Fourth and inches …

By T Erickson  |   Wednesday, August 29, 2007  |  Comments( 14 )

College Football
Got something to say?

Log In above and share your thoughts on this topic with other fans!

Will the Gators repeat?... Sorry, Gainesville, you'll have to settle for your repeat in hoops 'cause it ain't gonna happen on the gridiron this season. So, who will ascend to the throne of college football in 2007? The smart money says USC or LSU. Given the experience and depth in both programs right now, I would have to agree. Keep in mind these five top challengers as the season progresses: Wisconsin, Michigan, West Virginia, Texas, and Louisville.

►Let's get real about the Heisman Trophy ... Everybody's preseason list this year includes Hawaii's Colt Brennan; Brian Brohm (Louisville); Darren McFadden (Arkansas); Steve Slaton and Pat White (West Virginia); John David Booty (USC); and another Colt, the McCoy kid (Texas). My dark-horse candidate is Nebraska's senior gunslinger, Sam Keller. Brennan will put up unreal numbers against a patsy schedule (third-worst strength of schedule in Division I-A), obliterating virtually every existing NCAA D-IA passing record that he doesn't already hold along the way.

Can Brennan truly be considered Heisman-worthy if Hawaii goes undefeated and lands in a New Year's Day bowl? I have serious reservations and it's not because of Hawaii's weak schedule. Is it right to place college football's highest individual award into the hands of a convicted felon who is still on probation for crimes he committed just three years ago at the University of Colorado? By all means, flame away with your own take.

For those of you who might have forgotten, as a redshirt freshman at Colorado, Brennan was accused of entering a female student's dorm room while intoxicated and fondling her. He was eventually found not guilty of indecent exposure and criminal intent to commit sexual assault, but he was convicted on felony counts of second-degree burglary and first-degree criminal trespass. He received a sentence of seven days in jail, 60 hours of community service, and four years of probation, which is still in effect until sometime in 2008.

►More on Brennan and Hawaii's weak schedule... Don't blame Brennan for having to face patsy opponents like Division I-AA Northern Colorado and Charleston Southern. It's not his fault. The NCAA should not allow individual statistics against D-IAA opponents in the official record book. That would help keep stat-happy coaches like June Jones from padding their players' stats against lower division teams. Watch for Jones to wait until midway through the fourth quarter before he calls the dogs off. Figure a minimum of 12 TD passes for Brennan in those two games alone, and another 12 against Idaho and Utah State. Call it pinball machine pigskin.

►Delay the Heisman voting ... The Heisman voting shouldn't take place until after the bowl games. Remember when the electrifying Reggie Bush choked in the 2006 Rose Bowl Game? How could anyone not have voted for Vince Young after his brilliant, clutch performance against USC in that national championship battle?

►Speaking of statistics, can the NCAA get their act together? ... They need to go back and include postseason stats for individuals as far back as the record books will allow. Either that, or don't include postseason stats for anyone. It's ridiculous that bowl game statistics prior to 1992 are not included. What gives? One example: BYU's Ty Detmer should have something like seven more TD passes and 1,175 extra yards added to his career stats if his bowl game performances were included. He still holds the NCAA bowl record for total offense with 594 yards (576 passing) against Penn State in the 1989 Holiday Bowl.

►More Detmer... This Saturday in its home opener against the Arizona Wildcats, BYU will officially retire jersey No. 14, which was worn by All-America QBs Ty Detmer (1988-1991) and Gifford Nielsen (1975-1977). Both of these former Cougars have previously been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

QUICK HITS

► Worst name change ... D-IA is now supposed to be called the "Football Bowl Subdivision" or "FBS." Never mind what they are calling D-IAA. Until further notice, I'm sticking with the traditional terms we are all familiar with for both divisions. Who came up with this idiotic change anyway?

►Biggest impact rule change ... Moving the point of the kickoffs back to the 30-yard line will result in two major increases this year: kick-offs returned for touchdowns and injuries. Longer gains but more pain.

►Coaches on the hottest seats ... Arizona's Mike Stoops, Virginia's Al Groh, and Mississippi State's Sylvester Croom.

►Potential BCS Busters ... Hawaii, TCU, BYU, and Boise State.

►Highest-rated academic conference in D-IA? ... Based on the most recent US News & World Report regarding the nation's top universities, the Big Ten Conference placed all 11 of their schools in the Top 75. The ACC placed all 12 of their schools in the top 85, with the exception of Florida State (#112). The average ranking for ACC schools was #50 and for the Big Ten the average ranking was #51.

►Commish on the hot seat? ... Craig Thompson, Mountain West Conference. The MWC has some great teams that can rarely be seen outside of a tiny 1.2-million home footprint because of a hair-brained deal Thompson negotiated with CSTV. CSTV then created "the Mtn." channel and spun off controlling interest to Comcast. The suits at Comcast can't/won't strike a distribution deal with DISH or DirecTV and worse yet, they won't even carry the channel on their own regional systems around the country. Tens of thousands of irate fans across the country are calling for heads to roll and the school presidents have hired an outside attorney to get the situation resolved.

