Author Archives: jkeith10

CBS sideline report Tracy Wolfson tried the special mixture that Cameron Newton is taking credit for creating. He even had a name for it referring to it as “Cammy Cam Juice.” I’m sure every coach in the nation wouldn’t mind having a lifetime supply of that stuff if it can make their quarterback play as well as this guy has this season. Newton shredded SEC defenses like a category 5 hurricane and placed his John Hancock on the front cover of the NCAA single season record books.

I predicted in my March article: http://jkeith10.wordpress.com/2010/03/ that Newton would be a presence this year, but never did I imagine that he’d run away with the Heisman so decisively that he’d win by the largest margin of victory in the history of the award. That’s exactly what’s going to happen on Saturday, like him or not. As you can tell by now, I sure do like the kid. What’s not to like besides the fact that he may not play for your team. I’m sorry if he doesn’t, but every team has it’s year and it’s the year of the War Eagle and Cam Newton has everything to do with it. So much in fact that he has accounted for a larger percentage of Auburn’s offense than any quarterback has for his team in SEC history. Speaking of history, he is the first ever quarterback in NCAA history to lead his conference, the best conference in the country by the way, in rushing yards while also leading the nation in passing efficiency. In his last five games, he has thrown 15 touchdowns to 1 interception. When teams blitzed him, he completed 77 percent of his passes, 9 TDs to 0 INTs and a 228.6 pass efficiency. Also, his 28 passing TDs and 20 rushing TDs are only the third 20/20 effort in NCAA history. Maybe I need to send this blog to Todd Mc Shay and Mel Kiper, Jr. who both have Andrew Luck (QB Stanford) projected as the first pick…..Are you kidding me? There is no defensive strategy for this guy, not one. If you’re looking for Oregon to have that answer, you’ll still be looking after the 4th quarter expires in the Nation Title game. I realize that people get caught up into the “now” when making comments on how good a player is, etc. But in my time of being an avid college football fan since I was old enough to understand the game, Cam Newton is the best college QB that I have ever seen. Several highly regarded analysts have said the same thing, including former Oregon coach and AD Mike Belloti.

Newton will be well coached between now and Saturday’s Heisman Ceremony on what to say when asked questions regarding allegations. He probably will not address it in his speech, which will conclude the presentation and I’m sure will be short and sweet. We’ll all get a chance to see that smile one more time before we see it Arizona, but voters and the nation will anticipate more. He’s been hands off to the media for much of the year, especially since early November when allegations surfaced, which launched a new NCAA investigation as well as an FBI investigation. It will also be interesting to see if his father attends the ceremony. Many of the Heisman Trust would like him to stay at home to not bring attention to the situation and to allow his son to have the spot light minus the negative attention. I don’t know if I agree with that because that is his father. The man made a mistake, but it doesn’t take away the fact that he raised Cam from birth, always being there through everything like a father should. Tough call! What would you do as the parent? What do you think his father should do? Leave it in comments below. Stay tuned next week for my bowl matchup breakdown analyst and predictions.

The past few weeks of college football have been as enjoyable as ever. The regular season is over for all but a few teams and what an exciting regular season it has been. Let’s reflect back on it a bit.

The season was kicked off in grand fashion on Labor Day weekend as Boise State narrowly defeated Virginia Tech 33-30 at FedEx Field. The Hokies then went on to lose to FCS (Formally Division 1AA) opponent James Madison the very next week. Redemption seemed very far off for Virginia Tech, however, they pulled it together and have a chance to play in the Orange Bowl (BCS game) should they beat Florida State in the ACC Championship Game. What a season huh? Boise State caught fire after that game, until this past weekend when it missed two crucial field goal attempts, one as regulation expired and one in over time. Did someone pay their kicker because that was unbelievable? They were playing in Reno, Nevada and some popular city named Las Vegas, where the billionaires bet, wasn’t very far away. Just food for thought! Auburn’s mascot should be the cardiac Tiger because they have narrowly escaped over half the regular season games it played with last second field goals over Clemson and Kentucky and a miraculous 24 point come from behind victory on Black Friday in the Iron Bowl against Alabama. Les Miles got a redo on the last play against Tennessee and LSU scored the go ahead touchdown as time expired and he pulled out his four leaf clover once again when his fake field goal attempt at Florida had to be reviewed for 10 minutes with the call and ultimately the game going in his favor. Oklahoma lost at Missouri one week into the BCS standing as the No.1 and Cal made a huge field goal that had to be tried again due to its own false start penalty against Oregon, and missed, which ultimately cost them a 15-13 decision. TCU blew Utah out 47-7 in a much anticipated matchup of No.3 vs No.5 respectively on the road and followed by narrowly escaping San Diego State 40-35. The summary of the season just goes to show how unpredictable college football can be, especially once in conference play. It has been a very fun season to watch and to cover in this blog.

If the season ended today, here are my predictions as to what the BCS games would be.

