CFR week eleven Heisman rankings

Things are starting to get fairly tight between Reggie Bush and Vince Young.

N-Y-C 

1. Reggie Bush, USC-There are some institutional reasons for believing so (Tailback-U, anyone?).  Bush had an average game against California, rushing for 82 yards.  California really had a nice gameplan to shadow him inside and out.  Still has two big games remaining against ranked foes Fresno State and UCLA to spruce up the Heisman resume.
2. Vince Young, Texas-Another fine afternoon against roadkill Kansas.  Threw four touchdown passes and the Texas offense had 52 points at the half.  It's kind of annoying, however, when a quarterback can play "500" out there and not only complete his pass, but have it go for touchdown---twice!
3. Matt Leinart, USC-Two rushing touchdowns sealed California's fate on an otherwise challenging afternoon where the Bears defense kept a lot of the Trojans' offensive weapons in check.
4. Brady Quinn, Notre Dame-Smashed Navy, throwing another four touchdowns on 71% completions.  Fantastic season.

The Heisman is coming, the Heisman is coming

It's almost here.

As of Thursday we will be within 30 days of the Heisman Trophy ceremony, to be broadcast on ESPN on Saturday December 10, 2005.

With that, I'd like to let you know I've started the Heisman countdown on here with a little page not unlike CFR's preseason countdown.

You can locate it by clicking on "Heisman Countdown" on the menu at left under the Heisman Trophy category, or clicking on the link below:

• 2005 Heisman Countdown

Also, I have updated my Heisman watch pages for the three main candidates, Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart and Vince Young.  They can also be found under the Heisman Trophy category on the menu at left, and include brief statistics and information on their season performances for your perusal.  Or if you're feeling lazy, the links are below.  I will try and add some more story links to the candidate pages sometime this week.

• Reggie Bush Heisman Page
• Matt Leinart Heisman Page
• Vince Young Heisman Page 

The mechanics of winning a Heisman

Say what you want about either lead candidate, this certainly doesn't help Vince Young: ABC coverage map

The two teams' games are being played at the same time, and Young's mostly cornered in a region he'll clean up anyway.  He does touch some of the border south and midwest voting regions, but is mostly locked into the southwest.

Meanwhile, Bush ranges all through the western region, through much of the midwest, and into almost the entirety of the northeast.  Huge.

Plus, the energy around USC's final schedule is a little more significant, they have rivalry games against California, with all the storyline that goes with that, a game against self proclaimed world beaters Fresno State after that, then on championship weekend, a game against Rival UCLA that isn't as big as it was but remains a prominent CFB rivalry that people throughout the country will want to watch.  Meanwhile, Young has the equivalent of games against the JV squad, with Kansas, Texas A&M and the Big Twelve Championship against a Colorado team they've already crushed.

I know HP says that at this time Heisman voters are not paying attention, but however true that is, Reggie Bush is certain to gain some advantage thanks to the scheduling Gods.  I think a similar phenomena worked against Adrian Peterson last year, as he played a few meaningless final games last year against Baylor and Colorado while Matt Leinart finished up against Notre Dame and UCLA.

Keep in mind much of the final outcome boils down to how candidates perform with voters outside their own regions. 

CFR week ten Heisman rankings

Well, the top three candidates are all playing really well, ripping through the middle of their schedules.  All they have to do is survive and our final field is set.

One thing we'll have to start pondering is whether or not the old guard Heisman voters will award a Texas quarterback the Heisman trophy.  Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart don't face the same challenge as Vince Young with the voters, because both of their positions are established at their schools.  Texas has always been a Heisman school for backs, much as USC was before Carson Palmer gave way to Matt Leinart.  James Street, the quarterback during the Horns' 1969 title season, didn't even finish in the top 10 of Heisman voting that year.  Times change, but Heisman voters don't necessarily react as swiftly.

One thing in Young's favor is the award's favoring of quarterbacks recently.  Signal-callers have accounted for the last five Heisman trophies, with Texas' Ricky Williams the second to most recent back to win the award.

That said, I hunch there might be some magic to awarding a fifth running back Heisman to USC, linking the "tailback-u" tradition from the 60's and 70's to the modern powerhouse program. 

N-Y-C 

1. Reggie Bush, USC-Getting limited touches as USC blows through opponents early the last few weeks.  Had a stunning 42-yard touchdown run and went 12/113/9.4/1 and is averaging 8.3 YPC on the year at over 1,000 yards.  Not bad for sharing the ball with LenDale White and getting limited touches of late.
2. Vince Young, Texas-Played decoy early as teammates got scores while opponents watched Young.  Threw for almost 300 yards, piloted a fine 62-0 victory over Baylor.
3. Matt Leinart, USC-Don't look now, but Leinart's on fire.  Went 22/28 (.786) for 259 yards and 4 touchdowns in just over a half of work.
4. Brady Quinn, Notre Dame-Steady performance boosted by great receiver efforts in win over Tennessee.  Finished 20/33 for 295 (.606) and 3 touchdowns.

