The Number of Hawkeye Arrests Decrease

Since Chick Ejiasi has taken over as the director of player development for the Iowa football team, only one player has been arrested. Here's some of what the Hawkeye team and fans have had to put up with in the past year and a half.

In April of 2007, former defensive tackle Ryan Bain started things off by getting charged for disorderly conduct, consumption/intoxication, and interference with official acts.

Then things really heated up in May. Former wide receivers, freshmen Anthony Bowman and Dominique Douglas were charged with unlawful use of a credit card after stealing someone's card and charging a couple of G's on it.
Then tight end Tyler Gerstadt and quarterback Ricky Stanzi were cited with PAULAs.
To finish off May, former running back Dana Brown was charged with 5th degree theft, and he wasn't done yet.

In July, Brown was again charged for 5th degree theft.
Also, cornerback Bradley Fletcher received an OWI. Receiver Ben Evans got an OWI, as well.
Former quarterback Arvell Nelson was cited for driving with a suspended license. Nelson didn't show up for his court date and an arrest warrant was issued for him.

Then in September 2007, police charged Clint Huntrods, now former long snapper, with consumption/intoxication, interference with official acts, and public urination.
Safety Lance Tillison was charged with an OWI.

In October, new charges came up for Douglas as he was charged with 5th degree theft, after stealing some DVDs from Wal-Mart.
Brown was arrested for domestic-abuse assault causing bodily injury after allegedly beating up his girlfriend.

In December, tight end Brandon Myers was charged with interference with official acts and public intoxication.

In February 2008, punter Ryan Donahue received a PAULA.
Former wide out James Cleveland and Nelson received drug charges in February. They were roommates and had their drugs sitting out in plain sight. Nelson had Marijuana and Cleveland had perscription drugs without a perscription.

In April, defensive tackle Cody Hundertmark was cited with a PAULA.

In May 2008, the worst of all the charges were cited for former defensive backs Abe Satterfield and Cedric Everson. Satterfield and Everson were charged with second-degree sexual abuse and second- and third-degree sexual abuse, respectively after an incident in Hillcrest Dorm that occurred in October of 2007.
Much has been made of this case in the press as there was a possible attempted cover-up by personnel at the University of Iowa.

My favorite story happened in July when soon to be freshman, Riley Reiff, was charged with public intoxication and interference with official acts after stripping naked and leading the police on a 20 minute foot chase.

Then in September, right before Ejiasi was hired, freshman and former linebacker Dezman Moses was charged with public intoxication.

In November former Safety Harold Dalton was charged with public intoxication, interference with official acts, and disorderly conduct after getting into a bar fight.

There has only been the one incident since the hiring of Ejiasi, and it was by a senior. Ejiasi will mainly work with 1st and 2nd year players.

Congratulations Sam Bradford

The winner of the Heisman Trophy is Sam Bradford.

He led the nation in touchdown passes and in quarterback rating. Bradford was at the reins of the most prolific offense in NCAA history.

He was very deserving of this award, as were Colt McCoy and Tim Tebow.

Bradford became only the second sophomore to win the award (Tebow was the first).

This year's National Title game will be only the second time Heisman winners will face off as Bradford's Sooners will play Tebow's Gators.

The first time was the 2005 Orange Bowl when Sooners' quarterback Jason white (who won the 2003 Heisman) played against USC's quarterback Matt Leinart (who won the 2004 award). That game was also for the national title.

And the Winner Is...

It's finally here. The Heisman Trophy will be given out to one of the nation's top three quarterbacks. I'm going to make an argument for each player before I decide who will win the award.



Tim Tebow


He won it last year, why not this year? Tebow could join former Ohio State running Back Archie Griffin as the only players to win the award twice. He was the first sophomore to win the award last year.


Tebow has the fifth highest quarterback rating in the nation and has the most ridiculous touchdown to interception ratio I've ever seen with 28 touchdown passes and only two interceptions this year.


Tebow has faced 8 of the top 30 ranked defenses in the country and threw for 18 touchdowns and zero interceptions against them. He also had 9 of his 12 rushing touchdowns against those teams.


The media absolutely loves this guy, and that I believe will help his vote total.

And he has he team ranked No. 2 in the BCS standings and will be playing for the national title in January.





Sam Bradford


Bradford is the highest rated quarterback in the nation. He has thrown more touchdown passes than any other player with 48 and he also had 5 rushing touchdowns. He only threw 6 interceptions this year.


And, how about this statistic, Bradford set the record for the most touchdown passes in the first two seasons of a players career. The old record was 56. Bradford has 84 in his first two years.


Bradford's Sooners are ranked No. 1 in the BCS and will be playing for the national title.





Colt McCoy


McCoy has put together an amazing season with a less talented offense around him. While Tebow has receivers such as Percy Harvin and tight end Aaron Hernandez, and Bradford has Juaquin Iglesias TE Jermaine Gresham, McCoy's receivers aren't recognizable names.


McCoy has set the single season completion percentage record (unless something incredible happens in his bowl game). He has completed over 77% of his passes. McCoy has not only led his team in every passing statistic, but also leads his team in rushing yards.


McCoy has more passing yards and more rushing yards than Tebow. He accomplished that in one fewer game. He has two more total TD than Tebow.


To top everything off, McCoy and the Longhorns beat Bradford and the Sooners at a neutral site. The argument can be (and has been) made that Texas should be playing for the national title instead of Oklahoma or even Florida. Instead Texas is No. 3 in the BCS.




With all that being said, your Heisman Trophy winner is....

Tim Tebow!

Tebow has become the media darling. McCoy has been made out to be the third wheel in a two man Heisman race by ESPN. Bradford doesn't have the same coverage that Tebow does, and the Texas/Oklahoma controversy is going to cost each of the Big 12 QBs some votes.

Any of these guys would be a worthy choice, but I believe Tebow will be touting the hardware when the night is over.

Who Should Win College Football Awards?

I could go through and tell you every single award, but I'm only interested in a few. So here's who I think should/will win the awards and why.

Fred Biletnikoff (Best WR) Award:

Michael Crabtree -- Texas Tech

To me this is the most obvious award winner. He had 93 catches and 18 touchdowns this year. He won this award last year as a freshman, as well.

