Heisman Watch (Week 7)

Does anyone really want this trophy?

• Tim Tebow has failed to impress week in and week out. 
• Colt McCoy has just been winning ball games, but has yet to have a "wow" moment, let alone a "wow" game.
  
• Sam Bradford's shoulder has eliminated him from the Heisman conversation. 
• Tony Pike's forearm injury may have did him in as well.
• Case Keenum continues to put up big numbers, but Houston's loss to UTEP makes it so hard to take him seriously. 
• Recently anointed darkhorses Golden Tate of Notre Dame and Texas' Jordan Shipley have not stood out since being mentioned as candidates.
  

Have no fear, my latest attempt at adding someone to the Heisman list may go smoother. That's because I am fully committing myself to the Alabama bandwagon by adding Tide running back Mark Ingram to the Heisman Watch. The sophomore has been running wild this year, and went for over 200 against the Gamecocks on Saturday night. He may be the man who steps up and claims this award....an award that is currently going to be given to Tim Tebow by default.

Mark Ingram (So) Running Back - Alabama
905 Rushing Yards
186 Receiving Yards
11 total TDs
NO FUMBLES

College Football Week 7 Walkthrough

Every week of the college football season is special in its own way, but some weeks are destined for more excitement than usual. Before I even get to Saturday's gridiron festivities. (5)Boise State beat a game Tulsa squad 28-21 on Wednesday night and (8)Cincinnati took out (21)USF 34-17 last night despite losing their quarterback, Heisman hopeful Tony Pike, to a forearm injury (Pike will sit next week against Louisville and then be re-evaluated). Just in case you need one final tune up for Saturday, 5-1 Pittsburgh plays at 4-1 Rutgers tonight on ESPN.  Those three weekday specials are a good barometer of what lies ahead for tomorrow. It may not be worth it to leave your house this weekend, because the big time conference matchups are finally upon us, and if that doesn't get your blood pumping, the season's first BCS rankings will be released on Sunday night...those might even get your blood boiling. But without further ado...let's walk it out.

• Why waste time! Let's get right to the Amateur Status game of the week. (3)Texas and (20)Oklahoma meet in the Red River Shootout. Yes, I said SHOOTOUT! Political correctness doesn't belong in football. Kids are smart enough to know that Colt McCoy isn't trying to kill Jordan Shipley when he throws a "bullet"  across the field (the game was recently redubbed the Red River "Rivalry"). The rivalry tilt kicks off at noon from the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. Sooners quarterback Sam Bradford must engineer a victory over the Longhorns just to keep his team in the polls next week, while Colt McCoy tries to keep his team on the doorstep of a national title shot. ABC has national coverage.
  
• The noon game on ESPN that no one will be watching is actually a pretty good matchup. (11)Iowa goes to Camp Randall to play 5-1 Wisconsin. The Hawkeyes have an excellent chance of being undefeated when they play Ohio State on November 14th IF they can get past the Badgers in this matchup.     
• Mississippi State is coming off of a tough loss to mid-major power Houston, and they should be weary of Mid Tennessee State as well. The Blue Raiders already knocked off Maryland this year (and last year too). ESPNU has the coverage of this potential upset special at 12:30pm.
• Ryan Mallett and the Arkansas Razorbacks are the next test for Tim Tebow and his top ranked Gators team. It will be interesting to see if Mallet's arm can keep the under manned Hogs in the mix. CBS airs this one at 3:30pm.
• The second big time rivalry game of the day kicks off at 3:30 on NBC. (6)USC will stare into the eyes of "Touchdown Jesus" when they travel to Notre Dame to play the (25)Fighting Irish with the "Jeweled Shillelagh" at stake. This is Charlie Weis' best shot to knock off the Trojans since he has been at Notre Dame...and he is still a ten point underdog. I'll make a prediction on this game and say that an emotional Trojans squad buries Notre Dame once again.
• (14)Penn State will find out the Big Ten's worst kept secret when Minnesota visits Happy Valley...no one in the conference can guard Gopher wide out Eric Decker. ABC has regional coverage of this one at 3:30pm.
• More ABC regional coverage as (15)Nebraska will try to slow down Texas Tech. The Red Raiders may not know who their quarterback will be for the game until the 3:30pm kickoff. Starter Taylor Potts is now battling former walk-on Steven Sheffield for the reins of Mike Leach's pass happy offense.
• (4)Virginia Tech has the toughest assignment of anyone in the top five. The Turkeys must travel to Hotlanta and then attempt to stop the vaunted triple option of (19)Georgia Tech. Tyrod Taylor has his squad looking like a national contender, but the Yellow Jackets' option may confuse the Hokies defense long enough to run away with the game...literally. This one kicks off at 6pm on ESPN2
  
• (2)Alabama welcomes (22)South Carolina to Tuscaloosa in a game that the Tide are very capable of losing. The Old Ball Coach lives for statement games like this, and just when you think the Gamecocks don't have an upset in them, they prove the country wrong. The Gamecocks defense will be ready to play with Alabama, but it will be up to South Carolina quarterback Stephen Garcia to engineer a late touchdown drive. This SEC matchup kicks off at 7:45pm and airs on ESPN.
• (16)Oklahoma State plays Missouri at home in a 9:15pm primetime slot. It will be the Pokes second game without All-American wide out Dez Bryant. Missouri is coming off of its first loss of the year at the hands of Nebraska. The Tigers need a win in this game if they intend to be the Big 12 North's sacrificial lamb in the Big 12 Championship game. The game airs on ESPN2

Great day of football ahead...with the 1st BCS rankings waiting in the weekend's on deck circle.

Is the Big East Title On the Line Tonight?

