By Mark Walters
I was watching College Football Live on ESPN the other night, and as the analysts talked, the bottom of the screen headline read: “Big 12 a competitive conference.” In other news, New York is a big city.
Now I know I was on the SEC bandwagon earlier this season, but the Big 12 is on its way to the top of the BCS conference pile, and with a vengeance. Texas stuck with its running game to knock of the top-ranked Oklahoma Sooners in one of the best Red River Rivalry games ever, and Oklahoma State picked off Chase Daniel three times in the second half to knock off the Tigers, now 11th and facing Texas this weekend.
In the once thought to be omnipotent SEC, Florida beat LSU in the swamp, Vanderbilt finally lost to Mississippi State, Tennessee fell to 0-3 in the conference after losing to Georgia, and Auburn lost to a .500 Arkansas team. Auburn was ranked as high as 9th this year. The Tigers fired offensive coordinator Tony Franklin. Al Davis anyone?
In the argument of the SEC vs. the Big 12, some say that the Big 12 does not see the type of high-powered defenses that are in the SEC, and that’s why it has such high-flying offenses. I disagree with that. Looking at Auburn’s 3-2 victory over Mississippi State, it’s easy to tell the offenses are anemic.
Contrarily, four of the top five teams in scoring offense in the NCAA Division I-A are from the Big 12. The SEC has four teams in the bottom 97 of the nation. That’s out of 120. Sorting through the national statistical leaders, Big 12 teams are scattered throughout the top 10 nationally in yards per game, passing yards, et al.
Speaking about passing yards, how about the quarterbacks of the Big 12? Chase Daniel for Missouri, Colt McCoy for Texas, Sam Bradford of Oklahoma, Zac Robinson of Oklahoma State, the list goes on.
Let it be known, the winner of this year’s Heisman Trophy will be a quarterback. While I can’t guarantee this next bold statement, I’ll make it anyway: The Heisman winner will in all likelihood hail from the Big 12.
Daniel took a hit this week with his picks against Oklahoma State, making Colt McCoy the trendy favorite at about the halfway point of the season. I could go on and on about who I think will win it, but I’d rather not.
Instead, I’d much rather dedicate the rest of this week’s column to my list of players that should be considered for the Heisman but inevitably won’t be due to circumstances beyond their control.
Leading off is Michigan State running back Javon Ringer, who leads the nation in rushing yards with 1,112 and points with 84. He has 14 rushing touchdowns, the most of any running back in the nation, and if that doesn’t make him underrated enough, he has yet to fumble the ball on all of his 246 carries. Not bad for a back that plays in the defensively physical Big Ten.
Next up is Penn State quarterback Daryll Clark. His 160.5 QB rating is 11th nationally and he has thrown fewer interceptions all season than Chase Daniel did in one game, but what I like most about Clark is the way he carries himself. Instead of being a Zack Mills or Anthony Morelli for the Nittany Lions, he’s playing more like a Michael Robinson or Kerry Collins. He’s brought his team from the 20’s to 3rd in this week’s AP Poll, and for those of you who say he’s played soft competition, Clark hasd his best games thus far on the road against Wisconsin, throwing for 244 yards and a touchdown while rushing for two.
The next one is more like two, but allow me to explain. Southern Methodist is 1-6, but they have two gem wide receivers in Emmanual Sanders and Aldrick Robinson. The two have combined for 14 touchdowns. Sanders has 744 yards on 51 catches, Robinson 723 on 38. I think what impressed me most about these two no-names is that they’re on the same team and sharing the ball so well. Hats off to Mustangs’ QB Bo Levi Mitchell, who has also thrown 16 interceptions, for sharing the ball with such talented athletes.
Looking at defense, Minnesota DE Willie VanDeSteeg is a player worth noticing. He has 22 solo tackles, 11 tackles for a loss for a total of 59 yards. What caught my eye though was his game against Illinois last week. The senior had three sacks, a forced fumble, and a key pass breakup to help down the Illini.
As for the games this week, Penn State hosts Michigan, a team that has been a curse for Paterno’s squad, having beaten the Lions the last nine times they’ve met. It ends this year. Go Blue just lost to Toledo, and for the first time in a long time looks iffy to even make a bowl game.
Michigan State hosts Ohio State, and I’m gonna go ahead and say Sparty takes this one in a changing-of-the-guard year in the Big Ten. Speaking of that, why not 22 Vanderbilt over 10 Georgia? Knowshon Moreno and Matthew Stafford, that’s why not.
The Big 12 gets sticky as top-ranked Texas hosts No. 11 Missouri and No. 16 Kansas heads to Norman to take on No. 4 Oklahoma. Sooners and Horns fellas, Sooners and Horns. Speaking of which, it’s a damn shame they’re both in the south division of the Big 12, preventing a Red River Shootout in the Big 12 Championship game.
Upset alerts go to 13 LSU, who travels to South Carolina; 17 Virginia Tech, who plays Boston College, and 2 Alabama, who hosts Mississippi-hey, they beat Florida.
If only it were a basketball game? A bunch. How bout Indiana at Illinois, Stanford at UCLA, or Wake Forest at Maryland? Additionally, Miami (FL) at Duke. PS-The Dukies lost to Miami this past winter for the first time in 45 years.