Campus Confidential

By Adam Abramson

Rome wasn’t built in a day.

The firing/hiring of coaches perplexes me the majority of the time. I don’t understand how colleges don’t exercise patience — the hunger for big boy money is so strong that coaches are held to extreme standards.

It seems that someone installed a turbo and nitrous oxide to the motor of this year’s coaching carousel. Some have been good firings, some have been bad.

Bad Firings

Mike Shula and Alabama

If Alabama were a horse, it would have been put down on the track in 2003. The school had no legs after NCAA sanctions, Dennis Franchione bolting to Texas A&M and Mike Price spending school money on strippers. In comes Shula, a Tide quarterback in the 1980s, to head his first football program in his young career.

So Shula had to bury the skeletons in the closet, recruit players that would work in a system he builds and win ball games. Well, that wasn’t easy at first, going 4-9 his first year and 6-6 the following (he did lose his QB and RB to injury). But last season he went 10-2 and everyone was happy.

But this year was such a tragedy…6-6. LOOK AT THE FRIGGIN LOSSES, WITHOUT YOUR AMAZING QUARTERBACK FROM LAST YEAR:

24-23 at No. 9* Arkansas: A one-point, overtime loss to a team playing for the SEC championship on Saturday. And it was a missed extra point…not exactly coaching.

28-13 at No. 4 Florida: Just seven days later, they went to The Swamp and the Gators needed THREE second-half touchdowns to pull away in this one. Oh, Florida has an outside shot at playing for the National Title, almost forgot that one.

16-13 at No. 17 Tennessee: Tennessee needed 10 points in the fourth quarter to edge out the Tide in this one.

24-16 vs. Mississippi State: Okay, this loss was bad. My argument couldn’t be perfect.

28-14 at No. 5 LSU: Against the second-toughest defense in the country, Bama put up 369 yards (more than 130 yards higher than the average opponent). LSU will be in a BCS bowl game and is home to one of the toughest environments in college football.

22-15 vs. No. 11 Auburn: I understand the frustration. Shula didn’t beat Auburn once. And these two hate each other. I also know Shula chased points that game (my least-favorite thing a coach can do). But, like I said, Rome wasn’t built in a day.

* Rankings are current BCS standings

Shula had a Top 20 defense playing against some of the best offensive talent in the country (they also had a win against the top offense in the country — Hawaii).

His recruiting was on the up-and-up too. He had a Top 20 class in 2004, 2005 and 2006. His class this year was looking solid. Who knows how many of these guys will stick. A running back and safety are already looking elsewhere.

And, finally, the buyout that Alabama has to give him is pure insanity. The school has to shell out FOUR MILLION DOLLARS. The athletic directors have too much power.

Alright, I’ve written 500 words on one coach and like three thousand were fired. Let’s motor through these other firings.

Chris Scelfo and Tulane

This guy may have had the toughest job in America.

Larry Coker and Miami

No, I’m not crazy. I would have given him one more year. The FIU fight was bad, but I think it was the culmination of a lot of internal frustration. I don’t see the wrong with giving him one more year to right the ship. It’s not like you have anything to lose. Plus, I’ve always thought Coker was a class act.

Darrell Dickey and North Texas

It wasn’t long ago that the Mean Green were good. But I guess it’s what have you done for me lately?

Good firings

John L. Smith and Michigan State

In four years at Michigan State he went 22-26 (4-8 this year with one Big 10 win). I’m sure he’s a good guy, but you have to win to keep a job in this business. Michigan State does have to pay him a hefty sum though--there could be worse ways to go…

Chuck Amato and North Carolina State

This guy had insane athletes and was amazing at underachieving with them.

John Bunting and North Carolina

I think Bunting was confused much of the time on the sideline. I think this is a good fire because Butch Davis is a good hire for the program.

Dirk Koetter and Arizona State

He botched the quarterback situation at the beginning of the year and it’s been almost impossible (literally) for him to win a big football game in his six years at ASU. He was over .500 and went to a bowl 4 of 6 years (this year vs. Hawaii), but you gotta do things people remember…like win in the state of California (0-12).

USA Today has an amazing database of coaching salaries, just in case you were curious. Don't say I never did anything for ya.

That’s all I’ve got for now. Tomorrow we’ll look at championship weekend and I’ll pick some more winners.

By Adam Abramson

Hey all...pretty busy day today (but I got a haircut)...I'm trying to eventually write about coaches. Send me ideas you'd like for me to do at the Heisman Trophy Ceremony. 10 days left.

By Adam Abramson

Let’s hold off on the coaches until tomorrow, the bowls are just more intriguing to talk about.

Here’s the current BCS lineup:

1. Ohio State
2. USC
3. Michigan
4. Florida
5. LSU
6. Louisville
7. Wisconsin
8. Boise State
9. Arkansas
10. Notre Dame
11. Auburn
12. Oklahoma
13. Rutgers
14. Virginia Tech
15. West Virginia

In my best dating game announcer voice: Eight or nine of these lucky teams will have the chance to play in a BCS bowl!!

Here’s what’s all but certain:

National Championship: Ohio State vs. Southern California
Rose: Michigan vs. at large
Fiesta: Boise State vs. Big 12 (Nebraska/Oklahoma)
Sugar: Florida/Arkansas vs. at large
Orange: Big East vs. ACC (Rutgers/Louisville vs. Wake Forest/Georgia Tech)

That obviously leaves two at large bids: SEC and __________

I think LSU should play Michigan in the Rose Bowl, that’d just be a fun game. But will that leave Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl? Probably. Look at yesterday’s entry to see how I feel about that (hint: hate it).

I don’t know that the SEC should have three schools in the BCS, so Auburn…see ya. Loser of the SEC championship game (at this point, I think that’ll be Arkansas)…see ya. Wisconsin would make three Big 10 teams in the BCS…see ya. Virginia Tech was elminated from BCS consideration…see ya.

What’s actually interesting is the Rutgers-West Virginia game. If West Virginia wins, Louisville wins the Big East.

So if Louisville wins the Big East, here are the teams vying for the last BCS spot (assuming the aforementioned see yas are removed from the list)

1. Notre Dame
2. West Virginia

Now, if Rutgers wins it’s the Big East Champion and the list for the final spot is:

1. Louisville
2. Notre Dame

What does all this mean? Well, I think this is where $$ comes into play because I think Louisville is the only team worthy of playing in a BCS bowl.

But Notre Dame travels and Notre Dame draws a TV crowd meaning Notre Dame will likely win out and get blown out by Florida.

This is why the BCS burns me up. The Irish would get smoked by Louisville and could maybe beat West Virginia, but I don’t even know they could stop the run. I’ll stop before I go on a tirade again.