(8)Cincinnati meets the (21)USF Bulls at Raymond James Stadium tonight in Tampa. This may be the game of the year in the Big East as these are the conference's only ranked teams mid way through the season. Bearcats quarterback Tony Pike is also holding on to a fledgeling Heisman campaign that can only be justified by an undefeated season. This Bulls team may be more impressive than the 2007 team that rose to number two in the BCS polls, because they have been winning games with their backup quarterback BJ Daniels. Starter Matt Grothe has been the only Bulls quarterback that Big East fans have ever known (he's a four year starter), but the emergence of Daniels proves that head coach Jim Leavitt is stockpiling talent in Tampa, maybe even more than in-state rival Florida State. Where would the Seminoles be if they lost their starting QB, Christian Ponder? Look where they are with him for that matter. Even though Cincinnati is getting most of the hype surrounding a possible BCS title berth, USF has a very manageable schedule and still has an out of conference statement game against another in-state power, (9)Miami. The Bearcats already have some impressive non-conference wins, most notably a road win against Oregon State in Corvallis. Thus, their candidacy for the BCS title has been slightly more legitimized than USF (as exemplified by their top ten ranking). One thing is certain, there will not be a one loss Big East team in the National Championship, so that dream will end tonight for one of these teams, but the Big East title will still be a possibility for the loser. There is also the possibility that neither of these teams wins the conference, as no one knows whether 4-1 West Virginia is an actual contender. Most likely the Mountaineers will be 6-1 when they see USF in Tampa the day before Halloween in their second test of the season (they failed their first one by losing to Auburn). Rutgers can also get back into the hunt, especially if USF hangs a loss on Cincinnati tonight. In conclusion, the Big East is preparing for another exciting finish to the season. Electrifying conference races are becoming a staple of the new Big East.

The Mid-Major Solution?

After the Utah Utes blitzed Alabama in the Sugar Bowl last year (only to be declared the unbeaten runner-up to Florida), there was more clamoring than ever for a national championship playoff to replace the BCS. While I am a strong proponent of this change, I am also a realist. The truth is that a playoff may never happen in FBS (as it is now called) football. The people (university presidents) that make these types of decisions stand to lose too much money to make such a change. The only thing that provides incentive to them is that it is fair, and it's the right thing to do. Neither of these reasons rank high on a priority list that includes money, money, and more money. Therefore, the change must come from within. There is only one thing that causes teams like Boise State, TCU, BYU, and Utah to hit a glass ceiling in the polls every year. It's their conference schedule. At the end of the season, when the polls matter the most, Ohio State plays Michigan every year. This year Boise State plays their regular season finale against a horrid New Mexico State team. There are two solutions to this problem. One of them is an Elmer's glue patch up solution, and the other one is a Krazy Glue permanent fix. Here's what I'm thinking...

The Elmer's Glue Fix
Former Big East Commissioner Mike Tranghese created this idea for the 2006 season as a way to showcase what was left of the talent in his conference after the ACC raided them a few years back. Tranghese identified his top teams within the conference and then scheduled them to play each other in the final weeks of conference play. The result of the decision was an epic final three weeks of Big East football that had the same feel as the Big East's basketball tournament. By the end of the season, no one remembered the fact that the bottom of the conference was terrible. What fans remember was that Louisville, Rutgers, and West Virginia were all undefeated in November and ranked in the top 15. They also recall the three instant classic football games that ended the season, and most importantly, new member Louisville won the Orange Bowl against the same ACC conference that poached three Big East members the year before. The Big East went 5-0 in bowl games during that season, effectively dominating the final two months of the season. Since that miraculous season, no one has seriously questioned the conference's legitimacy again.
With the 2006 season as a model, the Mountain West could Have Utah, TCU, and BYU battle it out in the final two weeks of the season. High drama and gaudy records lead to TV coverage and media attention, two criterion that have way more to do with poll results than they should. In the WAC, the conference is more of a two horse race. In the same way Michigan and Ohio State have battled for the Big Ten in their final game every year since longer than anyone can remember, is there any reason why perennial WAC powers Fresno State and Boise State can't finish the season against each other every year. Wouldn't the Broncos benefit more from hanging 51 points on a Fresno team that was 7-0 in conference rather than dropping them to 1-2 for the year. Weighted scheduling, as the practice is called, could be the counter punch to the BCS system. If Utah, TCU, and BYU all enter the final two weeks of the season undefeated and in the top 10, why not let a mid-major team play for the BCS National Championship if their last two games were wins over what the BCS ranked as Top 10 competition. This system would work at least once a decade, and when it does, it will leave memories in the mind of college football fans that will hold over until it happens again.

The Krazy Glue Solution
Sometimes, you can get by with beating the system, but there are other times when you have to take the jackhammer to it. While weighted scheduling may seem like a good idea, the only way to permanently crash the BCS party is an all out mid-major revolt. The plan is simple, create a conference that is undoubtedly worthy of a BCS bid. Do you think the Mountain West would get a BCS bid if it look like this...
 
BYU - currently ranked, winners of the 1984 National Championship, QB Ty Detmer won the Heisman 
TCU - currently ranked, 2 time National Champions, alma mater of LaDanian Tomlinson and Sammy Baugh
Utah - defending champions of the Allstate Sugar Bowl, 2-0 all-time in BCS games
Air Force - over 300 wins in only 49 years of football, 39 academic All-Americans
Colorado State - over 100 years of football, 15 conference titles, 6 All-Americans
UNLV - the school is in Vegas...enough said
Hawaii - the school is in Hawaii...enough said (they also appeared in the 2008 Sugar Bowl)
Fresno State - 12 wins over power conference teams since 2000...that's 2 out of 3 per year
Boise State - currently ranked, winners of the 2007 Fiesta bowl, the school has a .704 winning percentage
Tulsa - over 100 years of football, ranked in the BCS as recently as 2006
Houston - currently ranked, former members of a power conference, QB Andre Ware won the Heisman
SMU - 3 recognized National Championships, RB Doak Walker won the Heisman

 Try to justify sending the champion of this conference to a non-BCS bowl!

