University of Cincinnati wide receiver Mardy Gilyard is one of the most explosive players in this year’s draft class. The wide receiver and kick returner was named to the All-Big East first-team in 2008 and 2009. He was also the conference Special Teams Player of the Year in both seasons.

This season the wideout tallied 87 catches for 1,191 yards and 11 touchdowns. Gilyard added three scores on kick and punt returns.

With character being a focus of NFL scouts and team executives over the past few seasons, Gilyard made an admirable decision at this week’s Senior Bowl practices. He disclosed some information about his past and he took full responsibility for his mistakes.

“Character’s a big issue, so I tell them straight-up,” Gilyard said. “I was arrested in high school for possession of marijuana and attempt to distribute. I didn’t have no problem telling (them) that.

“Everybody goes through mistakes, everybody has their downfalls, pretty much everyone has something that they’re not proud of,” Gilyard said. “And that’s one of the things I’m not proud of. So it’s pretty good (moving forward).”

Gilyard has been inconsistent at times throughout the week. He was plagued with drops and he measured slightly smaller than anticipated. The former Bearcat is still considered a fringe first-round pick and could secure his first-round status with an impressive showing in tomorrow afternoon’s all-star game.

Left to right: Dan LeFevour (C. Michigan), Tony Pike (Cincinnati), Sean Canfield (Oregon St.)

lt was announced today that Oregon State’s Sean Canfield, Central Michigan’s Dan LeFevour and Cincinnati’s Tony Pike have all accepted invitations to quarterback the North team during the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama.

“These three outstanding quarterbacks have certainly proved that they belong in the Senior Bowl,” Senior Bowl President and CEO Steve Hale said. “All three put together impressive careers and we are looking forward to watching them compete here later this month in front of the entire National Football League.”

In an official press release, the Senior Bowl showcased some of the three signal callers accomplishments.

Canfield earned first team All-Pac-10 honors his senior season after throwing for 3,271 yards and 21 touchdowns. His 251.6 passing yards per game was tops in the Pac-10 and he ranked second in the league in passing efficiency at 141.9. He led the Beavers to an 8 and 5 record and Las Vegas Bowl appearance this season while setting the school mark for completion percentage (67.9). The lefty finished his OSU career with 5,970 passing yards and 38 touchdowns, both of which are fourth on the school’s all-time list.

LeFevour, a first team All-MAC pick in 2009, will be making his second trip to Mobile this month after claiming Most Valuable Player honors in the Chippewas’ double-overtime victory over Troy in the GMAC Bowl. The 6-3, 228 pound quarterback is the only player in NCAA history to pass for 12,000 yards and rush for 2,500 yards in a career. He is also a scoring machine, accounting for 150 career touchdowns (102 passing, 47 rushing, 1 receiving) in his illustrious career—the most in Bowl Subdivision history.

In 2009, LeFevour won the Vern Smith Leadership Award (MAC Player of the Year) and was a finalist for the Unitas Golden Arm Award, the Manning Award, the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award, and the Wuerffel Trophy. He finished his career with 12,905 passing yards and 2,948 rushing yards. He ranks second in FBS history in total offense (15,853) and joins fellow Senior Bowler Tim Tebow of Florida as the only other player to pass for and run for 20 or more touchdowns in a single season.

Pike was a first team All-Big EAST selection in 2009 after leading the conference with 2,520 passing yards. Despite missing three games due to injury, Pike also led the Big EAST in total offense—averaging 252.6 yards per game. The 6-6, 225 pound quarterback threw 29 touchdowns this season and helped the Bearcats to a perfect 12-0 regular season finish and Big EAST conference title. For his career, Pike threw for 5,018 yards and 49 touchdowns, finishing fourth and second respectively on Cincinnati’s all-time list.

“I just hope to expand on what I did my senior year,” Oregon State QB Sean Canfield said. “Coming into the year not a whole lot of people knew who I was, but each week it became more and more of a reality that I would get a chance to play at the next level. I’m looking forward to showcasing my skills to all the scouts and teams. Throwing the football is something I love and hopefully I’ll show scouts that I can make all the throws and make the reads in a pro-style system which I was groomed in by Oregon State coach Mike Riley.”

“This is a great opportunity and the finest way to showcase my talents against the top players in the nation,” LeFevour said. “I think once I get down there and show that I belong with the guys, it will be a great experience, a lot of fun and a lot of hard work too.”

The Senior Bowl will take place on January 30th at 3:00 pm E.T. It will be televised on the NFL Network

A week after defeating an Oregon team ranked in the top 10, the Cardinal put a whooping on another top 10 team. This time, the victim was Southern Cal.

Stanford got off to an early 14-0 lead and had a 21-7 lead at halftime. Southern Cal made some big plays in the third quarter to cut the lead to just 28-21, but, Stanford dominated the final quarter, outscoring the Trojans 27-0 in route to a 55-21 victory.

Stanford has moved in the top 20 and is arguably the hottest team in the nation. Meanwhile, Southern Cal’s quest for an eighth straight 11-win season, BCS Bowl bid and top-four finish is all but over. USC is now 4-3 in conference play and is tied for fifth in the Pac-10. Stanford still has a chance at the Rose Bowl while the Trojans may be relegated to the Emerald Bowl.

The most points ever given up by a Pete Carroll-led USC team came three weeks ago when Oregon lit up the Trojans for 47 points. Then, Stanford scored 55 points at USC Saturday. In other words, this is the worst defense that Carroll has had at USC. By far.

On the flip side, Stanford had scored 106 points in their last two games.