Oregon versus Auburn BCS National Title Game
Wisconsin versus TCU Rose Bowl (Pac10 Champ vs Highest Non-AQ)
Arkansas versus Ohio State Sugar Bowl (At Large SEC vs At Large Big10)
Virginia Tech versus UConn Orange Bowl (ACC Champ vs Big East Champ)
Oklahoma versus Stanford Fiesta Bowl (BigXII Champ vs Standford)

If UConn loses to South Florida on Saturday, West Virgina or Syracuse will likely win the Big East Bid. If Virgina Tech loses to FSU, FSU will play the Big East Champ. If Oklahoma loses to Nebraska in the Big Twelve Championship, the Corn Huskers will then play in the Fiesta. Also, should Auburn loses to South Carolina and not remain in the top 2 in the BCS, South Carolina would play in the Sugar Bowl. If Auburn loses to South Carolina, we’ll all need to take a crash course in Algebra 2/Trigonometry to figure out who will play who in what BCS games. For the sake of you enjoying the blog, I’ll refrain from drawing up all of those scenarios.

Other notes:

I hate that Randy Shannon was fired. Miami and the college football just lost one of the best men of this generation of coaches. An alumnus of Miami and long time defensive coordinator, Shannon did thing the right way. He didn’t violated recruiting rules; he held his players accountable academically and on the field and he enabled them for life after football. His win/loss record will not show what he meant to that program and I just hate the pressure of winning in college football at a school like that, didn’t allow him the opportunity to get it right. All I can say is if you go 4-10 versus top 10 opponents and don’t win a bowl game in your 4 season as a coach, it doesn’t matter what kind of man you are.

Can you believe a 4 loss UConn team will go to the BCS should it win Saturday? And Boise State will lose out on $13.5M for the school and the conference because it loss one game by 3 points. That is an injustice to the BCS system and the rules should be tweaked to only allow teams in the top 12 of the rankings to be chosen.

TCU is joining the Big East in 2012 across all sports. This is all about football with the Big East television contract money and exposure and automatic qualification to the BCS without having to have a perfect record. The last time a Big East team went undefeated in league play was 2003.

Lastly, just give Cameron Newton the Heisman already and get ready to listen to the most intriguing and anticipated speech to be given in the history of the ceremony.

Sorry I have been away to those of you who enjoy the blog. There has been a lot going on with shakeups in the AP and BCS polls respectively each week. First, there was Alabama falling off its inherited throne by losing to South Carolina in a thrashing in Columbia. Following that loss, Oklahoma claimed the top spot in the initial release of the BCS polls, yet lost to Missouri that same week. Auburn held the spot for a week, only to fall to #2 behind an Oregon who claimed the top spot on Halloween and remains the current #1. The only poll that matters at this point is the BCS poll as far as the chase for the BCS National Title Game, however, the coaches’ poll calculates into the BCS formula.

My preseason favorites, Alabama and Ohio State are long shots for the title game. Alabama will not play for a second consecutive title after losing this past weekend to LSU. If Auburn beats Georgia at home this coming Saturday, they’ll win the West and clinch a trip to Atlanta to play in the SEC Championship Game. Ohio State has a huge show downs with Penn State, Iowa, and Michigan and all those games have Big Ten Title implications riding on the outcomes. Even if OSU wins out, they’ll need help from the Auburn and Oregon and have to hope that their strength of schedule helps them leap TCU, Boise State and all the other 1-loss teams. I’ve seen crazier things happen so keep playing football Buckeyes and we’ll see.

The most intriguing matchup for the BCS title game at this point would be Oregon vs Auburn. They carry the highest profiled offenses in the country and they both have suspect defenses, particularly the secondary. Oregon is the only school outside of the SEC that possesses the speed of the SEC. Oregon may have two Heisman Trophy candidates invited to New York this year for the ceremony and Auburn has the likely winner of the award if his name isn’t tarnished among the voters from “allegations.” It would definitely be an extremely exciting game to watch, as would a rematch between TCU and Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl. There is a good chance that LSU and Pitt will meet in the Sugar Bowl, basically a home game for LSU. Ohio State and Stanford are on pace to meet in the Rose Bowl. And I predict that Florida State or Virginia Tech will meet Nebraska in the Orange Bowl. If I’m not allowed to straddle the fence, I’ll choose Virginia Tech.

The Heisman Trophy is race seems all but over pending allegations of Cameron Newton or his family accepting cash for his signature on a letter of intent. Who should be punished in this situation if it is found that Auburn had no contact with the person who sought $200K for Cameron Newton? Mississippi State? No, because they didn’t pay the guy and they reported the “so called request” to the SEC. The runner accused of seeking the cash claimed yesterday that he never has requested or received money for referring an athlete to a school. So let’s look at the facts and not how some want to view this situation.

1. MSU turned the situation over to SEC, who took no further action 2. Cameron Newton signed with Auburn, who had no contact with the person who allegedly sought money from schools. 3. Newton’s parents responded to the NCAA and SEC officials immediately a month ago when asked for numerous financial statements including bank records. 4. Cameron Newton is an absolutely redamndiculously talented football player who has willed his teams to wins in a prolific fashion, contributing to over 70 percent of AU’s offense. 5. Cameron Newton has been the most outstanding football player on the entire country this year.