While your browsing the revised Mountain West, note that this is a 12 team conference which means that there will be a conference championship game. You can't tell me you don't want to see Boise St. and TCU play for a conference championship live from the Hula Bowl in Hawaii, or dare I say...Las Vegas! This conference has everything you would want in a power conference. You want Great programs? I give you Boise State, Fresno State, BYU, Utah, and TCU along with the winning tradition of schools like Houston (during the David Klingler and Andre Ware years), SMU (during the Pony Express years), Air Force (during the Fisher Deberry Era), and Colorado St. (under Sonny Lubick). You want great coaches? How about Pat Hill at Fresno, Chris Peterson at Boise, and the bevy of young coaches that would become fixtures in the new conference (Kyle Whittingham at Utah, Bronco Mendenhall at BYU, and Kevin Sumlin at Houston). Heck, the conference features two teams that have already won a national championship (TCU and BYU). The WAC and Conference USA will lose their marquee teams but they will have programs that will be ready to takeover. I would bet that San Jose State and Nevada would surge in a new WAC conference, while Conference USA still has solid programs like Southern Miss and Marshall to lean on, but this is bigger than those two conferences. It's about the opportunity to be included in the BCS party and get the slice of the pie that is so important to everyone outside of the BCS conferences. Someone has to make the sacrifice. The storylines that are put into play here are undeniable. How great would it be to see big time college football in places like Hawaii, Vegas, Dallas, and Houston? The conference is even rooted in two of the largest and most fertile recruiting grounds in the nation (Texas and California). The talent of these schools would sky rocket, and twenty years from now, no one will even remember a conversation concerning their inclusion in the BCS.   


 

(4)Boise State May Unfortunately Make Their Final Statement Tonight in Tulsa

The (4)Boise State Broncos play tonight at 4-1 Tulsa in what may end up being their last big game of the season (unless Idaho can keep it rolling until the last game of the conference slate). The Golden Hurricanes have a tough defense and a playmaking receiver (Tennessee transfer Slick Shelley), two things Boise State hasn't faced since they dismantled Oregon. If Boise St. wants to play in the National Championship, the Broncos need to win this game impressively and then become Tulsa fans for the rest of the year. The Broncos could make a case for the bid if they finish undefeated with wins over the winners of both the Conference USA (which could be Tulsa if they win their showdown with Houston) and the Pac-10 (a conference that Oregon currently leads). If Fresno State wins out, Boise State's blowout victory over the Bulldogs will also stand out. Boise State ran the Dogs off the field while Wisconsin and highly ranked Cincinnati nearly loss to them. Boise State has established themselves as the premiere mid-major program in college football, but if they want to take the next step towards contending for a national title, they must take on a more aggressive scheduling mentality. They could actually take a few pages from the Fresno State playbook by adopting their "anybody, anywhere" mantra. Unlike Fresno, who competes with heart, good coaching, and a few star players (i.e. running back Ryan Mathews), Boise St. has the overall talent to beat teams like Wisconsin and Cincinnati. They may have to go out and schedule them. Boise State is fielding a national championship contending team that is only playing a Fiesta Bowl contending schedule. Thus, they find themselves in the precarious situation of rooting for teams like Oregon, Tulsa, and Idaho to win out in order to make the argument that they are playing formidable opponents. However, there is one thing to add to this conundrum, NO ONE WANTS TO SEE BOISE STATE ON THEIR SCHEDULE! I applaud Oregon for actually putting them on the schedule, but who else will be brave enough to do it after watching the Ducks get throttled two years in a row. In fact, this may be the program's real problem.

Amateur Status College Basketball Big 12 Preview

The Big 12 will be fun to watch this year. There will be NBA draft picks across the board (Cole Aldrich, Craig Brackins, Willie Warren) and talented freshman (Wally Judge, Xavier Henry, Avery Bradley) making an instant impact as well. You can even expect to see a transfer (the immediately eligible Jai Lucas goes to Texas from Florida, while former Wolverine Epke Udoh joins the Baylor front line and heavily recruited Curtis Kelly will finally see some minutes at K-State after coming from the end of Uconn's bench) make a move towards star status. Despite all the talent remaining in the league this year. The Big 12 race will still be contended solely by Kansas and Texas. The conference may come down to which potentially one and done freshman has the most impact on his respective team.

Big 12 Rankings
1. Kansas Jayhawks
2. Texas Longhorns
3. Baylor Bears
4. Kansas State Wildcats
5. Oklahoma Sooners
6. Oklahoma State Cowboys
7. Texas A&M Aggies
8. Missouri Tigers
9. Iowa State Cyclones
10. Texas Tech Red Raiders
11. Nebraska Cornhuskers
12. Colorado Buffaloes

 All-Big 12 Team 
C - Cole Aldrich (Kansas)
G - Sherron Collins (Kansas)
F - LaceDarius Dunn (Baylor)
F - Craig Brackins (Iowa St.)
G - Willie Warren (Oklahoma)
G - Denis Clemente (Kansas State)
G - James Anderson (Oklahoma State)
G - Cory Higgins (Colorado)
F - Damion James (Texas)

All-Big 12 Rookie Team
G - Avery Bradley (Texas)
G - Xavier Henry (Kansas)
F/C - Keith Gallon (Oklahoma)
G - Tommy Mason-Griffin (Oklahoma)
F - Jordan Hamilton (Texas)
F - Wally Judge (Kansas State)
 

Amateur Status College Basketball Pac-10 Preview

The Pac-10 has become the forgotten power conference in college basketball. With games that routinely air at midnight on the east coast, basketball fans have not received the chance to see some of the top talent in the Pac-10 and thus have a low opinion of the conference. Before you call me crazy for ranking Washington in the top ten, set your alarm clock and check out a few latenight Pac-10 games on Fox Sports. You will be presently surprised by the amount of talent that resides in the pacific. 

