College Football - Top 5 Players Post-1980 - Big 12 Edition

Oklahoma Sooners

1. Sam Bradford, QB
2. Brian Bosworth, LB
3. Keith Jackson, TE
4. Roy Williams, S
5. Ryan Broyles, WR

A Heisman winner with a 50-TD pass season, Bradford gets the #1 spot on the Sooners list.  Bradford's career numbers were hindered by the injury suffered his senior year, but he still owns many career passing records.  Bosworth may have been crazy, but he was also a crazy-good linebacker on the great Sooner teams of the mid-80's.  Broyles is now the all-time NCAA receiving yardage leader, while Jackson helped Bosworth on those Switzer-era teams.  Williams was a hard-hitting safety who helped define the Sooner defenses at the turn of the century.

Texas Longhorns

1. Ricky Williams, RB
2. Vince Young, QB
3. Colt McCoy, QB
4. Derrick Johnson, LB
5. Cedric Benson, RB

Williams beats out the quarterbacks for #1 in the last 30+ years of Longhorn football.  Heisman-winner Williams left school as the all-time NCAA Division I-A rushing yardage leader.  Young and McCoy are hard to separate, so Young gets the edge as a National Championship winning signal-caller and de facto Heisman-winner.  It is hard to find a better Championship Game performance than that of Young's.  Johnson was a force at linebacker and Benson is not too far behind Williams on the all-time rushing lists.

Texas A&M Aggies

1. Dat Nguyen, LB
2. Johnny Holland, LB
3. Darren Lewis, RB
4. Von Miller, LB/DE
5. Ray Childress, DT

Most of the Big 12 lists are dominated by offense.  Not the lame-duck Aggies who will take a defensive tradition to the SEC.  Tackling machines Nguyen and Holland lead the way here, followed by Lewis, the A&M all-time leading rusher with over 5,000 yards.  Miller dominated as a pass-rusher in 2009 and 2010.  Childress wraps up the Aggie Five as an All-American DT in the early 1980's.

Missouri Tigers

1. Brad Smith, QB
2. Chase Daniel, QB
3. Chase Coffman, TE
4. Jeremy Maclin, WR
5. Justin Smith, DE

Two players with over 13,000 yards in total offense who eached produced over 100 touchdowns lead the Tigers Five.  Smith is my choice as #1, despite being second to Daniel in almost every passing category.  That is because Smith, a QB, is also the all-time leading rusher in Mizzou history.  Coffman and Maclin each exceed 30 total touchdowns in their prolific careers.  Smith was a dominating pass-rusher who brings a little defensive flair to the list.

Oklahoma State Cowboys

1. Barry Sanders, RB
2. Thurman Thomas, RB
3. Leslie O'Neal, DE
4. Justin Blackmon, WR
5. Rashaun Woods, WR

Its a pretty darn good list when the top two names are the running backs listed above.  Picking between them is not an easy endeavor.  I am going with Sanders, who sat behind Thomas for two years before his break-out in 1988.  What a break-out it was though.  2,628 yards, 39 total TD's, four 300-yard rushing performances.  Thomas is no slouch as the all-time leading rusher and second to Sanders in career TD's, but we may never again see a player like Sanders.  O'Neal adds a little defense to the Cowboys, while Blackmon and Woods are to receiving, what Thomas and Sanders are to rushing.

Kansas State Wildcats

1. Chris Canty, CB
2. Mark Simoneau, LB
3. Darren Sproles, RB
4. Terence Newman, CB
5. Michael Bishop, QB

Defense takes 3 of the 4 top spots in the last 30 years of Wildcat football, led by 2-time All-Americans Canty and Simoneau.  Sproles is the top offensive players, with 6,812 career all-purpose yards and 48 career touchdowns.  The final spot came down to two quarterbacks, Bishop and Josh Freeman.  I went with Bishop, who had a similar career in one less season than Freeman and had the single better season in 1998.

Kansas Jayhawks

1. Aqib Talib, CB
2. Todd Reesing, QB
3. Dana Stubblefield, DT
4. Dezmon Briscoe, WR
5. Anthony Collins, OT

Kansas does not have a decorated football program, but Talib was an All-American who was one of few Jayhawks to separate themselves at their position.  Ressing almost doubles-up the next best passer in Kansas history.  Stubblefield is another of just a few dominant defensive players to wear a Jayhawk uniform.  Briscoe is the all-time leading receiver in yards and touchdowns, surpassing the next closest by 13 TD's.  Collins was an above-average tackle who earned All-America honors as well.

Texas Tech Red Raiders

1. Michael Crabtree, WR
2. Zach Thomas, LB
3. Graham Harrell, QB
4. Montae Reagor, DE
5. Byron Hanspard, RB

Crabtree gets the nod at #1 based on two years of sheer dominance.  In just those 2 seasons, Crabtree racked up 231 receptions, 3,127 yards and 41 touchdowns.  Thomas was a 2-time All-American linebacker in the mid-90's who always has a nose for the ball, including 7 career fumble recoveries.  Harrell, until recently, was the career NCAA passing yardage leader with 15,793 yards and also threw 134 touchdowns to boot.  Reagor and all-time leading rusher Hanspard complete the Red Raider Five.

Baylor Bears

1. Thomas Everett, DB
2. Santana Dotson, DT
3. Robert Griffin III, QB
4. Gerald McNeil, WR
5. James Francis, LB

Everett is the most decorated Baylor Bear in the past 30 years, making him an easy choice to top this list. Everett was a two-time All-American and Thorpe Award winner in the mid-80's.  Dotson was a force in the middle in the early 90's.  We are watching Griffin light up the record books the past few seasons and he may end up #2 on the list.  McNeil and Francis round out the list.

Iowa State Cyclones

1. Troy Davis, RB
2. Tracy Henderson, WR
3. Doug Skartvedt, OT
4. Karl Nelson, OT
5. Ben Bruns, C

Davis is the #1 Cyclone in a landslide.  The only Division I-A player with two 2,000 yard seasons, Davis twice led the nation in rushing yards.  Henderson was a two-time All-American who left school as the Big 8 receiving record-holder.  Three offensive lineman make it a clean sweep for the offense for Iowa State.

College Football Rewind - Week 8

Due to Tuesday Night Games, I am getting the base information of the "rewind" out so my atrocious picks can be published for all to see on the world wide web.  I altered the format a little bit, moving some of the conference information into comparison format. 

I am also giving Clemson the kiss-of-death this week, moving them into the BCS Title Game with Alabama.  There appears to be something special about this Tigers team, and I still believe Oklahoma State and Stanford have too tough a road to come through unblemished.  The mediocre ACC, very manageable for Clemson.

Time permitting, further analysis will be added.

Overall Pick Record:  362-114, 76% (31-21 Last Week)

Conference            Week      Overall     Non-Conf     BCS Non-Conf
ACC                         6-6          53-35           29-11                 6-7
Big East                     3-3          34-22           25-13                 4-9
Big 12                       4-4          46-22           27-3                   6-3
Big 10                       5-5          54-33           34-13                 6-5
PAC-12                    6-5          47-38           22-13                 6-8
SEC                          5-3          57-30           31-4                   6-2
C-USA                     7-5          42-45           21-24                 5-16
MWC                       2-3          27-26           19-18                 2-7
MAC                        6-6          46-55           21-30                 3-26
WAC                        3-3          23-34           12-23                 2-12
Sun Belt                    4-4          27-36           11-20                 2-15
Independent              1-3          14-15           14-15                 5-7

ACC
Bowl Changes: NC State in, Virginia out.  My Current Bowl Order:  Clemson, Virginia Tech, Florida State, Miami, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Wake Forest, NC State.
My record: 45-19
This Week:  Miami(FL) over Virginia, Florida State over NC State, Virginia Tech over Duke, Maryland over Boston College, Wake Forest over North Carolina, Clemson over Georgia Tech

Big East
Bowl Changes:  My current Bowl Order:  Cincinnati, West Virginia, Rutgers, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, South Florida.
My Record: 31-16
This Week:  Pittsburgh over Connecticut, Syracuse over Louisville, West Virginia over Rutgers

Big 12
Bowl Changes: My current Bowl Order:  Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Kansas State, Texas Tech, Texas, Baylor, Missouri.
My Record: 39-10
This Week:  Texas A&M over Missouri, Oklahoma State over Baylor, Oklahoma over Kansas State, Texas over Kansas, Texas Tech over Iowa State

Big Ten
Bowl Changes: Purdue in, Northwestern out.  Current Bowl Order:  Wisconsin, Michigan State, Nebraska, Michigan, Penn State, Ohio State, Iowa, Illinois, Purdue.
My Record: 52-15
This Week:  Michigan State over Nebraska, Northwestern over Indiana, Michigan over Purdue, Penn State over Illinois, Iowa over Minnesota, Wisconsin over Ohio State

