Summer, Summer, Summer Time! AmStat IS BACK (for good this time)

The school year is winding down. The NCAA's two main spring sports Lacrosse and Baseball/Softball are heading towards the home stretch, and the summer is finally looming. Though things on campus may be winding down. Amateur Status College Sports will finally be heating back up. Hopefully you didn't miss the blog too much. A series of issues caused another sabbatical, but AmStat is definitely back for good this time.


Here's what AmStat will be covering this summer...

THE NBA DRAFT
Mock drafts, player rankings, and all the inside information you need to know who's going where in the NBA draft.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREVIEWS
AmStat originated from a college football preview. This is what gave the blog its start. There isn't a blog online that covers college football closer than AmStat.

AAU BASKETBALL
The summer circuit has replaced high school hoops as the place to get noticed by college basketball's elite. AmStat will make sure you know everything that is going on at the biggest AAU events in the country.

RECRUITING NEWS
If a difference making prospect signs a letter of intent, you will know about it. That's an AmStat promise.

THE NBA SUMMER LEAGUE
The college basketball stars of yesterday make their final auditions at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. AmStat will make sure you  know which college star is making the case to steal a roster spot.

**** Also, watch out for AmStat's new look...we'll be making some cosmetic changes to the site at some point during the Summer.

College Basketball Top 25

The last time a college basketball Top 25 was posted, it was of the pre-season variety. Now some teams are as much as 20 games into their season already. This Top 25 will be based more on the results and not the names on the front and back of jerseys.

(Full Disclosure: I think college basketball polls are the most meaningless things in sports. There is a 64-team tournament that decides who the number one team in college hoops will be. Therefore, I don't care who USA Today thinks is the number one team in the country.)

1. Kentucky Wildcats
2. Kansas Jayhawks
3. Texas Longhorns
4. Syracuse Orange
5. Villanova Wildcats
6. Kansas State Wildcats
7. Pittsburgh Panthers
8. Tennessee Volunteers
9. Duke Blue Devils
10. Michigan State Spartans
11. Baylor Bears
12. West Virginia Mountaineers
13. Georgetown Hoyas
14. Purdue Boilermakers
15. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
16. BYU Cougars
17. Northern Iowa Panthers
18. Gonzaga Bulldogs
19. Temple Owls
20. Clemson Tigers
21. Vanderbilt Commodores22. Marshall Thundering Herd
23. UAB Blazers
24. Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
25. Rhode Island Rams

K-State Proves to Be the Real Deal Against #1 Texas

It's that time of year in college basketball when the cream is supposed to rise. However, sometimes as college basketball fans we are surprised by what we find at the top. This year's best example is the Kansas State Wildcats. Frank Martin's team has looked like a misprint in the top15 for the last month, but after last night's eye opening win against top ranked Texas, the question about K-State has changed from "How long can they last?" to "How far can they go?"

The Cats are led by guards Jacob Pullen and Denny Clemente, a duo that has teamed with Uconn transfer Curtis Kelly to form a core that is capable of beating any team in the country.

Yet, until last night, the average college basketball fan would struggle to name a single player from K-State's roster. That's because the Wildcats have been the surprise of the college basketball season. All of their early wins against solid mid-majors (Dayton, Xavier, #17 UNLV) and middling power conference teams (Washington State, Alabama, and Texas A&M) culminated last night to give them the biggest win this season short of Tennessee beating top ranked Kansas with half a team and three walk-ons.

So how good is K-State?

They are definitely a Top 10 team right now, and may be one for years to come. Despite losing Clemente after this season, the team will return three double digit scorers for next year (Pullen, Kelly, and forward Jamar Samuels) and already have two of the country's most talented freshmen in forward Wally Judge and Rodney McGruder. Highly touted prospect Shane Southwell (Rice HS/Bronx, NY) has already signed on for next year as well.

Looking ahead, the Wildcats have tough road games against Baylor and Oklahoma, a second meeting with a Missouri team that beat them last week, and two monumental meetings with in-state rival Kansas. Winning three of those five games along with managing the rest of their Big 12 schedule could see the Wildcats looking at one of the Top 16 overall seeds come Selection Sunday.

The Cats take the floor next this Saturday at home against Oklahoma State.  

     

Are You Into New York High School Sports?

Amateur Status isn't the only place to find me (Christopher Godfrey) on the web. Search "Christopher Godfrey" at newyorkpost.com to read my stories about New York City high school sports. 