►Conference that might not exist this time next year? ... Yep, you got it. The Mountain West Conference school presidents, ADs, and fans are fed up with the farce of a TV deal they got saddled with, and one of their outs after this season might be to dissolve the MWC and reform under a new conference banner--with a new commish, of course.

►Best 2007 Preview magazine ... Phil Steele's mags are tops across the board. No contest.

►The sports information staff that outshines the rest ... Notre Dame. Friendly and efficient--always first with their media guides in the mail, sometimes weeks ahead of the rest.

►Best behind-the-scenes duo ... Dave and Kristen Ablauf at Michigan. Dave runs football media relations for Bruce Madej, and his wife, Kristen, heads up the university's successful licensing operation.

►Savviest early season scheduling ... USC will vandalize Idaho this Saturday, and then the Trojans will have a bye week to get ready for Nebraska on the road.

►One game I'd love to see on the schedule this year ... Stanford at Michigan. Jim Harbaugh, Stanford's new head coach and a former All-America QB at Michigan, popped off about his alma mater's academic integrity over the summer, setting off a firestorm of fan hate toward their former hero. Would Harbaugh have made those comments if Bo Schembechler was still alive?

►Quickest fall from grace ... University of Florida president Bernie Machen began campaigning for a college football playoff last year even before the Gators won the title. His proposal was shot down without any fanfare by his conference colleagues in late May at the SEC Spring Meeting.

►Quick Snap ... presented by the 83rd East West Shrine Game, Jan. 19, 2008 in Houston on ESPN:

Why doesn't the NCAA recognize the individual postseason statistics for players prior to 1992 in the record books?

Be quick and be correct. Send your answer to quicksnap@realfootball365.com. The first email received with the correct answer wins you a limited edition two-card set of 2007 Rose Bowl Game trading cards. The winner will be announced in next week's Fourth and inches...

►Upset Specials of the Week ... Wyoming Cowboys over Virginia Cavaliers ... Toledo Rockets over Purdue Boilermakers ... Utah Utes over Oregon State Beavers ... Central Michigan Chippewas over Kansas Jayhawks ...

►Best Games of Week 1 ... Tennessee Volunteers at California Golden Bears ... Arizona Wildcats at BYU Cougars ... Colorado State Rams at Colorado Buffaloes ... Utah Utes at Oregon State Beavers ... Marshall Thundering Herd at Miami Hurricanes ... Houston Cougars at Oregon Ducks ... Washington State Cougars at Wisconsin Badgers ... Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Notre Dame Fighting Irish ... Oklahoma State Cowboys at Georgia Bulldogs ... Kansas State Wildcats at Auburn Tigers ... Purdue Boilermakers at Toledo Rockets ... Florida State Seminoles at Clemson Tigers.

Todd Erickson is a member of the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and the author of Road to the Rose Bowl (Silverback, 2005) the definitive book on the last 50 years of match-ups and tradition in the Rose Bowl Game.

Get more original college football insights at Realfootball365.com
Got something to say?

Log In above and share your thoughts on this topic with other fans! (14)

About T Erickson

Sorry, T Erickson's bio is currently not available. Please check back soon!
read more
Article Tools Share!   |  RSS  |  Bleacher Report About Bleacher Report
CommentsComments: 14  |  Sign Up  View all comments
Avatar
No.1
Alex Guzman		07:54 AM
08/29/2007
Nice article, Todd. FYI, Div. I-AA is now the Football Championship Subdivision or FCS...This is a horrible decision, motivated...
No.2
#1 Warriors Fan		07:56 AM
08/29/2007
Brennan is the best QB in college football history. His past mistakes are just that. He's 24 going on 25 now and he's matured on...
No.3
Marc H.		08:02 AM
08/29/2007
Todd, I agree on the Heisman front - it should be after the bowl games are over. Also remember how Florida's defense cold-stopped...
Team News  |  View All College Football Content
Last Chance
Now a lot of scouts have been dreaming of Andrew Luck, but there shoul...
1 month, 2 weeks ago   |   Last Chance ( 1 )
Betting the BCS Championship...
BCS championship pick
1 year, 1 month ago   |   Betting the BCS Championship Game ( 1 )
The Perfect Storm
The Miami Hurricanes came into Pittsburgh to prove once again that the...
1 year, 4 months ago   |   The Perfect Storm ( 0 )
What Did You Expect? The 201...
2006. National Championship. Senior starting QB. 2007. Loss against...
1 year, 4 months ago   |   What Did You Expect? The 2010 Florida Gators ( 0 )
Brantley And The Gators Look...
The way the Florida Gators started the 2010 NCAA Season didn’t impress...
1 year, 4 months ago   |   Brantley And The Gators Look To Improve On Past Mistakes ( 0 )