Bleacher Report - Texas Longhorns Football

Colt McCoy's Case for Best College QB Ever

Jeff Dillon — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:29:13 -0500

At the start of the 2009 college football season, one frequent topic of debate among college football analysts and fans were exactly where would Florida’s Tim Tebow ranked among the greatest NCAA quarterbacks ever.

Tebow’s numbers were (and still are) remarkable. His ability to will his team to victory is border-line legendary. His Heisman Trophy and two national titles speak for themselves.

But this weekend, another quarterback, one whose neither first nor last name begins with the letter “T,” is in position to become the all-time winningest quarterback in NCAA history: Colt McCoy.

McCoy is currently tied with Georgia’s David Greene for the record and with a win Saturday against Kansas, will have the top spot to himself.

Perhaps it’s time we start discussing whether McCoy is among the greatest quarterbacks in college football history.

Now, before you fall over in shock, roll over in laughter or let your Gator jaw drop to the floor, give me a brief moment to explain.

Tebow, who won the Heisman in 2007, certainly has an impressive career resume: 8,120 passing yards, 2,641 rushing yards and an eye-popping 132 total touchdowns.

No one blinks an eye when Tebow is mentioned along with all-time greats like Peyton Manning, Jim Plunkett, or John Elway.

Manning finished his career with 11,201 yards passing and 90 touchdowns, Plunkett racked up 7,887 total yards in his career at Stanford in the late '60s, while Elway had 9,349 total passing yards for the Cardinal in the early '80s.

It’s easy to understand why Tebow’s numbers are compared (favorably) to these legends.

So why should we be so hesitant to make similar comparisons about McCoy? For his career, the Texas quarterback has racked up 12,360 passing yards, 945 rushing yards and 122 touchdowns.

Not as big of a difference as you thought, right?

What’s more is that McCoy’s numbers may actually be more impressive than Tebow’s when you consider the fact that he isn’t a running quarterback by nature. For a guy that isn’t called on to run very often, nearly 1,000 career rushing yards and 18 career rushing touchdowns is pretty incredible.

And unlike Tebow, McCoy has been a starter all four years of his collegiate career. Sure, you have to remember that another year as starter could have padded Tebow’s stats even more, but you could also argue that we’ll never know just how Tebow would have reacted to starting as a freshman in Gainesville.

McCoy, on the other hand, was immediately one of the best quarterbacks in the country as a freshman, throwing for over 2,500 yards and 29 touchdowns.

But the most important statistic is McCoy’s 42 career wins, a number that would likely still remain above Tebow (31-4), even if he had been given another year as a starter.

Don’t get me wrong, i’m not ready to crown McCoy the best college football quarterback of all time, nor am I trying to say he’s as good of a player as Manning, Plunkett, or Elway.

But, by simply looking at the numbers, it’s hard to explain how an argument could be made for Tebow as one of the best college quarterbacks in history without at least considering a similar argument for McCoy.

Of course, the two things missing in McCoy’s illustrious career are a national championship and a Heisman Trophy—two things Tebow already has earned.

But, as the Longhorns prepare for their second-to-last regular season game this weekend against Kansas, McCoy remains very much in the hunt for both accomplishments.

If Texas goes on to win the BCS title and McCoy prevails among the Heisman candidates, McCoy will have made a compelling argument as one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play at the collegiate level.

I may be the first to suggest it, but I highly doubt I’ll be the last.

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Golden Tate vs. Jordan Shipley: Why Texas Has the Better Receiver

Carl Vandervoort — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:02:23 -0500

Being a wide receiver is an art. When scouting a wideout, the fundamentals are a must—speed, quickness, route running, body control, and hands.

Guys like Notre Dame's Golden Tate and Texas' Jordan Shipley are arguably the two most productive wide receivers in college football. However, they emulate entirely different skill sets and thrive in entirely different offenses.

When you break down Jordan Shipley as a wideout, you have to start with his speed. He has top-level speed as a deep threat on the outside, which caused many to believe that he would thrive this season, replacing Quan Cosby as the outside threat.

What differentiates him from the other guys is his lateral quickness. Shipley is among the elite top five in the country at getting up to full speed right out of his break. This allows him to get separation each time he cuts.

Pair that with his elite body control and excellent route running, and this is why Shipley is the go-to guy on third downs. Notice how level his shoulders are when he makes this double move.

Many critics argue that a large volume of Shipley's receptions are because the routes are fewer than 10 yards. This is another example of his route running ability. He runs such crisp routes that he has no problem getting open just a few paces off the line of scrimmage.

When you break down the numbers, Shipley has absolutely exploded since becoming healthy in 2008. After 10 games, Shipley has 81 grabs for 1096 yards and eight TDs.

What doesn't make the stat line is the attention Shipley has received. The Texas running game is nothing to call home about. That makes things hard on both McCoy and Shipley. Regardless of any variables, one thing is a fact; Colt McCoy is the most accurate quarterback in college football history—thanks to the hands of Jordan Shipley.

No doubt Shipley's production speaks for his skill set, but his value as a special teams player is second to none. Whether it's the timely touchdown return against OU last year (down 14-3), or the punt return TD against Texas Tech in 2008 (down 33-14), or when he snuck for a first down on a fake field goal against Kansas.

If I need a big-time No. 1 wide receiver, I'm picking Shipley every time over Golden Tate.