Many feel the Cardinal have the most-balanced offense in the entire country and they showed why on Saturday.

Quarterback Andrew Luck, a redshirt Freshman, was 12-of-22 for 144 yards with 2 TDs and 0 interceptions. Toby Gerhart continued to show that he is an elite player by rushing for 178 yards on 29 carries and scoring three touchdowns.  Gerhart was understandably excited.

“To do that against a storied program, a perennial power, it’s the greatest feeling in the world. It was just will. The offensive line just moved people. We got after them and got downhill, and it was just a good offensive day.”

Stanford rushed for 325 yards and picked up 469 total yards, while holding the Trojans to just 334 total yards. Stanford was also extremely efficient when they needed to be, converting eight of their 11 third down attempts and converting on their only fourth down try.

Stanford has just two games remaining. They play host to California in their annual rivalry game and then head back home to host Notre Dame.

Stanford is currently in a three-way tie for second place in the Pac-10. Unfortunately for the Cardinal, they lost to the two teams they are tied with – Arizona and Oregon State.

The best bet for a Stanford BCS berth would be to have Arizona lose one of their final three games. That very well could happen because the Wildcats host Oregon and then travel to Arizona State and USC. Stanford would love for Arizona to upset Oregon and lose one of their final two games because Stanford also needs Oregon to lose at least one game. The Ducks are currently in first place in the Pac-10 at 6-1.

Oregon State plays Washington State and Oregon on the road in their final two games. Wazzou is maybe the worst of any team in a BCS Conference, so it is unlikely that Beavers will drop that game. That means the Cardinal will need Oregon to defeat their rivals and lose their game this week at Arizona.

To summarize, Arizona has to beat Oregon and then lose to either USC or Arizona State and Oregon has to defeat Oregon State to get Stanford to the Rose Bowl.  It’s a complicated scenario that seems unlikely, but it’s far from impossible.

Is TCU a National Title Contender?

In the highly anticipated MWC matchup between TCU and Utah, the Horned Frogs dominated from start to finish. TCU gained 549 total yards while holding the Utes to just 284 total yards and just 65 yards rushing. The Horned Frogs rushed for 342 yards.

The game seemed like it would be a good one early on but TCU turned a 7-7 tie into a 35-7 blowout in just over six minutes spanning from the end of the first quarter into the second quarter.

Junior Quarterback Andy Dalton is playing great football for the Frogs. He’s completing 63% of his passes (149-of-236), has 2,088 yards and 17 touchdowns with just 4 interceptions. He’s making great decisions and is avoiding mistakes. He’s also rushed for 389 yards and 2 TDs.

TCU’s running game has been outstanding. Dalton has 389 yards and is just the team’s fourth leading rusher. Joseph Turner (622 yards), Ed Wesley (598 yards) and Matthew Tucker (471) make up the three-headed monster at Running Back. The team has rushed for 2,521 yards, is averaging 5.3 yards per carry and has scored 30 touchdowns.

There is a very good argument for TCU.

TCU is the only team in the country to rank in top four in both total offense and total defense, ranking fourth in both categories.

That defense is led by Defensive End Jerry Hughes, who has 49 tackles and 10 sacks. The unit is also extremely well coached by Defensive Coordinator Dick Bumpas and Head Coach Gary Patterson.

TCU has won three key road games. They won at likely ACC Atlantic Division Champion Clemson, at Virginia, and blew out conference rival BYU at Provo.

The Horned Frogs have defeated three teams currently ranked in the top 25 (Clemson, BYU, & Utah). Alabama has defeated just two teams currently ranked in the top 25 (Virginia Tech, LSU) while Florida (LSU) and Texas (Oklahoma State) have defeated just one each.

TCU isn’t just beating these teams either – they are destroying them. Outside of a close, come from behind win in Death Valley against a very talented Clemson team and a scare at Air Force, TCU has won every game by at least 16 points and is winning by an average of 26.3 points per game.

Unfortunately the Frogs need a loss by Texas to make the title game and that doesn’t seem likely. The Horns host Kansas Saturday, play at rival Texas A&M on Thanksgiving and then have 9 days to prepare for the Big 12 Championship against either Nebraska or Kansas State.  The Horns should be a heavy favorite in all three games.

TCU is one of the country’s elite team.

And they probably won’t get the chance to prove it.

FBS Notes

After disappointing losses to Southern Cal and Purdue, Ohio State is going back to the Rose Bowl. The Buckeyes were in third place in the Big 10 just two weeks ago, but after wins against second-place Penn State and first-place Iowa, the Buckeyes clinched the Big 10 title. They conclude their season in the Big House against Michigan Saturday.

Duke’s performance has been one of the stories of the season. It looked like the story would get even better after they took a 10-0 lead against ACC Coastal leader Georgia Tech. Then, the Yellow Jackets scored the game’s last 49 points, winning 49-10. Tech has clinched a spot against either Clemson or Boston College in the ACC Championship and has a week off before finishing the season against rival Georgia on November 28. The Jackets have won 8 in a row and are the BCS’ top ranked one-loss team.

Props to Redshirt Freshman QB E.J. Manuel of Florida State. He stepped in for an injured Christian Ponder and led FSU to their first win against Wake Forest in four years. On the road. He was 15-of-20 (75%) for 220 yards with 1 TD passing and 1 interception. He also had 10 carries for 45 yards and a TD rushing. If Manuel can lead the ‘Noles to a home win against Maryland Saturday, FSU will be bowl-bound after a 2-4 start.

