Best of 2007: College Football Award-Winners

The college football season is drawing to a close, and the plot twists keep on coming.

If there is a sports god with a sense of humor, we found him after the barrage of insults and trash talking that happened during the voting of the Best of 2007.

So with that being said, here’s the winners (and losers) of the season:

Best College Football Team of 2007 (First Half): Boise State Broncos

For starters, I am shocked at this one. But then again, I’m not.

The last undefeated team entering the 2007 bowl season, the Broncos weren’t complaining about not playing for the national championship (sorry, Lloyd). There weren’t that many people who gave them a chance against the powerhouse known as Oklahoma, and even after the game was over, many were still calling it a fluke.

But at that moment, there was no better feeling than knowing that Oklahoma was vulnerable that night. With Joel Zabransky running the offense, Boise State pulled what is now being called the Statue of Boise play to win the game in OT over the Sooners.

Ian Johnson scored the winning touchdown and proposed to his cheerleader girlfriend following the play. Now that’s a nice finish. But I wonder what would have happened if Boise State lost and/or if she had said no?

Runner Up: Florida
 

Best Football Team of 2007 (Second Half): Deadlock

There were four teams that finished tied for this award. So, all four of them have earned this prestigious honor…for now.

Hawaii won this one, even though their mission wasn’t completed. Ironic that the WAC conference has bore the last two undefeated teams at the end of the regular season. Colt Brennan didn’t get his Heisman, and the Warriors didn’t get their National Championship. That’s gotta suck.

Oklahoma pulled a fast one by beating Missouri in the Big XII title game, but didn’t get enough rep afterwards to meet Ohio State for the title. Led by a tough Sam Bradford, the Sooners clinched another conference crown, but Bradford didn’t get the nod from the Heisman voters and his Sooners didn’t get the nod from that stupid computer.

Missouri, led by Chase Daniel, put up a fight for the Super College Bowl, but lost to Oklahoma in the game that mattered. In fairness, they did beat up on Arkansas, led by Tony Temple’s historic day at the Cotton Bowl. FYI, that game is better to be seen in person. It was fantastic!

Last but not least, we have LSU. We had a lot of people pulling for the Tigers for Best Team. I can’t deny that the fan base is off the chain, but unfortunately, like the infamous USC-Oklahoma screw job of 2004, LSU has to share this honor. Matt Flynn did all he could to keep the Tigers at the top of the food chain, but their biggest dinner will come on Monday night if they beat Todd Boeckman and the Ohio State Buckeyes.
 

2007 Best Player of Year (First Half): Jarvis Moss, Florida and Ian Johnson, Boise State

Ian Johnson earns this award for his outstanding play during the Broncos' Cinderella season, and for pulling off arguably the biggest upset in bowl history back in January of ’07. Johnson carried a majority of the workload for the Broncos during that Fiesta Bowl win, and he can smile knowing that he will most likely be a first-round draft pick.

As for Moss—well, that one’s easy. Remember that guy who lost his helmet and still managed to get to Troy Smith in the Super College Bowl last year? That was Moss. Moss cleaned house like there was no tomorrow, and led by that stingy defense, Florida won their second national championship in school history en route to making history with the basketball team.

Runner Up: Chris Leak, Florida
 

2007 Player of the Year (Second Half): Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech

This was a unanimous decision by the gallery. After counting all the votes, it was a Freshman that made history this time around. Michael Crabtree was a dominate reason of why the Red Raiders were bowl bound. With Owens-like routes and Moss-like catches, Crabtree quickly became a force to be reckoned with in the Big XII. Did I mention he is only a freshman? Not only did he make a lot of noise on the field, M.C. also made noise with the Heisman candidates as he was at one point a consideration to be one of the finalists. So even though the Raiders didn’t win the conference, and Crabtree didn’t get the Heisman, he gets this prestigious honor and shows that in a game of pretenders, there are still contenders. Expect him to hold up the Heisman before he jumps to the NFL.

Runners Up: Darren McFadden, Arkansas; Chase Daniel, Missouri; Mike Hart, Michigan
 

2007 Biggest Upset (First Half): Florida Stuns the Buckeyes

In a game that no one expected them to win, the Florida Gators were the big show. In the course of the regular season, Urban Meyer had done what he has done before: make contenders out of pretenders. But no one gave them a chance to even win this one. With Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith and return threat Ted Ginn, Jr. leading them, the Buckeyes were sure to win this one.

Problem is, someone forgot to tell Florida that.

After Ginn broke another return record and gave the Buckeyes their first touchdown of the game, he almost broke his leg, and never returned. But it didn’t matter much, because the Gators established dominance early and never looked back. After Leak took care of the hard part, it was up to Tim Tebow to finish it off.

In the end, there was no doubt who the best team in football was that day, as the Gators went on to win the game and make some history in the process.

Runner Up: Boise State “Tricks” Oklahoma
 

2007 Biggest Upset (Second Half): Pitt Shakes the Coaching Foundation

After Lloyd Carr announced his retirement, things got even more bizarre in college football. For starters, Les Miles used reporters as his own personal butt-chewing bags prior to the SEC Championship Game. Then, Rich Rodriguez prepares for the biggest game of his career against a mediocre Pitt team.

When the smoke cleared on that Saturday night in December, Miles was sticking his tongue out at the naysayers (including me) while Rich was left holding his head in his hands, as his Mountaineers had left their offense and defense back in Morgantown.

But to make things even more confusing, Rodriguez was then announced as the new coach of the Michigan Wolverines, a move that no one saw coming—not even Les Miles.