Even if you're not from New York City or the surrounding area, keeping up with the area's high school athletics is worth the time it takes to click. The tri-state area of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut is a hotbed for young talent in all sports. One of the players being covered by The Post today could easily end up at a school near you tomorrow.

The Return...

It has been two long months since I've updated the blog. Personal issues, family emergencies, final exams, and a hectic work schedule all contributed to the layoff. But now im back, and so is Amateur Status College Sports, just in time for the 15 to 20 game sprint towards the NCAA Tournament in March. During the next three months you will be reading plenty about college basketball, high school recruiting and the NFL Draft. This will all lead up to extensive coverage of both March Madness and the NFL Draft in April. I hope your on board for one of the year's most exciting periods for college sports.

THIS IS AMATEUR STATUS COLLEGE SPORTS

10 Consecutive Hours of College Hoops Today!

Well, it ain't a 24 hour marathon, but ESPN is giving college hoops fans another full slate of games to further introduce the 2009-2010 season. Here's the lineup...

1pm - Puerto Rico Tip-Off
(19)Georgia Tech vs George Mason [ESPNU]
3pm - Puerto Rico Tip-Off 
(6)Villanova vs (21)Dayton [ESPNU]
5pm - 2K Sports Coaches vs Cancer Classic 
(12)California vs (15)Ohio State [ESPN2] 
7pm - 2K Sports Coaches vs Cancer Classic 
(4)North Carolina vs (24)Syracuse [ESPN2]
8:30pm - Puerto Rico Tip-Off 
Ole Miss vs Kansas State [ESPNU]

OK, so technically it is nine and a half hours of college hoops, but you get the point. ESPN has put together a great day of college hoops action that features seven ranked teams. The only game of the day that doesn't feature a ranked team is the finale between K-State and Ole Miss, but that game will feature one of the country's top freshman (K-State's Wally Judge) and one of the NBA's top sophomore prospects (Terico White from Ole Miss).

Top Prospect Will Be A Tar Heel

The rich will get richer in college basketball next year. The North Carolina Tar Heels recently received a commitment from Ames, Iowa product Harrison Barnes. Barnes, a 6'8 small forward, is near unanimously considered to be the top prep player in the country this year and holds the top spot in the ESPNU Top 100. He considered Duke, UCLA, Kansas, and Oklahoma before deciding that he would bleed Carolina blue. Barnes will join the currently talented North Carolina as a member of a 2010 recruiting class that also includes highly ranked guards Reggie Bullock and Kendall Marshall. Barnes' commitment means that the Heels now have pledges from three of the country's top 20 high schoolers.

Here's a look at the top prospect in action....

Heisman Watch (Week 11)

At this point, I'm only including two candidates on my Heisman watch. I refuse to include Tim Tebow and Colt McCoy for their name recognition, and I absolutely will not stand for Jimmy Clausen's fraudulent candidacy that has been based simply upon the fact that he is the starting quarterback for Notre Dame. There are really only two candidates for the award and only one candidate can actually win it. The Heisman race has been a runaway...by default

THE LIKELY WINNER 
Mark Ingram (So.) RB - Alabama
1297 Rushing Yards
10 Rushing Touchdowns
25 Receptions
225 Receiving Yards
3 Receiving Touchdowns

• Ingram hasn't done anything that warrants him being a runaway winner, but he has been the most consistent player on a team that is currently undefeated and controls their destiny in the national championship race. If Ingram can lead the Tide past Florida, there is no one who can take this award away from him. That would make the sophomore the best skill position player on the undefeated and nearly undisputed top ranked team in the country. It would also eliminate the idea of Tim Tebow receiving the award as a lifetime achievement award due to a lack of worthy candidates.
  

THE RUNNER-UP WHO SHOULD BE THE FRONT RUNNER
Case Keenum (Jr.) Quarterback - Houston
4194 Passing Yards
31 Passing Touchdowns (6 Interceptions)
103 Rushing Yards
3 Rushing Touchdowns
155.8 Passer Efficiency Rating
69.7% Completion Percentage

• Case Keenum has posted amazing stats against quality competition all year, and even in his team's two upset losses, Keenum has posted Heisman worthy efforts. Unfortunately for him, it is highly unlikely that a player will receive the Heisman with losses to UTEP and UCF stashed in his otherwise stellar portfolio. Keenum could have one more chance to impress on national TV if Houston can advance to the Conference USA Championship. However, that opportunity is not in Keenum's able hands. The SMU Mustangs lead the C-USA West Division by a game and must lose to either Marshall on the road (possible) or Tulane at home (very unlikely) to vault Case's Cougar's into the spotlight one more time. If Keenum can find his way into the C-USA championship game and give an unbelievable performance...something along the lines of 450 yards and 5 touchdowns (and this is very possible)...He may be able to make this a debate again.
  