The reasoning is simple.

Tate has excelled this season but he's not the best wideout on his team. Michael Floyd (when healthy) and Kyle Rudolph are Jimmy Clausen's first and second options. The only games in which Golden Tate has had significant production are those in which Clausen has been forced to throw the ball.

This is why the Irish are only 3-4 when Tate goes off, compared to Shipley and Texas who have comfortable margins of victory when Shipley performs and nail-biters when Shipley does not.

If anything, the verdict is still out on Golden Tate, but with a healthy Michael Floyd, Tate remains the third option in South Bend.

Now read why Dan Scofield believes Golden Tate has the edge.

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College Football Scouting: Kansas Jayhawks @ Texas Longhorns

Barking Carnival — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:41:48 -0500

Before I get into the matchups on the field, here’s an exchange from Kansas head coach Mark Mangino’s press conference on whether he has had any discussions with KU AD Lew Perkins pertaining to their meeting:

“Yes, I had a brief meeting with him. If you want to know what was said, I’m not disclosing it. He’s disclosing information about the situation, I’m not. I’m focused on the task at hand and want to stay on track.”

On why he thinks KU AD Lew Perkins chose to release a statement:

“You’d have to ask him; I don’t know. We’re all trying to get on a winning tract here and we’re trying to get the train on the track, so I can’t answer for him. That would not be appropriate for me to try and speculate why.”

On whether he is concerned if he’s lost the team at all:

“I haven’t lost the team, not one bit. I may have lost some people around here, but it’s not the players. Take it for what it’s worth. You decipher and see.”

I think I deciphered that, Mark. Your AD and others are after your ass.

Texas is playing a night game on national television to seal our Big 12 Title and MNC shot in front of a bloodthirsty crowd while the Kansas football program is torn with internal strife that makes the 30 Year War look like high tea with the Dalai Lama. Oh how they long for those halcyon days when they were blowing out UTEP and beating up basketball players.

Before the season, when I actually thought Kansas would be a 8-4 type team, I thought Texas would blow them out because the Jayhawk matchups are so poor. Now, that they’re considerably less than 8-4, those reasons are only magnified. Let me explain why:

Kansas O

They still have the reputation for a strong offense and their season statistics are deceptive. Over their last five games, all losses against conference opponents, they are averaging less than 20 ppg.

KU started the year 5-0 largely on the strength of the fact that they weren’t playing very good teams (though they whipped semi-respectable Duke and edged Southern Miss when they still had their QB) and those teams hadn’t yet realized that they could get pressure on Todd Reesing with a four man front and use those extra men to cover. Early on, KU did a nice job of manufacturing a running game using the Pistol and some quick hitters that complemented their passing game, but that well is dry.

The Jayhawk OL’s problems with Texas start outside. They start redshirt fresham Tanner Hawkinson at left tackle and though he’s athletic and will one day be very good, he doesn’t have man-strength yet and Sergio does. This is three TFL waiting to happen. On the other side, Eddie Jones and Sam Acho will face off against converted guard Brad Thorson, who got his first start at LT last week against the Huskers.

He played really well, but the Husker defensive line are a different variety from ours. The rest of the Jayhawks offensive line is decent athletically and they try hard, but they’ve given up pressure and hits on Reesing all year (24 sacks in 10 games). They actually did a respectable job against Nebraska shutting down Suh, in fact with a slightly retooled lineup, so maybe there’s something there for them.

The wide receivers are very good. Dez Briscoe is a stud (Shipley, Briscoe, Alexander are your 1st All-Big 12 WRs) and Curtis Brown will have his hands full. Briscoe has glue hands, surprising strength for his sinewy frame and he’s a long strider that gets you on his hip and separates when the ball is in the air.

Kerry Meier is a big body possession guy that shares a mind meld with Reesing and his knack for getting open combined with his hands makes him a legitimate chain mover. Johnathon Wilson is a solid NO. 3 and would be a NO. 2 at several other schools. This unit is definitely their KU's biggest strength.

The backs are OK and by OK I mean Oklahoma; a vacuous wasteland. You remember Jake Sharp, he plays the role of all-purpose back. He runs draws, shovels, swing passes, and he’s a competent-ish Division I running back. Freshman Toben Opurum is a freshman big back with surprising feet and good hands.

In Latin, his name means 4.80 40. Jake is averaging 4.4 ypc and Opurum 4.1 ypc. Neither is going to take one downtown if they catch Texas in a line stunt. If Kansas breaks 75 yards rushing against us, I’d be shocked.

I’ve always really liked Reesing, but he’s a good example of the limitations of a QB with limitations. Never mind the fact that most defenses find him too irresistably cute to stop and that he sleeps in sunbeams after batting the cord on venetian blinds, Reesing is still 5 foot 10 with an average arm. He gets by on his instincts, accuracy, and mobility. He needs ordered chaos and open receivers.

Top notch defenses with corners that can cover his stud receivers and DL athletic enough to chase him down and maintain discipline while doing so cause his performance to drop off of a cliff; he’s also semi-hurt.

The problem that KU faces is that against a quality D, much of their offense is predicated on Todd Reesing making a play when he breaks containment, pass rush discipline breaks down, and teams lack the athleticism to recover. The Longhorns don’t lose pass rush discipline, pretty much ever and Texas' DL is faster than Reesing.

