Pikes Picks

2010 AWARDS - Better Late Than Never (Part II)

2010-01-20T19:18:00.002-06:00

Continuing on in our Wednesday night Awards "Ceremony" here are the winners of our four biggest awards.

BO JACKSON TROPHY
The Nation's Top Offensive Player
Mark Ingram (RB, Alabama)

Runners Up: Golden Tate (WR, Notre Dame), Toby Gerhart (RB, Stanford)

I'll be honest - if I had handed out this award at the end of the regular season it would have gone to Golden Tate. But after Mark Ingram's performance in the National Championship game it's hard to argue there is anyone better. Ingram has that rare Ricky Williams-esque combination of size and speed that was on full display against the number one rush defense in the nation.

Tate still finished a close second place because his ball skills are the best I've seen since Larry Fitzgerald. He is obviously the best deep threat in America and should be a great pro despite being a little undersized.

MARK HERZLICH TROPHY
(formerly the LaVar Arrington Trophy)
The Nation's Top Defensive Player
Ndamukong Suh (DT, Nebraska)

Runners Up: Jason Pierre-Paul (DE, South Florida), Rolondo McClain (LB, Alabama)

From about October on there was really no doubt who would take home the Herzlich. Suh was easily the most dominating defensive player in the land, and actually ended up being one of the best defensive players of the decade. He's as good as it gets on the defensive line.

The runners up were tough to choose. If you didn't see junior college transfer Jason Pierre-Paul play in 2009 you missed your opportunity. The freakishly athletic defensive end decided to take his game to the next level where you'll no doubt hear his name. McClain is as good a linebacker as you could hope to find too.

MARSHALL FAULK TROPHY
The Best Player Not in a BCS Conference
Jerry Hughes (DE, TCU)

Runners Up: Dan LeFevour (QB, Central Michigan), Van Eskridge (DB, East Carolina), Freddie Barnes (WR, Bowling Green), Ryan Mathews (RB, Fresno State), Joe Webb (QB, UAB)

Hughes controlled the line of scrimmage for much of TCU's 12-1 season and went wire to wire as the favorite to win this award. Forgive me for not including Case Keenum and his clownish stats, but he failed to show up in a couple of Houston's big losses this season. Kellen Moore was the QB for the best non-AQ team, but I don't think he was even the best player on his own team (that honor lies somewhere in the defensive secondary).

SPROLES/SAUERBRUN AWARD
The Nation's Top Special Teams Player
Mardy Gilyard (RET, Cincinnati)

Runners Up: C.J. Spiller (KR, Clemson), Zoltan Mesko (P, Michigan), Brandon Banks (RET, Kansas State), Caleb Sturgis (PK, Florida)

Cincinnati's Mardy Gilyard won this award not only for his prowess in the return game, but for his knack of making big plays when his team needed him the most. His touchdown return in the Pittsburgh game spurred a furious rally that ended with the Bearcats protecting their undefeated regular season.

Brandon Banks and C.J. Spiller had fantastic seasons as return men for their respective teams. Spiller set the career record for career kickoffs returned for touchdown (7), while Banks returned 4 kickoffs for touchdown in 2009, including an NCAA tying two in one game.

Meanwhile, Zoltan Mesko capped a brilliant career as one of the best punters ever with one of the best names ever. Florida's Caleb Sturgis impressed with timely place kicking and the poise to calm his excited teammates after big kicks he made.

2010 AWARDS - Better Late Than Never (Part I)

2010-01-20T18:19:00.002-06:00

It's been almost two weeks since the last college football game was played, so I think it's safe to say we here at Pike's Picks kept our word about not handing out our individual awards until after all the games have been played. You can click [HERE] for our list of finalists heading into the bowl games.

HERSHEL WALKER AWARD
The Nation's Top Freshman
LaMichael James (RB, Oregon)

Runners Up: Dion Lewis (RB, Pittsburgh), Ryan Williams (RB, Virginia Tech)

This award was dominated by running backs in 2010. Oregon's LaMichael James separated himself from the rest of the pack with a strong second half. He also showed the kind of burst and acceleration that will make him a fixture in college football for the years to come.

THE DEION
The Ballhawk Award
Earl Thomas (S, Texas)

Runners Up: Eric Berry (S, Tennessee), Joe Haden (CB, Florida)

2009 winner Eric Berry came close to going back-to-back, but Earl Thomas, with 8 interceptions and 2 touchdowns, simply made more big plays than Berry did over the course of the season.

GALE SAYERS AWARD
The Nation's Most Elusive Playmaking Skill Player
C.J. Spiller (RB/KR, Clemson)

Runners Up: Jacquizz Rodgers (RB, Oregon State), Jeremy Kerley (WR/KR, TCU)

This was a really tight race. Eventually I ended up voting for the player that scored the most touchdowns with only one shoe.

TOMMIE FRAZIER AWARD
Our Favorite Quarterback
Tony Pike (QB, Cincinnati)

Runners Up: B.J. Daniels (QB, South Florida), Jerrod Johnson (QB, Texas A&M), Jeremiah Masoli (QB, Oregon), Josh Nesbitt (QB, Georgia Tech), Terrelle Pryor (QB, Ohio State)

Come on - did you really think anybody else had a chance? Pike played well enough all season to guide Cincinnati to an undefeated regular season and the program's second consecutive BCS Bowl. In an especially weak year for quarterbacks, this turned out to be a no-brainer.

FINALISTS - Gale Sayers Award

2009-12-12T11:05:00.008-06:00

In the highlight reel age, we figured we should have an award for the most elusive skill player. Ironically it is named for a player who made his living quite some time before the highlight reel age. The award goes to the most elusive skill player in America - a guy that defenders just can't seem to wrap up. Obviously, having a strong highlight package will play into the voting.
2008 Winner - Jahvid Best (RB, California)

Last year's winner was dropped from consideration when he added one of the most gruesome injuries I have ever seen to his highlight reel. Best is a great player, but now I can't think about him without remembering that awful concussion he suffered after leaping into the end zone against Oregon State.

I have whittled the list of finalists down to the final five. Here is the pertinent info for each of them, in alphabetical order.

2009 Finalists:

DEZMON BRISCOE (Jr. WR, Kansas)

A relative unknown on this list, Briscoe has been one of the best go-to receivers in the nation for the past couple seasons. He can make the big catch AND has the speed to take it the distance.
2009 Stats:
84 receptions for 1,337 yards (15.4 avg) and 9 touchdowns;
1 kickoff return touchdown;
1 rushing touchdown

Highlights:

MARDY GILYARD (Sr. WR, Cincinnati)

Gilyard has the knack for making his biggest plays when the team needs it most. See the 99-yard kickoff return for touchdown late in the first half when trailing by 21 against Pittsburgh on the last day of the regular season for evidence.
2009 Stats:
80 receptions for 1,150 yards (14.4 avg) and 11 touchdowns;
34 kickoff returns for 1,074 yards (31.6 avg) and 2 touchdowns;
16 punt returns for 202 yards (12.6 avg) and 1 touchdown

Highlights:

JEREMY KERLEY (Jr. WR, TCU)

Sure, Kerley might not get nearly as many touches as the other guys on this list, but that only means he has a higher percentage of highlights per touch. The chances of Kerley winning the Sayers isn't high, but his punt return for touchdown against Colorado State this year is enough by itself to make him a finalist.
2009 Stats:
38 receptions for 467 yards (12.3 avg) and 2 touchdowns;
34 punt returns for 487 yards (14.3 avg) and 2 touchdowns;
17 kickoff returns for 457 yards (26.9 avg);
50 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns

Highlight:

JACQUIZZ RODGERS (Soph. RB, Oregon State)

You should probably get used to seeing Rodgers' name on the list of Finalists for the Sayers Award. Only a sophomore, Rodgers is already putting together quite a string of impressive plays and drawing comparisons to the one and only Barry Sanders.
2009 Stats:
255 carries for 1,377 yards (5.4 avg) and 20 touchdowns;
74 receptions for 509 yards (6.9 avg) and 1 touchdown;
1 passing touchdown

Highlights:

C.J. SPILLER (Sr. RB, Clemson)

I'm not the biggest Spiller fan in the world, but there is no way you can ignore his sheer athleticism. He practically defines what this award is about. When Spiller gets his hands on the ball in the open field, there isn't a defender alive (other than maybe Fred Smoot) who thinks he has a good chance at taking him down.
2009 Stats:
201 carries for 1,145 yards (5.7 avg) and 11 touchdowns;
21 kickoff returns for 708 yards (33.7 avg) and 4 touchdowns;
33 receptions for 445 yards (13.5 avg) and 4 touchdowns;
8 punt returns for 210 yards (26.3 avg) and 1 touchdown;
1 passing touchdown

Highlight:

Awards Season

2009-12-08T18:21:00.008-06:00

It's awards season again. As you may or may not know, we here at Pikes Picks choose not to pay much attention to the real awards, and instead give out our own set of awards. There are eight major awards (so far) which we will explain below.

Without further ado (because you all know what the frick awards are), here are the finalists for our eight major individual awards.

BO JACKSON TROPHY

Our Heisman Trophy without the lies. We don't pretend to include defensive players for this award because we created a defensive Heisman Trophy as well (see below). The Bo Jackson Trophy is awarded to the best offensive player in the nation.

2008 Winner - Colt McCoy (QB, Texas)

2009 Finalists:
*Toby Gerhart (RB, Stan)
*Mardy Gilyard (WR, Cincy)
*Mark Ingram (RB, Bama)
*Jeremiah Masoli (QB, Ore)
*Josh Nesbitt (QB, GT)
*Jordan Shipley (WR, Tex)
*Golden Tate (WR, ND)

HERZLICH TROPHY (formerly the Arrington Trophy)

Our defensive Heisman Trophy goes to the best defensive player in the nation. It was known as the Arrington Trophy in its inaugural year, but was renamed after its first winner, Boston College linebacker Mark Herzlich, was diagnosed with cancer.

2008 Winner - Mark Herzlich (LB, Boston College)

2009 Finalists:
*Eric Berry (S, Tenn)
*Terrance Cody (NT, Bama)
*Brandon Graham (DE, Mich)
*Lamarr Houston (DT, Tex)
*Greg Jones (LB, MSU)
*Rolando McClain (LB, Bama)
*Gerald McCoy (DT, Okl)
*Derrick Morgan (DE, GT)
*Eric Norwood (LB, SoCar)
*Jason Pierre-Paul (DE, USF)
*Brian Price (DT, UCLA)
*Brandon Spikes (LB, Fla)
*Ndamukong Suh (DT, Neb)
*Earl Thomas (S, Tex)
*Sean Weatherspoon (LB, Miz)

FAULK TROPHY

We didn't want to leave out all the great players from non-BCS conferences, so we gave them their own Heisman Trophy too. Yes, the Faulk Trophy goes to the best player playing for a school not in a BCS Conference.

2008 Winner - Brian Johnson (QB, Utah)

2009 Finalists:
*Freddie Barnes (WR, BGSU)
*Nick Bellore (LB, CMU)
*Antonio Brown (WR/KR, CMU)
*Donald Buckram (RB, UTEP)
*Van Eskridge (DB, ECU)
*Dwayne Harris (AP, ECU)
*Jerry Hughes (DE, TCU)
*Mike Iupati (OG, Ida)
*Colin Kaepernick (QB, Nev)
*Case Keenum (QB, Hou)
*Noah Keller (LB, Ohio)
*Dan LeFevour (QB, CMU)
*Ryan Mathews (RB, Fresno)
*Josh McNary (DE, Army)
*Bruce Miller (DL, UCF)
*Kellen Moore (QB, Boise)
*Daryl Washington (LB, TCU)
*Joe Webb (QB, UAB)

SPROLES/SAUERBRUN AWARD

The Sproles/Sauerbrun Award goes to the best special teams player in the land. That could be a kicker, a punter, or a return specialists. If you know of any great gunners that I am leaving off the list I would love to know that as well. But for now we're sticking with players you've heard of.

2008 Winner - Brandon James (KR/PR, Florida)

2009 Finalists:
*Javier Arenas (RET, Bama)
*Brandon Banks (RET, KSt)
*Drew Butler (P, UGA)
*Kai Forbath (K, UCLA)
*Mardy Gilyard (RET, Cincy)
*Jeremy Kerley (RET, TCU)
*Zoltan Mesko (P, Mich)
*C.J. Spiller (KR, Clem)
*Caleb Sturgis (K, Fla)
*Leigh Tiffin (K, Bama)

HERSCHEL WALKER AWARD

Why is there no national award for the best freshman player in the country? With as many freshmen making impacts as there are nowadays, it's about time somebody gave an award to the top newbie. And if we're going to do it, why not name it after one of the all time great freshmen?

2008 Winner - Robert Griffin (QB, Baylor)

2009 Finalists:
*B.J. Daniels (QB, USF)
*LaMichael James (RB, Ore)
*Alshon Jeffery (WR, SoCar)
*Dion Lewis (RB, Pitt)
*Andrew Luck (QB, Stan)
*Greg Reid (CB/PR, FSU)
*Ryan Williams (RB, VT)

THE DEION

The Deion is our "ballhawk" award. It is awarded to defensive backs that make their living around the ball. And true to its namesake, we prefer it to be done with a little style.

2008 Winner - Eric Berry (S, Tennessee)

2009 Finalists:
*Mark Barron (S, Bama)
*Eric Berry (S, Tenn)
*Perrish Cox (CB, OkSt)
*DeAndre McDaniel (S, Clem)
*Rahim Moore (S, UCLA)
*Patrick Peterson (CB, LSU)
*Tyler Sash (S, Iowa)
*Earl Thomas (S, Tex)
*Trevin Wade (CB, Ari)
*Major Wright (S, Fla)

GALE SAYERS

2008 Winner - Jahvid Best (RB, California)

2009 Finalists:
*Brandon Banks (WR, KSt)
*Dezmon Briscoe (WR, Kan)
*Ryan Broyles (WR, Okl)
*Jeff Demps (RB, Fla)
*Noel Devine (RB, WVU)
*Mardy Gilyard (WR, Cincy)
*LaMichael James (RB, Ore)
*Jeremy Kerley (WR, TCU)
*Dion Lewis (RB, Pitt)
*Dexter McCluster (RB, Miss)
*Jacquizz Rodgers (RB, OrSt)
*C.J. Spiller (RB, Clem)

TOMMIE FRAZIER

This is easily our most ambiguous award. It is named after one of the all time greatest college quarterbacks. Frazier was one of the most exciting players to watch, and also happened to be one of the winningest quarterbacks of all time. This award goes to the quarterback that best matches those lofty traits. Obviously a little bias creeps into this award because what we deem "exciting" may be "hard to watch" to you (see last year's winner).

2008 Winner - Tyrod Taylor (QB, Virginia Tech)

2009 Finalists:
*B.J. Daniels (USF)
*Jacory Harris (Mia)
*Jerrod Johnson (A&M)
*Ryan Mallett (Ark)
*Jeremiah Masoli (Ore)
*Josh Nesbitt (GT)
*Terrelle Pryor (OhSt)
*Tony Pike (Cincy)
*Tyrod Taylor (VT)

JP Top 25 - Week 10

2009-11-08T14:06:00.004-06:00

With apologies to Nevada and San Jose State, who are set to play later tonight, here is my top 25 following an exciting week ten.

1. Texas (Record: 9-0, Last Week: 1)
The Longhorns continue to look like the best team in the nation, with the best balance of offense, defense, and special teams.

2. Alabama (9-0, LW: 2)
A gutty performance by the Crimson Tide showed this team has what it takes to fight through tough times and still come out victorious.

3. Florida (9-0, LW: 3)
Offensively, Florida is easily the worst team among the top teams in the nation. Allow me to be the first to predict the Gators will be BETTER on offense in 2010 when John Brantley takes over the QB spot. He's got a much better arm and will really help open things up. Whether he can win like Tebow or not will be the real discussion in the offseason.

4. TCU (9-0, LW: 4)
I'm making the road trip to Fort Worth to watch the game of the week in person next weekend. TCU hosts Utah, their last big test of the season.

5. Georgia Tech (9-1, LW: 6)
Paul Johnson's gutsy call to go for it on fourth down late in the fourth quarter while trailing Wake Forest shows the confidence he has in his offense right now.

6. Cincinnati (9-0, LW: 7)
The Bearcats had to hang on tight to beat UConn, which shined a spotlight on a defense that might not be as good as we previously thought. And I now firmly believe Brian Kelly can plug any quarterback on his roster into the lineup and score points. Kelly clearly prepares his quarterbacks better than just about anybody in America.

7. Boise State (9-0, LW: 8)
Boise had another mid-week close call, but I still believe the defense on this team ranks them as a legitimate top 10 team. The Broncos nearly jumped Cincinnati in my poll this week.

8. Pittsburgh (8-1, LW: 11)
The next time I hear Pitt mentioned in the national conversation will be the first. Right now, the gap in the Big East between Cincinnati and Pitt is razor thin. Bill Stull and Dion Lewis have the offense humming, and the defense - a Wannstedt specialty - is coming together nicely as well. Don't be surprised if the Panthers end up with the Big East's BCS bowl bid.

9. Oregon (7-2, LW: 9)
Looks like Oregon isn't what everybody thought they were. I kept having flashbacks to that opening night game where they looked like a bottom ten team (not a top ten team) against Boise State, which prevented me from raving about this team as much as everybody else did.

10. USC (7-2, LW: 12)
The Trojans looked absolutely average in defeating Arizona State on the road Saturday night. Maybe Oregon's big win wasn't as big as it first seemed.

11. Ohio State (8-2, LW: 14)
12. LSU (7-2, LW: 10)
13. Virginia Tech (6-3, LW: 15)
14. Miami (7-2, LW: 16)
15. Iowa (9-1, LW: 5)
16. Penn State (8-2, LW: 13)
17. Arizona (6-2, LW: 19)
18. Utah (8-1, LW: 20)
19. Oregon State (6-3, LW: 24)
20. Houston (8-1, LW: 22)
21. Oklahoma State (7-2, LW: 23)
22. South Florida (6-2, LW: 21)
23. Stanford (6-3, LW: NR)
24. Tennessee (5-4, LW: NR)
25. BYU (7-2, LW: NR)

Just missed the cut:
Wisconsin, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Auburn, West Virginia, Clemson

WEEK TEN - Top 25 Preview (Part II)

2009-11-04T23:26:00.005-06:00

#10 LSU at #2 Alabama
This is obviously the game of the week, but I'm not sure it is going to be a very pretty game to watch. This is going to be one of those down and dirty defensive battles where the first team to about 13 points is going to win. Alabama, coming off the bye week, has the inside track to those 13 points. Julio Jones is getting healthier and he'll need to make a play or two against the talented LSU secondary. The problem for the Tigers is I'm not sure how they are going to move the ball against a stout Crimson Tide front. Jordan Jefferson needs to have a career day if LSU hopes to pull the upset, but I'm not counting on it.
J.Pike's Pick: Alabama 20, LSU 9

#8 Oregon at Stanford
I've been picking against Oregon all year. And once again my gut is telling me that Stanford has an excellent chance at knocking the Ducks off their high horse. Toby Gerhart is a battering ram at running back and Andrew Luck is looking more and more like a big time Pac-10 quarterback every week. The Cardinal defense is far from a brick wall, but they are capable of playing very well in stretches. With Oregon riding high after the big win over Southern Cal, I like the Stanford defense to play a big role early in confusing Jeremiah Masoli and the Ducks offense early on while Gerhart and company steal a quick lead. It will be up to the unsung key to Oregon's rise, running back LaMichael James, to lead the Ducks to victory.
J.Pike's Pick: Oregon 34, Stanford 27

Wake Forest at #6 Georgia Tech
Riley Skinner's status is up in the air for this game, but it shouldn't matter one way or the other. Georgia Tech's offense has been on a roll lately and the Wake defense won't be more than a speed bump in the road. Jim Grobe is a fine coach and he'll find a way to keep the Deacs in the game for a while, but Paul Johnson's triple option will keep picking up steam as they always do, and run of a couple of big plays in the second half to put the game away.
J.Pike's Pick: Georgia Tech 33, Wake Forest 17

#4 TCU at San Diego State
TCU is looking more and more like the real deal. The Frogs have yet to take a week off as they march through conference play. I keep waiting for them to finally slip up (because every unbeaten TCU team in the last decade has eventually let me down at some point), but the more I watch them play the more I think this team might just be disciplined enough to run the table. However, this is going to be a much tougher road trip than it looks. New head coach Brady Hoke has assembled a top notch coaching staff in San Diego. Defensive coordinator Rocky Long is just as capable as Gary Patterson of drawing up the perfect plan to shut down an opposing offense. This is going to be a game where Andy Dalton will need to play a factor because I think it is going to be a surprisingly tight contest.
J.Pike's Pick: TCU 23, San Diego State 16

New Mexico at #20 Utah
Utah has a quarterback controversy brewing between junior Terrence Cain and freshman Jordan Wynn. Whichever one gets the start will probably win the job because New Mexico can make just about any quarterback look good in 2009. The winless Lobos are just the remedy to cure a sputtering Utah offense.
J.Pike's Pick: Utah 43, New Mexico 19

#24 Oregon State at California
If you like running backs, this is where your eyes need to be on Saturday. JaQuizz Rodgers and Jahvid Best are two of the most exciting backs around, and neither stands taller than about 5-foot-8. California has slowly been pulling out of their mid-season slump, but Oregon State has quietly been playing solid football too. Look for Rodgers to out-rush Best, and for Sean Canfield to play just well enough for the Beavers to escape Berkeley with the W.
J.Pike's Pick: Oregon State 31, California 27

Vanderbilt at #3 Florida
There is no reason for this game to be close. If Florida truly is a national championship contender, they will dismiss Vandy with ease. The Commodores haven't been very good this season, which is disappointing considering all the progress they made in climbing out of the SEC cellar over the past two seasons.
J.Pike's Pick: Florida 38, Vanderbilt 3

#22 Houston at Tulsa
Todd Graham just needs to get through 2009 so he can get his Tulsa team back into the Conference USA race again in 2010. The Golden Hurricane have shown flashes of good football this season, but they have been fewer and farther between than the past two years. Houston's offense is among the most potent in college football, and Tulsa's defense doesn't look like much of a test.
J.Pike's Pick: Houston 45, Tulsa 24

Connecticut at #9 Cincinnati
Cincinnati is the class of the Big East so far. It would be nice to see Connecticut rise up and pull an upset here in honor of their fallen teammate, but Randy Edsall's team simply doesn't have the firepower to do it. Mardy Gilyard will be the difference in the game, but the Huskies will play admirably and keep it close throughout.
J.Pike's Pick: Cincinnati 23, Connecticut 17

#12 USC at Arizona State
Arizona State's primary strength is their defense. Don't be surprised if they hold USC under 30 points (is that an accomplishment any more?). But how will the Sun Devils score points? The ground game isn't very good, and Danny Sullivan is just now starting to show signs of life at quarterback. USC will bounce back from the pounding they took in Eugene by dismissing an out-manned Arizona State.
J.Pike's Pick: USC 27, Arizona State 13

#17 Oklahoma at Nebraska
I don't think anybody was expecting this game to feature a pair of 3-loss teams. In 2009, Nebraska was expected to step up and take back control of the Big XII North while Oklahoma was expected to challenge for a national title. Obviously both have fallen short of those expectations, if only by the slimmest of margins.

The Nebraska offense has been in a serious funk for the past few weeks, but making the switch to the freshman Cody Green at quarterback will pay dividends in the long run. He has a much better skill set than Zac Lee, and he looks like he could be a really good player once he learns the offense and the coaching staff turns him loose. And if you ask Nebraska fans, they'll tell you offensive coordinator Shawn Watson should turn him loose this weekend. Against a formidable Oklahoma defensive line (Gerald McCoy is one of the most underrated players in the country), Green will need to put the offense on his shoulders in order to put points on the board. Roy Helu has been banged up and the running game will probably not be very productive Saturday night.

But where Nebraska holds a big advantage is on the defensive side of the ball. What nobody wants to talk about this season is that Oklahoma simply can't line up and run the football. The coaching staff seems to think they can, as they arrogantly try to flex their muscles at least a couple drives per game. But the fact is that offensive line is too slow and too inexperienced to be a consistent threat running the ball downhill. Nebraska's defensive line - a pretty good group itself - is good enough to eliminate the running threat and pressure Landry Jones. Ryan Broyles is a great receiver, and he'll produce in this game - but the rest of OU's receiving corps leaves a lot to be desired. If Nebraska can keep Broyles to 2 touchdowns or less, then Nebraska will have a good shot at winning.

Call me stupid, but this is college football. Bo Pelini is as good an X's and O's coach as there is defensively, so you know he'll have a game plan that will keep this game much closer than it was a year ago. It will be up to Cody Green and the offense to come through with some much needed big plays to pull the upset. The bottom line is Oklahoma simply isn't as good a team as they should be, and Pelini and Company will find a way to exploit their weaknesses and bring home a huge win for the Huskers.
J.Pike's Pick: Nebraska 20, Oklahoma 17

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!

WEEK TEN - Top 25 Preview (Part I)

2009-11-04T22:18:00.000-06:00

Thursday, November 5th

#15 Virginia Tech at East Carolina
After getting surprised a week ago at home on Thursday night against North Carolina, Virginia Tech must go on the road to face another directional Carolina. I have to admit that I have been half-way on the ECU bandwagon since they knocked off Va Poly and Westy Virginny at the beginning of last season. Patrick Pinkney is a dangerous senior quarterback and all purpose threat Dwayne Harris (3 receiving tds, 4 rushing tds, 2 kick return tds) make this a tough matchup for a hurting Hokie team. But you can't keep Frank Beamer's team down for long. Look for the Hokies to bounce back onto the winning track, even if this is a much closer, much uglier game than it should be.
J.Pike's Pick: Virginia Tech 22, East Carolina 19

Friday, November 6th

#7 Boise State at Louisiana Tech
Another week another easy game for the Broncos. Kellen Moore has only thrown two interceptions all season long to go with his 24 touchdown passes. Don't expect Boise to all of a sudden start turning the ball over and making mistakes just because they go on the road to play one of the "tougher" teams in the WAC.
J.Pike's Pick: Boise State 37, Louisiana Tech 13

Saturday, November 7th

#25 Wisconsin at Indiana
Indiana has been giving opposing Big Ten teams fits all season long. Just last week they pushed #5 ranked Iowa deep into the fourth quarter before giving up an explosion of points and losing. This week the Hoosiers host Wisconsin, and I expect them to play another solid game. Wisconsin has John Clay, though, and he'll make sure the Badgers win the time of possession battle and the game.
J.Pike's Pick: Wisconsin 27, Indiana 20

Northwestern at #5 Iowa
Iowa keeps finding ways to win close games. I feel like the cardiac kids will get a break this week and win a fairly easy game against the struggling Wildcats.
J.Pike's Pick: Iowa 30, Northwestern 16

Central Florida at #1 Texas
The surging Longhorns look to maintain their streak of dominating performances against George O'Leary's Knights of Central Florida. In a rare late season non-conference game, I wouldn't be surprised to see Texas revert to their early season form and look sluggish in the first quarter. But there's absolutely no reason this should be a close game heading into the fourth quarter. Colt McCoy will continue to play well as he claws his way back into Heisman contention.
J.Pike's Pick: Texas 42, Central Florida 21

Syracuse at #11 Pittsburgh
Bill Stull and Dion Lewis have Pittsburgh quietly playing about as well as anybody in the country right now. The backfield duo has been putting points on the board at a rate not previously seen in Dave Wannstedt's tenure. Against a struggling Syracuse team that just had it's best player (Mike Williams - a legit stud at wide receiver) quit the team. First year coach Doug Marrone is going through his first real rough patch as a head coach, and facing a hot Panthers team isn't a good recipe to make things any better.
J.Pike's Pick: Pittsburgh 38, Syracuse 11

Virginia at #16 Miami
Upset alert. I know I keep calling for Virginia to be an upset candidate, but this is the week I think they finally pull off the feat. Miami is struggling right now, and even though they have showed guts down the stretch in games (see their fourth quarter win against Wake Forest last week), they definitely aren't playing their best ball of the season. Look for Virginia to use about three different players at quarterback, and find a way to manufacture enough points to pull the upset. Remember, this is the ACC - it gets crazier every week.
J.Pike's Pick: Virginia 26, Miami 21

Navy at #18 Notre Dame
Navy finally got one over on the Irish and their Special Ed coach two seasons ago. But coming off a loss to Temple, I don't see it happening again. Quarterback Ricky Dobbs will do his part to keep the Middies in it, though.
J.Pike's Pick: Notre Dame 33, Navy 24

Washington State at #19 Arizona
Poor Washington State. The Cougs can't get to that UCLA game (their only shot at a conference win) soon enough.
J.Pike's Pick: Arizona 44, Washington State 14

#23 Oklahoma State at Iowa State
Austin Arnaud is back at quarterback for Iowa State. I like what Paul Rhodes is doing in Ames so far, so getting his best offensive weapon back is a plus, especially against a vulnerable Cowboy team. On paper Okie State should hand the Cyclones, but after that beatdown last week (by Texas and the officials), how will Gundy's squad react? If they don't bounce back and focus their full attention on Iowa State they might find themselves in the middle of a losing streak.
J.Pike's Pick: Oklahoma State 31, Iowa State 21

#14 Ohio State at #13 Penn State
In one of just two games featuring two ranked opponents this week, Jim Tressel brings his Buckeyes to Happy Valley to take on Joe Paterno's Nittany Lions. Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor has played his best ball of the season over the past two weeks, and will need to bring that edge into this game because Penn State's defensive front has more than enough fire power to collapse the under-performing Buckeye offensive line whenever they choose to. Expect to hear the name Ollie Ogbu a lot in this game.