Now Showing: College Hoops Marathon on the ESPN Family of Networks

College basketball season is now beginning to press down on the throttle. For the second straight year, ESPN will be broadcasting a 24-hour college hoops marathon that for the entire calender day of Tuesday. The hoop fest will be highlighted by a primetime double header. (2)Michigan State and Gonzaga will play at 7pm, followed by a rematch of the 2006 National Championship when (1)Kansas and Memphis take the court. Here's the rundown of what will take place over the next 24 hours.

• The marathon starts off in Westwood at 9pm PST when UCLA meets Cal State Fullerton. This game is being played as I write this.
  
• At 11pm PST, San Diego State tips off at St. Mary's. This game will feature Matt Dellavedova of St. Mary's. The freshman guard is the next big time Australian import in college basketball. Fans hope that will make the Gaels forget that Patty Mills should still be in a St. Mary's uniform. JUCO transfer Malcolm Thomas is also a big time newcomer that will suit up on the opposite end for the Aztecs.
  
• At 11pm Hawaiian Standard Time, the Rainbow Warriors of Hawaii will host Northern Colorado.
• In one of the days more interesting tip times, St. Peter's (NJ) will tip off against Monmouth at 6am EST in the first game that actually starts on Tuesday in the time zone that it is being played in.
• Drexel tips off against Niagara at 8am EST in what may be a sleeper pick to be the marathon's best games.
• At 10am EST, (23)Clemson will travel to Liberty and will breathe a sigh of relief when they realize that Seth Curry is no longer there. 
• The noon EST game will showcase top mid-major Siena against Northeastern. This will be a great opportunity to see one of the nation's best kept secrets play before march.
• Another NBA lottery prospect takes the court at 2pm. Don't miss the chance to watch dominating center Jerome Jordan suit up for Tulsa at home against UA-Little Rock.






• The marquee games begin at 4pm when Temple goes to (20)Georgetown in a game that will have tournament implications five months from now. Temple will breathe much easier on Selection Sunday with an early win over the Hoyas in their back pocket.
• After over 15 hours of hoops on ESPN, ESPN2 gets into the action when Pittsburgh hosts a depleted Binghamton squad in the College Basketball Experience.
• At 6pm, the Pre-Season NIT kicks off on ESPN from Cameron Indoor Stadium.
• At 6pm CST, ESPNU shows the ladies some love when the Lady Vols of (8)Tennessee go on the road to play the Lady Raiders from Texas Tech.
• At 7:30pm EST, (22)Louisville host Arkansas and their hired gun Rotnei Clarke on ESPN2. If you haven't switched to college basketball mode yet, you already missed Clark's 51 point outburst that included 13 three pointers in the opening game of the season.

• The action gets serious at 8pm on ESPN when (2)Michigan State faces an early test against Gonzaga and their highly touted German import Elias Harris.
• Another Big Ten team takes the floor at the same time one time zone over at 7pm CST as Illinois host in-state opponent Northern Illinois on ESPN360.com 
• Duquesne, a very solid program out of the Atlantic 10, will try to knock off a down Iowa team in Ames. That game tips off at 8pm CST on ESPNU
• More ladies action, this time on ESPN2, when (1)Uconn squares off against (14)Texas at 8:30pm CST on ESPN2.
• In the marathon's headlining matchup, Memphis plays (1)Kansas on a nuetral floor in St. Louis as a part of the Hall of Fame Showcase. This will be a good litmus test for the Memphis program under new coach Josh Pastner. 
• The Marathon will close with a 8:30pm MST Pre-Season NIT matchup that will be played on the campus of Arizona State.

If you think this marathon won't include any quality basketball, UCLA and Cal State Fullerton are playing double overtime at Pauley Pavilion as we speak.

College Football Walkthrough (Week 11)

I haven't done this in a while, but I'm sure you haven't forget how it goes...so let's walk it out.