With those facts, Cameron Newton is your Heisman Trophy winner. The media and past Heisman winners who have a vote seem to be more than sensible about his situation. From watching ESPN and other major networks, the person’s I have seen with votes are stating that they are still voting for him hands down, unless something surfaces to make him ineligible in the next month. Good luck to the M twins, Mullen and Meyer in making that happen. Oh yeah, “Hey Urban, the latest allegation to kick a man when he is down by surfacing that he cheated on a test probably isn’t going to work.” The guy served his time in the slums of Junior College and his star has shot beyond the distance of your defamation Hail Mary attempts. And to Cameron, “Good luck with your off season decision. You’ll more than likely have about $50M guaranteed sitting on the table from Buffalo if you come out unless Jerry Jones and the Cowgirls decides to make a play. Either way, it’ll all be over and you’ll be the next highest paid player in league history. Who’ll be laughing then?”

Coming down the stretch of a season this interesting is what keeps us all on the edge of our seats. Each game, we root for our favorite schools while watching the scores of conference foes and those in front of us in the rankings. The initial Bowl Championship Rankings came out Sunday and surprisingly had Oklahoma atop its poll. While the AP polls matters, its only accounts for one-third of the BCS formula, which determines who will play for the BCS National Championship. I think this formula is pure genius and unbiased, however, the system is flawed in a very simple way that can be fixed. Preseason rankings give some teams an advantage they otherwise wouldn’t have if rankings were held until later in the season. The powers that be should really take a look into holding rankings of teams until the midway point in the season. That gives every team a fair shake at impressing the voters and writers with a clean slate. Preseason rankings are based on returning talent from last year’s record and recruiting class rankings. Florida is a prime example of a team who wouldn’t have been ranked had rankings been held until now. But they had a great team last year and the nations #1 ranked recruiting class for the second year in a row. It all means nothing now as they’ll just try to make a decent bowl game. We should let the players determine all stakes on the field and on the field only. No politics, just prove your worth with your play.

Under Jim Tressel, Ohio State plays better as the underdog. They beat Oregon in last year’s Rose Bowl, as an underdog. They beat Miami in 2002 BCS Title game as an underdog. In all other games in which they were favored to win on the big stage, they failed to do so (not counting the #1 OSU vs #2 Mich 2006 game). They have loss each of their last 3 games, just one week into being ranked #1 in the polls. In my estimation, the loss at Wisconsin cost Ohio State a chance at a National Title and Terrelle Pryor’s shot at the Heisman all in one. That’s the one thing that is unfair but makes college football all that it is: One loss could cost you every goal you had in a grueling offseason filled with extensive training and lofty expectations.

Oregon moved up to the top spot despite being off for the weekend. How nice is that? Well I hope they enjoyed the vacation because they have the best 4 teams in the PAC 10 not named Oregon coming up on their schedule. UCLA may not be a serious threat this week, however, next week’s match up with USC will tell just how good Oregon is. Can we all spell U-P-S-E-T? Then it’s on to Washington, Cal, Arizona, and Oregon State. With a schedule this tough, I don’t think Oregon will go undefeated. If they do, they will definitely be worthy of the top BCS spot and a shot at the title.

Oklahoma looks poised for an unexpected BCS title run. This team is battle tested and has been through the ups and downs of losing games it shouldn’t as a very young team a few years ago. Those players have grown up and learned how to win the close ones. They’ll have their hands full with undefeated, 11^th ranked Missouri on the road this weekend. Away games at Texas A&M and Oklahoma State will present huge challenges before a berth to the Big 12 Championship game.

I repeat for the ummteenth time that Boise State and TCU will not lose. But their strength of schedule will cost them in the end unless all the big boys from the major conferences keep knocking each other off the top spot, which is highly unlikely to happen.

The wildcard team in this whole equation is Auburn. They’re ranked 5^th in the AP poll and 4^th in the BCS poll. They have the toughest schedule of all the teams ranked in front of them and surely would be ranked in the top 2 for a chance at the BCS championship if the go undefeated until then. They have LSU, Ole Miss, Georgia and Alabama on the road to end the season. No one thought Auburn would be undefeated at this point in the season. They may squeak past LSU Saturday, but the Iron Bowl versus Alabama will be of epic proportions this year as the SEC West Crown, SEC Championship Game berth, and National Title shot will all be on the line in this annual affair. Cameron Newton has been extremely hard to stop for opposing defenses and is currently everyone’s Heisman leader. He has been lights out and may be having the greatest season in SEC history for a quarterback. If he can stay healthy, it’s going to be very interesting for opposing defenses down the stretch.