Although I should just wait a few more days for the lineup to be announced, here’s how I think it’ll end up:

National Championship: Ohio State vs. Southern California
Rose: Michigan vs. LSU
Fiesta: Boise State vs. Nebraska
Sugar: Florida vs. Notre Dame
Orange: Louisville vs. Georgia Tech

I’ll admit I need to research more about the Big 12 championship. I’ll have my firm pick by…Friday. I lean towards Nebraska right now though.

Until tomorrow…

By: Adam Abramson

I had a big discovery this weekend: JetBlue airlines.

I woke up Friday morning after a perfectly-executed Thanksgiving (sleep in, football, eat, nap, eat, football) and hopped on the Long Island Rail Road, switched at Huntington and Jamaica (to the Airtrain) and boarded my plane destined for Richmond.

This is where it gets good, I sit down on the plane and in front of me is Larry Coker talking about being fired from the University of Miami, live. ESPN on the back of the seat in front of me. Yep, amazing. I paid about $150 round trip, but I would have paid an extra $20 to watch satellite TV on the plane. But no, I didn’t have to. I watched TV for free, ate some delicious Doritos mix the airline provided and had a bottle of water. What used to be a 6.5-hour drive was now a 51-minute pleasure cruise through the air.

Once I landed, I was able to listen to the LSU-Arkansas game on the drive to Blacksburg. And, I’ll say it once: I told you so.

However, I also told you Texas would win and cover the 13 it was giving. This was a stupid pick on my part, I apologize. Texas was facing a good A&M defense in a rivalry game. I should have known better. Blame it on youth? The same goes for Florida-Florida State, but I really didn’t think that was as dumb as a pick as the Texas/A&M one.

But I rebounded on Saturday with my ND-USC pick. I was so confident about my Southern California pick that I even defended it in the comments section last Wednesday when someone tried to tell me I would be completely wrong. As it turned out, I was completely right.

Not only did I get to watch the game on a HD projection screen, I enjoyed mahi-mahi stuffed with crab with my fellow 2006 alumnus (and Nick, who is there for his CPA). Being completely right and eating a nice piece of fish is quite the tandem, let me tell you…

As far as the Tech game goes, it was a push at 17-0. I didn’t watch much of the noon kickoff because my state of existence on Saturday morning was too impacted by Friday night’s events downtown.

But here are two things for ya: Virginia Tech still has the No. 1 defense in the country (yielding 17-fewer yards than No. 2 LSU) and the Hokies are the only 10-win team in the conference (actually, I was wrong about that...Wake is 10-2, my apologies). However, Georgia Tech did have a far tougher out of conference schedule and definitely will win the ACC Championship (more later in the week about championship weekend).

Back to Notre Dame though. Rumblings are abound that ND-Michigan will meet in the Rose Bowl. This just pisses me off. Notre Dame is not good. The Irish have beaten NOBODY this year worth writing home about. Let’s wait and see though. The only other potential BCS team Notre Dame would maybe beat is Boise State, but if Ian Johnson is healthy, I don’t think the Irish could even stop the Broncos enough to win that game. THE IRISH ARE NOT A BCS TEAM.

Before I get angry, I’ll cut it off here. Tomorrow I’ll talk about the coaching fire sale. But my vote goes to JetBlue.

By Adam Abramson

I’ll be frank. Notre Dame is going to get killed by USC.

My freshman year roommate, Matt, emailed me yesterday to rub in how crappy I'm doing in fantasy football and to let me know I should be more positive about the Irish. Well, I can't. Sorry Addison.

I’ll prove it with some Q&A I made up:

Q: What has Notre Dame done well this year?
A: Well, they’ve won 10 games — only seven other teams have won as much. The Irish are fifth in the BCS.

Q: “Wait, wait. Adam, you’re 20 words in and you’re shooting down your own argument.”
A: Okay, well, that’s not a question, but I’m not exactly shooting down my argument. What has Notre Dame done to be in such a position? The Irish have one quality win – Georgia Tech in Week 1, and we all know how I feel about first-week games. ND’s wins over the nine other opponents have a combined record of 44-57 (.436 winning percentage). Pathetic.

Q: What about Xs and Os?
A: I thought you’d never ask…(am I talking to myself? Damnit.) Well, the simple fact is that Notre Dame hasn’t shown it can defend both the pass and run in the same game. I even say this goes for the Georgia Tech game. I think GT lost that one, ND didn’t necessarily win it. USC is going to throw all over Weis’ secondary, and when they get bored with that, the Trojans have a pair of backs with gaudy stats: Chauncey Washington (4.9 ypc, 8 TDs) and Emmanuel Moody (5.8 ypc, 2 TDs). In the three games since stumbling against the Beavers, USC’s defense has yielded 280.3 yards per game and 6.3 points per game (two of the three games were against ranked opponents).

Q: Why so high and mighty on USC? They lost to Oregon State.
A: Well, they did lose to OSU, I watched the fourth quarter of that game. That’s why I believe if USC wins out, it shouldn’t be in the national championship and Florida should (assuming Florida wins its last two games). However, I’m still big on them because they’ve played good competition: opponents records add up to 64-48 (.571). And if you take out 10-1 Arkansas (I took GT’s 9-2 away from ND, only fair), the record is still 54-47, it’s still a .535 winning percentage. Last I checked, that’s higher than .436.

Q: Do you really love stats that much?
A: Yeah.

Well, I hope my Q&A convinced you. I might do that a lot more next season, assuming I’m still employed and know how to write.

As far as other games this weekend, I’ll bang through some of the great matchups and give some predictions. I’m also bringing odds into the mix this week — it’ll be the format next year as well.

No. 18 Boston College (-4) at Miami
Thursday, 8
Miami is playing for a chance to go to a bowl game (weird saying that) while BC is playing for a shot to get to the ACC Championship game and lose to Georgia Tech (the Eagles need some help, even if they win). Miami has looked God-awful lately, but I think they’ll win this one at home on Turkey Day. Go bold or go home.

No. 9 LSU at No. 5 Arkansas (push)
Friday, 2:30
This game would rule so much more if LSU had a shot to get into the SEC championship game, but it doesn’t. However, the game will still rule. I wish I could watch this game, but my flight lands in Richmond at 2, my buddy Tim is picking me up and we're hitting the road to Blacksburg immediately, putting us in Sharkey's for Happy Hour at 5:30ish. But, his F150 has Sirius, so we'll be listening via satellite (that rules too). LSU to win.

Texas A&M at No. 11 Texas (-13)
Friday, Noon
Colt McCoy should play and Texas clinches the Big 12 South with a win. The Longhorns cover the points they’re giving, but not by much.

Virginia at No. 17 Virginia Tech (-17)
Saturday, Noon
Man, I hate UVa. I don’t know that Tech will cover without Branden Ore (high ankle sprain). Tech 20-7.

No. 4 Florida (-9) at Florida State
Saturday, Noon
Lock central. Florida by three scores.