Pac-10 Rankings
1. Washington Huskies
2. California Golden Bears
3. UCLA Bruins
4. USC Trojans
5. Arizona Wildcats
6. Oregon Ducks 
7. Washington St. Cougars
8. Oregon St. Beavers
9. Arizona St. Sun Devils
10. Stanford Cardinal

All-Pac 10 Team
G - Nic Wise (Arizona)
G - Patrick Christopher (California)
G - Jerome Randle (California)
G - Tajuan Porter (Oregon)
G - Klay Thompson (Washington State)
G - Dwight Lewis (USC)

All-Pac 10 Rookie Team
F - Solomon Hill (Arizona)
G - Abdul Gaddy (Washington)
F - Jamil Wilson (Oregon)
F - Brock Motum (Washington State)
C - Kyryl Natyazhko (Arizona)

Amateur Status College Basketball SEC Preview

Ever since Florida's super team (Noah, Green, Brewer, Horford, and Humphries) left the SEC after winning two straight national championships, the conference has been searching for a team to be the conference's flag bearer. The search has not gone well. The league actually flirted with being a single bid conference until a few teams stepped up in March to secure bids, but have no fear SEC fans, help is on the way. John Calipari has arrived in Lexington and he brought Worldwide Wes with him...but you didn't hear that from me (You will here more about William "Worldwide Wes" Wesley later on in this blog...I promise. Just in case your in need of more info, click here). The point is, nearly half of the All-SEC Freshman Team team will be playing for Calipari this year. Mississippi St. State freshman Renardo Sidney also will also claim a spot on the All-Shady Dealings Freshman Team (if you need any background information on the Renardo Sidney story, click here). The aforementioned Sidney and Kentucky's entire recruiting class will team up with fellow newbies Kenny Boynton (Florida) and John Jenkins (Vanderbilt) to inject a shot of sorely needed talent into the SEC. The SEC will be back in contention on the national stage this year, and it will have it's young guns to thank.

SEC Rankings
1. Kentucky Wildcats
2. Tennessee Volunteers
3. Mississippi State Bulldogs
4. Ole Miss Running Rebels
5. Florida Gators 
6. Vanderbilt Commodores
7. Arkansas Razorbacks
8. South Carolina Gamecocks
9. Alabama Crimson Tide
10. LSU Tigers
11. Georgia Bulldogs
12. Auburn Tigers 

All-SEC Team
F - Patrick Patterson (Kentucky)
F - Michael Washington (Arkansas)
G - Courtney Fortson (Arkansas)
F - JaMychal Green (Alabama)
G - Senario Hillman (Alabama)
F - Trey Thompkins (Georgia)
G - Terrico White (Ole Miss)
G - Chris Warren (Ole Miss)
F - Jarvis Varnado (Mississippi State)
G - Devan Downey (South Carolina)
F - Tyler Smith (Tennessee)
C - AJ Ogilvy (Vanderbilt)

All-SEC Rookie Team
G - John Wall (Kentucky)
G - Kenny Boynton Jr. (Florida)
F - DeMarcus Cousins (Kentucky)
F - Renardo Sidney (Mississippi State)
G - John Jenkins (Vanderbilt)
G - Eric Bledsoe (Kentucky)
C - Daniel Orton (Kentucky)
F - Tony Mitchell (Alabama)

Amateur Status College Basketball ACC Preview

The ACC has been the glamour conference of college basketball for some time. It features the game's most fierce rivalry (Duke/North Carolina) and some of the best coaches you will find in either college or the NBA. Most importantly, these ACC teams are stockpiled with talent. When's the last time you've seen a consensus top 5 prospect sign with a team that had TWO conference wins. You see it in the ACC. This is the conference where Derrick Favors looks to engineer an instant turnaround at Georgia Tech. Even potential bottom feeder Virginia has a stud that can light you up for thirty. He goes by the name of Sylven Landesberg. The Big East is a super conference, true, but there are no off nights in the ACC. Every team in this conference has the talent to beat a top ranked team. 

ACC Rankings
1. Duke Blue Devils
2. North Carolina Tar Heels
3. Maryland Terrapins
4. Boston College Golden Eagles
5. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
6. Clemson Tigers
7. Miami Hurricanes
8. Wake Forest Demon Deacons
9. Florida St. Seminoles
10. Virginia Tech Hokies
11. Virginia Cavaliers
12. North Carolina State Wolfpack

All-ACC Team
G - Jon Scheyer (Duke)
F - Kyle Singler (Duke)
F - Gani Lawal (Georgia Tech)
G - Greivis Vasquez (Maryland)
G - Sylven Landesberg (Virginia)
F - Al-Farouq Aminu (Wake Forest)
G - Malcolm Delaney (Virginia Tech)
F - Trevor Booker (Clemson)
F - Dwayne Collins (Miami)
F - Ed Davis (North Carolina)

ACC All-Rookie Team
F - Derrick Favors (Georgia Tech)
F - John Henson (North Carolina)
F - Ryan Kelly (Duke)
G - Michael Snaer (Florida State)
G - Durand Scott (Miami)
F - Milton Jennings (Clemson)
F - Ari Stewart (Wake Forest)
G - Dexter Strickland (North Carolina)
F - Mason Plumlee (Duke)
F - David Wear (North Carolina)
F - Travis Wear (North Carolina)

 

Amateur Status College Basketball Big Ten Preview

The Big Ten basketball conference takes all types of heat for being boring, sloppy, and a hack fest. The truth is that in a country that is affixed with the high flying exploits of Lebron James and the rest of the NBA, people can't appreciate the type of basketball that is played in the midwest. The scrappy defense, meticulous offensive sets, and the all out wars that take place in the paint may not be fun to watch, but it is beautiful in its own way. Not to mention that it is very successful in the NCAA Tournament. You wouldn't confuse Michigan St. and Purdue with the Showtime Lakers, but they are two of the best teams in the country. Big Ten basketball is ugly, but expect several teams from this conference to get the job done in March. 
 