Miami Sophomore QB Jacory Harris has now thrown 16 interceptions after his 4 interception performance against North Carolina on Saturday. Harris looks great at times but his inconsistency has cost the Canes a shot at the ACC title. Then again, without him, it’s unlikely that they would have even been in the ACC race to begin with. The media was way too quick in anointing Harris, but he is still just a true sophomore.  There is plenty of room for improvement but there is also plenty of time for improvement.

LSU is not a top-10 team. LSU nearly lost to Louisiana Tech, coming from behind to win 24-16 last weekend. The Tigers have not had an impressive win all season. Sure, they kept it close with the nation’s top two teams, Florida and Alabama, but a loss is still a loss.  Their best win is also tainted in the eyes of some because of the excessive celebration penalty called on Georgia Wide Receiver A.J. Green after Georgia took a late lead.

Houston Quarterback Case Keenum probably lost his chance at the Heisman Trophy after Houston was upset by Central Florida. Keenum threw for “only” 377 yards and 3 TDs. I would also like to congratulate UCF on their first ever win over a top 25 team. Houston entered the game ranked 15^th.

If Charlie Weis wasn’t done after the loss to Navy, he is now. Notre Dame was defeated by Pittsburgh and Weis is now just 35-25 in five seasons at Notre Dame. He’s just 6-4 against what was considered a fairly weak schedule. And with games left against Connecticut and at red-hot Stanford, it may get even worse for Weis and the Irish.

Performance of the Week:

Toby Gerhart, Running Back, Stanford

Gerhart takes home the honor for the second straight week after rushing for 178 yards on 29 carries and scoring three touchdowns, leading Stanford to a 55-21 blowout win at Southern Cal.

The Heisman Race

We have a little bit of shake-up, but the top 2 remain the same.

1. Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama
Last Week: 19 carries, 149 yards, 2 TDs
Season: 194 carries, 1,297 yards (6.7 yards per carry), 25 receptions, 225 yards, 3 TDs.

2. Colt McCoy, QB, Texas
Last Week: 23-of-34 for 181 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs
Season: 254-of-351 (72.4%), 19 TDs, 9 INTs, 1 TD rushing

3. Golden Tate, WR, Notre Dame
Last Week: 9 catches, 113 yards, 1 TD, 87-yard punt return TD
Season: 74 receptions, 1,172 yards, 11 TDs, 23 carries, 159 yards, 2 TDs, 1 punt return TD

4. Case Keenum, QB, Houston
Last Week: 33-of-56 for 377 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT
Season: 358-of-514 (69.7%), 4,194 yards, 31 TDs, 6 INTs, 3 TDs rushing

5. C.J. Spiller, RB, Clemson
Last Week: 18 rushes, 97 yards, 1 TD, 3 receptions, 48 yards, 1 TD, 1-of-1, 17 yards, and a TD passing.
Season: 153 carries, 836 yards (5.5 ypc), 6 TDs, 24 receptions, 382 yards, 4 TDs, 1-of-2, 17 yards, 1 TD, 11 punt returns for 191 yards, 1 TD, 16 kickoff returns for 543 yards, 3 TDs, 1,952 all-purpose yards, 15 Total TDs.

Looking in:

Toby Gerhart, RB, Stanford
Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame
Tim Tebow, QB, Florida
Kellen Moore, QB, Boise State
Jordan Shipley, WR, Texas

My Top 25

1. Alabama
2. Florida
3. Texas
4. TCU
5. Cincinnati
6. Boise State
7. Georgia Tech
8. Pittsburgh
9. Ohio State
10. Oregon
11. LSU
12. Iowa
13. Penn State
14. Oklahoma State
15. Wisconsin
16. Virginia Tech
17. Stanford
18. Clemson
19. Utah
20. Brigham Young
21. North Carolina
22. Houston
23. Rutgers
24. Oregon State
25. Miami (FL)

Game of the Week

#9 Ohio State @ Michigan

12:00 pm, EST, ABC

The Line: OSU – 12

Michigan came out of the gate strong, starting 4-0. The Buckeyes started the year a disappointing 5-2. Both teams have since gone in difference directions. Michigan is just 1-6 since their 4-0 start and the Buckeyes have won four straight claims and clinch the Big 10 title. Michigan has to win this game in order to become bowl eligible. If they don’t, Rich Rodriguez’s club will be home for the holidays for the second straight season – that won’t make the big wigs and boosters at Michigan happy.

Sure, the game is in the Big House, but I don’t think that matters. The Buckeyes have a better team, plain and simple.

Michigan’s defense is awful. They give up over 400 yards per game and 5.73 yards per play, ranking 89^th in the country.

Ohio State’s defense is one of the nation’s elite. It is an extremely well coached unit and is fifth in the country in total defense. The Buckeyes give up just over 258 yards per game and only 4.08 yards per play.

Michigan’s offense is improved but they still rank just 56^th in the nation. The Wolvers average less yards than they give up at 391.36. They average 5.74 yards per play. They have struggled against good defenses and Ohio State’s defense will easily be the best the Wolverines have seen.

Terrelle Pryor is playing much better as of late so I like the Buckeyes to come away with a comfortable win.

Keep an Eye On…

#11 LSU @ Ole Miss – 3

Ole Miss has been disappointing this season, losing three games after being projected as a top-10 team, but the Rebels have won 4 out of 5 after a 3-2 start and played their most complete game of the season last week against Tennessee. The Rebels dominated the Vols, 42-17. Running Back Dexter McCluster was incredible, rushing for 282 yards on 25 carries with 4 TDs against a Tennessee defense that has been very stout this season.

