By
Pete Fiutak
Fire over your questions to me at
pete@collegefootballnews.com. I might not be able to answer them
all, but I promise they're all read. Any e-mails sent to this
address may be published or edited unless requested otherwise.
(Please put ASK CFN in the subject line, and PLEASE keep the
questions short ... it makes my life easier.)
After not doing an ASK
CFN for a few weeks, I thought I’d super-size the number of questions
and rapid firing through. I’ll save the research questions for January.
Now, it’s game on.
It's clear
that no defense will fear Sean Glennon as VT's QB for a second straight
season and like you said "Glennon is still Glennon" and didn't improve
in the off-season as advertised. So at what point in the season do you
think the coaches will play Tyrod Taylor? At what point would you play
Tyrod Taylor knowing that Glennon probably hit his ceiling as a QB?
– Phil
A: What, was it the interception on the opening play that freaked you
out? There is a ceiling on what Glennon can do, and it’s hard to tell if
the great receiver prospects of a few years ago are being held back, or
if they’re hurting the situation. Taylor might not be a player for the
future if Glenon doesn’t do something to loosen up defenses. While he
doesn’t have to bomb away for five touchdowns a game, he has to limit
his mistakes and at least threaten to push the ball deep. But as long as
Tech is in the ACC title chase, Glennon will likely be the man.
Am I the only one that believes ESPN has
too much influence regarding the polls and especially the Heisman? Why
does their ticker (at the bottom of the screen) only give us the stats
on the Heisman frontrunners? Surely there are other players that had
just as good, if not better stats, that the supposed frontrunners! Look
at last year, the Heisman race was painfully lethargic and I believe
Troy Smith only won because ESPN touted him all year long so the voters
simply went along. – Darrin P.
A: Right idea, wrong example. You can dog Smith after the fact all you
want, but he was the Player of the Year in college football before the
bowl games. Many SECers would argue for Darren McFadden, but it was
Smith’s season. The real ESPN problem was in its sickening overhype when
it came to USC in 2005. Vince Young should’ve been much closer to
winning the Heisman than he was, and that was because the media handed
it over to Bush midway through the year. I dog the boo-yas all the time,
but it’s sort of their job to pump up the stars. If top players come
through, you’ll know about them.
Just curious, but how does a player fall out of Heisman
consideration because his team loses? That seems to be a
part of your reasoning for some of the players for this year and
your reasoning of why Brennan would have won last year
post-bowls. So a player is dropped from consideration because
his defense gives up too many points and they lose? That's
ridiculous. But yet, Brennan is considered because he blows out
cupcakes every week? Makes sense, put up great numbers against
quality opponents and lose, forget about it. Play high school
teams and put up Playstation numbers, you're legit. Laughable
as always... – RL
A: Don’t honk at me; I didn’t make the rules. Yup, you can
be phenomenal, you can be the best player in college football,
and you can even be a future first pick in the draft, but if
your team doesn’t win, you’re probably not going to be in the
Heisman chase. It’s a beauty contest, and in my Heisman piece,
all I’m doing is reflecting the overall mood from the media
types I talk to.
At what point does it become a mistake for an opponent to taunt
Michigan with the now famous “Michigan Who” shirt that the App.
St. folks are floating around, as are some on ESPN. My take, is
that point is about now, and unless the talent level is way off
at Michigan, they are going to spend the season trying to take
this abuse out on everyone they play. Your take? – Rob
When, if ever, will Michigan fans be able to get past this?
- RR
A: Never. Michigan can win its next 11 games, beat Ohio State by
two touchdowns and thump USC in the Rose Bowl, and there will
still be a “yeah, but” next to this season. As I explained to
one of my friends who went to Ann Arbor, this is the albatross
around your program’s head forever. This isn’t losing a BCS game
to a good D-I team, this is a loss to a minor league squad, no
matter how you want to gloss it over. Now, if the Wolverines
come out and thump Oregon this week, things should be back on
track. But if it’s close, or heaven forbid, a fourth straight
loss under Lloyd Carr, it’ll be time to cash in the season and
realize the team was way, way overhyped.
Why is there not more attention on what happened with Bush and
USC? It seems to have just been dropped. Meanwhile programs like
OU self report and get horrible pub, and backhands by the NCCA.
Was just wondering what the deal was with things like that? Not
sure how it all works. – BS
A: USC is on double secret probation. Basically, they’re
probably fine until the toga party. For some reason, the NCAA
have the same attitude towards the Bush case and USC that San
Francisco Giant fans have taken towards Barry Bonds. The truth
is obvious, but they don’t seem interested in ruining the party.