Texas will play Lamar Houston with three defensive ends to give them additional lateral pursuit and allow them to play some stunt games. You’re going to see a lot of Reesing holding on to the ball, looking downfield at covered WRs, and then getting constricted by a collapsing pocket.

He’ll try to run to create a play and essentially sack himself or throw up something ill advised. I’ll set the sack over/under at 3.5. Expect an Earl Thomas robber play.
Reesing lacks the height and arm strength to stand in there and consistently get rid of it in the teeth of an effective rush and Texas will end up with a batted ball or a Reesing bail-out from the pocket into the arms of our defensive ends.

I would be surprised to see Kansas manage more than 13 offensive points.

Kansas D

In their last fives games, KU giving up 31.8 points per game.

Last year Kansas did nice job hanging with us for a while by absolutely stoning our running game. Fozzy Whitaker had double digit carries for zero yards and it was awesomely funny in its futility. They also did a decent job of getting pressure on Colt McCoy with the now graduated James Holt and the returning Jake Laptad.

Unfortunately for them, their secondary coudn’t hang with Texas' WRs for four full quarters and the Longhhorns put them away convincingly late. I expect it to be a bit easier this year, though I wouldn’t be surprised to see them try to outnumber the Longhorns' running game, get them into second and 11, and do a heat check on McCoy.

With the exception of stud safety Darrell Stuckey, who is the man with his fingers stuck in the dam and leads the team in tackles, this is only a functional secondary. They start two freshmen and that is not good for KU. One kid, Lubbock Smith, is from Dallas, named Lubbock, and plays safety for Kansas.

He may not be that great, but he’s got a future as pool hall hustler. The Jayhawks are giving up 6.6 yards per attempt and that’s not terrible, but they’ve only grabbed seven interceptions in 10 games. Nebraska QB Zac Lee hit them for four passing plays of 35+ yards.

The decline of their linebacking corps has been notable and it’s not encouraging when you’re starting a true freshman from Kansas named Huldon Tharp. In The World According to Tharp, giving up 40 points to Texas seems as reasonable as John Lithgow in a dress, but Scipio what about Drew Dudley?! Well, he’s also a KU LB and given that he’s from College Station, Texas it’s not a good sign when Texas A&M passes on you.

I like Jake Laptad at defensive end. He’s not a speed guy, but he’s got power and he’ll get his sacks by outworking you. He’s also very strong against the run. I’d like to talk more about Jake Laptad because I know almost nothing about the rest of their DL. None of their guys really stuck out to me except for Maxwell Onyegbule, who is an intriguing DE. Long, rangy, decent pass rusher. I thought he played well against Nebraska, in any event.

Special Teams

The Jayhawks are not great. KU doesn't do anything at all in the return game and they’re susceptible in punt coverage. Field goal kicker is completely average and they’re bad at pooch kicking. This a net neutral or slight disadvantage for them against most opponents meaning Texas should have a substantial advantage, even without DJ Monroe.

Parting thoughts

I’m having trouble seeing how Kansas scores enough to make it competitive because Texas is going to put up 31-41 points on offense. The current line is set at Texas -26.5 and though I find that very aggressive on its face, it’s not unreasonable. I’ve seen a lot of people speculate that KU is primed for a massive and horrendous blowout because of internal dissension, but I’m not sure how can you model for that.

Interested in your thoughts.

Read more Texas Longhorns Football news on BleacherReport.com

Texas-Baylor: Longhorns Destroy Bears

Barking Carnival — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:35:06 -0500

If Fox Sports was writing this post-mortem, it would be a series of sentence fragments interspersed with random Fox graphics having only a tangential connection to the action at hand. Then I would replay the sentence previous while you’re ready for the next one. Then I would replay the sentence previous while you’re ready for the next one.

TOUCHDOWN TEXAS! (Flashes graphic of Mariano Rivera’s ERA in the 9th inning)

…you can join me midsentence, I’ll then trail off like your Grandpa when he tried to remember the hometown of one of his war buddies, and then I can throw up a picture of Jordan Lake while Cody Johnson takes another defender on a Nickel Cody Ride. It was funny/sad. The Fox producer in the truck had the sensory awareness of a tree sloth maimed in a forest fire.

When it’s 40-0 halftime at your opponent’s place (after they’d hung with Nebraska and whipped Missouri—chortle, chortle ), you’re doing good things. Our defense was spectacular (again), the offense started fast and finally executed consistently in the running game, and our special teams were acceptable. Overall, this was a very satisfying win. If you’re someone that’s seriously upset because our scrubs gave up two mercy touchdowns, I need you to go read the Aggie boards for a while to learn about real misery.

Offense

Good stuff, good start. Our first seven drives went thusly:

UT 1st U20 15:00 Kickoff B00 11:18 * TOUCHDOWN 10-80 3:42
UT 1st U20 05:51 Interception U26 05:16 Punt 3-6 0:35
UT 1st B44 04:04 Downs B00 01:56 * TOUCHDOWN 6-44 2:08
UT 1st U15 00:20 Punt B45 10:44 Punt 9-40 4:36
UT 2nd U47 09:37 Punt B00 09:20 * TOUCHDOWN 2-53 0:17
UT 2nd B29 08:03 Punt B00 06:41 * TOUCHDOWN 5-29 1:22
UT 2nd B43 05:23 Punt B00 02:50 * TOUCHDOWN 6-43 2:33

Most crucially, we ran the ball well and it wasn’t a bunch of fourth-quarter garbage yardage against a tired defense. Cody Johnson went 19-for-109 with a long run of 16 yards. Tre Newton went 7-for-80 with a long run of 45. When you take away a runner’s longest run and he still averages more than five yards a carry, you’re getting it done.