Chuck Bednarik (Most outstanding defensive player) Award:

Aaron Maybin -- Penn State

This would be the fourth year in a row that a player from Penn State would win the award (Dan Connor won last year and Paul Posluszny won it two years in a row before that. Maybin deserves the award for being the anchor of the fifth ranked defense in the nation. He is fourth in the nation with 12 sacks.
I wouldn't be surprised if either James Laurinaitis or Rey Maualuga wins the award, but, to me, Maybin is the most deserving.

Davey O'Brien (Most outstanding quarterback) Award:

Sam Bradford -- Oklahoma

Bradford has more touchdowns and fewer interceptions than the other two finalists for this award (Graham Harrell and Colt McCoy). He also has the highest quarterback rating of the three.

Doak Walker (Most outstanding running back) Award:

Shonn Greene -- Iowa

Greene is the best running back in the nation, hands down. He is the only player to rush for over 100 yards in every game this season. He had 17 touchdowns and over 1700 yards. Also his 6.2 yards per carry is higher than either of the other finalists' (Knowshon Moreno - 5.9, Javon Ringer - 4.3).

Maxwell (Most outstanding player) Award:

Colt McCoy -- Texas

This is a tough decision. I believe that Colt McCoy will take this award tonight because he was more important to his teams' success than the other two finalists' (Tim Tebow and Graham Harrell). I'm not taking away anything from Tebow and Harrell's performances this year, but try and name some of the players on the field with McCoy. A lot harder to come up with Jordan Shipley or Quan Cosby of Texas than Michael Crabtree of Tech or Percy Harvin of Florida.
Does this mean I think McCoy will win the Heisman?
I wouldn't rush to that judgement if I were you. I will blog about the Heisman tomorrow afternoon.


Don't forget to vote to the right of my blog on who you think will win the Heisman Trophy Saturday night!

Why didn't Harrell get an Invite?

I think most everyone can agree that Harrell wasn't going to win the Heisman. But that doesn't mean he didn't deserve an invitation.

Harrell threw for more yards than Sam Bradford, Colt McCoy, and Tim Tebow. He had more touchdown passes and combined passing and rushing touchdowns than McCoy and Tebow. Harrell led his team to the same 11-1 record as all of the other quarterbacks attending the ceremony. His team beat McCoy's Longhorns on an impressive pass by Harrell (and catch and run by wide out Michael Crabtree).

It's not as though there wasn't enough spots. Only the three quarterbacks will be attending. The Heisman Trophy committee has invited as many as six candidates in the past.

Even with all that being said, Harrell will have to watch the show on his TV from home.

"If Graham is not invited to the Heisman, they ought to quit giving out the award," Texas Tech coach Mike Leach said in a statement Wednesday night after the finalists were announced. "It is a shameless example of politics ruling over performance."

This was the quote the AP got.

Is it politics?

Maybe it's the economy?

The Heisman Trophy committee must have realized they couldn't afford to pay for a fourth to come. After all, if you wanted to attend it would cost you $500 plus travel expenses.

Whatever the real reason, Graham Harrell got snubbed.

Who's going to New York?

Later today we will find out who will be going to New York for the Heisman Trophy presentation.

As many as five players will go, but only one will come back with the hardware. Also, the college football awards are Thursday night.

But back to the Heisman. Here's who I think is traveling to New York.

Tim Tebow
Colt McCoy
Sam Bradford
Graham Harrell

I think Shonn Greene is going to finish a distant fifth and won't get an invitation to the ceremony Saturday.

Should Heisman Voters Wait for the Championship Games to Vote?

When John W. Heisman first created the award he intended it to go to the most outstanding college football player. So should we compare players on the first twelve games of the season, or should we include conference championship games?

This idea becomes problematic. Many people argue that you should include conference games because the player and his team earned that extra game. Also, the NCAA includes the extra game in their season's statistics, so why shouldn't the voters consider that final game as well.

Here's the reason why they shouldn't: Not every team plays the same number of games if you include the conference championship game.

I think Heisman voters should've had to turn in their votes before the conference championship games began. I also think that all teams should've played all of their regular season games before any championship games can be played.

I know that teams used to play a varying number of games each season. Sometimes 11 sometimes 13. But now everyone plays the same number (12).

And not all of the conferences have championship games.

What do you guys think?

Should Heisman voters include conference championship games as a factor when voting?

Or how about:

Should the Heisman just be considered a regular season award, or should we wait until after all of the bowls are played to decide?

McCoy is Big 12 POY, But 2nd Team QB?

You read that right. Colt McCoy was named offensive player of the year in the Big 12 by the Associated Press on Friday, but was on the all Big 12 2nd team.

How does this happen? Well it is the Big 12. It is a conference which no one can understand. Don't get me wrong, this is the hardest conference to decide POY and 1st and 2nd team quarterback, but how can the best offensive player in your conference not be on the 1st team?

Sam Bradford of Oklahoma was the Big 12's 1st team quarterback. The reasoning behind it is simple, too.

Bradford is the best quarterback in the Big 12. He is the best at throwing the ball around and getting it to his playmakers, which is what most people think of when they think about a quarterback.

McCoy has probably been more important to his team than Bradford and that is why McCoy gets the POY but is only a 2nd teamer. After all, Bradford has 46 touchdown passes to only 6 interceptions while McCoy threw for 32 touchdowns to 7 interceptions.

My favorite part about McCoy is the fact that he led his team in rushing. He had 200 yards more on the ground then the next guy on the team.

Week 12 Update

The race is really heating up. The best of the Big 12 keep finding the endzone, Tim Tebow is back to his 2007 form, and Shonn Greene just ran over one of the best defenses in the nation. Tough call 1-5 but I'll give you my five in order.

The List

(Last week's rankings in parentheses)

1. (1) Graham Harrell (Sr. Texas Tech) -- Harrell has spent his last two weeks completely destroying top ten teams' secondaries. First it was Texas. Then last week, No. 9 Oklahoma State. Harrell threw for over 450 yards in each game with no interceptions. Last week he had 6 touchdown passes while he completed 40 of 50 passes. Harrell and Tech have the week off before another top ten match up. This time with Oklahoma.