On the other side of the ball, talented playmakers Darryl Clark and Evan Royster will need to step up their games if they are to score many points on the Ohio State defense. If either Clark or Royster delivers a big game, the Nittany Lions should emerge victorious. If the Buckeye defense can contain both, however, Ohio State will sneak out of town with a big win. At the end of the day I think the story will not be about Clark or Royster, but about Terrelle Pryor.
J.Pike's Pick: Ohio State 18, Penn State 13

JP Top 25 - Week 9

2009-11-03T18:26:00.004-06:00

The top four for me is pretty easy. After that is when things get interesting. You could toss teams 5-9 up in the air and make a pretty good case for whatever order they landed in. Iowa, in particular, is hard to gauge. Does a team that needed not one but TWO blocked field goals in the closing seconds to beat 1-AA Northern Iowa - not to mention a fourth quarter comeback and a couple questionable calls by the officials to beat lowly Indiana - really merit consideration as a top 5 team? Or do you reward their ability to come from behind and just win games on a weekly basis? Take a look at how it shook out for me this week.

Rk. School (Record, Last week's rank)
1. Texas (8-0, 1)
2. Alabama (8-0, 2)
3. Florida (8-0, 3)
4. TCU (8-0, 4)
5. Iowa (9-0, 5)
6. Georgia Tech (8-1, 6)
7. Cincinnati (8-0, 9)
8. Boise State (8-0, 10)
9. Oregon (7-1, 12)
10. LSU (7-1, 13)
11. Pittsburgh (7-1, 11)
12. USC (6-2, 7)
13. Penn State (8-1, 14)
14. Ohio State (7-2, 15)
15. Virginia Tech (5-3, 8)
16. Miami (6-2, 16)
17. Oklahoma (5-3, 17)
18. Notre Dame (6-2, 18)
19. Arizona (5-2, 19)
20. Utah (7-1, NR)
21. South Florida (6-2, NR)
22. Houston (7-1, 22)
23. Oklahoma State (6-2, 23)
24. Oregon State (5-3, NR)
25. Wisconsin (6-2, 25)

Just missed the cut:

West Virginia, Tennessee, South Carolina, Auburn, BYU, California

WEEK NINE - Top 25 Preview

2009-10-28T21:34:00.003-05:00

#1 Texas at #23 Oklahoma State
If the Longhorns let their heads get too big after their thrashing of Missouri last weekend this game could be trouble. In fact, when Texas plays in Stillwater it is always trouble, and 2009 will be no different. Oklahoma State's underrated offensive and defensive lines will keep them in the game, but Texas is just too overpowering. Colt McCoy will lead a touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter that finally puts away the Pokes for good.
J.Pike's Pick: Texas 30, Oklahoma State 20

#2 Alabama is IDLE

#3 Florida vs Georgia
(@ Jacksonville, FL)
The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party went from must see tv a year ago to an afterthought. Florida's offense has been playing like absolute garbage all season, but Georgia's defense hasn't been great either. I still give Georgia's defense the advantage in that matchup, but unfortunately the Bulldogs offense won't win the matchup with Florida's defense. The Gators will survive another close one, but they'll look better doing it this week than they have recently.
J.Pike's Pick: Florida 34, Georgia 20

UNLV at #4 TCU
Be careful Horned Frogs. You have a tendency to give away games when everybody starts patting you on the back. It was a big win over BYU on Saturday, and if TCU can keep the level of physicality anywhere near that level this will be an easy win. But if the Frogs let up, it could be upset alert time.
J.Pike's Pick: TCU 33, UNLV 16

Indiana at #5 Iowa
Iowa's hopes of going undefeated suffered another blow this week when they found out yet another starting running back (Adam Robinson) would miss time due to injury. That puts the pressure on Ricky Stanzi and the passing game to pick up the slack against a scrappy Indiana team that doesn't go away easily. It's Halloween and there will be at least one or two crazy upsets today, so why can't the madness begin at 11 am? Because Iowa is too good in the trenches, that's why.
J.Pike's Pick: Iowa 21, Indiana 13

#6 Georgia Tech at Vanderbilt
Georgia Tech's triple option offense just keeps getting better under second year head coach Paul Johnson. The emergence of Anthony Allen as a complement to Jonathan Dwyer in the backfield (actually, Allen might be the more complete back right now - he averages over 10 yards every time he touches the ball) has really put the pressure on opposing defenses to stay disciplined against all three options. After Bobby Johnson's Commodores took some big steps forward in 2007 and 2008, his program has begun to slide back to the bottom of the SEC again in 2009. The Ramblin' Wreck should top the 300 yard mark on the ground yet again as they easily dismiss Vandy.
J.Pike's Pick: Georgia Tech 34, Vanderbilt 12

#7 USC at #12 Oregon
Oregon has been on a roll ever since getting embarrassed by Boise State on opening night. Nobody has really tested the Ducks and all signs point toward this game as the de-facto Pac-10 Championship Game. The pressure is on the USC defense to step up to the plate and shut down Jeremiah Masoli and the Oregon offense, something the Ducks past six opponents have not been able to do. But I think the Trojans are more than up to the challenge. The game is in Autzen, but the Trojans simply own Oregon, so it won't matter. Oregon goes down, and looks ugly in the process.
J.Pike's Pick: USC 27, Oregon 17

North Carolina at #8 Virginia Tech
(Thursday night game)
What happened to Butch Davis' Tar Heels? They looked to be on the verge of breaking through, but 2009 has turned out to be an absolute disaster. The offense can't score points, and the defense - once thought to be the strength of the team - can't hold leads. Carolina heads to Blacksburg for the dreaded Thursday night game on ESPN where Virginia Tech usually trots out their 'A' game. Look for Tyrod Taylor and Ryan Williams to put up yards and points with a balanced offense, while Bud Foster's defense puts the clamps down on T.J. Yates and company. The Hokies will put this one away early as they flush the bad taste in their mouths leftover from the Georgia Tech loss.
J.Pike's Pick: Virginia Tech 37, North Carolina 6

#9 Cincinnati at Syracuse
It looks like Tony Pike will miss another week of action, but no matter. Brian Kelly will just plug another quarterback into the offense and keep firing bullets. Zach Collaros is the guy again this week, and he'll be fine as long as Mardy Gilyard is still suiting up for the Bearcats. Duke point guard Greg Paulus will sport a poor assist-to-turnover ratio yet again.
J.Pike's Pick: Cincinnati 34, Syracuse 20

San Jose State at #10 Boise State
Another week another laugher for Boise. It's too bad the Broncos play in the WAC because I'd really like to see what this team could do against a real schedule.
J.Pike's Pick: Boise State 44, San Jose State 13

#11 Pittsburgh is IDLE

Tulane at #13 LSU
If LSU needed a game to get their offense back on track, this is it. And if they didn't, they're going to get one anyway. Look for Jordan Jefferson to look as good as he's looked all year as the Tigers beat up on their in-state rivals yet again.
J.Pike's Pick: LSU 42, Tulane 17

#14 Penn State at Northwestern
I really want Pat Fitzgerald's Wildcats to do well, but they simply don't appear to be very good. Penn State's defense, on the other hand, is tearing fools apart. Penn State wins easy, despite not scoring very many points.
J.Pike's Pick: Penn State 27, Northwestern 9

New Mexico State at #15 Ohio State
T.P. picks up right where he left off last week - making Ohio State fans look like fickle buffoons by running circles around an outmatched opponent.
J.Pike's Pick: Ohio State 36, New Mexico State 3

#16 Miami at Wake Forest
Under normal circumstances this game would seem like a prime candidate for an upset. But Wake Forest has been on a roller coaster this season. Riley Skinner is about as mediocre as you can get at quarterback, so the Deacs will be hard pressed to move the ball through the air against the Canes. Plus, Navy knocked off The Forest a week ago without attempting even a single forward pass.
J.Pike's Pick: Miami 24, Wake Forest 13

Kansas State at #17 Oklahoma
Kansas State somehow finds themselves atop the Big XII North standings, but must travel to Norman to take on an Oklahoma team still licking their wounds after a 3-3 start. I tend to want to believe the Wildcats will be served a blowout here, but I'm note entirely sure this Oklahoma team is capable of blowing out anybody much better than Tulsa. Kansas State can keep it close - and even win this game - if they can take advantage of Oklahoma's glaring weakness of an offensive line. They'll also need at least 2 scores from the explosive Brandon Banks to complete the feat. But even if that happens, I'm not sure they win this game.
J.Pike's Pick: Oklahoma 23, Kansas State 21

Washington State vs #18 Notre Dame
(@ San Antonio, TX)
I can't for the life of me figure out why this game is being played in San Antonio. Maybe neither team wanted to host what is certain to be a massacre? A massacre it will be. For the first time all season, don't look for Notre Dame to be playing meaningful snaps down to the final minutes, because this one could get ugly real quick.
J.Pike's Pick: Notre Dame 48, Washington State 21

#19 Arizona is IDLE

#20 South Carolina at Tennessee
Lane Kiffin's Vols will finally pull out a close one as the Gamecocks simply don't have enough offense. Montario Hardesty will be a key for Tennessee because you know Eric Norwood is going to be all over the place harassing Jonathan Crompton.
J.Pike's Pick: Tennessee 18, South Carolina 11

#21 Ole Miss at Auburn
My how seasons can turn. Just a month ago Auburn was in the top 25 and looking like a real player in the SEC. Now the Tigers can't move the ball and can't stop anybody from scoring. Funny how you find out what a team is really made of when you turn up the heat. Ole Miss is quietly rebounding from their early season stumbles (again, funny how you find out what a team is made of when you put them against a real opponent), and they are in much better shape right now than Auburn. This will be Houston Nutt's big "screw you" game to Gus Malzahn.
J.Pike's Pick: Ole Miss 33, Auburn 22

Southern Miss at #22 Houston
In Houston's lone loss on the season, they allowed UTEP running back Donald Buckram to pile up 262 yards on the ground. Who better then to take advantage of this apparent weakness than Southern Miss running back Damion Fletcher, owner of nearly 5,000 career rushing yards and 43 touchdowns. Southern Miss can score points, and they definitely have a shot to knock Houston off here. But I like Case Keenum and company to keep their winning streak alive by out-scoring the Golden Eagles.
J.Pike's Pick: Houston 44, Southern Miss 34

#24 West Virginia at South Florida
(Friday night game)
South Florida finds themselves in the midst of their annual mid-season plummet as they host a Friday night game against West Virginia. Not only that, but there has been some chatter in the locker room about the curious play calling in the blowout loss to Pitt a week ago. Even taking all that into account, I still like the Bulls to rally and get the job done here. Much like Southern Miss, I don't entirely trust the Mountaineers yet, and South Florida has enough playmakers on defense (get a load of defensive ends George Selvie and Jason Pierre-Paul) to contain Noel Devine and Jarrett Brown.
J.Pike's Pick: South Florida 32, West Virginia 26

Purdue at #25 Wisconsin
Why did I have to go and rank Wisconsin? All that means is I am stuck picking more god-awful Big Ten games. I have to say: Purdue isn't as bad as people think. They aren't good by any means, but they aren't the worst team in the conference. Illinois' quitting Zooksters have that title wrapped up. If Purdue can get another performance out of its quarterback like they got against Ohio State, Purdue can win this game. But I believe Wisconsin's ground game will win out in the end.
J.Pike's Pick: Wisconsin 27, Purdue 24

JP Top 25

2009-10-28T20:58:00.002-05:00

Well, it's been almost two months since we last updated. Oops. I guess getting married and going on vacation can really set you back. Whatever the case we're back now, and it's time for the first and last JP Top 25 for October 2009.

1. Texas (7-0)
2. Alabama (8-0)
3. Florida (7-0)
4. TCU (7-0)
5. Iowa (8-0)
6. Georgia Tech (7-1)
7. USC (6-1)
8. Virginia Tech (5-2)
9. Cincinnati (7-0)
10. Boise State (7-0)
11. Pittsburgh (7-1)
12. Oregon (6-1)
13. LSU (6-1)
14. Penn State (7-1)
15. Ohio State (6-2)
16. Miami (5-2)
17. Oklahoma (4-3)
18. Notre Dame (5-2)
19. Arizona (5-2)
20. South Carolina (6-2)
21. Ole Miss (5-2)
22. Houston (6-1)
23. Oklahoma State (6-1)
24. West Virginia (6-1)
25. Wisconsin (5-2)

BP25 Week 2

2009-09-10T11:19:00.004-05:00

1 Alabama 1-0 vs #100 FIU Prediction: WIN
I know how can I have Alabama #1? Well I like to reward teams that do not shy away from a challenge and scheduling, and beating a very tough #7 Virginia Tech team in the opener deserves some credibility! At least it wasn't Charleston Southern? What a punishing running game Bama exhibited against a very stout VTech D. Mark Ingram and Roy Upchurch combined for 240 yards and it seemed a one on one tackle wasn't working on these two. Greg McElroy was solid in his first start 15-30 230 yards, but Julio was doubled all night and came away with 4 catches for 46 yards, he will have no problem this weekend against FIU which has two 5'10 corners against the 6'4 Jones, YIKES!

2 Florida 1-0 vs #76 TROY Prediction: WIN
Well the gators did what they were supposed to, but did not cover the 73 point spread and did not get the shut out. Disappointed? Does Urban Meyer have some compassion? Will see again this week as the Trojans come to town after a very lackluster performance against Bowling Green in which they couldn't stop the Falcon offense. I think Florida has a slightly better offense, Florida may put 70 on Troy.

3 Texas 1-0 vs #96 WYOMING Prediction: WIN
Texas looked impressive in the opener and Wyoming is completely overmatched in this one in all phases. Colt McCoy got his 300 yards and Shipley got his touchdown, so it was a business at usual day from the Horns in which it was a 38-10 halftime lead sot the starters will be well rested going into this game. It will be ugly. Horns roll!

4 Southern Cal. 1-0 AT #5 OHIO ST Prediction: WIN
The Matt Barkley era has begun at USC and don't get me wrong he looked impressive throwing 15-19 for 233 and he wasn't even breathed on by the San Jose St defense, but he doesn't have to do much, he just turns on the key to offense which is its obscene stable of backs. They ran for 342 yards last week lead by Joe McKnight who seems to be really seems to be the spark on the offense. The defense was incredible limiting San Jose St to 9 yards! But this week will be different and the mobility of Terrelle Pryor will test the lateral speed of this very young USC D. Pete Carroll will have this team focused and they will take care of Buckeyes.

5 Ohio St. 1-0 vs #4 USC Prediction: LOSS
Can you say look ahead? That is what caught the Buckeyes and almost cost them the season. Congrats to the Midshipmen which always seem to give the unfocused teams fits. But last week was last week, The game of the weekend is at hand and it will be in the hands of Terrelle Pryor. Yes he is fast, yes he is elusive, yes he can throw on the run(benefit of the doubt), but the one thing I think of when I see him is SOFT. USC will put pressure on him and will flush him out of the pocket, meaning open season, it will be interesting to see how he responds to the big hit, because Taylor Mays will be there to deliver. I like Terrelle Pryor and I hope for success but Ohio State is two inexperienced at the wideout position(wideouts last week caught 8 passes). One Dimension rings in this game, but that one Dimension is really good, Mr Pryor good luck and God Bless, it will be a long day!

6 Penn St. 1-0 vs #91 SYRACUSE Prediction: WIN
JoePa has them thinking BCS and now they face a ex-point guard from Duke at QB. I bet Mike Paulus starts practicing his jumpshot after this one.

7 Mississippi 1-0 IDLE IDLE
Jevan Snead and Dexter McClouster handled Memphis, which was a game for 3 quarters but the Rebels scored 4 times in the 4th quarter to put them away.

8 Virginia Tech 0-1 vs #84 MARSHALL Prediction: WIN
Yes I only dropped them to #8 like I said with Alabama, I like to see teams schedule tough games and I will not penalize a team harshly for losing to a good team. They welcome the Thundering Herd to Blacksburg this week and it will be interesting to see if there is any Alabama-Slama hangover in this one. I don't think there will be look for the shutout.

9 Boise St. 1-0 vs #119 MIAMI OH Prediction: WIN
Well this may be the highest you will see Boise State all year. They are coming off there first home win over a ranked opponett(they have only played one in the last ten years) and now they open up there 11 game March to the BCS. If they slip up it will be incredible but this week they will put up 60 on the Redhawks. Damn I hate the BCS.

10 BYU 1-0 AT #107 TULANE Prediction: WIN
Cinderella just showed up everyone and his name is Max Hall. Wow what a defensive showing by the Cougars, who allowed the potent OU offense 265 total yards passing and rushing. I know they were without Jermaine Gresham and Sam Bradford for most of the game but none of players on the BYU team would ever be considered better athleticly then the Sooners have on their 4 deep depth chart. Fantastic win for the Cougs and the Mountain West is certainly making the case to be more deserved a BCS spot then the Big East. They will throttle Tulane on the high from the OU upset.

11 Oklahoma 0-1 vs IDAHO ST Prediction: WIN
Sam Bradford out for 4 weeks, may be short enought for them to stay in contention.

12 Oklahoma St. 1-0 vs #42 HOUSTON Prediction: WIN
I know they beat Georgia, but I think people will be suprised about how far Georgia will fall this year. Watch out for the Cougs!

13 California 1-0 vs E WASHINGTON Prediction: WIN
Cal Blowout nuff said, E Washington? Really?

14 LSU 1-0 vs #53 VANDERBUILT Prediction: WIN
Beat a 0-12 team last year and now face Vanderbuilt, when does LSU season begin?

15 Nebraska 1-0 vs #89 ARKANSAS ST Prediction: WIN
Bo Pelini has them focused and motivated that will continue this week.

16 Georgia 0-1 vs #39 SOUTH CAROLINA Prediction: LOSS
Upset alert, letdown factor and Joe Cox is very average. Say hello to Eric Norwood.

17 TCU 0-0 AT #108 VIRGINIA Prediction: WIN
They get the loser of the William and Mary game. Cavs are horrible, Goodbye Al Groh!

18 Georgia Tech 1-0 vs #33 CLEMSON Prediction: WIN
Second best game of the weekend and GTech out works another ACC team.

19 Utah 1-0 AT #90 SAN JOSE ST Prediction: WIN
Get the dismantled San Jose St team, should have a cake walk.

20 Michigan St. 1-0 vs #59 CENT MICHIGAN Prediction: WIN
The Spartans will get a test from another state school, Mark D'Antonio will not let the slip happen.

21 North Carolina 1-0 AT #57 UCONN Prediction: WIN
22 Iowa 1-0 AT #92 IOWA ST Prediction: LOSS
23 Miami (Fla.) 1-0 IDLE IDLE
24 Florida St. 0-1 JACKSONVILLE ST Prediction: WIN
25 Texas Tech 1-0 #88 RICE Prediction: WIN

Best of the Rest.
Cincinnati 1-0 SE MISSOURI ST Prediction: WIN
Oregon 0-1 #69 PURDUE Prediction: WIN
Oregon St. 1-0 AT #81 UNLV Prediction: WIN
West Virginia 1-0 #47 EAST CAROLINA Prediction: LOSS
Pittsburgh 1-0 AT #71 BUFFALO Prediction: LOSS
Notre Dame 1-0 AT #60 MICHIGAN Prediction: WIN
Missouri 1-0 #75 BOWLING GREEN Prediction: WIN

JP Top 25 - 9/9/09

2009-09-09T12:24:00.007-05:00

The new JP25 is out! No changes in the top 3, but the reshuffling of the rest of the deck has certainly begun.

1. Texas (LW: 1, Record: 1-0)
2. Florida (2, 1-0)
3. USC (3, 1-0)
4. Alabama (6, 1-0) - The Tide defense was impressive in the win over Virginia Tech
5. Penn State (7, 1-0) - Best team in the Big Ten
6. LSU (8, 1-0)
7. California (12, 1-0) - Watch out for the Bears and Jahvid Best
8. BYU (NR, 1-0) - Cougars make the biggest jump in the poll thanks to their huge win over Oklahoma
9. Tennessee (25, 1-0) - Another big jump; Let me be the first to tell you - better watch out for Lane Kiffin's Vols
10. Virginia Tech (5, 0-1)
11. Oklahoma State (24, 1-0) - Cowboys looked much better defensively than I expected
12. Ohio State (9, 1-0) - There's a lot of work to do on the offensive line; not good with USC coming to town for the weekend
13. Boise State (15, 1-0) - Lost in the post-game melee was the fact that Boise State is once again going to field a legitimate top 25 defense.
14. Oklahoma (4, 0-1) - The Sooners are in trouble; Big Game Bob hasn't won a big game in how many years now?
15. Miami (13, 1-0) - Jacory Harris is for real
16. Ole Miss (11, 1-0)
17. Nebraska (14, 1-0) - There is work to be done on offense
18. Florida State (21, 0-1) - Seminoles move up despite losing to Miami
19. Notre Dame (19, 1-0) - Love the Notre Dame receiving corps
20. Georgia (10, 0-1)
21. Michigan (NR, 1-0) - We'll find out whether Notre Dame or Michigan will stay alive in the "are they really back?" sweepstakes
22. Arizona State (NR, 1-0) - Look out for this Sun Devil defense; they might end up out-scoring the Sun Devil offense this season
23. Cincinnati (NR, 1-0) - Tony Pike kicks off his Bo Jackson Trophy campaign with a bang against out-manned Rutgers
24. East Carolina (23, 1-0)
25. TCU (18, 0-0)

Dropped Out:
N.C. State (LW: 16, Record: 0-1) - Tom O'Brien still doesn't have the offensive line where it needs to be
Oregon (17, 0-1) - No first downs until the middle of the third quarter; Chip Kelly looked overwhelmed
Illinois (20, 0-1) - Speaking of overwhelmed...
Colorado (22, 0-1) - Coaches, please don't let your babies grow up to play quarterback for you;

BP25 Week 1

2009-09-05T10:35:00.004-05:00

Well its time again so lets get to the preseason Rankings!

Rank Team Last Year Conf and Overall Record

1 Florida 7-1 12-1 Vs Charleston Southern Prediction:WIN
The National Champs open up with the weakest opening opponet of any FBS School and are a 73 point Favorite, with over 20 returning starters and the entire defense two deep coming back this one should not even be played. If Charleston makes it to the red zone it would be considered a success.

2 Texas 7-1 12-1 Vs UL-Monroe Prediction:WIN
Colt McCoy leads the Horns and should dispose of ULM fairly quickly. My Co-editor has always been a Longhorn supporter and for the first time ever I may start drinking the burnt orange Kool-aid.

3 Oklahoma 7-1 12-2 Vs #25 BYU(Arlington) Prediction:WIN
Jermaine Greshem will be out in this one, but there is simply too much talent on the Oklahoma side and BYU is very soft. Another Jerry World game in the giant stadium and will have a first hand account of this one. More to come.

4 Southern Cal. 7-1 12-1 Vs San Jose St. Prediction:WIN
Pete Carroll has the Trojans primed again even with a mini QB competition. Whoever starts will have the priviledge of handing off to the stable of backs led by Joe McKnight or passing to the bevy of wideouts led by Damian Williams. Taylor Mays is worth all the hype, poor Kyle Reed.

5 Alabama 8-0 12-2 Vs #8 Virginia Tech(Atl) Prediction:WIN
Nick Saban is in his third year which usually means National Championship this game will go along way in showing that and with the injuries on the Hokie side I look for them to do just that. Even though I am not a Saban fan, he is good in the big game and Julio goes to the down to the schoolyard and does just enough to win this one. Watch out for Marquis Maze.

6 Ohio St. 7-1 10-3 Vs Navy Prediction:WIN
This is the start of the Terrelle Pryor Heisman push, forget the big three give me this darkhorse to force his way into consideration. The Midshipman cannot keep up in this one and the Navy decline starts this year, from Navy we will miss you Paul Johnson.

7 Penn St. 7-1 11-2 Vs Akron Prediction:WIN
The leadership of Darryl Clark will pull them thru the first three games but that WR corps will need to be up to speed when the Hawkeyes come to town in three weeks.

8 Virginia Tech 5-3 10-4 Vs #5 Alabama(ATL) Prediction:LOSS
I love Tyrod Taylor but the loss of Darren Evans will be felt the defense is brillant but the offense will become one demensional in this one and Bama has enough to squeak this one out. But Kam Chancellor and Jason Worilds will take out Greg McElroy and we will see Starr Jackson contribute.

9 Mississippi 5-3 9-4 AT Memphis Prediction:WIN
Jevan Snead is a very underrated QB, and the Rebels have a very favorable September Schedule, but they will have to not have any mental breakdowns and be undefeated when the play Alabama October 10th to have any chance at BCS consideration. The Defense is also very underrated and Kendrick Lewis will show why this is a program on the rise.

10 Boise St. 8-0 12-1 Vs #21 Oregon Prediction:WIN
In what they are calling the biggest game in Boise, the Broncoes will take care of business in a close one. Also did you know this is the first time in 5 years the Broncoes have hosted a ranked team? And they deserve to be in BCS talk....Hmmmm.

11 Georgia 6-2 10-3 AT #13 Okla St Prediction:WIN
One of the biggest games on opening weekend. With RB Caleb King and new QB Joe Cox leading the way for the dawgs, it will be up to the defense to stop that potent OSU triplets, the Dawg defense will be up to the challenge and with Mark Richt winning his last 7 road games I think this one will be lower scoring then people think. But I will be going against the experts in this one and the defense of OSU lets Georgia control the clock.