No. 20 Wake Forest at Maryland (-1)
Saturday, 7:45
I am taking the Deacons in this one. I think Maryland has had a lot of luck this year.

As you can see, my answers are getting shorter for two reasons. One, I gotta get ready to head into the office. Two, It’s rivalry week, so I’ll probably get every pick wrong, except for the Tech pick.

No Heisman this week. But, my credential was approved for the ceremony. So if you have any sweet ideas, let me know. I’ll definitely be blogging live from Times Square on Dec. 9. Start spreading the word.

Also, watch Tech basketball on ESPN2 tomorrow night if the BC-UM game is boring. The Hokies will be Top 25 before this year is over.

Everyone travel safe, enjoy the time off from work and school and have fun watching all the great games. Happy Thanksgiving.

By Adam Abramson

I went out to get a sandwich for dinner, saw a 7-11 on the way back. I had to stop because their hot chocolate is on another level. That is all.

By Adam Abramson

Kramer broke my heart.

Actor Michael Richards’ racist tirade on stage in Los Angeles this past weekend was…I don’t know. I don’t have a word. Watch it here, but be warned, it’s…again, I don’t have a word. It’s just bad.

Basically, Richards’ career is done (at least, for him, it wasn’t exactly flourishing). Nobody should ever give him a gig.

I didn’t even think to relate this in a sports context until my drive home Monday night when Jason Smith talked about it on ESPN Radio. What if a white athlete went off on camera in the same exact fashion because he was mad at a black opponent? Could he or she take the court, field or ice again? Would we let them?

I’m curious to see how I’ll react when I watch Seinfeld here on out. I think it might be on my mind when Kramer barges into Jerry’s apartment, but I don’t think it’ll take away from my adoration of the show or the character. If a Virginia Tech player sounded off like that, I wouldn’t think any less of the team, I just wouldn’t want that kind of stain putting on the orange and maroon.

It just sucks that this stuff happens.

Seinfeld was a staple of visual entertainment for me in college. All of the guys in Vawter Hall and I collaborated and put together a library of every episode (180) on CD. I can’t tell you how many times I would come back from class, hop in bed and watch a Seinfeld on the computer.

I’ll try and bang out the weekend preview tomorrow because I’m eating on Thursday and traveling to the Commonwealth on Friday for the weekend. See y’all soon.

By Adam Abramson

I woke up this morning with a smile on my face, but it didn’t last long.

The last four years, I’ve always had the entire week off of Thanksgiving and waking up that Monday morning was always a beautiful thing. This was my first year not having that luxury, and it reminded me that college is long gone and I have to work today. Bad feeling.

As for the weekend, lots of good feelings. I did well on the picks finally, and I meant to put UNC over NCSU, but I didn’t, so it doesn’t count…

I spent Saturday-Sunday morning in Manhattan. Started in Soho to watch the Ohio State-Michigan game (we’ll get to that), moved to 3rd and 11th to watch the Virginia Tech-Wake Forest game with the other alumni, ended up at some yuck trendy bar in Times Square because some girl we were with knew someone there (starts to get fuzzy here), but I ended up in the Village at 2:30 a.m. and got the most amazing cheesesteak.

Enough about me, let’s talk about the lady football.

Ohio State 41, Michigan 38

• I didn’t bother to check, but it should have been on ESPN Classic five minutes later as an Instant Classic.

• There should NOT be a rematch in January for all the marbles. It would be a horrible idea. While the game was the best we’ve seen this year, I don’t want to see it again. I want to see teams from DIFFERENT conferences play each other. If a team from the SEC finishes with one loss, I want to see that team play for the national championship. If not, I want to see a one-loss team USC play against Ohio State. If neither of those scenarios works out, then Michigan should get the bid. But, USC and Florida will both finish with one loss. Florida lost to an Auburn team that was rolling at the time, USC loss to a mediocre Oregon State team. Florida goes in my book.

• Troy Smith, your 2006 Heisman Trophy winner. He was the leader and player Ohio State needed in this game. He had a rough third quarter, but his miraculous play otherwise earned him trips to Glendale, Ariz. (the national championship game) and Manhattan (Heisman).

• I was glad to see Chris Wells break off that 52-yard run in the second quarter. I tried to tell you about this kid earlier in the year. He’s the real deal…wait until he’s a junior.

• I had no idea that James Laurinaitis’ dad was a pro wrestler and his mom was a body builder who weighed like 115 but could squat like 330. His nine tackles on Saturday and 100 this year make so much more sense now.

• I knew that Ohio State would be able to pass all over Michigan, I even said it the day before the game. I should have realized that would translate into a lot of points and a longer game (76 pass attempts).
  

• It’s a shame that the light for Virginia Tech didn’t come on sooner. I’m hearing if Georgia beats Georgia Tech this weekend, we’ll have a UGA-VT Peach Bowl. Should be fun.

• I figured Rutgers would struggle with Cincinnati team, but I thought Schiano wouldn’t let them lose. Oops. If West Virginia beats Rutgers, Louisville gets the BCS bid? I’m okay with that; I still think Louisville is the best team in that conference on any given day.

• Here are your BCS teams this year: Ohio State-Southern California in the national title, LSU-Michigan in the Rose, Georgia Tech-Louisville in the Orange, Texas-Boise State in the Fiesta and West Virginia-Florida in the Sugar.
  

Stats with three games left: 201-323, 2,380 yards, 22 touchdowns, 6 INTs
Matt Leinart’s 2004 stats (Heisman winner): 269-412, 3,322 yards, 33 TDs, 6 INTs

Heisman favorite going into next year? I think so.

By Erik Boland
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Traveled to Columbus' famed High Street on the Ohio State campus last night to get the flavor of the city before the biggest college football game in, well, you know.

Here's what I discovered: It was completey understandable why the University of Michigan sent out an email message to students suggesting they avoid High Street. Not that it felt unsafe, far from it, its just walking about in Wolverines' gear brought to mind a Christians and lions situation from ancient Rome.

Funniest t-shirt? There were several with interesting, not to mention suggestive, derivations of "Michigan" and "Wolverines," but the winner had to be "Ann Arbor was a..." It is here I pause and paraphrase. It was something along the lines of Ann Arbor was a promiscuous woman.

Also discovered this about High Street: don't step off the curb into the street to flag down a cab. Now, living in New York there is simply no other way to grab a cab as he who politely waits curbside waits for an eternity. I stepped off a curb to get a cabbie's attention and had two police officers step up on me.

"Get the h*** out of the street!" one yelled. "Didn't you here the announcement?!?"

"Umm, no," I wittily replied.

Neither was impressed I was from New York, in fact one of them I believe was ready to ticket me for that infraction alone. Fortunately, another cab unloaded a passenger nearby and an officer said, "Get moving!"

Yes sir.

