Heisman-Alabama Chatter:
It's hard at the moment to come up with a clear front-runner for the Heisman Trophy. There's been a lot of talk about Mark Ingram, the RB from Alabama who is flat-out steamrolling each and every defense he comes up against week-in-week-out, but did the Tide's poor effort against the Volunteers on the weekend put pay to those chances? 'Bama got nothing out of their offense, and were lucky that their special teams were on the ball (pardon the pun) in blocking three field goal attempts, including an attempt to win the game with just seconds left. By all rights, Alabama should have lost that game. That was a Steve McQueen-style Great Escape. Ingram can't be favourite for the Heisman now. So who is? Houston's Case Keenum? Notre Dame's Jimmy Clausen? I for one can hardly wait to see who gets invited to New York for the ceremony. The trophy race hasn't been this wide open in years!
Pac-10 Underestimated?
While everyone seems to want to continue to lavish love and praise on the SEC, which, frankly, has been a sub-par conference this season outside of Alabama and Florida, I would like to draw your attention to the goings on in the Pac-10 Conference. Perhaps because they play on the other side of the country and often in later time slots, the Pac-10 doesn't get anywhere near the same amount of love as the east coast conferences. But don't you sleep on these guys. Last year, people had all but written off the Pac-10 as being a force in college football...and the teams responded to those statements by stepping out during the bowl games to go undefeated, including big wins for Oregon against a Big 12 power in Oklahoma State and for USC against a Big Ten power in Penn State.
Look at the second release of BCS rankings and you find USC at #5, Oregon at #10, Arizona at #20 and even Cal sneak in at #24, despite some bad losses (USC and Oregon) earlier in the season. That's a pretty good effort for a conference that supposedly doesn't have any talent outside that of USC. There have been some brilliant games this season, with more to come, including USC vs. Oregon this weekend and the Oregon-Oregon State Civil War in a few weeks time. I don't know about you, but I'd prefer to watch two Pac-10 teams go at it than a yawner in the SEC.
BCS busted?
I feel dreadfully sorry for Boise State. For the entire season, since their opening win vs. Oregon (which looks to be a pretty sensational win now, given what's transpired since), the nation's pundits have been at them to win and put up style points. They're sitting undefeated now, but there's been a little left to be desired in terms of how close some lesser teams (UC-Davis and Tulsa, to name just two) have played the Broncos. We've all been demanding powerful wins that bring with them "BCS style points". We got exactly that with their blow-out win vs. Hawaii on Saturday night, yet they drop in the BCS rankings and lose their inside running on an at-large BCS bowl bid to TCU. How can you drop positions for losing? I know, it's the strength of schedule business, but it's a situation like this that makes light of just how crappy a system the BCS is. We need a playoff like the Oakland Raiders need to draft a real QB in next year's draft!
The ACC
This conference is insane. It's an all-in now, heading down to the back end of the season. Va Tech and Miami have both lost recently, and, incredibly, it's the Yellow Jackets from Georgia Tech and their insane option offense - QB Josh Nesbitt threw the ball only once vs. Va Tech the other week, doing it all on the ground instead - that finds itself in the box seat for a BCS berth. This time last week, you had to like Miami for the ACC. They were in a good place, despite the loss to Va Tech, with a team certainly capable of beating the Hokies in a rematch situation. I certainly had them as my ACC favourite, but their OT loss to Clemson (thank you, CJ Spiller; what a ball game that was) has thrown things wide open. It's going to be a crazy and great end to the season. The ACC has been a pleasant surprise this year. Things are right in the college football world when Miami FL are up high and in the mix.
Bob Griese
During the Minnesota vs. Ohio State match on Saturday, ESPN annoucer Bob Griese had a brain-fade bigger than any that Terrelle Pryor has come up with this year. During a promo for the upcoming NASCAR Sprint Cup race from Martinsville, VA, play-by-play man Dave Pasch introduced a graphic with the Top 5 in the standings. For the first time since the beginning of the ten-race Chase, Juan Pablo Montoya isnt in the 5. When Chris Spielman asked where JPM was, Griese replied, "He's out getting a taco!" Nice, Griese. Real nice. Nothing like a racially insensitive remark to start your Saturday of college football. After everything that has occurred with ESPN on-air talent this week - read Steve Phillips - you have to, more than ever, think before you say anything. I know he apologised, but still... The nation (and the world) is just looking for gaffes like that.
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