2009 NCAA Football — Don’t Overlook These Quarterbacks

At a recent Pigskin Preview luncheon in San Antonio, ESPN College Football Analyst Todd Blackledge warmed up the audience with an analogy passed on to him by one of his former Penn State teammates. He said “quarterbacks are like tea bags…put him in hot water to see how strong he really is”.

Don’t forget about Zac Robinson. He won’t let you.—–

Quarterback is perhaps the most prominent position in today’s football game. Focus on the spread offense has resulted in a reduced number of carries for running backs placing the outcome of games squarely in the hands of the field general. Perhaps that is why more and more often, the frontrunner Heisman candidates are QBs.

This year we see three familiar faces leading the Heisman race: Colt McCoy, Tim Tebow and Sam Bradford. They’re certainly deserving of the attention. Unfortunately a handful of great players will be overshadowed by their amplitude.

Zack Robinson, Oklahoma State. The 6-3, 218-pound QB showed made his statement as a dual threat. He complied 3,064 passing yards and 562 yards on the ground. With the exception of the game against Texas Tech in 2008, Robinson scored through the air or on the ground at least once per game. And speaking of hot water, the Cowboys will open its season against one of its formidable opponents of the season at home against Georgia.

Williams will keep opponents on their heels.—–

Juice Williams, Illinois. In 2008, Juice amassed 3,173 yards through the air and 719 more on the ground. That’s more passing yards and rushing yards than Tim Tebow and Colt McCoy respectively. He also threw for 22 TDs, which could conceivably get a boost with WR Arrelious Benn at his side (see 7-to-9.com). Hopefully the team can put the 5-7 2008 season behind them.

Jevan Snead, Ole Miss. Is it ridiculous to assume Jevan will compete with Colt McCoy once again? This time it’s for the Heisman. The native Texan, and former Longhorn, got better with age throughout the 2008 season. After his Rebels knocked off the Florida Gators, they had two disappointing loses. Ole Miss proceeded to win its last five games as well as a Cotton Bowl victory against Texas Tech. In those final six games, Snead threw for 16 TDs and only 3 picks. Now that he’s finally settled in Oxford, perhaps he can carry that momentum into this season.

The Rest. After the three QBs listed above, there are several others worth watching. Terrelle Pryor of Ohio State didn’t have extraordinary stats in 2008. But he did lead the Big Ten in passing efficiency. Penn State QB Daryll Clark will be another Big Ten standout. He kept picks in the single digits and passed for over 2,500 yards. Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett has the potential to flourish under Bobby Petrino’s offense. Robert Griffin at Baylor boasts a wealth of athleticism. A tough conference schedule will likely keep him out of top player consideration, but he’ll be exciting to watch. There are others that have definitely garnered some attention, but these preseason favorites shouldn’t disappoint.

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Final AP Poll Leaves Utah Hangin’

While it appeared that Utah was the compassion play for the AP poll going into last night’s BCS National Championship game, they will have to settle for #2.

After a rather sloppy title game, I was even more convinced that an undefeated Utah would receive more momentum to climb to #1 in the AP poll. I should have known better… Utah was precluded from any chance in hell of being crowned the champion since the beginning — thanks, Bowls Contrived in September.

Some sports writers agree with me.

James Lang/US Presswire—-

USC ruined its chances early by losing to Oregon State as did Texas by losing in the final seconds to Texas Tech. Too many ‘what ifs’ and question marks. Each of the top 4 AP poll teams — Florida, Utah, USC and Texas — has an argument for the #1 spot. But how can you deny an undefeated Utah that beat top tier teams the top?

Florida, of course, finished #1 in the AP poll after edging out the Sooners last night. But the contest was tied early in the 4th quarter, 14-14. Florida bounced back late in Tim Tebow fashion (with help from Percy Harvin, of course). He turned a prosaic contest into a poetic display…putting his team and the crowd on his back and wielded it like a true Heisman-deserving college football player would. He took the ball under his wing a couple of times and he didn’t hesitate to lay the hammer down on Sooner defenders. Regardless, the game as a whole was blah. Can you settle for a champion that resulted from such an odd contest of two ‘powerhouses’?