Anyway, it's about one hour from kickoff at the Horseshoe and about half of the 106,000 expected are here. Most will be in their seats by the time the Ohio State Marching Band, which by the way has it's own media guide, enters the stadium to perform Script Ohio. It's supposedly cheered louder here than touchdowns in other places.

How tough a ticket has this been? Stubhub.com had advertised tickets for upwards of $4,500 and I actually saw one - ONE - ticket this morning on ebay for $12,000. In a testament, barely, to common sense, no one, yet, had bid on it. But there's still time.

By Adam Abramson

I thought about it at work all last night. Nothing. I stayed up 3am watching Crimson Tide and thinking about it. Nothing I woke up this morning and thought about it all day. Nothing.

So I climbed in the car today knowing I had 45 minutes left to pick a winner. I stewed on it the whole way and just as I got to the Exit 49 ramp on the Long Island Expressway, I decided. I have my pick for tomorrow’s game.

I won’t make you wait til the end. I’m taking Ohio State, but Michigan to cover the 7 its getting.

I know Bo Schembechler passed away, I know Ohio State has never beaten Michigan on November 18 (but like every other friggin’ day), I know about Steve Breaston, Mike Hart, the No. 2 rushing defense, I know, I know, I know.

(This is hard, I just went to a meeting and almost switched my pick when I came back to finish writing this).

Here’s where it all happens for me…Ohio State’s passing attack versus Michigan’s pass defense.

• Troy Smith is a gamer. The man knows if he has any kind of positive game and Ohio State wins, he’s all but a shoe-in for the Heisman.

• Michigan has to allocate a lot of its resources on defense to stopping the run. And they’re damn good at it (statistically one of the best run defenses ever). Now, if that means someone like Jamar Adams has to creep down low into the box to help stop Antonio Pittman and Chris Wells, that leaves Ted Ginn Jr. to run like a madman and Anthony Gonzalez to create problems underneath forcing linebackers to cover him.

• Smith, if he needs to, can make things happen with his legs, which is just another element of the offense Michigan must keep in check.

• I picked Ohio State to win the national championship before the season started. I’m not turning on the Buckeyes now.

• I probably had a 5th point, but I’ve got a lot going on. Busy Friday.
  

13-10 OH-IO.

RIP Bo.

As for other big games this weekend: I'm taking USC over Cal (it's a shame that USC will likely be in the title game), Rutgers over Cincy, Boston College over Maryland and Virginia Tech over Wake Forest (I know I’ve picked against Tech two times in a row and the Hokies have won…am I submitting my alma mater to the death touch?)

Oh, and my boy Erik has reported from Columbus, as you have seen. Make him feel like part of the family, this dude knows his stuff.

By Erik Boland

COLUMBUS - Taking a break from Hofstra basketball to cover this college football game in the midwest that seems to be getting a little attention: No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 2 Michigan.

Last week's Rutgers/Louisville game brought big-time college football to the New York area. There was some hype, a sellout crowd, major media coverage. And totally amateur hour compared to what's happening here.

Forget the 1,100 media credentials - seriously - that have been distributed for this game; turn on the television or open up a newspaper. I watched a local newscast Thursday night and the first 13 minutes were Ohio State/Michigan related stories. They broke for weather and the weathergirl did three minutes...on the forecast for Saturday's game. One anchor said "we" when refering to Ohio State and at one point the crew seemed poised for an impromptu "Script Ohio" formation.

The newscast ended 12 minutes early for, of course, a special expanded sports segment on...well, you know. On the front page of the Columbus Dispatch, a very reputable newspaper, an important story from Washington [something about the United States' top Iraq military commander testifying in front of Congress] was shoved to the right-hand column.

Smack in the center of the front page was a story with this banner headline: "Know one's place. Michigan sending police to watch over fans." Apparently Ohio's finest cannot be trusted to keep rowdy Ohio Staters from harassing maize-and-blue clad fans from Michigan, so Wolverines' fans will have cards with a number they can call for, according to the Dispatch, "police support."

Not only will Michigan have some of its own fans, it will have some its own police as well. You can't make this stuff up.

And there's still one day to go.

By Adam Abramson

I went golfing again today. Par 35…I was at a 37 going into the final hole. Par 4, 309 yards, water to the left, no bunkers, straight shot, swinging with a strong wind at my back.

I step up, no practice swing, crush the tee shot…it was a little left (15-20 yards) but it would have been on the green if I hit it dead straight. The lie was tough because I was about two feet from the water, so I couldn’t center myself with the ball. The chip went right, leaving me about 30 feet for birdie. Botched the putt, left it a good 10 feet short (I told you I botched it). Miss the 10-footer long. Now I’m fuming and I miss the four-foot tap for a triple bogey 43….I wanted to throw my clubs in the lake...(I didn't).

Thought I’d share. If you don’t want to hear any more golf stories, you’re in luck, because it looks like the cold is here to stay for a few months.

I wanted to try something different with the Heisman watch this week. I pitched the following idea to Rob: “What about a Heisman watch just using players from Saturday’s game?”

Rob: “You pretty much did that yesterday.”

He’s right. I did. So, I guess I’ll do my regular bit in the spirit of Archie Griffin, Charles Woodson, Eddie George, Desmond Howard, Tom Harmon, Les Horvath, Vic Janowicz and Mr. “Hop Along” Howard Cassady.

Cassady was the 1955 running back-defensive back who won the award with 2,219 points (second place was 742, third was 383). In his Heisman write up it says: “Overlooked were his sparkling defensive plays; he never had a pass completed over him in four years of Big Ten competition.” Done deal.

Let’s get serious:

Troy Smith, Ohio State
Quarterback, Senior
Smith must remember the eternal words of Coach Riley from the Mighty Ducks: “It’s not worth winning if you can’t win big.”
Last week: 12-19, 185 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT, 15 rush yards at Northwestern
This week: You know what’s going on….

Brady Quinn, Notre Dame
Quarterback, Senior
Army may be 3-7 this year, but they are 18th in pass defense. But don’t expect the boys from West Point to be in the top 20 after Quinn gets through with them. Four touchdowns this week would put him up to 33…that’s a lot of TDs (he had 32 last year). Leinart had 33 the year he won the Heisman.
Last week: 14-19, 207 yards, 4 TDs at Air Force
This week: vs Army

Ray Rice, Rutgers
Running Back, Sophomore
He’s done everything to be high up on this list. A big game against West Virignia and so-so games from Smith this Saturday and Quinn against USC, you’d have to seriously the country’s No. 3 rusher.
Last week:22 carries, 131 yards, 2 TDs vs. No. 3 Louisville
This week: at Cincinnati

Colt McCoy, Texas
Quarterback, Freshman
This kid has been on fire all season. It’s a shame he went down with a stinger in Texas’ loss to Kansas State. It looks like he’ll play this weekend, and if he does and tosses a few touchdowns, he’ll have 30. Oh, he’s also the country’s fourth-ranked passer. FOURTH.
Last week: 4-4, 51 yards at Kansas State
This week:vs Texas A&M

Steve Slaton, West Virginia
Running Back, Sophomore
His performance against Louisville will keep him from winning the award this year, but that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be in the top 5. He’s second in the country in rushing…just look at what he did against Cincinnati. There’s a good chance he’ll make someone on the Pittsburgh defense cry on national TV tonight. I’d tune in.
Last week:12 rushes, 148 yards, 2 TDs vs Cincinnati
This week:at Pittsburgh (11/16)

I gotta jet right now though, so no “making moves” or “defensive bruiser” this week. I’ll pick my winner tomorrow (I STILL CAN’T DECIDE).