PAC-12
Bowl Changes:  California in, UCLA out.  Current Bowl Order:  Oregon, Stanford, Arizona State, Washington, Utah, California.
My Record: 46-14
This Week: Oregon over Washington State, Arizona State over Colorado, California over UCLA, USC over Stanford, Utah over Oregon State, Washington over Arizona

SEC
Bowl Changes: Current Bowl Order:  Alabama, LSU, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, Auburn, Tennessee, Mississippi State.
My Record: 50-11
This Week:  Arkansas over Vanderbilt, Georgia over Florida, Auburn over Ole Miss, Mississippi State over Kentucky, Tennessee over South Carolina

Conference USA
Bowl Changes:  Current Bowl Order:  Houston, Southern Mississippi, SMU, Tulsa, UTEP, Marshall, Central Florida.
My Record: 53-13
This Week:  Houston over Rice, Marshall over UAB, East Carolina over Tulane, Tulsa over SMU, Central Florida over Memphis, Southern Mississippi over UTEP

Mountain West
Bowl Changes:  Current Bowl Order:  Boise State, TCU, San Diego State, Air Force, Wyoming(tenuous)
My Record: 36-9
This Week: TCU over BYU, Air Force over New Mexico, Colorado State over UNLV, San Diego State over Wyoming

MAC
Bowl Changes:  Current Bowl Order:  Toledo, Northern Illinois, Temple, Eastern Michigan.  Western Michigan, Bowling Green and Ohio (alternates).
My Record: 57-19
This Week:  Central Michigan over Akron, Bowling Green over Kent State, Western Michigan over Ball State, Miami(OH) over Buffalo

WAC
Bowl Changes:  Utah State out, Fresno State in (qualifies at 6-7).  Current Bowl Order:  Nevada, Hawaii, Fresno State.
My Record: 33-13
This week:  San Jose State over Louisiana Tech, Hawaii over Idaho, Nevada over New Mexico State

Sun Belt
Bowl Changes:  Current Bowl Order:  Arkansas State, Louisiana-Lafayette.  Florida International and Troy (alternates).
My Record: 35-12
This Week:  Florida International over Troy, Arkansas State over North Texas, Louisiana-Lafayette over Middle Tennessee, Louisiana-Monroe over Western Kentucky

Independents
Bowl Changes: Navy out.  Notre Dame and BYU all remain projected bowl-eligible.
My Record: 21-8
This Week: TCU over BYU, Notre Dame over Navy, Army over Fordham

Updated Bowl Predictions
National Championship Game:  Clemson vs Alabama
Rose:  Wisconsin vs Oregon
Sugar:  Boise State vs LSU
Fiesta:  Oklahoma State vs Stanford
Orange:  Cincinnati vs Oklahoma
Capitol One:  Arkansas vs Michigan State
Gator:  Florida vs Michigan
Cotton:  Texas A&M vs Georgia
Alamo: Kansas State vs Arizona State
Outback:  South Carolina vs Nebraska
Chick Fil-A:  Virginia Tech vs Auburn
Sun:  Georgia Tech vs Utah
Holiday:  Texas vs Washington
Champs:  Notre Dame vs Florida State
Liberty:  Mississippi State vs Houston
Belk:  Miami vs West Virginia
Independence:  Wake Forest vs Air Force
Music City:  Tennessee vs North Carolina
Pinstripe:  Rutgers vs Missouri
Kraft Fight Hunger:  Purdue vs South Florida
Meineke Car Care:  Ohio State vs Baylor
Insight:  Texas Tech vs Penn State
Ticket City:  Iowa vs SMU
Little Caesars:  Illinois vs Northern Illinois
Humanitarian: Temple vs Fresno State
Hawaii:  Hawaii vs Marshall
Beef O'Bradys:  Pittsburgh vs Southern Mississippi
Armed Forces:  BYU vs Tulsa
Las Vegas:  California vs TCU
Poinsettia:  San Diego State vs Nevada
GoDaddy.com:  Toledo vs Louisiana-Lafayette
New Orleans:  Arkansas State vs UTEP
BBVA Compass:  Syracuse vs Florida International
New Mexico:  Wyoming vs Eastern Michigan
Military:  Central Florida vs NC State

College Football Rewind - Week 7

We have hit the half-way point of the College Football Season.  After losing three unbeaten teams last week in Georgia Tech, Illinois, and Michigan, it has become pretty clear who the contenders and pretenders are.  I talked last week about the gap between teams.  I could argue there is a clear Top 10 teams right now.  Alabama, LSU, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Wisconsin, Stanford, Boise State, Clemson, Oregon and Arkansas.  The latter two have losses to LSU and Alabama, respectively, but have shown the talent level in other games to be included in this group.  In other years, the lines may have been more blurred.  Maybe Upset Saturday will hit us soon.  For one last week I am leaving Boise State in the Title Game.  If the unbeatens continue to prevail (mainly Oklahoma State, Wisconsin, Stanford and Clemson), a change will be necessary next week.

Overall Pick Record:  331-93, 78% (36-14 Last Week)

ACC (5-5 for the week, 47-29 overall, 29-11 non-conference, 6-7 BCS non-conf)

• Boston College is terrible!!
• Who is going to beat Clemson?  The trips to Georgia Tech (exposed) and South Carolina (Lattimore injury) got a lot less daunting after last week.  It might be the looming re-match with Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship.
• Mid-Season Thumbs Up:  Clemson, Georgia Tech and Wake Forest
• Mid-Season Thumbs Down:  Maryland, Florida State
• ACC Game of the Week - Georgia Tech at Miami - What a difference a week makes.  The Jackets come off their first loss and head to Miami for a match-up with a Hurricane team playing better football.

Bowl Changes: Virginia in, North Carolina State out.  My Current Bowl Order:  Clemson, Virginia Tech, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Miami, North Carolina, Wake Forest, Virginia (tenuous).

My record: 40-18
This Week:  Clemson over North Carolina, Wake Forest over Duke, Virginia Tech over Boston College, Florida State over Maryland, Virginia over North Carolina State (Military Bowl Battle), Miami over Georgia Tech

Big East (3-3 for the week, 31-19 overall, 25-13 non-conference, 4-9 BCS non-conf)

• Connecticut is just plain bad.  They might win one more game this year.  OK, I guess they have to lose the rest now.
• How do you figure South Florida?  I am sure now that they are falling off the radar, they will prove me wrong once again.
• Mid-Season Thumbs Up:  Rutgers, Cincinnati
• Mid-Season Thumbs Down:  Connecticut
• Big East Game of the Week - Cincinnati at South Florida - A chance for the Bulls to right the ship while the Bearcats try to keep up with Rutgers and West Virginia.

Bowl Changes:  My current Bowl Order:  West Virginia, Cincinnati, Rutgers, Pittsburgh, South Florida.

My Record: 27-11
This Week:  Rutgers over Louisville, West Virginia over Syracuse, Cincinnati over South Florida

Big 12 (5-5 for the week, 42-18 overall, 27-3 non-conference, 6-3 BCS non-conf)

• A 27-3 finish in non-conference, with the losses coming to Arizona State, Georgia Tech and Arkansas.  Pretty impressive, but the measuring stick game of Texas A&M and Arkansas leaves the advantage still to the SEC.
• Missouri is still in trouble, just sayin'.  They will have to work to get to 6-6.
• The previous being said, I think this is a dangerous game for Oklahoma State at Missouri this week.  Missouri has played spoiler more than once before.
• Texas A&M blew two games against Oklahoma State and Arkansas.  Those are two really good teams.  The Aggies have recovered nicely against Texas Tech and Baylor to show they are also really good.  Oklahoma beware?
• Mid-Season Thumbs Up:  Kansas State
• Mid-Season Thumbs Down:  Missouri
• Big 12 Game of the Week - Oklahoma State at Missouri - National Championship implications pending.

Bowl Changes: My current Bowl Order:  Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Kansas State, Texas, Baylor, Texas Tech, Missouri.

My Record: 36-9
This Week:  Oklahoma State over Missouri (Unbeaten Watch), Kansas State over Kansas, Texas A&M over Iowa State, Oklahoma over Texas Tech

Big Ten (5-5 for the week, 49-28 overall, 34-13 non-conference, 6-5 BCS non-conf)

• Indiana and Minnesota are awful.  They will both still go 0-8 in the Big 10.
• Going to leave this one up - Take a look at Illinois schedule.  No Nebraska, Iowa or Michigan State.  Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio State at home.  I re-iterate - sleeper for the Big 10 Title Game.  Still a sleeper if that game was their oops.
• Ohio State will be 0-4 in Big Ten play.  Good Job Buckeyes!!
• Michigan State has given up 7 points or fewer in four of their five games.  The next two at home vs Michigan and Wisconsin will tell us exactly how good this defense is.
• How do you win a game in 2011 while completing one pass if you are not a Service Academy??
• Penn State is about to get exposed.
• Since last year's loss at Michigan State, Wisconsin is 13-1 and has outscored their opponents in the 13 wins by a score of 639-213, an average of 49-16.  They scored over 30 points in every game except for the Rose Bowl loss to TCU.  In the 9 conference games, the average score is 49-20.  The Spartans held Wisconsin to 24 last year and will need a repeat performance this year.
• Mid-Season Thumbs Up:  Michigan, Illinois
• Mid-Season Thumbs Down:  Ohio State
• Big 10 Game of the Week - Wisconsin at Michigan State - On paper, this looks like the toughest test for Wisconsin, although there are others that will not be a cakewalk. 