• (25)West Virginia will try to knock off (5)Cincinnati as a road underdog tonight at 8pm on ESPN. The Big East continues to provide football fans with primetime weeknight matchups that have BCS implications. Bearcat backup quarterback Zach Collaros will start again for Cincinnati and Mountaineer running back Noel Devine will suit up for West Virginia. If the Mounties win this game, they will control their BCS destiny 12 weeks in to the season. No one is talking about them as a BCS team, but Noel Devine could lead them there with wins over both Cincinnati and Pittsburgh.
• Watch Michigan continue to free fall under Rich Rodriguez at noon on the Big Ten Network. The (20)Wisconsin Badgers get their turn to beat on the Wolverines this week. Coach Rodriguez needs to finagle a win out of a ending two game slate that includes Wisky and Ohio State if he intends to send the Wolverines bowling this year. I suggest that he better pull out all the stops to beat the Badgers.
• Tennessee and Mississippi meet in Oxford at noon on CBS. This game becomes more intriguing with the news that 3 Volunteer football players were arrested on charges of armed robbery last this week.
• Florida State travels to Wake Forest as both teams try to bounce back from devastating losses. ESPNU has the coverage at noon.
• THE DUKE BLUE DEVILS ARE IN THE HUNT FOR THE ACC TITLE IN WEEK ELEVEN! Duke can tie the (7)Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the conference loss column if they can beat them at home in Durham on ESPN2. Kickoff is at noon.
  
• The Ol' Ball Coach gets his old team in his new backyard with the chance to throw a monkey wrench into the national title race. The South Carolina Gamecocks host the (1)Florida Gators at 3:30 on CBS.    
• The Potato Bowl between 7-3 Idaho and undefeated (6)Boise State has lost some of its luster since the Idaho Vandals have recently lost two games (to Fresno State and Nevada) and their starting quarterback (Nate Enderle), but it is still the biggest game in the history of the rivalry and it is a shame that no one could pick up this game for national television coverage. The Vandals and Broncos kickoff on the blue turf at 3:30pm. 
• Stanford plays at (9)USC fresh off of dismantling the Oregon team that dominated the Trojans. The Cardinal have an outside shot at the Rose Bowl in the same way that bruising running back Toby Gerhart has an outside chance at the Heisman. USC also has BCS aspirations to keep alive if they can win out. FSN has the coverage at 3:30pm.
• (10)Iowa will try to salvage their season at the Horseshoe against the (11)Ohio State Buckeyes as a part of ABC's 3:30pm regional coverage. The Hawkeyes will start Iowa high school football legend James Vandenberg in the stead of the injured Ricky Stanzi.
• Fresno State and Nevada clash in Reno for the right to be Boise State's second banana in the WAC. You can watch this one at 4pm on ESPN360.com.  
• (2)Alabama has a tricky game against Mississippi State in Starkville. Bulldogs coach Dan Mullen gets every ounce out of every one of his players. The Dogs could surpise people and keep this game close. Kickoff is at 7pm on ESPN.
• The (17)Arizona Wildcats go to Strawberry Canyon to play Cal.If the Cats continue to win they will find themselves in the Rose Bowl. This game isn't nationally televised, but the opening kick is at 7pm.
• Auburn and Georgia meet between the hedges as the Dawgs try to save their season and the Tigers look to build on their impressive run under first year coach Gene Chizik. ESPN2 has the coverage at 7pm.
• The Versus Network made a great decision when they decided to start broadcasting Mountain West football. They'll be televising the Amateur Status Game of the Week this week when (4)TCU and (16)Utah meet with the conference title hanging in the balance. ESPN's College Gameday will be live from Fort Worth for the occasion. Kickoff is at 7:30pm. 
• Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis will have a chance to make Irish fans quickly forget about his second loss in three years to Navy. If the Golden Domers can knock off (12)Pittsburgh under the bright lights of Heinz Field, Weis may ensure himself another season under the helm in South Bend. Pittsburgh also looks to break into the top ten and stay hot as they get closer to their showdown with undefeated Cincinnati. This 8pm kickoff is a part of ABC's primetime regional coverage.
• (19)Oklahoma State tries to continue towards a possible Cotton Bowl birth when they welcome Mike Leach and his Red Raiders to Stillwater. If you're a betting man, take the over in this one because the scoreboard will change frequently. This is the other half of ABC's primetime regional coverage at 8pm

There are plenty of good games this week, and most importantly, some of the murky conference races will become a little clearer after the day's action. A win by Duke against Georgia Tech however, would throw the ACC into a tailspin. 