So as West Virginia prepares for Oklahoma, and LSU gets ready for Ohio State, people are left wondering one simple question: Is Dave Wannstedt that much of an X-Factor or was all the hype about these two individuals a shameless plot by the BCS to get ratings? In any event, I guess everyone got what they wanted…I guess.

Runner Up: Appalachian State “Blocks” Michigan
 

2007 Coaches of the Year (First Half): Chris Peterson, Boise State and Urban Meyer, Florida

This was another unanimous decision that everyone seemed to agree on.  Both coaches earned these honors for obvious reasons. With J-Z and Big Ian leading the charge, Peterson’s Broncos performed a miracle of their own by beating Oklahoma to claim the Fiesta Bowl.

In contrast, Urban Meyer, who is known for being a second-year phenomenon, took the Gators to the top, campaigned for his team’s bid into the Show, and didn’t make the voters regret it. Meyer’s Gators won the BCS Championship in only his second season as coach at Florida. Truthfully, I’m shocked that there wasn’t a single Big Ten coach voted in. But then again, I’m still biased, so I’m impressed with the result.
 

2007 Coaches of the Year (2nd Half): Les Miles, LSU and Sylvester Croom, Miss State

The SEC takes this honor all the way. Miles has the Tigers playing for the national championship, while Croom not only led the Bulldogs to their first winning season in god-knows-how long, they actually won their bowl game as well.

Despite my animosity toward the LSU Tigers, their coach has shown that he is a genius disguised as a lunatic. From the crazy plays to the crazy endings and crazy antics, Miles has proven that the SEC is just as dominant now as it was at the end of the 20th Century.

Any objections to Croom being one of the recipients? Tough, because I’m sticking with them as our winners.

Runner Up: Mark Mangino and Jim Tressel
 

2007 Belly Flop (First Half): Ohio State Buckeyes

When you think about a belly flop, you think of something that could hurt. No one did it better than Ohio State. They went the whole season almost flawlessly—except in the game that mattered. Likewise, Troy Smith played phenomenal all season, except for the game that mattered. Ted Ginn, Jr. was the next big thing for the NFL, except in that game.

All of these reasons have earned Ohio State the Belly Flop award for 2007. Sorry Buckeyes, but if you lose against LSU, you might be earning it again—then again, if you beat them, we might even apologize. But I wouldn’t expect an apologetic letter in the mail anytime soon, Jim.

Runner Up: Michigan
 

2007 Belly Flop (Second Half): Cal Golden Bears

The Bears were anything but golden this year. They had a shot at the national championship multiple times, and didn’t capitalize on any of the opportunities they were given. To top it all off, it was a unanimous decision to place Cal in this position.

The Bears went from underdogs to contenders to jokes. Costly mistakes led to the Bears being stuck in the cold Colorado snow, while Ohio State and LSU capitalized on their mistakes. Cal had a chance at the Pac 10 title, but handed it to USC and Arizona State. Nice one, Cal. You choked on the apple core this time. No one to blame but yourself.

Runner Up: West Virginia and Florida
 

2007 Best Crowd Participation (First Half): The Swamp

The Gator Nation is always the most dangerous place to play on every NCAA video game. That won’t change at this moment. Despite ending this season on a bad note, Florida can be happy knowing that their school made history this year.

Every single time the College Gameday guys go to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, it’s an experience like no other. However, last year was even more special as the Gators came home with one of their two national championships from 2007. The Swamp reigns supreme for this tenure, but there’s always someone waiting to overtake them. Speaking of which...

Runner up: Boise State
 

2007 Best Crowd Participation (Second Half): Death Valley

The SEC claims another crown, as LSU’s Death Valley receives the second-half Participation award. Teams that have gone through Baton Rouge this season have come out on the short end of the stick. The two biggest teams to leave that way were obviously Auburn and Florida.

The Tigers were undefeated up until the shocker against Arkansas, and even after that, they were untamed by the loss. Going through Death Valley is a bad thing. Going through their second home in New Orleans is worse. Just a quick heads up, Ohio State. LSU will have home field advantage in the Super College Bowl. They call the Superdome “Death Valley, Jr.” for a reason.

Runners Up: Florida; Ohio State; Michigan
 

The “Real” 2007 Heisman Trophy Winner: Tim Tebow, Florida

I put this question up mainly because not everyone was happy with the decision made in New York. Problem is that none of the other candidates listed were selected either. Brennan didn’t make the cut, and neither did Darren McFadden. People only thought of two guys for the prize: Tebow and Dennis Dixon. By popular demand, the leader of the Gators claims the trophy in this mock ballot as well.

The hype was true, and the stats proved that. Even in the loss to Michigan, Tebow took care of his end of the deal. Besides, everyone loves nailbiters. No better way to go out than knowing that at least you’ll be back, and a majority of Michigan’s team will not—including Lloyd Carr.

Runners Up: Dennis Dixon, Oregon; Tony Temple, Missouri
 

The “Real” 2007 National Champions: None (Decided by Playoffs)

That is not a typo. No one really had a legitimate winner. So instead of picking several, I decided to pick none.

The playoff system has worked in the NFL, and it’s more effective than letting a computer think like a human. But to be fair, here’s the final three teams picked by the populace to receive the honor: Oklahoma, West Virginia, and (I think) LSU.

One ballot just had a question mark and the guy wrote—and I quote—"Um, January 7th dude." Obviously, he couldn’t answer that question either. So the playoff vote was the best option.

Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if they decided to add this in their list of "things to do in the offseason before we die" list. But since there was no clear cut winner, this is the only option left. Put the BCS teams in a playoff bracket and let them duke it out for the right to play in the Super College Bowl.
 

Those are your winners. Thanks again to everyone who voted. Enjoy the title game. I’m going to prepare for the NFL playoffs.