A jubilee in Mobile Bay is a little different from the any other definition of a jubilee. Those from that area know all too well, exactly what it is, but for those of you that don’t, here the definition: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_Bay_jubilee. In so many words it’s described as a phenomenon that occurs sporadically causing an unusual turning of the tide pattern, causing fish to seek shallow waters, making them very easily accessible. The Tide changed when Alabama visited the Gamecocks in South Carolina on Saturday and sent shock waves from Columbia, South Carolina to Eugene, Oregon. Here is a recap and what’s ahead for the new folks on top.

#1

As much as I hate to type these words, Ohio State is the new nation’s number 1 and deservingly so. They are unbeaten and had another statement win this weekend with their blowout victory over Indiana, the same Indiana that Michigan struggled with the week before. Pryor continues to churn out Heisman like performances and will need to continue to do so as the schedule strengthens against Wisconsin, Penn State, Iowa, and Michigan to close out the season. None of those games will be easy and after struggling against Illinois, Ohio State will surely be in a battle to the finish in at least one of these games. The great thing for them is if they win out, the BCS Title game is guaranteed. That has to music to ears of the Buckeye nation.

#2

Oregon holds the number 2 spot, however after a lackluster 43-23 win over Washington State, they could have easily dropped to #3 and Boise State be move up to #2. Oregon continues to perform at an accelerated pace on offense and continues to disappoint on defense. That style of play will eventually catch up to the Ducks, either in the regular season or on the national in the BCS Title game should they win out. They are in the driver’s seat. We’ll see.

The Best of the Rest

The remaining undefeated schools all have an outside shot to make it to the BCS Championship game, but not everyone controls their own destiny in the computer rankings. There are over a dozen scenarios that could play out to produce a number one and two to play for the championship, and several of those scenarios will lead to playoff talk in the offseason for sure. What if Boise State wins out, yet gets shut out of the championship by Ohio State and Oregon? Would it have been fair for Oregon to jump Boise State in the polls even though Boise State won out, in fashion? What if both Ohio State and Oregon lose: Does Boise State play TCU in the national championship game? I don’t think so, voters would never allow it to happen, but that’d only be fair in accordance to the rankings to date. Nebraska is still undefeated and where do they stand should they run the table and win the Big 12 championship? Does the title game have room for an undefeated Auburn or LSU team from the SEC? Does the strength of schedule allow either of them to jump high enough in the polls with an undefeated season? Where do you place a one loss Alabama squad that defeats South Carolina in a rematch in the SEC Championship game and that can claim wins over 5 top ten teams (Arkansas, Florida, LSU, Auburn and South Carolina). There are question marks everywhere and now we will really get a chance to see if this BCS equation can produce an uncontroversial national champion in January. It has done the trick thus far, with the exception of two teams claiming titles in 2003 (LSU and USC). LSU was the BCS champ and #1 in the Coaches’ poll while USC took the top spot in the AP Poll. We very well could face another split decision as such this season.

The Heisman Race is heating up, but everyone still holds true to their spots, despite Michigan losing to Michigan State. So I will wait another week or so to update my Heisman predictor. Refer to last week’s blog in the October archives to the right of the page for the order.

What do you think will end up happening this year with the BCS? What would you like to happen? Leave your comments /opinions in the comment box below. I will enjoy your take on all of this.

ESPN’s Robert Smith, former Ohio State standout and Pro Bowl running back for the Minnesota Vikings, didn’t do such a splendid job with his upset picks this weekend. It wasn’t “Upset Saturday” as he predicted. Florida failed to challenge Alabama, Stanford fell short against Oregon, and the fighting Zooks (Illinois) lost to Ohio State. How could he predict the top 3 ranked teams (as of today) in the county to all fall? I don’t know but I wish I had his job and was able to make those picks and still have a respected opinion this week. I didn’t blog last week due to the sheer importance of this past weekend’s game. I figured we’d know a little more about ‘the teams to watch’ after another week. So here is what I think.

J Keith’s Power Rankings

#1

Alabama is number one for a reason. They are the best team in college football. The descendants of Saban survived a scare in Fayetteville a week ago, but it was sure to be a close game, being that it was on the road against a top ten team. All Bama had to do was go down there and find some sort of way to win the game, and they did. They redefined what dominance means with the trashing they put on Florida on Saturday. Truth be told, it could have been a lot worse. This team is clicking on all cylinders and even the person that hates the Tide the most has to admit that this team is a freight train that stops for no one. If they continue to get better, I feel sorry for every other head coach in the country. And if I was in the SEC, I’d probably just resign and apply to Saban’s vacancies when available.

#8

Or maybe I wouldn’t if I coached at Auburn. When Alabama is recruiting well and winning like they are, Auburn is happy with the Outback Bowl and a winning season with an occasional Iron Bowl challenging effort that comes up short. However, it must be the year of the college football fan in the state of Alabama because the little sisters of the East (of Tuscaloosa) are undefeated and laying down a few train tracks of their own. They are not as good as Alabama, at least not yet, because the coaching staff has been there long enough to recruit the depth that Saban has. But at their current pace of landing top tier talent and being on the national stage in big games, they’re well on their way to more than a few undefeated Iron Bowl matchups.

