Our 2009 College Football mid-season awards are below. Agree? Disagree? Either way, leave a comment.
Heisman frontrunners:
1. Tim Tebow, QB, Florida
2. Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame
3. Colt McCoy, QB, Texas
4. Tony Pike, QB, Cincinnati
5. Todd Reesing, QB, Kansas
Best Coach: Chip Kelly, Oregon. The season was only a few hours old when it appeared LeGarrette Blount would tear the Oregon Ducks locker room apart and disrupt Kelly’s rookie coaching season. The Oregon head ball coach acted quickly and decisively booting Blount off the team and leading an us against the world charge. They’ve been outstanding since then, including a 42-3 tattooing of the then-undefeated Top 5 Cal Bears. If Kelly’s Ducks can take out USC they will get some serious consideration for the BCS National Championship game.
Best Game: Miami 38, Florida State 34. A dropped pass on the game’s final play vaulted Miami to victory and provided tremendous momentum for the season, which started with a 3-1 record, all against ranked teams. The ‘Canes seem to be on their way back and the schedule lines up perfectly for a run at a BCS at-large berth. That hasn’t happened since January, 2004.
Most Surprising Team: Alabama. After losing a ton of talent including their all everything OT Andre Smith and starting QB John Parker Wilson, most expected Alabama to be good, but not great. The truth is they’ve been better than great, mauling Virginia Tech in the opener and dismantling Ole Miss, who was ranked in the preseason Top 10. They have a week off before hosting LSU and barring a stunning turn of events, should return to the SEC Championship game undefeated with a chance to win it all in Pasadena.
Most Disappointing Team: Cal Bears. This was their season with Heisman frontrunner, RB Jahvid Best, returning. The schedule was challenging, but manageable with the conference favorite, USC, coming to Berkeley. The season is on life support and needs substantial improvement from the defense and QB Kevin Riley to keep from imploding any further.
Surprise of the season: The lack of a “true” Heisman favorite. With Tebow, McCoy and Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford all returning, it appeared to be a three-way duel for the award. Then Bradford was hurt, Tebow was good, but not great and McCoy has been unimpressive – at least in the media’s eyes. This year seems a lot like 2001, where Nebraska QB Eric Crouch won the award, more as a lifetime achievement than anything he did that season. If 2009 unfolds in the same manner, look for Florida QB Tim Tebow to hoist the award on December 12th.
Most Memorable Moment: “Tebow being Tebow.” After being knocked out of the game against Kentucky and suffering a concussion, Tebow returned and in one of his most memorable games, led the Gators to a 13-3 victory over LSU at Tiger Stadium in Death Valley.
Questions that were answered in the first half:
1. Will Florida State contend for the ACC Championship? Simply put, no. This season could end up being Bowden’s last.
2. Why does the Big East and ACC still receive automatic berths into the BCS? These conferences have been stout early on, with Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Miami, Cincinnati, Pitt, West Virginia and others all in contention at the halfway point.
3. Who is the most likely BCS buster (BYU, TCU, Boise State, etc.)? Houston jumped to the front of the pack on the season’s second weekend after defeating Oklahoma State in Stillwater. But the cream always rises to the top eventually and with the pair of Cougars (Houston & BYU) falling by the wayside, Boise State and TCU look to be leading the way. Barring a late-season upset (which nearly happened Wednesday night), look for Boise to reach the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl and “bust” the BCS yet again.
4. What will Lane Kiffin do next? He’s certainly not stayed completely away from controversy, but the Vols appear to be on the right track especially in light of last weekend’s 45-19 destruction of Georgia. He went on to promise his players they would never lose again to Georgia as long as he was there. In the 1990s, the SEC was all about Tennessee and Florida in the SEC East with Georgia not reaching the title game until the game’s 11th year. Clearly, Kiffin wants history to repeat itself.
Questions that still need answers:
1. How good is Notre Dame (and Charlie Weis)?
2. Will two undefeated SEC teams play a “national semifinal” in the SEC Championship game?
3. Can a one loss team get into the National Championship (Oregon, Virginia Tech, USC, etc.) or will two undefeated squads play for it all?
What questions do you have about the season’s second act? Please leave them in the questions below.