Big Ten Rankings
1. Michigan St. Spartans
2. Purdue Boilermakers
3. Michigan Wolverines
4. Ohio St. Buckeyes
5. Minnesota Golden Gophers
6. Wisconsin Badgers
7. Northwestern Wildcats
8. Illinois Fighting Illini
9. Penn State Nittany Lions
10. Indiana Hoosiers
11. Iowa Hawkeyes

All-Big Ten Team 
G - Manny Harris (Michigan)
F - DeShawn Sims (Michigan)
G - Kalin Lucas (Michigan State)
F - Kevin Coble (Northwestern)
G/F - Evan Turner (Ohio State)
G - Talor Battle (Penn State)
F - Robbie Hummel (Purdue)
C - JaJuan Johnson (Purdue)
G - E'Twaun Moore (Purdue)
G - Trevon Hughes (Wisconsin)

All-Big Ten Rookie Team
F - Christian Watford (Indiana)
G - Darius Morris (Michigan)
C - Derrick Nix (Michigan State)
G - Alex Marcotullio (Northwestern)
G - Maurice Creek (Indiana)
G - DJ Richardson (Illinois)

Amateur Status College Basketball Big East Preview

Since the Big East decided to form a basketball mega conference. I have had to constatnly reminded people that this is nothing like we have ever seen before in college basketball. The current incarnation of the Big East is the best conference in the HISTORY of college basketball...and I challenge anyone to make a case against that statement. The 11th best team in this conference would contend for a conference championship in the SEC or the Pac-10...and that isn't being said as an insult to those conferences. The Big East is that good...and the players know it. Is there any conference tournament with the atmosphere of the Big East. That's because the Big East is the best group of 16 teams your going to see until the Sweet 16 in mid March. 

Big East Rankings
1.Villanova Wildcats
2. West Virginia Mountaineers 
3. Georgetown Hoyas
4. Connecticut Huskies
5. Notre Dame Fighting Irish 
6. Louisville Cardinals
7. Cincinnati Bearcats 
8. Pittsburgh Panthers 
9. Syracuse Orange
10. St. John's Red Storm
11.  Seton Hall Pirates
12. Marquette Golden Eagles
13. Providence Friars
14. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
15. USF Bulls
16. DePaul Blue Demons

All-Big East Team
F - Luke Harangody (Notre Dame)
G - Scottie Reynolds (Villanova)
F - Greg Monroe (Georgetown)
G - Deonta Vaughn (Cincinnati)
G - Kemba Walker (Connecticut)
F - Samardo Samuels (Louisville)
G - Mike Rosario (Rutgers)
G - Jeremy Hazell (Seton Hall)
F - Da'Sean Butler (West Virginia)
F - Devin Ebanks (WestVirginia)
F - Mac Koshwal (DePaul)
F - Lazar Hayward (Marquette)


Big East All-Rookie Team
G - Lance Stephenson (Cincinnati)
G - Peyton Siva (Louisville)
F  - Dante Taylor (Pittsburgh)
G - Dwight Hardy* (St. John's)
G - Dominic Cheek (Villanova)
G - Maalik Wayns (Villanova)
G - Casey Mitchell (West Virginia)
G - Junior Cadougan (Marquette)
F - Mouphtaou Yarou (Villanova)
*JUCO Transfer

Why Rich...Why?

One of the more interesting storylines of this young college football season has been the play of the Michigan Wolverines true freshman quarterback Tate Forcier. Forcier, a California native, enrolled at the University of Michigan in January and quickly wrestled the starting job away from incompetent incumbent Nick Sheridan. Forcier was essentially the man at quarterback since day one, and he did not disappoint once the season began.  Half way through his freshman season, Forcier has continually been lauded for his poise and confidence. He has already engineered thrilling 4^th quarter comebacks against Notre Dame, Indiana, and Michigan St. (a game they would lose in overtime). So when the Wolverines trailed (12) Iowa by nine in the fourth quarter of their primetime matchup. I much like everyone else who bleeds Michigan Blue (I grew up in Michigan) expected more heroics from the freshman some have simply began to call “The Force”. Unfortunately, “The Force” was never unleashed down the stretch against the Hawkeyes. Beleaguered Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez decided to bench his star freshman in favor of another highly touted freshman, Denard Robinson, a lightning quick run first quarterback from Florida who goes by the name “Shoelaces” (a tribute to his affinity for playing with untied shoes). Rodriguez was understandably disappointed with his freshman starter after a 4^th quarter drive began with a delay of game penalty and was executed terribly by Forcier and the Wolves were forced to punt after three downs. He responded by turning to Robinson, a move he has made often to ignite the Michigan offense if it becomes stagnant. As it often has this year, the switch to Robinson delivered immediate dividends. Shoelaces methodically scooted down the field for a touchdown against a tired Hawkeyes defense. After the Michigan defense forced Iowa to punt, I was sure that Forcier would return to provide more 4^th quarter magic. Forcier, a gifted athlete who is talented on the run as well and a much more polished passer than Robinson, was seemingly born for two minute drill situations. So please imagine my surprise when “Shoelaces” ran onto the field for the Wolverines last chance at staying in the race for the Big Ten title. Forcier, already proven in such situations, remained on the sideline. Robinson, who does have a very impressive arm, is still terribly one dimensional at this point in his career. He showed his immaturity by failing to see a wide receiver open on the sidelines on the second play of the drive. Instead of hitting Martavious Odoms for a gain of maybe twenty yards and a stoppage of the clock, Robinson overthrew a pass forced into coverage. The pass was intercepted and the game was over. Robinson was visibly distraught by his decision, but he should not blame himself. He was put in a position to fail by his head coach. I can assure you that when Michigan goes over there two minute offense in practice…Tate Forcier is not sitting on the sidelines. Rich Rodriguez, in an attempt to chastise his freshman starter for a bad drive (and maybe even a bad attitude afterwards), may have ruined the confidence of both his starter and his backup. The quarterback situation at Michigan will be a ongoing story for years to come. Forcier and Robinson are both true freshman and Michigan has a solid commitment (if there is such a thing anymore) from the #1 high school signal caller in the country, Michigan native Devin Gardner. I’m interested to see how Rich Rodriguez handles his quarterback situation through the rest of this year and the years to come. I for one think that he has already gotten off to a bad start.