#2

Sorry to skip right over you in the pecking order Mr. “The Ohio State University”. I’m from Alabama and we do have the #1 ranked team in the nation so they naturally come first. I tuned in to the Big Ten Network to see OSU take on Illinois on the road Saturday and they struggled to put Illinois away. It the same test that Alabama received on its first road trip from a conference opponent. However, Illinois is not a good football team and they have designed a blue print to make Terrelle Pryor seem human. Still, the Buckeyes prevailed on the road and definitely are still deserving of a top ranking. The question is, should they be number 2 or number 3.

#3

Oregon should just cut it out with the soupped up offense on Playstation 3. I probably couldn’t score points in any better fashion if I created a dynasty with them on a video game. Though Chip Kelly isn’t officially an offensive coordinator anymore, he still carries out those duties for the Ducks and he is the best in the nation at doing it. Can you imagine if this guy had won the recruiting battle for Terrelle Pryor a few years ago? The win against Stanford, a top ten team, was huge in Oregon’s quest to win the PAC Ten. However, the Ducks have major issues on defense after giving up huge amounts of yards and point to Arizona State and Stanford in back to back games. They can do that in conference play, but when on a national stage against a team that plays defense well, I’d bet against them.

#4 and #5

I may not write a thing about Boise State or TCU for the remainder of the season, though they are ranked 4^th and 5^th respectively. They do not play anyone and should win like they have against their opponents. And in my estimation, if they are two undefeated team in major conferences at season’s end, then BSU and TCU will only deserve to play each other again in a rematch of last year’s Fiesta Bowl. Next subject: Did I mention last week that LSU was the worse 4-0 team in SEC history? Well let me reiterate that statement again this week. Les Miles, you’ve got to go buddy! You have too much talent not to coach it up better than what is being displayed. The coaches have to put the players in a better position to succeed and so far this season, LSU’s staff hasn’t done so.

Week 5 Heisman Race Predictor

#1 Denard Robinson continues to hold this spot after another record setting performance this weekend, just 4 yards shy of 500 again. With only 5 games in the books this year, Robinson has complete 70% of his passes for over 1,000 yards and has 98 rush attempts for 905 yard (9.2 yards per carry) and has accounted for 15 TDs. This stats and what he means to his team is simply mind boggling. He may redefine the meaning of “Heisman” or we may just have to come up with the Denard Robinson award one day.

#2 Terrelle Pryor didn’t have a major statistical game against Illinois but the season is young and his stats are only second to Robinson of Michigan so far this season. OSU is undefeated and he is the undeniable leader of the #2 ranked team in the country. He means everything to their offense and will definitely make the race with for the Heisman more interesting as the season churns along. He has complete 65% of his passes for just over 1,000 yards and is just shy of 400 yards on the ground.

#3 LaMichael James of Oregon has 712 yards rushing on 89 carries so far this season after missing the first game due to suspension. He is coming off a 257 yard performance on 31 carries against a pretty stout Stanford defense. After a 1,546 yard frosh campaign, he is well on his way to surpassing those totals and getting invited to NY. Teammate and QB Darron Thomas is also note worthy of being mentioned in this race with similar numbers to Terrelle Pryor in Oregon’s high octane offense.

# 4 Cameron Newton just keeps getting better every week and the Auburn faithful have reason for excitement. If you go back to my July and August preseason blogs, I mentioned Cameron Newton as a dark horse Heisman guy. Some people gave me a smirk after reading that blog, but I know football and this guy is the real deal. Keep proving me right Cameron, we’re all enjoying the show each week. Newton has 928 yards passing and 474 yards rushing and has accounted for 17 touchdowns for 5-0 Auburn.

Ok, so we’re 3 weeks into the season and what do we have? I think we have exactly what we thought with the top ranked teams. I would have never thought that this would be the year of the FCS! The division formally known as Division 1AA has been Hell for the big boys so far with James Madison knocking off Virginia Tech, Jacksonville State defeating Ole Miss, South Dakota over Minnesota, Gardner-Webb over Akron, and Liberty over Ball State. This past weekend brought on another scare in the “Big House” when Michigan had to use every ounce of Denard Robinson’s ability to pull out a win versus a very scrappy UMass team. Word to the wise: Schedule really bad Division 1 schools like Syracuse, Washington State or Eastern Michigan instead of traditionally tough FCS schools that can possibly beat you on their best day. Now to the teams that really matter! Here is J. Keith’s top 5 poll and Heisman race rankings thus far.