12 California 5-3 9-4 Vs Maryland Prediction:WIN
They were jet lagged going into play the Terrapins last year and they lost which also lost alot of momentum leading to a four loss season. Wont happen this time Jahvid Best and his sore foot run thru the Turtle and the Cal D is the difference in this one.

13 Oklahoma St. 5-3 9-4 Vs #11 Georgia Prediction:LOSS
See Georgia. But the MLB Orie Lemon injury will really hurt the Cowboy D in this one.

14 TCU 7-1 11-2 IDLE
Have to wait a week for a real BCS buster to start there season. Sorry Boise St.

15 LSU 3-5 8-5 At Washington Prediction:WIN
This is a underrated team, they underachieved last year and will be poised for revenge all year, Jordan Jefferson will put Jarrett Lee back to holding a clip board and waiting for another fake FG to be needed. Washington will be improved but LSU is too much to start with.

16 Nebraska 5-3 9-4 Vs Florida Atl Prediction:WIN
Bo Pelini has the Huskers primed and ready and will put away the Owls fast. It will be interesting on how the Quinten Castille being dropped from the team will impact the depth. Enter Collins Okafor.

17 Florida St. 5-3 9-4 Vs Miami Fla Prediction:LOSS
This will another win vacated for Bobby Bowden. A lot of inexperience one the defense and Jacory and Canes are ready to push for a ACC Coastal Title. Don't look now but I think the Canes might be back. Call Vinny Testeverde.

18 Georgia Tech 5-3 9-4 Vs Jacksonville St. Prediction:WIN
I really like this team, Paul Johnson's offense is about as old school as Joe Paterno's glasses and teams are too finesse these days to deal with it. I look for big things from the Jackets this year and Jonathan Dwyer and Roddy Jones will combine for the first 1 million yard season, well maybe just 2000 combined.

19 Utah 8-0 13-0 Vs Utah St. Prediction:WIN
Oh where has Brian Johnson gone. He will be missed and we will see how much on Sept 19 against Oregon. They will sleepwalk thru this one and next week At San Jose St.

20 Michigan St. 6-2 9-4 Vs Montana St Prediction: WIN
I know my co-editor will not like this but how can a team losing Brian Hoyer and Javon Ringer still be even ranked? Mark DanTonio. I like what he is doing to this program and the Mark Dell show starts this year. Someone call Charles Rogers and let him know we finally have another big game WR at Sparta. (that is if you can find Charles Rogers.)

21 Oregon 7-2 10-3 AT #10 Boise St. Prediction:LOSS
Jeremiah Masoli will keep ball control in this one, but it wont be enough to prevent the Blue Field put Oregon to sleep. Boise is taking this one like a National Championship game, but Oregon will keep it close.

22 North Carolina 4-4 8-5 Vs The Citadel Prediction:WIN
That ACC Coastal will be fun to watch this year as the Heels look to continue thier success from last year's 8 win season. Quan Sturdivant and Kendric Burney will be household names by season end.

23 Iowa 5-3 9-4 Vs Norther Iowa Prediction:WIN
Kirk Ferentz silenced critics last year with a 9 win campaign and should continue that success this year. Ricky Stanzi better have the Hawk undefeated going into Happy Valley on Sept 26, if not the seat will become hot again for Kirky.

24 Texas Tech 7-1 11-2 Vs North Dakota Prediction:WIN
There are two things you can count on in this 2009 season Tech will schedule a opening cupcake and will have another 4500 yard passer in Tyler Potts. The dream ends on Sept 19 at Texas.

25 BYU 6-2 10-3 AT #3 Oklahoma(Arlington) Prediction:LOSS
Can you say soft. Max Hall head will be spinning in this one. Way to much Athleticism for the Cougars.

Other Considerations:
Oregon St. 7-2 9-4 Vs Portland St. WIN
Jacquizz please stand up.

West Virginia 4-2 9-4 Vs Liberty WIN
Jarrett Brown says, Who is Pat White?

Pittsburgh 4-2 9-4 Vs Youngstown St WIN
Man I hate Bill Stull.

Cincinnati 6-1 11-3 AT Rutgers LOSS
Too much lost on the Defense, but Tony Pike for Heisman

Notre Dame 0-0 7-6 Vs Nevada WIN
Alot of critics have them ranked and are calling for BCS, remember this team lost 6 games last year, and USC named the score. Prove it Irish! Watch out for Colin Kaepernick of Nevada if he goes off and pulls the upset, I would be in heaven, with Touchdown Jesus. Go Wolfpack.

Rutgers 4-2 8-5 Vs Cincinnati WIN
It will be low scoring and the Home field will make a difference in this one.

Clemson 4-4 7-6 Vs MTSU WIN
Dabo is Fab-o! I know very cheesy but CJ Spiller won't be he will torch the Raiders.

Kansas 4-4 8-5 Vs Northern Colo. WIN
Watch Dezmon Briscoe go off. The most underrated Wideout in the Big 12.

Miami (Fla.) 4-4 7-6 AT #17 Florida St. WIN
Best team Randy Shannon has ever had, speed, speed, speed. And it starts with a upset of the Seminole.

Illinois 3-5 5-7 Vs Missouri(St Louis)WIN
Juice is loose. Hold all OJ references. Missouri is poised to have a huge dropoff this year.

Thursday Night Previews

2009-09-03T12:34:00.005-05:00

Football season is here! It all gets under way tonight with a couple of intriguing rematches.

South Carolina at N.C. State
(6 pm, ESPN)
South Carolina blanked N.C. State 34-0 on opening week a year ago. But both teams went in the exact opposite directions the rest of the season. Now the Wolfpack are the favorites, thanks to the leadership of sophomore quarterback Russell Wilson. South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier says that Stephen Garcia is the man at quarterback, but he hasn't proven enough up to this point.
J.Pike's Pick: N.C. State 26, South Carolina 18

Oregon at Boise State
(10:15 pm, ESPN)
Boise State took a big step toward respectability when the young Broncos went into Autzen Stadium and emerged victorious early in 2008. Now the Ducks must visit Boise and I'm not sure they have what it takes to win on the blue turf. This is the game of the year for Chris Peterson's bunch - the game many feel could stand between Boise State and an undefeated season - so you know they'll be ready. The experience heavily favors Boise too, with Oregon only returning nine starters and featuring a first year head coach. Look for the Broncos to make a statement with their defense early on and ride the momentum to a win.
J.Pike's Pick: Boise State 30, Oregon 24

Preseason Top 40

2009-09-02T19:18:00.004-05:00

The season starts tomorrow, so I guess it's time to finally unveil my preseason top 40. I'll go the annoying route and start from 40 and count down. Luckily my top 25 can be found in a more traditional format on the sidebar over there...

40. PITTSBURGH - Big hole to fill at running back, but the Panthers are still a bowl team.

39. GEORGIA TECH - I think reality catches up with Paul Johnson in Year Two. The ACC is more prepared for his triple option offense and he doesn't have the same great defensive line he could rely on last year when the offense stalled.

38. VIRGINIA - The Cavaliers will surprise some folks this year thanks to the addition of offensive coordinator Gregg Branndon and the return of quarterback Jameel Sewell. Keep your eye on all purpose playmaker Vic Hall too.

37. UTAH - After another undefeated season that ended in a BCS Bowl win over Alabama, the Utes must find a quarterback. Brian Johnson won't be easily replaced.

36. AUBURN - Gene Chizik isn't nearly as bad a coach as many are making him out to be. There's still talent on this roster and nobody is talking about the Tigers. Watch out for an upset or two this season.

35. TEXAS TECH - Sure, Michael Crabtree and Graham Harrell are gone. But since when has Texas Tech not been able to score points?

34. CINCINNATI - Bo Jackson Trophy candidate Tony Pike gets the quarterback for a full season. But will he and Mardy Gilyard be able to compensate for the heavy losses on defense?

33. BYU - Arizona exposed the Cougars in the Las Vegas Bowl last season, and I expect Oklahoma to expose them in week one this season.

32. ARIZONA STATE - Dennis Erickson leads an under-the-radar Sun Devil team that will actually play decent defense while Danny Sullivan adjusts to the starting QB role.

31. WEST VIRGINIA - I expect the Mountaineers to improve their consistency in Bill Stewart's second season as the head coach. Jarrett Brown is no Pat White, but he's a good player that will keep the offense moving.

30. OREGON STATE - The Rodgers brothers (Jacquizz and James) have speed to spare. I'm still not sold on the quarterback position, though.

29. KANSAS - Todd Reesing should continue to pile up the passing yards with leading receivers Dezmon Briscoe and Kerry Meier back. But the Jayhawks will take a step back on defense due to the loss of their three productive linebackers.

28. MICHIGAN - What? Really? Sure, I guess. I'm going out on a limb here, but with players like Brandon Graham and Obi Ezeh on defense the Wolverines should be able to shut down most of the Big Ten offenses they will match up with. And the offense has nowhere to go but up, which is usually does in a big way in Rich Rodriguez's second season as head coach. Stay tuned to this soap opera all season.

27. ARKANSAS - Bobby Petrino quietly got significant improvement out of the Razorbacks as the 2008 season progressed. With players like RB Michael Smith and DT Malcolm Sheppard returning, don't be surprised to see Arkansas crack the top 25 at some point.

26. NORTH CAROLINA - Despite the absence of any real "name" players on the Tar Heels, Butch Davis will make sure his team continues to improve.

25. TENNESSEE - Lane Kiffin's Vols grab the last spot in the top 25 thanks to All-World safety Eric Berry. I don't care about the recruiting class - I simply think there is enough talent on hand here to win now. And now that the offense finally seems stable for the first time in several years, I feel like Tennessee might be a dark horse in the SEC.

24. OKLAHOMA STATE - After an embarrassing beat-down handed out by Oregon in the Holiday Bowl, I'm not sure why Oklahoma State is getting so much preseason love. The Ducks return just as much as the Cowboys, yet in just about every pre-season poll Oklahoma State is ranked much higher. That only means Mike Gundy's team has farther to fall - reality will probably rear it's ugly head when Georgia comes to town.

23. EAST CAROLINA - The Pirates proved their mettle early last season when they knocked off Virginia Tech and West Virginia. Basically the same team returns this year and gets to play West Virginia and North Carolina early, as well as the rematch with Virginia Tech later to prove their worth. I have a feeling they'll end up winning two of those three games.

22. COLORADO - How are the Buffs going to go from a sub-.500 team in 2008 to a top 25 team in 2009? By staying healthy (particularly on the offensive line and at running back); by staying aggressive (many fast starts in 2008 were tempered when Dan Hawkins pulled his foot off the accelerator); and by giving the ball to Rodney Stewart (a lot).

21. FLORIDA STATE - I'm giving the Seminoles the benefit of the doubt for the first time in several seasons. Although they have done nothing to impress me, I'll admit that Christian Ponder is a step up at quarterback, and Jimbo Fisher is generally a capable offensive coordinator. The 'Noles are just as likely to slide back into obscurity, though.

20. ILLINOIS - I'm a Juice Williams fan. I'm also a fan of Arrelious Benn and Martez Wilson. Between the three of those guys and the fact that the rest of the Big Ten isn't all that good, I'm going to say Ron Zook has another big year with the Illini.

19. NOTRE DAME - Jimmy Clausen and company are now starting to get the hang of Charlie Weis' offense. Combine that with the weak schedule and there's no way the Irish don't get to at least 9 wins this season.

18. TCU - Defense will once again be the name of the game in Fort Worth. Gary Patterson can lean on All American defensive end Jerry Hughes, who also happens to be the front-runner for the 2009 Faulk Trophy.

17. OREGON - Even though Mike Bellotti retired, there is continuity in the Ducks program. Offensive coordinator Chip Kelly was promoted to head coach and he has weapons like LeGarrette Blount and Jeremiah Masoli at his disposal.

16. N.C. STATE - The rebuilding job for head coach Tom O'Brien got a lot easier with the emergence of freshman quarterback Russell Wilson in 2008. 2009 should find the Wolfpack in the thick of the ACC Atlantic Division race.

15. BOISE STATE - Could it be? Are the Broncos a legitimate defensive force now too? A good defense, including one of the best secondaries in the land, is now a year older, and so is quarterback Kellen Moore.

14. NEBRASKA - Bo Pelini has the Huskers on the right track which means that despite some heavy losses on offense, Nebraska will continue to improve.

13. MIAMI - Randy Shannon played a wealth of talented true freshman a year ago, and that should begin to pay dividends in 2009. The defense has size and speed and will be an imposing group that improves every week. The offense will be fine despite the transfer of quarterback Robert Marve. In fact, I like Jacory Harris even better.

12. CALIFORNIA - The challenger to USC in the Pac-10 boasts one of the best running backs in the nation in Jahvid Best.

11. OLE MISS - The Rebels have been getting loads of acclaim heaped on them this pre-season thanks to the turnaround job Houston Nutt performed in his first season in Oxford (are you paying attention Arkansas fans?). I'm not sure Ole Miss has a legit shot at overtaking Alabama and LSU in the SEC West, but they should be very good with players like Dexter McCluster, Jevan Snead, and Greg Hardy.

10. GEORGIA - That's right. Don't count out the Dawgs just because they lost Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno to the NFL. Joe Cox is unspectacular, but he should be consistent - especially with sophomore WR A.J. Green catching his passes.

9. OHIO STATE - Terrelle Pryor is the new sherriff in Columbus, and he appears to have all the tools to take the Buckeyes to great heights. I actually think the receiver play will improve this season after losing Brian Robiskie and Brian Hartline.

8. LSU - Les Miles took some lumps last year, but he finally found his quarterback in Jordan Jefferson. Look for the Tigers to jump back into the national spotlight in a big way in 2009.

7. PENN STATE - Evan Royster is one of the most underrated players in the nation. Combine him with returning senior quarterback Daryll Clark and you have an offense that shouldn't skip a beat despite losing its top three receivers. The defense will once again be anchored by a fantastic pair of defensive tackles and a solid group of linebackers.

6. ALABAMA - I have no doubt that Alabama will continue to be a physical team that can run the football. Throw in mega-talent Julio Jones at wide receiver and you have what should be a very capable offense to go along with a veteran defense that will beat up most opposing offenses it faces.

5. VIRGINIA TECH - Frank Beamer is one of the best coaches in the nation. His Hokies won the ACC title a year ago with very little returning experience. This year many of those key pieces are back. Look for quarterback Tyrod Taylor to have a breakout season and keep Virginia Tech in the national title hunt deep into the season.

4. OKLAHOMA - Sam Bradford and Jermaine Gresham gave up millions of NFL dollars to return for another shot at the title. Unfortunately only one starter is back on the O-Line. The Sooners are talented and should be very good, but the defense has yet to step back up to the elite level they were at in the early part of this decade. That will once again keep them from winning Bob Stoops crystal football number two.

3. USC - For some reason the fact that freshman Matt Barkley won the quarterback job coming out of fall camp makes me more confident in the Trojans. USC's biggest weakness the past three seasons has been the quarterback spot, so if a freshman is good enough to unseat Aaron Corp, a guy the coaches were high on a year ago, I get the feeling we might be seeing the early stages of another Carson Palmer/Matt Leinart type. The defense loses everybody, but this is USC - they've got plenty of guys ready to step in and play.

2. FLORIDA - Go ahead and ban me from the college football world. I don't think Florida is the best team coming into the 2009 season. Sure, they won the 2008 national title and return the bulk of the roster. But I'm not convinced they played against the best team a year ago, and that team returns the bulk of a loaded roster as well. That team is...

1. TEXAS - The Longhorns played like national champions throughout the 2008 season, including a convincing victory over an Oklahoma team that wound up playing for the Big XII and National Championships. I still feel like the nation was robbed by not getting to see the two best teams duke it out for the national title.

Colt McCoy returns, moustached, to continue his tear through opposing offenses. Jordan Shipley and emerging star Malcolm Williams headline a deep receiving corps that should make up for an injury-depleted set of tight ends. Will Muschamp's defense should be among the finest in America. Sergio Kindle is the star, but the secondary is actually the strongest unit. They run two deep at every position in the back four, and all eight of those guys are capable of big things.

The Longhorns are my pick to win the 2009 National Championship.

SEC Preview

2009-08-29T11:14:00.006-05:00

Projected Records & Standings

East Division

1. FLORIDA             11-1  (7-1)
2. GEORGIA              9-3  (5-3)
3. TENNESSEE            8-4  (4-4)
4. SOUTH CAROLINA       6-6  (3-5)
5. VANDERBILT           5-7  (2-6)
6. KENTUCKY             6-6  (2-6)

West Division

1. ALABAMA             10-2  (7-1)
2. LSU                 10-2  (6-2)
3. OLE MISS             9-3  (5-3)
4. ARKANSAS             7-5  (4-4)
5. AUBURN               6-6  (3-5)
6. MISSISSIPPI STATE    2-10 (0-8)

East Champion: FLORIDA
Big shocker here. Everyone and their mothers are picking Florida to win not only the SEC East, but the national championship as well. The Gators return the bulk of a championship roster, so another SEC crown and run at the national title is not out of the question. HOWEVER, I will go out on a limb and guarantee Urban Meyer and company will lose at least once this season, possibly at LSU on October 10th.

West Champion: ALABAMA
Nick Saban quickly put his stamp on the Alabama program, which paid big dividends in 2008. The Crimson Tide’s calling card was their toughness and line play en route to a near-flawless first three months of the season. The Tide have a lot of turnover on offense this year, but if Star Jackson wins the quarterback job they could be more explosive. Even if Alabama doesn’t improve offensively, the defense should be good enough to carry the team to at least 9 wins.

Question the Hype: OLE MISS
Whoa, people. Let’s slow down on putting Ole Miss in the top 5 already. I like Houston Nutt and I like his team heading into the season, but the Rebels play in the best division in college football. Nutt is only in his second year. He picked up a couple of nice wins in 2008, and there will be more big wins over the course of his tenure in Oxford, but to leapfrog Alabama and LSU during a season in which Arkansas is poised to make a jump in the standings as well just doesn’t seem realistic to me. Not yet at least.

Could Surprise: TENNESSEE
Lane Kiffin made more enemies in his first three months on the job than most coaches make their entire careers. Most opposing SEC fans are rooting for the Vols to go 0-12 in his rookie season – along with probably the majority of opposing SEC coaches. But Kiffin has two secret weapons in his father Monte and superstar safety Eric Berry. Berry is a rare talent that will anchor what should be at the very least a solid defense.

Offensively, the Vols have an actual direction for a change after converting from running team to passing team to spread offense and back again seemingly by the series over the last several seasons. That means Tennessee will be a more stable team than they have been recently, a strange fact considering the program is in a state of turnover due to the coaching change.

Bo Jackson Trophy Candidates:
Top 3:
WR-Julio Jones, Alabama
QB-Tim Tebow, Florida
OT-Ciron Black, LSU

Ten to Watch:
WR-A.J. Green, Georgia
OG-Mike Johnson, Alabama
WR-Brandon LaFell, LSU
WR-Dexter McCluster, Ole Miss
RB-Chris Rainey/Jeff Demps, Florida
RB-Charles Scott, LSU
RB-Alphonso Smith, Kentucky
RB-Michael Smith, Arkansas
QB-Jevan Snead, Ole Miss
TE-D.J. Williams, Arkansas

Herzlich Trophy Candidates:
Top 3:
SS-Eric Berry, Tennessee
LB-Brandon Spikes, Florida
DT-Terrence Cody, Alabama

Fifteen to Watch:
DE-Rahim Alem, LSU
FS-Ahmad Black, Florida
DE-Antonio Coleman, Auburn
LB-Rennie Curran, Georgia
DE-Jermaine Cunningham, Florida
CB-Joe Haden, Florida
DE-Greg Hardy, Ole Miss
CB-Myron Lewis, Vanderbilt
CB-Trevard Lindley, Kentucky
LB-Rolando McClain, Alabama
CB-Walter McFadden, Auburn
LB-Eric Norwood, South Carolina
DT-Jeff Owens, Georgia
CB-Patrick Peterson, LSU
DT-Malcolm Sheppard, Arkansas

Big XII Preview

2009-08-27T01:42:00.012-05:00

Projected Records & Standings

South Division

1. TEXAS              12-0  (8-0)
2. OKLAHOMA           11-1  (7-1)
3. TEXAS TECH          7-5  (4-4)
4. OKLAHOMA STATE      7-5  (4-4)
5. BAYLOR              6-6  (3-5)
6. TEXAS A&M           5-7  (2-6)

North Division

1. NEBRASKA            9-3  (6-2)
2. COLORADO            8-4  (4-4)
3. KANSAS              8-4  (4-4)
4. MISSOURI            6-6  (3-5)
5. KANSAS STATE        6-6  (3-5)
6. IOWA STATE          3-9  (0-8)

South Champion: TEXAS
The Longhorns shared the South Division title in 2008 and defeated arch-rival Oklahoma in the process. 2009 looks like it could follow a very similar script. Mack Brown has put together potentially his most talented team yet, so it’s only a matter of stepping up to the plate and giving a consistent performance every week for Texas to win the South again.

The secondary looks to be the best in the nation, and the receiving corps is a year older and should give Colt McCoy even more weapons to unleash on opposing defenses. On the other side of the ball look for Sergio Kindle to wreak havoc on offensive tackles much the way Brian Orakpo did a season ago. Freshman defensive end Alex Okafor has the potential to step right into a starting spot and make sure defenses pay if they concentrate too much on blocking Kindle. This defense is going to be really good.

North Champion: NEBRASKA
Bo Pelini is still in the building process at Nebraska, but luckily so is the entire North Division. The Huskers have the benefit of one of the brightest young defensive minds in football. Add to that one of the best interior linemen in the nation – defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh – and you have two big reasons why the Blackshirts will continue on the road toward rebuilding their battered reputation. There are some big questions offensively (WR? new QB?), but the offensive line looks to be a team strength – and that’s always a good place to start.

Could Surprise (South): TEXAS A&M
Everyone already knows Baylor is on the cusp of qualifying for a bowl game for the first time since 1994, thanks to the coaching of Art Briles and the play of sophomore sensation Robert Griffin at quarterback. So it should be no surprise when they meet their raised expectations.

Texas A&M, however, is getting dumped on by everybody. Even I’m picking them last in the Big XII South. Mike Sherman is on the hot seat according to some Aggie fans, even though he has only been in town for a single season. But don’t be surprised if they end up being one of the most improved teams in the conference - and that includes Baylor. Quarterback Jerrod Johnson is legit. He has an arm that A&M fans have never seen the likes of before. Throw in a pair of talented young tailbacks and a nice all-purpose threat in QB/WR Ryan Tannehill and you have what could be a solid offense.

There is still much work to do on the other side of the ball where Dennis Franchione left the cupboard completely bare. But Sherman is a good coach and they will improve in that area as well. For Texas A&M in 2009 the only question is how big a step they will take in their improvement.

Could Surprise (North): MISSOURI

Don’t expect the Tigers to disappear off the face of the earth just because Chase Daniel, Jeremy Maclin, and a host of other playmakers are gone. Don’t get me wrong, they will take a step back – but it won’t be a big one. Gary Pinkel knows his system and recruits to it well. Blaine Gabbert will be fine at quarterback, and in fact might even surpass Daniel by the time his career at Missouri is over. It’s a transitional season for Missouri, but that doesn’t mean they’ll stop scoring points and qualifying for bowls.

Question the Hype: THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA
What has the state of Oklahoma done to deserve all this hype? Both Oklahoma and Oklahoma State are consensus top 10 picks, and many preseason polls have them both in the top 5! Somebody needs to fill me in on their credentials because I don’t consider wins over Missouri to be worthy of the kind of praise that is being heaped on these two teams heading into the 2009 season.

Bo Jackson Trophy Candidates:
Top 3:
QB-Sam Bradford, Oklahoma
QB-Colt McCoy, Texas
QB-Robert Griffin, Baylor

Ten to Watch:
WR-Brandon Banks, Kansas State
WR-Dez Bryant, Oklahoma State
TE-Jermaine Gresham, Oklahoma
RB-Kendall Hunter, Oklahoma State
QB-Jerrod Johnson, Texas A&M
WR-Kerry Meier, Kansas
OT-Russell Okung, Oklahoma State
QB-Todd Reesing, Kansas
WR-Jordan Shipley, Texas
RB-Rodney Stewart, Colorado

Herzlich Trophy Candidates:
Top 3:
DT-Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska
LB/DE-Sergio Kindle, Texas
DT-Gerald McCoy, Oklahoma

Ten to Watch:
DE-Jeremy Beal, Oklahoma
CB-Dominique Franks, Oklahoma
FS-Jordan Lake, Baylor
LB-Travis Lewis, Oklahoma
LB-Joe Pawelek, Baylor
SS-Darrell Stuckey, Kansas
SS-Earl Thomas, Texas
LB-Sean Weatherspoon, Missouri
DT-Colby Whitlock, Texas Tech
CB-Aaron Williams, Texas

Pac-10 Preview

2009-08-22T13:43:00.006-05:00

Projected Records & Standings

1. USC                10-2  (8-1)
2. CALIFORNIA         10-2  (7-2)
3. OREGON              8-4  (6-3)
4. ARIZONA STATE       8-4  (6-3)
5. OREGON STATE        8-4  (5-4)
6. STANFORD            7-5  (5-4)
7. ARIZONA             6-6  (3-6)
8. UCLA                4-8  (3-6)
9. WASHINGTON          4-8  (3-6)
10.WASHINGTON STATE    1-11 (0-9)

Champion: USC
Is there really anybody else you can pick to win the Pac-10? Even though Cal looks to have a good team and might even beat USC this season, and USC is as inexperienced on defense as they have ever been, you still have to give the Trojans the nod. Until Pete Carroll proves otherwise, he’s the coach to beat in the Pac-10. I’ll even go so far as to say the offense might get better in 2009. I never really liked John David Booty or Matt Sanchez at the quarterback spot – they seemed to miss out on a lot of big play opportunities with inaccurate throws down the field. If new quarterback Aaron Corp has better touch on the deep ball, look out.

Question the Hype: UCLA
There’s not much that angers me more than hearing UCLA fans blame their pitiful 2008 season (4-8) on former head coach Karl Dorrell. Correct me if I’m wrong, but weren’t the Bruins winning more than four games a season when Dorrell was coaching? I hear the “poor recruiting” card played on Dorrell a lot, and I just don’t buy it. The guy won games with his players (he beat USC just two seasons ago), and Neuheisel didn’t – it’s that simple.

So why is UCLA widely expected to make dramatic improvements in 2009? They have the same porous offensive line blocking for the same running backs and an even more inexperienced quarterback. More importantly, though, a defense that was the only bright spot on the team a year ago lost their coordinator when DeWayne Walker left to take over as head coach at New Mexico State. Walker was a great DC and I expect the Bruins to take a step back on defense without him, even though several playmakers return on that side of the ball.

Could Surprise: ARIZONA STATE
Arizona loses their quarterback, top receiver, and most talented running back. They also have had some of the worst offensive line play in the Pac-10 over the past two seasons. So why do I expect the Sun Devils to step up in 2009? Well the defense has the makings to be one of the best in the conference. The top tackler (LB Mike Nixon), sack leader (DE Dexter Davis), and interception leader (Nixon) all return. Additionally, four starters return on the offensive line and Danny Sullivan is a big-armed quarterback who could make Dennis Erickson’s offense hum if he can adjust to the starting role.