Heisman Watch (Week 6)

There is only one addition to the list of five candidates from last week's addition of the Heisman Watch. But statistically, he could be the favorite. Welcome Texas wide receiver Jordan Shipley to the list after his 11 catch performance against Colorado that included a TD on both offense and special teams. Shipley has been the front runner for the Biletnikoff Award for so long that it only seems right that he eventually ease his way into the Heisman race. He is a significantly better candidate than the fraudalent Jimmy Clausen, who is receiving most of his Heisman hype from the Notre Dame media machine while Golden Tate (a member of my Heisman Watch list) does the heavy lifting. The list of Heisman candidates has grown to six and does not even include the current owner of the trophy (If you want love from Amateur Status...you got to beat Texas next week). Here's a rundown.

• Tim Tebow was less than impressive in a 13-3 victory over (4)LSU.
• Colt McCoy looked less than stellar before (3)Texas came back from down 11 early to throttle Colorado.
• Tony Pike and Golden Tate both had bye weeks
• Case Keenum got the win and the 400 yards he needed to stay relevant in this conversation. He must continue to provide fans with ridiculous statistical outputs to stay on the minds of voters.

Jordan Shipley (Sr.) Wide Receiver - Texas
47 Receptions
583 Receiving Yards
3 Touchdowns
1 Kick Return TD

Say hello to the new guy...Jordan Shipley!

Amateur Status Top 25 (Week 6)

Here at Amateur Status I don't waste time when it comes to putting out my Top 25. As soon as the last game is over, I go to work on the next poll. So here it is...

1. Alabama Crimson Tide (6-0)
2. Florida Gators (6-0)
3. Texas Longhorns (6-0)
4. Cincinnati Bearcats (5-0)
5. Boise State Broncos (6-0) 
6. Iowa Hawkeyes (6-0)
7. Virginia Tech Hokies (5-1)
8. TCU Horned Frogs (5-0)
9. Oregon Ducks (5-1)
10. USC Trojans (4-1)
11. LSU (5-1)
12. Miami Hurricanes (4-1)
13. Ohio St. Buckeyes (5-1)
14. Kansas Jayhawks (6-0)
15. Penn State Nittany Lions (5-1)
16. Oklahoma State Cowboys (5-1)
17. USF Bulls (5-0)
18. South Carolina Gamecocks (5-1)
19. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (5-1)
20. Wisconsin Badgers (5-1)
21. Auburn Tigers (5-1)
22. BYU Cougars (5-1)
23. Houston Cougars (4-1)
24. Pittsburgh Panthers (5-1)
T-25. Utah Utes (4-1)
T-25. Central Michigan (5-1)




Lots of new names on the Top 25 list. (25)CMU may stay in this poll for a while. I don't think the Chips will lose a game the rest of the year. Oklahoma still won't be receiving any love from this poll. It is way to early for a Top 25 team to have two losses...injuries be darned. There are too many teams that are having good seasons right now. If Bradford can engineer a Red River Shootout victory...you'll see him and the Sooners in the poll.

NCAA Basketball 10 Video Game From EA Sports

EA Sports just released some information about their latest college basketball title. The game, which features Los Angeles Clippers rookie Blake Griffin on the cover, is expected to launch in November in time for the holidays. It looks good.

Here's the link along with some videos about the game's ESPN and CBS dual presentation integration. NCAA Basketball 10 will be the first game to feature two different network presentations on the same game.  

http://sports.espn.go.com/videogames/news/story?id=4537744

Heisman Watch Week 5

The Heisman Memorial Trophy is one of the most prestigious awards in all of organized sport. After five weeks of games, these are the five players that have stood above the rest as candidates to win the Heisman Trophy.






Tim Tebow (Sr.) Quarterback - Florida
Next Game at (4)LSU  
The legend of Tim Tebow will grow even larger if he can return from the first concussion of his career and lead the Gators to a victory over LSU tomorrow night. I hate to admit it, but Tim Tebow may be the best player to ever put on a college football uniform. I can't see him losing this award unless he is sidelined by injury.


Golden Tate (Jr.) Wide Receiver - Notre Dame
Next Game vs (7)USC *10/17
Being Jimmy Clausen has to be great. Clausen has etched his name into the Heisman conversation over the first five weeks of the season based on a simple game plan of throwing deep and waiting for Golden Tate to catch it. While some prognosticators may be fooled, I am not. The real Heisman candidate in the Notre Dame locker room wears #23....not number #7. Tate has made every difficult catch all year, and has been a threat to score every time he touches the ball.


Colt McCoy (Sr.) Quarterback - Texas
Next Game vs Colorado 
 At this point in the year, McCoy is coasting on his talent and the fresh thoughts of his amazing 2008 season. He sits in 3rd place right now, strictly off the basis that he has not yet played anyone notable this season. McCoy can overtake Tebow if the living legend stumbles against LSU and the Horns can get wins over Oklahoma, Oklahoma St., Missouri and Texas Tech. 


Case Keenum (Jr.) Quarterback - Houston
Next Game at Mississippi St. 
The only reason why Keenum makes this list is because he threw for an ungodly amount of yardage in that confusing shootout loss to UTEP. The defense let down Keenum big time a week after they came up huge at Oklahoma St. and Texas Tech. Keenum can stay in the race by knocking off Mississippi St. from the SEC this week, continuing to register 400 yard passing games, and most importantly...winning the Conference USA. Another loss would take him out of consideration for good.
 

Tony Pike (Sr.) Quarterback - Cincinnati 
Next Game at (23)USF *10/15 
Tony Pike is a relative unknown and he hasn't done anything relatively noticeable this season...except lead a Bearcat offense that has been machine like through the first five games. The schedule heats up after the bye week when they get USF in Tampa with the Big East lead at stake. If Cincinnati runs the table, we will see Tony Pike in New York for the holidays.


The great thing about the Heisman race is that it changes from week to week. So don't get to comfortable with any of these names...well Tim Tebow will be here no matter what...but dont get attached to the other ones!