#1   The University of Alabama makes me proud to be a native. They are by far the best team in the nation this year from top to bottom and have played like a well oiled machine with a full tank of gas. The machine has interchangeable parts at all positions, showing the talent and depth that has set Saban’s team apart from any other in the country. When watching, I get a kick out of watching the 4^th string tailback come in and rush for 100 yards on 7 carries as if he may never carry the ball again. It just seems ridiculous and unfair at times how good this team is. And the scary part is, they’ll be much better by season’s end. So far, there opponents haven’t stood a chance and Bama hasn’t had to show its hand on offense or on defense. But that will soon change with a trip to Fayetteville, AR looming this week. I think that this Arkansas team lead by Heisman hopeful Ryan Mallet poses the biggest threat to Bama this year. The Razorbacks posses the 3^rd ranked passing attack in the nation and will look to exploit a Tide secondary that has made quite a few mistakes against inferior teams so far this season. If Alabama can pass this road test, Auburn will be its next and last foe before playing either South Carolina or Florida in the SEC Championship game.

#2   The Ohio State University looks pretty darn good also. If Bama wasn’t coming off a National Title, OSU would probably take the top spot. Terrelle Pryor is playing the best football of his life and has the OSU offense clicking on all cylinders. The forced turnovers and taking off to run from a lack of experience seem to be a thing of the past as he has looked as poised as anyone in the nation. He has put up incredible numbers that are only second to what Robinson has done at Michigan. The OSU defense has been surprisingly stout and may be the brightest spot on a team that is built to run through the Big Ten this season. OSU remaining test are Wisconsin, Penn State and Michigan, all of which I believe they’ll defeat with a healthy Pryor. Those will be some big time games and must see TV in the weeks to come.

#3  Oregon. There isn’t much to say in my estimation but that after calculation, Oregon is averaging 63.0 points per contest. True enough they have played against a Portland State team that doesn’t belong in the same breath, but they have beat Tennessee from the SEC and Nevada in tune up games before PAC 10 play. The PAC 10 is down this season and the only games on the schedule that are potentially dangerous are USC, Arizona and of course state rival Oregon State in the Civil War game.

#4   Texas Christian University looks good, really good. Utah will pose a threat but by the time they play, TCU will be attempting to score 80 points per game to get into National title consideration and the Utes will only be the latest stepping stone. My guess is another at large bid to the BCS in a rematch with Boise State.

#5   It’s a tie between Nebraska and Boise State. They both look really good and make the race to the title game very interesting. We could have a good number of undefeated teams come December, a BCS nightmare that has been looming for a few years now and may just finally occur. As of now, it appears that Bama, OSU, Oregon, Boise State and Nebraska may all go undefeated, but we’ll see. What happens if they all do? Tell me in your comments below.

Heisman Race Order

Denard “Superman” Robinson – Michigan

Terrelle Pryor – Ohio State

Ryan Mallet – Arkansas

Kellen Moore – Boise State

Cameron Newton – Auburn

SN: It will be interesting to see if Mark Ingram can play his way back into the conversation with an off the charts performance this week against Arkansas.

Sorry I’ve been away so long. College football has been in a dead period with nothing really to report or talk about. I don’t think anyone knows who is going to win the Heisman, but it’s really fun to debate. The preseason rankings are now out and the order was very predictable. College Football has had some issues lately and they’re like to be addressed in the near future. However, I think they won’t all be addressed correctly. You know I think I can single-handedly fix all that’s wrong with college football with my own set of rules. Let’s just imagine for a second that I had the power to do so. These are the things that I would change and why:

Recruiting Class Rankings

I don’t think a recruiting class should be evaluated on signing day. Let me explain. Every level of football has a major problem when evaluating talent, even the pros. I have the privilege of coaching Stephen Rivers this season at Athens (AL) High School, younger brother of Phillip Rivers. This guy has all the measurables, stats, leadership qualities and academic record you look for in a young man. His father played in the SEC (Miss State), brother owns every ACC passing record (NC State), and has become a NFL Pro Bowler (SD Chargers). Stephen, standing at 6’6” may be better than both of them when it is all said and done. He threw a football forty yards on a frozen rope, flat footed in the pocket facing a blitz last week that blew me away. Who does that at 17 years old? Yet he is ranked #55 overall on the list of QBs heading the class of 2011. Can we all spell CRAPSHOOT? I watched the Elite 11 (supposed top 11 QBs in country) competition on television and was not impressed a bit beyond what I see every day. None of those 11 QBs possess the tools Rivers has and for the life of me, I cannot understand why he wasn’t invited. This is my point exactly. Barring injury, Rivers will go to LSU(committed), pass for a tone of yards, wow NFL scouts on Pro Day and be a first rounder. Yet, he isn’t even ranked in the ESPN or UnderAmour top 150 prospects. Solution: I think that it’s fine to evaluate talent and list players in a pecking order for recruiting sights like Rivals, ESPN, Scout, UnderAmour, etc. As fans have started to keep up with their favorite schools and who is going where, these recruiting tracking services have become a multi-million dollar industry. However, I feel that the recruiting classes should be judged years down the line when they have hit the field and have had a chance to produce wins/losses/stats/draft picks. That’s only fair to the kids that blossom at schools that went under the radar in the recruiting battles. Who knew that Chris Johnson would run wild at East Carolina, run the fastest ever NFL combine time, and rush for 2,000 yards as a second year pro when he came out of high school? Had schools known that, he would have been at a national powerhouse, not ECU. Just food for thought…

