The Lead Story of Week 14 (in 25 words of less): Top-ranked Missouri and No. 2 West Virginia lose, making way for an Ohio State vs. LSU National Championship game in New Orleans on Jan. 7.
Summa Cum Laude
Hawaii QB Colt Brennan – Down 21-0, Brennan rallied the Warriors to a 35-28, BCS-bowl-sealing victory over Washington, going 42-of-50 for 442 yards and five touchdown passes, two in the pivotal final quarter.
2. Oklahoma – The Sooners flexed their muscles in the Alamodome, proving too much for No. 1 Missouri for the second time this season. Oklahoma’s surge in the second half gave the program its fifth Big 12 title this decade, and a legitimate case in the national championship debate.
3. UCF RB Kevin Smith – A man among boys in the Conference USA title game, Smith tore through Tulsa for 284 yards and four scores on 39 carries, leading UCF to its first-ever league championship. He’s rushed for 2,448 yards, only 180 behind former Oklahoma State RB Barry Sanders’ single-season record.
4. Pitt RB LeSean McCoy – McCoy went from rookie to upperclassman Saturday night, softening the stout West Virginia run defense for 148 yards on 38 carries, sparking the Panthers to the biggest upset in the history of the Backyard Brawl..
5. Virginia Tech QB Sean Glennon – Sharing snaps with Tyrod Taylor and taking a backseat to Boston College’s Matt Ryan, Glennon outplayed everyone in the ACC Championship game, tossing three touchdown passes on 18-of-27 passes.
Summa Cum Lousy
The BCS – Both participants in this year’s championship game lost their next to last game of the season. Four two-loss programs have legitimate beefs to be playing in the season’s decisive game. The system remains broken. Is anyone listening?
2. West Virginia – With or without a healthy Pat White at quarterback, losing at home to 4-7 Pittsburgh with a national title berth at stake is inexcusable.
3. Cal – After finishing 1-6, capped by Saturday’s loss to Stanford, it’ll be years before the Bears get any love from the pollsters in the preseason. The program has frittered away that equity over the last two seasons.
4. Rutgers – Louisville had one foot in the offseason Thursday night before the Scarlet Knights pulled them back into contention. Rutgers blew a 38-24 lead over a Cardinal team with rigor mortis, losing 41-38 and dropping to 7-5. Keep flopping, er, chopping, Coach Schiano.
5. Tennessee QB Erik Ainge – More should be expected of a senior quarterback than what Ainge gave the Vols in the SEC Championship game, two key picks in the second half, including the game-winner into the chest of LSU CB Jonathan Zenon.
Offensive Coordinator of the Week: Kevin Wilson, Oklahoma. After getting shut out by Missouri in the first 15 minutes, the Sooners rolled for five touchdowns and 38 points over the final three quarters, getting their typical mix of the run and the pass. Mizzou has allowed at least 38 points twice this season, both times to units coached by Wilson.
Defensive Coordinator of the Week: Paul Rhoads, Pittsburgh. Forget just the week. Rhoads may have delivered the defensive coordinator performance of the year, holding West Virginia to one touchdown and only 183 total yards. The Panthers played ridiculously fast, neutralizing the Mountaineers’ speed and silencing a rabid crowd of 60,000 ‘eer heads.
The three best hours of the weekend: Pittsburgh at West Virginia. Talk about high drama and high stakes. The longer that the Panthers hung around in Morgantown Saturday, the more schools, such as Ohio State, LSU, Oklahoma, and Georgia, felt better about their national championship chances. In a season marked by upsets, this one will rival Stanford over USC as the most improbable of 2007.
The three most disappointing hours of the weekend: Oklahoma-Missouri. While not a horrible game, it didn’t match expectations, largely because the Sooners pulled away in the fourth quarter. All of the fireworks expected from the Tigers never materialized, QB Chase Daniel producing just a rushing touchdown, and WR Jeremy Maclin kept from taking the game over.
If BCS invites went out today, the recipients would be … Virginia Tech, Ohio State, LSU, Hawaii, Oklahoma, Kansas, Illinois, USC, West Virginia, and Georgia. Had Hawaii not rallied to beat Washington in the wee hours of Sunday morning, the last spot in the BCS would have been filled by either Arizona State or Boston College. Yup, even after losing to Virginia Tech in Jacksonville, the Eagles would have been eligible as an at-large selection.
If Heisman votes were cast today, the winner would be …Florida QB Tim Tebow. There will be plenty of support for Arkansas RB Darren McFadden, and Hawaii QB Colt Brennan really helped his cause, but Tebow still enjoys a lead over the field with a couple of days left before ballots must be submitted.
Who could have imagined … that Stanford would have beaten USC and Cal, two of the Pac-10 preseason favorites, in the same season? Yup, the Cardinal exited the league basement with Saturday’s Big Game upset, leaving Washington alone in last place at 2-7.
Start buying shares in …Louisville RB Bilal Powell. He’s only a true freshman, but where was this kid earlier in the year? A well-sized back with a nice burst in the open field, he sparked the Cards’ win over Rutgers with a 53-yard kick return and 91 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. Especially in the post-Brian Brohm era, Powell will have a bigger role in the offense in 2008.
