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