Parting Gifts

• Maurice Drew, UCLA
• Marcus Vick, Virginia Tech
• Laurence Maroney, Minnesota
• DeAngelo Williams, Memphis
• Drew Olson, UCLA
• Brian Calhoun, Wisconsin
• Michael Robinson, Penn State
• D.J. Shockley, Georgia 

Is it week ten already?

This season's just flying by, sadly.

So far it's been pretty darn fun, though.  The top three teams have not changed much, but it's fascinating to witness all the other teams go through all their ups and downs.  This weekend should be amongst the best this year with several conference races coming into play.

We're now just a few weeks away from the Heisman ceremony as well.  It should be a tight and dramatic finish between Reggie Bush, Vince Young, and possible Matt Leinart. 

CFR week nine Heisman rankings

Things are kind of boring in Heisman-land right now.

N-Y-C 

1. Reggie Bush, USC-Quiet weekend, but a little more impressive body of work right now than Vince Young, who went absolutely nuts after a sluggish start.
2. Vince Young, Texas-Unfortunately had a great game during a quiet time against a diminuitive opponent.  That kind of game, against Ohio State, would have won him the award in September.
3. Matt Leinart, USC-Put together a string of nice games, looking like last year's Heisman winner.
4. Brady Quinn, Notre Dame-Team could be in the top five by the end of the year.

WannaBeNYC

• Maurice Drew, UCLA-Important factor in the impressive late comeback against Stanford.  Among top players in nation in all purpose yards and scoring.
• Marcus Vick, Virginia Tech-Piloting gritty team through start of rough final slate.

Honorable Mentions

• Laurence Maroney, Minnesota-No longer leading the nation in running, and team is in free fall mode.  Outstanding early run though.
• DeAngelo Williams, Memphis-Leading rusher in America against opponents doing their best to stop him.
• Drew Olson, UCLA-Team is undefeated, has great numbers, and is captain comeback of late.
• Brian Calhoun, Wisconsin-When you can have airport discussions with strangers about a back, he's having a good season.  Scores a lot, and starting to string together some impressive run/catch games.
• D.J. Shockley, Georgia-Injury killed his season and team's dream season.  Will return, but the damage is done.
• Michael Robinson, Penn State-Why not?  Not a very good QB, but is The Man for a team that's beaten some good opponents and should play in a nice bowl.

Weigh in, have I missed anyone on the HM list?

CFR week eight Heisman rankings

Not much going on here, except that the picture just keeps getting clearer and clearer about finalists and the eventual winner.  My list here is a combination of how I'd choose the candidates, and what I perceive to be the reality.  There's no real formula here, it's just a list.

N-Y-C

1. Reggie Bush, USC-Has a good lead right now.  Had a fine punt return touchdown against Washington, which is the icing on the cake for his candidacy.  Plus, in coverage all over the country this week, announcers were comparing other game situations to the "Bush Push"---you can't put a dollar (or vote) amount of the positive name recognition value associated with Bush's role in that play.  It just further burns his name and image in the minds of media members and the Heisman voters.
2. Vince Young, Texas-By a narrow margin, here.  Threw two early picks but otherwise excelled against Texas Tech.  Is credited with being the identity of this Texas team, one that is getting talk as the #1 team in the land and overcoming its past demons.
3. Matt Leinart, USC-Rebounded quite nicely with four touchdown passes against Washington.  Had another typical effortless performance before giving way to backup John David Booty.
4. Brady Quinn, Notre Dame-There's a bit of a gap here between Brady and the other three, but if he keeps improving upon his previous weeks' numbers, who knows.  Set a Notre Dame record with six touchdown passes against Bringham Young and will soon eclipse every Notre Dame single-season and career passing numbers.  Of late, USC player have had tremendous boosts from playing Notre Dame.  This time, the benefit is mutual, as Quinn is getting a lot of Heisman attention since the game.

WannaBeNYC

• Maurice Drew, UCLA-I think he deserves to be in New York City.  He has scored five touchdowns in a game for a second consecutive season, and although his rushing numbers aren't great, he's absolutely propelled the UCLA offense.  Will be seen as responsible for a 9 or 10 win team's success.
• Marcus Vick, Virginia Tech-Finally took advantage of the family wheels, although it's pretty clear he's more comfortable being a quarterback.  Its not likely he can put up the numbers to be anything more than a "best of the rest" type candidate.  There's also the perception that VT has a tough schedule up ahead, one that they won't survive.
• Laurence Maroney, Minnesota-Kind of a quiet weekend in a wild game.  His backup's getting more and more carries of late, and excelling.  Because Bush and Drew are considered athletes, will hang around as the tried-and-true durable, yardage back in the race.

