College FB Roundup: Let's Not Get Ahead of Ourselves

Heading into Week Four of the college football season, most programs are just gearing up for conference play.

Which maybe means we should hold off on crowning National Champions and Heisman winners for awhile.

Those who have won can still fall, and those who have fallen can still redeem themselves. Here's where things stand after three weeks...

What We Know

USC and LSU are both the real deal.

LSU's defense is all that and a bag of chips—if you don't think so, just ask Virginia Tech.

USC seems to keep getting better every year. Granted, their only test so far has been against Nebraska, but their stellar performance in a hostile environment was good enough to earn a No. 1 ranking.

What To Expect

Mark my words—the Big East schools will cancel each other out.

That's not a criticism. If anything, it's something to be proud of—considering that the Big East is the only conference that catches more flak than the Pac-10.

West Virginia, Louisville, Rutgers, and South Florida will all beat each other this year. The question here is which team can show up for every big game and avoid the letdown.

The SEC East may well have the same problem—Florida is the hands-down favorite, but don't be shocked if Georgia or South Carolina squeak out a close one against the Gators.

South Carolina may be the second-toughest road game on Florida's schedule after LSU.

Oklahoma is the Big 12 favorite right now—Sam Bradford and that running game have Sooner Nation forgetting all about Boise State.

That said, OU still has the Red River Shootout with Texas and a possible showdown with Nebraska in the Big 12 championship game on the horizon. That national title talk is a bit premature.

The Big Ten favorite has to be Ohio State—I say that on the strength of their victory over Washington.

While Wisconsin may be legit, I just don't see them being able to win games if the P.J. Hill show gets stopped. Penn State will only go as far as Anthony Morelli takes them.

Heismans, Surprises, and Busts...Oh My!

Michigan

I left them out of the Big Ten talk, because we don't know which Michigan we'll see week to week. Still, the future looks bright for the Wolverines.

With no more spread offenses to face the rest of the season, Michigan may very well regain its composure and win the conference.

Appalachian State

What a way to kick off the college football season! Every Ohio State fan in the world now has something else to throw in the face of the Wolverines. 

Brian Brohm

Before last Saturday, he was a lot of people's Heisman winner and most probable No. 1 in the upcoming NFL Draft. Now, he's not even considered the best quarterback in Kentucky (see the next guy).

Andre Woodson

Here's my Heisman sleeper. While he may not win, he'll definitely garner enough attention to get a trip to New York City in December.

Woodson took Brohm's No. 1 ranking on Scouts Inc.'s Best QB list this week. Amazing what one game can do.

Sam Bradford and DeMarco Murray

The next few years are going to be scary in the Big 12. These two freshman are going to break a lot of records in Norman.

Charlie Weis

Great offensive mind...CHECK. Great QB Recruiter...CHECK. Poor offensive lineman recruiter...CHECK.

DeSean Jackson

Why there's no mention of him in the Heisman race is beyond me. He's hands down the most exciting player in college football. Are we sure there isn't any relation between him and Devin Hester?

Tim Tebow

I heard the Tebow chants in the Swamp before he was even a Florida student. We like him because he's the anti-quarterback—no sliding or running out of bounds. Tebow is the perfect facilitator for Urban Meyer's offense...I'm just not ready to call him Heisman material. Yet.

Lloyd Carr

Is it me or has Mike Hart become the new coach of the Wolverines? It seems like Carr doesn't care anymore. Personally, I think he's still recovering from the death of Bo Schembechler...and his team is suffering for it.

Jake Locker

Is this kid for real? The things he can do with his feet are scary. Give him some more time to mature and we may see greatness.  

Nick Saban

Is there anyone more beloved in the state of Alabama? If you would have told me the Crimson Tide were going to be this good, this fast—I would have given you a raised eyebrow.

Just wait 'til his recruits start coming in.

Colt Brennan

The kid can flat out play. Too bad it's for Hawaii and most of us don't get to see the games.

Noel Devine

You gotta be seriously nasty if you're being called the most exciting player on a team that includes Steve Slaton and Pat White.

And finally...

Colt McCoy and Texas

Should we have seen this coming?

Who knows.

What's certain is that the Longhorns win the award for Most Overrated Team in the Top 10. Let's just hope it's a sophomore slump—and that things aren't as bad as they looked in the UCF game.