Both defenses are stout. LSU gives up just under 312 yards per game while the Rebels give up 313 yards per game. Both units are extremely talented and it will likely come down to which offense can make more plays.

LSU’s offense is awful. The Tigers rank 107^th in the country in total offense. They average just 310 yards per game. Ole Miss’ offense has had a lot of trouble with turnovers and inconsistent play from QB Jevon Snead, but they have been a much better unit then the Tigers. They rank 41^st in the nation, gaining 405 yards per game and 5.96 yards per play.

California @ #17 Stanford – 7

If you haven’t seen the balance of their Stanford offense led by Quarterback Andrew Luck and Running Back Toby Gerhart, do yourself a favor and check it out.

We should see some points in the “Big game.” Both defenses have had several lapses but both offenses are capable of scoring points.

It looks like Stanford should come away with the victory, but this is a rivalry game and Cal is a very talented team.

(Andrew Melnick is Howard the Dunk’s lead blogger and a contributor at NFL Mocks Subscribe to his RSS feed and add him on Twitter to follow him daily.)

Miami Quarterback Jacory Harris overcame a dreadful start to lead the Hurricanes to a 21-20 victory over Oklahoma in front of a crowd of 45,000 at Landshark Stadium Saturday night.

Harris started the night off about as bad as he possibly he could. Harris threw an interception on each of Miami’s first two drives that helped Oklahoma get out to an early 10-0 lead. Harris would bounce back, finishing the game 19-28 for 202 yards and three touchdowns. Harris did not throw another interception.

With Heisman-winning Quarterback Sam Bradford still unable to play due to a right shoulder injury and All-American Tight End Jermaine Gresham already out for the season, the Sooners got another huge blow. Senior Wide Receiver Ryan Broyles, who entered the game 22 receptions for 309 yards and an impressive seven touchdowns in just four games, fractured his left shoulder blade and had to leave the game with the Sooners ahead. Broyles is the Sooners’ leading receiver and after he exited the game, Landry Jones and the Oklahoma offense started to fall apart and never really got back into their groove. Oklahoma was forced to use Running Back Mosis Madu as a Wide Receiver and had only one real reliable target throughout the night in Wide Receiver Cameron Kenney, who entered the game with just three career receptions.

Oklahoma had a lot of success running the ball. DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown combined for 151 yards on 34 carries, but Stoops and company kept trying to move the ball through the air. Strange thing to do when you have a redshirt freshman Quarterback out there.

Mark Whipple’s Miami offense also probably threw the ball a little too much, but with all of the success Whipple has had thus far, it’s hard to question his play-calling. Graig Cooper could not get going, rushing for just 21 yards on eight carries, but his teammate in the backfield, Javarris James, had a career-high 150 yards on 15 carries.

Oklahoma was down by just four and faced a 4^th down on Miami’s 22 with 4:18 to go. Rather than go for it and take the lead, Stoops opted to kick a Field goal to cut the lead to one. Thanks to a good running game, a gutsy call by Mark Whipple and an excellent throw by Jacory Harris, Oklahoma wouldn’t see the ball again.

Stoops’ big game strategies and abilities used to never be called into question, but after his recent string of big game losses that include three losses in BCS National Title games, one has to wonder what Stoops is thinking with some of his decisions.

Miami is obviously one of the most improved teams in the country and I admire Randy Shannon for all of the adversity that he is overcome, but I still think he has some work to do as a game day coach. But, with Shannon’s excellent recruiting abilities and his fantastic coaching hires (especially the hiring of Offensive Coordinator Mark Whipple, who has turned the offense around), he has put himself in an excellent position to be successful.

Harris still struggles when he has pressure put on him. He threw two interceptions early on and had a dropped interception that would have certainly been a pick-six. When Harris is protected, he makes excellent decision and is one very good Quarterback. His offensive line kept him clean throughout the second half, which enabled the ‘Canes to win the game. I don’t necessarily think that Miami is “back.” Miami being back, by their standards, makes them one of the five best teams in the nation every year. The ‘Canes aren’t quite there yet as evidenced by their blowout loss at Virginia Tech, but the team is very close and is no doubt on the right track.

Cal – The Most Overhyped Team in the Nation?

California entered the season with a top-10 ranking, a Heisman contender Running Back and lofty expectations. It took just a few weeks to take Cal out of the top 25 all together.

A week after being destroyed at Oregon, the Bears returned home to face Southern Cal in what was supposed to be the biggest game in the Pac-10 this season.

If it was, somebody forgot to tell the Bears. Cal was embarrassed for the second straight week, losing to Southern Cal 30-3. Jahvid Best managed just 47 yards this week, nine less than he had at Oregon a week ago. If his Heisman campaign didn’t come to an end last week, it has now.

Southern Cal, whose offense has struggled throughout the entire season, put up 457 yards. Freshman Quarterback Matt Barkley was 20-35 for a career-high 283 yards, while Cal Quarterback Kevin Riley completed just 15 of his 40 pass attempts. Southern Cal built a 20-point halftime lead and never looked back.

Cal’s Pac-10 title hopes are all but over while Southern Cal has a chance not only to win the Pac-10, but to get back into the BCS National Title picture as well.

“That’s how we play,”  USC Senior Safety Taylor Mays said. “We know what we have in the locker room, and we’ve been playing close to our potential for the last few weeks.”

USC’s October 24^th matchup at Oregon and their date with Stanford this November in the Coliseum should decide the Trojans’ fate in the Pac-10.