We ran a lot of weakside zone and counter and we blocked them both correctly. Seriously. Like, competently. As if we had a scheme, a coach teaching that scheme, and an agreed upon plan if some pesky defender refuses to line up where he’s supposed to.

Irrespective of the quality of the opponent, for the first time this year (UTEP was a blatant physical mismatch), our OL actually seemed to understand that passing angry defenders between each other is extremely difficult and that doing this while running laterally ends up a lot like the old TV clip of Lucille Ball working on a candy conveyor.

We simplified by telling our OL to get a hat on a guy, and rather than attempt to reach his playside shoulder, simply push him down the line, allow overpursuit, and trust that the back will make the appropriate cut-n-go. See Tre Newton’s TD run. Classic zone blocking where overpursuit and line slant games are punished. See the highlight clip (shows both Newton run and sweet Shipley pump fake):

Our false counter play has always been there for us (look at the 5:02 mark in the second quarter if you’d like to see a textbook example of how it should be blocked), but we’re actually learning some timing (we don’t have a counter step—so you need to take a pause so that the backside pulls can get their seals) and we’ve taught the backs and OL to turn it outside when the playside DE pinches down instead of blindly thrashing into the pulling tackle’s back.

Please look at the 3:35 mark of the second quarter to see how to properly bounce the run outside when the playside DE pinches on the counter. Ulatoski sees it and it now becomes a sweep, but one where we have numbers and no one has set the edge. Advantage: offense. Cody gains an easy eight yards and draws a facemask which, if it had not occurred, would have allowed an easy 10-yard TD.

One of the key factors in the blocking working better on this play—and why Cody Johnson has only four negative yards on the year—is that neither Cody nor Tre is particularly fast, but both like to get north-south as quickly as possible. The move that Tre threw on the Baylor safety on his 45-yard run was just wicked.

Anyone else notice how our running game working allowed for a clean jersey for Colt? And if your response to that is “Well, it’s Baylor,” I suggest you rewatch last year’s Baylor game. Colt got pummeled. Running game—a QB's best friend.

I didn’t think Colt was all that sharp and Baylor left some interceptions on the carpet. However, the passing game irritated me for one persistent reason: when a team lines up in three deep, I have no interest in testing it like some internet buffoon begging for deep balls, but that doesn’t mean your default solution has to be WR screens and three-yard stops.

When a team lines up their safeties that deep, they allow huge swathes of space in the middle of the field and intermediate crossing routes are wide open if you run a couple of guys deep to occupy and then drag two across at different levels. This is why prevent defenses often give up yards after the catch when you hit someone on the run over the middle. Let’s hit our guys on the move and give them a shot at someone making an athletic play upfield.

Big props to Dan Buckner for two fantastic catches. The play call and execution on Jordan Shipley’s second TD were outstanding. Fake the screen block, pump fake, easy TD. I’ve actually come to accept that whenever I see Colt McCoy pump fake, there’s about an 80 percent chance of a TD ensuing. Our slavish adherence to certain tendencies makes us unstoppable when we break them.

I was also really pleased to see Cody Johnson catch the ball so well in the flat. He’s not going to break a 30-yarder, but big boy moves the chains and doesn’t allow defenses to gear their scheme to our personnel (i.e. Whitaker is in, must be a pass). Nice to have Tre Newton back, obviously. If he and Cody form our RB rotation going forward, that’s fine by me.

The Greg Smith volleyball set is now as predictable as Mack Brown knowing the name, hometown, and favorite hobbies of any person he has ever met. I think we need to let Karch Kiraly stick to blocking.

Defense

If you want to understand the standard with which we coach on that side of the ball, check out Chykie Brown’s CB blitz pasting of Nick Florence. Great play, right? We get a big sack, Florence is rattled, Baylor begins to recede into its familiar shell of failure and self-loathing.

Not so fast.

The camera cuts to Duane Akina, who is screaming at Chykie, “GET THE BALL! DAMN IT!” while demonstrating how Florence was cradling it and then chopping like a tomahawk. With respect to our safety, Muschamp has postgame comments to the effect that the safety was nice, but that we had a touchdown if we’d covered the ball properly. He delivered this line in a voice tinged with regret usually reserved for fathers telling their kids that the family labrador has leukemia.

Defensive Backs

Uh, Aaron Williams is back. After his clutch interception and a pass break-up that was close to being another, Baylor avoided him like he was a Richard Dawkins essay. He also got physical on their screen game, which was nice to see. Chykie Brown played a good game for us—eight tackles, two TFL, one sack. He was physical and actually ended up leading us in tackles.

Chykie is prone to inconsistency, so I’m always pleased when he turns in a full 60 minutes. Gideon was solid in run support and mixed it up on a couple of occasions. Earl Thomas had five tackles and a pass break-up, but Baylor’s reluctance to test us downfield curtailed his playmaking.

Curtis Brown was quiet, except for one pass interference, and when a CB is quiet, he’s generally whipping someone’s ass. I continue to be extremely impressed with Kenny Vaccaro and he’ll be a player for us if we can get him to stop beating up lawyers and anyone else that makes eye contact with him for more than a second-and-a-half.