See Ya

• D.J. Shockley, Georgia-It's not fair to get injured like that, but his candidacy was slipping anyway.  Missing any kind of game action is a death sentence for Heisman candidacies, particularly when you won't be able to suit up against rival Florida in a highly anticipated game.
• Drew Stanton-His team collapsed, and thus, so has his candidacy.  He was having a fine season, too. 

Tuberville Watch V

Yes!

I was waiting all seaon for him to return to form, and it appears he's back.

Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville, at a "Quarterback Club" meeting this week railed against the BCS and ESPN.  He kind of gets it right, but in the end, doesn't, in typical Tuberville provincialism and paranoia.

"It's done," Tuberville said. "The national media, led by ESPN, wants to see Vince Young vs. Matt Leinart in the championship game. It's going to be those two teams unless Texas or USC get upset.

"Last year, they wanted to see the two Heisman Trophy quarterbacks, Jason White and Leinart. After six or seven games, we were out of it.

"If four teams are undefeated at the end of the season, there should be a playoff. There should've been one last year. But it's decided already. I don't like it."

"ESPN has gotten so much power lately, it's kinda scary," Tuberville said. "And most of their analysts are coaches who haven't won any games. That's why they're there. I think you know who I'm talking about.

"And Lou Holtz gets on there and talks about what a team has to do win that game, and the guy couldn't beat anybody in our conference. These guys will come talk to you and look you straight in the eye and tell you something, then they'll get on the air and say something else.

"ESPN, I'll tell you, I don't have much to do with them anymore."

 Is the BCS unfair?  Sure.  Texas is #1 this week, what does that tell you?  But so what.  The sooner it's dismissed by the coaches, the sooner it becomes irrelevant.  Look at how USC handled the situation in 2003.  They were #1 in both polls and still got left out of the championship game.  They knew they were still #1 and went on to play in the Rose Bowl, didn't suffer a letdown, won the game and claimed a share of the championship.  They moved on and nobody challenges their claim to a title.

As usual it comes off as misguided sour grapes from Tubby.  His team was never #1 in the polls, not just the media poll, but the coaches poll.  His fellow coaches didn't think his team was worthy, so when he says the media wanted USC/Oklahoma, well then why did the coaches for the most part go with Oklahoma?  I guess his argument is that ESPN had enough influence to brainwash the coaches, or at least make it impossible to publicly switch from Auburn to Oklahoma.  That's conjecture, and he's out there in booster meetings taking it as fact that his assertions are true.

Now, I'm not a huge fan of ESPN and I do think 1)they exercise undue influence over the game and 2)appear to try to influence outcomes (think their ridiculous campaign for Larry Fitzgerald for Heisman), but to deal with their sins in such abstraction makes one look absolutely paranoid and feeble.

Lastly, I don't get the jab at Holtz.  In fact, Holtz did win games in the SEC, taking on a job at the second worst job in the entire conference and taking them out of a 20-year run in the dregs.  The guy can coach.  And he beat SEC teams when he was the coach at Notre Dame.  The guy won a national championship and was hired for NFL jobs.  Can Tuberville make the same claims?  He's never strayed far from the SEC (other than as an intermediate assistant at Miami and DC at Texas A&M), and could probably use some of the exposure to less dusty football thought.  Its kind of worrisome that he actually pays attention to the shows and talking heads to begin with.

There are only so many hours in the week, and for a coach to be so worried about things beyond his control reflects that perhaps he's not applying himself in his job as much as necessary.  Perhaps that's why Auburn has lost to the two decent teams they've played this year and probably should have beaten?  Baby steps, Tommy, baby steps.  Get to the top and then start the command-on-high routine. 

Weekend review

Virginia Tech 28, Maryland 9

As expected, Virginia Tech got out of the gate slow and weathered Maryland's early advances.  Marcus Vick had an off night throwing the ball, but the Tech offense showed its resilience, getting just enough on the ground, particularly on third down.  Vick also had a few long runs to break Maryland's back.  There are fast defenses (Florida State), and then there are fast defenses who can dictate the flow of game to their opponent.  VT is definitely in the latter category.