If that’s not enough, get this stat: since 2002, Arizona State has finished ranked in the top 25 every season in which they were unranked in the preseason. The Sun Devils aren't ranked anywhere near the top 25 so far this preseason.

Bo Jackson Trophy Candidates:
Top 3:
RB-Jahvid Best, California
RB-Jacquizz Rodgers, Oregon State
RB-LeGarrette Blount, Oregon

Ten to Watch:
QB-Aaron Corp/Matt Barkley, USC
RB-Toby Gerhart, Stanford
WR-D’Andre Goodwin, Washington
TE-Rob Gronkowski, Arizona
QB-Jake Locker, Washington
QB-Jeremiah Masoli, Oregon
RB-James Montgomery, Washington State
C-Kris O’Dowd, USC
WR-James Rodgers, Oregon State
QB-Matt Scott, Arizona
WR-Damien Williams, USC

Herzlich Trophy Candidates:
Top 3:
DT-Brian Price, UCLA
CB-Syd’Quan Thompson, California
LB-Mike Nixon, Arizona State

Ten to Watch:
LB-Reggie Carter, UCLA
DE-Dexter Davis, Arizona State
DE-Everson Griffen, USC
DT-Lawrence Guy, Arizona State
LB-Keaton Kristick, Oregon State
FS-Taylor Mays, USC
DE-Daniel Te’O-Nesheim, Washington
CB-Walter Thurmond, Oregon
CB-Trevin Wade, Arizona
CB-Alterraun Verner, UCLA

ACC Preview

2009-08-21T13:55:00.001-05:00

Projected Records & Standings

Atlantic Division

1. FLORIDA STATE       8-4  (5-3)
2. N.C. STATE          9-3  (5-3)
3. CLEMSON             6-6  (3-5)
4. MARYLAND            6-6  (3-5)
5. WAKE FOREST         6-6  (3-5)
6. BOSTON COLLEGE      5-7  (2-6)

Coastal Division

1. VIRGINIA TECH      11-1  (8-0)
2. MIAMI               9-3  (6-2)
3. NORTH CAROLINA      9-3  (5-3)
4. VIRGINIA            7-5  (4-4)
5. GEORGIA TECH        6-6  (3-5)
6. DUKE                4-8  (1-7)

Atlantic Champion: FLORIDA STATE

Even though I think N.C. State might end up being the best team in the Atlantic Division, Florida State has the benefit of playing the Wolfpack in Tallahassee, FL. Therefore, as long as there are no silly rules like in the Big XII, Florida State will most likely hold the tie-breaker advantage. The Seminoles will look for improvement in the running game in 2009. With up-and-comer Jermaine Thomas at running back and athletic Christian Ponder at quarterback running behind a veteran offensive line featuring road grater Rodney Hudson, Jimbo Fisher’s offense should be able to do just that.

Coastal Champion: VIRGINIA TECH
There’s not much doubt here. The Hokies are the defending ACC champions and return most of the key cogs that helped claim that title a year ago. Look for Tyrod Taylor to step up into the national spotlight in 2009 as he finally has the quarterback job all to himself. His all-purpose skills should make this offense crackle. Seven starters return on the defensive side of the ball where Bud Foster always gets the most out of his talent. Defensive end Jason Worilds, linebacker Cody Grimm, and cornerback Stephan Virgil are the new heirs to the Lunch Pail.

Question the Hype: GEORGIA TECH
Paul Johnson is a great coach. Most schools would take him to head up their program in a heartbeat. But let’s not put the cart before the horse here. Georgia Tech surprised a lot of people in 2008. In an improving conference with increasingly athletic defenses, I don’t think Johnson’s option offense will be able to take as many teams by surprise this time around. That’s not to say I don’t think the offense will work long term here, I just think the Coastal Division will be significantly improved in 2009. Also consider the defensive line – one of the most important pieces to the Yellow Jackets’ successful run a year ago – lost three players to the NFL. That’s no laughing matter - there will be a significant drop-off in the trenches. The defense will in turn take a step back, meaning the offense will have to shoulder more of the load.

Question the Hype, Part II: C.J. SPILLER
Is C.J. Spiller extremely athletic? Yes. Is he as dangerous as anybody in the open field? Probably. Is he a good every-down running back? Not sure yet. Is he dependable? No. Spiller has all the tools to become a great running back, but up to this point he hasn’t put together a full season that warrants the acclaim he has received. Worst of all, he has a tendency to disappear from games for spells when it looks like he just doesn’t feel like playing. I’m not sure if Spiller has the drive it takes to be a great football player. As of now, he’s simply a great athlete.

Could Surprise: VIRGINIA`

Nobody is talking about the Cavaliers in the Coastal Division. With Virginia Tech in command and Miami, North Carolina, and Georgia Tech all on the rise, it’s easy for the off-season changes in Charlottesville to go unnoticed. But the ‘Hoos deserve your attention. New offensive coordinator Gregg Branndon comes over from Bowling Green where he will install a more wide open offense. This is good news for returning quarterback Jameel Sewell, one of the best QBs in the ACC until he was forced to sit out 2008 due to academic shortcomings. Another benefactor should be Vic Hall, a converted cornerback with a ton of athleticism who surprisingly played quarterback in Virginia’s last two games a year ago. Look for Branndon to find creative ways to get Hall on the field. Head coach Al Groh is a fine coach who knows how to recruit offensive linemen with the best of them. Don’t be surprised when Virginia jumps at least one of those four division rivals I mentioned in the standings. Because they will.

Bo Jackson Trophy Candidates:
Top 3:
QB-Tyrod Taylor, Virginia Tech
QB-Russell Wilson, N.C. State
RB-Da’Rel Scott, Maryland

Ten to Watch:
RB-Jonathan Dwyer, Georgia Tech
RB-Darren Evans, Virginia Tech
OT-Jason Fox, Miami
QB/AP-Vic Hall, Virginia
QB-Jacory Harris, Miami
OG-Rodney Hudson, Florida State
QB-Thaddeus Lewis, Duke
QB-Josh Nesbitt, Georgia Tech
QB-Jameel Sewell, Virginia
RB/KR-C.J. Spiller, Clemson

Arrington Trophy Candidates:

Defending Arrington Trophy winner Mark Herzlich [LINK] was set to return at linebacker for Boston College in 2009 with one more year of eligibility. Unfortunately Herzlich was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare cancer of the bones, during the offseason. His football career is probably over, but his legacy will live on here at Pikes Picks where we won’t soon forget his hard nosed play and stellar career. We think so highly of him that we are officially re-dedicating the trophy we award to the most outstanding defensive player in the nation. From now on it will be known as the Mark Herzlich Trophy. We wish Mr. Herzlich the best of luck in his battle.

Herzlich Trophy Candidates:
Top 3:
LB-Sean Spence, Miami
DE-Da’Quan Bowers, Clemson
DE-Willie Young, N.C. State

Ten to Watch:
DT-Marvin Austin, North Carolina
DT-Allen Bailey, Miami
SS-Morgan Burnett, Georgia Tech
CB-Ras-I Dowling, Virginia
LB-Cody Grimm, Virginia Tech
DT-Vince Oghobaase, Duke
NG-Boo Robinson, Wake Forest
CB-Stephan Virgil, Virginia Tech
LB-Dekoda Watson, Florida State
S-Deunta Williams, North Carolina
DE-Jason Worilds, Virginia Tech

Big Ten Preview

2009-08-20T18:34:00.000-05:00

Projected Records & Standings

1. PENN STATE         11-1  (7-1)
2. OHIO STATE         10-2  (6-2)
3. ILLINOIS            8-4  (5-3)
4. MICHIGAN            9-3  (5-3)
5. MICHIGAN STATE      7-5  (4-4)
6. IOWA                7-5  (4-4)
7. NORTHWESTERN        8-4  (4-4)
8. MINNESOTA           5-7  (3-5)
9. WISCONSIN           6-6  (3-5)
10.PURDUE              4-8  (2-6)
11.INDIANA             3-9  (1-7)

Champion: PENN STATE
The schedule sets up nicely for Penn State with Ohio State visiting Happy Valley. Those two are enough ahead of the rest of the pack that the conference title will probably come down to that game. Give the Nittany Lions the advantage because of senior quarterback Daryll Clark and what should again be a very good defense. The return of Sean Lee at linebacker will only make Navorro Bowman better. And Jared Odrick and Ollie Ogbu make up one of the best defensive tackle duos in the land. Add to that a running back who is one of the most underappreciated players in the nation in Evan Royster running behind an athletic offensive line and there is a real possibility Penn State could run the table and sneak their way into the National Title game.

Could Surprise: MICHIGAN

With seemingly everybody rooting against Rich Rodriguez at this point, it’s time to bring up the fact that his teams usually take the biggest step forward in year two. The defense didn’t always play well, but with players like DE Brandon Graham and LB Obi Ezeh the Wolverine defense should be in fine form. If the offense shows even the slightest bit of improvement – and there’s really no where else to go but up – Big Blue should find themselves in the top half of the Big Ten standings where they belong.

Here’s an early upset pick: Michigan will beat Ohio State in Ann Arbor this November.

Question the Hype: BIG TEN CONFERENCE
This conference is in a state of flux. Penn State and Ohio State are clearly the front-runners, but neither has proven capable of beating good teams from other conferences in recent seasons. Somebody is going to have to pick up a big NON-conference win in order to reverse the perception that the Big Ten is lagging behind the other major conferences. Unfortunately, outside of Ohio State playing USC, most of these schools seem content to avoid playing big non-conference games. So don’t be surprised if the Big Ten gets their clocks cleaned come bowl season yet again.

Bo Jackson Trophy Candidates:
Top 3:
QB-Juice Williams, Illinois
QB-Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State
RB-Evan Royster, Penn State

Ten to Watch:
WR-Arrelious Benn, Illinois
RB-Carlos Brown, Michigan
OT-Bryan Bulaga, Iowa
OT-Gabe Carimi, Wisconsin
QB-Daryll Clark, Penn State
WR-Eric Decker, Minnesota
RB-Jewel Hampton, Iowa
RB-Dan Herron, Ohio State
RB-Jaycen Taylor, Purdue
C-Stefen Wisniewski, Penn State

Arrington Trophy Candidates:
Top 3:
DE-Brandon Graham, Michigan
DT-Jared Odrick, Penn State
LB-Martez Wilson, Illinois

Ten to Watch:
LB-Pat Angerer, Iowa
LB-Navorro Bowman, Penn State
CB-Chimdi Chekwa, Ohio State
SS-Kurt Coleman, Ohio State
LB-Obi Ezeh, Michigan
LB-Greg Jones, Michigan State
DE-Jammie Kirlew, Indiana
DT-Ollie Ogbu, Penn State
CB-Donovan Warren, Michigan
DE-Corey Wootton, Northwestern

Big East Preview

2009-08-20T11:21:00.000-05:00

Projected Records & Standings

1. CINCINNATI          8-4  (5-2)
2. RUTGERS             9-3  (5-2)
3. WEST VIRGINIA       8-4  (5-2)
4. PITTSBURGH          7-5  (4-3)
5. CONNECTICUT         6-6  (4-3)
6. SOUTH FLORIDA       5-7  (2-5)
7. LOUISVILLE          5-7  (2-5)
8. SYRACUSE            3-9  (1-6)

Co-Champions: CINCINNATI, RUTGERS, WEST VIRGINIA

It’s only fitting that the worst of the BCS Conferences ends in a three-way tie. None of the trio of Cincinnati, Rutgers, or West Virginia are solid enough to win the conference outright, but each has the potential to.

Cincinnati is probably the safest bet, with senior Tony Pike returning at quarterback along with weapons like WR/PR Mardy Gilyard and RB Isaiah Pead. But there are huge question marks on defense, especially in the secondary.

Rutgers has the least experience among skill position players, but they have the easiest schedule and have potentially the best offensive and defensive lines in the conference.

West Virginia has arguably the most talent, including senior quarterback Jarrett Brown, who has patiently waited his turn to take over for Pat White. But the Mountaineers still seem to be in a transitional period after the coaching change a year ago. If Bill Stewart can regain the consistency the program had under Rich Rodriguez, West Virginia will be the team to beat in the Big East.

Question the Hype: CINCINNATI
Head coach Brian Kelly was the hot name all offseason. He was mentioned for most of the big openings on the coaching carousel and was recently been named one of the top five best head coaches by The Sporting News. But Cincinnati loses 10 starters off a defense that held the team together while the Bearcats offense suffered through injury after injury at the quarterback position. Isaiah Pead should be an upgrade in the running game, and Mardy Gilyard is a threat to score whenever he touches the ball, but Cincy will need to score more than the 25.9 points they averaged in 2008 in order to keep their spot atop the Big East.

Could Surprise: LOUISVILLE
I’ve been tooting the horn of Steve Kragthorpe for the past two years, urging Louisville fans to be patient – Kragthorpe had quite the house-cleaning project upon arriving in the wake of the Bobby Petrino mess. Well, it’s Year 3 now and so far, not-so-good. But I still have faith in Kragthorpe. He’s gotten rid of just about all the excess baggage and trimmed the roster down to guys who actually want to play football for him. With RB Victor Anderson and a decent receiving corps, I am keeping my eyes on Louisville as a team that could make a significant jump up the Big East standings if a couple breaks fall their way.

Bo Jackson Trophy Candidates:
Top 3:
RB-Noel Devine, West Virginia
WR-Mardy Gilyard, Cincinnati
OT-Anthony Davis, Rutgers

Ten to Watch:
RB-Victor Anderson, Louisville
RB-Antwon Bailey, Syracuse
WR-Jonathan Baldwin, Pittsburgh
WR-Doug Beaumont, Louisville
QB-Jarrett Brown, West Virginia
RB-Delone Carter, Syracuse
QB-Matt Grothe, South Florida
QB-Tony Pike, Cincinnati
OT-Jason Pinkston, Pittsburgh
WR-Mike Williams, Syracuse

Arrington Trophy Candidates:
Top 3:
DE-George Selvie, South Florida
DT-Arthur Jones, Syracuse
DT-Mick Williams, Pittsburgh

Ten to Watch:
FS-Nate Allen, South Florida
NT-Scooter Berry, West Virginia
LB-Ryan D’Imperio, Rutgers
LB-Adam Gunn, Pittsburgh
LB-Scott Lutrus, Connecticut
CB-Devin McCourty, Rutgers
DE-Greg Romeus, Pittsburgh
LB-Reed Williams, West Virginia
LB-Kion Wilson, South Florida
LB-Lawrence Wilson, Connecticut

Mountain West Preview

2009-08-19T19:17:00.005-05:00

Projected Records & Standings

1. TCU                10-2  (7-1)
2. BYU                 9-3  (6-2)
3. UTAH                9-3  (6-2)
4. AIR FORCE           9-3  (5-3)
5. UNLV                5-7  (3-5)
6. COLORADO STATE      6-6  (3-5)
7. SAN DIEGO STATE     6-6  (3-5)
8. NEW MEXICO          4-8  (2-6)
9. WYOMING             3-9  (1-7)

Champion: TCU

I’m not sold on the offense and QB Andy Dalton, but TCU has never been about offense. The defense is what rules for Gary Patterson’s squad, and with players like DE Jerry Hughes, LB Daryl Washington, and CB Rafael Priest coming back the Frogs should be as formidable as ever. Keep an eye on potential game-changer Jeremy Kerley on offense and special teams. He could be an important cog in the offense if he takes another step up in his development.

Question the Hype: BYU

BYU quarterback Max Hall returns to guide one of the nation’s most highly touted offenses. Look a little bit closer, though, and you’ll find that the Cougars padded their offensive numbers against inferior opponents. Remember that this is the same team that needed a horrible call from the officials to beat winless Washington a year ago, and also got throttled in their biggest games against TCU (32-7), Utah (48-24), and Arizona (31-21).

Could Surprise: SAN DIEGO STATE

I considered putting Air Force in this spot, but decided that it wouldn’t really surprise anyone if Troy Calhoun guides the Falcons to 9 wins. I almost put New Mexico here, but I’m not sure if new coach Mike Locksley (along with his OC, former North Texas head coach Darrell Dickey) has enough experienced players outside QB Donovan Porterie to put together a breakthrough season yet.

Instead I went with San Diego State. The Aztecs have long been sitting on an untapped gold mine, and I believe Brady Hoke might be the coach to harness that potential. He brought in some excellent assistant coaches to help him out too. With Al Borges running the offense and former New Mexico head coach Rocky Long running the defense, the future could be bright in San Diego – and why not start the future in 2009?

Faulk Trophy Candidates:
OT-Zane Beadles, Utah
QB-Omar Clayton, UNLV
WR-Rashaun Greer, Colorado State
QB-Max Hall, BYU
DE-Jerry Hughes, TCU
QB-Tim Jefferson, Air Force
FS-Robert Johnson, Utah
DE-Jan Jorgensen, BYU
PR/WR-Jeremy Kerley, TCU
QB-Ryan Lindley, San Diego State
TE-Dennis Pitta, BYU
QB-Donovan Porterie, New Mexico
LB-Stevenson Sylvester, Utah
QB-Karsten Sween, Wyoming
WR-Ryan Wolfe, UNLV
RB-James Wright, New Mexico

Conference USA Preview

2009-08-19T11:04:00.000-05:00

Now that The Greatest Tournament of All Time has reached its epic conclusion and 2001 Miami has been crowned “Greatest College Football Team of All Time”, it’s time to get the preseason predictions for 2009 kicked off. I’ll start by posting my conference previews, and follow that up with my preseason Top 50 rankings. First up: Conference USA.Projected Records & Standings

East Division

1. EAST CAROLINA      10-2  (7-1)
2. SOUTHERN MISS       7-5  (5-3)
3. MEMPHIS             6-6  (4-4)
4. MARSHALL            6-6  (4-4)
5. CENTRAL FLORIDA     4-8  (2-6)
6. UAB                 3-9  (2-6)

West Division

1. HOUSTON             9-3  (7-1)
2. UTEP                7-5  (5-3)
3. TULSA               7-5  (5-3)
4. RICE                5-7  (4-4)
5. TULANE              4-8  (2-6)
6. SMU                 2-10 (1-7)

East Champion: EAST CAROLINA

When QB Patrick Pinkney was granted a sixth year medical redshirt it was the icing on the cake for Skip Holtz’s Pirates. ECU already had by far the best offensive and defensive lines in the conference, so to retain a veteran quarterback with the multitude of skills Pinkney has makes this an easy pick. Southern Miss is a popular choice to win the East Division, but ECU is the more veteran team. After sharpening their teeth in upsets of Virginia Tech and West Virginia a year ago, the Pirates might be on the verge of a Boise State-type breakout season.

West Champion: HOUSTON

Coach Kevin Sumlin made sure the Cougars didn’t skip a beat after Art Briles bolted for Baylor. The return of QB Case Keenum – this year’s version of Chase Clement – means Houston will probably score a billion points again. With Tulsa apparently taking a small step back, the door is wide open for Sumlin’s Cougs to claim the West crown.

Question the Hype: SMU

June Jones won at Hawaii, but to assume his “offense” would automatically light up the scoreboard in Dallas is absurd. The Mustangs have a long way to go to get back to respectability – they haven’t been to a bowl game since 1984 – and I don’t believe June Jones and his scheme can perform a miracle in only the second year of his tenure.

Could Surprise: MEMPHIS

Memphis is a team to look out for because of the talent on the offensive side of the ball. Not only do they return C-USA’s leading rusher (Curtis Steele) and tallest receiving corps (6’-8” Carlos Singleton and 6’-4” Duke Calhoun), the Tigers also benefit from the addition of Wisconsin transfer RB Lance Smith. QB Arkelon Hall has plenty of weapons at his disposal, so if he can improve his consistency this is a team that could compete for the East Division championship.

Faulk Trophy Candidates:
CB-Brandon Brinkley, Houston
WR-DeAndre Brown, Southern Miss
FS-Van Eskridge, East Carolina
RB-Damion Fletcher, Southern Miss
WR/KR-Damaris Johnson, Tulsa
QB-Case Keenum, Houston
RB/KR-Darius Marshall, Marshall
DE-Albert McClellan, Marshall
QB-Patrick Pinkney, East Carolina
WR-Carlos Singleton, Memphis
TE-Cody Slate, Marshall
QB-Trevor Vittatoe, UTEP
QB-Joe Webb, UAB
DE-C.J. Wilson, East Carolina

The Greatest Tournament of All Time - CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

2009-08-17T19:33:00.010-05:00

2,046 teams have been eliminated, leaving only 2001 Miami and 1995 Nebraska to duke it out in the Championship Game. Who is the best team of all time? Read on and find out.

It's been nearly 7 months since the tournament began back in February, but this is the game everybody has been waiting for. These two teams are always at the top of the list when discussing the greatest college football teams of all time, so it's only fitting they meet here to settle the debate once and for all.

First Half:

It was clear right away that this was a battle featuring two heavyweights. If the 33 NFL draft picks in the starting lineups doesn't give you enough of an indication, the size and speed all over the field should convince you.

The interior of the Miami defensive line established themselves right away with Matt Walters and William Joseph making the first two tackles of the game right at the line of scrimmage. The Nebraska defense answered with a Grant Wistrom sack of Ken Dorsey. In fact, after three series of action there were just 19 yards of total offense and exactly 3 punts.

With the good field position, Miami scored first on a Ken Dorsey touchdown pass to Ethenic Sands. The drive only went 54 yards, but it gave the Hurricanes a 7-0 lead. The first quarter would end with Miami nursing a 7-3 lead.

Nebraska finally put together their first truly successful drive of the game, though, to bridge the first and second quarters. Tommie Frazier's quickness and passing accuracy led to an impressive 83 yard touchdown drive that ended in a Lawrence Phillips two yard touchdown plunge. Frazier completed two big passes on the drive, including one on third down in which the senior quarterback fired to receiver Clester Johnson while nearly horizontal to the ground and in the grasp of sack-master Jerome McDougle.

Miami answered quickly by finally gaining significant yardage on the ground. Clinton Portis carried for 12 yards on the first play of the drive, and Frank Gore capped a hard nosed drive with a nifty 19 yard touchdown run.

Looking to add to a 14-10 lead late in the second quarter, Ken Dorsey made his lone mistake of the ball game. Looking for Jeremy Shockey over the middle, Dorsey underestimated linebacker Terrell Farley's athleticism and Farley leapt in the air to make the interception at his own 24 yard line.

Nebraska capitalized with a hard nosed drive of their own that saw I-Backs Lawrence Phillips and Ahman Green grind out yard after yard. The running game perfectly set up a Frazier play action pass to Jon Vedral for a 28 yard touchdown. Nebraska would take a 17-14 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Scoring Summary:

FIRST QUARTER
8:47 MIA TD - Ethenic Sands 17 yard pass from Ken Dorsey
5:32 NEB FG - Kris Brown 37 yard Field Goal
SECOND QUARTER
13:41 NEB TD - Lawrence Phillips 2 yard run
9:02 MIA TD - Frank Gore 19 yard run
2:11 NEB TD - Jon Vedral 28 yard pass from Tommie Frazier

Second Half:

After picking up some much needed momentum just before halftime, Nebraska came out of the locker room and gave it all back. Ken Dorsey started putting some things together through the air, finding Shockey and Andre Johnson multiple times on the first two series of the second half. But the Blackshirts kept finding ways to make stops.

It wasn't until a costly interception thrown by Tommie Frazier that the floodgates opened. Dorsey went 5-for-6 on the ensuing possession, including a 17 yard touchdown pass to Shockey. Not only did the touchdown give Miami a 21-17 lead, it also showed that Dorsey was able to find holes in the Nebraska secondary and capitalize on them.

Tommie Frazier is one of the greatest college football players of all time, though, so you know Nebraska wasn't finished yet.

Frazier took things into his own hands early in the fourth quarter, calling his own number and keeping on the option and on quarterback draws while marching the Huskers down the field. He put Nebraska back on top with a 25 yard quarterback draw for a touchdown. Frazier finished with 57 rushing yards on the drive.

Ken Dorsey came up big again in answering Frazier's touchdown. Leading a brilliant, balanced drive, Clinton Portis and Dorsey traded off picking up first downs. On a play action pass on second and short, Dorsey pumped and fired a 33 yard touchdown pass to Andre Johnson streaking down the right sideline.

The Hurricane drive chewed up 86 yards and over 5 minutes of game time, and clearly took a lot out of the Nebraska defense.

Tommie Frazier took the field again with 7 minutes left and needing just a field goal to regain the lead. He once again kept on the option and picked up 15 yards on first down. But linebackers Jonathan Vilma and Chris Campbell stepped up their game and forced a punt with three straight tackles in the backfield.

Nebraska was forced to punt and Miami answered with the controversial move to play it close to the vest. Larry Coker and offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski abandoned the big play passing game that had worked so well in the second half in favor of the running game in hopes of running out the clock. Clinton Portis and Willis McGahee were stuffed on three straight plays.

That gave Tom Osborne's Huskers one final chance to put points on the board and take home the title. But with time winding down the Miami defense was able to pin their ears back and rush the passer, knowing that Nebraska was going to have to cut back significantly on their strength (the running game) in order to move the ball down the field.

Facing fourth and long and just seconds remaining on the clock, Frazier was left with no other options than a hail mary from his own 43 yard line. His pass was picked off by none other than Ed Reed, who returned it 88 yards for a meaningless touchdown that put the exclamation point on a great game and a great tournament.

Scoring Summary:

THIRD QUARTER
7:47 MIA TD - Jeremy Shockey 17 yard pass from Dorsey
4:30 NEB FG - Brown 40 yard Field Goal
FOURTH QUARTER
12:24 NEB TD - Frazier 25 yard run
7:07 MIA TD - Andre Johnson 33 yard pass from Dorsey
0:00 MIA TD - Ed Reed 88 yard interception return (no PAT)

FINAL SCORE

2001 Miami 34
1995 Nebraska 27

GAME STATS

TEAM STATS                95 NEB           01 MIA
Rushes - Yards            55-253           37-112
Comp-Att-Int              8-17-2           21-34-1
Passing Yards             121              301
Sacks                     3                0
Fumbles-Lost              1-0              1-1
Time of Poss.             29:13            30:47

BRACKET OF CHAMPIONS - Final Four

2009-08-16T19:16:00.003-05:00

Game 2:How They Got Here:

Texas won the BCS National Champion for the 2005 college football season by defeating USC, a team that was widely regarded one of the best ever prior to the Rose Bowl. That got the Longhorns the #2 overall seed in The Greatest Tournament of All Time. Texas won five games in Bracket #2 and earned a spot in the Bo Region of the Bracket of Champions. The Longhorns won four more games in order to take part in this Final Four match.

Nebraska was the AP National Champion for the 1995 college football season. They picked up the #11 overall seed in The Greatest Tournament of all Time. The Cornhuskers cruised through five wins in Bracket #11 to earn the top spot in the Woody Region of the Bracket of Champions. Four wins later and the Huskers find themselves right where they expected to be all along - in the Final Four.

First Half:

You can't ask for a better quarterback matchup than this one. Tommie Frazier vs Vince Young, two players that went out on top with super-human performances in championship games. Strangely, and somewhat telling of the status of the award, neither quarterback owns a Heisman Trophy.

On the opening drive of the game, Nebraska's Frazier showed why he is regarded as one of the greatest college football players of all time. After Lawrence Phillips carried for a 22 yard gain on the first play of the game, Frazier took an option keeper 21 yards. And on the third play of the drive Frazier popped back in the pocket after giving an option look and threw a 37 yard touchdown bomb to Reggie Baul to give Nebraska a 7-0 lead.

