended Oklahoma's national title hopes and LSU passed their first test of the season. Auburn is still undefeated and Cincinnati is quietly making a run at the big one. Duke almost pulled a big upset, while Virginia pulled an upset of their own. College football is alive and well, upsets aplently and comebacks arising, but the one think still completely uncertain is the Heisman trophy winner. A star has yet to be established.

5 Stars of the week

1. Taylor Mays - This award could go to the entire USC defense for their utter shutdown of Kevin Riley, Jahvid Best and company, but Mays was the ring leader. Mays picked off Kevin Riley on Cal's first possesion and the Trojans did not look back from there. California was limited to 3 points and the USC offense performed admirably putting up 30 points. Best was a frontrunner for the Heisman trophy going into the matchup but comes out of it barely in the running. He was limited to 47 yards on 14 carries and was a nonfactor in the game. Kevin Riley was held in check only completing 15 of 40 passes and threw for under 200 yards.

2. Javarris James - James did not account for any of Miami's points in their victory over Oklahoma, but he was a big reason they won the game. His 50 yard run in the second quarter ignited the Miami offense and a couple plays later, the Hurricanes were celebrating a touchdown pass of Jacory Harris. In his other 14 carries, Harris ran for 100 and had a slick 10 ypc on the day. It looked like it was going to be an ugly day for the Miami offense early as Harris struggled on his way to two interceptions, but he picked it up and James helped the cause. Oklahoma is done in terms of the national title race and Miami is definitely making its case. Yes, they have a loss, but does a team in the country face a tougher 4 game stretch than Miami just got through with. With the bulk of thier season behind them, Miami should find themselves in an ACC title game with possibly more on the line.

3. Toby Gerhart - For the second week in a row Gerhart finds his name on this list. His quarterback, Andrew Luck, is just getting better by the week and Stanford is starting to make some noise in the Pac-10 with a couple early season wins in conference. Gerhart ran for 134 yards this week and tacked on three touchdowns as Stanford passed their first test in conference play downing Rick Neuheisal and UCLA. Stanford has another winnable game against Oregon State next and if they can win that, Gerhart is going to start getting some mention for the Heisman trophy. Gerhart lacks the speed of a Joe McKnight, but the guy just gets it done. He's powerful, but decepetively fast at the same time. Jim Harbaugh is doing a terrific job with the talent he has at Stanford.

4. Jimmy Clausen - Notre Dame does not win the games smoothly, but to the disbelief of the country they are 4-1. After the Michigan loss was magnified and Notre Dame always seeming to be on the losing end to start games, it is hard to believe they only have 1 loss right now but they do. Sure Golden Tate has a huge role in that, but do not undermine the job Clausen has done. Losing Michael Floyd could have been devastating, but all Clausen did against a Washington defense that performed well against LSU and USC was throw for 422 yards and 2 TDs. He was also great in the clutch giving the Irish a touchdown in overtime, which was the gamewinner. Golden Tate caught 9 of Clausen's balls and can be called co-MVP with 244 receiving yards.

5. John Clay - Wisconsin and Minnesota did not disappoint in their game. Zach Brown was struggling at running back for the Badgers, but Clay stepped up and ran all over the Golden Gophers. He had 184 yards and 3 TDs and just dominated the game. This spot however would go to Eric Decker if his team could have pulled it out. Not to take away from Clay as he was the MVP of the game, but Decker deserves praise. The guy plays on a subpar team but consistently puts out the best stats of any player in the country despite the fact that everyone in the stadium knows who Adam Weber is looking for. People might think AJ Green is important to the Georgia offense, but Decker not only is the heart and soul of the Minnesota offense but I actually believe he makes Decker look as good as he does.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Week 5 rankings

1. Florida
2. Alabama
3. Texas
4. Boise State
5. LSU
6. Kansas
7. USC
8. Virginia Tech
9. Oklahoma State
10. Ohio State
11. TCU
12. Miami
13. Iowa
14. Cincinnati
15. Oregon
16. Penn State
17. Auburn
18. Ole Miss
19. Wisconsin
20. Stanford
21. South Carolina
22. Missouri
23. South Florida
24. Oklahoma
25. Georgia

Friday, October 2, 2009

Week 5 picks

Oklahoma - Miami
Oklahoma seemed to suffer a season-ending upset when Sam Bradford went down and so did the hopes of an undefeated season. Miami has gotten all the hype this season, as they arguably had the best first three weeks of college football (2 games), but the key to this match-up is how Oklahoma has quietly crawled back to the top of the rankings and Landry Jones is really coming of age and showing Sooner fans that Oklahoma and the offensive firepower is here to stay. Jacory Harris has looked very composed this season and despite pouring rain, Virginia Tech dominated Miami a week ago. I'm waiting for Murray and Brown to really get going in the Sooner backfield and although Miami has a stingy defense, Ryan Williams did well last week and I expect this to be a breakout week for the backs.
The Pick - Oklahoma

California-USC
This is a very interesting match-up and a very, very important game to the Pac-10 race. Oregon showed a week ago that they plan on being into the race until the end, but Cal has a do or die game this week against Southern Cal. Cal got embarassed last week and I don't expect a repeat this week led by the offense talent of Best and Riley. I'm not sold on the USC team yet. The defense is still young, but they are playing well and the offense hasn't exactly put on a fireworks display yet. Joe McKnight is really developing into a go-to back, but the passing game just isn't what I expected. With such an experienced receiving corps led by Damian Williams, I expected more.
The Pick - Cal

Tennessee - Auburn
Auburn has put on a surprising display of offensive power and versatility so far this season, but Tennessee's defense will be the team's first real test. Can Chris Todd demonstrate his improvement against a real team or will he revert to last year's performances. Tennessee still lacks a quarterback, but Hardesty has been very solid at running back and is currently one of the best in the SEC out of the backfield. Look for a hard fought battle and for Tennessee to squeak out this game defensively in a game fought in the teens.
The Pick - Tennessee

Wisconsin - Minnesota
If you're up to watching a game at 12 noon tomorrow, make sure to watch this game with undefeated Wisconsin and a Minnesota team that features one of the best receivers in the country in Eric Decker. Decker doesn't get nearly enough credit from the media and it is a shame that it is only because he plays for the Golden Gophers. The last time Minnesota got attention nationally offensively was with Maroney and Barber in the backfield, but Decker is THE most consistent receiver in the country and dictates the game even when people know he is the go to guy. Look for Decker to expose Wisconsin and Minnesota to win this game.
The Pick - Minnesota

Georgia - LSU
LSU is the most overrated team in the country and they play a trap game this week against Georgia. Everyone in Baton Rouge wants LSU to be the team that takes down Florida and with that matchup only a week away and Florida fans already talking about it due to their bye week, look for LSU to not fully focus on Georgia and leave Athens with a loss. Georgia probably won't score 40 points but they'll be able to stop an LSU offense that has struggled to develop Charles Scott in the running game.
The Pick - Georgia

The Upset Pick - Michigan State (Michigan)
Michigan State just has not had any luck this season. They're so close to winning, but they always end up on the wrong side. Michigan has seen the otherside of the spectrum and this will be the week, the two feel the other side of the feeling. Michigan State is finally settling into an offense and Michigan has started to garner the attention and are ripe for the upset.