2. (2) Sam Bradford (So. QB Oklahoma) -- Bradford has thrown for at least 3 touchdowns in his last 5 games. He has also accomplished this in 8 of his 10 games this year. In the other two games, Oklahoma blew out their competition by so much that Bradford didn't get a chance to put up as many (opponents were Baylor and Chattanooga and he threw for 2 touchdowns in each of those games). Last week Bradford had 4 touchdown passes and 1 touchdown run. He accumulated 320 yards through the air. Oklahoma has a week off before they square off with Texas Tech. Personally, I can't wait.

3. (3) Colt McCoy (Jr. QB Texas) -- McCoy had 5 touchdown passes last week against Baylor. His 2 interceptions hurt him a little bit and the unbelievable completion percentage he had earlier in the season has started to slip. But McCoy is still the leading rusher for the Longhorns. The lack of a running game makes every stat that McCoy puts up that much more impressive. McCoy and Texas need to have huge games in their last two of the season if they are going to play for the Big 12 title and possibly the national title.

4. (5) Michael Crabtree (So. WR Texas Tech) -- Crabtree is in the top five in the nation in receptions and receiving yards and he is leading college football in receiving touchdowns with 18. Crabtree had 8 catches for 89 yards and 3 touchdowns last week against OK State. That was his 13th straight game with at least 5 catches and a touchdown. He is now one game away from tying the record that is held by Larry Fitzgerald.



5. (NR) Shonn Greene (Jr. RB Iowa) -- I think that there are 3 guys that could be put as high as number 4 on this list right now. But this is a top five, not a top six. Therefore, Greene barely edges out Tim Tebow this week. Greene had his toughest test last Saturday against the best run defense the Big Ten had to offer and the 6th best overall defense in the country. Greene passed with flying colors. He had 117 yards and 2 touchdowns while leading his team to a thrilling upset victory over then No. 3 Penn State. This week Iowa and Greene take on the 91st ranked run defense in Purdue.

On the Outside Looking In

(4) Tim Tebow (Jr. QB Florida) -- I'm really not sure how he fell out of the top five this week. I feel that the upset victory and the stoutness of the defense Greene went up against made his game more impressive than what Tebow did, which was impressive, as well. Tebow completed only 12 passes, but netted 171 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also had his best rushing performance of the season posting 88 yards and 2 touchdowns against Vanderbilt. This week, Tebow faces a very good South Carolina defense.

Tim Hiller (Jr. QB Western Michigan) -- Hiller has been phenomenal this year. Not a lot of people have really heard of him, but after he led his team to a win over favored Illinois last Saturday, people hopefully will start talking. Hiller has 30 touchdowns this year and only 5 interceptions. Only Sam Bradford and Graham Harrell have a better touchdown to interception ratio.

Jeremy Maclin (So. WR Mizzou) -- Maclin has been too inconsistent this season to find a spot in the top five. He has had some incredible games though. Last week he had 8 catches for 118 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also carried the ball 4 times for 84 yards and another score. Maclin is leading the nation in total all-purpose yards. This week he takes on Iowa State who gave up 4 touchdowns to WR Dez Bryant of Oklahoma State two weeks ago.

Top Performers Week 11

ACC: Darren Evans (Fr. RB VA Tech) -- Evans set the Hokies' school record for rushing yards with 253. He had one touchdown in the game. It was the first time all season a Tech player ran for over 100 yards.

Big 12: Graham Harrell (Sr. QB Texas Tech) -- There were lots of great games played by lots of players in the Big 12 this week, but Harrell's performance was by far the best. He threw for 456 yards and 6 touchdowns. He completed 40 of his 50 passes in Tech's 56-20 win.

Big East: Mike Teel (Sr. QB Rutgers) -- Teel was 26-36 for 276 yards in Rutgers win over Syracuse. He had 3 touchdown passes in the game.

Big Ten: Daniel Murray and The Iowa Hawkeyes -- The four-loss Hawkeyes proved that they aren't your typical 5-4 football team as the Hawks beat Penn State 24-23. No one player truly stood out for the Hawks as it was a complete team effort to win the game. Murray's kick with one second left sealed the game.

Pac-10: Michael Jones (Sr WR Arizona State) -- Jones hauled in 11 catches for 146 yards and two scores. Arizona State kept Washington win less with a 39-19 win.

SEC: Rashad Johnson (Sr Safety Alabama) -- Johnson had the biggest impact of any player on their game in the SEC. The senior had 3 interceptions in the game. One that he took to the house for a touchdown. The last one he caught in the back of the endzone in overtime to give his team the ball without letting LSU put up any points.

Independents/Non-BCS: Nate Davis (Jr. QB Ball State) -- The Cardinals just keep on rolling. Davis completed 18 of 22 passes for 300 yards and 4 touchdowns in Ball State's win over Northern Illinois. He also ran the ball in for another score.

Chase Clement (Sr QB Rice) -- Clement threw for 384 yards and 3 touchdowns in Rice's win over Army. He also ran for another touchdown and had 87 yards rushing. His third touchdown pass broke the Conference USA record for most touchdown passes in a career. He now has 87.

Where We Stand for Week 11

Wow. That pretty much sums up the play of the nation's top players last weekend. We saw some of the most incredible games of the season from the most incredible players. Picking a top five is harder now than ever.



The List


(Last week's rankings in parentheses)



1. (2) Graham Harrell (Sr. QB Texas Tech) -- Harrell delivered the biggest 'wow' moment of the week as he completed a pass down the sideline to stud receiver (and soon to be mentioned) Michael Crabtree for the game winning touchdown to defeat the No. 1 team in the nation and to dethrone the No. 1 on my Heisman list in Colt McCoy.
Harrell completed 36 of 53 passes for 474 yards and 2 touchdowns.



2. (3) Sam Bradford (So. QB Oklahoma) -- Bradford took over the NCAA lead for most touchdown passes this season after throwing five against Nebraska in Oklahoma's 62-28 dominating win. He is now on pace for 45 and won't slow down this weekend with a 4-5 Texas A&M team on the schedule.


3. (1) Colt McCoy (Jr. QB Texas) -- McCoy dropped two spots this week after sitting on top for the previous three weeks. He was outperformed by Graham Harrell in his team's first loss of the season. He had 294 passing yards two touchdowns, but one costly pick, as well. McCoy and Texas look to bounce back against Baylor this weekend.