The Texas defense tightened up quickly, though. All American defensive tackle Rod Wright and defensive end Brian Robison got good penetration and kept Frazier from being able to get to the corner. Linebacker Aaron Harris and safety Michael Huff teamed up to slow down I-Backs Phillips and Ahman Green. Over the next 22 minutes they held one of the greatest offenses of all time to exactly zero points.

The Nebraska defense had Vince Young to contend with. Thanks to athletic linebacker Terrell Farley, used as a spy on Young for much of the first half, Texas didn't get on the score board until David Pino kicked a 46-yard field goal five minutes into the second quarter.

After finally putting the first quarter struggles behind them, Vince Young and the Longhorns went on a scoring binge. Young avoided the rush and hit Billy Pittman with a 27-yard touchdown pass, but Pino missed the extra point attempt. Young followed up another strong series by the defense with a 42 yard touchdown run. Just like that Texas was up on the favored Huskers 16-7.

Tommie Frazier answered (as he always did) by leading a methodical 13-play touchdown drive that nearly shaved the final four-and-a-half minutes entirely off the second quarter clock. He capped the drive with a 2-yard option keeper for the score. But Nebraska trailed 16-14 at the half.

Second Half:

Tommie Frazier was the story in the third quarter. The senior bookended a Ramonce Taylor touchdown and two point conversion with a 25-yard touchdown pass to tight end Mark Gilman and a remarkable tackle-shredding 75-yard touchdown run as the clock expired on the third quarter.

The run not only gave Frazier over 100 yards rushing in the QUARTER, it also gave Nebraska the lead again, 28-24, and got the Nebraska fans in the crowd rocking.

But Vince Young answered with a remarkable drive of his own. Young was 3-for-3 using his favorite target, tight end David Thomas, for 47 yards on the drive. He also had two zone-read keepers for 27 yards to put the Longhorns in scoring position. The Blackshirts tightened up in the red zone and held Texas to 4th and 5 from the 9 yard line where Mack Brown made the gutsy call to go for it. Young came through by avoiding a Grant Wistrom sack and running it in for a touchdown and the lead.

The Nebraska offensive line, clearly starting to finally exert their dominance over a very good Texas defensive line, took over on the ensuing possession. Another 13-play drive saw Nebraska run the ball 12 times for 78 yards. Fullback Jeff Makovicka capped the drive with a 13-yard touchdown run as the Huskers wrestled the lead back again, 35-31.

From there Terrell Farley and the Nebraska defense took over. Everywhere Vince Young went, there was Farley. Farley batted down two passes and picked up two sacks on Texas' final three drives of the ball game as they only netted a long field goal by David Pino.

In a see-saw affair, that saw the two teams combine for nearly 1,000 yards of offense, it was Nebraska's defense in the final 7 minutes that won them the game. Vince Young finished with almost 100 yards rushing to go along with 277 yards passing, but Tommie Frazier out-shined VY with 201 rushing yards and 164 passing yards.

FINAL SCORE:
1995 Nebraska 35
2005 Texas 34

BRACKET OF CHAMPIONS - Final Four

2009-08-15T19:13:00.002-05:00

Game 1

How They Got Here:

Florida State was the AP National Champion for the 1993 college football season. That got them the #32 overall seed in The Greatest Tournament of All Time, which was the top spot in Bracket #32. The Seminoles won five games in Bracket #32 and earned a spot in the Bear Region of the Bracket of Champions. FSU won four more games in order to take part in this Final Four match.

Miami won the BCS National Championship for the 2001 college football season. They picked up the #4 overall seed in The Greatest Tournament of all Time, which was the top spot in Bracket #4. The Hurricanes cruised through five wins in Bracket #4 to earn the top spot in the JoePa Region of the Bracket of Champions. Four wins later and Miami finds themselves against an old rival in the Final Four.

First Half:

After a first quarter that saw the two rivals feeling each other out while the defenses dictated tempo, Miami jumped on the Seminoles. The running game kicked in for the Hurricanes as Clinton Portis ran for 56 yards and a touchdown in the second quarter en route to building a 17-3 lead.

Watching Miami pile up over 200 yards of offense while maintaining a decisive edge in the momentum department, Florida State found themselves in dire need of a score prior to halftime. Charlie Ward rose to the occasion, directing the 2 minute offense to perfection. He was 5-for-5 on the drive until it stalled out in the red zone. Mike Rumph knocked away a pass and Jamaal Green picked up a sack as the Hurricanes held FSU out of the end zone and forced a field goal attempt.

Scott Bentley nailed the 30-yard field goal attempt to give the Seminoles at least a little something to take into the locker room, despite trailing 17-6.

Second Half:

The third quarter was controlled entirely by the defenses. Defensive coordinators Mickey Andrews and Randy Shannon traded brilliant series after brilliant series until Warrick Dunn finally broke loose with 2:11 left in the quarter. The freshman took a screen pass from Charlie Ward, broke a D.J. Williams tackle and raced 36 yards down the sideline, providing easily the biggest play of the second half.

Miami's defense bowed up once again and held Florida State to just a field goal attempt. Bentley calmly booted a 42 yarder through the uprights and suddenly the Seminoles trailed by just a touchdown and a two point conversion, 17-9.

In the fourth quarter the momentum finally started to swing Florida State's way. Derrick Brooks and the defense had held Miami scoreless for a solid 25+ minutes and looked to be in control, so they seemingly only needed their Heisman Trophy winning quarterback to step up and make some plays to potentially steal a victory from one of the most talented teams in the tournament.

That's exactly what the senior quarterback did. With FSU trailing 17-9 and just 6:14 left on the clock, Ward began to work his magic. He marched the Seminoles quickly down the field, mixing in a 24 yard run to get his teammates on the bench excited for the first time all game. He followed that play up with a 29 yard touchdown pass to Kez McCorvey.

Trailing by two with just over 5 minutes on the clock, Bobby Bowden elected to go for two. Ward's pass attempt was knocked away by Chris Campbell in the end zone, preserving Miami's 17-15 lead.

But on the second play of the ensuing drive, Ken Dorsey threw a pass over the middle to Daryl Jones who was hammered by safety Devin Bush. The ball came loose and the Seminoles came out with the ball and yet another jolt of energy.

Charlie Ward took the field with even more swagger and completed two straight passes to Matt Frier. Then lightning struck when he found Tamarick Vanover streaking down the sideline all alone in an apparent blown coverage. Ward tossed the ball out to Vanover who took it into the end zone to complete the 34-yard scoring strike and the comeback. Bentley kicked the extra point to make it a 22-17 lead with just 3:56 left.

Four minutes is a lont time, though, especially with Ken Dorsey and an immensely talented offense ready to take over. Sure enough, Dorsey kept his head and got the sputtering Hurricane offense moving for the first time in the second half. Using his favorite targets Andre Johnson and Jeremy Shockey, as well as a pair of perfectly timed draw plays to Clinton Portis, Dorsey led a touchdown drive that put Miami back on top 24-22.

That left Charlie Ward just 1:42 to perhaps perform one more miracle. For the third consecutive time, Ward drove FSU down the field with the help of his talented receiving corps. After three straight completions, a 27-yard pass to Kevin Knox put the Seminoles in field goal range. A short completion to Frier and a Sean Jackson run set up FSU at the 27-yard line with 2 seconds on the clock, leaving Scott Bentley to try a 44-yard field goal attempt for the win.

If you know anything about this rivalry you can probably guess what happened next.

Bentley missed it wide right.

FINAL SCORE:
2001 Miami 24
1993 Florida State 22

FINAL FOUR PREVIEW - 1995 Nebraska

2009-08-14T19:29:00.001-05:00

1995 NEBRASKA (12-0)

AP National Champions
#11 overall seed - Woody Region Winner

Head Coach: Tom Osborne
Off. Coord.: Tom Osborne
Def. Coord.: Charlie McBride
QB Coach: Turner Gill
RB Coach: Frank Solich
OLB Coach: Tony Samuel

Schedule                 Result
@ Oklahoma State         W 64-21
@ Michigan State         W 50-10
Arizona State            W 77-28
Pacific                  W 49-7
Washington State         W 35-21
Missouri                 W 57-0
Kansas State (#7)        W 49-25
@ Colorado (#5)          W 44-21
Iowa State               W 73-14
@ Kansas (#9)            W 41-3
Oklahoma                 W 37-0
FIESTA BOWL
(National Championship Game) 
vs Florida (#2)          W 62-24

Average Score:         53.2 - 14.5
Against Top 25:            4-0
Against Top 10:            4-0

Tournament               Results
2005 Oregon State        W 60-13
2007 Boise State         W 47-21
1995 Miami, Ohio         W 45-17
1996 Penn State (#7)     W 41-20
1977 Alabama (#2)        W 35-21
1989 Miami (#1)          W 31-20
2004 Auburn (#2)         W 33-20
1988 Miami (#2)          W 29-24
1987 Florida State (#2)  W 37-23
NEXT UP:
2005 Texas (#1)

Average Score:         39.8 - 19.9
Top 10 teams Defeated:      6
National Champs Defeated:   1

*NOTE: Numbers in parenthesis indicate final AP Ranking

STARTING LINEUP
(BOLD = All American)
(NFL Draft Selection in parenthesis)

OFFENSE
QB Tommie Frazier
IB Ahman Green (3rd Rd, 1998)
FB Jeff Makovicka
WR Reggie Baul
WR Clester Johnson
TE Mark Gilman
LT Chris Dishman (4th Rd, 1997)
LG Aaron Taylor (7th Rd, 1998)
C Aaron Graham (4th Rd, 1996)
RG Steve Ott
RT Eric Anderson

Key Backups:
IB Lawrence Phillips (1st Rd, 1996)
RT Adam Treu (3rd Rd, 1997)
IB Damon Benning
IB Clinton Childs
QB Brook Berringer
WR Jon Vedral
FB Brian Schuster
WR Brendan Holbein
FB Joel Makovicka (4th Rd, 1999)
TE Sheldon Jackson (7th Rd, 1999)

DEFENSE
DE Jared Tomich (2nd Rd, 1997)
DT Christian Peter (5th Rd, 1996)
DT Jason Peter (1st Rd, 1998)
DE Grant Wistrom (1st Rd, 1998)
WLB Terrell Farley
MLB Doug Colman (6th Rd, 1996)
SLB Jamel Williams (5th Rd, 1997)
CB Tyrone Williams (3rd Rd, 1996)
FS Tony Veland (6th Rd, 1996)
ROV Mike Minter (2nd Rd, 1997)
CB Michael Booker (1st Rd, 1997)

Key Backups:
MLB Phil Ellis
LB Jon Hesse (7th Rd, 1997)
SLB Jay Foreman (5th Rd, 1999)
WLB Ryan Terwilliger
ROV Octavious McFarlin
DE Chad Kelsay (7th Rd, 1999)
CB Eric Stokes (5th Rd, 1997)
CB Mike Fullman
S Eric Warfield (7th Rd, 1998)
DE Mike Rucker (2nd Rd, 1999)

SPECIAL TEAMS
K Kris Brown (7th Rd, 1999)
P Jesse Kosch
KR Clinton Childs
PR Mike Fullman

AWARD WINNERS

Tommie Frazier - Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, Maxwell Award, Big 8 Offensive POY, Sporting News POY

Nebraska in the Tournament
Overall Record: 98-31 (76.0%)
# of Teams in the Tournament: 32
# of Teams in Bracket of Champions: 10
Against Texas: 1-3
Against Miami: 4-3
Against Florida State: 2-3

Tom Osborne in the Tournament
Overall Record: 79-20
# of Teams in the Tournament: 21 (All with Nebraska)
# of Teams in Bracket of Champions: 9

FINAL FOUR PREVIEW - 2005 Texas

2009-08-14T12:01:00.001-05:00

2005 TEXAS (13-0)

BCS National Champions
#2 overall seed - Bo Region Winner

Head Coach: Mack Brown
Notable Assistant Coaches:
Off. Coord.: Greg Davis
Def. Coord.: Gene Chizik
DB Coach: Duane Akina

2001 Schedule            Result
Louisiana-Lafayette      W 60-3
@ Ohio State (#4)        W 25-22
Rice                     W 51-10
@ Missouri               W 51-20
vs Oklahoma (#22)        W 45-12
Colorado                 W 42-17
Texas Tech (#20)         W 52-17
@ Oklahoma State         W 47-28
@ Baylor                 W 62-0
Kansas                   W 66-14
@ Texas A&M              W 40-29
Big XII Championship Game
Colorado                 W 70-3
ROSE BOWL
(BCS National Championship Game)
vs USC (#2)              W 41-38

Average Score:         50.2 - 16.4
Against Top 25:            4-0
Against Top 10:            2-0

Tournament                Results
1997 Navy                 W 48-17
2005 Tulsa                W 48-17
2002 Florida State (#21)  W 42-19
1981 Nebraska (#11)       W 32-20
1983 BYU (#7)             W 41-26
1985 Oklahoma (#1)        W 30-21
2000 Florida State (#5)   W 31-26
1991 Miami (#1)           W 27-21
1987 Miami (#1)           W 30-24
NEXT UP:
1995 Nebraska (#1)

Average Score:          36.6 - 21.2
Top 10 teams Defeated:       5
National Champs Defeated:    3

*NOTE: Final AP Ranking in parenthesis

STARTING LINEUP
(BOLD = All American)
(NFL Draft selection in parenthesis)

OFFENSE
QB VINCE YOUNG (1st Rd, 2006)
RB Selvin Young
WR Limas Sweed (2nd Rd, 2008)
WR Billy Pittman
WR Brian Carter
TE David Thomas (3rd Rd, 2006)
LT JONATHAN SCOTT (5th Rd, 2006)
LG Kasey Studdard (6th Rd, 2007)
C Lyle Sendlein
RG Will Allen
RT Justin Blalock (2nd Rd, 2007)

Key Backups:
RB Jamaal Charles (3rd Rd, 2008)
RB Ramonce Taylor
RB Henry Melton (4th Rd, 2009)
WR Quan Cosby
OT Tony Hills (4th Rd, 2008)
WR Nate Jones
TE Neale Tweedie

DEFENSE
DE Brian Robison (4th Rd, 2007)
DT RODRIQUE WRIGHT (7th Rd, 2006)
DT Frank Okam (5th Rd, 2008)
DE Tim Crowder (2nd Rd, 2007)
OLB Robert Killebrew
MLB Aaron Harris
OLB Rashad Bobino
CB Cedric Griffin (2nd Rd, 2006)
S MICHAEL HUFF (1st Rd, 2006)
S Michael Griffin (1st Rd, 2007)
CB Tarell Brown (5th Rd, 2007)

Key Backups:
CB Aaron Ross (1st Rd, 2007)
LB Drew Kelson
DT Larry Dibbles
S Marcus Griffin
DE Brian Orakpo (1st Rd, 2009)
DT Derek Lokey
OLB Eric Foreman
CB Brandon Foster
DT Roy Miller (3rd Rd, 2009)

SPECIAL TEAMS
K David Pino
P Richmond McGee
KR Ramonce Taylor
PR Aaron Ross

AWARD WINNERS

Vince Young - Davey O'Brien Award, Maxwell Award
Michael Huff - Jim Thorpe Award

Texas in the Tournament
Overall Record: 55-29 (65.5%)
# of Teams in the Tournament: 30
# of Teams in Bracket of Champions: 2
Against Nebraska: 3-1
Against Miami: 3-2
Against Florida State: 2-3

Mack Brown in the Tournament
Overall Record: 39-19 (32-10 with Texas)
# of Teams in the Tournament: 20 (11 with Texas)
# of Teams in Bracket of Champions: 2

FINAL FOUR PREVIEW - 1993 Florida State

2009-08-13T20:30:00.005-05:00

1993 FLORIDA STATE (12-1)

AP National Champions
#32 overall seed - Bear Region Winner

Head Coach: Bobby Bowden
Notable Assistant Coaches:
Off. Coord.: Brad Scott
Def. Coord.: Mickey Andrews
QB Coach: Mark Richt

1993 Schedule            Result
@ Kansas                 W 42-0
@ Duke                   W 45-7
Clemson (#23)            W 57-0
@ North Carolina (#19)   W 33-7
Georgia Tech             W 51-0
Miami (#15)              W 28-10
Virginia                 W 40-14
Wake Forest              W 54-0
@ Maryland               W 49-20
@ Notre Dame (#2)        L 24-31
N.C. State               W 62-3
@ Florida (#5)           W 33-21
ORANGE BOWL
(National Championship Game)
vs Nebraska (#3)         W 18-16

Average Score:         41.2 - 9.9
Against Top 25:            5-1
Against Top 10:            2-1

Tournament               Results
2004 Kansas              W 40-9
2008 Kansas              W 42-14
1989 Houston (#14)       W 35-23
1978 Michigan (#5)       W 27-16
1977 Texas (#4)          W 31-19
1986 Oklahoma (#3)       W 23-20
1994 Florida State (#4)  W 31-20
1996 Ohio State (#2)     W 24-16
1996 Florida (#1)        W 29-27
NEXT UP:
2001 Miami (#1)

Average Score:          31.3 - 18.2
Top 10 teams Defeated:       6
National Champs Defeated:    1

*NOTE: Final AP Rankings in parenthesis

STARTING LINEUP
(BOLD = All American)
(NFL Draft selection in parenthesis)

OFFENSE
QB CHARLIE WARD (1st Rd, 1994 NBA Draft)
RB Sean Jackson (4th Rd, 1994)
FB William Floyd (1st Rd, 1994)
WR Kevin Knox (6th Rd, 1994)
WR Kez McCorvey (5th Rd, 1995)
WR Matt Frier
LT Juan Laureano
LG Lewis Tyre
C Clay Shiver (3rd Rd, 1996)
RG Patrick McNeil
RT Marvin Ferrell

Key Backups:
RB Warrick Dunn (1st Rd, 1997)
WR Tamarick Vanover (3rd Rd, 1995)
TE Lonnie Johnson (2nd Rd, 1994)
FB Pooh Bear Williams
RB Zack Crockett (3rd Rd, 1995)
WR Omar Ellison (5th Rd, 1995)
QB Danny Kanell (4th Rd, 1996)

DEFENSE
DE James Roberson
DT Toddrick McIntosh (7th Rd, 1994)
DT Jon Nance
DE Derrick Alexander (1st Rd, 1995)
OLB DERRICK BROOKS (1st Rd, 1995)
MLB Todd Rebol
OLB Ken Alexander
CB Clifton Abraham (5th Rd, 1995)
S Devin Bush (1st Rd, 1995)
S Richard Coes
CB Corey Sawyer (4th Rd, 1994)

Key Backups:
DE Reinard Wilson (1st Rd, 1997)
DE Tyrant Marion
DT Chris Cowart
LB Sam Cowart
LB Henri Crockett (4th Rd, 1997)
CB Byron Capers (7th Rd, 1997)
CB Corey Fuller (2nd rd, 1995)
DE Orpheus Roye (6th Rd, 1996)

SPECIAL TEAMS
K Scott Bentley
P Sean Liss

AWARD WINNERS

Bobby Bowden - Home Depot Award
Charlie Ward - Heisman Trophy, Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Award, Davey O'Brien Award, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award

Florida State in the Tournament
Overall Record: 103-31 (76.9%)
# of Teams in the Tournament: 32
# of Teams in Bracket of Champions: 9
Against Miami: 4-1
Against Nebraska: 3-2
Against Texas: 3-2

Bobby Bowden in the Tournament
Overall Record: 103-31
# of Teams in the Tournament: 32 (All with Florida State)
# of Teams in Bracket of Champions: 9

FINAL FOUR PREVIEW - 2001 Miami

2009-08-13T18:32:00.008-05:00

2001 MIAMI (12-0)

BCS National Champions
#4 overall seed - JoePa Region Winner

Head Coach: Larry Coker

Notable Assistant Coaches:
Off. Coord.: Rob Chudzinski
Def. Coord.: Randy Shannon
O-Line Coach: Art Kehoe
DB Coach: Mark Stoops


2001 Schedule            Result
@ Penn State             W 33-7
Rutgers                  W 61-0
@ Pittsburgh             W 43-21
Troy                     W 38-7
@ Florida State (#15)    W 49-27
West Virginia            W 45-3
Temple                   W 38-0
@ Boston College (#21)   W 18-7
Syracuse (#14)           W 59-0
Washington (#19)         W 65-7
@ Virginia Tech (#18)    W 26-24
ROSE BOWL
(BCS National Championship Game)
vs Nebraska (#8)         W 37-14

Average Score:        42.7 - 9.8
Against Top 25:           6-0
Against Top 10:           1-0

Tournament               Results
1984 Wyoming             W 49-10
1988 Colorado            W 35-10
1996 Syracuse (#21)      W 35-16
1995 Notre Dame (#11)    W 35-17
1977 Kentucky (#6)       W 28-13
1980 Florida State (#5)  W 24-17
2008 Florida (#1)        W 27-19
2001 Florida (#3)        W 31-16
1991 Washington (#2)     W 27-17
NEXT UP:
1993 Florida State (#1)

Average Score:          32.2 - 15.0
Top 10 Teams Defeated:       5
National Champs Defeated:    2

*NOTE: Final AP Rankings in parenthesis

STARTING LINEUP

(BOLD = All American)
(NFL Draft selection in parenthesis)

OFFENSE     
QB Ken Dorsey (7th Rd, 2003)
HB Clinton Portis (2nd Rd, 2002)
FB Najeh Davenport (4th Rd, 2002)
WR Andre Johnson (1st Rd, 2003)
WR Daryl Jones (7th Rd, 2002)
TE JEREMY SHOCKEY (1st Rd, 2002)
LT BRYANT MCKINNIE (1st Rd, 2002)
LG Sherko Haji-Rasouli
C Brett Romberg
RG Martin Bibla (4th Rd, 2002)
RT JOAQUIN GONZALEZ (7th Rd, 2002)

Key Backups:
RB Frank Gore (3rd Rd, 2006)
RB Willis McGahee (1st Rd, 2003)
WR Kevin Beard
WR Ethenic Sands
WR Jason Geathers
RB Jarrett Payton

DEFENSE
DE Jerome McDougle (1st Rd, 2003)
DT Matt Walters (5th Rd, 2003)
DT William Joseph (1st Rd, 2003)
DE Andrew Williams (3rd Rd, 2003)
OLB D.J. Williams (1st Rd, 2004)
MLB Jonathan Vilma (1st Rd, 2004)
OLB Chris Campbell
CB Mike Rumph (1st Rd, 2002)
FS James Lewis (6th Rd, 2002)
SS ED REED (1st Rd, 2002)
CB Phillip Buchanon (1st Rd, 2002)

Key Backups:
DE Jamaal Green (4th Rd, 2003)
DT Vince Wilfork (1st Rd, 2004)
CB Markese Fitzgerald
LB Howard Clark
DE John Square
CB Alfonso Marshall (7th Rd, 2004)
FS Sean Taylor (1st Rd, 2004)
FS Maurice Sikes

SPECIAL TEAMS
K TODD SIEVERS
P Freddie Capshaw
KR Andre Johnson
PR PHILLIP BUCHANON (1st Rd, 2002)

AWARD WINNERS

Larry Coker - Bear Bryant Award
Ken Dorsey - Maxwell, Big East Offensive POY
Joaquin Gonzalez - Academic Heisman
Bryant McKinnie - Outland Trophy

Miami in the Tournament
Overall Record: 89-27 (76.7%)
# of Teams in the Tournament: 28
# of Teams in Bracket of Champions: 7
Against Florida State: 1-4
Against Nebraska: 3-4
Against Texas: 2-3

Larry Coker in the Tournament
Overall Record: 19-5
# of Teams in the Tournament: 6 (All with Miami)
# of Teams in Bracket of Champions: 1

WOODY REGION FINAL

2009-08-12T22:36:00.003-05:00

1995 NEBRASKA

vs
1987 FLORIDA STATE

1995 Nebraska
#11 overall seed - winners of Bracket #11

1987 Florida State
#35 overall seed - winners of Bracket #35

WOODY REGION RECAP

Woody Region Preview
Round of 64 Results [Part I] [Part II]
Round of 32 Results
Sweet Sixteen Results

GAME RECAP

Considering the 1987 Florida State team was the only team still alive in this round not to win a national championship, it should come as no surprise that Tom Osborne's 1995 Nebraska Cornhuskers took the field with a swagger and the confidence they could claim the final ticket to the Final Four.

The Huskers got off to a fast start. Lawrence Phillips took a hand off from Tommie Frazier 61 yards for a touchdown on just the fourth play of the ball game. It was all downhill from there for Bobby Bowden's Seminoles.

Nebraska's offensive line dominated from start to finish. Center Aaron Graham controlled nose tackle Odell Haggins for much of the game, allowing Phillips and fellow I-Backs Ahman Green and Damon Benning to repeatedly pound the middle of the defense. Fullbacks Jeff Makovicka and Brian Schuster won their battles with the linebacking corps, which allowed the tailbacks to turn 4 and 5 yard runs into 12 and 15 yard runs. As a result, safety Stanley Shiver ended up as the Seminoles leading tackler, and Nebraska finished with a whopping 417 rushing yards.

The lone bright spot for Florida State was Deion Sanders. The All American returned a punt for a touchdown early in the second quarter that briefly gave the Seminoles hope they could climb back into the game. He was also excellent in pass coverage, but unfortunately he was no help against the Nebraska running game.

Danny McManus put up big numbers in the passing game (27-for-47 for 334 yards), but it was mostly out of necessity. He also threw two interceptions, one to Michael Booker and the other to Eric Stokes.

Senior quarterback Brook Berringer even got in the game on the last couple drives as Tom Osborne rested his starters in preparation for the Final Four.

FINAL SCORE
1995 Nebraska - 37
1987 Florida State - 23

BO REGION FINAL

2009-08-12T22:28:00.007-05:00

2005 TEXAS

vs
1987 MIAMI

2005 Texas
#2 overall seed - winners of Bracket #2

1987 Miami
#7 overall seed - winners of Bracket #7

BO REGION RECAP

Bo Region Preview
Round of 64 Results [Part I] [Part II]
Round of 32 Results
Sweet Sixteen Results

GAME RECAP

The only region that went according to seed, this was also regarded as the toughest region in the Bracket of Champions. The Regional Final pitted the 2005 national champion Texas Longhorns against the 1987 national champion Miami Hurricanes.

Michael Irvin has had a whale of a tournament up to this point, but the Texas secondary (Cedric Griffin, Michael Huff, Michael Griffin, Tarell Brown, and Aaron Ross as the nickel) is by far the best that he has had to face.

That matchup proved to be inconsequential as Miami lost despite another big game by #47. Irvin put up another 100 yards and scored two more touchdowns in the losing effort.

The key to the game ended up being none other than Vince Young. Despite facing a tremendous Miami defense, Young stepped his game up another notch and led the Longhorns to 30 points.

Young finished yet another game with over 200 yards passing and at least 100 yards rushing. He also accounted for all three Texas touchdowns. Limas Sweed caught the last touchdown pass in the back of the end zone in the fourth quarter that proved to be the decisive score.

Young also threw a screen pass that Ramonce Taylor took 33 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter. Taylor weaved through the Hurricane defense and juked All America safety Bennie Blades inside the ten yard line to get in the end zone.

This win over Jimmy Johnson's #7 seeded Miami team proved to the doubters that the Longhorns have the mettle to play with the elites in the Final Four of The Greatest Tournament of All Time.

