Predicting the 2011 Heisman Trophy Winner
Danny Hobrock takes a look at the top candidates for 2011 Heisman Trophy
Robert Griffin III is our 2011 Heisman favorite
My Heisman ballot if they let me vote…
1 – Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor Bears: Griffin has been outstanding all season. Combine his consistency throughout the year with a phenomenal close to the season that began with a win over Oklahoma in the final minute on an amazing touchdown pass and culminated with four touchdowns in the Bears’ second win over Texas in two years, and Griffin should be the frontrunner among the Heisman finalists.
Top 10 College Football Teams
As viewed by College Football Editor Danny Hobrock and NCAA/NFL Writer Dory LeBlanc
1. LSU Tigers (13-0): With all the arguments about the BCS’ choice of #2 and #3, one thing has remained unchanged throughout most of the season – LSU is without a doubt the best team in the country. In Atlanta on Saturday, the Tigers became SEC Champions after defeating the Georgia Bulldogs 42-10. Bednarik finalist Tyrann Mathieu was just named an invitee to New York City for the Heisman Trophy presentation, and head coach Les Miles was named a finalist for the Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year award. - Dory LeBlanc
- AP Rank: 1; Next Game: 1/9/12 BCS National Championship vs. Alabama
2. Alabama Crimson Tide: (11-1) Didn’t win their conference, or even their division, yet in the current system they deserve a trip to the title game because based on what we’ve seen and the all-popular ‘body of work’, one can reasonably assume they’re the second-best team in the country. I say assume because, well, when human perception and computer rankings rule, we don’t really know for sure. Still, great year for Bama. Don’t count me among those lamenting that we’ll have to sit through another LSU-Alabama matchup. I just wish it came about through some type of postseason playoff. - Danny Hobrock
College Football Saturday in 500 Words or Less: Championship Weekend
LSU and Alabama are the best teams in the country. Rematch or not, if the BCS dictates that the best two teams play in its championship game, then they got it right. The problem is that the BCS is as ass-backwards as ass-backwards gets. In no other sport of which I’m aware do human perception and computers play as large a role in determining the sport’s champion than in college football.
Yesterday’s Tweet of the Day came from @azsportsguy: “How Boise St. goes to the same bowl as ASU is beyond me? NCAA just told Boise St: Lose once and you might as well be ASU.” To elaborate, Boise State, who fielded one of the nation’s best teams, is rewarded for its efforts by playing in a mid-tier bowl game against a team who fired its head coach after failing to meet high expectations with a 6-6 record.
Why Can’t the Houston Cougars be the Best Team in the Country?
- Related Post -> Searching for Street Cred; the Remarkable Season of Case Keenum
I can hear the BCS’s black helicopters now. Jim Delany is in the cockpit sporting an expression that might suggest he hasn’t shit in a week.
How can anybody suggest the Houston Cougars are the best team in the country? Doesn’t everybody know what Alabama has done this year? And for eff’s sake, what about the undefeated LSU Tigers?
The suggestion that Houston is, or even could be, the best team in the country is met with dumbfounded looks from the college football community. And it’s no surprise. In the current BCS system, there’s no way Houston deserves the top ranking, or even the second ranking. Or the third or fourth. They just don’t have the resume. And the BCS loves resumes.
But the truth is we don’t know that Houston isn’t the best team in the country.
Top 10 College Football Teams: Week 14
As viewed by College Football Editor Danny Hobrock and NCAA/NFL Writer Dory LeBlanc
1. LSU Tigers (12-0): LSU proved exactly why they are considered the most feared team in college Friday afternoon as they took on the SEC’s most prolific offense. Down 14-0 with five minutes remaining in the first half, Kenny Hilliard ran in a score to cap off a 77 yard Tiger drive. Momentum changed completely when on the next Razorback possession, they were forced to punt; Bednarik finalist Tyrann Mathieu returned the punt 82 yards to tie it up. It was all Bayou Bengals after that as they went on to defeat Arkansas 41-17. At this point, many think LSU goes to New Orleans even if they lose to Georgia in the SEC Championship on Saturday. LSU has been the best team in the country the entire season, and if they can beat the Bulldogs will. – Dory LeBlanc
- AP Rank: 1; Next Game: 12/3 SEC Championship vs. Georgia
College Football Saturday in 500 Words or Less: Week 13
Matt Barkley Proved He Was Worth the Hype against UCLA going 35 of 42 for 423-yards and 6 TDs
Because of conference realignment three very long-standing rivalry games will soon come to an end, or came to an end over the weekend: Texas vs. Texas A&M, Missouri vs. Kansas, and West Virginia vs. Pittsburgh. Meanwhile, a couple rivalry games are being forced upon us: Nebraska vs. Iowa, and Colorado vs. Utah. Nothing against these potential rivalry games, but the geographical rivalries rooted in tradition and familiarity are part of what makes college football such a great sport. In recent years it seems that the brass are attempting to manufacture things a little too much.