By Adam Abramson

When I first came up with the idea to write a college sports blog I wrote a few pieces in advance for the college season. I wrote a season preview, my first Heisman watch and a few other quick things. But, blogs aren’t built in a day, so by the time it was completed, we were a few weeks in so I didn’t post the things I had written.

I tell you this because I remember writing in my first piece that one of my intentions was for you to read the blog and use the knowledge in the office, the classroom, the locker room, with a cop that pulls you over, etc. College football is a nation-wide language, and everyone’s speaking it this week with Ohio State-Michigan on the horizon.

Today I’m going to show you who to watch for in this game. It’s one thing to put on the game (3:30 kick, by the way), but it’s another thing to put it on and know more about the game than the average viewer.

I’ll try to keep some method to this madness, here goes nothing.

Quarterbacks

Ohio State: Troy Smith has become a household name It’s pretty safe to say that his bid for the Heisman Trophy is contingent on his performance this Saturday. Smith doesn’t make a lot of mistakes; he has 50 career passing touchdowns to just 11 interceptions (26-4 this year). Smith is no stranger to Michigan, he was the starter when OSU topped the Wolverines the last two years.

Michigan: Chad Henne has started every game at quarterback since stepping on campus in Ann Arbor (Saturday will be 36 straight). The junior has had a career far different than his counterpart (Smith was all over the field freshman year and was part of a two-quarterback system for a while which didn’t work, obviously). More than the maturation of his physical abilities, Henne has honed the intangibles over the course of his career (i.e poise, leadership). He’s tossed 18 touchdowns this year and thrown seven picks. The kid can take a hit too.

Advantage: Ohio State. He’s a Heisman finalist, last home game in the (former) Horseshoe.

Running backs:

Ohio State: The tandem of junior Antonio Pittman and freshman Chris Wells has worked well for the Buckeyes. Pittman does the heavy lifting with 214 carries, 1032 yards and 12 TDs while Wells has carried it 97 times for 511 yards and 6 TDs. I would say think Tiki Barber-Brandon Jacobs of the Giants, but Jacobs has about 2-3 inches and 30-40 pounds on Wells. Just know that Pittman is the little guy and Wells is the big guy, but both are outstanding backs.

Michigan: When Michael Hart is healthy, he runs. And this year, he’s been healthy. He leads the nation with 278 carries (25 a game). He’s going to need another 25 carries this weekend if Michigan wants to win (the Wolverines need to hold on to the ball for as long as they can). When Hart’s not bouncing around, the Wolverines have sophomore Kevin Grady, senior Jerome Jackson or freshman Brandon Minor (Virginian).

Advantage: A slight edge to Michigan. Very slight. Both have Top 20 rushing offenses (Michigan-12, Ohio State-20).

Wide receiver:

Ohio State: Smith’s go-to guy is Ted Ginn Jr., his high school teammate. Ginn can out sprint anyone on the field and he’s got great hands. He has 51 grabs for 677 yards and 8 TDs. He also handles returning duties, where he’s always a threat. If Smith’s not throwing to Ginn, then he’s probably eyeing Anthony Gonzalez who has 45 catches of his own. Both start at Ohio State for a reason, they take care of business.

Michigan: The first guy that comes to mind is Steve Breaston. He’s Michigan’s Tedd Ginn, minus the touchdowns. Mario Manningham handles the TD department, nine of his 26 catches have counted for six points. Adrian Arrington is the third leg of the receiving tripod – it’s a pretty impressive three-WR set. Henne also has a nice pair of tight ends to throw to, I predict a touchdown to senior Tyler Ecker (he’s been hurt most of the year, but the guy is a mountain of a man at 6’6”, 250).

Advantage: A VERY slight edge to Ohio State because of Ginn.

Defense:

Ohio State: Coming into the season, everyone questioned Ohio State’s defense considering it lost so much firepower to the draft. But the unit ranks 8th in the country (could you imagine if AJ Hawk and Bobby Carpenter were still in town?). Sophomore linebacker James Laurinaitis tops in tackles (91) and interceptions (5)…oh, and forced fumbles (3). The Buckeyes average three sacks a game and have forced 27 turnovers this year, both very impressive.

Michigan: The Wolverines stop the run. I’ll say it again so you can remember it: the Wolverines stop the run. The average opponent posts 29.9 yards per game. That’s the same as a team starting the game at the 20, running it to the 50, punting and not gaining another yard on the ground for the rest of the game. LaMarr Woodley is the man that makes things happen on the defensive line, his 11 sacks are 6th-best in the land. Linebacker Shawn Crable has six of his own this year, while Rondell Biggs has five (Michigan is second to Rutgers in sacks this year). It’s truly a team effort on the defensive side of the ball, there isn’t much weakness, but the D will really have to focus on Ginn.

Advantage: Michigan. But, again, it’s a slight advantage.

Of course, this doesn’t help us decide who will win this game. Both teams can throw, both teams can run, both teams can catch it and both can play defense better than about anyone in the country.

If Smith can get some time in the pocket, I think he can expose Michigan’s secondary somewhat. But, in order to do that, OSU will have to take its lumps in the running game.

We can get into Xs and Os more on Friday. I’ve given you enough to chew on today.

SEC may have half its teams in the Top 25, but the Big East has three teams in the Top 10. ACC is nowhere in sight. A 1-loss Florida should have won all its games if it wanted to play in the NC. Winning by 1 at home against an unranked team should not be rewarded.
-“Rich the alum”

Well, technically, the ACC isn’t “nowhere in sight.” Half of the ACC is ranked in the top 25 (Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Boston College, Maryland, Clemson). I know the highest ranked of the ACC half dozen is No. 14, but it shows that the conference has depth, especially considering Miami and Florida State are nowhere to be found. The Big East’s three ranked teams are legitimate power houses, no denying that, but you can’t make a solid case for anyone else (Pitt is such a hot/cold team, I’ll give them half credit).