Women's College Basketball Pre-Season All-Americans

These are the All-Americans on the women's side...a certain freshman may see her name written twice.

Women's College Basketball All-Americans
C - Brittney Griner (Baylor)
F - Jayne Appel (Stanford)
F - Maya Moore (Connecticut)
G - Monica Wright (Virginia)
C - Tina Charles (Connecticut)
F - Alysha Clark (Middle Tennessee State)
F - Elena Delle Donne (Delaware)
C - Jantel Lavender (Ohio State) 
G - Andrea Riley (Oklahoma State)
G - Courtney Vandersloot (Gonzaga)

F - Deirdre Naughton (DePaul)
G - Danielle Robinson (Oklahoma)
------------------------------------------------------------

Women's College Basketball Freshman All-Americans 
C - Britney Griner (Baylor)
G - China Crosby (Virginia)
G - Skyler Diggins (Notre Dame)
F - Elena Della Donne (Delaware)
C - Kelsey Bone (South Carolina)
F - Destiny Williams (Illinois)
G - Tierra Ruffin-Pratt (North Carolina)
F - Tierra Rogers (California)
C - Monique Oliver (Rutgers)
C - Joslyn Tinkle (Stanford)
F - Markel Walker (UCLA)
C - Cokie Reed (Texas)

Amateur Status Women's College Basketball Pre-Season Top 25

Amateur Status hasn't shown to much love to the women's game so far, but with the ladies tipping off this week along with the men, it's time to let you know who will be the teams to beat in women's college basketball. Here is the Amateur Status Women's College Basketball Pre-Season Top 25. 

1. Connecticut Huskies
2. Baylor Bears
3. Stanford Cardinal
4. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
5. Ohio State Buckeyes 
6. North Carolina Tar Heels 
7. Duke Blue Devils
8. Tennessee Volunteers
9. Michigan State Spartans
10. Virginia Cavaliers
11. Oklahoma Sooners
12. Texas Longhorns
13. Arizona State Sun Devils 
14. Florida State Seminoles
15. California Bears
16. LSU Tigers
17. Louisville Cardinals 
18. Pittsburgh Panthers
19. DePaul Blue Demons
20. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
21. Xavier Musketeers 
22. Kansas Jayhawks
23. Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders
24. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
25. Maryland Terrapins


After ranking the top eight teams, this ended up being one of the hardest polls I've ever done. After the elite teams, there is a lot of parity in the women's game.

See Which College Basketball Team is Sporting New Threads This Season

College basketball season started today with a full slate of televised games, but until your favorite team takes the court, check out this interesting story from ESPN's Paul Lukas about all of this season's new uniforms and updated court designs. Lukas is the man behind the UniWatch website and blog. He is the czar of everything jersey related in sports.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=lukas/091109&sportCat=ncb

Heisman Watch (Week 10)

Here are the four players (in no particular order) I've deemed to be Heisman worthy so far this season....the list may surprise you.

 
Jordan Shipley (Sr.) Wide Receiver - Texas
64 Receptions
777 Receiving Yards
5 Receiving Touchdowns
2 Punt Returns for Touchdowns





 




Mark Ingram (So.) Running Back - Alabama
1004 Rushing Yards
19 Receptions
186 Receiving Yards
8 Rushing Touchdowns
3 Receiving Touchdowns

 
Golden Tate (Jr.) Wide Receiver - Notre Dame 
56 Receptions
927 Receiving Yards
9 Receiving Touchdowns
155 Rushing Yards
2 Rushing Touchdowns







Kellen Moore (So.) Quarterback - Boise State 
2259 Passing Yards
27 Passing Touchdowns 
3 Interceptions
169.35 Passing Efficiency Rating