4. (NR) Tim Tebow (Jr. QB Florida) -- Last year's Heisman Trophy winner has thrown his hat back in the ring. Tebow has only thrown 14 touchdown passes and has 9 rushing touchdowns, but he has really come up big in Florida's biggest games. Tebow only had 10 combined passing and rushing touchdowns after his team's first 5 games, but in the last three (against LSU, Kentucky and Georgia) he has 12. Tebow is finally starting to put up the numbers that made him the winner of this award last year.


5. (NR) Michael Crabtree (So. WR Texas Tech) -- Crabtree is sixth nationally in receptions and receiving yards, but is tied for first with 15 touchdown grabs. More importantly is the play he made on a Graham Harrell pass with one second remaining in the game against No. 1 Texas last weekend. That was one of the best plays in Texas Tech football history. Crabtree, Harrell and the Red Raiders have a tough match up this weekend with No. 9 Oklahoma State. OK St has the nation's 93rd ranked pass defense. They also have the fifth highest scoring average. Tech has the third highest scoring average.



On the Outside Looking In


Dez Bryant (So. WR Ok St) -- Bryant barely misses out on a top five spot after a 9 catch, 171 yard, 4 touchdown performance against Iowa State. Bryant has the second most receiving yards in the nation and is tied for the most receiving touchdowns. He also is fourth nationally in punt return average and has taken two to the house.

Kendall Hunter (So. RB Ok St.) -- Hunter is fourth nationally in rushing. He has 11 rushing touchdowns. He is also leading the fifth best rushing attack in the nation in a pass happy league.

(4) Shonn Greene (Jr. RB Iowa) -- Greene dropped out of the top five despite running for over 100 yards again and scoring a touchdown. The Iowa offense thrives off of this guy, and they need to get him the ball more than what they did in their loss to Illinois last week if they want to win ball games. Next up for Greene and the Hawks, Penn state and their 11th ranked run defense.

Top Performers Week 10

ACC: C.J. Spiller (Jr. RB Clemson) -- Spiller caught 6 passes for a school running back record of 105 yards in Clemson's win over Boston College. He ran for 55 yards and returned kicks and punts too. Enough for 242 all-purpose yards.

Big East: LeSean McCoy (So. RB Pitt) -- McCoy ripped Notre Dame's defense for 169 yards and a touchdown on 32 carries in the Panthers 4OT win. McCoy also had 23 receiving yards.

Big 12: Graham Harrell (Sr. QB Texas Tech) -- I don't think there was any question that this guy would be the Big 12 Top Performer for the week after leading his team to an upset victory over Texas. Harrell completed 36 of 53 passes for 474 yards and 2 touchdowns, including the game winner to Michael Crabtree with one second remaining. This guy was No. 2 on my list last week. Look for him to be going up on that list.

Big Ten: Mike Kafka (Jr. QB Northwestern) -- Whenever you set a conference record, you deserve to be named the Top Performer. Kafka did just that in his first start of the season by rushing for a Big Ten quarterback record 217 yards. He also threw for 143 yards with 2 touchdowns.

Pac 10: Toby Gerhart (Jr. RB Stanford) -- Gerhart rushed for 132 yards and 4 touchdowns in Stanford's 58-0 beatdown of Washington State.

SEC: Tim Tebow (Jr. QB Florida) -- Tebow showed off the skills that won him the Heisman Trophy last year in Florida's blowout victory against Georgia. He completed 10 of 13 passes for 154 yards and 2 touchdowns. He carried the ball 12 times for 39 yards and 3 touchdowns. Tebow is finally starting to get back on pace with where he was last year, although he has no realistic chance of touching the numbers he put up last year. He could definitely find himself in the Top 5 this week.

Independents/Non-BCS: Brian Brunner (Sr. QB Central Michigan) -- Starting for an injured Dan LeFevour, Brunner set a school record with 485 passing yards. He had 4 passing touchdowns and he added a score on the ground in the Chippewas' first victory against a BCS conference opponent since 1992.

Max Hall (Jr. QB BYU) -- He completed 28 of 35 passes for 389 yards and 5 touchdowns in a close win over Colorado State.

Week 10 Heisman Update

We're two-thirds of the way through, and my top five isn't even close to the same as it was week one. Only one man from my preseason top five is in the top five this week, preseason No. 5 Sam Bradford. Here was my preseason top five: 1. Tim Tebow, 2. Chris Wells, 3. Chase Daniel, 4. Michael Crabtree, 5. Sam Bradford.

All five of these guys still have a shot, but they have to really step it up in their last couple of games.

Here's my top five for this week

The List

(Last week's ranking in parentheses)

1. (1) Colt McCoy (Jr. QB Texas) -- In a close win over Oklahoma State, McCoy kept his position atop the top five by completing 38 of 45 passes for 391 yards and 2 touchdowns. He threw one interception and lost a fumble in the game, but was still able to pull out the victory. He also ran for 41 yards and a touchdown and continues to lead the Longhorns in rushing. He'll need to have a much better game this week with Graham Harrell, Michael Crabtree and the Texas Tech Red Raiders getting prepared to knock both the Longhorns and McCoy out of first in both the team rankings and in the Heisman race.

2. (4) Graham Harrell (Sr. QB Texas Tech) -- Did anyone else see this offense in action against a good Kansas team? Harrell threw 5 TDs and ran for one too in the 63-21 route of the Jayhawks. Tech plays Texas Saturday. The Longhorns own the 112th ranked pass defense, and they have injuries in the secondary. UH-OH! Harrell might go even bigger this week than last, but will it be enough to take the top spot next week or to beat the No. 1 team in the Nation? My guess is yes.

3. (2) Sam Bradford (So. QB Oklahoma) -- It must feel great to have an off week that includes 255 yards passing and 3 touchdowns and another touchdown on the ground. But he only completed 40% of his passes, and Graham Harrell was unreal. Bradford has his chance to bounce back with a home game against Nebraska. Nebraska has the second best pass defense in the Big 12 (which isn't saying much because they are 75th in the nation).