Is it just me or does Ben Wells keep looking good out there?

I freaking love what I’ve seen of Marcus Davis. He’s got pop in his pads and he can run. We have a legitimate three deep at DB and it’s scary.

Line Backers

I’ve got nothing but props for Dustin Earnest’s development. I’d written him off before the season, but the guy has had a really solid year and he gave us a reasonable game filling in for Roderick Muckelroy. It also bodes well for next year that both he and Acho can play very credibly at MLB. Throw Norton in that mix with some freak freshmen and we’re good to go.

Acho’s interception was something we hadn’t seen from him and my guess is that we see more things from him each week that we didn’t know he could do. It’s fun to watch him play because you can see him adding a different tool to his belt every game. Keenan Robinson has also turned the corner and though Acho may be more impactful because of his natural explosiveness, Robinson is the more polished guy and he has quite a bit of upside himself. Is it any coincidence that Muschamp coaches this position into excellence when it has so long plagued us?

Defensive Line

Ho-hum. Complete dominance. Acho Ocho Uno gets two TFL and forces a fumble, Lamarr Houston turns in a MVP performance with three TFL and two sacks, Sergio is himself, and Eddie Jones suckers Nick Florence like a pro when he sees Baylor attempt their screen game for the fifteenth time and has the athleticism to finish the play for a 60-yard TD.

There’s really not much to write here except to point out that we owned them in every concievable way. If you’re disappointed that we didn’t get seven to eight sacks by bringing the house, I’d ask that you appreciate that we’re always going to keep a mobile QB with speedy WRs in the pocket and force them to make a throw into that secondary on timing and with accuracy, not give up a cheapy on a broken-play scramble.

Special Teams

It was nice to see some specialness return to our special teams. We were somewhat uneven in kickoff coverage, but the Vaccaro punt block was first rate. Vaccaro, Cobb and Malcolm Williams are our special teams war daddies and I’m not sure what we’d do without them.

Baylor Thoughts

If you want to understand why I dislike the laziness of journalists, look no further than the fact that Jordan Lake will be on several postseason All-Big 12 teams and Phil Taylor will be mentioned, too. Simple name recognition and hype. Coaches—who should know better—fall for it, too.

Taylor is a fat, overhyped load who gives you five hard snaps a game. Lake has always been a good tackler shielded in two deep who doesn’t impact the game in any fashion and is a step too slow. He’s fine. No more, no less. I like Kendall Wright a lot. With Griffin gone, Finley went from a 1,000-yard rusher to a non-entity.

There’s no doubt in my mind that Baylor—yes, that team we just destroyed—is a bowl team with simple addition of RGIII. The transformative power of the elite running college QB that can throw respectably on an offense is like nothing else in football.

Parting Thoughts

Kansas is the next victim and it’s going to be ugly. I’m enjoying the ride and still encouraged by the possibility that this team can still get better.

_________________________

This article was written by Scipio Tex of Barking Carnival

Follow Barking Carnival on Twitter: @BarkingCarnival

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Colt McCoy's IOU: One Heisman Trophy

Carl Vandervoort — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:47:05 -0500

"Watch this."

"Watch this" is what Vince Young said to Colt McCoy before running out to take the Longhorn's on their game winning drive to beat USC in route to the 2005 National Championship.

Since then Colt McCoy has amassed 12,260 passing yards and 122 touchdowns and if anyone has been doing the watching, then it's Vince Young.

Saturday is Senior Day in Austin, where No. 3 Texas plays Kansas on ABC primetime. This will be the launching pad for McCoy to press voters for the Heisman IOU he received last year.

Saturday will be McCoy's first opportunity to take sole possession of David Green's NCAA record for most wins by a starting quarterback. McCoy is 42-7 as a starter and has won 24 of his last 25 games. Read that again: 24-1 in his last 25 games. That figure alone epitomizes McCoy's importance to his team, something you'd expect from a Heisman trophy winner.

For McCoy to pull off the Heisman, he has to make a compelling case from here on out. He will have national audiences on Thanksgiving Day against Texas A&M and again for the Dr. Pepper Big 12 Championship Game. No doubt, the opportunity is there.

HeismanPundit.com currently has McCoy in second place, and they note (as many do) that breaking the career record can only help his cause. If last year tells us anything its that a strong finish wins the Heisman trophy, and for McCoy, Ingram, Tebow, and Gerhart that time starts now.

However it will be an uphill battle for McCoy to to top Alabama RB Mark Ingram, who has absolutely torn up prime time opponents. Tim Tebow isn't much of a factor due to injury and average stats, which is likely due to Dan Mullen and Percy Harvin's departures from Gainesville. My dark horse is Stanford RB Toby Gerhart who is making his move, but it will be hard for someone as blue collar as Gerhart to win because the West Coast doesn't get the face time the rest of the country gets.

So what does Colt McCoy have to do to win the Heisman Trophy?

Last season he broke the single season completion percentage record by completing 332 of 433 passes. Sorry Colt, not good enough.

In 2009, he has continued to extend the Texas winning streak (24 of 25 and 14 consecutive) and is about to break the record for most career wins by a starting quarterback. Not to mention, he is the only QB in NCAA history to record four seasons with 10 or more wins as a starter.