As to the second part of the comment…first, margin of victory doesn’t matter in the eyes of the BCS. So, Florida’s one-point win against an unranked South Carolina SHOULD be no different than a 30-point win. South Carolina is no slouch either. The Gamecocks’ five losses have come against then-ranked opponents (and four of the times were in position to tie or win late in the game). I’ve said this before, but I don’t like playing the so-and-so beat so-and-so by so much, so that means such-and-such. Nobody has had a cakewalk this year, Rutgers beat South Florida by a score of 22-20. South Florida is an unranked team with no quality wins either, and I know the game was on the road, but I watched it and wouldn’t call Tampa a hostile environment.

However, I don’t hold this against Rutgers. The most important stat is winning. And, if Rutgers finishes with more wins (and less losses) than Florida, Southern California and Notre Dame, then the Scarlet Knights deserve to play in the national championship game. Done deal.

Two things: One, I’m a little disappointed you didn’t already own “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.” And, two, I know it’s football season, but what do you think about the Bobby Knight incident on Monday?
Jeff F.

Alright, I should have owned it. It’s one of the greatest movies of all time. But, I own it now, and I watched it again this morning. If you haven’t seen it, shame on you, go buy it now (IMDB.com has it ranked No. 5 on it’s Top 250 list). I also purchased “City of God” yesterday. I haven’t seen it yet, but I hear good things and I think it’ll be a good addition to my young, but growing movie library. If you ever want to talk movies, or recommend one, drop me a line.

Now, about basketball. 1. I love college basketball. 2. This blog will slowly make the switch to college basketball, but more so after the football national championship game. 3. I have news to report. Higher ups say I must share access to my blog with some staff writers who cover Hofstra and Stony Brook here on the Island. I’m not exactly thrilled, but at least the guys are great writers, and Hofstra has a great college basketball program, so it’ll be interesting stuff. Stay tuned.

As for Bobby Knight. I don’t think what he did was wrong. I go back to when Frank Beamer slapped Ernest Wilford on his helmet during the West Virginia game in 2003. The time for coddling is over when you get to college. Now, there’s a very fine line, but an incident like the one on Monday night is in the heat of competition, and it wasn’t out of aggression. If everyone is backing up Knight, including the athletic director and player, then what’s the problem. The last report I read he was telling his player to “keep his head up out there.” No harm done.

How about them Emory and Henry Wasps? I know you were following.
-Jake the Snake

Great point. I haven’t addressed this yet, and I should. My college buddy Rob, who was my guest on my Louisville-West Virginia game diary (and will be a guest in the future), is part of the new coaching staff down at Emory and Henry, a Division III school. After going 1-9 last year and not having a winning season since 2000, the Wasps turned it around to go 6-4 this year (and were pretty darn close to a 9-1 season). Hell of a job, boys.

Great call on the field winning you should thank the kid from Louisville being offsides.
- Roger Dorn

It was a great call. Thanks. And thank you to the kid who jumped offsides. I did not want to be responsible for the jinx.

Who’s going to win on Saturday? You know what I’m talking about.
- MLM

I do know. I’m in a little bit of a pickle here. I’ve had Ohio State as my national championship winner all year long, but I really think Michigan can win this game with defense. That said, I’ll take Michigan to cover the 6.5 its getting and give me two more days to pick the winner. I’ll have a pick by Thursday.

Alright, real work calls. Everyone called in sick here today. It’s the most wonderful time of the year. I’ll be back tomorrow with a piece about Saturday’s big game.

By Adam Abramson

With Ohio State-Michigan just six days away, I figured I would try to pick the 10 games with the most impact this season thus far.

When I went through the first 11 weeks, I knew it would be extremely tough to pick just 10 games. So, I made sure the games I picked had a dramatic impact on the college football scene – so two top 15 teams playing each other didn’t automatically qualify.

I ended up with 16 games before I made the list. I decided that BCS implication is the most important determiner, but I didn’t rule out other factors.

Some of the games on my list of 16 included the Miami-Florida International affair highlighted by the fight and the Oklahoma-Oregon game with the botched replay. I think if we do this list again in January, they very well could make the list, but I want to focus more on the BCS right now.

The only other thing I’ll discuss before getting to the list is the SEC. There were about 632 games that I could have put on this list, but I left a lot off. I ended up with 5 of the 16 being in-conference SEC games, although I don’t know that I will include them all. I’m just going to decide if any of them were more special than the others.

10. No. 25 Boise State 41, Hawaii 34 (Week 4)
Hang with me for a minute. Do you realize is Boise loses this game, it’s out of the BCS mix? If the Broncos win out, they’ll likely face the Big 12 winner in the Fiesta Bowl. This was essentially the WAC championship game (Hawaii’s only conference loss was to Boise).

9. Arkansas 27, No. 2 Auburn 10 (Week 6)
After getting smoked in the opening game this season, the Razorbacks let the world know they’re for real (A win next week and Arkansas is in the SEC championship game). I know USC manhandled Arkansas in the first game, but a lot happens during the course of the season, and I’ve always been the one to say that first games are horrible indicators of how good or bad a team is considering there is months of prep time. The team that takes the field in Week 1 is far different than the team in Week 13.

8. No. 5 Louisville 44, No. 3 West Virginia 34 (Week 10)
Well, considering both of these teams now have a loss, it’s not as important. But you don’t have to think too far back to remember how big this game was. On September 15, I blogged the following:

Big East game people care about: West Virginia at Louisville
Big East game people might tune in to watch: Louisville at Rutgers, November 9
Big East game people might tune in to watch (assuming the Nov. 9 game goes well): Rutgers at West Virginia, December 2

Well, that’s changed a little. But the same concept applies. I had a feeling the Big East would be a player this year…and what do ya know?

7. No. 11 Auburn 27, No. 2 Florida 17 (Week 7)
Florida’s only loss. If the Gators win this game, the scene is that much different, but USC wouldn’t be the No. 3 team in the BCS this week and a Florida-Michigan/Ohio State winner as the national championship game matchup is a lock.

6. Georgia 37, No. 5 Auburn (Week 11)
Auburn’s second bad loss at home took them out of the BCS. And, do you remember when Georgia was a player in the BCS race about 7 or so weeks ago? The fans in Athens have to be among the most disappointed in the country (Hawkeye faithful aren’t too happy either).

5. No. 12 Notre Dame 40, Michigan State 37 (Week 4)
I’d argue this was the second-best game of the year so far (maybe after all of the championship games, I’ll go back and rank the 5-10 most exciting games). Brady Quinn kept his Heisman hopes alive and Notre Dame kept its BCS bid in hand. A second consecutive loss would have doomed the Irish (read about the first one below).

4. No. 1 Ohio State 24, No. 2 Texas 7 (Week 2)
This game would be more important if Texas didn’t lose against Kansas State. But it was No. 1 vs. No. 2…done deal.