I guess we’ll have to.

BCS National Championship Game in 3D
It appears that some viewers have already posted their thoughts of the game on AVS Forum. Despite some minor technical difficulties, there was a resounding “WOW” amongst the crowd. There were those that thought that 3D sports broadcast technology is not ready for prime time.

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Hey, BCS. Thanks For Nothing.

The BCS has been busted again. So what now?

The Million Dollar Band may have shown the Utes Marching Band how it’s done, but the Utah football team has induced vertigo causing more BCS turmoil. After spanking the Crimson Tide 31-17, the Utes improve to 13-0 on the season.

Should they be #1?

Why not? They played like the #1 team suffocating Alabama’s offense with eight sacks, three turnovers, and held the Tide to just 36 rushing yards (they averaged over 196 per game this season). And Utah executed impeccably on offense — including some risky 3rd and long trickery to keep a drive alive late in the game — thanks to the leadership of the unsexy Heisman shoulda been, Brian Johnson.

The unfortunate part is that they won’t be voted #1 in the final BCS poll. Of course, that’ll be Florida or Oklahoma. Perhaps Utah will earn the ultimate respect from the AP…right?

Probably not. Of the 4 non-BCS teams that have gone undefeated through bowl games (Utah did it twice, Boise State in 2006, Marshall in 1999 and Tulane in 1998), Utah achieved the highest AP poll rank after their win over #20 Pitt in 2004. Even though the Sooners were throttled by USC 55-19 in the Orange Bowl, they still finished above the [undefeated] #4 Utah Utes.

What they’ve done is seal their spot as the #2 team in the nation.

What about Texas? Given the poor play of the Big Ten in the bowl games (currently 1-5 in bowl games), we’ll assume the ‘Horns pull it out…handily. Why shouldn’t they be #2?

While I absolutely despise the USC Trojans, they certainly deserve a voice for the #2 spot after putting Nittany Lions to sleep for the season in the Rose Bowl.

Whatever happens on January 8th, I can’t possibly be satisfied. The BCS was nothing but a contrived championship format that rewarded the current darlings. Wait. Or was that the Heisman? Nevermind. Regardless, the BCS (Bowls Contrived in September) blew it again…it’s incredible, it’s sickening, it’s time for change.

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The BCS Hath Spoken…

Does Texas deserve a piece?

…but will the Longhorns have the last word?

There’s no doubt that the matchup selected by the BCS will be an interesting one. Oklahoma and Florida have been laying waste to its opponents over the last few weeks. The anticipation is similar to that of a Kimbo Slice match and may not be decided until the last seconds wind down. The last such bout should be fresh in our minds when USC and Texas met in 2005.

So, Texas beat OU. Yeah. We know.

Regardless of this redundant claim, the result (45-35) plays into the equation going into the bowl season. Regardless of who the BCS National Championship Game winner may be, perhaps the AP voters would view a Texas beating of Ohio State as deserving of a #1 spot.

The last time this happened was in 2003 when USC and LSU shared the national champion spotlight. USC finished #1 in both the AP and Coaches’ Polls, but the computers punished USC for having the weakest schedule giving LSU and Oklahoma a shot at the BCS title. Despite LSU’s defeat of OU in the Sugar Bowl, the AP poll stood firm in its decision to crown USC its National Champion.

The difference this year is that Texas is ranked third in the human polls going into the Fiesta Bowl. Both place the Longhorns in the #3 slot. However, the computer polls give Texas a .1500 margin over Florida. The result is a tiny .018 margin in the BCS poll between the Gators and the ‘Horns.

1. Oklahoma, 0.976
2. Florida, 0.948
3. Texas, 0.930
4. Alabama, 0.844
5. USC, 0.821
6. Utah, 0.785

USC and Utah will have to settle.

PLAYOFFS? Regardless of all the arguments that exist for or against a playoff system, the most salient factor has to be which teams are chosen. Maybe the BCS is good for one thing after all. Is it fair to select the 8 teams with the BCS poll? What about conference champs? Although some teams may be left out, those teams that feel they should vie for the title will have their day.