4. (3) Shonn Greene (Jr. RB Iowa) -- Greene and Iowa had a bye week last week and should be rested and ready to go against Illinois who is coming off a 10 point loss to Wisconsin. Illinois is 9th in the Big Ten in rushing defense and 76th in the nation, giving up an average of 152 yards per contest. If Greene goes big, Iowa will be bowl eligible after this week. This game is also on ABC and it will get a lot more people looking at this guy as a potential Heisman candidate.

5. (NR) Knowshon Moreno (So. RB Georgia) -- Moreno is making his first appearance on my list in over a month. He fell off the map after the Alabama game, but is surging right now. Last week he ran for 163 yards and a score on what was one of the nation's best run defenses in LSU.

On the Outside Looking In

Chase Daniel (Sr. QB Mizzou) -- He's still putting up great numbers. Daniel threw for 302 yards and 5 touchdowns in Missouri's 58-0 shellacking of Colorado. He has the 5th highest QB rating in the nation.

David Johnson (Sr. QB Tulsa) -- Johnson had his worst game of the season in which he had 264 yards passing one touchdown and one interception. He also ran the ball in the end zone twice. He is currently the highest rated quarterback in the nation, by a long shot over No. 2 Colt McCoy, and he is leading the nation in touchdown passes with 32.

Zac Robinson (Jr. QB Oklahoma State) -- Robinson is the 4th highest rated quarterback in the nation and is leading the 9th ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys whose only loss is to the No. 1 team in the nation.

(5) Donald Brown (Jr. RB UConn) -- Brown is leading the nation in rushing yards per game this season, and is second in total yards. He is also 5th in the nation in scoring with 14 touchdowns. Brown had 150 yards and 2 scores last week against Cincinnati. This week he will go up against West Virginia who is only allowing 123 rushing yards per game.

Michael Crabtree (So. WR Texas Tech) -- He had 2 touchdowns in last week's win over Kansas and leads the nation in touchdown receptions with 14. He's going to have a big game Saturday mainly because of the defense that he is going up against. He should have a couple more touchdowns this week.

Top Performers for Week 9

ACC: Hakeem Nicks (Jr. WR North Carolina) -- After being overshadowed by standout teammate Brandon Tate, until his injury, Nicks used last weekend's game against Boston College to propel himself into the spotlight. Nicks had 8 catches for 139 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also had 31 yards rushing for another score.


Big 12: Graham Harrell (Sr. QB Texas Tech) -- Harrell completed 81 percent of his passes for 386 yards and 5 touchdowns. He also added one score on the ground in Tech's 63-21 beat down at Kansas.


Big East: Mike Teel (Sr. QB Rutgers) -- After being booed by his own fans several times this season, the senior quarterback threw for 361 yards and a school record 6 touchdowns as the underachieving Scarlet Knights upset No. 17 Pittsburgh 54-34.
Big Ten: Brian Hoyer (Sr. QB Mich St) -- Hoyer had his best game of the season in the Spartans' biggest rivalry. He completed 17 of 29 passes for 282 yards and 3 touchdowns.



Pac 10: Jahvid Best (So. RB Cal) -- Best had 17 carries for 115 yards and a touchdown in Cal's 41-20 win over UCLA. He showed that he can be one of the most explosive backs in the country.




SEC: Tim Tebow (Jr. QB Florida) -- Tebow completed 11 of 15 passes for 180 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also had 48 yards rushing and 2 more touchdowns on the ground. With those 2 rushing scores, Tebow tied the school record for most rushing touchdowns in his career with a guy you may have heard of... Emmitt Smith.

Independents/Non-BCS: Ricky Dobbs (So. QB Navy) -- Subbing in at quarterback this week due to injury, he had 224 yards rushing and 4 touchdowns.

Jimmy Young (So. WR TCU) -- He set the school record with 226 yards receiving and 3 touchdowns in TCU's 54-7 win over Wyoming.

Two New Faces in The Top 5

The best part about the Heisman race is that you can make a case for so many players from so many different teams. And every week you can make a case for someone new. Here is the top 5 so far this season.



The List


(Last week's ranking in parentheses)


1. (1) Colt McCoy (Jr. QB Texas) -- The Texas gunslinger is on pace to set the NCAA single season completion percentage. He completed over 90 percent (29-32) of his passes last week against Mizzou. Apparently, we'll have one more year to see him perform too. McCoy told the Sporting News that he is coming back for his senior season. It'll be interesting to see if he can improve from this potential record book season.




2. (2) Sam Bradford (So. QB Oklahoma) -- Another week, another record. That's the way this season seems to be going for the Sooners' signal caller. Last week, Bradford set the single game record at Oklahoma with 468 passing yards. He also had 3 touchdowns and no interceptions. This week Bradford and Oklahoma will square off against Kansas State and the 94th ranked pass defense in the nation. Uh-oh. Watchout Manhattan. We could have another record.




3. (NR) Shonn Greene (Jr. RB Iowa) -- Greene is 3rd in the nation in rushing yards per game with 144 and in total rushing yards with 1,154 (just 25 yards shy of Javon Ringer for first). Greene is getting better as the season goes on. Through August and September, Greene was averaging 133 yards per, but in October he has averaged 163 yards per. Ringer has only averaged 94 yards per game in October. Greene is also the only back to rush for over 100 yards in his first 8 games this season (UConn's Donald Brown can match him this weekend against Cincinatti). Greene has the weekend off, but Iowa travels to Illinois on the 1st of November.



4. (4) Graham Harrell (Sr. QB Texas Tech) -- Harrell had his third game with at least 450 passing yards last weekend when Tech beat Texas A&M. He is leading the nation in passing yards and is third in touchdown passes. He also has 5 rushing touchdowns. Tech travels to Lawrence, Kansas Saturday to take on the No. 23 Jayhawks who are coming off a 14 point loss to Oklahoma.




5. (NR) Dez Bryant (So. WR OK St) -- He is coming off an 11 catch 212 yard performance against Baylor. Two of those catches went for touchdowns. Bryant is now fourth in the nation in receiving yards with 809 and third in receiving touchdowns with 11. Bryant and the Cowboys travel to Austin, TX this weekend. Bryant and quarterback Zac Robinson should put up huge numbers against Texas' 112th ranked pass defense.