Amateur Status College Basketball Mid-Major Preview

Mid-Major basketball is special. Teams fight not just to score more points than their opponent, but also for the respect of the nation. For most of the players at these schools, college basketball isn't a one year stop between high school and the NBA. It is their pinnacle, the highlight of their athletic careers, and they play like it every night. On occasion, some of these schools rise to national prominence, but the elite status of mid-majors is fleeting. The Loyola Marymount Lions, led by Bo Kimble and Hank Gathers, was briefly a national power. After Gathers' tragic death, his LMU Lions went on to the Elite Eight without him. With Gathers and his 29 point per game average, they may have won the national championship. Since Kimble led Loyola Marymount on their inspirational run, other teams have received high rankings, high seeds, and have advance deep into the tournament, but only UNLV in 1990 has won a national title. In the past decade, Gonzaga and Kent State have reached the Elite Eight, George Mason reached the Final Four, and Memphis reached the national championship. Excluding Gonzaga, none of those aforementioned teams were in the 2009 tournament field. The Memphis Tigers have carried the Mid-Major banner as the best non power conference program over the past few years, but the departure of coach John Calipari has the Tigers searching for a way to stay on top in their own conference. Davidson lost the best player in the history of their conference, Stephen Curry, to the NBA draft. The Wildcats will also struggle to win their conference after running through the SoCon for the past three years with Curry in the backcourt. The Mid-Major team to beat in 2009-2010 is Butler. They are ranked in nearly everyone's top 15 this year and they have the talent to make a deep run in this year's tournament. 

Here are the top 25 Mid-Major teams in the country this year along with some standout players to watch outside of the six power conferences.    


Pre-Season Mid-Major Top 25 

1. Butler Bulldogs
2. Siena Saints
3. Tulsa Golden Hurricanes
4. Memphis Tigers
5. Dayton Flyers
6. Xavier Musketeers
7. Gonzaga Bulldogs
8. BYU Cougars
9. Northern Iowa Panthers
10. San Diego State Aztecs
11. UNLV Rebels
12. Creighton Blue Jays
13. Niagara Purple Eagles
14. Utah State Aggies
15. VCU Rams
16. Cornell Big Red

17. Old Dominion Monarchs 
18. Oakland Grizzlies 
19. Southern Illinois Salukis
20. Portland Pilots
21. Richmond Spiders
22. UTEP Miners
23. Illinois State Redbirds
24. Akron Zips
25. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers


The Best Players in Mid-Major Basketball
F - Matt Howard (Butler)
F - Gordon Heyward (Butler)
G - Shelvin Mack (Butler)
F - Edwin Ubiles (Siena)
C - Jerome Jordan (Tulsa)
G - Doneal Mack (Memphis)
F - Chris Wright (Dayton)
G - Matt Bouldin (Gonzaga)
G - Jonathan Tavernari (BYU)
G - P'Allen Stinnett (Creighton)
F - Larry Sanders (VCU)
G - Ryan Wittman (Cornell)
G - Derrick Nelson (Oakland)
F - Arnett Moultrie (UTEP)
G - Osiris Eldridge (Illinois State)
G - AJ Slaughter (Western Kentucky)
F - Luke Babbitt (Nevada)
G-F Marquis Blakely (Vermont)
G - DJ Rivera (Binghamton)
G - Aubrey Coleman (Houston)
G - James Florence (Mercer)
G - Aaron Jackson (Duquesne)
G - Ryan Thomson (Rider)
G - David Kool (Western Michigan)


The Best Players Transferring into Mid-Majors this Year

G - Elliot Williams (Memphis from Duke)
G - Jordan Crawford (Xavier from Indiana)
G - Derrick Jasper (UNLV from Kentucky)
G - Chace Stanback (UNLV from UCLA)
G - Larry Wright (Oakland from St. John's)
F - Shamari Spears (Charlotte from Boston College)
F - Derrick Caracter (UTEP from Louisville) 
G - Armon Bassett (Ohio from Indiana/UAB)
G - Tony Freeman (Southern Illinois from Iowa)
F - Drew Viney (Loyola Marymount from Oregon)


Mid-Major basketball is always full of surprises. There is really no way to tell who will emerge, but the players and teams listed in this preview are guaranteed to impress barring injury. Also, watch out for Derrick Caracter at UTEP and Armon Bassett at Ohio. Both of those kids are former problem cases that are looking to take advantage of their second chances in the NCAA.

 



   

Division II LeMoyne College Upsets (25)Syracuse in a Pre-Season Matchup!

Take a look at this...



LeMoyne College is a small Jesuit school that has an enrollment of just over 2700. No matter what the Dolphins do this season, nothing will compare to them walking out of the Carrier Dome with a win. Surprisingly, this isn't the first time something like this has happened in college exhibition games. Two years ago, a ranked Michigan State squad loss to Division II Grand Valley State in a pre-season tilt. That game went to double overtime.  

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.