Georgia 23, Arkansas 20

It didn't look like the Dawgs were in any danger of losing to Arkansas, but they certainly never gave the impression that they had complete control of this game.  Obviously, quarterback D.J. Shockley's injury had a lot to do with this.  I thought the play of backup quarterback Joe Tereshinski was admirable, but his coaches had to lighten the playbook while he was in there and cut short any chance of putting the game out of reach.  Arkansas' frosh backs (Darren McFadden, Felix Jones) are outstanding, and had the first real good rushing game of any UGA opponent this year, combining for over 200 yards on the day at over six yards a carry.  Georgia's backs had an average day, and show how vulnerable the offense is when the quarterback either goes down or has an off day.  Its also a reflection of their lack of gamebreaking skill.  I remember reading something in the preseason saying that Georgia had the depest backfield of anyone in college football.  That's great, but on any given play, there's only one guy carrying the ball, and they have a bunch of "guys" but nobody great to really deliver a string of dominating performances.

North Carolina 7, Virginia 5

Called it, but boy was it ugly.  This is typical of the worst that can happen when teams play not to lose.  I know UNC got the win, but they won't feel very good about themselves tomorrow, a week from now or a month from now.

Northwestern 49, Michigan State 14

There are several things to take from this game.  One, Michigan State has given up.  Their implosion last week marked the end of their season, and this game is some of the fallout from that performance.  From this point onward they will underachieve, miserably finishing out their season.  I hunch MSU's string of big games against Notre Dame, Michigan and Ohio State was a bit much for their players, something my Mom would call overstimulation.

The concept goes like this: sometimes when I'm out at an amusement park or the movies or a restaurant, young children will be acting up, throwing fits for whatever reason.  In theory, they've been exposed to a lot of exciting and pleasant things and the emotional swing is a bit hard to handle when they return to some normal activity.  It's not too dissimilar to when after a vacation people sometimes become lifeless zombies, fairly disinterested in their surroundings.  For MSU, this may have been the case, particularly because they may not be as emotionally prepared or conditioned for as many big games the way players at other more successful programs are.  The buildup and in-game excitement and stress may have been just too much for the Spartans, and their play afterwards will reflect their emotional "comedown" or letdown.

But let's not forget Northwestern's role here.  The Wildcats are putting together a nice season, and have had success picking off other midlevel Big Ten foes.  The offense has continually paved their path to success, and the defense comes around once in a while to pitch in a fine performance.  For all the preseason sky-is-falling talk about the Wildcats after several prominent injuries and the transfer of their best defender, its obviously not the talent propelling this team to its wins---its their offensive scheme.  Like we've said all along, scheme matters, there's simply no other explanation for certain teams' success given their severe lack of talent and depth relative to conquered foes.

Michigan 23, Iowa 20

Iowa had control of this game, then got rattled after a late Steve Breaston catch-and-run touchdown.  Michigan took advantage of the opportunity and pushed the game to overtime and won.  It's fun to play spoiler sometimes.  The better coach lost, but the game swing reflects his team's fragility.

Ohio State 41, Indiana 10

Up, down, up, down, way up...  The Buckeyes are crushing lesser foes right now.  Too bad they're fragile as glass.  At least the rest of the Big Ten has the same horrible illness, meaning they're still in the hunt.

Notre Dame 49, BYU 23

The Irish are the most confident team in America right now.  Pretty impressive considering the heartbreaking loss to USC last weekend.  Brady Quinn threw six touchdowns, a new Notre Dame record...eclipsing his old mark of five.  Imagine if the Irish offense had a dynamic back instead of the handful of pluggers currently sitting back there?  Next year they'll average over 40 a game.

Wake Forest 27, N.C. State 19

The Pack's season is comical at this point.  They judiciously subbed ineffective quarterbacks this game, had interceptions returned for touchdowns and got sacked out of field goal range on a series.

Florida State 55, Duke 24

Beat up on the Dukies, but not before making things a little more confusing for themselves.  I think they hit something like 14 different receivers in this game, and frosh back Antone Smith finally showed some life, nevermind that they have wasted Lorenzo Booker's time.  Smith should be pretty good, though.  Hopefully they don't bother to recruit someone to share the backfield with him and cut short his potential, too.

Alabama 6, Tennessee 3

Someone had to win, right?

Texas 52, Texas Tech 17

Tech just ain't ready.  The 'Horns are absolutely cruising right now, and survived two early Vince Young interceptions.  Apparently their fans are loving the attention and want the country to kiss their Darrell Royal behind, judging by all the irate comments on here and anywhere else that challenge their supremacy as greatest thing to happen to football.  Thing is, they've already built a monument to themselves (take a look at the facilities), so why should anyone else have to worship at the altar of their Golden Calf, Bevo?