Cincinnati Continues to Fly Under the Radar

With an NFL quality Quarterback, Tony Pike, an NFL quality Wide Receiver, Marshawn Gilyard, maybe the hottest coach in the country, Brian Kelly and a 5-0 record, you’d think Cincinnati would be talked about by every pundit and analyst in the country.

They’re not.

If you look at the team’s overall body of work so far in the season, few teams have been as impressive as Cincinnati. They started the season with a blowout 47-15 win over Big East rival Rutgers, a team that many expect to contend for a Big East title .

The Bears then went out to Corvallis and came away with a very impressive road win over Oregon State, ending the Beavers’ 26-game home win streak over nonconference opponents. It is never easy to go across the country and play a football game, especially when you face a perennial Bowl team who rarely loses at home.

Cincinnati has given both Rutgers and Oregon State their only loss.

Cincinnati struggled with Fresno State, but Fresno is a team that took Wisconsin to overtime at Camp Randall Stadium and for the most part, kept up with Boise State.

I’m not calling Cincinnati a serious national title contender – they’re not – but they have been quite impressive and Head Coach Brian Kelly deserves all the credit in the world for what he has done with Cincinnati’s football program.

We will see what the Bearcats are really made of a week from Thursday when they take on the unbeaten South Florida Bulls, fresh off road wins over Florida State and Syracuse. The Big East will officially have a front runner after that game.

Auburn’s Offense Continues to Impress

What happens when you a dump a coach who has had great success and even turn in an undefeated season (Tommy Tuberville) and sign a coach who has had one major head coaching gig  and went 5-19 over those two seasons (Gene Chizik)?

A 5-0 start, of course.

Auburn has been one of the most surprising teams in the country this season. Gene Chizik’s first move was his best move. Chizik hired Offensive Coordinator Gus Malzahn. Under Malzahn, the Tigers are averaging 512.8 yards of offense per game. Auburn currently has the fifth ranked offense in all of college football after ranking 104^th a season ago when the Tigers finished 5-7.

The Tigers defeated Tennessee in Neyland Stadium on Saturday by a final score of 26-22. Auburn was in control throughout the game, allowing 16 of Tennessee’s points to come in the 4^th quarter. This included a touchdown by Tennessee that came with no time remaining when the game was no longer in doubt.

After a shaky 2008 in which he split time with Kodi Burns, Auburn decided on Chris Todd as their starting Quarterback.

Good decision.

He is completing nearly 60% of his passes and has 12 touchdowns and just one interception. He had just five touchdowns and six interceptions last season.

Former starting Quarterback Kodi Burns isn’t being left out. He is 3-of-7 with 46 yards and a touchdown out of the Wildcat formation. He also has rushed for 83 yards and four touchdowns.

Running Back Ben Tate has 540 yards on 97 carries and his backup, Onterio McCalebb has 416 yards on 67 carries. Auburn is running and passing the ball with great efficiency.

We thought we’d have a three-horse race in the SEC West and after Ole Miss’ slip-up at South Carolina, it seemed like Alabama and LSU jumped to the front of the pack. Well, they may have company in the Auburn Tigers.

Performance of the Week

Donald Buckram, Running Back, UTEP

Buckram rushed for an astounding 262 yards and four TDs in UTEP’s 58-41 upset win over the 12^th ranked Houston Cougars.

The Heisman Race

It wasn’t a big week for the Heisman contenders.

Both Texas Quarterback Colt McCoy and Florida Quarterback Tim Tebow had bye weeks.

Houston Quarterback Case Keenum had another huge game, going 51-76 for 536 yards, 5 TDs and 0 interceptions. Seems like that would boost him up the list, right? Wrong. Houston was defeated by UTEP 58-41. On a team like Houston, if you lose a game to a UTEP team that Colt McCoy’s Longhorns beat down 64-7, you fall out of the race. It’s unfortunate for Keenum because the loss was not his fault – there’s not much more he could have done.

As I mentioned earlier, Cincinnati Quarterback Tony Pike continues to impress. He passed for 270 yards with 2 touchdowns and 1 interception in a 34-13 win over Miami (OH) Saturday.

Notre Dame Quarterback Jimmy Clausen is flying up the charts after another big game. He had 422 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception in the Fighting Irish’s comeback overtime victory over Washington. Clausen has 1544 yards, 12 touchdowns and 2 interceptions and is completing 67.6% of his passes on the year.

My Top 25

1. Florida
2. Alabama
3. Texas
4. LSU
5. Virginia Tech
6. Cincinnati
7. Boise State
8. USC
9. Miami
10. Ohio State
11. TCU
12. Oregon
13. Iowa
14. Oklahoma State
15. Penn State
16. Auburn
17. Kansas
18. South Carolina
19. South Florida
20. Nebraska
21. Brigham Young
22. Georgia Tech
23. Ole Miss
24. Wisconsin
25. Oklahoma

Game Of The Week

#1 Florida @ #4 LSU, 8 PM EST, CBS

The Line: Florida – 8.5

With Florida Quarterback Tim Tebow’s status up in the air, I’m surprised that the line is so high. I know that LSU has struggled and Florida returns the majority of their two-deep from the team that won the 2008 National Championship, but 8.5 points is a huge spread for any team going into Death Valley, especially at night. LSU has won 32 straight night home games.

This is a difficult game to gauge because of the unknown status of 2007 Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow.

Florida has had it easy outside of a closer than expected win against Tennessee while LSU has, for the most part, struggled. They needed a goal-line stand to defeat Mississippi State and had to score with under a minute to go to defeat Georgia last week.

