College Football Roundup: Contenders and Pretenders Throughout the Nation
Entering the eighth week of the college football season, the resounding theme thus far has been chaos. Through five weeks, Denard Robinson was the clear favorite in the race for the Heisman Trophy. After two poor performances, he has seen his name all but vanish from the discussion, leaving the race wide open.
Similarly, two top teams have fallen from the top of the rankings in the past two weeks. Alabama was soundly defeated by South Carolina, and Wisconsin defeated Ohio State, making full use of their home-field advantage. What can be made from these observations is that college football fans should not even think about titles like the Heisman Trophy and the BCS Championship; however, now at the halfway point of the season, certain teams and student-athletes can be given the title of contender or pretender.
Honorable Mentions
1 of 6
Missouri: The Tigers are currently 6-0. They are led by Blaine Gabbert, an elite quarterback. If they can somehow defeat Oklahoma and Nebraska in the two upcoming weeks, they will climb up the rankings rapidly. Verdict: Contender
Baylor: The Bears have a fine record of 5-2, but no victories have been against strong teams. Their two challenging games resulted in losses; an embarrassing 45-10 defeat to TCU, and a 45-38 loss to Texas Tech. The majority of their remaining games are against ranked opponents. The future looks bleak. Verdict: Pretenders.
Vai Taua and Colin Kaepernick: The two Nevada Wolf Pack players have combined for over 1,500 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns. They could make noise come bowl season, and they face Boise State late in the season. They could play spoiler. Verdict: Contender.
Arizona: The Wildcats only have a single impressive victory, defeating Iowa 34-27. They have since lost to Oregon State, and had no other victories of meaning. They have yet to face Stanford or Oregon, the elite of the Pac-10. Verdict: Pretenders.
Denard Robinson
2 of 6
After five weeks of play, Michigan's sophomore signal-caller Denard Robinson was the clear front-runner in the race for the Heisman Trophy. Completing 70% of his passes with a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 7 to 1, Robinson's stellar play had led Michigan to a 5-0 record. He was mainly getting the job done on the ground, with a nation-leading 905 rushing yards, along with 8 touchdowns. What happened? Michigan played two ranked conference foes in Michigan State and Iowa, and was defeated soundly by both. Robinson looked much more human in these two defeats, throwing 4 interceptions to just 2 touchdowns, and only racked up 191 rushing yards and 1 touchdown. What he did in the beginning of the season against inferior competition was great from a statistical standpoint, and his bandwagon was filled to capacity. When he played two tough defenses, however, he started to look like a skinny sophomore who had the ability to make the occasional great play, but faced many difficulties. It is only his first year as a starter, and there is no doubt that he has the ability to be an outstanding player. It was a bit premature to give him the Heisman Trophy before conference play even started. With games against Wisconsin and Ohio State at the end of the season, Robinson will have the opportunities to regain respect; that is, if his frail 193 pound frame can last up to that point.
Verdict: Pretender
Cameron Newton
3 of 6
Cameron Newton was dubbed the "Denard Robinson of the South" earlier this season. Now, he might find that opinion to be insulting. Newton, the undisputed leader of the Auburn Tigers, has led them to a 7-0 record, including a 4-0 record in what is widely considered to be the best conference in all of college football, the SEC. Among those conference wins are victories against South Carolina and Arkansas. Newton has been a very effective quarterback playing at the top level of college football, and is a very different player than Robinson. For starters, he is stands 6 feet and 6 inches tall, and weighs in at 250 pounds; a build similar to that of Vince Young. Along with the physical intangibles, Newton is a much better passer than Robinson. As a matter of fact, he is a much better passer than the vast majority of the quarterbacks in the nation, with a passer rating of 180.5, only behind that of Kellen Moore (more on him later). He is equally as much a threat on the ground, with 860 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns on the season. His stats on the season resemble those of Tim Tebow during his 2007 Heisman season. Through 7 games, Tebow had a slightly lower passer rating than Newton and 578 rushing yards. Looks like Newton might even have the edge. Wins, of course, are what really matter. Auburn's record through 7 games: 7-0; Florida's: 5-2. Hold it right there! Did Tim Tebow really have 2 losses through his first 7 games during his Heisman season? Indeed he did. Florida actually finished the season with 4 losses, but Tebow was awarded the Heisman Trophy at the end of the season. So if Newton's stats are slightly better than Tebow's stats, and his team has a better record than Tebow's team had, how can he not be the Heisman winner? Quite simply, if Auburn ends the season undefeated, he will have the Heisman Trophy without a doubt. The Tebow argument gives Newton some leeway, and even if he suffers a tough SEC loss here and there, his Heisman candidacy will not necessarily be jeopardized. No matter how you look at it, his team is undefeated with impressive wins, and his play has been superb. Newton can rack up a lot of hardware when the season is all said and done.