Bowl Changes: Current Bowl Order:  Wisconsin, Nebraska, Michigan State, Michigan, Illinois, Ohio State, Penn State, Iowa, Northwestern.

My Record: 49-13
This Week:  Illinois over Purdue, Iowa over Indiana, Nebraska over Minnesota, Penn State over Northwestern, Wisconsin over Michigan State

PAC-12 (5-5 for the week, 41-33 overall, 21-13 non-conference, 6-8 BCS non-conf)

• Leave this one up - Oregon State will go winless in 2011.  Congrats to the Beavers!!
• Leaving this one too - Washington and USC have many flaws, but one will play a big spoiler for Oregon or Stanford.
• If there was any question, Chip Kelly has a darn good offensive system.  Except in the SEC.
• The schedule hasn't allowed for much of a "wow-factor" in Andrew Luck's Heisman run.  That changes starting this week.
• Mid-Season Thumbs Up:  Washington State
• Mid-Season Thumbs Down:  California, Oregon State
• PAC-12 Game of the Week - Washington at Stanford - Opportunity for Washington to show they belong in a 3-way discussion with Oregon and Stanford.  First real test for the Cardinal.

Bowl Changes:  Current Bowl Order:  Oregon, Stanford, Arizona State, Washington, Utah, UCLA.

My Record: 45-9
This Week: UCLA over Arizona, Oregon over Colorado, Utah over California, Notre Dame over USC, Washington State over Oregon State, Washington over Stanford (Unbeaten Watch III)

SEC (5-5 for the week, 52-27 overall, 29-4 non-conference, 6-2 BCS non-conf)

• Still leaving this one - LSU or Alabama will lose to someone other than LSU or Alabama.  Only because how juicy would it be if they both had one loss and Boise State was one of two unbeatens?
• Kentucky is not good.  Not good at all. 
• Boise State, Clemson, BYU and Louisville remain the 4 non-conference losses for the SEC.
• The Vanderbilt/Tennessee game is shaping up to be a bowl-eligible playoff.
• I am not counting Arkansas out of the BCS.  The Hogs always give LSU trouble.
• Mid-Season Thumbs Up:  Auburn
• Mid-Season Thumbs Down:  Mississippi State, Florida, Kentucky
• SEC Game of the Week - Auburn at LSU - Will the Tigers of Auburn officially pass the torch to the Tigers of LSU?  What will two big suspensions mean for LSU?

Bowl Changes: Current Bowl Order:  Alabama, LSU, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, Auburn, Tennessee, Mississippi State

My Record: 46-10
This Week:  Jacksonville State over Kentucky, Arkansas over Mississippi, LSU over Auburn, Vanderbilt over Army, Alabama over Tennessee

Conference USA (5-5 this week, 35-40 overall, 19-24 non-conference, 5-16 BCS non-conf)

• The 5 BCS wins is currently tops of any non-BCS conference.  No one can fault them if the victims have been UCLA, Virginia, Boston College, Purdue and Louisville.
• UAB is staring at 0-9 and will thank Memphis for being in the conference this year.
• Tulsa is quietly lurking in the C-USA race after 3 losses to Top 10 teams in non-conference.  SMU and Houston beware.
• Mid-Season Thumbs Up:  Marshall
• Mid-Season Thumbs Down:  UAB, East Carolina
• C-USA Game of the Week - SMU at Southern Mississippi - The 2 hottest teams in C-USA go at it.  Houston may be unbeaten, but these two teams have shown improvement each week. 

Bowl Changes:  Current Bowl Order:  SMU, Houston, Southern Mississippi, Tulsa, Central Florida, Marshall, UTEP.

My Record: 50-9
This Week:  Central Florida over UAB, Navy over East Carolina, Tulane over Memphis, Houston over Marshall, Tulsa over Rice, UTEP over Colorado State, SMU over Southern Mississippi

Mountain West (3-4 for the week, 25-23 overall, 19-17 non-conference, 2-7 BCS non-conf)

• New Mexico is hands down the worst team in FBS, although that game November 12th against UNLV is my Hide-the-Women-and-Children Game of the Year.
• At 19-17 in non-conference, the Mountain West is by far the best Non-BCS league overall, with two BCS wins vs Georgia and Washington State.
• I continue to leave Boise State in my BCS Title Game, but that may change by the end of October.  The odds of two BCS-league unbeatens keeps increasing by the week.
• The conference pecking order 2 to 4 has played itself out.  Now everyone gets a crack at Boise State and it doesn't look like it will be pretty.  I am hoping for one close one from the bunch.
• Mid-Season Thumbs Down:  Colorado State
• MWC Game of the Week - Air Force at Boise State - Not much on the docket this week, so the Falcons get their chance to stun the Broncos on the Blue Turf.

Bowl Changes:  Current Bowl Order:  Boise State, TCU, San Diego State, Air Force, Wyoming(tenuous)

My Record: 33-9
This Week: TCU over New Mexico, Boise State over Air Force, UTEP over Colorado State

MAC (6-6 for the week, 40-49 overall, 21-30 non-conference, 3-26 BCS non-conf)

• The MAC is 18-4 in games against non-BCS opponents.
• Connecticut, Maryland and Indiana are the BCS victims for the MAC.  Those 26 losses show they are not afraid to play the big boys.
• It took Northern Illinois six weeks to play up to expectation.  Now the big question is whether this will be a trend or not.
• Mid-Season Thumbs Up:  Temple, Eastern Michigan, Bowling Green
• Mid-Season Thumbs Down:  Miami(OH), Ohio
• MAC Game of the Week - Temple at Bowling Green - after playing Toledo well, the Falcons get a crack at another league favorite on their turf.

Bowl Changes:  Current Bowl Order:  Toledo, Temple, Northern Illinois, Western Michigan.  Eastern Michigan, Bowling Green and Ohio (alternates).

My Record: 53-17
This Week:  Northern Illinois over Buffalo, Western Michigan over Eastern Michigan, Ball State over Central Michigan, Temple over Bowling Green, Ohio over Akron, Toledo over Miami(OH)

WAC (4-3 for the week, 20-31 overall, 12-23 non-conference, 2-12 BCS non-conf)

• The 3 WAC favorites (Nevada, Hawaii and Fresno State) are a combined 9-10.  One lost by 20 to UNLV and the other two have each lost a game by at least 49 points.
• After looking at it, Fresno State might go 5-2 in the WAC, but a 13th game might leave them at 6-7 and out of the bowls.
• Mid-Season Thumbs Up:  Utah State, San Jose State
• Mid-Season Thumbs Down:  Louisiana Tech, Hawaii
• WAC Game of the Week - Fresno State at Nevada - Two league favorites go at it to give us some indication how the WAC might play out.

Bowl Changes:  Fresno State out.  Current Bowl Order:  Nevada, Hawaii, Utah State.

My Record: 31-12
This week:  Utah State over Louisiana Tech, Nevada over Fresno State, Hawaii over New Mexico State

Sun Belt (3-3 for the week, 23-32 overall, 11-20 non-conf, 2-15 BCS non-conf)

• Mid-Season Thumbs Up:  Louisian-Lafayette, Arkansas State
• Mid-Season Thumbs Down:  Troy
• Sun Belt Game of the Week -  Arkansas State defeated Florida International Tuesday night in the Game of the Week.  Arkansas State is the #1 challenger to Louisiana-Lafayette.

Bowl Changes:  Current Bowl Order:  Louisiana-Lafayette, Arkansas State.  Florida International, Louisiana-Monroe and Troy (alternates).

My Record: 33-10
This Week:  Arkansas State over Florida International, Louisiana-Lafayette over Western Kentucky, Louisiana-Monroe over North Texas, Middle Tennessee over Florida Atlantic

Independents (1-1 for the week, 13-12 overall, 5-5 BCS)

• Notre Dame should be 9-2 heading to Stanford for the season finale and a BCS bowl on the line.
• Mid-Season Thumbs Down:  Army
• Independent Game of the Week - USC at Notre Dame - Both teams have had their ups and downs, but it appears as though Notre Dame is closer to rounding into Top 10 form.

Bowl Changes: Notre Dame, BYU and Navy all remain projected bowl-eligible.