FINAL SCORE
2005 Texas - 30
1987 Miami - 24

JOEPA REGION FINAL

2009-08-11T22:20:00.011-05:00

1991 WASHINGTON

vs
2001 MIAMI

1991 Washington
#21 overall seed - winners of Bracket #21

2001 Miami
#4 overall seed - winners of Bracket #4

JOEPA REGION RECAP

JoePa Region Preview
Round of 64 Results [Part I] [Part II]
Round of 32 Results
Sweet Sixteen Results

GAME RECAP

For the second consecutive game the Washington offense faltered. Unfortunately this time the Huskie's defense wasn't able to bail them out.

All America safety Ed Reed stepped up in a big way to make sure his Hurricanes advanced to the Final Four as expected. Reed had an interception and two forced fumbles to go along with his 7 solo tackles. He single-handedly took away the middle of the field, making it difficult for Mario Bailey to pick up any significant yardage after the catch. Additionally, the Miami front seven had their way up front. Washington's top two tailbacks, Beno Bryant and Jay Barry only combined for 78 yards rushing in the game.

In fact, the only positive contributions on offense came from speedy tailback Napoleon Kaufman. The freshman only had two carries in the first half, but once it became apparent that his athleticism was needed against the Hurricane defense, he began to see more action. He had 9 carries in the second half for 55 yards and a touchdown, but by that point it was too late for the Huskies to climb back into the game.

The Miami offense had similar struggles early on, but compiled enough big plays to build and sustain a comfortable lead. Tight end Jeremy Shockey caught a 38-yard touchdown pass from Ken Dorsey in the second quarter, and freshman tailback Frank Gore put Don James and Washington away for good late in the third quarter with a 54-yard touchdown run.

FINAL SCORE
2001 Miami - 27
1991 Washington - 17

BEAR REGION FINAL

2009-08-11T19:00:00.013-05:00

1996 FLORIDA

vs
1993 FLORIDA STATE

1996 Florida
#24 overall seed - winners of Bracket #24

1993 Florida State
#32 overall seed - winners of Bracket #32

BEAR REGION RECAP

Bear Region Preview
Round of 64 Results [Part I] [Part II]
Round of 32 Results
Sweet Sixteen Results

GAME RECAP

Danny Wuerffel and Charlie Ward were two of the greatest college quarterbacks the state of Florida has ever seen. So this Elite Eight matchup was a special treat for fans of both teams in the state. Neither quarterback disappointed either.

Wuerffel, as per his scouting report, kept cool in the face of a heated pass rush. Florida State defensive linemen Derrick Alexander and Toddrick McIntosh broke through on several occasions, only to see the Heisman Trophy winner get rid of the ball just before taking the hit.

Seminole defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews had to call off the blitz by the second half because Wuerffel was having so much success with the quick passing game. In fact, Florida took a 17-13 lead into halftime on the strength of Wuerffel's 199 yards and 2 touchdowns passing.

But Charlie Ward stepped up his game in the third quarter, and the FSU defense followed suit. On the opening drive of the second half, Ward led a 76-yard scoring march in which he accounted for every yard (55 passing, 21 rushing). Kez McCorvey caught the 12-yard touchdown pass to give the Seminoles the lead. It was a lead they would never relinquish.

On the ensuing possession, Clifton Abraham made an excellent play to pick off a pass from Wuerffel that set up a field goal.

After torching the 'Noles for 91 yards receiving in the first half, Reidel Anthony was held to a single catch (for 7 yards) in the second half thanks to a lock-down performance by All American cornerback Corey Sawyer. The Gators eventually manufactured 10 points in the second half, but Florida State held the momentum throughout the half.

FINAL SCORE:
1993 Florida State - 29
1996 Florida - 27

Bracket of Champions - Sweet 16 - JoePa Region

2009-08-09T18:58:00.003-05:00

BRACKET OF CHAMPIONS

JOEPA REGIONAL
Sweet Sixteen

Results
(seed) year school - score

(5) 1999 Florida State - 23
(21) 1991 Washington - 27
The "Purple Reign" defense surprised everyone by assaulting the potent Florida State offense and leading 1991 Washington to an upset win over 1999 Florida State.

Steve Emtman once again led a charge by the defensive line that forced FSU quarterback Chris Weinke to hurry his reads and make bad throws. Washington compiled just 2 sacks, but hit Weinke four times while he was in the throwing motion, forcing two interceptions. Linebacker Dave Hoffman returned one of those interceptions for a touchdown, and corner Walter Bailey returned another one inside the 10 yard line, which set up another Husky touchdown. Those two plays swung the whole momentum of the game and offset the fact that the Washington offense only had 212 yards on the day.

Peter Warrick nearly outgained the Huskies on his own (146 receiving yards, 48 yards rushing), but his performance, along with the Seminole defense's marvelous outing, were all for naught thanks to the big turnovers.

(141) 2001 Florida - 16
(4) 2001 Miami - 31
Rex Grossman's remarkable run in the Bracket of Champions came to a screeching halt against the loaded 2001 Hurricanes.

Miami picked off Grossman four times en route to the biggest blowout of the round. Phillip Buchanon had two interceptions, and Ed Reed and James Lewis had the other two.

On the other side of the ball, Ken Dorsey was steady in the passing game and Clinton Portis ran for 154 yards and 2 touchdowns. Miami piled up 241 rushing yards and 465 total yards of offense.

JoePa Region Final
(4) Miami vs (21) 1991 Washington
The winner goes to the Final Four

Bracket of Champions - Sweet 16 - Bo Region

2009-08-09T13:57:00.003-05:00

BRACKET OF CHAMPIONS

BO REGIONAL
Sweet Sixteen

Results
(seed) year school - score

(2) 2005 Texas - 27
(15) 1991 Miami - 21
Vince Young once again found a way to get the 2005 Longhorns a victory. This time he victimized the 1991 Hurricane defense to the tune of 165 rushing yards and 181 passing yards. Young accounted for all three Texas touchdowns, including a 17-yard pass to Limas Sweed, a 12-yard run, and a highlight reel 71-yard scoring jaunt.

Gino Torretta struggled to find open receivers against an excellent Longhorn secondary of Cedric Griffin, Michael Huff, Michael Griffin, and Terrell Brown, but he didn't throw any interceptions.

The win sets up a potential "rematch" of Vince Young against Matt Leinart and USC (a year earlier). Stay tuned to see if it plays out.

(10) 2004 USC - 27
(7) 1987 Miami - 28
Unlike the Dennis Erickson's '91 squad, Jimmy Johnson's '87 Hurricanes found a way to win and advance against a USC team many thought had a chance to go all the way in this tournament. For the second consecutive round, Michael Irvin came up with 2 clutch touchdown catches from Steve Walsh as he put his teammates on his back and carried them into the Final 8.

USC took a 7-0 lead on their first drive of the game with a Matt Leinart touchdown pass to Dwayne Jarrett capping an 80 yard drive. From there the Trojans kept Miami at arm's length for the majority of the game, leading 17-14 at halftime.

The fourth quarter was a doozy. The Trojans, up 24-21, appeared to be marching toward a game clinching touchdown with the clock winding down. But All America safety Bennie Blades made an All America-type play on 3rd and 7, acrobatically flying in to knock away a sure touchdown pass to a seemingly wide open Dominique Byrd. That forced Pete Carroll to settle for a 29-yard field goal attempt, which Ryan Killeen knocked through the uprights for a 27-21 lead with just 1:37 left to play.

That's when Irvin went to work. The Hurricanes took over on their own 27 yard line and Gino Torretta immediately targeted Irvin. Irvin caught the first two passes on the drive, giving Miami two consecutive first downs. After a Brett Perriman catch, Irvin caught another ball to set the Hurricanes up at the USC 33 yard line with 42 seconds remaining. On the next play, Irvin ran a post pattern and Torretta hit him in stride. Irvin caught the ball in traffic and carried Justin Wyatt into the end zone for the game winning touchdown.

Bo Region Final
(2) 2005 Texas vs (7) 1987 Miami
The winner goes to the Final Four

Bracket of Champions - Sweet 16 - Woody Region

2009-08-08T19:06:00.002-05:00

BRACKET OF CHAMPIONS

WOODY REGIONAL
Sweet Sixteen

Results
(seed) year school - score

(27) 1988 Miami - 24
(11) 1995 Nebraska - 29
1995 Nebraska has been steamrolling everybody in this tournament so far, including the '89 Hurricanes in the Round of 64. So the Huskers were going to cruise past the '88 Hurricanes on into the Final 8, right? Not so fast, my friend.

This is already the fifth meeting between these two schools in the Bracket of Champions, and by now they know each other intimately. The '95 Huskers had their mettle tested for the first time all tournament and they responded by eking out a win over Jimmy Johnson's Canes.

Miami jumped out to an early 7-0 lead after forcing a turnover on Nebraska's first offensive possession and converting it into a Cleveland Gary touchdown run. They held Tommie Frazier and the offense once again on the ensuing possession and Carlos Huerta tacked on a field goal for a 10-0 first quarter advantage.

The Nebraska offense struggled mightily against the Miami defense, thanks in large part to a defensive line that featured Russell Maryland, Greg Mark, and Bill Hawkins. But the Huskers scratched and clawed for every yard they could get while the defense stepped up. Tyrone Williams and Michael Booker each registered interceptions off All America quarterback Steve Walsh, and Terrell Farley sacked Walsh in the end zone late in the second half for a safety and a much needed jolt of energy.

Trailing 17-12 to start the third quarter, I-Backs Lawrence Phillips and Ahman Green started to wear down on the Miami defense. Nebraska rushed for 141 yards in the second half, cutting the Miami lead to just 2 points (24-22) with two and a half minutes remaining.

Tommie Frazier proceeded to lead a remarkable 80-yard game clinching drive that culminated in a Lawrence Phillips game winning 15-yard touchdown run.

(14) 2000 Oklahoma - 23
(35) 1987 Florida State - 24
In the third meeting between these two schools in the Bracket of Champions, Florida State took a 2-1 "series" lead by pulling off a minor upset of the national champion 2000 Sooners.

Defensive backs Deion Sanders, Martin Mayhew, and LeRoy Butler blanked Oklahoma receivers Curtis Fagan, Antwone Savage, and Andre Woolfolk, which allowed the front seven to put pressure on quarterback Josh Heupel. After being hit several times over the last two rounds - something Heupel didn't get used to during the 2000 season - he finally started to show signs of panic in the pocket. He fumbled once after getting sacked by Odell Haggins, and threw an ill-advised interception to linebacker Paul McGowan trying to avoid another sack.

The Oklahoma defense performed admirably, but they were put in bad position one too many times. After taking over on the OU side of the field for a fifth time in the game, Danny McManus led the Seminoles on a short drive that ended with Derek Schmidt's game winning 32-yard field goal.

Woody Region Final
(11) 1995 Nebraska vs (35) 1987 Florida State
The winner clinches a berth in the Final Four

Bracket of Champions - Sweet 16 - Bear Region

2009-08-08T11:05:00.003-05:00

BRACKET OF CHAMPIONS

BEAR REGIONAL
Sweet Sixteen

Results
(seed) year school - score

(32) 1993 Florida State - 24
(48) 1996 Ohio State - 16
Corey Sawyer and the defense carried the '93 Seminoles to another victory.

1993 Florida State moved one step closer to the Final Four by holding the Ohio State offense to just 266 total yards and a single touchdown. Sawyer contributed an amazing interception at the goal line late in the third quarter that took the wind out of the Buckeyes sails for good.

John Cooper rotated his two quarterbacks (Joe Germaine, Stanley Jackson) and never really developed a rhythm offensively. Other than this 88-yard touchdown drive, the Buckeyes were lifeless on offense.

(24) 1996 Florida - 29
(121) 2008 USC - 23
2008 USC was able to make a run in this tournament that surpassed expectations thanks in large part to a great defense that held opponents to just 16 points per game over the first seven rounds. Considering the quality of opponents they have faced, that's quite an impressive stat.

However, Steve Spurrier was able to neutralize the strong USC linebacking corps and put his Gators in position to make plays. Danny Wuerffel and the receivers followed through with enough big plays to put it in the end zone three times against the mighty Trojan D.

Ike Hilliard in particular had a good day finding holes in the USC secondary. Hilliard had 4 receptions for 160 yards and 2 touchdowns.

The Florida defense had a good day as well. Sophomore linebackers Mike Peterson and Jevon Kearse displayed impressive athleticism against the run and the pass. Kearse even picked up a safety when he smacked tailback Stafon Johnson in the end zone in the second quarter.

Bear Region Final
(24) 1996 Florida vs (32) 1993 Florida State
The winner clinches a berth in the Final Four

Bracket of Champions - Sweet Sixteen Preview

2009-08-07T23:28:00.006-05:00

We started with 2,048 teams, and after seven rounds and six months we're down to an elite group of 16 teams. All of these teams have had to beat seven quality opponents, and all of them are still in the running to be crowned The Greatest Team of All (My Life)Time.

The following is a brief preview of the Sweet Sixteen.

(click the bracket for a larger image)
2005 Texas (13-0)
Coach: Mack Brown
(BCS National Champions)
Seed: 2 - Winner of Bracket #2
Bo Region

2001 Miami (12-0)
Coach: Larry Coker
(BCS National Champions)
Seed: 4 - Winner of Bracket #4
JoePa Region

1999 Florida State (12-0)
Coach: Bobby Bowden
(BCS National Champions)
Seed: 5 - Winner of Bracket #5
JoePa Region

1987 Miami (12-0)
Coach: Jimmy Johnson
(AP National Champions)
Seed: 7 - Winner of Bracket #7
Bo Region

2004 USC (13-0)
Coach: Pete Carroll
(BCS National Champions)
Seed: 10 - Winner of Bracket #10
Bo Region

1995 Nebraska (12-0)
Coach: Tom Osborne
(AP National Champions)
Seed: 11 - Winner of Bracket #11
Woody Region

2000 Oklahoma (13-0)
Coach: Bob Stoops
(BCS National Champions)
Seed: 14 - Winner of Bracket #14
Woody Region

1991 Miami (12-0)
Coach: Dennis Erickson
(AP National Champions)
Seed: 15 - Winner of Bracket #15
Bo Region

1991 Washington (12-0)
Coach: Don James
(Coaches Poll National Champions)
Seed: 21 - Winner of Bracket #21
JoePa Region

1996 Florida (12-1)
Coach: Steve Spurrier
(AP National Champions)
Seed: 24 - Winner of Bracket #24
Bear Region

1988 Miami (11-1)
Coach: Jimmy Johnson
(#2 in final AP Poll)
Seed: 27 - Winner of Bracket #27
Woody Region

1993 Florida State (12-1)
Coach: Bobby Bowden
(AP National Champions)
Seed: 32 - Winner of Bracket #32
Bear Region

1987 Florida State (11-1)
Coach: Bobby Bowden
(#2 in final AP Poll)
Seed: 35 - Winner of Bracket #35
Woody Region

1996 Ohio State (11-1)
Coach: John Cooper
(#2 in final AP Poll)
Seed: 48 - Winner of Bracket #48
Bear Region

2008 USC (12-1)
Coach: Pete Carroll
(#3 in final AP Poll)
Seed: 121 - Winner of Bracket #8
Bear Region

2001 Florida (10-2)
Coach: Steve Spurrier
(#3 in final AP Poll)
Seed: 141 - Winner of Bracket #13
JoePa Region

B.o.C. - JOEPA REGION - Round 2

2009-08-07T19:14:00.002-05:00

BRACKET OF CHAMPIONS

JOEPA REGIONAL
Round of 32

RESULTS
(seed) year school - score

(5) 1999 Florida State - 32
(156) 1996 Nebraska - 20
The turnover bug bit the '96 Cornhuskers again, and the defense couldn't contain Chris Weinke and company as the '99 Seminoles marched into the Sweet 16.

Weinke burned an aggressive Nebraska secondary to the tune of 312 yards and 3 touchdowns while defensive tackle Corey Simon disrupted the Nebraska offense by collapsing the interior line on nearly every play that he was in the game. Nebraska was only able to run for 161 yards - well below their average - and turning the ball over four times (3 fumbles, 1 interception) didn't help either.

(21) 1991 Washington - 26
(12) 1989 Notre Dame - 20
Speaking of blowing up the option before it has a chance to get moving down the line, Steve Emtman did just that against Tony Rice and the Notre Dame offense.

Rocket Ismail scored both of Notre Dame's touchdowns, one on a 55-yard punt return and the other on a 44-yard reception, but the rest of the Irish offense stalled. Emtman was a thorn in Rice's side, hitting the senior quarterback often just a split second after the ball was snapped. Linebacker Chico Fraley cleaned up the rest of the running game, registering 11 tackles (4 for loss) on Notre Dame running backs Ricky Watters and Anthony Johnson.

For Washington it was just the opposite. Beno Bryant found plenty of room to run, gaining 140 yards behind star offensive tackle Lincoln Kennedy. Kennedy and company controlled the line of scrimmage, neutralizing the impact of All America defensive tackle Chris Zorich.

(141) 2001 Florida - 31
(84) 1982 Nebraska - 30
Rex Grossman continued his string of clutch performances while Nebraska continued their stumble here in the Round of 32.

The Nebraska offense exploded out to a 17-0 first quarter lead in which they held a 169-to-27 edge in total yards. But Steve Spurrier didn't let his Gators quit. Spurrier made a gutsy call to go with backup quarterback Brock Berlin after falling behind 17-0, despite the fact that Grossman had been on fire the last three games. Spurrier's gamble worked because Berlin led a touchdown drive (with the aid of a questionable call by the officials that helped take some of the wind out of Nebraska's sails) and when Grossman returned to the game he was more fired up than ever.

Over the final two and a half quarters of the game, Grossman threw for 299 yards and three touchdowns, while DT Ian Scott and LB Andra Davis tightened up their assignments against Turner Gill and the Nebraska offense. Despite an offensive line that featured Dave Rimington and Dean Steinkuhler, Florida was able to use their quickness and a series of timely run blitzes to contain Mike Rozier and Roger Craig just enough to put the Fun 'N Gun offense in a position to win the game in the fourth quarter.

And that's exactly what Grossman and the offense did. Robert Gillespie took a swing pass from Grossman 23 yards with just a minute left on the clock for the game winning touchdown.

(36) 2008 Florida - 19
(4) 2001 Miami - 27
Flexing their muscles again, Larry Coker's Hurricanes (by way of Butch Davis' recruiting) found yet another way to win here in the Bracket of Champions. Miami beat Florida at their own game. Kevin Beard returned a punt for a touchdown and Chris Campbell forced a fumble by Brandon James on a punt return that set up another Miami score to give the Hurricanes a big advantage in the special teams department - an area the 2008 Gators typically dominated.

Tim Tebow was largely ineffective against a speedy defense that hammered him on every play, whether he carried the ball or not. Vince Wilfork and company clogged the middle to take away Tebow's advantage in the short yardage game, and linebackers Jonathan Vilma, D.J. Williams, and Chris Campbell were turned loose on the junior quarterback. Tebow finished the game with just 32 rushing yards to go along with 2 interceptions.

Sweet 16 Matchups:
(5) 1999 Florida State vs (21) 1991 Washington
(4) 2001 Miami vs (141) 2001 Florida

B.o.C. - BO REGION - Round 2

2009-08-06T19:13:00.002-05:00

BRACKET OF CHAMPIONS

BO REGIONAL
Round of 32

RESULTS
(seed) year school - score

(2) 2005 Texas - 31
(95) 2000 Florida State - 26
Vince Young and Michael Griffin starred for Texas as they made a win over a loaded Florida State team that played for the national title look relatively easy.

Griffin picked off Chris Weinke twice as the Longhorns teamed up to contain a stellar FSU receiving corps made up of Marvin "Snoop" Minnis, Anquan Boldin, Atrews Bell, and Javon Walker. Weinke threw for 276 yards, but considering the talented receivers all over the field and the two interceptions - not to mention the victory - it was not a bad day at all for the Longhorns defense.

The Seminole defense, on the other hand, had a hard time containing Vince Young. All American defensive end Jamal Reynolds didn't get as many shots on the quarterback as he normally did during the 2000 season because Jonathan Scott, Justin Blalock and the rest of the offensive line provided excellent protection. Even when Reynolds or Darnell Dockett or David Warren did manage to penetrate the pocket, Young merely sidestepped the rush and scrambled for big chunks of yards. Young finished with 137 rushing yards to go along with his two touchdown passes to tight end David Thomas.

(18) 1994 Penn State - 24
(15) 1991 Miami - 27
In a matchup of undefeated teams, both had plenty of offensive firepower, but it was Penn State's lack of a top flight defense that cost them the game. To secure a spot in the Sweet Sixteen in The Greatest Tournament of All Time you've got to be loaded on both sides of the ball. Joe Paterno's squad simply couldn't make enough stops in the fourth quarter to pull out a win.

Kerry Collins and the passing game kept the Nittany Lions in contention for much of the ball game, though. In fact, Bobby Engram burned All American safety Darryl Williams for a 37-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter to give Penn State a 7-3 lead. Collins threw for 257 yards, but Ki-Jana Carter couldn't balance out the offense, rushing for just 56 yards against Michael Barrow and the Miami defense.

On the other side of the ball, receiver Lamar Thomas torched the Penn State secondary to the tune of 5 receptions for 143 yards and 2 touchdowns, both coming in the second half.

(10) 2004 USC - 31
(87) 1983 Nebraska - 30
In one of the best games of the tournament so far, 2004 USC edged out 1983 Nebraska. In a game full of offensive fireworks, it was the USC defense that provided the play of the game.

There was plenty of chatter about a potential upset coming into this game. Many thought Nebraska's "Big Three" on offense - QB Turner Gill, RB Mike Rozier, and WR Irving Fryar - could score enough points to knock off the mighty Trojans. Well, USC answered the bell by jumping out to a quick, impressive 17-0 lead on the strength of a 45-yard touchdown pass to Reggie Bush and a 2-yard touchdown run by LenDale White.

Nebraska answered, though, when Turner Gill found adjusted to the speed of USC's defense and perfected the timing with Rozier on the option. Rozier took an option pitch 39 yards for a touchdown to get the Huskers back in the game. Then after a Bret Clark interception, Gill capped a 44-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown run. Just like that it was a game again.

The second half featured more big plays, including a 60 yard touchdown pass from Matt Leinart to Steve Smith and a touchdown run by Nebraska offensive lineman Dean Steinkuhler on the famous "Fumblerooskie" play.

With USC leading 31-24 late in the fourth quarter, Turner Gill marched the Huskers down the field on an impressive 67 yard scoring drive that culminated in a 25-yard touchdown run by Jeff Smith. Instead of kicking the extra point to send the game to overtime, Tom Osborne, sensing that his team was getting worn down at the hands of the uber-athletic Trojans, decided to go for two and the win. Gill rolled right and fired, but cornerback Eric Wright made a great play to knock the ball away and secure the win for USC.

(26) 1997 Nebraska - 25
(7) 1987 Miami - 26
In the tournament's first battle of undefeated National Champions, Jimmy Johnson's 1987 Hurricanes emerged victorious over Tom Osborne's 1997 Cornhuskers.

This was a defensive battle for most of the game. Miami was the first team ever to hold this Nebraska team to under 300 yards rushing, and linebacker Randy Shannon secured two points for the Hurricanes when he tackled Ahman Green in the end zone after he muffed an option toss from Scott Frost.

The Nebraska defense held strong too, with Grant Wistrom and Jason Peter making things difficult for quarterback Steve Walsh (11-for-27 for 178 yards) all day. But receiver Michael Irvin simply willed his team to victory with a pair of tackle-shedding touchdown catch-and-runs that will be replayed over and over if the '87 Hurricanes continue to advance in this tournament.

Sweet 16 Matchups:
(2) 2005 Texas vs (15) 1991 Miami
(7) 1987 Miami vs (10) 2004 USC

B.o.C. - WOODY REGION - Round 2

2009-08-05T14:34:00.001-05:00

BRACKET OF CHAMPIONS

WOODY REGIONAL
Round of 32

RESULTS
(seed) year school - score

(6) 1982 Penn State - 21
(27) 1988 Miami - 24
Todd Blackledge actually out-performed Steve Walsh in the stat book, but on the scoreboard it was the '88 Hurricanes who took home the top prize. Blackledge threw for 267 yards and three touchdowns (two to Kenny Jackson). Cleveland Gary ran for 89 yards and two touchdowns to make up for an average day by the Hurricanes star quarterback.

(22) 2004 Auburn - 20
(11) 1995 Nebraska - 33
Tommie Frazier and the '95 Nebraska offense found another good defense to steamroll. Will Herring made a whopping 16 tackles for the Auburn defense - not good when you consider he's a safety and was often the only thing between a Nebraska ball carrier and the end zone.

Auburn quarterback Jason Campbell played his first bad game of the entire tournament. The pressure put on by Jared Tomich and the Blackshirts got to the big senior. Meanwhile, Nebraska put 376 rushing yards on the board, paced by freshman Ahman Green's 147 yards. The Auburn Tigers suffered their first defeat, but they can now claim to be one of the top 32 teams over the past 32 seasons - even though they weren't voted the #1 team at the end of the 2004 season.

(14) 2000 Oklahoma - 24
(46) 1996 Florida State - 23
Peter Boulware put his best foot forward in his campaign to be named Player of the Tournament, but Josh Heupel kept his composure and Oklahoma got enough from Quentin Griffin and the running game to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.

Boulware picked up three sacks thanks to his tremendous quickness off the edge, but Bob Stoops countered with screens and draws to keep the chains moving. Quentin Griffin, the player of the game for the Sooners, finished with 7 receptions for 63 yards to go along with 86 yards rushing.

(35) 1987 Florida State - 22
(3) 1978 USC - 19
The Florida State defense held strong and Bobby Bowden's squad actually out-rushed the potent '78 Trojans. Sammy Smith carried 24 times for 102 yards and a touchdown. Dexter Carter added 73 yards and a funny incident with a flag.

For USC Charles White had 126 yards on 29 carries, but didn't get any help from fullbacks Lynn Cain and Marcus Allen. Deion Sanders had 135 yards in punt returns for the Seminoles, but didn't quite reach the end zone. Ronnie Lott had an interception to make sure he wasn't upstaged by Prime Time, even in a losing effort.

Sweet 16 Matchups:
(11) 1995 Nebraska vs (27) 1988 Miami
(14) 2000 Oklahoma vs (35) 1987 Florida State

B.o.C. - BEAR REGION - Round 2

2009-08-04T11:32:00.001-05:00

BRACKET OF CHAMPIONS

BEAR REGIONAL
Round of 32

RESULTS
(seed) year school - score

(64) 1994 Florida State - 20
(32) 1993 Florida State - 31
Charlie Ward proved that you can't just replace him with Danny Kanell and win a tournament like this. Two similarly stacked defenses, both led by linebacker Derrick Brooks and an All American cornerback (Corey Sawyer for the '93 squad and Clifton Abraham for the '94 Seminoles), took on similar offenses and Ward made the difference.

The '94 version of Warrick Dunn ran for 112 yards and a touchdown, but his production was offset by Kanell getting sacked four times. Ward, on the other hand, was able to avoid a stiff pass rush by Derrick Alexander and Andre Wadsworth (Orpues Roye picked up the only sack for the '94 team) and put up big numbers. He finished with 101 yards rushing to go along with 275 yards passing in the blowout.

(48) 1996 Ohio State - 23
(177) 1987 Oklahoma - 21
The '87 Sooners run in this tournament came to an end when Josh Jackson kicked the game winning 33-yard field goal as time expired.