On the Outside Looking In


Knowshon Moreno (So. RB Georgia) -- Moreno had a breakout game last week against Vandy, and reminded everyone of why he was in this conversation at the beginning of the season. This is the week he needs to prove himself, as Georgia visits Death Valley and the 16th ranked rush defense in the nation of LSU.



David Johnson (Sr. QB Tulsa) -- Most people still haven't heard of this guy, but he is the main reason that Tulsa checks in the first BCS rankings at No. 19. He has thrown for at least 3 touchdowns in every game this year. Johnson is leading the nation in touchdowns and quarterback rating. He is on pace to have 53 passing touchdowns this year.




Daryll Clark (Jr. QB Penn State) -- He is the leader of one of the best teams in college football. Last week, he threw for 171 yards and a touchdown, and ran for 45 yards and two scores. Clark led Penn State to their first win over Michigan since Clinton was in office.




Chase Daniel (Sr. QB Mizzou) -- This is the first week Daniel has not been in the top 5 this season. He played well last week, but couldn't deliver a victory. He was also completely outplayed by Colt McCoy on the otherside of the field. Daniel completed 75 percent of his for 318 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for another score, but it wasn't enough.

Shonn Greene is the Best Back in the Country. Period.

I've been thinking this for several weeks now, but I haven't had enough evidence until after this weekend. But...

Shonn Greene is the Best Back in the Country



There has been so much hype about Javon Ringer that I have wanted to puke. I even blogged after the Iowa/Michigan State game earlier this year that Greene was the better back. Ringer hasn't even sniffed my top 5 since that game (if only I actually had a vote).

At 5'11 235 pounds, Greene has the size and strength to pound out the tough yards. He showed his speed last week as he had runs of 12, 34, 52 and another 34 yards all for touchdowns.

The only thing he is missing is catches. He needs to become a weapon out of the backfield to become a complete back (he only has 6 catches through 8 games).

After Greene's 217 yard 4 touchdown performance Saturday against Wisconsin the national media better start paying more attention to him.

As for his Heisman hopes. He's definitely on the rise. He needs to finish the season very strong and have a huge game against Penn State on November 8th if he's going to get an invite to New York.

Football is a quarterback driven sport, though. Greene has a long way to go if he wants to beat out Colt McCoy, Sam Bradford or one of the many in the Big 12.

Right now Greene is on pace for 1731 yards and 15 touchdowns. Impressive, but not Heisman worthy.

Last year Darren McFadden ran for 1830 yards and 16 touchdowns. He also had 21 catches and 1 touchdown, and he threw for 4 more touchdowns. In case you don't remember, he finished 2nd to Tim Tebow in Heisman voting.

Tebow had 55 combined touchdowns through the air and on the ground last year. This year, David Johnson of Tulsa (No. 19 in the BCS) is almost on pace to throw for that many scores. Bradford should get close to 50 total touchdowns. And who knows who else from the Big 12 is going to explode this season.

Top Performers Week 8

Here they are. The best of each conference from week 8.

ACC: Chris Turner (Jr. QB Maryland) -- Turner led the Terps to a 26-0 shutout of Wake Forest Saturday with a career high 321 yards and 1 touchdown through the air. Turner is now 5-0 against ranked teams in his career, with 1,135 passing yards, 7 touchdowns and no interceptions in those games. In his other 13 games of his career, Turner has 7 touchdowns and 13 interceptions and a 5-8 record. Go figure.

Big 12: Colt McCoy (Jr. QB Texas) -- Set a school record 90.6 completion percentage as he completed 29 of 32 passes for 337 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also ran for 23 yards and 2 scores in the Longhorns victory over Missouri.

Big East: LeSean McCoy (So. RB Pitt) -- He carried the ball 18 times for 156 yards and 3 touchdowns against Navy with a chest cold that made it hard for him to catch his breath.

Big Ten: Shonn Greene (Jr. RB Iowa) -- I think everyone saw this one coming. Greene ran for a career high 217 yards and tied a school record with 4 touchdowns against Wisconsin Saturday. It only took him 25 carries to reach this total. I might have some additional comments about this back in the next day or two...

Pac 10: Keola Antolin (Fr. RB Arizona) -- He came off the bench and led the comeback in the second half against No. 25 Cal. He ran the ball 21 times for 149 yards and 3 touchdowns in the Wildcats 42-27 upset victory.

SEC: Michael Smith (Jr. RB Arkansas) -- In a one point loss to Kentucky, Smith carried the ball 35 times for 192 yards and 1 touchdown. He also caught 3 passes for 33 yards and another touchdown.

Independents/Non-BCS: David Johnson (Sr. QB Tulsa) -- Johnson is the highest rated quarterback in the nation this year. He improved his rating this weekend after completed 21 of 27 passes for 434 yards, 5 touchdowns and one interception against UTEP. His team won 77-35 and is ranked for the first time this year. They are No. 19 in the BCS standings.

Dennis Kennedy (Sr. RB Akron) -- Kennedy ran for 277 yards on 25 carries for 3 touchdowns including the game winner in the Zips 42-35 win over Eastern Michigan.

Change At The Top!

For the first time in 5 weeks, someone other than Chase Daniel is leading the Race. This week it could be one of many Big 12 quarterback's. Things are really starting to heat up. We're basically halfway through the season, and here's where they stand:



The List

(Last week's ranking in parentheses)



1. (3) Colt McCoy (Jr. QB Texas) -- He is the field general for the No. 1 team in the nation right now, after beating Sam Bradford and the previously ranked No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners last weekend. He didn't put up the best numbers in the game (28-35 277 yards and 1 TD), but he got the W. McCoy plays the previous No. 1 Heisman contender this weekend as the Longhorns take on the Missouri Tigers and Chase Daniel.



2. (2) Sam Bradford (So. QB Oklahoma) -- Bradford did put up numbers last weekend. He was 28-39 for 387 yards (most passing yards ever in an Oklahoma-Texas game) 5 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. Because of his play, even though his team lost, Bradford doesn't lose any ground. He's still the 2nd highest rated quarterback in the nation.