My Record: 19-6
This Week: Navy over East Carolina, BYU over Idaho State, Vanderbilt over Army, Notre Dame over USC

Updated Bowl Predictions
National Championship Game:  Boise State vs Alabama
Rose:  Wisconsin vs Oregon
Sugar:  Oklahoma vs LSU
Fiesta:  Oklahoma State vs Stanford
Orange:  West Virginia vs Clemson
Capitol One:  Arkansas vs Nebraska
Gator:  Florida vs Michigan
Cotton:  Texas A&M vs Georgia
Alamo: Kansas State vs Arizona State
Outback:  South Carolina vs Michigan State
Chick Fil-A:  Virginia Tech vs Auburn
Sun:  Miami(FL) vs Utah
Holiday:  Baylor vs Washington
Champs:  Notre Dame vs Florida State
Liberty:  Mississippi State vs SMU
Belk:  Georgia Tech vs Cincinnati
Independence:  Wake Forest vs Air Force
Music City:  Tennessee vs North Carolina
Pinstripe:  Rutgers vs Missouri
Kraft Fight Hunger:  UTEP vs Northwestern
Meineke Car Care:  Ohio State vs Texas Tech
Insight:  Texas vs Illinois
Ticket City:  Penn State vs Houston
Little Caesars:  Iowa vs Temple
Humanitarian: Northern Illinois vs Utah State
Hawaii:  Hawaii vs Marshall
Beef O'Bradys:  Pittsburgh vs Southern Mississippi
Armed Forces:  BYU vs Tulsa
Las Vegas:  UCLA vs TCU
Poinsettia:  San Diego State vs Nevada
GoDaddy.com:  Toledo vs Arkansas State
New Orleans:  Central Florida vs Louisiana-Lafayette
BBVA Compass:  South Florida vs Florida International
New Mexico:  Wyoming vs Western Michigan
Military:  Navy vs Virginia

College Football - Top 5 Players Post-1980 - Big Ten Edition

Wisconsin Badgers

1. Ron Dayne, RB
2. Jamar Fletcher, CB
3. Joe Thomas, OT
4. Tim Krumrie, DT
5. Jim Leonhard, S

Dayne was an easy choice as #1.  The former Heisman winner is the signature player in the Football resurgence at Wisconsin.  Fletcher and Leonhard are tied for the school record with 21 interceptions, 5 of which Fletcher took to the house.  Thomas was the most dominant in a pretty impressive group of tackles.  The final two choices were tough, but Leohnard also starred as a punt returner and Krumrie was a 2-time All-American and 3-time Big Ten First Teamer.

Michigan Wolverines

1. Charles Woodson, CB
2. Anthony Carter, WR
3. Desmond Howard, WR
4. Jake Long, OT
5. Steve Hutchinson, OG

Woodson gets the nod at #1 as a Heisman winner and two-time All-American.  His impact was shown at cornerback, as a punt returner and on offense.  Carter was a three-time All-American whose overall career accomplishments are enough to place him in front of Howard, the other Heisman winner on the Wolverine list.  Long and Hutchinson grab the last spots over a bevy of pass rushers who were tough to separate from one another.

Ohio State Buckeyes

1. James Laurinaitis, LB
2. Eddie George, RB
3. Orlando Pace, OT
4. Chris Spielman, LB
5. Antoine Winfield, CB

When I think about Ohio State Football, I think defense.  That gives the nod to Laurinaitis over George for best Buckeye of the last 30+ years.  Laurinaitis spear-headed the defenses that dominated the Big Ten in the 2000's.  George and Pace eminate from the power-running attack of the mid-1990's.  The list concludes with Spielman, who is the poster-child for OSU Football and Winfield, another in the long line of great defensive players.

Michigan State Spartans

1. Percy Snow, LB
2. Tony Mandarich, OT
3. Lorenzo White, RB
4. Charles Rogers, WR
5. Flozell Adams, OT

The Top 3 players on this list define Spartan Football.  Snow was an animal at linebacker in the late 1980's, garnering the Butkus and Lombardi awards his senior season.  Mandarich, despite what happened after his college career, was a beast opening holes for White, one of the all-time workhorses in the Big Ten.  Rogers was a TD machine and Adams finishes off Sparty's list.

Iowa Hawkeyes

1. Chuck Long, QB
2. Larry Station, LB
3. Jared DeVries, DE
4. Bob Sanders, S
5. Tim Dwight, WR

Another easy choice for #1, as the highly-decorated Long heads the Hawkeye list.  Long was the Heisman runner-up in his senior season and won every major quarterback award.  In a College Football world where passing has increased and spread offenses are the norm, Long has weathered 25 years and is still the top QB in this period.  Four other decorated Iowans follow, with defensive stalwarts Station, DeVries and Sanders and wide receiver/special teams ace Dwight rounding out the list.

Illinois Fighting Illini

1. Simeon Rice, DE
2. David Williams, WR
3. Dana Howard, LB
4. Moe Gardner, DT
5. Jack Trudeau, QB

The Big Ten's all-time sack leader heads the list of Fighting Illini.  Rice was an imposing force and his 44.5 sacks, including 16 in one season, are still a Big Ten Record.  Many forget how good 2-time All-American Williams was because of a pedestrian pro career.  Howard was a tackling machine who was Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year twice in his career.  Gardener was another defensive stalwart and Trudeau rounds out the list as the all-time Illinois passing leader.

Indiana Hoosiers

1. Anthony Thompson, RB
2. Antwaan Randle El, QB
3. Mike Dumas, S
4. Van Waiters, LB
5. Vaughn Dunbar, RB

This was a two-horse race for #1 and one of the toughest in the conference.  In the end I went with Thompson, a 2-time Big Ten Player of the Year and Heisman runner-up.  Randle El was a nightmare for defensive coordinators, but he comes in #2 mainly because he never got the Hoosiers to a bowl game.  Dumas and Waiters are defensive stand-outs on typically porous Hoosier defensive teams.  Dunbar rounds out the list as the second best Hoosier RB since 1980.

Purdue Boilermakers

1. Drew Brees, QB
2. Rod Woodson, CB
3. Ryan Kerrigan, DE
4. Jim Everett, QB
5. Mike Alstott, RB 

Brees tops the list as the record-setting quarterback that took the Boilermakers back to the Rose Bowl.  He edges out the do-everything Woodson, who was a 2-time All-American Cornerback who also returned punts and played offense.  Sackmaster Kerrigan, pre-Brees record-setter Everett and the punishing Alstott round out the Purdue Five.

Penn State Nittany Lions

1. Paul Posluszny, LB
2. Shane Conlan, LB
3. LaVar Arrington, LB
4. Curt Warner, RB
5. Steve Wisniewski, OG

 Penn State is definitely Linebacker U., with three of the greatest heading this list.  On a list that includes 5 two-time All-Americans, distinguishing between them can be difficult.  Posluszny eclipsed most of the records and edges out Conlan who was part of a National Championship team.  Warner and Wisniewski were big-time offensive players on championship teams of the 1980's.

Minnesota Golden Gophers

1. Tyrone Carter, S
2. Darrell Thompson, RB
3. Eric Decker, WR
4. Ben Hamilton, OL
5. Laurence Maroney, RB

The only defensive player on the list, Tyrone Carter comes in as the #1 Gopher post-1980.  The 2-time All-American and Jim Thorpe award winner beats out Thompson, the teams all-time leading rusher for the top spot.  Decker's huge receiving numbers, Hamilton's superb line play and Maroney's three 1,000 yard seasons earn them the final 3 spots on my list.

Northwestern Wildcats

1. Pat Fitzgerald, LB
2. Darnell Autry, RB
3. Brett Basanez, QB 
4. Damien Anderson, RB
5. Chris Hinton, OT

The current coach is also the best player on my Northwestern list.  Fitzgerald was a 2-time All-American who led Northwestern to their only Rose Bowl in the past 63 years.  Autry was the star running back on that same Rose Bowl team.  Basanez set Wildcat passing records on his way to Big Ten Player of the Year.  Anderson parlays a huge senior season to #4 on the list and the rock-solid Hinton rounds it out.

Nebraska Cornhuskers

1. Mike Rozier, RB
2. Broderick Thomas, LB
3. Dave Rimington, C
4. Grant Wistrom, DE
5. Tommie Frazier, QB

Heisman winner Rozier heads the list on the newest member of the Big Ten.  With almost 1,700 yards as a junior and over 2,100 as a senior, Rozier was an unstoppable force in the early 1980's.  Thomas followed him as a 2-time All-American in the mid-to-late 1980's.  Rimington may be one of the best collegiate centers of all-time.  Wistrom was the defensive star on the National Championship teams of the mid-90's, with Frazier rounding out the list as the quarterback of the back-to-back Championship teams.

Wisconsin Badgers Plays of the Year Accumulation

Last year, I looked back on the Top 10 plays of the Wisconsin Badger Football Season.  Through five games, there are definitely some candidates for 2011 and there are hopefully many more to come.  Here is an accumulation of the plays so far.  Feel free to comment with any you feel I may have missed.  Currently, they are in no order.