Patrick Collins gave Oklahoma the lead early on with a 65-yard touchdown run. The wishbone was successful in grinding the clock as the Sooners managed to put 300+ rushing yards on a good Ohio State defense (Mike Vrabel, Andy Katzenmoyer).

Oklahoma led nearly the entire game until Ohio State mounted a fourth quarter comeback. Trailing 21-20, Joe Germaine led a 65 yard drive that culminated in Jackson's game winning field goal attempt.

(73) 1998 Ohio State - 24
(24) 1996 Florida - 31
The 1998 Buckeyes didn't fare as well as the '96 edition. Andy Katzenmoyer picked off Joe Germaine in practice during the week, and it made a lasting impression - Germaine would throw three interceptions against the Gators.

The Ohio State defense actually played well, but their offense gave up too much field position - and too many points. One of Germaine's interceptions was returned by Anthone Lott for a touchdown. Ed Chester scored a touchdown after sacking Germaine, forcing and recovering a fumble in the end zone.

(40) 1981 Penn State - 16
(121) 2008 USC - 19
The USC defense came up big yet again, holding Curt Warner to just 42 yards on 19 carries and scoring the lone Trojan touchdown en route to advancing to the Sweet 16.

Fili Moala and linebackers Rey Maualuga and Kaluka Maiava were busy against Joe Paterno's offense making tackles all over the field. Penn State only gained 173 total yards. Brian Cushing scored USC's only touchdown when he recovered a Mike Meade fumble and returned it 54 yards to paydirt. At least the Nittany Lions will always have this win against rival Pitt to remember from the '81 season.

Sweet 16 Matchups:
(32) 1993 Florida State vs (48) 1996 Ohio State
(24) 1996 Florida vs (121) 2008 USC

B.o.C. - JOEPA REGION - Round 1

2009-08-03T19:16:00.002-05:00

RESULTS - Part II
(seed) year school - score

(37) 1980 Pittsburgh - 33
(156) 1996 Nebraska - 36 (2 OT)
1996 Nebraska had to beat 1981 Pittsburgh to get into the Bracket of Champions, so they were well prepared for Jackie Sherrill's '80 Panthers. It took overtime to get the job done, but Scott Frost and company kept the turnovers to a minimum as they solved an excellent Pitt defense.

Hugh Green, Sal Sunseri, Rickey Jackson and the rest of the Panther defense came up empty in the turnover department and gave up 167 rushing yards in the second half alone. DeAngelo Evans scored both touchdowns in overtime as the Huskers picked up the win and advanced.

(53) 2005 USC - 29
(12) 1989 Notre Dame - 36 (OT)
Rocket Ismail and Reggie Bush each returned kickoffs for touchdowns, but it was the Notre Dame defense in overtime that won the game for the Irish.

Matt Leinart threw for 302 yards and 3 touchdowns, but Chris Zorich and company combined to hold the USC rushing attack to 71 yards. In overtime, Tony Rice took an option keeper 13 yards to break the 29-29 tie, and then Pat Terrell broke up a Leinart pass on fourth down to preserve the win.

(84) 1982 Nebraska - 33
(109) 1990 Miami - 30
In the third matchup of Miami and Nebraska already in the first round of the Bracket of Champions, the '82 Huskers topped the '90 Hurricanes with an impressive display of offense.

Turner Gill ran for 88 yards and threw for 190 in the win. He accounted for all but one of the four Nebraska touchdowns, and was the key figure in an offense that posted nearly 500 yards on a very good Miami defense (Maurice Crum, Russell Maryland, Darryl Williams, Darrin Smith, Michael Barrow, Ryan McNeil. Craig Erickson threw for 323 yards and three touchdowns in a losing effort.

(68) 1980 Florida State - 17
(4) 2001 Miami - 24
Miami actually trailed 17-7 at halftime of this game. But Ed Reed's speech fired up his teammates who went out and dominated the second half.

It was a tale of two halves as Rick Stockstill and the Seminoles controlled the first half, but Miami absolutely dominated the second half. Stockstill threw for 121 yards and two touchdowns in the first half - one to Hardis Johnson and the other to Mike Whiting. But in the second half the Hurricanes defense took over, allowing just 57 yards and a single first down after halftime.

Meanwhile, Ken Dorsey and an underachieving offense picked up the pace. Jeremy Shockey caught a touchdown pass and Clinton Portis added a touchdown run as the defense set up the offense in good field position time after time.

Bracket of Champions - JoePa Region
Next Round Matchups:
(5) 1999 Florida State vs (156) 1996 Nebraska
(12) 1989 Notre Dame vs (21) 1991 Washington
(84) 1982 Nebraska vs (141) 2001 Florida
(4) 2001 Miami vs (36) 2008 Florida

B.o.C. - BO REGION - Round 1

2009-08-03T16:14:00.002-05:00

RESULTS - Part II
(seed) year school - score

(95) 2000 Florida State - 29
(31) 2008 Texas - 27
Texas' young secondary got the best of them when a late touchdown pass gave the Seminoles the win. After trailing most of the game, Chris Weinke found Marvin Minnis, who made a great move to get by Earl Thomas and into the end zone with just 35 seconds left on the clock.

Colt McCoy played another fine game, going 23-for-27 with 267 yards and three touchdown passes, but the lack of a running game against a front line that featured Darnell Dockett and David Warren caused several promising drives to stall.

Even though the 2008 Longhorns got eliminated from The Greatest Tournament of all time, Texas fans will never forget (even if the rest of the nation did) beating Oklahoma in the Red River Shootout.

(178) 1999 Virginia Tech - 17
(15) 1991 Miami - 24
The National Championship defense of 1991 Miami contained Michael Vick, Shyrone Stith, and Andre' Davis to the tune of 258 yards as the Hurricanes put yet another team into the round of 32.

Linebackers Michael Barrow and Jessie Armstead, along with All American safety Darryl Williams put a clamp-down on the Hokies offense. Vick ran some circles around defenders, but it was a lot of running for not a lot of yards.

For Miami, Gino Torretta was sacked three times, twice by pass rush specialist Corey Moore. But he was still able to complete enough passes to keep the chains moving and to keep the Hurricanes a step ahead of the Hokies on the scoreboard.

(87) 1983 Nebraska - 26
(23) 1997 Michigan - 20
For a time it looked like we might get to see 1997 Michigan face 1997 Nebraska in a de-facto national championship game to finally settle the split championship from that season (both teams are in the Bo Regional). But 1983 Nebraska got to the '97 Wolverines first.

Charles Woodson played his usual great game, scoring two offensive touchdowns for Michigan. But he was a non-factor on defense against Mike Rozier and the Nebraska running game. Even with Glen Steele, Rob Renes, Sam Sword, and Dhani Jones in the front seven, a diverse Nebraska offense was able to put enough yards and points on the board to secure the victory.

On the other side of the ball, other than the two Woodson scores, Brian Griese and the Michgian offense didn't do much. Griese threw two interceptions and Chris Howard and Anthony Thomas were held to just 72 rushing yards between the two of them.

(58) 1985 Michigan - 17
(7) 1987 Miami - 20
Michigan's great '85 defense held up strong against the National Champion '87 'Canes, but the offense couldn't muster enough points to capitalize and advance.

Bennie Blades actually scored one of the two Miami touchdowns on a 62-yard return of a Bob Perryman fumble. The Hurricane offense only picked up 231 yards thanks to the penetrating defensive line (Mark Hammerstein, Mark Messner) of Michigan.

Miami's defense kept them in the game by limiting Jamie Morris, Jim Harbaugh, and the rest of the Wolverine offense to 17 points.

Bracket of Champions - Bo Region
Next Round Matchups:
(2) 2005 Texas vs (95) 2000 Florida State
(15) 1991 Miami vs (18) 1994 Penn State
(10) 2004 USC vs (87) 1983 Nebraska
(7) 1987 Miami vs (26) 1997 Nebraska

B.o.C. - JOEPA REGION - Round 1

2009-08-03T12:10:00.002-05:00

A preview for this region can be found HERE

RESULTS - Part I
(seed) year school - score

(5) 1999 Florida State - 27
(188) 1980 Nebraska - 23
The Nebraska offense actually managed to penetrate the Florida State defense a couple times early on, but FSU controlled the second half en route to the win.

Jarvis Redwine had a 24-yard touchdown run, and Jeff Quinn threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Todd Brown. But a receiving corps of Peter Warrick, Ron Dugans, Marvin Minnis, and Anquan Boldin proved to be too much for Andy Means and the Nebraska secondary in the second half.

(21) 1991 Washington - 33
(44) 2000 Virginia Tech - 24
Michael Vick had a pair of highlight reel runs, but receiver Mario Bailey upped the ante with three touchdown receptions as the Huskies fought their way to the Round of 32.

Even the "Purple Reign" defense couldn't reign in Vick, who finished with 132 rushing yards and 2 rushing touchdowns. But Ronyell Whitaker had his hands full with Bailey, who had 6 receptions for 178 yards and 3 touchdowns.

(141) 2001 Florida - 31
(52) 2002 USC - 27
Rex Grossman stayed hot as the 2001 Gators continued their unexpected run through this tournament with a comeback win over the 2002 Trojans.

Alex Brown, after a quiet couple of rounds, returned with a vengeance, sacking Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer twice and just missing two other sack opportunities. But the Trojans still held a 27-24 lead late in the fourth quarter when Grossman came up big. The senior quarterback led a gutty 68-yard touchdown drive against Troy Polamalu and the intimidating USC defense. He threw for all 68 yards on the drive, and found Taylor Jacobs for the game winner with just 27 seconds left on the clock when most of the stadium expected the Gators to set up a game-tying field goal.

(100) 2006 Ohio State - 20
(36) 2008 Florida - 28
It's like a nightmare that keeps repeating itself to Buckeye fans. Jim Tressel vs Urban Meyer keeps ending up with the same results, and this tournament is no exception. Troy Smith and Ohio State kept it much closer this time around. Vernon Gholston and the defense actually contained the Gator offense, allowing just 297 total yards. But the Florida defense came up with a touchdown (Ahmad Black interception return) in addition to limiting the Buckeyes to 37 rushing yards.

B.o.C. - BO REGION - Round 1

2009-08-01T10:14:00.004-05:00

A preview for this region can be found HERE

RESULTS - Part I
(seed) year school - score

(2) 2005 Texas - 30
(63) 1985 Oklahoma - 21
Jamelle Holieway and Lydell Carr had the wishbone humming for Oklahoma in the early going. The Sooners actually led 14-0 early in the second quarter and already had 126 rushing yards in just 17 minutes of action. But Texas bucked up on defense, and Vince Young and the offense figured out how to move the ball against previously immovable objects Brian Bosworth and Tony Casillas.

Jamaal Charles tied the game just before halftime with an 80 yard touchdown run that injected a shot of life into the previously lethargic Horns. The second half was all Texas too as the defense held OU to just 122 yards after intermission - and 61 of those yards came on a Keith Jackson reception.

(18) 1994 Penn State - 32
(175) 1987 Nebraska - 19
Penn State finished undefeated in the 1994 season, but didn't even get a share of the title. The reason? The Nebraska Cornhuskers. Well, the Nittany Lions took out some of their frustrations on the '87 Nebraska team. Kerry Collins had the passing game firing on all cylinders. At least one of the trio of Bobby Engram, Freddie Scott, and tight end Kyle Brady was open on nearly every pass play, which led to a 19-for-26 for 323 yard day for Collins. Penn State carried a 32-11 lead into the fourth quarter and Joe Paterno rested his starters so they should be fresh for the Round of 32.

(10) 2004 USC - 27
(55) 1992 Florida State - 22
Another game, another dream matchup. One one side you have Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush, LenDale White, and Dwayne Jarrett going up against Corey Simon, Derrick Brooks, Marvin Jones, Clifton Abraham, and Corey Sawyer. On the other side you have Charlie Ward, Sean Jackson, Tamarick Vanover, and Kez McCorvey trying to reach the end zone on Shaun Cody, Matt Grootegoed, Lofa Tatupu, and Darnell Bing.

All that talent and USC kicker Ryan Killeen ended up being the difference maker. Killeen kicked four field goals, including three of over 40 yards and a long of 54 yards. Reggie Bush added a punt return for touchdown giving the Trojans a huge edge in the special teams battle. Add to that Florida State's troubles with the running game (just 54 yards - most of which came on Ward scrambles), and it's easy to see how USC was able to win the game despite getting out-gained yardage wise.

(26) 1997 Nebraska - 32
(167) 2003 Oklahoma - 27
Nebraska kept pounding the running game with Scott Frost, Ahman Green, and Joel Makovicka until they had piled up over 300 rushing yards against a really good defense. All American offensive lineman Aaron Taylor paved the way against Tommie Harris and Teddy Lehman.

On the other side of the ball, Oklahoma quarterback Jason White re-injured his knee early on after a hit from Octavious McFarlin and hobbled his way through much of the game. Luckily an Antonio Perkins touchdown on a punt return kept the Sooners in the game.

B.o.C. - WOODY REGION - Round 1

2009-07-31T12:49:00.002-05:00

A preview for this region can be found HERE

RESULTS - Part II
(seed) year school - score

(91) 1993 Nebraska - 18
(27) 1988 Miami - 27
The Miami offensive line did a good job of protecting quarterback Steve Walsh from Trev Alberts and the Nebraska pass rush, and the Hurricane skill players were too much for the Huskers, much the way they were in the Orange Bowl after the 1988 season.

Offensively for the Huskers, Tommie Frazier was the only one who provided any spark. I-Back Calvin Jones was held to just 41 rushing yards, and the production freshman Lawrence Phillips provided off the bench was too little too late. Russell Maryland, Greg Mark and Bill Hawkins fared well in the trenches. Even though Frazier was able to pile up yards, the Hurricanes eliminated the threat of the other 10 players on the field.

(75) 1989 Miami - 20
(11) 1995 Nebraska - 31

Another Miami/Nebraska matchup produced similar results - except this time it was Nebraska coming out on top. Nebraska won the battle in the trenches this time around because they were better conditioned than Miami. Against a young linebacking corps the Huskers were able to pound the running game more effectively, piling up 301 yards on the ground.

Christian Peter and Jared Tomich played big roles on the defensive side of the ball for Nebraska. Tomich had two sacks and Peter had countless pressures that kept Craig Erickson on the run. This is an excellent Miami team - a national championship team, actually - and for 1995 Nebraska to dismiss them by double digits should send a message to the rest of the field that the #11 seed is a team to watch out for.

(46) 1996 Florida State - 27
(147) 2002 Oklahoma - 20
Two more great defenses took the field, but the Sooners showed a weakness against the play action pass over the top of the secondary and Thad Busby exploited it.

Oklahoma led with the running game. Mighty mite tailback Quentin Griffin hid behind his mammoth offensive line and darted through holes when they opened up. Griffin's success, particularly on draw plays, helped slow the Florida State pass rush of All American bookends Reinard Wilson and Peter Boulware. Griffin went into the locker room at halftime with an impressive 92 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns, giving the sooners a tight 14-13 lead.

But the Seminole defense tightened the screws in the second half and suddenly Griffin wasn't a factor anymore. Quarterback Nate Hybl began to show a little panic and it culminated in a bad throw that was picked off by nickel back Mario Edwards and returned to the 2 yard line. Rock Preston plugged it into the end zone and suddenly the underdog Sooners found themselves trailing.

In the fourth quarter after OU had scratched and clawed their way back into the game with two field goals to tie it at 20, Busby finally struck. His play fake to Warrick Dunn made Sooner safety Brandon Everage bite hard, which left E.G. Green all alone over the top for what would end up being the game winning 55-yard touchdown pass.

(62) 1999 Nebraska - 19
(3) 1978 USC - 22 (OT)
Neither team had a lot of success moving the football, but neither team gave up on their running game. Southern Cal tailback Charles White ran for 99 yards, including the game winning touchdown in overtime to propel the Trojans past the '99 Huskers in a game that saw just 432 yards of total offense.

The USC defense made it their priority to take away the running game of quarterback Eric Crouch. The creative three-tiered approach, using defensive tackle Ty Sperling, linebacker Dennis Johnson, and safety Ronnie Lott worked as they hit Crouch at every opportunity and forced him to pitch on option plays. Crouch ended up with just 39 yards rushing, and Nebraska as a team only had 123 yards on the ground.

Bracket of Champions - Woody Region
Next Round Matchups:
(6) 1982 Penn State vs (27) 1988 Miami
(11) 1995 Nebraska vs (22) 2004 Auburn
(14) 2000 Oklahoma vs (46) 1996 Florida State
(3) 1978 USC vs (35) 1987 Florida State

B.o.C. - BEAR REGION - Round 1

2009-07-30T19:46:00.002-05:00

A preview for this region can be found HERE

RESULTS - Part II
(seed) year school - score

(96) 1986 Oklahoma - 20
(32) 1993 Florida State - 23
A common theme throughout the first round of the Bracket of Champions has been defense. This game was no exception. Despite two great quarterbacks, each offense had a hard time gaining yards against these talented, athletic defenses.

Florida State linebackers Derrick Brooks, Todd Rebol, and Sam Cowart were keying on quarterback Jamelle Holieway, forcing the talented runner to pitch the ball when running the option. The wishbone didn't have much success early with the Sooners going 3-and-out on their first three possessions. But Spencer Tillman finally took an option pitch and broke free for 24 yards, and on the next play Holieway hit tight end Keith Jackson on a play action pass for 55 yards and a touchdown.

But Florida State quarterback Charlie Ward proved to be too dynamic. With the Seminole defense holding OU to 20 points, the two touchdowns and three field goal drives Ward led would be enough. The running game never got going - Brian Bosworth and company held FSU to 32 rushing yards - but receivers Matt Frier (6 receptions), Kez McKorvey (1 touchdown catch), and Kevin Knox (1 touchdown catch) gave reliable options.

(177) 1987 Oklahoma - 21
(113) 2003 LSU - 16
The LSU defense was great, but quarterback Matt Mauck turned the ball over one too many times as Nick Saban's Tigers fell to Switzer's Sooners.

Oklahoma's wishbone attack grinded out 189 rushing yards against an LSU defense that featured an imposing defensive line of Marcus Spears, Chad Lavalais, Kyle Williams, and Marquise Hill. But two big pass plays are what eventually put OU on top for good. Carl Cabbiness caught a 27-yard touchdown pass from Jamelle Holieway to start the second quarter, and tight end Keith Jackson caught a 62-yard pass in the fourth quarter to set up the game winning score.

The Oklahoma defense kept the pressure on Mauck all game long. Defensive end Darrell Reed had two sacks, and Darren Kilpatrick and Dante Williams were effective collapsing the pocket from the inside.

(41) 1977 Notre Dame - 24
(24) 1996 Florida - 35
Dan Devine and the 1977 Fighting Irish had never seen a passing attack executed like Steve Spurrier's Fun 'N Gun. Danny Wuerffel spread 332 passing yards and 4 touchdowns over his excellent receiving corps of Ike Hilliard, Reidel Anthony and Jacquez Green. Notre Dame cornerback Luther Bradley - an All American in 1977 - was left searching for answers after getting beat on two of the four touchdowns.

"I've never seen anything like it. Every single one of those receivers was the fastest guy I've ever seen. They were everywhere," Bradley said after the game

Wuerffel was pleased with the win, but he was more excited that he got to meet Joe Montana, quarterback of the 1977 Notre Dame team.

(57) 1997 Florida - 17
(121) 2008 USC - 24
What a difference a couple generations can make. Whereas the '77 Fighting Irish struggled mightily with Florida's passing game, the '08 Trojan defense came out attacking and actually controlled the game from the outset.

With 31 years of additional experience and athleticism, USC was able to attack Florida quarterbacks Doug Johnson and Jesse Palmer. The pressure made for a lot of incomplete passes (Gator QBs were just 22-of-48) and three interceptions. Clay Matthews was a prime source of the pressure.

The lone bright spot for the '97 Gators was their defense. Fred Weary and the secondary held Mark Sanchez to just 14-for-27 passing and 164 yards. Joe McKnight was a difference maker for the Trojans, though, with a touchdown rushing and a punt return for touchdown in the third quarter that turned the tide for good.

Bracket of Champions - Bear Region
Next Round Matchups:
(64) 1994 Florida State vs (32) 1993 Florida State
(48) 1996 Ohio State vs (177) 1987 Oklahoma
(73) 1998 Ohio State vs (24) 1996 Florida
(40) 1981 Penn State vs (121) 2008 USC

B.o.C. - WOODY REGION - Round 1

2009-07-30T13:55:00.004-05:00

A preview for this region can be found HERE

RESULTS - Part I
(seed) year school - score

(6) 1982 Penn State - 26
(59) 1988 Florida State - 24
In case you forgot, 1998 Florida State has already won the title for the best team rap in the tournament.

But the Seminoles drew a tough matchup here against Joe Paterno's national champion '82 Nittany Lions. Todd Blackledge out-shined Chip Ferguson in the quarterback duel, throwing for 246 yards and 2 touchdowns against Deion Sanders and LeRoy Butler in the FSU secondary. WR Kenny Jackson caught one of those TD passes and piled up 88 yards receiving. Tailback Curt Warner caught the other scoring pass.

Florida State tailbacks Sammie Smith and Dexter Carter couldn't pick up the slack on offense. With an inconsistent passing game throughout much of the day, these two needed to step up. But against linebacker Al Harris they didn't have much luck.

(22) 2004 Auburn - 23
(86) 1989 Colorado - 20
The Auburn defense contained Colorado's potent running attack en route to a relatively easy win. In the Bracket of Champions, there is no such thing as an easy matchup, so nursing a 23-13 lead throughout most of the fourth quarter can be considered relatively easy.

Defensive tackle Jay Ratliff was disruptive in the middle, while defensive end Stanley McClover and linebacker Travis Williams stayed disciplined against the option. Safety Junior Rosegreen was active as well coming up to help out in run support.

The running back matchup was intriguing as well. Colorado had J.J. Flannican and Eric Bieniemy, and Auburn countered with Cadillac Williams and Ronnie Brown. Auburn won that battle by a nose, 145 rushing yards to 133.

(14) 2000 Oklahoma - 17
(78) 1986 Miami - 16
When Jimmy Johnson and Miami takes on Bob Stoops and Oklahoma you know there is going to be some top notch defensive talent on the field.

All American quarterback Josh Heupel had to look over a defense featuring DT Jerome Brown, S Bennie Blades, DE Daniel Stubbs, and LB Winston Moss. Heisman Trophy winner Vinny Testaverde had an equally daunting view from under center: LBs Rocky Calmus and Torrance Marshall, S J.T. Thatcher, DT Kory Klein, and S Roy Williams. No wonder neither team reached 20 points.

Neither running game produced any significant yardage, so it came down to which quarterback could navigate the land mines the best. Testaverde looked good early, throwing a touchdown pass to Michael Irvin on Miami's second drive after a turnover put the 'Canes in good field position. But Heupel had a few more receivers to choose from. Tight end Trent Smith caught 8 clutch passes for 66 yards, and Curtis Fagan caught the game winning touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter.

(30) 1994 Nebraska - 20
(35) 1987 Florida State - 27
With Tommie Frazier still sidelined nursing a blood clot, the '94 Cornhuskers couldn't be considered to be at full strength. But against this Seminole team I'm not sure it would have mattered.

Quarterback Danny McManus got hot early throwing touchdown passes on each of the first two Seminole drives. From there it was simply a matter of containing Lawrence Phillips and Brook Berringer. Berringer had filled in admirably for Frazier in this tournament, throwing for 756 yards and 7 touchdowns in four games. But he met his match in the '87 FSU secondary.

Deion Sanders intercepted a pass early in the third quarter and returned it for a touchdown, delivering the deciding blow that finally knocked the '94 champs out.

B.o.C. - BEAR REGION - Round 1

2009-07-30T12:32:00.005-05:00

A preview for this region can be found HERE

RESULTS - Part I
(seed) year school - score

(1) 1983 Auburn - 18
(64) 1994 Florida State - 23
The number one overall seed in the tournament fell to a potent Florida State team. The Florida State front seven, highlighted by All American linebacker Derrick Brooks and defensive linemen Andre Wadsworth & Derrick Alexander, held Bo Jackson to 72 yards on 24 carries. Pat Dye was forced to turn to his passing game and quarterback Randy Campbell did not respond well.

For Florida State, fullback Zack Crockett scored two touchdowns and Sean Hamlet nearly returned an interception for a touchdown.

(17) 1992 Alabama - 17
(48) 1996 Ohio State - 21
The Alabama defense dominated Joe Germaine and the Ohio State offense for a while, but Stanley Jackson came to the rescue and bailed the Buckeyes out in the fourth quarter.

Through three quarters the Ohio State offense had only managed 166 yards of offense and the Buckeyes trailed 17-7. Tailback Pepe Pearson finished with just 34 yards rushing.

But in the fourth quarter, Jackson, playing in place of Germaine (2 interceptions to George Teague) at quarterback, used his athleticism to avoid the hellacious Crimson Tide pass rush. He only rushed for 13 yards, but his evasiveness in the pocket allowed him to hook up with freshman wideout David Boston for two fourth quarter touchdowns. Free safety Rod Kelly picked off a Jay Barker pass in the closing seconds to secure the upset.

Even though they lost here in the Round of 64, Alabama fans will always have fond memories of the gutsy National Championship team of 1992.

(9) 1986 Penn State - 20
(73) 1998 Ohio State - 21
John Cooper picked up another big upset victory over a national championship team here in the Bracket of Champions. Linebackers Andy Katzenmoyer and Na'il Diggs combined for 23 tackles and played a pivotal role in holding D.J. Dozier, Blair Thomas, and the rest of the Penn State running game to just 77 rushing yards.

Offensively, the Buckeyes struggled against Shane Conlan and the fantastic Penn state defense. The difference in the game, though, was that Ohio State had enough athleticism on offense in players like tailback Michael Wiley and now-Junior receiver David Boston.

(25) 1977 Penn State - 23
(40) 1981 Penn State - 29 (OT)
It took overtime to decide this battle of the Penn States featuring Chuck Fusina at QB for the '77 Nittany Lions and Todd Blackledge at QB for the '81 edition.

The defenses, as has been the case so far here in the Bear Region, controlled the game throughout the first half. Bruce Clark and Matt Millen stayed busy harassing Blackledge, while the '81 team boasted Walker Lee Ashley and Leo Wisniewski along their defensive front.

Running back Curt Warner ended up being the difference in the game. The Junior ran for 54 of his 77 yards in the second half, and tacked on the game winning touchdown in the first overtime period.

BRACKET OF CHAMPIONS - Preview

2009-07-29T12:47:00.002-05:00

The Final 64 includes 28 different head coaches. Some quick math shows that's over two teams per coach, meaning the great coaches were able to guide several of their teams to the Bracket of Champions. The following list includes all the head coaches that still have at least one team still alive. As expected, it's a veritable who's who of head coaches over the last 3+ decades.

