Week 4 College Football Roundup
posted in Andre Woodson, Matt Ryan, Colt Brennan, Brian Brohm, 2008 NFL Draft, College Football |
Matthew Stafford - Credit: Lynn Bass/Icon SMI
Following Week #4 of the College Football Season I resemble a prophet in regards to some of my opinions towards the college football landscape as a whole. As inspired as I am to watch the weekly tussles that take place in the SEC and as much enjoyment as I get from watching the top-tier teams in the Pac 10, I am completely uninspired yet again by the Big Ten. As stated following the Week 3 roundup, there is nothing to take from the Big Ten teams that even resemble a National Championship contender. The Nitney Lions lost on Saturday to the Michigan Wolverines starting a true freshman QB in Ryan Mallett, this statement in itself should explain where the Big Ten resides in the hierarchy of college football conferences. What was once the cream of the crop has now fallen to the basement. I would rather watch the Big 12, ACC, or Big East as a matter of fact. Not even the Wisconsin faithful can send in hate mail this week considering that they squeaked out a victory last Saturday 17-13 over un-ranked and undermanned Iowa. Hopefully the Big Ten does us all a favor and ensure us that all of the Big Ten teams lose at least once or they take their conference out of the running for consideration in the National Championship game, because otherwise, it would be a disgrace. Switching gears briefly, the other topic I wanted to discuss prior to getting to this week’s “Prospect Stock Market” is the official arrival of the next in the line of great college football quarterbacks, Matthew Stafford QB Georgia. It takes time for a young QB to assimilate the speed and skill level of college football, but throughout the great careers of the quarterbacks you remember in college football there are several games that stand out in your memory, and most importantly there is always that one game you can point to as the “arrival” of that QB. If you missed it, last Saturday the Georgia Bulldogs visited the Alabama Crimson Tide in their backyard, following all the momentum the Tide had following the previous week’s victory against Arkansas, and beat them in stunning fashion in overtime 26-23. To use a pun “the tide did in fact turn” as Stafford threw a perfectly thrown ball into the corner of the end zone to WR Mikey Henderson to complete the win. The rest of the SEC better be on alert, because the Matthew Stafford era at Georgia has OFFICIALLY begun, and this is just one of the many, many reasons why, for my money, the SEC is the best week in and week out college football action on the planet. Now, to this week’s “Prospect Stock Market”:
RISING:
Miami (FL) Hurricanes: After getting obliterated in the opening game of the season against Oklahoma, the Hurricanes have turned what could have been a horrendous season around and are now 3-1 and a legitimate threat to win the ACC.
Michigan Wolverines: The Wolverines were left for dead following their two losses to Appalachian State and Oregon to open up the season. Following RB Mike Hart’s comments following the Oregon loss the team has rallied for consecutive victories over Notre Dame and Penn State and it is not inconceivable that in the porous Big Ten the Wolverines still couldn’t make a run at the Big Ten crown and salvage their season. Stranger things have happened.
Matt Ryan QB Boston College: He just continues to impress, and the possibility of Ryan making a run at the Heisman trophy and a first round selection are very real indeed.
Hawaii Warriors: No Colt Brennan, no problem, without their star QB, they failed to skip a beat and continue to roll on. Could they be this year’s Boise State and crash the party that is the BCS? Stay tuned…
Kentucky Wildcats: With a Heisman Trophy candidate at QB in Andre Woodson the Kentucky Wildcats have turned the college football world upside down and they are legitimate contenders for the BCS bowl games at this point. Their talent was evident on Saturday night, but was most impressive to me anyway was that they displayed some moxie in taking down a very talented Arkansas team down on the road, and scoring three touchdowns in the 4th quarter only increased the impression left on the fans who watched the game. Their remaining schedule is vicious including three games in a three week stretch that includes: @South Carolina, then home games against top 5 teams LSU and Florida. This stretch will in most likelihood eliminate them from National Championship contention, but they will most assuredly be a team to keep your eye on during that stretch and for the remainder of the 2007 season.
The Heisman candidacy of Tim Tebow QB Florida: I understand the argument that sophomores very rarely win the Heisman trophy, but what Tebow is doing so far this season for the Gators does deserve some consideration. So far in 2007 Tebow leads the team in passing, obviously, but also leads the team in rushing. He has produced a combined 1454 yards and 17 touchdowns in just four games so far this season. Tim Tebow is the engine that makes the car that is the Florida Gators go. Do I think he will be able to run the football 20 times against LSU? No I think Glenn Dorsey and Co. will make mince meat of him before that happens, but what he has been able to do via the air and ground this year is impressive.
STATUS QUO:
The Major Powers: USC, LSU, Oklahoma, Florida, West Virginia, California, and Texas continue to roll own without a hiccup and any incidents that would cause concern. Status Quo remains the optimal term for these teams.
The Up-Starts: You have to be impressed by Oregon, Boston College, and Clemson respectively. They continue to win games in impressive fashion and won’t be too much longer before the ‘major powers’ notice as well and feel them on their heals.
FALLING:
Brian Brohm and the Louisville Cardinals: A week after watching their defense get portrayed as fraudulent on national television by the Kentucky Wildcats, they manhandled again by the Syracuse Orange who one reporter had dubbed earlier this season as “the worst team in college football”. Things just went from bad to worse. They lost 38-35, but they rallied for 3 touchdowns late to make the game look much closer than it actually was. They got thrashed plain and simple. The Heisman candidacy of Brian Brohm is over, the possibility of him going #1 overall in the 2008 NFL Draft has taken a serious body blow of which he may never be able to overcome.
The Big Ten Conference: I know I’m beating a dead horse here, but in case I didn’t make myself clear in the opener, none of these teams are ANY good.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish: Well Notre Dame fans…trust me…it can’t get any worse. A year or two from now when QB Jimmy Clausen is leading the Irish to winning seasons you will look back at the 2007 season as a necessary evil. Kind of like the Big Ten.
* If you get a chance this weekend football fans, please by all means do yourself a favor and check out the California Golden Bears face off with the Oregon Ducks. This game will prove to be one of the better college games all year long.