The Amateur Status College Basketball Pre-Season All-Americans

You saw the best teams. Now we showcase the best players...these are the All-Americans

First Team All-Americans             
C - Cole Aldrich (Kansas)
F - Luke Harangody (Notre Dame)
F - Kyle Singler (Duke)
G - Greivis Vasquez (Maryland)
G - Kalin Lucas (Michigan St.)

Second Team All-Americans
C - AJ Ogilvy (Vanderbilt)
F - Patrick Patterson (Kentucky)
F - Craig Brackins (Iowa St.)
G - Sherron Collins (Kansas)
G - Scottie Reynolds (Villanova)

Third Team All-Americans
C - Jerome Jordan (Tulsa) 
F - Evan Turner (Ohio St.)
F - Tyler Smith (Tennessee)
G - Manny Harris (Michigan)
G - James Anderson (Oklahoma St.)
-------------------------------------------------
First Team Freshman All Americans
C - DeMarcus Cousins (Kentucky)
F -  Derrick Favors (Georgia Tech)
F - John Henson (North Carolina)
G - Xavier Henry (Kansas)
G - John Wall (Kentucky)

Second Team Freshman All-Americans
C - Mason Plumlee (Duke)
F - Renardo Sidney (Mississippi St.)
F - Keith Gallon (Oklahoma)
G - Avery Bradley (Texas)
G - Lance Stephenson (Cincinnati)

Third Team Freshman All-Americans
C - Daniel Orton (Kentucky)
F - Ryan Kelly (Duke)
F - Dante Taylor (Pitt)
G - Abdul Gaddy (Washington)
G - Kenny Boynton Jr. (Florida)

For the record, Wally Judge (K-State) and Dominic Cheek (Nova) were also considered as potential Freshman All-Americans. They will both be stars for their respective schools in their first year. Devan Downey (SC), Jerome Randle (Cal), and Damion James (TX) just missed out on being All-Americans.

Amateur Status College Basketball Pre-Season Top 25

If you came here for college hoops, sorry to keep you waiting. The college basketball season is less than a month away and it will be exciting as always. Here is the Amateur Status Pre-Season Top 25, the first of many posts that will be previewing the upcoming season.

1. Michigan St. Spartans
2. Kansas Jayhawks
3. Villanova Wildcats
4. Kentucky Wildcats
5. Texas Longhorns
6. Purdue Boilermakers
7. Washington Huskies
8. West Virginia Mountaineers
9. Tennessee Volunteers
10. Duke Blue Devils
11. North Carolina Tar Heels
12. Georgetown Hoyas
13. Butler Bulldogs
14. Michigan Wolverines
15. Mississippi St. Bulldogs
16. Ohio St. Buckeyes 
17. Connecticut Huskies
18. Maryland Terrapins
19. California Golden Bears
20. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
21. Boston College Golden Eagles
22. Louisville Cardinals
23. Siena Saints
24. Tulsa Golden Hurricane
25. Memphis Tigers

I'm pretty sure that a lot of people don't have Washington that high, but guards win National Championships and UW has plenty of good ones.

College Football Week 6 Walkthrough

Anybody who ever played football in either high school or college knows that the day before gameday is always the day of the walkthrough, probably the most pointless thing that anyone does as a football player. At some point, someone decided that men who are capable of running at world class speeds should get ready for a football game by walking around in basketball shorts for a hour before going home and forgetting that the past sixty minutes ever happened. This walk through will be a little more helpful.

• I'll begin by noting that Nebraska beat Missouri last night 27-12 with a dominating stretch of football early in the 4th quarter that made Blaine Gabbert look like Chase Daniel's backup instead of his replacement...but on to Saturday's action.
• Depending on your internet service provider, you should be able to catch a very good game out of the SEC right at noon. (17)Auburn travels to Arkansas with hopes of staying unbeaten. You can watch the game at ESPN360.com
• Also available on ESPN360.com is a noon matchup between Boston College and (5)Virginia Tech. The Golden Eagles are quietly 4-1 and have been a thorn in the side of the Hokies in recent regular season meetings. I'm putting the Hokies on upset watch this week.
• After ruining my Wolverines perfect season last week, the Michigan St. Spartans better not lose to Illinois tomorrow. The Big Ten Network (BTN) has the coverage at noon.
• Georgia and Tennessee meet at Rocky Top at 12:21pm for reasons I can't explain. Let's see if Lane Kiffin can talk up a win this week. ESPN360.com has the coverage once again.
• The 12th Man could see the Aggies get a big win tomorrow when (15)Oklahoma St. visits Texas A&M sans suspended All-American Dez Bryant. The Cowboys are also on upset watch.
• (13)Oregon and UCLA meet at the Rose Bowl for ABC's west coast regional coverage at 3:30pm. A Oregon win keeps them on track to return to the Rose Bowl later in the year. A UCLA win would force me to ask the question...HOW THE HECK ARE THEY 4-1?!?!
• (3)Alabama travels to Oxford to take on Jevan Snead and (20)Ole Miss. This will be the biggest test to date for the Tide. A win by the Rebs would put them back on the SEC map that they abruptly disappeared from after losing to South Carolina. CBS has the coverage at 3:30pm.
• The game most of the nation will see on ABC at 3:30pm is (how the heck are they not ranked! They're a 5-0 Big Ten team for crying out loud!) Wisconsin vs (9) Ohio St. at the Horseshoe. I'm picking the Badgers in this game because Terrell Pryor just doesn't impress me as much as he impresses others. Also, did I mention that Wisconsin is unranked at 5-0?
• Sam Bradford will start for (19)Oklahoma when they welcome Baylor for their annual mismatch. My thoughts...Why rush him back for a game you have NO CHANCE of losing? ABC has the regional coverage at 3:30pm
• Uconn and Pitt are also ABC 3:30pm regional coverage. Whoever wins this one at Heinz Field gets to last another week before being exposed.
• If Stanford beats Oregon St. in Corvallis, they will definitely be ranked next week as a 5-1 team with no Pac-10 losses. However, if the Beavers protect their house, they will be right in the thick of a muddled Pac-10 leaderboard. Kickoff is at 7pm.
• (22)Georgia Tech plays Florida St. at the Doak, but only God knows which set of Seminoles will run through the tunnel. GT running back Jonathan Dwyer is probably hoping for the Seminoles that showed up for a near loss to FCS Jacksonville St. ESPN2 has the coverage at 8pm
  