I think, because of some close wins against inferior competition, LSU has flown under the radar, but the Tigers are already 3-0 in the SEC and have two impressive road wins, defeating Washington, who is just 2-3, but is 2-0 at home, and Georgia, whom the Tigers defeated 20-13 in Athens. Georgia scored 41 and 52 points in their first two SEC contests against South Carolina and Arkanas, but were unable to get on the score board until the fourth quarter against the Tigers. LSU shut down the Georgia running game and really only allowed one offensive player – superstar Wide Receiver AJ Green, to do much damage against them. LSU ran fairly well throughout the game. These close games could work to LSU’s advantage because they have proven they know how to win these games and should be confident when a game comes down to the wire.

There are a few keys for LSU if they want to win this game.

The Tigers must slow down Florida’s running game. They have averaged more rushing yards than any team in the country (307.5 yards per game)

This will force Florida’s Quarterback, whether it’s Tebow or his backup, John Brantley, into throwing to their unproven Wide Receivers against LSU’s talented secondary.

LSU must establish the run themselves and have Quarterback Jordan Jefferson play extremely smart football. This will allow LSU to control the football and keep the Gator offense off of the field.

Unfortunately, I don’t trust Jordan Jefferson and the Tigers offense to do that. I’ll take LSU to cover but Florida to win the game.

Upset Alert

Boston College @ #5 Virginia Tech – 13.5

The Eagles are coming off an emotional win against Florida State and Virginia Tech struggled to defeat Duke last week. The Eagles will be full of confidence and have traditionally played the Hokies tough. Although Boston College has lost two straight ACC Championship games to the Hokies, the Eagles have defeated the Hokies three straight times during the regular season. I like the Eagles to keep it close, but in the end, I think Tech has too much talent for the Eagles to match.

#22 Georgia Tech @ Florida State -2.5

Seriously, who decided to make FSU a favorite? Not only have they looked awful in their last two games (losses to USF and BC), but now there are rumors of Bobby Bowden retiring or being forced out and dissent among the coaching staff.

#2 Alabama – 6.5 @ #23 Ole Miss

Before the season, this was billed as the game of the year in the SEC West. Ole Miss nearly took down Alabama last year in Tuscaloosa. Ole Miss Quarterback Jevan Snead will have to have a phenomenal game and that is something that he is yet to do this season. Still, Ole Miss has enough talent and the home crowd behind them to pull the upset if Alabama makes some mistakes, but Alabama Quarterback Greg McElroy has played excellent football, so I wouldn’t bet on the Tide’s offense making too many mistakes.

Georgia @ Tennessee – 2

Someone explain to me why Tennessee is favored.

#25 Wisconsin @ #10 Ohio State -13.5

The Badgers gave Ohio State all they could handle last year before Terrelle Pryor’s game-winning touchdown run late in the 4^th quarter last year and have traditionally given the Buckeyes trouble. With that being said, it will be difficult to knock off the Buckeyes at home, but I can see the Badgers covering.

#13 Oregon – 6.5 @ UCLA

Oregon has to be riding high. They are 4-0 since their loss at Boise State, knocking off two consecutive ranked teams (Utah, Cal) and then blowing out Washington State 52-6 last week. The Ducks go to Washington, host USC and travel to Stanford from October 24^th-Novemeber 7^th in a stretch that will decide their season. Unfortunately for the Bruins, Oregon has a bye next week, so will not be looking ahead. UCLA is much improved. They had back to back wins at Tennessee and against Kansas State before dropping a game at Stanford last week 24-16. Kevin Craft has played fairly well for the Bruins since taking over at Quarterback against Kansas State and the UCLA defense has been very good outside of Toby Gerhart’s 134-yard performance for Stanford last week. If UCLA can play keep away from the Oregon offense, they have a chance.

(Andrew Melnick is Howard the Dunk’s lead blogger an an avid college football fan. Subscribe to his RSS feed and add him on Twitter to follow him daily.)

Three of the top six went down this weekend with each losing to an unranked team. 4th ranked Ole Miss was defeated by South Carolina, 5th ranked Penn State was beaten by Iowa for the seventh time in six games and 6th ranked California was destroyed by Oregon 42-3.

While many were very surprised by these outcomes, I don’t think any of these upsets should have shocked anyone. Ole Miss was overhyped from the get-go. They had a pretty good team last season, but still lost four games, but they did win two huge games in 2008. They were the only team to defeat Florida (and did it in Gainesville) and also defeated a former #1 – Texas Tech, in the Cotton Bowl. After the season, Ole Miss lost their two best players in the first round of the NFL Draft – DT Peria Jerry (24th overall to Atlanta) and OT Michael Oher (23rd overall to Baltimore). You can’t lose your best player on both your offensive and defense line and expect there not to be a drop-off. Add Greg Hardy, Ole Miss’ star defensive end, who has been banged up since Ole Miss’ week one win over Memphis and you’ve got yourself some trouble.

In fact, I, along with many others, picked South Carolina to win the game. The Gamecocks defeated a pretty good NC State team in Raleigh and suffered their only loss in the closing seconds against Georgia. The Gamecocks had a chance to win the game but a 4th down pass inside the Georgia 10-yard line fell incomplete.

Penn State’s loss is a little more surprising to me, but it probably should not have been. Kirk Ferentz and the Hawkeyes have now beaten Penn State seven of the last eight times they have played them. Penn State has posted very good records since 2005, but they don’t have a whole lot of impressive victories. They were blown out in the Rose Bowl by USC last season after finishing the regular season 11-1 and winning the Big 10 Championship. I’m not sure that Penn State has the talent to be an actual National Championship contender. I don’t think they have the athletes at all positions to run with teams like Florida, Texas and Southern Cal and they have proven that over the last few seasons. Although they are having much more success than Florida State, I think Penn State is in a similar situation – both teams are being held back from reaching the truly elite level by their Hall-Of-Fame Head Coaches – the reason those teams became elite programs in the first place.