Verdict: Contender
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Miami (Florida)
4 of 6
The Miami Hurricanes entered the season with high expectations. With a signature victory against Ohio State, Miami could have championship aspirations. In their week two meeting, they were defeated soundly by the Buckeyes, and they were embarrassed by instate rival Florida State three weeks later, suffering a 45-17 loss. These two games were likely Miami's only chance to prove their ability, and they did not succeed. Playing in the lowly ACC does not help their cause either. The games remaining on Miami's schedule are not very imposing, with one ranked opponent (#25 Virginia Tech). Quarterback Jacory Harris entered the season as a Heisman-hopeful, but has only completed 52% of his passes, with a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 11 to 9. None of the teams they have defeated currently have a winning record. This season could have been one of great success in Coral Gables, but instead, it has turned out to be largely disappointing.
Verdict: Pretender
Michigan State
5 of 6
Michigan State entered the 2010 season unranked, and expectations weren't very high for the program that has been overshadowed by the success and history of the Michigan Wolverines. The Spartans, however, have exceeded all expectations, and currently sit at 7-0. This squad has a very impressive resumé, with a signature victory (see fake field goal against Notre Dame), a veteran quarterback in Kirk Cousins, and a two-headed monster in the backfield, composed of Edwin Baker and Le'Veon Bell. Their defense is stout, allowing less than 17 points a contest. Even their special teams has had extreme success, with kicker Dan Conroy converting on all 28 attempted extra points and all 13 attempted field goals. The Spartans will travel to Iowa to take on the Hawkeyes in their ninth game of the season, but aside from that game, they will be the favorites in every other contest. If they can escape Iowa City with a victory, there is a good chance that they will finish the season undefeated, and possibly be playing for the National Championship if other top-ranked teams start dropping.
Verdict: Contender
Boise State and Kellen Moore
6 of 6
This is the season the the BCS-busters. Boise State, along with TCU and Utah remain undefeated. Boise State started the season with a signature game against Virginia Tech. The Broncos ended up on top, winning by a score of 33-30. That victory was celebrated for less than a week, because Virginia Tech lost to James Madison of the FCS. Virginia Tech's legitimacy was questioned, and Boise's signature win was in jeopardy. Since that loss to James Madison, the Hokies have gone 5-0, defeating opponents by an average margin of victory of 21.4 points. Just because Virginia Tech was defeated by an opponent playing at a lower tier of football does not mean that they are not a good football team. Boise's win should still have a lot of significance. With that being said, Boise has proven by their own play that they belong to be among the nation's best. They defeated Oregon State, a ranked team from the Pac-10 by 13 points. They have been unbelievably dominant against "inferior" competition, with an average margin of victory of nearly 49 points. (That number really is a 49, your eyes are not playing any tricks). The Broncos have great depth in their roster, with a talented backfield, and outstanding wide-receivers. There is one individual on Boise State's roster who does stand out more than the rest. That individual is quarterback Kellen Moore.
Kellen Moore, the junior signal-caller, has been nothing short of brilliant this season. Coming off a 2009 campaign in which he had a passer rating of over 160, and a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 39 to 3, Moore had little room to improve. ... Right? Wrong! His passer rating is currently above 190, and has thrown 16 touchdowns and only 1 interception. Yes, he does stand at only 6 feet tall, and only weights 187 pounds, but success in college is certainly not based on NFL potential. Jay Cutler had a record of 11-35 at Vanderbilt, but was drafted in the first round of the NFL draft. Troy Smith, on the contrary, was awarded the Heisman Trophy and led Ohio State to the BCS National Championship Game in 2007, but has seen little action in the NFL after getting drafted in the fifth round. It doesn't matter what Kellen Moore will do in the future; what matters is the success he is having now. As long as Boise State wins out the remainder of its games, and he continues his stellar play, Moore should be the Heisman Trophy winner playing in the BCS National Championship Game. There will always be doubters, but until the Broncos and Moore falter, I will praise them both.
Verdict: Contenders
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