3. No. 11 Michigan 47, No. 2 Notre Dame 21 (Week 3)
Okay, here’s what I don’t understand: THIS GAME WAS A COMPLETE BLOWOUT. It was just like last year’s Fiesta Bowl when Ohio State put up 617 total yards against the Irish. Notre Dame hasn’t shown it can be a high-powered team since it beat Michigan last year (Even at that, the Wolverines were No. 3 at the time, but finished the year 7-5). If Notre Dame beats USC, I’ll take the Irish for real. But this year’s game against Michigan was important because they’re both in the BCS’ Top 5.

2. Kansas State 45, No. 4 Texas 42 (Week 10)
If you would have asked me on Saturday morning which team someone like Rutgers had to most worry about, I would have argued Texas. The Longhorns’ road was the easiest of USC, Florida/Arkansas and USC. Buuuut, they blew the doors right off that.

1. No. 15 Rutgers 28, No. 3 Louisville 25 (Week 11)
Not only did Rutgers kicker Jeremy Ito make me look good, he helped spread the Scarlet fever across the northeast. You can’t really argue for any other games on this list. If Louisville wins this game, it’s likely in the national championship game. If Rutgers wins on December 2 against West Virginia, it’s going to be hard to deny. When it’s all said and done, this could be the second- or third-most important game of the season (There’s no more important game than Ohio State-Michigan, you can’t argue that).

Games that almost made it: Cal-Tennessee (Week 1), Florida-Tennessee (Week 3), Oregon-Oklahoma (Week 3), Florida-LSU (Week 6), Miami-FIU (Week 7) and Oregon State-USC (Week 9).

Otherwise, that about does it. I’m off to buy some DVDs; I’m thinking “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.” If you haven’t seen it, you’re missing out.

Check back tomorrow afternoon, this week is going to be very blog-tastic.

By Adam Abramson

I woke up on Sunday ready to attack the day in typical fashion. Bagel, NFL Countdown, games all day.

But on this particular Sunday, I checked my email first, and there they were…emails from readers. After sifting through a melee of “How do you like Rutgers’ chances now?” I had to write immediately. So, Tom Jackson, you’re gonna have to hold up the show until I crank this out.

Lastly, before I press on, thanks to everyone who’s reading. Whether you agree or disagree, whether I predict a game right or wrong, as long as you’re reading and writing me or commenting on the blog (I love both, but prefer the latter), I just appreciate all of you taking the time to read; I can’t express this enough.

So, after that wild Saturday, where do I begin? How do I TACKLE it? (love puns…I dropped the greatest one at work the other night). I’ll start with Thursday night’s blog.

“There’s just no possible way (Rutgers has) a shot at the winner of Michigan/Ohio State.”

There’s no way you could have convinced me that Texas, Auburn and California would have lost Saturday. I maybe would have listened if you said Auburn and Cal would lose, but not all three.

Where does this leave Rutgers, who was No. 15 going into the weekend? We’ll see this afternoon, but I’d rank them at No. 7 (my poll is below). This week’s poll is crucial because of the catching up they have to do in the BCS standings.

Can RU reach the title game if it runs the table? Yeah, sure. Is it likely? I’m not ready to say it’s likely because a lot still has to happen. Although, yesterday reminded me of what Angels in the Outfield first taught me: “Hey, it could happen.” However, if Rutgers honors New Jersey native Joe Piscopo at halftime of the 11/25 Syracuse game for his captivating role in Sidekicks as Kelly Stone (head of the Stone Dojo), I’ll be the first to pencil them in for Arizona in January.

Here’s what needs to go down:

1. Rutgers wins the rest of its games.
   
2. LSU beats Arkansas (11/24, in Arkansas). That’d be two home losses for Arkansas.
   
3. Arkansas beats Florida in the SEC championship (if Arkansas beats Mississippi State next week, a Razorback-Gator SEC championship game is clinched).
   
4. Cal (or UCLA) beats USC (Cal at USC this Saturday; USC at UCLA 12/2).
   
5. USC beats Notre Dame (11/25 at USC).
   

1. Ohio State
2. Michigan
3. Florida
4. Southern California
5. Arkansas
6. LSU
7. Rutgers
8. Texas
9. Louisville
10. Notre Dame

• I’m going to be posting a lot this week about the Ohio State-Michigan game. Give me today to think about how I’m going to go about it…but, by Friday, you’ll be sick of hearing about this game between my blog and everyone else in the country.

• Florida had a scare on Saturday, needing three blocked kicks to win by one point. But that doesn’t change the fact that the Gators are a pretty darn good club. You can’t play the “Oh, well, they only one by one point to a South Carolina team that only beat Wofford by 7, meaning Florida would win by just 8.” Florida won, that’s enough for me. After watching Florida State lose five games this year, I’m writing off the Seminoles against the Gators faster than I’m writing off my student loan payments on next year’s taxes. So, if Florida runs the table, I still think they’ll snub an undefeated Rutgers team.

• I’m hearing a lot of “The SEC is overrated.” I have thought all year that it’s the best conference in the country by far, and I’m sticking to it. I’ve also said all year that the best teams in the conference would beat up on each other, and that’s exactly what is happening. You don’t see this anywhere else. You just can’t deny the talent (especially on defense) in the SEC. Half of the SEC is represented in the top 25 defenses in the country.
  
  
• Virginia Tech has the No. 1 defense in the country.
  

By Adam Abramson

“On the foot of Jeremy Ito.”

You know it. You heard it here first.

So, now what?

Well, there’s a few things on the list…heads catching on fire, West Virginia, the big picture and keeping Greg Schiano in town. We’ll tackle them, in order.

First…I think a record was set last night. There had to be more hair care products in Rutgers Stadium than any other football game in history. I know that stuff is flammable, so if they decide to burn down the town like they do in Morgantown, W.Va…we could see a lot of flaming Jersey blowouts.

Next…West Virginia on December 2. There’s no reason Rutgers can’t win this game. They proved to everyone they can run and play defense with the best of them and get the job done through the air when necessary. The receivers have to make the critical third down catches though, way too many important drops against Louisville.

If Rutgers runs the table, will they make the national championship game? No. We were wondering whether Louisville could just two weeks ago and the Cardinals started the year on the bubble of the Top 10. The Scarlet Knights just have no chance. Texas, the SEC champion (assuming it has one loss), Southern California/Cal, and Notre Dame could all snub Rutgers. I know that’s painful to hear, but that’s the truth. It’s a flawed system, and we’ll see just how flawed if Rutgers does run the table. There’s just no possible way they’d have a shot at the winner of Michigan/Ohio State.

Most importantly, I’d argue, is keeping Schiano in Piscataway. About 10 minutes after the game ended, my buddy Nick dropped me a line asking me what I thought about that situation. Well, the sexy choice is Miami, but then there’s Penn State, where he started his coaching career in the ’90s.

Nick asks, “What if Rutgers offers him an extension the same amount?” No pressure, if he averages 8-win seasons from here on out, he’ll go down a legend, they’ll rename everything after him. But, what about the challenge? Anything less than a BCS bowl at Miami or Penn State is unacceptable. Competitors need the drive.