No matter what system is chosen, there will be some degree of unfairness. So, once President Obama figures out how to repair our economy, next on the agenda should be the college playoff proposal. I’m all ears.

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BCS Standings: OU Leapfrogs Texas

The integrity of the BCS has once again sparked a wildfire of incendiary debates. If any year calls for change, it has been 2008. I don’t even think Danica McKellar (or Winnie Cooper if you prefer) can decipher the logic math behind BCS computer rankings.

In the final regular season BCS poll, Oklahoma has jumped Texas for a spot in the Big 12 Championship game against Big 12 South’s Missouri. Looks like their 45-35 campaign was fruitless.

1. Alabama, .9713
2. Oklahoma, 9351
3. Texas, .9223
4. Florida, .8851
5. USC, .8076
6. Utah, .7844
7. Texas Tech, .7805
8. Penn State, .7373
9. Boise State, .7034
10. Ohio State, .6340

So what does this mean going forward? Why bother to offer a prognostication? Now parity truly comes into play. If Florida manages to beat ‘Bama, will they leapfrog Texas despite the sizeable BCS average margin the ‘Horns hold over the Gators? Or will Texas get their chance to prove themselves against the Sooners once more?

Personally, I’d love to see an all-Big 12 BCS title game. But an SEC/Big 12 matchup would be nice too…a chance to establish once and for all — which conference is the best conference?

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Big 12 BCS Barn Burner

Gosh, I love alliteration.

With the final weeks of college football upon us, excessive dissection and misguided predictions have troubled many fans. I blame it on the pick ‘em. I’m running through my picks last night with one of my friends. Since I’ve racked up a 65%+ success rate the last 5 or 6 weeks against the spread, all of a sudden I’m the guru. (Excuse me a sec…I’m gonna finish eating my piece of humble pie).

As I explained each of my picks for this weekend (where in the hell did Georgia Tech come from, BTW), the gerbils in my head started running at alarming speeds.

Could there be an all-Big 12 BCS Championship Game?

Yeah. I was sure of it. Let’s assume OU ruins Texas Tech’s spotless season…or they don’t…whatever. If the Big 12 Champion is OU, Texas, or Tech with a 12-1 record (OU still has to play Oklahoma State) and Florida loses to FSU but beats Alabama, the National Championship game could be all Big 12, right? Lest we forget LSU made it in last year with 2 losses. So, who’s to say the computers won’t like Florida enough to leapfrog one of these Big 12 teams for a shot at the title?

I’ve been arguing with my friends about the possibility of an all-Big 12 BCS Championship game. Forget it’s improbability. I’m just asking “is it possible”. Sure. But the explanation above wasn’t good enough for them especially with the two-loss Florida caveat. So this guru decided to consult the real BCS guru: Chris Dufresne of the Los Angeles Times.

I won’t take the time to qualify the guy. I mean [1] he writes for the L.A. Times, [2] trust me, or [3] read this BCS article. I shot Chris a quick email to get his take. His scenario is this:

A three-way tie at 11-1 in the Big 12 South — which means OU beating Texas Tech and then all three teams winning their last games — could do it. Let’s say OU goes to the Big 12 title game versus Mizzou based on highest BCS ranking. Now you have Texas and Texas Tech each at 11-1 waiting in the wings. Missouri with two losses beats Oklahoma in Big 12 game.

Meanwhile in the SEC, Florida loses to FSU next week but beats Alabama in SEC title game. Now, the likely title game is Texas vs. Texas Tech…second and third in Big 12 South.

Chris also added that “the big thing is that since the BCS just altered its own rule that prohibits three teams from one conference playing in the BCS, in my scenario Missouri, Texas, and Texas Tech can all be in BCS games. Mizzou would go to the Fiesta Bowl as auto qualifier.”

Wow. I think my gerbils are dead…resting maybe. Seriously, though…that is a much better explanation. We’ll find out if any of this analysis is worth anything starting tomorrow. Parity is a bitch.

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