Preseason Rankings

Preseason rankings are a total disservice to college football. Why should one team have to climb all the way to the top if they go into the season unranked, but have played superior to everyone else all season? Why should a team that’s atop the preseason polls have the luxury of losing one game early and still being ranked in the top 10 with a chance to play its way into the BCS Title game if a few chips fall its way? Soap box, I apologize. I could throw any and every scenario out there to try to justify a preseason ranking and it would be dishonorable to every team in the FBS, including the team that sits atop the polls. Solution: do not rank teams until the 8^th game of the season has been played by every FBS team. The BCS formula isn’t used until that point anyway and this gives every team an even slate and a chance to prove themselves on the field without being “given” the inheritance of a high ranking without deserving it. That would really change college football and make it more competitive and wide-open that ever before. But what’s fun in being anti-political and fair? Let’s ask the persons responsible for generating these polls and see what they think.

Profit Sharing

I think all conferences should model themselves after the SEC and Big Ten models for profit sharing. Every school in the conference is a member and deserves the same treatment, regardless of record and production. I know, I know, it’s not a democracy. But maybe that is what’s wrong with college football. The last I heard, no school wanted to leave their conference for another one that got a fair cut of the money. I hope you learned a lesson Mr. Big Twelve commissioner. Probably not, this is why your conference will completely dismantle in the years to come.

College football is great. But it can stand to be a bit better.

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College football is recession proof. We fanatics make it that way, even in these economic times that are the worst in the lifetime of any living American. Yeah, that even includes the greatest collegiate coach of any sport, the late Mr. John Wooden (sorry “Bear” fans, he plays second best in this blog). With the game thriving with lucrative television contracts and enough bowls to put “Feed the Children” off the air, why on earth would any school single-handedly set the landscape on fire? The answer is very complex; however, I’ll keep it short and simple: M-O-N-E-Y! Starting in 2012, I imagine things will look a bit different.

When the old Big 8 expanded and became the Big 12 by adding the 4 Texas schools (Texas, Baylor, Texas Tech and Texas A&M), many thought that it would be the mega conference that would eventually dominate college football. After sixteen years, that never happened and had the Big 12 stayed intact, it never would have (too much parody and not enough primetime athletes in the Mid-West). Nebraska left due to its frustration with the conference officials and how they completely cater to the Big 12 South Division of the conference with disbursement of revenue and television exposure. Texas and Oklahoma to name a couple were receiving much more revenue than say, Nebraska and Missouri. So Nebraska opened its ear to listen when the Big Ten sought to expand (for financial reasons as well). The Big Ten now has the Big Ten Network, a major experimental success, and it is looking to expand its viewing audience geographically, which in turn means more…you get it already! The Big Ten also equally disburses money to each school in the conference meaning that Indiana gets the same amount as Ohio State. The Big Ten realizes there is enough pie to go around to everyone and the profits are more than enough to keep its power schools content. The Big Ten is like a communist society while the Big 12 clearly a democracy (democracies are outdated, profit sharing is a must). Nebraska will become a great deal more competitive in the Big Ten, it will profit a great deal more and it makes since geographically for the school to make this move. But how is this going to affect the Big 12 and the rest of college football?

There are many scenarios and it’s anyone’s guess to what will actually happen. However, now that Nebraska is gone, there are only a few ways I can see this thing playing out. The Big 12 fights like hell to convince Missouri to stay and they add a school from another conference like Texas Christian (TCU) or Utah from the Mountain West Conference (MWC) to replace Nebraska. This would cause a re-alignment in the North and South Divisions; however it allows the Big 12 to remain intact. Or Missouri could decide to bolt for the Big Ten and if this happens, college football will completely change as we know it today. The Big12 will have three choices: Re-align with the remaining 10 members; Reach out to Utah and TCU for two more members to remain at 12 members; or dismantle completely and allow to the Pac 10 to become the Pac-16 by adding Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Colorado/Baylor. If this happens, most every conference will re-align with teams jumping ship and it will ultimately force Notre Dame’s hand to become the 14^th and final member of the conference formally known as the Big Ten.

In most instances in life, people are opposed to change. They say, “if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.” Well, I think this shake up will keep things interesting. This all is just getting started and it will be very interesting how things end up. Even the SEC could possibly add 2 to 4 teams from the likes of FSU, Miami, Clemson and Virginia Tech by the end of this thing (can you imagine the SEC with those teams?).  We’ll know a little more by next week. I can’t wait!