• The Michigan Wolverines will occupy the pink visiting locker room at Kinnick Stadium tomorrow night when they battle the (12)Iowa Hawkeyes in ABC's 8pm primetime offering. I just think that this game has "Tate Forcier 4th quarter comeback" written all over it. Yes, I believe the force is strong in this freshman.
• CBS goes primetime (8pm) for a battle of SEC titans when (1)Florida visits (4)LSU under the lights in Baton Rouge. First off, lets be serious. EVERYONE KNOWS TIM TEBOW IS GOING TO PLAY IN THIS GAME. Stop lying to yourself to add drama to the situation. Clearly this is the Amateur Status game of the week. I think Florida wins it. 

It's a great week of football. Enjoy the games.

Oklahoma St. Wide Receiver Dez Bryant ruled ineligible by the NCAA

Joe Shad broke this story a few hours ago on ESPN.com

You can read the report for the details of the story, but I would like to focus on another aspect of this ordeal.

Anyone who works in the field of college sports will tell you that corruption runs rampant through nearly every sport (football and basketball especially). So why is it that the NCAA has decided to end Oklahoma St. wide out Dez Bryant's season over a lunch that he paid for himself and a light jog? The answer has two parts. First, the lunch and the jog were with future NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders and secondly...Dez Bryant lied about it.

There is nothing illegal about the initial detail, but it can make the NCAA suspicious. The relationship between pro athletes and college amateurs is volatile because often the mediators of such encounters are agents. At this time, it is believed that Bryant did not break NCAA rules by meeting with Sanders. Still. it is the latter portion of the answer that carries the explanation for his penalty. Despite doing nothing wrong, Bryant lied about meeting with Sanders altogether, leaving him at the mercy of the traditionally merciless NCAA. Now he faces a long wait before playing another football game, and his 3-1 Oklahoma St. team may lose the chance to ever see him suit up in orange and white again.

While it was totally unnecessary for him to lie about his completely legal relationship with Sanders. I totally understand why he did. The NCAA has always been a big time whistle blower on small time issues. They are much quicker to stumble upon a post lunch jog than they are to catch a basketball player who didnt take his SAT (Well, I'm sure Derrick Rose and Robert Dozier think the NCAA has great timing). The fact is that Bryant lied to the NCAA because he did not trust the system that he works under as an amateur athlete. He viewed his actions as a precaution and not a violation. I am very concerned about the fact that athletes feel this way about the establishment that has been commissioned to protect them. The disturbing issue in this story has nothing to do with Dez Bryant, Oklahoma State, or Deion Sanders. The players have lost their faith in the NCAA...and the treatment of Dez Bryant has further fractured that relationship.

Here's a small dose of what Dez Bryant is capable of on the football field...

Amateur Status Mid-Major Top 10

I LOVE MID MAJORS!
I support them everytime they play a BCS Conference team unless it be Michigan or Michigan St. (I was not thrilled by the big time upsets that have been turned in recent years by the likes of App State, Toledo, and most recently Central Michigan...). There is very good football being played in conferences outside the BCS, and people need to be aware of it. With that being said, enter the ASMM Top 10.

1. Boise St. Broncos (5-0)
2. TCU Horned Frogs (4-0)
3. Houston Cougars (3-1)
4. BYU Cougars (4-1)
5. Utah Utes (3-1)
6. Idaho Vandals (4-1)
7. Central Michigan (4-1)
8. Tulsa Golden Hurricanes (4-1)
9. Colorado State Rams (3-2)
10. Fresno State Bulldogs (1-3)

That's not a mistake. Fresno St. is in fact 1-3, but they have lost three close games to teams that rank in my top 15 (two of those teams, Boise State and Cincinnati are in my top 5).

The Amateur Status Top 25 (Week 5)

The Top 25 poll at Amateur Status works a little different than most. I actually have this crazy idea of basing my rankings off of the results of actual football games! This means that a team such as Houston probably would not be ranked behind Oklahoma St. the week after beating them on their home field in my poll. The same can not be said for the AP Poll or the Coaches Poll...and don't even get me started on the BCS. Anyways, here's the poll...

1. Florida Gators (5-0)
2. Alabama Crimson Tide (5-0)
3. Texas Longhorns (5-0)
4. Boise St. Broncos (5-0)
5. Cincinnati Bearcats (5-0)
6. LSU Tigers (5-0)
7. TCU Horned Frogs (4-0)
8. Auburn Tigers (5-0)
9. USC Trojans (4-1)
10. Iowa Hawkeyes (5-0)
11. Virginia Tech Hokies (4-1) 
12. Miami Hurricanes (3-1)
13. Oregon Ducks (4-1)
14. Wisconsin Badgers (5-0)
15. Ohio St. Buckeyes (4-1)  
16. Kansas Jayhawks (5-0)
17. Penn St. Nittany Lions (4-1)
18. Oklahoma St. Cowboys (3-1)
19. USF Bulls (5-0)
20. Missouri Tigers (4-0)
21. South Carolina Gamecocks (4-1)
22. Stanford Cardinal (4-1)
23. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (4-1)
24. Boston College Golden Eagles (4-1)
25. Michigan Wolverines (4-1)

Doesn't this one look better?

The Beginning

Welcome to the blog. I won't waste much time with an introduction. The content will speak for itself.

(24)Missouri hosts (21)Nebraska tonight in Columbia to kick off Week 6 in college football (technically, the week started on Tuesday when Troy knocked off Middle Tennessee St. 31-7...but who really cares about Sun Belt football?). So the "Amateur Status Top 25" and the "Weekly Mid Major Poll" will debut shortly. Also, be on the look out for college basketball preview posts that will appear throughout the month of October as we gear up for college hoops season.