BOBBY BOWDEN
9 Florida State teams still alive
(1980, 1987, 1988, 1992, 1993*, 1994, 1996, 1999*, 2000)

TOM OSBORNE
9 Nebraska teams still alive
(1980, 1982, 1983, 1987, 1993, 1994*, 1995*, 1996, 1997*)

JOE PATERNO
5 Penn State teams still alive
(1977, 1981, 1982*, 1986*, 1994)

PETE CARROLL
4 USC teams still alive
(2002, 2004*, 2005, 2008)

DENNIS ERICKSON
3 Miami teams still alive
(1989*, 1990, 1991*)

JIMMY JOHNSON
3 Miami teams still alive
(1986, 1987*, 1988)

STEVE SPURRIER
3 Florida teams still alive
(1996*, 1997, 2001)

BOB STOOPS
3 Oklahoma teams still alive
(2000*, 2002, 2003)

BARRY SWITZER
3 Oklahoma teams still alive
(1985*, 1986, 1987)

MACK BROWN
2 Texas teams still alive (2005*, 2008)

FRANK BEAMER
2 Virginia Tech teams still alive (1999, 2000)

JOHN COOPER
2 Ohio State teams still alive (1996, 1998)

LLOYD CARR
1 Michigan team still alive (1997*)

LARRY COKER
1 Miami team still alive (2001*)

DAN DEVINE
1 Notre Dame team still alive (1977*)

DON JAMES
1 Washington team still alive (1991*)

URBAN MEYER
1 Florida team still alive (2008*)

JOHN ROBINSON
1 USC team still alive (1978*)

NICK SABAN
1 LSU team still alive (2003*)

GENE STALLINGS
1 Alabama team still alive (1992*)

PAT DYE
1 Auburn team still alive (1983)

LOU HOLTZ
1 Notre Dame team still alive (1989)

BILL McCARTNEY
1 Colorado team still alive (1989)

BO SCHEMBECHLER
1 Michigan team still alive (1985)

JACKIE SHERRILL
1 Pittsburgh team still alive (1980)

FRANK SOLICH
1 Nebraska team still alive (1999)

JIM TRESSEL
1 Ohio State team still alive (2006)

TOMMY TUBERVILLE
1 Auburn team still alive (2004)

*Years in bold indicate National Championship teams

BRACKET OF CHAMPIONS - Preview

2009-07-29T12:45:00.000-05:00

The "Bracket of Champions" boasts a whopping 23 teams that won or shared a national championship. That means not all the national champs made it through the many land mines placed in front of them in The Greatest Tournament of All Time. The following are the 14 teams that won or shared titles who weren't lucky enough to make it to the Final 64.

1978 Alabama (11-1)
Head Coach: Bear Bryant
Who Beat Them: 1990 Miami

1979 Alabama (12-0)
Head Coach: Bear Bryant
Who Beat Them: 2003 Oklahoma

1980 Georgia (12-0)
Head Coach: Vince Dooley
Who Beat Them: 1991 Michigan

1981 Clemson (12-0)
Head Coach: Danny Ford
Who Beat Them: 2003 Oklahoma

1983 Miami (11-1)
Head Coach: Howard Schnellenberger
Who Beat Them: 1992 Florida State

1984 BYU (13-0)
Head Coach: LaVell Edwards
Who Beat Them: 2004 USC

1988 Notre Dame (12-0)
Head Coach: Lou Holtz
Who Beat Them: 2001 Florida

1990 Colorado (11-1-1)
Head Coach: Bill McCartney
Who Beat Them: 1989 Colorado

1990 Georgia Tech (11-0-1)
Head Coach: Bobby Ross
Who Beat Them: 1982 Nebraska

1998 Tennessee (13-0)
Head Coach: Phil Fulmer
Who Beat Them: 2003 LSU

2002 Ohio State (14-0)
Head Coach: Jim Tressel
Who Beat Them: 2008 USC

2003 USC (12-1)
Head Coach: Pete Carroll
Who Beat Them: 1994 Nebraska

2006 Florida (13-1)
Head Coach: Urban Meyer
Who Beat Them: 2002 Oklahoma

2007 LSU (12-2)
Head Coach: Les Miles
Who Beat Them: 2001 Nebraska

BRACKET OF CHAMPIONS - Preview

2009-07-29T12:30:00.001-05:00

Eighteen different schools were able to stay alive and put at least one team into the Final 64. The following ranks those 18 schools in order of the most number of teams placed in the Bracket of Champions.

1. Nebraska           10
2. Florida State       9
3. Miami               7
4. Oklahoma            6
5. Penn State          5
   USC                 5
7. Florida             4
8. Ohio State          3
9. Michigan            2
   Notre Dame          2
   Texas               2
   Virginia Tech       2
   Auburn              2
14.Alabama             1
   LSU                 1
   Washington          1
   Colorado            1
   Pittsburgh          1

BRACKET OF CHAMPIONS - Preview

2009-07-28T22:50:00.001-05:00

JOEPA REGION

Matchups:
1999 Florida State vs 1980 Nebraska
1980 Pittsburgh vs 1996 Nebraska
1991 Washington vs 2000 Virginia Tech
1989 Notre Dame vs 2005 USC
2002 USC vs 2001 Florida
1982 Nebraska vs 1990 Miami
2008 Florida vs 2006 Ohio State
2001 Miami vs 1980 Florida State

National Champions:
1991 Washington
1999 Florida State
2001 Miami
2008 Florida

Heisman Trophy Winners:
Carson Palmer (QB-2002 USC)
Reggie Bush (RB-2005 USC)
Troy Smith (QB-2006 Ohio State)

Lombardi Award Winners:
Hugh Green (DE-1980 Pittsburgh)
Dave Rimington (OL-1982 Nebraska)
Steve Emtman (DL-1991 Washington)

Team Info
click on the purple bracket links to trace each team's path to this point

2001 Miami (12-0)
#4 Seed - Winner of Bracket #4
Coach: Larry Coker
*BCS National Champions*

1999 Florida State (12-0)
#5 Seed - Winner of Bracket #5
Coach: Bobby Bowden
*BCS National Champions*

1989 Notre Dame (12-1)
#12 Seed - Winner of Bracket #12
Coach: Lou Holtz
Final AP Rank: #2

1991 Washingon (12-0)
#21 Seed - Winner of Bracket #21
Coach: Don James
*Coaches Poll National Champions*

2008 Florida (13-1)
#36 Seed - Winner of Bracket #36
Coach: Urban Meyer
*BCS National Champions*

1980 Pittsburgh (11-1)
#37 Seed - Winner of Bracket #37
Coach: Jackie Sherrill
Final AP Rank: #2

2000 Virginia Tech (11-1)
#44 Seed - Winner of Bracket #44
Coach: Frank Beamer
Final AP Rank: #6

2002 USC (11-2)
#52 Seed - Winner of Bracket #52
Coach: Pete Carroll
Final AP Rank: #4

2005 USC (12-1)
#53 Seed - Winner of Bracket #53
Coach: Pete Carroll
Final AP Rank: #2

1980 Florida State (10-2)
#68 Seed - Winner of Bracket #61
Coach: Bobby Bowden
Final AP Rank: #5

1982 Nebraska (12-1)
#84 Seed - Winner of Bracket #45
Coach: Tom Osborne
Final AP Rank: #3

2006 Ohio State (12-1)
#100 Seed - Winner of Bracket #29
Coach: Jim Tressel
Final AP Rank: #2

1990 Miami (10-2)
#109 Seed - Winner of Bracket #20
Coach: Dennis Erickson
Final AP Rank: #3

2001 Florida (10-2)
#141 Seed - Winner of Bracket #13
Coach: Steve Spurrier
Final AP Rank: #3

1996 Nebraska (11-2)
#156 Seed - Winner of Bracket #28
Coach: Tom Osborne
Final AP Rank: #6

1980 Nebraska (10-2)
#188 Seed - Winner of Bracket #60
Coach: Tom Osborne
Final AP Rank: #7

BRACKET OF CHAMPIONS - Preview

2009-07-28T18:40:00.002-05:00

BO REGION

Matchups:
2005 Texas vs 1985 Oklahoma
2008 Texas vs 2000 Florida State
1994 Penn State vs 1987 Nebraska
1991 Miami vs 1999 Virginia Tech
2004 USC vs 1992 Florida State
1997 Michigan vs 1983 Nebraska
1997 Nebraska vs 2003 Oklahoma
1987 Miami vs 1985 Michigan

National Champions:
1985 Oklahoma
1987 Miami
1991 Miami
1997 Michigan
1997 Nebraska
2004 USC
2005 Texas

Heisman Trophy Winners:
Mike Rozier (RB-1983 Nebraska)
Charles Woodson (CB/PR-1997 Michigan)
Chris Weinke (QB-2000 Florida State)
Jason White (QB-2003 Oklahoma)
Matt Leinart (QB-2004 USC)

Lombardi Award Winners:
Dean Steinkuhler (OL-1983 Nebraska)
Tony Casillas (NG-1985 Oklahoma)
Marvin Jones (LB-1992 Florida State)
Grant Wistrom (DE-1997 Nebraska)
Corey Moore (DE-1999 Virginia Tech)
Jamal Reynolds (DE-2000 Florida State)
Tommie Harris (DT-2003 Oklahoma)
Brian Orakpo (DE-2008 Texas)

Team Info
click on the purple bracket links to trace each team's path to this point

2005 Texas (13-0)
#2 Seed - Winner of Bracket #2
Coach: Mack Brown
*BCS National Champions*

1987 Miami (12-0)
#7 Seed - Winner of Bracket #7
Coach: Jimmy Johnson
*AP National Champions*

2004 USC (13-0)
#10 Seed - Winner of Bracket #10
Coach: Pete Carroll
*BCS National Champions*

1991 Miami (12-0)
#15 Seed - Winner of Bracket #15
Coach: Dennis Erickson
*AP National Champions*

1994 Penn State (12-0)
#18 Seed - Winner of Bracket #18
Coach: Joe Paterno
Final AP Rank: #2

1997 Michigan (12-0)
#23 Seed - Winner of Bracket #23
Coach: Lloyd Carr
*AP National Champions*

1997 Nebraska (13-0)
#26 Seed - Winner of Bracket #26
Coach: Tom Osborne
*Coaches Poll National Champions*

2008 Texas (12-1)
#31 Seed - Winner of Bracket #31
Coach: Mack Brown
Final AP Rank: #4

1992 Florida State (11-1)
#55 Seed - Winner of Bracket #55
Coach: Bobby Bowden
Final AP Rank: #2

1985 Michigan (10-1-1)
#58 Seed - Winner of Bracket #58
Coach: Bo Schembechler
Final AP Rank: #2

1985 Oklahoma (11-1)
#63 Seed - Winner of Bracket #63
Coach: Barry Switzer
*AP National Champions*

1983 Nebraska (12-1)
#87 Seed - Winner of Bracket #42
Coach: Tom Osborne
Final AP Rank: #2

2000 Florida State (11-2)
#95 Seed - Winner of Bracket #34
Coach: Bobby Bowden
Final AP Rank: #5

2003 Oklahoma (12-2)
#167 Seed - Winner of Bracket #39
Coach: Bob Stoops
Final AP Rank: #3

1987 Nebraska (10-2)
#175 Seed - Winner of Bracket #47
Coach: Tom Osborne
Final AP Rank: #6

1999 Virginia Tech (11-1)
#178 Seed - Winner of Bracket #50
Coach: Frank Beamer
Final AP Rank: #2

BRACKET OF CHAMPIONS - Preview

2009-07-28T12:28:00.003-05:00

WOODY REGION

Matchups:
1982 Penn State vs 1988 Florida State
1988 Miami vs 1993 Nebraska
2004 Auburn vs 1989 Colorado
1995 Nebraska vs 1989 Miami
2000 Oklahoma vs 1986 Miami
1996 Florida State vs 2002 Oklahoma
1994 Nebraska vs 1987 Florida State
1978 USC vs 1999 Nebraska

National Champions:
1978 USC
1982 Penn State
1989 Miami
1994 Nebraska
1995 Nebraska
2000 Oklahoma

Heisman Trophy Winners:
Vinny Testaverde (QB-1986 Miami)

Outland Trophy Winners:
Zach Wiegert (OL-1994 Nebraska)

Team Info
click on the purple bracket links to trace each team's path to this point

1978 USC (12-1)
#3 Seed - Winner of Bracket #3
Coach: John Robinson
*UPI National Champions*

1982 Penn State (11-1)
#6 Seed - Winner of Bracket #6
Coach: Joe Paterno
*AP National Champions*

1995 Nebraska (12-0)
#11 Seed - Winner of Bracket #11
Coach: Tom Osborne
*AP National Champions*

2000 Oklahoma (13-0)
#14 Seed - Winner of Bracket #14
Coach: Bob Stoops
*BCS National Champions*

2004 Auburn (13-0)
#22 Seed - Winner of Bracket #22
Coach: Tommy Tuberville
Final AP Rank: #2

1988 Miami (11-1)
#27 Seed - Winner of Bracket #27
Coach: Jimmy Johnson
Final AP Rank: #2

1987 Florida State (11-1)
#35 Seed - Winner of Bracket #35
Coach: Bobby Bowden
Final AP Rank: #2

1996 Florida State (11-1)
#46 Seed - Winner of Bracket #46
Coach: Bobby Bowden
Final AP Rank: #3

1988 Florida State (11-1)
#59 Seed - Winner of Bracket #59
Coach: Bobby Bowden
Final AP Rank: #3

1999 Nebraska (12-1)
#62 Seed - Winner of Bracket #62
Coach: Frank Solich
Final AP Rank: #3

1989 Miami (11-1)
#75 Seed - Winner of Bracket #54
Coach: Dennis Erickson
*AP National Champions*

1986 Miami (11-1)
#78 Seed - Winner of Bracket #51
Coach: Jimmy Johnson
Final AP Rank: #2

1989 Colorado (11-1)
#86 Seed - Winner of Bracket #43
Coach: Bill McCartney
Final AP Rank: #4

1993 Nebraska (11-1)
#91 Seed - Winner of Bracket #38
Coach: Tom Osborne
Final AP Rank: #3

2002 Oklahoma (12-2)
#147 Seed - Winner of Bracket #19
Coach: Bob Stoops
Final AP Rank: #5

BRACKET OF CHAMPIONS - Preview

2009-07-27T20:04:00.011-05:00

BEAR REGION

Matchups:
1983 Auburn vs 1994 Florida State
1993 Florida State vs 1986 Oklahoma
1992 Alabama vs 1996 Ohio State
2003 LSU vs 1987 Oklahoma
1986 Penn State vs 1998 Ohio State
1996 Florida vs 1977 Notre Dame
1977 Penn State vs 1981 Penn State
1997 Florida vs 2008 USC

National Champions:
1977 Notre Dame
1986 Penn State
1992 Alabama
1993 Florida State
1996 Florida
2003 LSU

Heisman Trophy Winners:
Charlie Ward (QB-1993 Florida State)
Danny Wuerffel (QB-1996 Florida)

Lombardi Award Winners:
Ross Browner (DE-1977 Notre Dame)
Orlando Pace (OT-1996 Ohio State)

Team Info:
1983 Auburn (11-1)
#1 Seed - Winner of Bracket #1 [click for results]
Coach: Pat Dye
Final AP Rank: #3

1986 Penn State (12-0)
#9 Seed - Winner of Bracket #9
Coach: Joe Paterno
*AP National Champions*

1992 Alabama (13-0)
#17 Seed - Winner of Bracket #17
Coach: Gene Stallings
*AP National Champions*

1996 Florida (12-1)
#24 Seed - Winner of Bracket #24
Coach: Steve Spurrier
*AP National Champions*

1977 Penn State (11-1)
#25 Seed - Winner of Bracket #25
Coach: Joe Paterno
Final AP Rank: #5

1993 Florida State (12-1)
#32 Seed - Winner of Bracket #32
Coach: Bobby Bowden
*AP National Champions*

1981 Penn State (10-2)
#40 Seed - Winner of Bracket #40
Coach: Joe Paterno
Final AP Rank: #3

1977 Notre Dame (11-1)
#41 Seed - Winner of Bracket #41
Coach: Dan Devine
*AP National Champions*

1996 Ohio State (11-1)
#48 Seed - Winner of Bracket #48
Coach: John Cooper
Final AP Rank: #2

1997 Florida (10-2)
#57 Seed - Winner of Bracket #57
Coach: Steve Spurrier
Final AP Rank: #4

1994 Florida State (10-1-1)
#64 Seed - Winner of Bracket #64
Coach: Bobby Bowden
Final AP Rank: #4

1998 Ohio State (11-1)
#73 Seed - Winner of Bracket #56
Coach: John Cooper
Final AP Rank: #2

1986 Oklahoma (11-1)
#96 Seed - Winner of Bracket #33
Coach: Barry Switzer
Final AP Rank: #3

2003 LSU (13-1)
#113 Seed - Winner of Bracket #16
Coach: Nick Saban
*BCS National Champions*

2008 USC (12-1)
#121 Seed - Winner of Bracket #8
Coach: Pete Carroll
Final AP Rank: #3

1987 Oklahoma (11-1)
#177 Seed - Winner of Bracket #49
Coach: Barry Switzer
Final AP Rank: #3

BRACKET #3 FINALS

2009-07-26T16:00:00.000-05:00

BRACKET #3

Click HERE for first round results.
Click HERE for second round results.
Click HERE for third round results.

BRACKET SEMI-FINALS

(126) 1991 Alabama - 13
(131) 1985 Tennessee - 18
There were no fourth quarter fireworks for Siran Stacy and David Palmer against the Vols this time around.

I'm sure the loss didn't sit well with this Alabama fan.

"[Neyland Stadium] looks like a garbage truck worker convention" - classic..

(259) 1986 Alabama - 15
(3) 1978 USC - 19
Alabama had another team eliminated from the tournament in Bracket 3 when the 1986 edition, led by tailback Bobby Humphrey and linebacker Cornelius Bennett, fell to the '78 Trojans. Head coach Ray Perkins said after the game that he was proud of his team and that he hopes Mike Shula - the quarterback on the '86 team - gets another chance to be a head coach.

BRACKET FINAL

(131) 1985 Tennessee - 11
(3) 1978 USC - 14
A fantastic defensive showdown ended with John Robinson's Trojans topping Johnny Majors' Volunteers to secure a spot in the Bracket of Champions.

A Tennessee defense that only gave up 34 points over the final 7 games (an average of less than 5 points per game) held their own against a USC offense that featured two All American offensive linemen and and two future Heisman trophy winners in the backfield.

The SugarVols played remarkably well over the first three quarters. "Mr. Defense" Dale Jones out-quicked tackle Keith Van Horne and made a living in the USC backfield for much of the first half. He sacked Paul McDonald twice and was the key component in holding USC's vaunted rushing attack to 54 yards over the first 30 minutes of action.

Tennessee went into the locker room clinging to a 3-0 lead, but still searching for some offense of their own.

In the second half the Trojans finally got things going on the ground. To counter the speedy Tennessee defense, USC fullback took a couple of quick hitters for 11 and 13 yards on the on the opening drive of the second half. Mix in a couple short completions to Calvin Sweeney and suddenly things were starting to open up for the Trojan offense. Charles White capped the opening drive of the second half with a 6-yard touchdown run. The Trojans botched the extra point, though, so the score was now 6-3.

That score stood through the end of the third quarter as the defenses continued to control the tempo and the line of scrimmage.

Tennessee finally got things going with their first drive of the fourth quarter. Quarterback Tony Robinson got the passing game rolling and suddenly he was hitting receivers all over the field. Robinson was 4-for-5 on the drive for 72 yards, including a spectacular 42-yard touchdown pass to Tim McGee, who had to go up strong over safety Ronnie Lott in the end zone to make the catch.

The Volunteers seemed to botch the extra point as well, but holder and backup quarterback Daryl Dickey took a bad snap and scrambled into the end zone to put an unplanned two points on the board.

With an 11-6 lead and a defense that was seemingly in control of the ball game, Tennessee fans were starting to sense a potential upset to finally get a Vol team into the Bracket of Champions.

But Charles White wouldn't let the Trojans go quietly.

Coach Robinson put the game in the hands of his star tailback and White delivered. Carrying the ball on 10 of the 11 plays on the drive, White courageously drove his team down the field. Following the blocking of his All American offensive guard Pat Howell, White took hits and kept plowing forward until he capped the drive with a 1-yard touchdown plunge. He piled up 66 yards on the drive, eclipsing his total from the first three and a half quarters combined.

Quarterback Paul McDonald converted the two-point conversion with a pass to Kevin Williams to give the Trojans a three point lead that they never relinquished.

By the way, is this what life was like in Tennessee back in 1985? You have got to be kidding me with that.

1978 USC (#3 overall seed) advances to the Bracket of Champions. The Trojans will face the winner of Bracket 62 in the first round.

BRACKET #11 FINALS

2009-07-26T13:11:00.007-05:00

BRACKET #11

Click HERE for first round results.
Click HERE for second round results.
Click HERE for third round results.

BRACKET SEMI-FINALS

(118) 1977 Alabama - 24
(139) 1993 Ohio State - 19
All American linemen Dan Wilkinson (DT) and Korey Stringer (OT) figured to hold the advantage in the trenches, but Bear Bryant's Crimson Tide had other ideas. Joey Galloway scored the Buckeyes lone touchdown and Raymont Harris was held to just 45 rushing yards.

(267) 1996 Penn State - 20
(11) 1995 Nebraska - 41
Penn State's offensive skill players (RB Curtis Enis, WR Joe Jurevicius, FB Aaron Harris, QB Wally Richardson) were largely ineffective against the fast and furious Blackshirts. The defense (DL Brandon Noble, CB Brian Miller) didn't fare too well either.

BRACKET FINAL

(118) 1977 Alabama - 21
(11) 1995 Nebraska - 35
Another round another blowout for the 1995 Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Nebraska took a 23-7 lead into halftime on the strength of a potent running game and a stout defense. Lawrence Phillips had 75 yards rushing, and Ahman Green added 43 in the first half. Marty Lyons, Barry Krauss and the Alabama defense geared up to stop quarterback Tommie Frazier, and Frazier was more than happy to pitch to his talented I-Backs.

On the other side of the ball, Grant Wistrom and Terrell Farley led a pass rush that sacked Jeff Rutledge every time he tried to find receiver Ozzie Newsome in the first half. That's right, Rutledge dropped back to throw 4 times and was sacked 4 times.

1995 Nebraska (#11 overall seed) advances to the Bracket of Champions. The Cornhuskers will face the winner of Bracket 54 in the first round.

BRACKET #54 FINALS

2009-07-25T19:22:00.003-05:00

BRACKET #54

Click HERE for first round results.
Click HERE for second round results.
Click HERE for third round results.

BRACKET SEMI-FINALS

(54) 2005 Penn State - 27
(310) 1990 Tennessee - 24
Dale Carter had a spectacular 90 yard kickoff return for touchdown, but the Vols fell a field goal shy of advancing to the Bracket 54 Final.

(182) 1996 BYU - 20
(75) 1989 Miami - 34
BYU quarterback Steve Sarkisian was hassled all day by the Miami defense, and Omarr "The Electric Blanket" Morgan had a rough day against the Miami passing game. The Cougars were no match for a really good Miami team.

BRACKET FINAL

(54) 2005 Penn State - 20
(75) 1989 Miami - 26
The atmosphere was electric for this matchup of 11-1 teams. The entire town of Paternoville was in attendance to root on their senior-laden Nittany Lions against the potent '89 Hurricanes.

It was a defensive struggle in the early going with the Penn State defense matching the Miami defense stop for stop. In fact, defensive end Tamba Hali hammered Miami quarterback Craig Erickson so hard that he missed the majority of the rest of the first half.

The Hurricanes didn't miss a beat, though, with freshman Gino Torretta taking the reins. Torretta quickly led a field goal drive that put the 'Canes up 3-0.

Penn State quarterback Michael Robinson had some success through the air, but Miami defensive tackles Russell Maryland and Cortez Kennedy were disrupting the option game before it even had a chance to start. As a result tailbacks Tony Hunt and Austin Scott became non-factors.

Torretta added a touchdown pass to Wesley Carroll to close the second half, and Erickson threw a touchdown pass to Dale Dawkins late in the third quarter as the '89 Hurricanes marched relatively easily through the Nittany Lions.

1989 Miami (#75 overall seed) advances to the Bracket of Champions. The Hurricanes will face the winner of Bracket 11 in the first round.

BRACKET #62 FINALS

2009-07-25T11:53:00.002-05:00

BRACKET #62

Click HERE for first round results.
Click HERE for second round results.
Click HERE for third round results.

BRACKET SEMI-FINALS

(62) 1999 Nebraska - 26
(195) 1985 Iowa - 23
Iowa hit a wall against Nebraska, much the way they lost their undefeated season and #1 ranking against Ohio State in 1985. Chuck Long threw four interceptions, and the defense - highlighted by All American linebacker Larry Station - couldn't keep up with Eric Crouch.

(190) 1992 Texas A&M - 17
(67) 1985 Florida - 21
The Wrecking Crew (LB Marcus Buckley, DT Sam Adams, CB Aaron Glenn) played a fantastic ballgame, but Kerwin Bell and the Florida passing game had just enough juice to outscore a faltering Aggie offense.

BRACKET FINAL

(62) 1999 Nebraska - 23
(67) 1985 Florida - 19
Nebraska's secondary came up big against a good passing game for the second straight game to secure the '99 Huskers' spot in the Bracket of Champions.

Florida quarterback Kerwin Bell played his worst game of the tournament going up against a secondary that featured Ralph and Mike Brown, as well as Keyuo Craver. Bell completed just 13 of his 33 pass attempts, and was picked off twice.

Eric Johnson played a big role in the game for the Blackshirts as well. The speedy linebacker (a former safety) covered Neal Anderson and John L. Williams out of the backfield, eliminating the short passing game that was so crucial to the Florida offense.

Nebraska's offense didn't fare much better than Florida's, but the Huskers got a boost from all purpose threat Bobby Newcombe. Newcombe had two long punt returns that set up scores. He also caught a 45-yard pass and had a 32-yard run - both on third downs - to provide a jolt on offense.

1999 Nebraska (#62 overall seed) advances to the Bracket of Champions. The Cornhuskers will face the winner of Bracket 3 in the first round.

BRACKET #35 FINALS

2009-07-25T09:49:00.002-05:00

BRACKET #35

Click HERE for first round results.
Click HERE for second round results.
Click HERE for third round results.

BRACKET SEMI-FINALS

(94) 1980 Georgia - 21
(163) 1991 Michigan - 24
The national champion Georgia Bulldogs fell two games shy of the Bracket of Champions as Desmond Howard out-shined freshman sensation Herschel Walker.

(222) 1986 LSU - 15
(35) 1987 Florida State - 32
Florida State won in a blowout as LSU only managed 237 yards of offense. Quarterback Tommy Hodson threw two interceptions and RBs Harvey Williams and Sammy Martin only managed 66 total yards.

BRACKET FINAL

(163) 1991 Michigan - 22
(35) 1987 Florida State - 30
Why is this the greatest tournament of all time? Because of matchups like this. Where else are you going to get Heisman Trophy winner Desmond Howard going one-on-one with All American Deion Sanders?

Neither one disappointed their fans. Sanders intercepted a pass from Elvis Grbac and returned a punt 67-yards for a touchdown. Howard caught a 24-yard touchdown pass from Grbac and also returned a punt 67-yards for a touchdown.

The difference in the game was on the defensive side of the ball. FSU could stop the other ten guys on the Michigan offense, but the Michigan defense didn't fare as well.

Danny McManus threw a touchdown pass to Ronnie Lewis, and tailback Sammy Smith ran for 91 yards and two touchdowns.

Michigan tried to counter by using their freshman tailback Tyrone Wheatley late in the game for a boost of athleticism (starter Ricky Powers only managed 28 rushing yards against the athletic 'Nole front). He ran hard, eclipsing Powers' rushing total in just one quarter, but a late fumble gave the game to FSU for good.

1987 Florida State (#35 overall seed) advances to the Bracket of Champions. The Seminoles will face the winner of Bracket 30 in the first round.