The critics say that the Heisman is not a career trophy, but how many career records have to be broken before it is?

Colt —you might want to hold on to that IOU—it still could be worth something.

Vince Young and the rest of the country will be watching, it's your turn.

Read more Texas Longhorns Football news on BleacherReport.com

BCS Rankings Week 12: TCU and Cincinnati Likely on Outside Looking In

Dan Kelley — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 22:21:26 -0500

The national title picture, as is typical within the BCS system, looks like it’s heading for yet another controversial finish.

A mere two weeks remain in college football’s regular season, and the six teams that sit atop the BCS poll all remain undefeated with 10-0 records. Only one of two of these teams is sure to fall before season’s end with the top two teams, Florida and Alabama remaining on a collision course for the SEC championship.

Barring an unlikely upset, it’s looking like college football’s championship game is already close to locked in. With Texas sitting at No. 3 in the poll with only Kansas and Texas A&M standing between them and a perfect regular season, it’s looking more and more certain that we’ll be seeing them face off with the winner of the Florida-Alabama prize fight.

Texas vs. the SEC champion should make for a terrific championship game, with plenty of star power and historical relevance with two of college football’s traditional powers facing off.

However, that’s unlikely to serve as much consolation to the remaining teams who manage to survive the season unscathed. With TCU, Cincinnati, and Boise State all 10-0 with only two games left it appears to be a near sure-thing that at least one undefeated team is going to be left out in the cold.

TCU, despite giving a mighty 55-28 thrashing to their Mountain West rivals and formerly 16^th ranked Utah this past week, was unable to pass Texas and move into position for the national title game. With only Wyoming and New Mexico remaining on their schedule, TCU is a safe bet to finish the year undefeated, but may be dead in the water with regards to the BCS title game. No matter how badly they blow out their final two opponents, they aren’t going to be able to impress the polls enough to pass an undefeated Texas.

Similarly to TCU, No. 5 Cincinnati also remained undefeated after taking down a tough conference opponent this weekend. Their match with 25^th ranked West Virginia was much closer than TCU’s victory, with a mere field goal separating the Big East powers in Cincinnati’s 24-21 win.

Within the structure of the BCS, a biased system designed to protect its own and exclude the rest, Cincinnati could actually have a greater gripe than TCU if they run the table and are left out of the championship game. They hail from the Big East, a BCS conference which has defied all predictions and had a great year.

Four of the Bearcats' first ten opponents have appeared in one poll or another this season, with one last major test coming against No. 9 Pittsburgh to close the year.

Boise State, while also likely to finish the season undefeated, is completely out of the discussion. With only one real quality win to speak of against Oregon in the first game of the year, and an otherwise weak schedule, it’s hard to make a case for the Broncos being deserving of a BCS Title game bid even if they do finish the year unbeaten.

In the highly unlikely scenario that four of the five teams ahead of Boise all lose, there is a good chance that they’ll still be left out in favor of a one loss Florida, Alabama or Texas.

It’s shaping up to be another disappointing season that will be unlikely to leave college fans with any certainty that the crowned champions will truly be the nation’s best squad. However, the only way we’re ever going to be free of this sham of a system is for the controversy to continue until it incites the change that FBS football so desperately needs. When another deserving team is denied the opportunity to play for the “championship” this year, we can only hope that their disappointment helps to pave the way for future underdogs and mid-majors to get their fair chance at the trophy.

Here's this week's entire BCS poll:

1) Florida (10-0)

2) Alabama (10-0)

3) Texas (10-0)

4) TCU (10-0)

5) Cincinnati (10-0)

6) Boise State (10-0)

7) Georgia Tech (10-1)

8) LSU (8-2)

9) Pittsburgh (9-1)

10) Ohio State (9-2)

11) Oregon (8-2)

12) Oklahoma State (8-2)

13) Iowa (9-2)

14) Penn State (9-2)

15) Virginia Tech (7-3)

16) Wisconsin (8-2)

17) Stanford (7-3)

18) USC (7-3)

19) Oregon State (7-3)

20) Miami (FL) (7-3)

21) Utah (8-2)

22) BYU (8-2)

23) Clemson (7-3)

24) Houston (8-2)

25) California (7-3)

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The Way I See It: A Look at College Football's Top 25 (Nov. 15)

Drew Gatewood — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 21:26:03 -0500

1. Texas 10-0

Texas has outscored their last two opponents 82-17, look for that to continue this week

Next: Kansas

2. Florida 10-0

The Gators had themselves in a nail biter 'till Superman prevailed.

Next: Florida International

3. Alabama 10-0

Alabama finally got on track offensively and it’ll be sure to stay on track this week.

Next: Chattanooga

4. TCU 10-0

They deserve a BCS game this year without a doubt.

Next: Wyoming

5. Cincinnati 10-0

The Big East refs made this game interesting with that Isaiah Pead touchdown run.

Next: Illinois

6. Georgia Tech 10-1

Nothing would go better with an ACC Title than another victory over the Dawgs.

Next: Georgia (11/28)

7. Pittsburgh 9-1

The tables have turned on the backyard brawl this year as the Panthers look to win the Big East rather than the Mountaineers.

Next: West Virginia (11/27)

8. Boise State 10-0

Boise’s just waiting for that showdown with Nevada, this week is another warmup until then.