USC 51, Washington 24

Twelve plays, five touchdowns for USC.  Reggie Bush had a stunning punt return touchdown and Dwayne Jarrett's final of his three TD catches was of the one-handed, back of end zone, one foot in variety.  The defense is starting to come around, and despite losing victimized starting corner John Walker, they may have found gifted replacements in safety Josh Pinkard and freshman corner Kevin Thomas.  The recruiting benefits are showing up again, as frosh linebacker Brian Cushing finally recovered from injury, blocked a punt in his first significant playing time of the season.  Freshman Patrick Turner also had a touchdown grab.

Wisconsin 31, Purdue 20

Hangin' around...

Stanford 45, Arizona State 35

It wasn't really this close.  For an explanation of ASU's collapse, see Michigan State above.

Army 20, Akron 0

Another shutout for #1 Army.  Oh wait, this isn't the 1940's.  Props for the shutout, though.

Oklahoma 37, Baylor 30 (OT)

How the mighty have fallen.  All the small Texas schools are taking it out on the Sooners this year.

Penn State 63, Illinois 10

This was definitely a "get well" game.  When Penn State's putrid offense puts up 56 against you in one half, you have major problems.

UCLA 51, Oregon State 28

This was a game for about a quarter, then UCLA went nuts.  OSU's Mike Haas might just be the best pure receiver in the game.  Maurice Drew is playing like he badly wants a trip to New York City for the Heisman ceremony.  HP says the cutoff right now is at four, with Reggie Bush, Vince Young, Matt Leinart and Brady Quinn.  Got room for one more?  Not to be outdone, UCLA quarterback Drew Olsen also threw six touchdown passes (a UCLA record).

Oregon 28, Arizona 21

Much like UGA, the Oregon Ducks had their stellar starting quarterback knocked out of the game.  Unlike UGA, their less stellar backup was knocked out a series later!  You want to know the name of their third stringer?  Brady Leaf.  Yes, he's related to you-know-who.  Yikes.  The Ducks survived this scare, though.

LSU 20, Auburn 17 (OT)

Someone had to win, right?  One measure of the offensive acumen of a coaching staff is how well they utilize once in a decade (for the program) type athletes.  LSU has one in Skyler Green, a fairly good comparison to Reggie Bush, athletically.  So far, he's been a very good returnman in his career, and has a few notable touchdown catches as a receiver, but has done little else.  Injuries have something to do with that, but its also apparent their coaches are in no hurry to put him in a position to destroy opponents 15-20 times a game.  Wouldn't they rather the score be LSU 35, Auburn 17?  Put a guy like that in a position to do something more often, and they could easily have that kind of outcome.

UTEP 31, Marshall 3

It's Wazzou South, in El Paso.

California 42, Washington State 38

A fine back-and-forth performance that forced me to stay up way late to claim witness.  Both teams were fairly opportunistic, particularly Cal.  The Bears returned an interception for a touchdown, had a nifty no-room touchdown pass to their fullback, and a late long pass touchdown on a busted coverage.  Three backs ran for over 100 yards, and a Cal freshman receiver I haven't even heard of had a huge touchdown and over 100 receiving yards. 

CFR week seven Heisman rankings

After several weeks without much of a change, I think its safe to say we have a strong leader.

N-Y-C 

1. Reggie Bush, USC-Ran for three breathtaking touchdowns against Notre Dame, on overgrown grass, and contributed three critical plays on USC's game winning drive.  Its performances like Saturday's that make Bush so special.
2. Vince Young, Texas-Five total touchdowns and another easy win against Colorado.  Problem is, nobody was watching.
3. Matt Leinart, USC-Subpar game against Notre Dame, but had two amazing plays when it mattered most, audibling into a 61-yard pass to Dwayne Jarrett on 4th-and-9 on the final drive, and his awkward standing-up sneak into the end zone for the winning touchdown.
4. Brady Quinn, Notre Dame-As a quarterback, he had a very average performance, but as a team leader he was incredible.  His patience and playmaking kept Notre Dame's offense afloat enough to keep the ball away from USC for nearly 40 minutes.

Passing the Heisman torch to Bush 

WannaBeNYC

• Laurence Maroney, Minnesota-Ran for well over 200 yards in a nail-biter against Wisconsin, including a memorable 93-yard touchdown romp.
• Maurice Drew, UCLA-Powered a UCLA comeback against Washington State, scoring the game winner.

Outside Looking In

• D.J. Shockley, Georgia
• Marcus Vick, Virginia Tech
• Brodie Croyle, Alabama
• Drew Stanton, Michigan State 

The "Bush Push"

Some fans and pundits are taking exception to Reggie Bush's "push" of Matt Leinart on the winning touchdown run in the end of the USC/Notre Dame tilt.