The Top 25

I’ve long been of the opinion that college sports are much better because they have their innocence. There is school spirit, bragging rights, and conference championships on the line. There are more teammates and no one has a guaranteed contract to make them greedy or become a different person than they were before they walked into the locker room. However, I dislike how political college football has become with its preseason rankings based only on the perception of a team’s remaining players and signing class. The truth is, there should be no Preseason Top 25. The AP and coaches polls should both wait until the midway point in the season to put out its rankings. It’s awful for a team that is having a great, undefeated season, especially in a major conference, to have to fight and politic its way into a chance to play of a BCS National Championship. Let me give you a perfect example: Take the 2004 Auburn team that went 13-0 and didn’t even play for a National Championship. They ended up with a final #2 ranking but had they been a preseason top 10 team, they would have easily played in the BCS Title Game with their record and strength of schedule. Another example to support my argument is as follows: Take the scenario of Ohio State being a preseason #1. They win their first few games against subpar opponents by an average of 10 points. Now lets take Illinois, from the same conference as an unranked team when the season starts. If Illinois was to win their first few games against the same opponents as Ohio State, but by a 20 point margin, they still wouldn’t supplant Ohio State as the top ranked school in the country. As a matter of fact, they’d be fortunate to crack the Top 20 in either poll, leaving them fighting for a BCS birth if both teams were to go undefeated. All because of their preseason ranking! The system needs to be revamped and whatever committee that has the authority to vote and change it needs to look at this issue for the fairness and integrity of the game.

Conference Expansion

The BigTen is looking to expand so it will have an even amount of teams and possibly conference championship game. I feel that the BigTen and Pac10 are getting off a little too easily having automatic bids to the BCS and not having to play for a conference championship. If Texas would have missed its field goal attempt against Nebraska, it would have not gone to the BCS Championship game against Alabama (didn’t matter if they went or not it seems). That’s the competitive pressure that a conference championship game brings in the final week of the college football season. At least the BigTen is attempting to do something about it. There are endless possibilities, but there are a few that make a little more since to me. I haven’t read this re-alignment strategy anywhere so its probably not a possibility. I’d still love to see it if expansion is inevitable. The BigTen, having 11 teams already, should add the likes of Vanderbilt, Missouri and Notre Dame. If ND wants to remain Independent, which it will forever (trust me), then it should look toward Rutgers or Syracuse. Vanderbilt was chosen for the BigTen because its academic standards rank among the elite of the BigTen and its very important to the conference to maintain that standard and reputation. This will give it 14 teams like the ACC and a title game. The SEC should replace Vanderbilt by adding South Florida or Clemson. Either of those teams gives Florida or South Carolina an in-state conference foe like most other teams in the conference. Both teams make the SEC more competitive than Vandy as well. If the SEC chose Clemson, then the ACC could replace Clemson with South Florida or East Carolina. If the Big12 were to lose Missouri to the BigTen, which is a strong possibility in the future, Colorado State or Texas Christian (who made the BCS this past year) wouldn’t be shabby replacement candidates for the one vacancy. Lastly, the Pac10 should add Utah, BYU, San Diego State and Boise State, giving it 14 teams and a conference championship game. If it wanted to limit the expansion to two teams, Utah and Boise State make the most since competition wise. BYU has too many stipulations due to religious practices that limit its ability to entertain primetime games and accommodate changes if needed.

Heisman Candidates

Here I go after saying there should be no preseason rankings with my preseason Heisman hopefuls. Hey, its my blog, how many times do I have to say it. I can do that! I think these 6 will be in the running:

Mark Ingram: Rushed for 1,658 yards and 17 TDs and added another 334 yards receiving and 3 TDs. He averaged 6.1 yards per carry in the SEC. Ladies and Gents, one word: WOW! On a team loaded with returning talent and a Heisman under his belt, look for him to be in the thick of the race as the favorite to become the first repeat winner since Archie Griffin in 1974-75. How would that be for Tide fans, who never had a Heisman before last year? Add another BCS National Championship to that list and the state of Alabama may force Nick Saban to wear a Halo over his head on game days.

Terrelle Pryor: Pryor improved drastically in his development as a leader and as a QB last season. His maturation has continued over into spring as he put on an impressive display of passes during the spring game televised on the BigTen Network (Get DirecTV before the season starts). If he can improve on his 2,094 yard passing, 774 yards rushing and 25 total TDs along with keeping OSU undefeated, he’ll get invited to New York.

Dion Lewis: This Pitt Panther had a magical frosh season rushing for 1,799 yards and 17 TDs. More impressively, he was a highlight waiting to happen all season. His shakes are Barry Sanders like and if you haven’t seen them, please jot down the name and get on YouTube ASAP. The guy is phenomenal and if Pitt has a season like it did last year, he’ll be in New York as well.

Kellen Moore: Moore is a coach’s dream. He absorbs everything in sight like Peyton Manning. His physical ability may not be ideal for NFL clubs, but there is no doubt that this guy would be a consensus number one on all mock draft boards if he were 6’5’’ with a laser rocket arm. Chris Peterson (his coach) isn’t complaining though coming off an undefeated season. Moore only completed 65% of his passes for 3,536 yards and 39TDs with no losses. Look for them to do it all over again and possibly play for a BCS Title this season.

Other Notables: Robert Griffin III, QB Baylor

                      Ryan Mallet, QB Arkansas