Next: Utah State

9. Ohio State 9-2

The Buckeyes are Rose Bowl bound for the first time in 13 years; it took an overtime to get there.

Next: Michigan

10. Oregon 8-2

The Buckeyes punched their ticket to Pasadena, will the Ducks?

Next: Arizona

11. Oklahoma State 8-2

The Cowboys got a quality win versus a tough Texas Tech team.

Next: Colorado

12. Stanford 8-3

They scored a 106 points combined against USC and Oregon, that Wake Forest loss early on doesn’t look to good though.

Next: California

13. LSU 8-2

They got into a dogfight with Louisiana Tech, and just scraped out a win.

Next: Ole Miss

14. Iowa 9-2

This team is tough; they lose so much to injuries and still take anyone’s best shot.

Next: Minnesota

15. Wisconsin 8-2

Whoever matches up with them in a bowl had better be able to stop the run.

Next: Northwestern

16. Virginia Tech 7-3

The Hokies are hoping for some upsets that could move them into getting a BCS at large bid.

Next: NC State

17. Penn State 9-2

It took a 78-yard pick-six to shake off the post Ohio State game hangover.

Next: Michigan State

18. BYU 7-2

Did BYU just skim by a 0-10 team? Yes they did.

19. Navy 8-3

The Midshipmen are well on their way to a 10 win season.

Next: Hawaii

20. Utah 8-2

The Utes only losses this season are to Oregon and TCU, unfortunately those are the only teams they’ve played this season.

Next: San Diego State

21. Clemson 7-3

Since the Maryland loss this team has played very well.

Next: Virginia

22. Nebraska 7-3

The Huskers need a win this weekend to win the Big 12 North.

Next: Kansas State

23. Houston 8-2

There went Case Keenum’s shot at a Heisman

Next: Memphis

24. Rutgers 7-2

They win the games their supposed to win and have losses to Pittsburgh and Cincinnati.

25. USC 7-3

This was the worst home loss in the History of the program

Next: UCLA

Here's a Look at the Terrible 10:

The Terrible Ten: College Football's Biggest Disappointments (Nov 15)

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NCAA Football Top 25 Week 11: TCU Proves They're No. 1, Stanford Jumps To 12

Tyler Stimson — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 02:05:46 -0500

Tyler Stimson votes in the ESPN-U poll and the Bleacher Report poll.

(Team Records in parentheses )

1. TCU (10-0)—Demolished Utah 55-28. They jumped out to a 35-7 lead early in the second quarter and never looked back. Utah scored some points in garbage time to make the score look closer than it really was.

Stat of the week: Victories over teams in the current top 25: TCU three (Clemson, BYU, Utah), Alabama one (LSU), Florida one (LSU), Texas one (OSU).

This team keeps rolling towards a BCS bowl, and hopefully a national title appearance. All they need is a Texas and Cincinnati loss, and they are a shoe-in for the title game. But in my opinion, this team deserves to get in over Texas, and play the SEC champion. Their defense is (arguably) the best in all of college football.

On offense, they average over 200 yards rushing a game and have one of the most efficient dual threat QBs in the nation in Andy Dalton.

And on special teams they have Jeremy Kerley, who already has two punt return touchdowns and is extremely dangerous as a receiver or running the wildcat formation. Against Utah they blocked a punt and forced a fumble on a kickoff in the 1st quarter.

This is the only team that has beaten Boise State since the 2007 season.

They finished No. 7 in the polls last year.

This team has no clear weakness. They are the only team in the nation in the top 10 in offense and defense. They have played a tough schedule, and they are worthy of the No. 1 overall ranking.

In comparing Alabama and TCU, consider this: TCU beat San Diego State 55-12. San Diego State lost to UCLA 33-14. Tennessee also lost to UCLA, but by 30-19. Alabama beat Tennessee by only two points at home, needing two blocked field goals to do so. So that means that TCU is 33 points better than Alabama.

Since Florida beat Tennessee by 10, TCU is only 25 points better than Florida.

In comparing Texas and TCU, consider this: TCU beat BYU 38-7. BYU beat Oklahoma 14-13. Texas beat Oklahoma 16-13. So TCU is 29 points better than Texas!

In comparing TCU and Oregon, consider this: TCU beat Utah 55-28. Utah lost to Oregon 31-24. So TCU is 20 points better than Oregon, the No. 1 team in the Pac-10.

(I'm not being completely serious, I'm just showing the idiocy of A-B-C team comparisons, especially when you take into account margin of victory)

To fans in the Dallas/Fort Worth area: Thanks for selling out the stadium, its been a long time coming!

2. Alabama (10-0)— Beat Mississippi State 31-3. This is the domination I expect from Alabama on a weekly basis. Mississippi State is usually much more competitive. Alabama was very impressive. They broke a 17-3 game wide open in the 4th quarter with two long TDs.

3. Florida (10-0)— Survived against South Carolina 24-14. Is this a complete team now that Tim Tebow is healthy? I think not. Because this team seems clearly dominant on defense, but only slightly above average offensively (at least in my estimation).

I really thought South Carolina might pull off the upset, but as South Carolina was driving early in the 4th quarter for the go-ahead score, Florida intercepted a deflected pass and returned it deep into SC territory for a 14-point swing, which was the difference in the game, and the play of the college football weekend. South Carolina had all the momentum, and just like that the game was out of reach.