California’s blowout loss to Oregon came out of nowhere. Just last week, I said that I would cast my Heisman vote for Jahvid Best and although I did say that I didn’t trust California as a team outside of Best, there’s no way I expected Oregon, with a struggling Quarterback, to blow to Bears out of the water. Coming into the contest against Cal, Oregon QB Jeremiah Masoli was just 29-64 with 379 yards, 0 TDs and 2 INTs, including a 4-16 performance in a win over Utah a week ago. Against Cal, Masoli was 21-25 for 253 yards with 3 TDs and 0 INTs.

I’m not totally surprised that the Ducks won, especially since the game was played in Autzen Stadium, but the score is just unbelievable. Jahvid Best had just 55 yards on 16 carries, essentially taking him out of the Heisman Race.

So What Does This Say About Boise State?

Oregon has defeated Purdue and two former unbeaten, ranked teams- Utah and California. The Ducks have bounced back from the season-opening loss and the loss of their star Running Back. They have looked very good lately and worked their way back into the top 25, so what does all of this say about Boise State?

The Broncos dominated the Ducks in a week one win. They defeated Oregon 19-8 and held the Ducks to just 152 yards compared to the 524 yards that Oregon gained on California.

Last week, Boise State played an overmatched Bowling Green team and absolutely dominated, winning 49-14. Games like this tell us nothing, which is why you have to admire teams like BYU and TCU who are in a situation that is very similar to Boise State’s, but schedule much tougher competition. BYU has already played Oklahoma and Florida State, while TCU just went into South Carolina and came out with a win over Clemson.

There really isn’t anything standing in between Boise and an undefeated season and there hasn’t been since their week one win. Because of the schedule the Broncos play, we will never really know how good they are until the season ends, which is unfortunate for college football fans across the country. It’s also unfortunate for the Broncos because it gives them to chance to make a BCS National Championship game.

Florida State and Miami Back? Guess Not.

After a classic week one matchup between the ‘Canes and the ‘Noles, which was decided on a last second dropped pass by FSU giving Miami a one-point win, it looked like both teams may be “back.” I was skeptical after a week and FSU gave me even more reason to be skeptical after they had to score with less than a minute left to avoid losing at home to Jacksonville State.

Then, a week later, Miami dominated Georgia Tech 33-17 and Florida State absolutely destroyed 7th ranked BYU, rolling up over 500 yards of offense in a 54-28 win. Things were once again looking pretty in the sunshine state, but it didn’t last.

Florida State had one of their worst performances in years Saturday as they were defeated by the South Florida Bulls 17-7 in Tallahassee. Miami proved that they aren’t quite ready to be back on the national radar and that their fast climb in the rankings was a bit premature.

Both teams had their QBs struggle somewhat after both had looked like All Americans through the first three games. FSU QB Christian Ponder wasn’t too bad, going 25-37 for 269 yards, but he had a costly fumble that set up a USF FG that essentially ended the game. Ponder is completing 66.2% of his passes, had 4 TDs and just one INT so I still think a QB is one thing that the FSU coaching staff has finally found.

Jacory Harris looked nearly invincible in his first two starts, but then he ran into a very good defense that was the first team able to get pressure on the sophomore signal-caller. The Hokies held him to just nine completions on 25 attempts. He had an interception and a fumble. There will still be some growing pains because Harris is very young, but Miami has also found their QB.

Miami’s defense has been shaky, giving up 34, 17, and 31 points, but it is obvious that the team is on the right track.

Florida State, on the other hand, I’m not so sure about. There are a lot of problems with the Seminoles.They need a fresh start and that all starts with letting their Offensive Coordinator and Head Coach in Waiting actually become the Head Coach. Bobby Bowden is a legend. He built a terrible team into a program that had the most impressive 14 year run in the history of college football and as much as I respect Coach Bowden; it’s time for him to let it go. The ‘Noles need a young, charismatic Head Coach like Jimbo Fisher.

Even if Bowden doesn’t leave after the season, it is likely that Defensive Coordinator Mickey Andrews will, which is probably a good thing for FSU. Andrews and the whole defensive staff need an overhaul. FSU hasn’t had a typical dominating defense in quite some time and currently ranked 115th against the pass. They have no pass rush and their secondary has been awful. At times, their defense looks lost. If Fisher soon becomes the Head coach and is able to put together his own staff, the ‘Noles can potentially get back to where they want to be. Fisher has not proven himself to be the right man for the job yet, but he has showed some positive signs. No one will really know what Fisher can do until he has complete control of the team and is able to make his own decisions about his own coaching staff.

And if that’s not the case, there’s always Brian Kelly…

Performance of the Week

Jeremiah Masoli, QB, Oregon After being criticized for his disastrous start to the season, the Junior Quarterback silenced his critics. Masoli threw just four incompletions, going 21-25 for 253 with three touchdowns on Saturday. Oregon destroyed 6th ranked Cal 42-3 and Masoli was largely responsible.

“On offense the sky’s the limit for us,” Masoli said with confidence. “We’re the only ones who can hurt us. These last couple of weeks we’ve been in a funk, but today we moved past that.”