• Russell Wilson's 46 yard TD run vs UNLV (video) from ESPN
• Montee Ball's 22 yard TD run vs UNLV (video) from ESPN
• Nick Toon 10 yard TD on fade pattern from Russell Wilson vs Oregon State (video) from ESPN
• James White 49 yard TD run vs South Dakota (same video as below)
• Russell Wilson 59 yard TD pass to Nick Toon vs South Dakota (video) from ESPN
• Mike Taylor INT of Taylor Martinez vs Nebraska (video) from ESPN
• Jared Abbrederis 36 yd. TD catch from Russell Wilson vs. Nebraska (video) from ESPN
• Nick Toon's 46 yard TD catch from Russell Wilson vs Nebraska (video) from ESPN
• Montee Ball 25 yard TD pass to Russell Wilson vs Indiana (video) from ESPN
• Montee Ball's 54 yard TD run vs Indiana (video) from ESPN
• Jared Abbrederis 60 yard punt return TD vs Indiana (video) from ESPN

College Football - Top 5 Players by Team - Post-1980

I once again delve into the endeavor of my Post-1980 lists with College Football.  For those new or unfamiliar with my blog, my lists all start around 1980 when I started to watch sports as a youngster.  I did not see the players who played before this time, so I do not feel I have the necessary information to properly rate them in the context with the players I have actually witnessed.  On top of that, for sports like Football and Basketball, post-1980 is almost an era cut-off.  The proliferation of the pass and the great quarterbacks era was ushered in shortly after 1980.  Bird and Magic saved basketball starting in 1980 after some down years in the NBA.  College sports have been a bit more fluid and Baseball, well, the steroid era ruins that. 

In previous blogs I have provided my 30 Year College and Professional Basketball Teams, 30 Year Baseball Teams and 30 Year NFL skill Teams.  For College Football, as opposed to filling positions, I am going to give my Top 5 players regardless of position over the last 30 years.  I will publish it conference-by -conference over the next few weeks as we lead up to the culmination of an exciting College Football Regular Season.

College Football Rewind - Week 6

After this week, we will reach the midway point of the College Football Season.  With very few unbeatens in serious danger this week, we will likely go into the 2nd half with over 10 unbeaten teams.  On top of that, the gap between the top teams and those in the next level appears to be larger than usual.  Case in point, Oklahoma over Texas, Wisconsin over Nebraska, LSU/Alabama over Florida.  Texas, Nebraska and Florida were all thought to be around the top 10 teams, but none were close in the aforementioned games.  So while Oklahoma still has quite a Big 12 gauntlet remaining and Wisconsin is sure to be tested with 3 tough Big Ten roadies, and of course the SEC is a weekly grind, the talent level might provide the difference as it has thus far in 2011.  Upset Saturday might not come.  Sure, Oklahoma State, Stanford or Clemson might meet their maker, but Boise State's undefeated journey may leave them short again.

ACC (6-4 for the week, 42-24 overall, 29-11 non-conference, 6-7 BCS non-conf)

• Boston College is terrible!!
• Welcome to projected bowl-eligibility Wake Forest!!   And the ACC Game of the Week too!!  When I said Maryland in my pre-season predictions, I meant Wake Forest.  Oh, and when I said Florida State, I meant Clemson.
• Speaking of Florida State...never mind, I don't want to talk about them.
• North Carolina is 5-1, but with a 2 point win over Rutgers and 7 point snoozer over Louisville, I am just not sure how good they are.
• ACC Game of the Week - Virginia Tech at Wake Forest - Do you believe in the Demon Deacons?  I am still going with the Hokies here, but this one will really show if Wake Forest is a serious ACC Title contender.

Bowl Changes: Wake Forest and North Carolina State in, Maryland out.  My Current Bowl Order:  Clemson, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Florida State, Miami, Wake Forest, North Carolina State (tenuous).

My record: 37-16
This Week:  North Carolina over Miami, Florida State over Duke, Georgia Tech over Virginia, Clemson over Maryland, Virginia Tech over Wake Forest

Big East (3-3 for the week, 28-16 overall, 24-12 non-conference, 4-8 BCS non-conf)

• Connecticut is just plain bad.  They might win one more game this year.
• Pittsburgh took a step backwards.  Inconsistent quarterback play will do that to a team.  Its too bad, because Ray Graham is special. 
• There might be some karma playing against Pitt and Syracuse now too.
• Big East Game of the Week - Louisville at Cincinnati - No real great games in the Big East this week, so I will feature Cincinnati.  If the Bearcats are going to challenge West Virginia, they should have no problem with the offensively challenged Cardinals.

Bowl Changes:  My current Bowl Order:  West Virginia, South Florida, Cincinnati, Rutgers, Pittsburgh.

My Record: 25-9
This Week:  Pittsburgh over Utah, Cincinnati over Louisville, South Florida over Connecticut, Rutgers over Navy

Big 12 (5-5 for the week, 37-13 overall, 27-3 non-conference, 6-3 BCS non-conf)

• A 27-3 finish in non-conference, with the losses coming to Arizona State, Georgia Tech and Arkansas.  Pretty impressive, but the measuring stick game of Texas A&M and Arkansas leaves the advantage still to the SEC.
• I am going to continue to over-react to Kansas State.
• Missouri is still in trouble, just sayin'.
• Thank you Texas for supporting my upset pick.  I am picking Oklahoma now every week until the match-up in Stillwater.  The Sooner defense has been better than thought and I am late to the party.
• Big 12 Game of the Week - Baylor at Texas A&M - If the over/under is below 80, take the over.  This one has old-fashioned Texas shoot-out written all over it.  The winner has the inside track to the Cotton Bowl.

Bowl Changes: My current Bowl Order:  Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Texas, Kansas State, Baylor, Texas Tech, Missouri.

My Record: 31-9
This Week:  Texas A&M over Baylor, Missouri over Iowa State, Oklahoma State over Texas, Oklahoma over Kansas, Kansas State over Texas Tech

Big Ten (5-5 for the week, 44-23 overall, 34-13 non-conference, 6-5 BCS non-conf)

• Indiana and Minnesota are still awful.  They will both still go 0-8 in the Big 10.
• Going to leave this one up - Take a look at Illinois schedule.  No Nebraska, Iowa or Michigan State.  Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio State at home.  I re-iterate - sleeper for the Big 10 Title Game.
• Ohio State will be 0-4 in Big Ten play.
• Nebraska is learning quickly about life in the Big Ten.  They saved themselves against Ohio State, but they can't fall behind and expect to continue winning.  They get a few weeks before the schedule gets meaty again.
• Iowa is one big quarter against Pitt away from a disastrous season.  This is a big week to know who Iowa really is.
• Michigan State has given up 7 points or fewer in four of their five games.  The next two at home vs Michigan and Wisconsin will tell us exactly how good this defense is.
• Big 10 Game of the Week - Michigan at Michigan State - The undefeated Wolverines invade East Lansing for a tasty match-up.  The winner gets a leg-up in the Legends Division.

Bowl Changes: Current Bowl Order:  Wisconsin, Nebraska, Michigan, Illinois, Michigan State, Penn State, Iowa, Ohio State, Northwestern.

My Record: 46-11
This Week: Michigan State over Michigan, Penn State over Purdue, Wisconsin over Indiana, Illinois over Ohio State, Northwestern over Iowa

PAC-12 (5-5 for the week, 36-28 overall, 20-12 non-conference, 5-8 BCS non-conf)

• Leave this one up - Oregon State will go winless in 2011.  Congrats to the Beavers!!
• Leaving this one too - Washington and USC have many flaws, but one will play a big spoiler for Oregon or Stanford.
• Utah.  The Mountain West just sent you a sympathy card.
• Mike Stoops got a raw deal.  The Oregon State loss not withstanding, look at who they lost to at the end of 2010 and beginning of 2011.
• PAC-12 Game of the Week - Arizona State at Oregon - The Ducks will be without LaMichael James, but there is still a lot of firepower in that offense.  The Sun Devils can take a step toward the elite with an upset victory.  USC at California will be a telling game as well.

Bowl Changes:  Current Bowl Order:  Oregon, Stanford, Arizona State, Washington, California, Utah.

My Record: 41-7
This Week: California over USC, Pittsburgh over Utah, Washington over Colorado, BYU over Oregon State, Stanford over Washington State, Oregon over Arizona State

SEC (6-5 for the week, 47-22overall, 29-4 non-conference, 6-2 BCS non-conf)

• Still leaving this one - LSU or Alabama will lose to someone other than LSU or Alabama.  Only because how juicy would it be if they both had one loss and Boise State was one of two unbeatens?
• Kentucky is not good.  Not good at all. 
• Boise State, Clemson, BYU and Louisville remain the 4 non-conference losses for the SEC.
• I think LSU is better than Alabama, but they play in Alabama November 5th.  And Alabama is out for revenge from last year.  That is why I stick with the Tide in the National Championship Game.
• Where would South Carolina be if Stephen Garcia would have been dismissed when he should have been?
• Florida has all this speed.  Maybe they should race 'Bama and LSU instead of play football against them.
• SEC Game of the Week - Florida at Auburn - Florida is desparate.  Auburn is close.  The loser is in huge barney...rubble...trouble.  Should be some good ol' SEC fun this week.