3. (1) Chase Daniel (Sr. QB Mizzou) -- After losing to Oklahoma State at home, and in a game in which he threw 3 interceptions, many people have dropped him out of their top five. Daniel still has the 5th highest quarterback rating in the nation. While he did have 3 costly interceptions, he also completed 75 percent of his passes for 390 yards and 1 touchdown, and he ran for 46 yards. Daniel has his chance for redemption Saturday against Colt McCoy and No. 1 Texas. Texas has the 110th ranked pass defense in the nation. Daniel is going to have a huge game Saturday, and I wouldn't be surprised if Missouri rides the right arm of Daniel to a victory.



4. (4) Graham Harrell (Sr. QB Texas Tech) -- Harrell has led the Red Raiders to a perfect 6-0 record so far this season. With a weak Texas A&M team on the schedule this weekend, Tech should improve to 7-0. Harrell has thrown 263 passes this year and completed 68 percent of them for 20 touchdowns. Impressively out of all of those passes, he has only thrown 3 interceptions.



5. (5) Donald Brown (Jr. RB UConn) -- He had the week off last week, but I decided to keep him in the top five. He is one of only 2 players in the nation to run for over 100 yards in every single game this season. The other is Shonn Greene of Iowa. The lowest total Brown has put up in a singe game is 146 yards in the season opener. UConn travels to New Jersey to take on Rutgers Saturday. Rutgers has given up 156 yards per game on the ground this season, 79th in the nation.



On the Outside Looking In



Josh Freeman (Jr. QB Kansas State) -- Not only has he been beating people with his arm, but last week he ran for 95 yards and 4 touchdowns. That gives him 12 on the year which ties him for 3rd in the nation with previously mentioned Donald Brown. He also has 12 touchdown passes and only 2 interceptions on the year. He is also 9th in the nation in passer rating.



Daryll Clark (Jr. QB Penn State) -- Clark and Penn State opened up a can on a Wisconsin team that was ranked in the top 10 earlier in the season at Camp Randall. Clark completed 16 of 25 passes for 244 yards 1 touchdown and one pick. He also ran it in the end zone twice in the 48-7 beat down. This Saturday Penn State hosts a Michigan team coming off of a terrible loss to Toledo. Penn State is 3-10 all-time against Michigan, and has lost their last 9 games to the Wolverines.



Tim Hiller (Jr. QB Western Michigan) -- Hawkeye fans should remember this guy. His 276 yards and a touchdown is what kept Iowa from going to a bowl last season. This season he has thrown more touchdown through 7 games than he did all of last year (23 this year, 20 last). Last week he showed his leadership and skills, as his team was trailing by 14 with 5 minutes left. Hiller had 2 touchdown passes in regulation, and then threw the game winner in overtime to escape with a 34-28 win over Buffalo.



Robert Griffin (Fr. QB Baylor) -- Griffin is the last starting quarterback in the nation to not have a turnover. He has only thrown 9 touchdowns and ran for 6 more, and his team is 3-3, so I wouldn't expect Heisman voters to start talking this guy up. But 0 turnovers is extremely impressive this far into the season.



Eric Decker (Jr. WR Minnesota) -- Decker is leading the nation with 59 receptions, and is on pace to have 101 grabs this year. After last weekend's upset win at Illinois, Decker was also leading the nation in receiving yards with 782. He only has 5 touchdown receptions this year, but he has run for a score, as well.

Is There an Anti-West Coast Bias in Heisman Voting?

The answer to this question is simply no.


Think back to the last handful of years. What school has won 3 of the last 6 Heisman Trophies? USC with Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart and Carson Palmer carrying away the hardware.


If anything, when it comes to Heisman voting, the question should be, "Is there a USC bias?"


Not taking anything away from these talented players, of course, but I think I might be onto something with the USC bias question when I stop and think about it.


In 2005, Vince Young was the best player in America.


He ran for over 1,000 yards and 12 touchdowns and threw 26 touchdowns to 10 interceptions with over 3,000 yards through the air. He essentially was the team.


Reggie Bush was a great player, one of many, for the Trojans that year. He had amazing numbers as he averaged 8.7 yards per carry and ran for 16 scores and caught 2 touchdowns, too. But he was one of so many weapons that it made it even harder to defend him because teams couldn't key just on him. If they did someone else would burn them.


In 2002, Brad Banks was the best player in America.


Lots of people might call me a homer on this one, but Banks was incredible in 2002. Palmer had more touchdown passes but also turned the ball over more times. He had 32 touchdowns to 10 interceptions and 3,639 passing yards.


Banks had 2,369 passing yards. But he had 25 touchdown passes to only 4 interceptions. Banks had the second highest quarterback rating in the nation. He won the Davey O'Brien Award for being the best quarterback in the nation, and yet, another quarterback beat him out for the Heisman?


Who's voting for all of these USC guys, anyway?


My guess is O.J. Simpson has been involved somehow, probably pointing a gun at Heisman voters. I suppose we'll find out this year.


Do they take away your right to vote for the Heisman when you're in the clink?

Week 7 Top Performers

What a crazy weekend in college football. 3 of the top 5 teams in the nation lost on Saturday. It's starting to look like we could have a repeat season of wondering who really is No. 1 after Oklahoma was beaten by No. 5 Texas.

Here are the Top Performers from the weekend:

ACC: Riley Skinner (Jr. QB Wake Forest) - Skinner led the Demon Deacons to victory with a 4th quarter drive. He completed 22 of 34 passes for 186 yards and one touchdown, and ran for 73 more yards.

Big 12: Colt McCoy (Jr. QB Texas) - He didn't put up gaudy numbers like the guy on the other team (Sam Bradford), but he led his team to a 45-35 win at the Cotton Bowl over then No. 1 Oklahoma. McCoy completed 28 of 35 passes for 277 yards and 1 touchdown and he ran for 31 yards, as well.

Big East: Noel Devine (So. RB West Virginia) - Led the Pat White-less Mountaineers to a 17-6 win over Syracuse by carrying the ball 18 times for 188 yards and a score.

Big Ten: Daryll Clark (Jr. QB Penn State) - Showed that the Nittany Lions are for real by leading his team to a 48-7 stomping of Wisconsin (who was ranked in the top 10 just a couple of weeks ago) at Camp Randall. Clark completed 16 of 25 passes for 244 yards 1 touchdown 1 interception and ran for 12 yards and 2 more TDs.