Recapping the week in 500 words or less, this is what we learned about the season:
2011 Heisman Trophy Leader Board
Danny Hobrock takes a look at the top candidates for 2011 Heisman Trophy
Case Keenum's amazing season has lead the Houston Cougars to an 11-0 record, ranked 8th in the country
My Heisman ballot if they let me vote…
1. Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama Crimson Tide: Richardson has surpassed 100 yards rushing in seven of the Tide’s ten games so far. He went for 175 yards and two touchdowns against Georgia Southern last Saturday, and he’ll face the Auburn Tigers in the Iron Bowl this weekend. He has scored a touchdown in all but one game this year: the overtime loss to LSU in which no touchdowns were scored.
2. Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford Cardinal: Luck has thrown at least one pick in the last four games, and has eight on the season, matching his total from last year. That’s not to say he’s an interception machine by any means, though. He’s one touchdown shy of his single-season high (32) set last year, and he’s likely to surpass his total passing yards from last season (3,338) at some point over the next two games. He’s fifth in the country in quarterback rating, and eighth in completion percentage.
2011 Bednarik Award Finalists
Danny Hobrock & Dory LeBlanc look at the top candidates for 2011 Bednarik Award
Tyrann Mathieu looks like the nation's top defender
The Bednarik Award is presented by the Maxwell Football Club and given to the College Defensive Player of the Year. Like the Maxwell Award honoring the nation’s top college player, the Bednarik Award is voted on by sportscasters, sportswriters, NCAA head coaches, athletic administrators and also the membership of the Maxwell Football Club.
You can vote for the Maxwell Award, the Bednarik Award, the new NFL Fantasy Player of the Year Award, and other prominent awards presented by the oldest football club in America by obtaining a RotoExperts Maxwell Football Club membership.
All to often the skill position players on the offensive side of the ball get the notoriety and fame. More often than not however, games are won are won and lost on defense. Taking a look at the standout defenders in NCAA Football, here’s how the landscape for the College Defensive Player of the Year shakes out after nine weeks of play.
Top 10 College Football Teams: Week 13
As viewed by College Football Editor Danny Hobrock and NCAA/NFL Writer Dory LeBlanc
* Changes from last week – OUT Oklahoma, Clemson – IN Michigan State
1. LSU Tigers (11-0) : LSU handled Ole Miss with such ease that with a little over five minutes left in the game, Les Miles had his offense line up in a victory formation and take four consecutive knees rather than score again. The game was over from the opening kickoff as LSU led 35-3 going into the break, then added another 17 unanswered points in the second half for a 52-3 victory over the Rebels. Seven Tiger players ran for double-digit yardage, while the defense allowed two passing first downs, and a total of 47 yards in the air. LSU has been the best team in the country the entire season, and if they can beat the best offense in the SEC Friday afternoon, they have a clear shot at the BCS title. Next up: Arkansas, Friday 2:30pm ET in Baton Rouge. – Dory LeBlanc
AP Rank: 1; Next Game: 11/25 vs. Arkansas
2. Alabama Crimson Tide (10-1): The Tide were the biggest winners on Saturday as Oklahoma State and Oregon fell out of the BCS title race. Alabama has a crucial showdown with Auburn coming up in the Iron Bowl, and then depending on the outcome of the LSU – Arkansas game and the BCS standings that follow, could play in the SEC title game. – Danny Hobrock
AP Rank: 2; Next Game: 11/26 @ Auburn
College Football Saturday in 500 Words or Less: Week 12
The SEC now has the top three ranked teams in the nation
Great, now we have to listen to SEC fans, snobs, and elitists the rest of the year. Not that LSU, Alabama and Arkansas don’t deserve the top three spots—they do, and the SEC is without question the toughest conference in football over the last several seasons—but I’d love to see some tournament-style thing-a-ma-bob that pits the top teams against each other—including LSU, Alabama and Arkansas. In the current system, Houston by no means deserves the shot at the national title. But the current system is garbage. We will just never know for sure which team is the best team if all teams do not have an opportunity to play other elite teams. You know, like every other sport in the freaking world. Not only would it give the SEC more opportunity to gloat with each win, it would give the college football minions an opportunity to prove just how good the SEC really is. Isn’t that what everybody wants?
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