Did Reggie Bush push his quarterback?  Yes.  It's visible on replays, and in the papers Bush readily admitted to it.

But so what?  For starters, the push isn't what helped Leinart score.  I've watched the replay a million times now and what got Leinart in was when he had that awkward roll on his back and slid towards the sideline, the whole time keeping his feet moving (I guess those ballroom dancing classes helped?).  Bush did no more than push Leinart into the pile where he was initially stopped.  Once Bush fell out of contact is when Leinart rolled and scored.

Besides that, the rule is never called.  Im my lifetime I have yet to see that call made.  And in the name of equity, Notre Dame was guilty of no less than three similar penalties on Brady Quinn's crucial third down quarterback sneaks throughout the game.  A general rule of officiating is to uniformly apply one's calls to all game situations.  Think about baseball, and how umpires work.  The players and fans don't mind so much whatever strike zone an umpire decides to call, so much as he remains consistent so everyone knows the boundaries.

If during that final play officials had called the push (for the first time in what, 30 years?), it would have been a break from how they had called the game.  Notre Dame was no less guilty of similar offenses at several spots in the same game, without any hint of a flag going against them.  So why call it there, on the game's final play?

Lastly, I'm a spirit of the law type guy.  I hunch the reason the rule was first put in the books was to discourage teams from attempting rugby-style scrums, which are not really how American football is played and can also cause a lot of injury.  What Bush did, at best, was give a quick assist to a guy colliding with a goal line pileup.  By the letter of the rule, he was wrong, but not in its spirit.

Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis actually called it a heads-up play, and hoped his players would do the same. 

Move on.

Video from the USC/ND game

From super blogger Brendan Loy: the link

CRAZY, shot straight from the ND student section (far away from the action, but you can absolutely feel the electricity in the place).

The clips show Matt Leinart's dive and fumble where ND fans didn't know the ball had been knocked out of bounds, and then the second one shows the TD dive and stunned crowd reaction (and background noise of Brendan and Co. going nuts). 

USC 34, Notre Dame 31

I'll talk about Reggie Bush soon, but for now I think this will do:

 

The USC offense

HP had a good write-up about what USC has done so far this season on offense ("the best offense ever").

Here's another good piece from USA Today, looking back at the defensive coordinators who have faced USC this year and their reactions.  Quite interesting, and paints a devastating picture about just how much USC can do on offense.  That's one of the things I like to look for on an offense---balance running, passing, using the entire field, ability to run and pass at will, in any formation, changing tendency, but also having some bread-and-butter stuff to fall back on.

And if that's not enough, USC is just so well conditioned and has such a veteran quarterback that last line of defense of theirs tends to make the difference if opponents can get beyond all the scheme and big names.

The Trojans aren't perfect, but they do so many things well its really hard to box them in over 60 minutes.  It's been fun to watch so far.

Back from the ashes

Rare is the CFN link on here of late.  A steady month of good work from Matt Zemek may have softened me enough to excitedly link this gem about the USC/ND game this weekend, the rivalry in general, the sport of college football, and ohhhhh the mystique I love so much.

Great read.

More Heisman stuff

• Grrr

I'm still quite miffed about HeismanProjection being shut down.  Hopefully Kari changes his mind, or maybe someone else can pick up where he left off, without infringing any of the Heisman Trust's rights?  Are there and first ammendment/media law type lawyers out there who have any insight on this?  Feel free to comment in the CFR Heisman discussion forum or send me an email.

• Touchdown Jesus, Heisman Maker

USC vs. Notre Dame-

Carson Palmer, 2002: 32/46 (.696) 425 yards, 4 TD/2 INT

Matt Leinart, 2003: 26/34 (.765) 351 yards, 4 TD/0 INT

Matt Leinart, 2004: 24/34 (.705) 400 yards, 5 TD/0 INT

Reggie Bush has also made gonzo highlights against Notre Dame, including in 2003 a stunning 58-yard untouched through the heart of the Irish defense run and a 30-yard reception capped by an 8-yard leap into the end zone (he was ruled out of bounds at the two yard line).  In 2004, he was more quiet, but also recorded the backbreaking 69-yard wheel route catch and run slashing along the sidelines around Irish defenders.

The stage is set for more, unless Notre Dame finally has a say about it.

I also remember Purdue quarterback Kyle Orton went nuts (21-31, 385 yards, 4 TD) against them to propel himself to the Heisman lead before tanking against Wisconsin.  Florida State's Charlie Ward lost in South Bend in 1993, but performed well enough to retain his lead and capture the award. 