Bowl Changes: Current Bowl Order:  Alabama, LSU, Arkansas, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Auburn, Tennessee, Mississippi State

My Record: 42-9
This Week:  Alabama over Mississippi, Georgia over Vanderbilt, LSU over Tennessee, Auburn over Florida, Mississippi State over South Carolina

Conference USA (4-5 this week, 30-35 overall, 19-24 non-conference, 5-16 BCS non-conf)

• The 5 BCS wins is currently tops of any non-BCS conference.  No one can fault them if the victims have been UCLA, Virginia, Boston College, Purdue and Louisville.
• Houston has the best offense in the league, but SMU appears to be the most complete team.
• Don't sleep on Southern Mississippi.  The Marshall loss isn't a bad loss and the offense appears to be on all cylinders now.
• UAB is staring at 0-9 and will thank Memphis for being in the conference this year.
• C-USA Game of the Week - Central Florida at SMU - A potential Conference Championship Game preview.  Central looked great early in the year, SMU looks great now. 

Bowl Changes:  Current Bowl Order:  SMU, Houston, Central Florida, Tulsa, Southern Mississippi, Marshall.

My Record: 45-9
This Week:  Marshall over Rice, SMU over Central Florida, East Carolina over Memphis, Tulsa over UAB, UTEP over Tulane

Mountain West (2-4 for the week, 22-19 overall, 19-16 non-conference, 2-7 BCS non-conf)

• New Mexico is hands down the worst team in FBS, although that game November 12th against UNLV is my Hide-the-Women-and-Children Game of the Year.
• At 19-16 in non-conference, the Mountain West is by far the best Non-BCS league overall, with two BCS wins vs Georgia and Washington State.
• I am 2-4 in picking TCU games.  Note to self, don't pick them to lose 2 in a row anymore. 
• Colorado State and Wyoming will each be 5-6 heading into their finale against one another, with the winner getting the bowl bid.
• I continue to leave Boise State in my BCS Title Game, but that may change by the end of October.  The odds of two BCS-league unbeatens keeps increasing by the week.
• MWC Game of the Week - San Diego State at Air Force - Both teams had TCU coming off losses and both couldn't take advantage.  This appears to be the 3rd place game in the MWC this year.

Bowl Changes:  Current Bowl Order:  Boise State, TCU, San Diego State, Air Force, Colorado State (tenuous)

My Record: 29-9
This Week: San Diego State over Air Force, Wyoming over UNLV, Nevada over New Mexico, Boise State over Colorado State

MAC (6-7 for the week, 34-43 overall, 21-30 non-conference, 3-26 BCS non-conf)

• I over-reacted to Temple, but they are back-on-track.  With the Ohio loss last week, they are still my MAC East favorites.
• The MAC is 18-4 in games against non-BCS opponents.
• Connecticut, Maryland and Indiana are the BCS victims for the MAC.  Those 26 losses show they are not afraid to play the big boys.
• Welcome to 2011 Miami(OH) Redhawks!!
• MAC Game of the Week - Western Michigan at Northern Illinois - This is a huge game for the Huskies, who I had among my pre-season favorites in the MAC.  The Broncos are playing great football and the momentum with a win here could vault them into the MAC Title game.

Bowl Changes:  Current Bowl Order:  Toledo, Temple, Western Michigan, Ohio (alternate)

My Record: 50-14
This Week:  Toledo over Bowling Green, Temple over Buffalo, Central Michigan over Eastern Michigan, Ohio over Ball State, Miami(OH) over Kent State, Western Michigan over Northern Illinois

WAC (3-3 for the week, 16-28 overall, 11-23 non-conference, 2-12 BCS non-conf)

• The 3 WAC favorites (Nevada, Hawaii and Fresno State) are a combined 7-9.  One lost by 20 to UNLV and the other two have each lost a game by at least 49 points.
• WAC Game of the Week - Utah State at Fresno State - The WAC is wide-open, and this will tell whether one of the teams who has played well (Utah State) is part of the contending group with the pre-season favortie (Fresno State).

Bowl Changes:  Utah State in, Louisiana Tech out.  Current Bowl Order:  Nevada, Hawaii, Utah State, Fresno State

My Record: 29-10
This week:  Hawaii over San Jose State, Nevada over New Mexico, New Mexico State over Idaho, Utah State over Fresno State

Sun Belt (5-4 for the week, 20-29 overall, 11-20 non-conf, 2-15 BCS non-conf)

• Louisiana-Lafayette is why College Football is great and pre-season predictions are nonsensical in many cases.  Predicted for a last or 2nd to last place finish, they have notched wins over the two pre-season favorites and now are the favorites themselves.  A victory over North Texas this week makes them bowl-eligible.
• Sun Belt Game of the Week -  Louisiana-Monroe at Troy - just because I needed to pick a game.

Bowl Changes:  Current Bowl Order:  Lousiana-Lafayette, Florida International,  Arkansas State (alternate), Troy (alternate)

My Record: 31-9
This Week:  Western Kentucky over Florida Atlantic, Louisiana-Lafayette over North Texas, Troy over Louisiana-Monroe

Independents (2-2 for the week, 12-11 overall, 5-5 BCS)

• Notre Dame should be 9-2 heading to Stanford for the season finale and a BCS bowl on the line.
• Independent Game of the Week - Navy at Rutgers - Navy is teetering on bowl-eligibility, so a win at Rutgers would make them more comfortable.

Bowl Changes: Notre Dame, BYU and Navy all remain projected bowl-eligible.

My Record: 17-6
This Week: Rutgers over Navy, BYU over Oregon State

Updated Bowl Predictions
National Championship Game:  Boise State vs Alabama
Rose:  Wisconsin vs Oregon
Sugar:  Oklahoma vs LSU
Fiesta:  Oklahoma State vs Stanford
Orange:  West Virginia vs Clemson
Capitol One:  Arkansas vs Nebraska
Gator:  Illinois vs Auburn
Cotton:  Texas A&M vs South Carolina
Alamo:  Texas vs Arizona State
Outback:  Georgia vs Michigan
Chick Fil-A:  Virginia Tech vs Florida
Sun:  North Carolina vs California
Holiday:  Baylor vs Washington
Champs:  Notre Dame vs Georgia Tech
Liberty:  Mississippi State vs SMU
Belk:  South Florida vs Florida State
Independence:  Wake Forest vs Air Force
Music City:  Tennessee vs Miami(FL)
Pinstripe:  Cincinnati vs Missouri
Kraft Fight Hunger:  Utah State vs Northwestern
Meineke Car Care:  Penn State vs Texas Tech
Insight:  Kansas State vs Michigan State
Ticket City:  Iowa vs Houston
Little Caesars:  Ohio State vs Temple
Humanitarian: Western Michigan vs Fresno State
Hawaii:  Hawaii vs Marshall
Beef O'Bradys:  Pittsburgh vs Central Florida
Armed Forces:  BYU vs Tulsa
Las Vegas:  Utah vs TCU
Poinsettia:  San Diego State vs Nevada
GoDaddy.com:  Toledo vs Florida International
New Orleans:  Southern Mississippi vs Louisiana-Lafayette
BBVA Compass:  Rutgers vs Arkansas State
New Mexico:  Troy vs Colorado State
Military:  Navy vs North Carolina State

Reader Feedback

I would like to take an opportunity to thank those of you who read Jabesblog.  It gives me the opportunity and an outlet to talk about sports in my spare time.  I try to have both an informational and entertainment component to the blog.  It is my hope that readers enjoy the blog as much as I enjoy writing it.

That being said, I would like to hear from you.  Please either comment or email me any feedback or ideas for Jabesblog.  I will once again be providing "bracketology" updates on the 2011-12 College Basketball Season in my efforts to be the #1 Bracketologist.  Outside of that, what do people like to see.  More Lists?  More Random Thoughts?  Continued Recap/Analysis on College Football?  More on Fantasy Sports?  Something New?

Your feedback would be greatly appreciated and well-received.

Thanks,
Jabesblog

Top 10 Baseball Post-Season Moments - post 1980

As the Baseball Playoffs hit their stride and present us with two Game 5's today, I thought it a good time to re-count my Top 10 moments from the Baseball Post-Season in my baseball watching lifetime (my first memory is the 1980 World Series between Kansas City and Philadelphia).

10. Roy Halladay - Doc No-No (Video) - I have always like Roy Halladay.  Probably because there is something old-school about him.  He pitches complete games.  He is not flashy.  It was great to see him throw the only post-season no-hitter in my lifetime. 