You’re not sure how it all works? Join the club. You have as
good a handle as I or any other college football media type has
on how and why the NCAA selectively meters out punishments.
Yeah, if you’re an Oklahoma fan, you’re a little perplexed over
it all.
I noticed that in your 2007 preview you had the MWC as a
conference winning a total of 2 games against BCS competition
for the year. In the first weekend alone the MWC had 3 wins
against BCS competition (if you can call it that the way the
games were dominated by MWC schools). Is the MWC better than
you originally thought? – James
A: Yes, and no. We do the Preview predictions in late June, and
feelings and beliefs change by game time based on news, practice
reports, and other influences. We picked Wyoming to beat
Virginia last week, it was basically a coin flip on BYU vs.
Arizona, and everyone had TCU over Baylor. Utah losing Brian
Johnson was a big blow, and we’ll really see what the conference
is made of when TCU plays Texas and BYU gets UCLA. To answer
your question, yeah, the league is a little better than
originally thought.
With all the talk about the talent gap between USC and everyone
else, it makes me wonder. Did the experts like yourself see this
coming or realize how big it would become years ago when Pete
Carroll was getting started there? Has there ever been another
program so far above all the others and is there any sign of
them slowing down if Carroll stays? And do you have any teams on
your radar to potentially be the next USC? – SA
A: Actually, it was the opposite. The media, especially in
L.A., was lukewarm at best over Carroll’s hiring. He had the
reputation for being a college-type coach in the pros, but no
one was sure he’d really be able to make USC into a powerhouse.
Remember, it didn’t quite happen right away for the program. In
2001 under Carroll, USC went 6-6 and was stunned in a 10-6 loss
to Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl. Carson Palmer was seen as an
overrated disappointment, and no one saw what was about to
happen. As far as slowing the program down down, it’ll happen if
the NCAA ever finds anything to nail it with. If you ever see
major sanctions hit, Carroll will be back in the NFL. To be the
next USC, you need the recruiting base, the tradition, and not
be in the SEC. How about UCLA?
East Carolina - Virginia Tech... Which do you think it was:
outstanding play by the East Carolina defense or an
underrachieving performance by the VT offense? – EH
A: From everyone I’ve talked to, it was more of a case of
the enormity and the emotion of the moment working against the
Hokies. Everything seemed to hit the team at once, and there was
a collective “Oh crap” when the pressure of the situation
actually sunk in. The LSU game likely won’t be a proper
indication, but give the team a few weeks and it’ll play like
you originally expected.
What happens if App State goes undefeated and Michigan wins 9
games? I know they’re not going to the BCS…but could they go to
a bowl? Would they have to choose b/t that and the playoffs?
Are there restrictions against non D-1A teams in bowls and did
that go away with the FCS? – CJH
A: Why would they go play in the International Bowl when
they could go into a playoff and try for a third straight
national title? No, they’re in the FCS playoff format.
I know the App. State game really underscores it, but do you
think it makes sense that teams are punished in the BCS system
for scheduling 1-AA opponents (I'm not even bothering with the
new classification)? I understand the idea, trying to get teams
to schedule tougher non-conference games. The thing is though,
the top-flight 1-AA schools are better than probably 25% of the
D-1 schools out there. Does it really make sense to be punished
for schedule App. State or Montana, and not for scheduling
Buffalo or FIU? – BA
A: Yes, teams should always be punished and punished very,
very hard for taking on FCS teams. Of course the best of the FCS
could beat several FBS teams, but that’s not the point. Programs
like UL Monroe, Buffalo, and Utah State might be cupcakes for
the top programs, but they want the big games for the exposure,
even if it’s not always great, and the money. The ASU win over
Michigan was an all-timer of an aberration, and it’ll
unfortunately justify the scheduling of FCS teams for years to
come.
My two teams went in opposite directions last week. Do you think
the Washington Huskies are good enough to finish in the top five
of the Pac-10? Question Two: Is Notre Dame really that bad? I
think ND will improve with each game. – BF
A: Washington is the tough team to read. If it beats Boise State
and plays well against Ohio State, then yeah, it’ll be
dangerous. Jake Locker appears to the real deal, while the
running game should pave the way to several good conference
wins. The program has been close, and now it appears ready to
finally, finally get over the hump. And yes, Notre Dame is that
bad. Sure it’ll improve from game to game, but it might get
thumped along the way. It had better show a sign of life against
Penn State this weekend or things will be worse before they get
better.