• In The Shadows

Something that crossed my mind two years ago, made more sense last year and may be revealing itself this year is the concept of a Heisman "back five".  That is, the players not going to New York City/ranked fifth or lower that year.

Matt Leinart finished 6^th in 2003, and he made a hell of a candidate that year but the unspoken Heisman rules and bigger candidates were in his way.  Last year, there was an even deeper field of next-level candidates (Jason Campbell, J.J. Arrington, Aaron Rodgers).  They all had interesting shadow candidacies.

This year, three names that come to mind for the second tier candidate are Brodie Croyle, D.J. Shockley and Marcus Vick.  All of their teams are in the top ten right now and they're putting up decent numbers.  In a different year, any of them could perhaps be leading the Heisman race.  But they're not, and aren't really getting a lot of Heisman-level attention.  But its fun to talk about them, and acknowledge their contributions to their teams.

• Reminder

Last week I finally got around to making Heisman candidate pages for the three leaders.  I've kept them updated through last weekend, so they're a good reference if you want to take a look at the players' stats, recaps of their games, and other facts, and perhaps read a story or two about them.

-Reggie Bush

-Matt Leinart

-Vince Young

CFR week six Heisman rankings

All three leading candidates had very solid performances, although Vince Young was able to show off against Texas while Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush took on lowly Arizona.

N-Y-C:

1. Reggie Bush, USC-He injured his knee early in the game, and never looked the same.  That said, he managed to rip off a 65-yard run late in the game and finish with 14 carries and 110 yards (7.9 average).  He also caught two passes for 16 yards and returned a kick 17 yards.  So far nobody will punt to him this year (just 7 returns).  His candidacy was hurt because teammate LenDale White overshadowed him, powering his way for 179 yards on 24 carries (7.5 average) and 4 short touchdowns.  Bush's knee injury appears to fine, but we'll find out more against Notre Dame (a team Bush almost committed to) this weekend.
2. Matt Leinart, USC-Had fun just throwing the ball all over the field against Arizona's soft zones, although his one deep effort was picked off.  For the second week in a row, teams dared USC to run the ball, and eventually Leinart gave way to the Thunder/Lightning combo of White and Bush.  He finished 26/40 (.650) with 360 yards, 2 TD and 1 INT.
3. Vince Young, Texas-Finally overcame Oklahoma.  The Sooners were able to contain his run efforts most of the game.  Thing is, they also gambled that Texas wouldn't beat them through the air.  Oops.  Young threw three touchdowns and finished 14/27 (.519) for 241 yards with 3 TD and 0 INT.  He also carried the ball 17 times for 45 yards (2.6 average) and no touchdowns.  Texas plays Colorado this weekend.

WannaBeNYC:

• Drew Stanton, Michigan State-Stellar numbers now (190.1 efficiency rating, 72% completions, 14 TD/3 INT), will finish the year with stellar numbers.  Big game at Ohio State this weekend.
• Brady Quinn, Notre Dame-Has the numbers (156.3 rating, 65% completions, 13 TD/3 INT), ND is getting the pub---now can he deliver against USC?

Needing a Boost:

• Maurice Drew, UCLA-Written off, has a dazzling game against California (all kinds of magical returns, touchdowns rushing and receiving, 5 total).  The numbers won't be there, but a showcase game against USC could make for a last-weekend dive into New York City.  The DrewCLA nickname and story of his grandfather's death are great Heisman material if UCLA can sell them enough (not saying someone should market tragedy, only its a compelling human interest story people like to hear about).
  
• LenDale White, USC-Three USC Heisman candidates?  Damn.  Like HP, I don't see this happening.  That said, White's gone nuts for USC two weekends in a row and is now 8th nationally in rushing (123.2 yards/game, 7.6 YPC).  His ten touchdowns don't hurt, either.  Not bad for a backup.

See Ya:

• Sam Keller, ASU-Third loss, and its only halfway through the season.  Great numbers and a lot of personality (notably saying about Matt Leinart, he didn't need to hang out with Jessica Simpson to be a great quarterback), but a tough early schedule did him in.

More USC/ND hype

There's this story from MyWay: John Robinson will be in attendance.  There's just something greatly amusing about the old man plopped down in one of those Notre Dame Stadium seats in his red sweater, rooting the Trojans on.  High comedy, yet oddly charming.

Also, USC alum and SI writer Arash Markazi says USC's still number one.