9.  Curt Schilling - What is that Ketchup? (Video) - I preface that Curt Schilling is possibly my favorite pitcher of all-time.  He was a mainstay on my fantasy teams in the 90's and 00's.  The stage of the Red Sox-Yankees playoff series in 2004 was surreal anyway.  Then in Game 6, Schilling comes out with the true "red sock" and sends it to Game 7.  I was too young to vividly remember my hometown Brewers vs the Cardinals in 1982, so the Red Sox-Yankees series ranks as my favorite series of all-time.  Plus the Brewers lost.

8.  Jorge Orta - Ump you need glasses!! (no video) - I was rooting for the Royals.  How could I like the Cardinals after 1982?  Willie McGee was my least favorite player.  All that said.  Jorge Orta was out and the Cardinals really won the 1985 World Series.  And without his Game 7 performance, Bret Saberhagen would have had a fairly average career bio.
 
7.  Jack Morris - 10 innings by a starter (no video) - Probably the greatest pitchers dual in my 30 plus years.  John Smoltz and Jack Morris going toe-to-toe.  Kent Hrbek had already tossed Ron Gant off first base and Kirby Puckett had already been the Game 6 hero earlier in the series.  Game 7 was about Morris and his dominance over not 9 but 10 innings.  Poor Gene Larkin is hardly remembered for his walk-off hit.

6.  Steve Bartman - The curse of the goat - (Video) - ESPN recently chronicled this one in-depth in their 30 for 30 series.  I wanted the Cubs to lose.  I think the curse is fun.  The problem with it all is that the Bartman play was a foul ball and there is no guarantee Alou would have caught that.  The Cubs still led the game 3-0 after Castillo ended up walking.  Its the events after that led to an 8-run inning that are inexplicable.

5.  The Earthquake - We now interrupt this program (Video) - Real life took over in 1989.  It puts things in perspective.  This is one of those events I will always remember because I was watching the baseball coverage.

4.  Joe Carter - The Pitch from Mitch (Video) - I actually did not see this one live.  I have seen it many, many times now.  It still stands as the only World Series ending walk-off home run in my lifetime.  As an aside, I really like Mitch Williams as an analyst.

3.  Sid Bream - How slow can you go (Video) - It feels like this play lasted forever, as Bream beat the Barry Bonds throw home and the Pirates lost their best World Series chance in the last 30 years.  I always like the David Justice tackle after he scores.

2.  Kirk Gibson - I don't believe what I just saw (Video) - Gibson didn't use blood on his sock.  He used a hitch in his giddy-up to provide one of the most thrilling sports moments I have seen.  Eckersley was untouchable.  The home run was improbable.  The fist pump is unforgettable.

1.  Billy Buckner - Through the 5 hole (Video) - Our entire 6th grade class had a bet on the 1986 World Series with our math teacher.  He was a huge Red Sox fan and we all bet him a Kit Kat candy bar and we got the Mets.  He was about to collect over 20 Kit Kat's with a 5-3 lead entering the bottom of the 10th.  The first two batters were retired.  Then things changed, culminating with the ball going between Buckner's legs.  Quickly though, what would have happened had Buckner fielded the ball?  Would the Red Sox have been World Series champs?  Not necessarily, as the game had already been tied on a wild pitch and simply would have moved to the 11th inning.  Everyone remember the Buckner mishap, but the game was already blown.  And I eventually enjoyed a Kit Kat after Game 7.

College Football Rewind - Week 5

5 weeks are complete and there are 15 unbeaten teams remaining.  The Big 12 leads the way with 5 undefeated teams and will be down to at least 4 after this weeks tasty tilt between Oklahoma and Texas.  The Big 10 has 3, ACC and SEC have 2, and the PAC-12, Mountain West and Conference-USA each have one.  Of these 15, Kansas State, Texas Tech, Texas, Michigan, Illinois, Georgia Tech and Houston are not yet considered National Title contenders. 
We are also still waiting for upset Saturday, a week where there are multiple shocking results that shake-up and shape the rest of the College Football season.  Contenders beware as October progresses.

ACC (8-3 for the week, 36-20 overall, 27-11 non-conference, 5-7 BCS non-conf)

• Outside of LSU, no one can argue 3 more impressive wins than Clemson (Auburn, Florida State and Virginia Tech). 
• Maybe Virginia Tech should play a quality non-conference game.  It might not have made a difference, but Clemson was obviously more battle-tested than the Hokies.
• Things will not get easier for the Tigers, with 4 out of their last 6 on the road, including trips to Georgia Tech and South Carolina.
• Boston College is terrible!!
• The Wake Forest watch is on.  With winnable games against Duke and Vanderbilt, the Deacons would need just one upset to reach bowl-eligibility. 
• ACC Game of the Week - Maryland at Georgia Tech - Despite the Terps not living up to expectations, this could be a dangerous game for the Ramblin' Wreck.

Bowl Changes: Welcome to the BCS Clemson.  My Current Bowl Order:  Clemson, Florida State, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Miami , Maryland (tenuous)

My record: 32-15
This Week:  Georgia Tech over Maryland, North Carolina over Louisville, Florida State over Wake Forest, Clemson over Boston College, North Carolina State over Central Michigan, Virginia Tech over Miami

Big East (4-4 for the week, 25-13 overall, 23-11 non-conference, 4-7 BCS non-conf)

• South Florida is winless on Thursday's since joining the Big East after last week's loss at Pittsburgh.  It just happens the season finale vs West Virginia is also on a Thursday.
• After two losses, Pittsburgh showed some moxie with their win over the Bulls and still has to be considered a Big East contender.
• Louisville's offense is horrible.  Good thing the defense is good enough to keep them in almost every game.
• Connecticut is just plain bad.  They might win one more game this year.
• Big East Game of the Week - Pittsburgh at Rutgers - An early showdown for first place in the conference.  For the Scarlett Knights, a chance to show they belong in the conversation.

Bowl Changes:  Rutgers moves into bowl-eligibility.  Syracuse holds on for now, but is teetering on the edge.  My current Bowl Order:  West Virginia, South Florida, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Syracuse (tenuous).

My Record: 22-8
This Week:  North Carolina over Lousiville, West Virginia over Connecticut, Pittsburgh over Rutgers, Syracuse over Tulane

Big 12 (4-4 for the week, 32-8 overall, 27-3 non-conference, 6-3 BCS non-conf)

• A 27-3 finish in non-conference, with the losses coming to Arizona State, Georgia Tech and Arkansas.  Pretty impressive, but the measuring stick game of Texas A&M and Arkansas leaves the advantage still to the SEC.
• I am going to continue to over-react to Kansas State.
• Robert Griffin III would no longer get my Heisman vote after 5 weeks.
• Wait, they still aren't going to give me a Heisman vote?
• While Texas A&M got a welcome to the SEC message, they did go toe-to-toe with potentially the 3rd best team in the conference.  They didn't finish, but they showed they can compete.  Unfortunately, competition medals were only cool in 2nd grade.
• Missouri could be in trouble, just sayin'.
• Big 12 Game of the Week - Oklahoma vs Texas - A battle of unbeatens in this annual showdown for Big 12 supremacy.  Oklahoma is the conference favorite, but Texas might have the best defense they will face all year.

Bowl Changes: My current Bowl Order:  Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M, Kansas State, Baylor, Texas Tech, Missouri.

My Record: 27-8
This Week:  Oklahoma State over Kansas, Baylor over Iowa State, Texas A&M over Texas Tech, Kansas State over Missouri, Texas over Oklahoma

Big Ten (5-6 for the week, 39-18 overall, 34-13 non-conference, 6-5 BCS non-conf)

• Indiana and Minnesota are still awful.  They will both still go 0-8 in the Big 10.
• I don't think I am over-reacting to Michigan.  They are legitimate Legends Division contenders.
• Speaking of the Legends Division, it looks like a delicious race with Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska and Iowa.  Northwestern will play spoiler.
• So much for the hype.  Wisconsin's balance was too much for a Nebraska team that cannot pass enough to win big games. 
• Russellmania 16 is great, but has anyone noticed Montee Ball?
• Going to leave this one up - Take a look at Illinois schedule.  No Nebraska, Iowa or Michigan State.  Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio State at home.  I re-iterate - sleeper for the Big 10 Title Game.
• Ohio State will be 0-4 in Big Ten play.
• Big 10 Game of the Week - Michigan at Northwestern - tricked you here.  Ohio State is too much of a mess right now.  The Wolverines have a tough road test that will prove if they are for real.

Bowl Changes: Current Bowl Order:  Wisconsin, Nebraska, Michigan, Illinois, Michigan State, Iowa, Penn State, Ohio State, Northwestern.