Hi, I am a Georgia fan and was at the game this weekend and
didn't get to see any other games. I was wondering why no one
has commented on #4 Texas and the reason they won by only 8
points against Arkansas State. Should this have been a
blowout? I cannot see why Texas shouldn't have put up 50
against a relative no name team. Is this team all hype or was
it just lack of concentration. I believe you take any other
ranked team and only beat Ark State by 8 and they will get
drilled on ranking. Am I way off here? – Mike
A: It wasn’t pretty, and it should’ve been a blowout. The
Texas O line was mediocre, the linebacking corps struggled, and
the team hardly looked ready to be considered a serious national
title contender. That can all change with an impressive
performance against TCU this weekend. It was week one; some
teams need a while to get the rest off.
I really find the Big East's week one Heisman advertisements to
be in poor taste. If you're so pathetic that you need to beg
for votes just do it. Don't insult our intelligence by putting
forward some half ass "congratulations" video as an attempt at
veiling your true intentions. All four candidates are probably
good enough to win it without the propaganda, so wouldn't the
airtime be better suited for promotion of Big East academics?
Aren't these guys supposed to be students first and athletes
second? - Appalachian State Fan
A: You really want to sit through thirty seconds on
the spiffy Louisville computer science lab or how West Virginia
has a decent animal husbandry department? My issue with Ray
Rice, Brian Brohm, Steve Slaton and Pat White in the ad that
congratulates them for being in the Heisman race is that they
actually touch the trophy. It should be like the unwritten rule
for hockey players that you can’t touch the Stanley Cup unless
you win it. Where you’re wrong is on the propaganda side of
things. There can never be too much when it comes to this beauty
contest.
Darren McFadden and Adrian Peterson seem like very similar backs
to me. Both are about 6-2, 215 and have a freakish combination
of power and speed. Which do you think is the better back? –
EP
A: Peterson, but it’s close. Don’t get me wrong, I love
McFadden, but Peterson is an all-timer of a warrior. McFadden
gets caught from behind by Wisconsin’s Jack Ikegwuonu in the
Capital One Bowl and all of a sudden it was because of his
hamstring. I know Peterson can handle 35 carries at any time.
McFadden can carry a workload, but not like Peterson. They’re
both elite backs who can carry an NFL franchise, but McFadden is
probably the better long-term pro prospect only because he’ll
have a better shelf life. Backs who take the hits Peterson seeks
out are only effective for so long.
The USC win against Idaho was boring on both sides of the ball.
The level of play doesn't seem high enough to beat Nebraska in a
few weeks from now. I had a thought that perhaps Pete Carroll
didn't want to show much of the playbook since that game could
be won on athleticism alone. Am I being a homer by thinking
that? – CW
A: As I’ve written before, I’ll be really, really curious to
see what USC does over the next several weeks, because I’m
starting to think Nebraska has a shot at pulling off the upset.
Against Idaho, the team didn’t seem to have the “it” factor,
however you want to define it. It went through the motions, but
this didn’t appear to be the same team it’s been in the past.
Certainly the talent is there, and it’ll certainly have its
share of blowouts, but we’ll know a lot more after it goes to
Lincoln. The great Carroll teams defined themselves with
tremendous road wins over big-name teams. This one will have its
shot.
In my football withdrawal frenzy thursday night, I made a mad
dash to tivo and watch every game that was televised. I saw 2
backs that blew me away that I never really had paid much
attention to; Oregon State’s Yvenson Bernard and UL Monroe’s
Calvin Dawson. Can you give me 3 backs that are flying under
the radar that I should make sure to tivo and check out? An
"all-tivo" backfield so-to-speak? – Brad LA
A: I’m only going with the non-BCSers here to stay under the
radar, but you should also make sure you see Georgia Tech’s
Tashard Choice and Minnesota’s Amir Pinnix. 1) Southern Miss’
Damion Fletcher, 2) Ohio’s Kalvin McRae, 3) Houston’s Anthony
Alridge
I know this would never happen, but if a Sun Belt team were to
go undefeated, considering how brutal most of their OOC schedules
are (Troy, for example, has at Arkansas, at Florida, at Georgia,
plus a visit from Oklahoma State), what chance would they have
at a BCS bid? – BJ
A: I’ll do you one better. After the way Middle Tennessee played
against Louisville, and the way Florida Atlantic beat the Blue
Raiders in the opener, I’d have no problems with Howard
Schnellenberger’s club playing for the national title if it goes
unbeaten with wins at Oklahoma State, Minnesota, at Kentucky,
South Florida, and at Florida.