4. Texas (10-0) —Absolutely crushed Baylor 47-14. Yet again, not exactly a tough test, but they passed with flying colors. They were up 37-0 at halftime. I think the only possible upset remaining on their schedule is in the Big 12 title game against (possibly) Nebraska.

5. Boise State (10-0)—Beat a good Idaho team 63-25 at home. If this team runs the table and still doesn’t make a BCS bowl, it will be a complete and utter travesty.

But, where will they end up if they don't make it to a BCS bowl? Playing BYU/Utah in the Pointsetta or Las Vegas bowl? I hope they get their chance against a BCS team. Nothing makes the BCS elite happier than seeing non-BCS teams cannibalize each other.

6. Cincinatti (10-0) —Beat West Virginia 24-21 in a wild one. West Virginia was able to keep this one close on Friday Night. Stat of the game: Tony Pike only threw 4 passes for 19 yards, but two were TDs. Collaros threw for over 200 yards but no TDs. Cincinnati keeps rolling towards the de facto Big East championship game against Pittsburgh in the final week of the season.

7. Georgia Tech (9-1)— Dominated Duke 49-10 and clinched a spot in the ACC title game. They are the highest ranked one-loss team in the country. Their only blemish came in week two to Miami.

8. Pittsburgh (9-1)—Survived a dramatic comeback from Notre Dame, winning 27-22 at home. Pittsburgh against Cincinnati is biggest game left of the regular season.

9. Oregon (8-2)—Beat Arizona State 44-21. They had a 31-7 halftime lead. Among a myriad of two-loss teams, I think Oregon is the best.

10. Ohio State (9-2)—Survived a dramatic Iowa comeback with a 27-24 OT home victory. They have secured a share of the Big 10 title and a Rose Bowl berth.

11. LSU (8-2)—Beat Louisiana Tech, 24-16. They trailed 13-10 at half. This is a good team, but I'm pretty confident they'd finish in the middle of the pack in the Pac-10. It kind of feels like LSU has sleepwalked through the season, particularly on the offensive side of the ball.

12. Stanford (7-3)— Shocked USC at home 55-21 in convincing fashion. Scored more points against USC than any team ever has. Two straight weeks, two straight upsets, and two straight victories over what many consider to be the two best teams in the Pac-10. Stanford just needs an Oregon loss and they control their BCS destiny.

13. Clemson (7-3)—Beat NC State 43-23. Has three losses by a combined 10 points. One came to No. 1 TCU, one came to No. 7 Georgia Tech (by three points on the road), and one (inexplicably) came to Maryland. But to me this is a top 15 caliber team, and they are worthy of this ranking. CJ Spiller should be a finalist for the Heisman.

14. Iowa (9-2)—Lost a thriller to Ohio State 27-24. With USC's loss, Iowa, with its rabid fanbase, is not in a bad position to get a BCS at-large berth.

15 . Oklahoma State (8-2)—Beat a solid Texas Tech team, 24-17. This team is not overrated, but the only two top 25-caliber teams they've played, they've lost to.

16. Wisconsin (8-2)— Beat Michigan 45-24. Oh how things have fallen apart for Michigan...but Wisconsin looks solid.

17. BYU (8-2)—Played some of their worst football of the season, escaping winless New Mexico with a 24-19 win on the road. But a win is a win. BYU has finished perfect on the road (6-0) in the regular season for the first time since their National Championship season in 1984.

18. Utah (8-2)—Lost to TCU 55-28. This is a solid team that tends to play down or up to their competition, but not today. They got demolished by TCU. TCU jumped out to a 35-7 lead early in the second quarter and never really looked back. Their other loss is 24-31 at Oregon (one of the best home teams in the entire country). One positive: 28 points is the most TCU has given up all season.

19. Houston (8-2)—Lost to UCF 37-32. Their luck finally ran out, and Case Keenum was unable to win in dramatic fashion. They still have a solid resume, having beaten Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, and Mississippi State in their non-conference schedule.

20. Penn State (8-2)—Beat Indiana 31-20. Their best victory of the season is against...Northwestern. They only have two losses, but have played one of the easier schedules in the entire country.

21. Rutgers (8-2)—Had a great victory on Thursday night against USF winning 31-0, knocking them out of the top 25.

22. Navy (8-3)— Beat Delaware 35-18. They have solid wins over Air Force and Notre Dame, and close losses at Pitt and at Ohio State.

23. USC (7-3)— Got crushed by Stanford at home 55-21. USC's recent run of Pac-10 titles looks like its over. So, why does USC have three losses this year? In my opinion, it is not because they are much that much worse, it is because the Pac-10 is that much better and deeper.

The Pac-10 might be the best conference (top-to-bottom) in college football. But this loss really is poring salt over an open wound, at least for USC fans. The only thing that kept them in the top 25 is their victory over Ohio State earlier this year.

24. North Carolina (7-3)—Upset Miami 33-24. They have quietly won three in a row, including wins over Miami, Virginia Tech, and Duke.

25. Miami (7-3)—Got upset by North Carolina 33-24. They remain in the top 25 because they have the most impressive victory of the entire college football season (up to this point): They beat Georgia Tech (Current No. 7) 31-17 clear back in week two.

Please post any comments below! Let me know what you think about these rankings.

What do you totally disagree with? Please let me know!

Here is a link to my rankings from last week.

Thanks for reading, everyone!

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