My Record: 42-10
This Week: Purdue over Minnesota, Illinois over Indiana, Iowa over Penn State, Michigan over Northwestern, Nebraska over Ohio State

PAC-12 (5-5 for the week, 31-23 overall, 20-12 non-conference, 5-8 BCS non-conf)

• Leave this one up - Oregon State will go winless in 2011.
• Leaving this one too - Washington and USC have many flaws, but one will play a big spoiler for Oregon or Stanford.
• Welcome to the PAC-12 Utah.  Apparently the PAC-12 is tougher than the Mountain West.  And BYU is not very good.  The Utes are staring at 0-3.
• Kudos to Washington State, stunning Colorado with two late TD's to get their 3rd win.  A win at UCLA this week and (gulp), we will start talking bowl for the Cougars.
• PAC-12 Game of the Week - Arizona State at Utah - This is the Utes last chance to stay in the South race.  And with USC on probation, Arizona State all but locks up the South with a win.

Bowl Changes:  Current Bowl Order:  Oregon, Stanford, Arizona State, Washington, California, Utah.

My Record: 37-6
This Week: Oregon over California, Arizona over Oregon State, Arizona State over Utah, Stanford over Colorado, UCLA over Washington State

SEC (7-4 for the week, 41-17 overall, 28-4 non-conference, 6-2 BCS non-conf)

• Still leaving this one - LSU or Alabama will lose to someone other than LSU or Alabama.
• Is South Carolina quietly a National Title Contender?  And what about Marcus Lattimore for Heisman?  No and No.  13 points on Auburn?  C'mon guys.
• All of a sudden, Georgia is the hottest team in the East.  This should be a great race between South Carolina, Florida, Georgia and Tennessee.
• OK Auburn.  I get it.  You are way better than I thought.  Now the new guys play with confidence. And you win every close game.  Fool me again this week?
• Kentucky is not good.  Not good at all. 
• Boise State, Clemson, BYU and Louisville remain the 4 non-conference losses for the SEC.
• SEC Game of the Week - Auburn at Arkansas - There are 3 good ones in the SEC this week, but this will be a good measuring stick for 3rd best in the conference.

Bowl Changes: Current Bowl Order:  Alabama, LSU, Arkansas, Florida, South Carolina, Georgia, Auburn, Tennessee, Mississippi State

My Record: 36-9
This Week: Mississippi State over UAB, South Carolina over Kentucky, LSU over Florida, Arkansas over Auburn, Alabama over Vanderbilt, Georgia over Tennessee

Conference USA (5-6 this week, 26-30 overall, 18-22 non-conference, 5-14 BCS non-conf)

• The 5 BCS wins is currently tops of any non-BCS conference.  No one can fault them if the victims have been UCLA, Virginia, Boston College, Purdue and Louisville.
• Leave this one - Despite Central Florida's recent slide, I think they still play for the C-USA Title against the Houston/SMU survivor.
• UAB is staring at 0-9.  I thought their offense would be way better.
• SMU with the statement win vaults back into favorite status.  That game November 19th at Houston is going to be funnnnn.
• C-USA Game of the Week - Marshall at Central Florida - The conference opener for the Golden Knights gives them a chance to prove their pre-season conference favorite tag is legit.

Bowl Changes:  Marshall in, East Carolina out.  Current Bowl Order:  SMU, Houston, Central Florida, Tulsa, Southern Mississippi, Marshall.

My Record: 39-9
This Week:  Mississippi State over UAB, Rice over Memphis, Houston over East Carolina, Central Florida over Marshall, Syracuse over Tulane, Southern Mississippi over Navy

Mountain West (2-3 for the week, 20-15 overall, 18-13 non-conference, 2-7 BCS non-conf)

• New Mexico is still the worst team in FBS.
• At 18-13 in non-conference, the Mountain West is by far the best Non-BCS league.
• Losing Andy Dalton was big, but apparently the secondary losses were even bigger for TCU.
• Colorado State and Wyoming will each be 5-6 heading into their finale against one another, with the winner getting the bowl bid.
• As good as Boise State is, they will not beat out an unbeaten from a BCS league for the Title Game.
• MWC Game of the Week - TCU at San Diego State - A tilt for second best behind Boise State in the conference.  I haven't figured out TCU yet, so I am sure they will win (see prediction below).

Bowl Changes:  Wyoming out.  Current Bowl Order:  Boise State, San Diego State, TCU, Air Force, Colorado State

My Record: 25-8
This Week: Boise State over Fresno State, Notre Dame over Air Force, Nevada over UNLV, Utah State over Wyoming, San Diego State over TCU

MAC (5-8 for the week, 28-36 overall, 20-28 non-conference, 3-25 BCS non-conf)

• I over-reacted to Temple.
• The MAC is 17-3 in games against non-BCS opponents.
• Add Connecticut to Maryland and Indiana as BCS victims for the MAC.  Those 25 losses show they are not afraid to play the big boys.
• Miami(OH) and Northern Illinois.  I now add you to Maryland and Mississippi State.  I have been fooled, but no longer!!
• MAC Game of the Week - Bowling Green at Western Michigan - These appear to be two of the better teams in the MAC.  Another chance for the Broncos to live-up to my pre-season hype.

Bowl Changes:  Current Bowl Order:  Toledo, Temple, Western Michigan, Northern Illinois, Ohio.

My Record: 43-13
This Week:  Army over Miami(OH), Florida International over Akron, Temple over Ball State, Western Michigan over Bowling Green, Toledo over Eastern Michigan, North Carolina State over Central Michigan, Ohio over Buffalo, Northern Illinois over Kent State

WAC (3-5 for the week, 13-25 overall, 9-21 non-conference, 2-12 BCS non-conf)

• Welcome back Hawaii.  You are now a contender in the worst conference.
• Utah State, San Jose State and New Mexico State are playing above expectations.  Which were really, really low coming into the season.
• Despite their flaws, Hawaii, Nevada and Fresno State are all 1-0 and tied for first.
• WAC Game of the Week - Wyoming at Utah State - The Aggies 1-3 record is heartbreaking.  A win over the Cowboys puts them on track for a bowl.

Bowl Changes:  Utah State in, Louisiana Tech out.  Current Bowl Order:  Nevada, Hawaii, Fresno State, Utah State

My Record: 25-9
This week:  Boise State over Fresno State, Nevada over UNLV, Utah State over Wyoming, BYU over San Jose State, Idaho over Louisiana Tech

Sun Belt (4-4 for the week, 15-25 overall, 10-20 non-conf, 2-15 BCS non-conf)

• Sun Belt Game of the Week - Troy at Louisiana-Lafayette - The Ragin' Cajuns can really stamp their inclusion in the Sun Belt race. 

Bowl Changes:  Current Bowl Order:  Florida International, Troy, Lousiana-Lafayette, Arkansas State

My Record: 28-7
This Week:  Middle Tennessee over Western Kentucky, Florida International over Akron, Troy over Louisiana-Lafayette, Arkansas State over Louisiana-Monroe, North Texas over Florida Atlantic

Independents (3-1 for the week, 10-9 overall, 5-5 BCS)

• I wish BYU and Navy would play for 2nd best Independent.
• Notre Dame is sneaking back into BCS range.
• Independent Game of the Week - Air Force at Notre Dame - The Fighting Irish have lost a few of these Service Academy games recently.

Bowl Changes: Notre Dame, BYU and Navy all remain projected bowl-eligible.

My Record: 14-5
This Week: Army over Miami(OH), Notre Dame over Air Force, Southern Mississippi over Navy, BYU over San Jose State

Updated Bowl Predictions
National Championship Game:  Boise State vs Alabama
Rose:  Wisconsin vs Oregon
Sugar:  Oklahoma vs LSU
Fiesta:  Oklahoma State vs Stanford
Orange:  West Virginia vs Clemson
Capitol One:  Florida vs Nebraska
Gator:  Illinois vs Auburn
Cotton:  Texas vs Arkansas
Alamo:  Texas A&M vs Arizona State
Outback:  South Carolina vs Michigan
Chick Fil-A:  Florida State vs Georgia
Sun:  Georgia Tech vs California
Holiday:  Baylor vs Washington
Champs:  Notre Dame vs Virginia Tech
Liberty:  Mississippi State vs SMU
Belk:  South Florida vs North Carolina
Independence:  Maryland vs Air Force
Music City:  Tennessee vs Miami(FL)
Pinstripe:  Cincinnati vs Missouri
Kraft Fight Hunger:  Utah State vs Ohio
Meineke Car Care:  Penn State vs Texas Tech
Insight:  Kansas State vs Michigan State
Ticket City:  Iowa vs Central Florida
Little Caesars:  Ohio State vs Temple
Humanitarian: Western Michigan vs Fresno State
Hawaii:  Hawaii vs Marshall
Beef O'Bradys:  Rutgers vs Houston
Armed Forces:  BYU vs Tulsa
Las Vegas:  Utah vs San Diego State
Poinsettia:  TCU vs Nevada
GoDaddy.com:  Toledo vs Troy
New Orleans:  Southern Mississippi vs Florida International
BBVA Compass:  Pittsburgh vs Northern Illinois
New Mexico:  Louisiana-Lafayette vs Colorado State
Military:  Navy vs Northwestern