I see one of two things happening:

1. He leaves. I think the situation in Miami makes it more feasable for him to coach there. Nobody really knows what’s going on in State College behind closed doors.

2. He gets an extension, builds the program for a few years and then leaves to the job of his choice.

There’s no doubt the man can coach. I don’t think he will spend the rest of his life in Jersey. The allure of Miami might be enough to get him out this year, so I am going to stick with option one.

However, there’s no denying what Rutgers accomplished on Thursday night. It’s the biggest win in school history. Kudos to everyone down that way, enjoy the time in the sun.

Sometimes it comes every 137 years.

Mark La Monica wonders who has the most juice in New Jersey in Newsday's Keyboard Quarterbacks blog.

By Adam Abramson

It was 65 degrees on Long Island today, so I went to the golf course.

My goal was a 42, but I shot a 46 (I left three of my putts within 2 inches...luckily there was a sweet older couple with me, otherwise I would have snapped my putter in half).

On a serious note, I just want to send my condolences to the Miami football community and the family and friends of Brian Pata. He had quite a future ahead of him -- a college degree, potential to play in the NFL.

As far as other news...Two and a half hours to kickoff. I still want to do a list of the 10 most important games this year. I will knock that out. And thanks for reading my blog about the game, I had a bet with my boss over cannolis about how many people would read, and I got over 1,000 hits, so I won. Thank you, thank you, thank you, I’ll dedicate the bites to you all.

Let's get to the list. We have a new, surprising addition this week. I'll try to convince you below. WAC represent.

Troy Smith, Ohio State
Quarterback, Senior
I would say last week's lack of a dominant performance hurt him, but nobody cares. Everyone cares about next week.
Last week: 13-23, 108 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT, 37 rush yards at Illinois
This week: at Northwestern

Brady Quinn, Notre Dame
Quarterback, Senior
Speaking of next week, nobody will be rooting harder for that Michigan defense than Brady Quinn. As far as last week, just another day at the office (see numbers below). As for this week, Brady should have a party with the Falcons.
Last week: 23-35, 346 yards, 4 TDs vs North Carolina
This week: at Air Force

Calvin Johnson, Georgia Tech
Wide receiver, Junior
He's only back on here because he's the best player in the country. There's no way he can win the Heisman, but look at what he did last week. He still deserves to talked about with the other Heisman kids.
Last week:9 catches, 168 yards, 2 TDs at North Carolina State
This week: at North Carolina

Ian Johnson, Boise State
Running back, Sophomore
When I was down in Blacksburg, I used Ian Johnson when I played NCAA 2007 and he was as much of a bear on the game as he is on the real Smurf Turf. That's enough for me to keep the kid in the Top 5 this week.
Last week: 22 carries, 136 yards, 2 TDs vs Fresno St. (Nov. 1)
This week:at San Jose State

Colt Brennan, Hawaii
Quarterback, Junior
WHY NOT? He's the nation's leading passer (190.0 rating). He's got 39 touchdowns through the air, 17 more than Smith and and 14 more than Quinn (and he's only attempted 2 more passes than Quinn). What about interceptions? Well, he's only thrown 6 (Smith 3, Quinn 4). What about his competition? Alabama (No. 15 defense) and Boise State (No. 33) have been Brennan's toughest foes, while Quinn's toughest opponents have been Michgian (No. 4) and Penn State (No. 33), not THAT much of a difference. Hawaii is 7-2, so it's not like he's not leading them to victory. He hasn't done that much different than Quinn in pretty much area, except post much stronger numbers in key areas. And he spreads the ball around: Hawaii doesn't have a Warrior receiver in the top 20 in yards per game.
Last week:18-29, 413 yards, 6 TDs at Utah State
This week:versus Louisiana Tech

Making moves:

Branden Ore, Virginia Tech
Running back, Sophomore
If Calvin Johnson didn't exist, he would be the ACC player of the year, hands down. The guy has single handedly won a few games for the Hokies this year. He's ninth in the country in rushing and fourth in rushing touchdowns with 13. The VT single game rushing record is 243 yards, I predict that falls this weekend. You heard it here first.
Last week:29 carries, 79 yards, 2 TDs at Miami (No. 3 rushing defense in the land)
This week: versus Kent State

Defensive bruiser:

J Leman, Illinois
Linebacker, Junior
There are a number of reasons why I can put Leman here, but probably the biggest is because his name is J. It doesn't hurt that he is fourth in the country in tackles and that he had an amazing game against Ohio State.
Last week: 19 tackles (one sack), one forced fumble versus Ohio State
This week: versus Purdue

The atmosphere that makes college football so special will consume Piscataway, NJ on Thursday night. The tents will be pitched, the grills will be lit, the coolers will be full (and progressively emptied), fans will toss the football and they’ll rave about the Ray Rice-Brian Leonard attack. They’ll talk about the importance keeping the ball out of Mike Teel’s hands (finally correct), they’ll boast about the No. 2 defense in the country and they’ll hope Rutgers can hold on to coach Greg Schiano after the year.

The folks in Cardinal land know – their town is going through this sports metamorphosis and last Thursday’s game and win over West Virginia officially turned Louisville into a football town.

Win or loss, this game is important because it’s safe to say Rutgers football is on the map. This is arguably one of the 10 biggest games of the year (hmmm…good idea for a blog, let me do some research). The publicity from being undefeated at this point in the season helps with recruiting, alumni donations, respect, TV publicity, etc.

To show how far it has come in a short amount of time, I covered a football game at Rutgers Stadium in 2002 and the opposing fan base matched and probably exceeded the Rutgers faithful.

This year’s special run only makes the future brighter. The class Schiano is putting together for 2007 is by far the best since 2002. From 2003-2006, the Scarlet Knights signed one four-star player (junior OT Jeremy Zuttah – starter) and one five-star player (DT Nate Robinson – dismissed). So far, Rutgers has verbal commits from Manny Abreu (No. 3 weak side linebacker, according to Scout.com), Keith Newell (No. 18 OT), Joseph Lefeged (No. 22 safety) and a handful of talented three-star prospects.

Unfortunately, Rutgers hasn’t recruited that well in its home state (Notre Dame is cleaning house). But there are a few guys on the map they need to lock down: Anthony Davis (No. 2 OT), Mason Robinson (No. 31 CB), and Alex Silvestro (No. 17 strong side linebacker).

Okay, now that you’ve had your recruiting fix, let’s look at the tale of the tape. National ranks are in parenthesis:

*Virginia Tech has the No. 1 pass defense in the country. Ha.
**Rutgers: Turnovers gained-21, Turnovers lost-15
Louisville: Turnovers gained-14, Turnovers lost-15 (gained three fumbles against WVU)

What does all of that mean? Not much.</