Start dumping …West Virginia RB Steve Slaton. Something must be up with the one-time Mountaineer wunderkind, who was held to 11 yards on nine carries by Pittsburgh Saturday night, and has rushed for more than 100 yards in just two of the last eight games. Slaton’s patented 50-yard burst for the end zone has been missing for most of his junior year, raising doubts that he’ll be turning pro early.
Bucking for a promotion: Navy head coach Paul Johnson. Fresh off the Middies’ sixth straight win over Army, Johnson might have multiple opportunities if he decides to leave Annapolis. Wildly successful at Navy and Georgia Southern, his name has been mentioned as a possibility at numerous schools, including SMU and Georgia Tech.
Needing a vote of confidence : UCLA head coach Karl Dorrell. After Syracuse retained Greg Robinson, anything is possible, but it sure looks as if the Bruins’ 24-7 loss to USC may have been Dorrell’s last in Westwood. UCLA needs an infusion of energy within the program that’s been missing with Dorrell on the sidelines.
Can I be your agent …Ray Rice? In what may have been his final regular season game at Rutgers, the junior back ran for 120 yards and three scores in the loss to Louisville. A quick and durable runner in the Emmitt Smith mold, Rice will reach out to the NFL advisory committee before determining if he’ll forego his final year of eligibility.
Start designing the Fathead of …Oklahoma LB Curtis Lofton. Like he’s done all season, the Sooner junior dominated the Missouri offense in the Big 12 Championship game, collecting nine tackles, three tackles for loss, an interception, and a sack. In just his first year as a regular, he’s emerged as one of the Big 12’s premier defensive players.
The Danny Almonte He-Can’t-Be-As-Young-As-He-Says Award : BYU RB Harvey Unga. Built like a fullback with the versatility of a third-down back, Unga has been magnificent in his freshman season. In a microcosm for his rookie year, he ran for 161 yards and three touchdowns, adding three catches for 29 yards and a fourth score in the Cougs’ rout of San Diego State Saturday.
The Jerry Falwell Moral Victory Award: Oregon. Despite having to dig deep into the depth chart to find a healthy quarterback, the Ducks took red-hot Oregon State to two overtimes before losing. In fact, with better communication at the end of regulation, Oregon should have beaten the Beavers with a chip-shot field goal from Matt Evensen.
It’s time to give more pub to… Andre Ware. Yeah, yeah, he doesn’t play anymore, but he’s still doing a bang-up job in stadiums across the country. Ware is one of college football’s most unheralded announcers, delivering crisp and insightful analysis without all the unnecessary bells and whistles inherent to so many others doing his job. A true professional in the booth in every sense of the word, how does he not get bigger games and more exposure at the Worldwide Leader?
Message to … Howard Schnellenberger: Congratulations on getting Florida Atlantic to a Sun Belt Championship and a school-first bowl game with a program you started from scratch six years ago. At the age of 73, Schnellenberger has still got it, building a foundation for long-term success at a Sunshine State school for the second time in his brilliant coaching career.
This just in: None of the 119 FCS programs will finish the season winless. Florida International ended its 23-game winning on Saturday, beating North Texas for Mario Cristobal’s first win, becoming the last team of the year to notch a victory.
Random thought with no heading: Just how mediocre would the ACC be if it didn’t import Virginia Tech, Boston College, and Miami from the Big East a few years back? Better yet, how good would the Big East be had it proactively went after Louisville, Cincinnati, and South Florida, while holding on to the Hokies, Eagles, and Hurricanes?
Going wacky for John Mackey: Oklahoma TE Joe Jon Finley. No, Jermaine Greshman isn’t the only tight end in Norman. Finley led the Sooners with catches in the Big 12 Championship Game, scoring on a four-yard flip from Sam Bradford in the fourth quarter.
Non-BCS Player of the Week: Hawaii WR Jason Rivers. Colt Brennan’s favorite target in the Warriors comeback win over Washington, Rivers had 14 catches for 167 yards and four touchdowns, including the game-tying score in the final quarter.
Non-BCS Team of the Week: Florida Atlantic. A 15-point underdog to Sun Belt heavyweight Troy, the Owls delivered a program-defining, 38-32 upset of the Trojans to win the conference. Florida Atlantic got two touchdowns and 291 yards from QB Rusty Smith, and four sacks from DE Audric Adger to spark the under-the-radar upset of the last month of the season.
Stats Amore: Rutgers WR Kenny Britt caught 12 passes for 173 yards and two touchdowns in the loss to Louisville.
Florida Atlantic WR Cortez Gent had eight catches for 155 yards and a touchdown in the win over Troy.
Nevada QB Colin Kaepernick went 18-of-29 for 404 yards and three touchdowns in the rout of Louisiana Tech. The man behind, RB Luke Lippincott, rushed for 112 yards and four scores on 25 carries.
Oregon State LB Derrick Doggett had 18 tackles, a tackle for loss, and an interception return for a touchdown in the overtime win against Oregon.
Stanford LB Clinton Snyder had seven tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and a sack in the upset of Cal.
Arizona LB Spencer Larsen had 15 tackles, three tackles for loss, a fumble recovery, and two sacks in the loss to Arizona State.
Start clearing next week’s schedule for… the Heisman ceremony. The Worldwide Leader annually does a real nice job of blending the past with the present with its Heisman presentation. Plus, in a microcosm of the 2007 season, we’ve got intrigue and uncertainty right down to the wire in a very tight race.
E-mail Richard Cirminiello