Pac 10: Jacquizz Rodgers (Fr. RB Oregon State) - He carried the ball 23 times for 168 yards and one touchdown as the Beavers won big against Washington State, 66-13.

SEC: Tim Tebow (Jr. QB Florida) - After a lack luster beginning to the season for last year's Heisman Trophy winner, Tebow has started to play like he did last year. After being called out by an LSU defensive lineman earlier in the week, Tebow showed up and completed 14 of 21 passes for 210 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also had 22 rushing yards and one touchdown on the ground.

Independents/ Non-BCS: Jason Cherry (Sr. WR Louisiana-Lafayette) - He had 3 catches for 123 yards and 3 touchdowns, 3 carries for 85 yards and 1 touchdown, and he returned a kickoff for a touchdown. The most impressive thing was he did all of this in the first half.

Tyrrell Herbert (Sr. Safety Toledo) - He had 2 interceptions, his first was returned 100 yards for a score after Michigan had made it into the red zone. Toledo pulled off what they are calling their greatest victory in Rocket history, a 13-10 win at the Big House.

Heisman Hopefuls for Week 7

The Big 12 continues to dominate the Heisman conversation. With the numbers the quarterbacks of this conference are putting up, you might as well just give the award away to the guy who leads his team to the Big 12 title.

This week's list is a little Big 12 heavy, to say the least.

(Last week's rankings in parentheses)

The Top 5

1. (1) Chase Daniel (Sr. QB Mizzou) - He's in the top 10 in the nation in passing yards, touchdowns, yards per attempt, and quarterback rating. He has the 2nd highest completion percentage and he has the best touchdown to interception ratio in the nation at 15:1. Daniel is leading the 2nd highest scoring offense in the nation.


2. (2) Sam Bradford (So. QB Oklahoma) - Another 372 yards and 2 scores through the air last week against Baylor keeps Bradford at No. 2. He has been cemented at this spot since his week 2 performance. He will have his chance to put up huge numbers this weekend in Oklahoma and Texas' annual rivalry game. Texas is 98th in the nation in pass defense giving up 244 yards per game. Texas is also tied for 110th with only 2 interception this year. Expect Bradford to go deep, a lot.

3. (NR) Colt McCoy (Jr. QB Texas) - McCoy is the NCAA leader in passing completion percentage at 79.2%. He has thrown 16 touchdowns this year to only 3 interceptions. Most impressively, McCoy is leading his team in rushing. He does everything for his team, and has shown great leadership through their first 5 games. The Longhorns will need everything they can get from their junior signal caller if they want to stand a chance against the Sooners.

4. (NR) Graham Harrell (Sr. QB Texas Tech) - The Big 12 theme continues. Last week, Harrell accounted for 7 of Tech's 8 touchdowns. He threw for 6 touchdown passes and 454 yards, and he ran for one score. He was my Big 12 "Top Performer" for the last week, and the Big 12's offensive Player of the Week. He is 2nd in the nation in passing yards and has 18 touchdown passes which ties him for fourth in the nation with Sam Bradford.

5. (4) Donald Brown (Jr. RB UConn) - Brown had 161 rushing yards and the only touchdown in UConn's first loss of the season at North Carolina. The score tied him for first in the nation with 12 touchdowns, and he is still leading the nation in rushing. He was the first player to break 1,000 yards this season and sits at 1,067 rushing yards so far.


On the Outside Looking In

Todd Reesing (Jr. QB Kansas) - Reesing's Jayhawks fell behind 20-0 in the first half against Iowa State. Reesing failed to throw a TD in the first half of a game all year, and it looked like he'd completely fall off the Heisman path and his team would be out of the top 25. Reesing led his team back in the second half throwing 3 touchdowns and Kansas won 35-33.

Max Hall (Jr. QB BYU) - Not a bad game for Hall last week, but not great. He did have 303 passing yards and 2 touchdowns, but he also threw 2 interceptions in BYU's 34-14 blowout of Utah State.

Dez Bryant (So. WR Oklahoma State) - Not including the Missouri State game (in which he barely played and just in the 1st quarter), Bryant has 3 touchdown catches in each of his last 3 games. That's 9 total which puts him in 2nd in the nation and 1st in the Big 12. He has 27 receptions for 550 yards. His 20.4 yards per catch is 2nd in the nation for players with at least 25 catches. He has the 2nd most receiving yards in the Big 12, 14 yards behind Texas Tech's Michael Crabtree (who has 11 more receptions).

Mark Sanchez (Jr. QB USC) - Sanchez followed up USC's first loss with a 332 yard 3 touchdown performance in the Trojans' 44-10 victory over then No. 23 Oregon. He now has 13 touchdowns to only 3 interceptions.

MiQuale Lewis (Jr. RB Ball State) - Lewis has the 4th most rushing yards in the nation and is tied for the most touchdowns in the nation, as well. Lewis and quarterback Nate Davis have quietly led undefeated Ball State into the AP top 25.

Big 12's Big Heisman match-ups

The Big 12 really gets started this weekend with 2 huge games and several Heisman hopefuls going up against each other. The biggest game is, of course No. 1 Oklahoma and No. 5 Texas and their Heisman candidate quarterbacks Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy.

The more interesting game, if you're looking for Heisman contenders, may be No. 3 Missouri vs No. 17 Oklahoma State. Mizzou boasts most people's Heisman front runner, Chase Daniel, and speedy wide receiver Jeremy Maclin.

Oklahoma State also has guys who should be getting some national attention, but who have been flying under the radar all season.

Dez Bryant has been the best wide out in the Big 12 so far this season. He has 550 yards on only 27 catches. He barely played in the Cowboys' 56-13 victory over Missouri State, so he has done this in basically 4 games. Oh, and he has 9 touchdown grabs, which is 2nd in the nation behind Rice's Jarrett Dillard.

Zac Robinson has the third highest quarterback rating in the nation, and is only .39 points behind Sam Bradford for second. He has thrown 10 touchdown passes and ran for 4 more. He is also the leader of the 3rd highest scoring offense in the nation at 52.6 points per game (Missouri is 2 with 53..4 points per game).