Ticket demand was huge for this thing way back before the season started and ND was any good.  And now people are making references to the 1993 ND/FSU "Game of the Century", that, incidentally, started it all for ESPN GameDay.  ESPN will also broadcast its AM show Cold Pizza from South Bend, plus do GameDay and SportsCenter updates.  And if you didn't already know, Shelley Smith is surgically attached to the USC team all year, filing 1-3 stories a week on the team for SportsCenter.  I guess it makes sense, since they have to make the most use of that "USC Chasing History" or whatever it says graphic before all her pieces.  And then there's always the USC student writing the over-the-top stories from campus about what's happening at USC---her fellow students don't get her, obviously.  I kind of like the pieces, they're sarcastic without resorting to kittens.  If that's not enough, there's this bizarre story about two young girls auctioning off a date at the game with their mom.

HP will be there, too.  Lastly, it wouldn't be hype if we didn't mention the very powerful Heisman backdrop.  Update: BrendanLoy is also tracking the hype.  Sounds like there are swirling rumors of a Bon Jovi and/or Bruce Springsteen appearance.  And Elvis.  Not.

As for my thoughts on the game---my early guess is it doesn't live up to the hype.  But that won't bother me, it should be fun enough to watch and there's a lot of benefit to the game in having something as hyped as this fall into its lap.  Now if we can just get Penn State and Alabama to keep winning... 

What is up with Ohio State

Forget this weekend for a moment, my concern is more with their running game.

Think about all of the running tradition in Columbus: Janowicz, Cassady, Griffin and George, all Heisman winners.  Or modern marvels such as Robert Smith, Keith Byars, Raymont Harris and, yes, Maurice Clarett.  But recently (Clarett experiment aside) the Buckeye run game has been lacking in star power.  Where are the great backs?

Given the fertile midwest recruiting grounds, and OSU's ridiculous running tradition, star backs should be lining up to play in Columbus.  But instead, the Buckeyes' roster is filled with fallback recruits: Antonio Pittman, Erik Haw and Maurice Wells.  All three are decent backs, durable guys who know how to play.  But they're not special, either.  They are failing to elevate the sorry OSU offense.

It's particularly worrisome because OSU under coach Tressel is so heavily committed to a conservative offense and running the ball.  I don't know if the mistake has been in evaluation (who allowed Clarett to get on campus?  Why did they pass on Northwestern's Tyrell Gatewood, an in-state stud?), or dumb luck.  But things are getting pretty sad for the Buckeyes.

Worse, they have some good athletes to run a successful passing game and balance their offense out (Santonio Holmes is quite good, and Ted Ginn is a gifted, if more complimentary option), but the running game is not good enough to give the passing offense room to breathe.  A lot of the blame falls on the talent in the backfield, and not finding adequate solutions through recruiting.

That said, a big-time in-state gem, Chris Wells, has verbally committed to play for the Buckeyes.  He's a big kid, around 230 pounds and fairly quick.  He's a big name national recruit, and should do fairly well (if they can keep him away from other suitors).  But he's still potential until he takes the field and gets a few college games under his belt.

In the meantime, the OSU offense will continue to suffer, particularly because of the inflexibility of coach Tressel and his staff in adjusting to the available talent.  It has to feel like such a curse to have a gifted fleet of receivers and neither the system to make much of their skills, nor the backfield to give the quarterbacks room to get the receivers the ball.  Maybe Wells can help out next year and we might see a revamped Buckeye offense.  But maybe not. 

The elite of the elite programs

One way to tell the difference between an all-time college football program and a lesser brethren (let's call this an all-time vs. elite argument) is to observe the effect of an all-timers' duel compared to one among elites.

This weekend, we have a much-hyped USC/Notre Dame game.  It's not always as hyped, but on certain occasions the game becomes bigger than itself, stirring up memories of old, and forcing many to take a look back on the game's origins, history, and traditions.  Its a game that gets into the consciousness of the college football public (and probably annoys the vast majority of it).

Thing is, you just don't get that between a Tennessee and Georgia, or a Texas and Ohio State (although this year's game certainly added to the game's rich tradition), Oklahoma and Texas or even a Michigan and Ohio State.  They just can't match the mystique and power of USC/Notre Dame, or Notre Dame/Alabama, or USC/Alabama, and perhaps a Notre Dame/Michigan.

We can sit and compare titles, Heismans, All Americans, and all the other things, but when games like this come along, they settle a lot of arguments, in my mind.

I know I warned about the hype earlier, but I'm playing into it myself---apologies.  The game is the better for such matchups (as well as other elite battles, even if they're not between all-time foes).

Anyway, how would you do an all-time top 10 ranking, and where do you draw the line between the all-time, best ever teams, and the rest of the field?

I don't know about the rest, but I think for the top 3-4 it goes 1)Notre Dame 2)USC 3)Alabama, and there might be room for four (Michigan, perhaps?).

Feel free to reply below with your lists (top it off at around 10 or so teams). 

For a guide, here's how one website did their rankings: CFDW