The Heisman Favorite

Last week, I hopped on the Jahvid Best bandwagon but after his 16-carry, 55-yard performance in a 42-3 loss to Oregon, Best has pretty much lost any hope to take home the hardware. It looks like the two frontrunners remain the same – the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner, Florida QB Tim Tebow and Texas QB, Colt McCoy.

Tebow may have had the flu but he looked like his normal self against Kentucky after a less than average performance against Tennessee. He was 5-10 for just 44 yards and a TD but had 16 carries for 123 yards and 2 TDs before he left the game late in the third quarter after suffering a concussion with a 31-7 lead. Tebow continues to put up pedestrian passing numbers but he continues to run well, rarely turns the ball over and keeps leading his team to victory.

The big question about Tebow this week is why he was in the game in the third quarter with a 24-point lead. A case could be made that the Florida Coach Urban Meyer should have had Tebow out because he was sick. Under normal circumstances, there’s no Head Coach in the country that would have their starting QB out with a 24 point lead in only the third quarter. Hits are put of football and with how often Tebow runs the ball and takes hit, this was bound to happen. It seems like he is fine and will be good to go in the highly anticipated showdown with LSU on October 10.

Colt McCoy has been pretty good as well but could be playing much better. McCoy was 28-35 for 286 yards with 3 TDs in a 64-7 win over Utep on Saturday. He is now 103-145 with 1,145 yards and 9 TDs. He also has rushed for a TD. These are Heisman-like numbers on a top team, but his interception numbers are worrying me. He has thrown at least one interception in each game this season and has five total for the season. Although Tebow is just 44-68 for 643 yards and 6 TDs, his rushing (271 yards, 5 TDs) and his ability to make good decisions (just one interception on an incredible catch by Eric Berry) keeps him atop the list for now. McCoy will have plenty of chances to move back ahead of Tebow and I won’t be surprised if he does.

Last week, I mentioned Jacory Harris as a potential dark horse, but he played himself right out of that (see above).

Houston QB Case Keenum may no longer be a dark horse contender because he has now lead his team to wins over two Big 12 teams – Oklahoma State and Texas Tech. Keenum is 93-134 for 1,160 yards with 8 TDs and 2 INTs. He also has three rushing TDs, giving him more total yards then either Tebow or McCoy and more total TDs then both. He has also thrown just two interceptions and his last touchdown Saturday was a four yard run with :49 left and his team trailing by five.

Cincinnati QB Tony Pike is 93-132 for 1223 yards and 11 TDs with just two interceptions. He also has two rushing TDs . He had lead his team to road wins at Big East rival Rutgers and at Oregon State.

Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen played his worst game of the season against Purdue Saturday. He threw his first interception in that game and threw for just 171 yards after passing for 300 or more yards in each of his first three games, but Clausen still hit Kyle Rudolph for the game winning TD with :25 leading Notre Dame to their second straight come from behind win. Clausen is 77-117 with1,122 yards with 10 TDs and one interception.

My Top 15

The more I see out of teams, the more teams I will rank, eventually giving an entire Top 25.

1. Florida
2. Alabama
3. Texas
4. LSU
5. Boise State
6. Virginia Tech
7. Cincinnati
8. Houston
9. Oklahoma
10. USC
11. Ohio State
12. TCU
13. Iowa
14. Oregon
15. Oklahoma State

Game of the Week

LSU @ Georgia

The Line: Georgia -3

In week one, the Dogs looked like they were going to have a lot of trouble on offense after 24-10 loss to Oklahoma State in Stillwater but since then the Dogs have lit up the scoreboard. They scored 41 points against a South Carolina defense that held QB Russell Wilson and NC State to just three points Jevon Snead and Ole Miss to just 10 points. They also scored 52 points at Arkansas before struggling to win 20-17 at home against Arizona State. The Dogs held the Sun Devils to just 204 yards and had 334 yards themselves but had they had three turnovers, including two Joe Cox interceptions that kept the Sun Devils in the game. Luckily for the Dogs, they bounced back and got themselves in position to win the game on a last second field goal. If they make those kind of mistakes against the Tigers, they won’t be so lucky.

LSU also struggled last weekend. Mississippi State had first and goal at the 2 with less than two minutes to play and LSU stopped the Bulldogs all four times, leaving Starkville with a 30-26 victory. LSU didn’t look good at all. The Bulldogs had over 100 more total yards than the Tigers, but committed four turnovers while LSU did not turn the ball over. The Tigers managed just 30 yards rushing – that’s not going to cut it.

If this game becomes another shootout, I think it will favor the Dogs considering they have already beat two pretty good teams in that style of a game. However, I think LSU got a wake-up call last week and will not allow that to happen.

I like LSU in this game. I don’t think that they will be looking ahead to the Florida game and I think their defense is going to force Joe Cox and the Georgia offense into mistakes because of LSU’s ability to shut down the Georgia running game. LSU’s talented WRs should be able to take advantage of these mistakes. Plus, the Tigers have already gone into one hostile environment (Washington) and come out with a victory.

Upset Alert

I was going to take Michigan State over Michigan but then I saw that the Spartans are actually a two-point favorite.

I’m going to put Georgia Tech on upset alert. The Jackets must travel to Starkville to take on Mississippi State. I’m not going to pick the Bulldogs to win the game but their near upset of LSU should give them some confidence against a Tech team that may be looking ahead to their next two games – a game in Tallahassee with the Seminoles and matchup at home against Virginia Tech in two weeks that could put Georgia Tech right back in the mix for an ACC title.

Other Potential Upsets:

UCLA @ Stanford – 5.5

Stanford is coming off a huge win over Washington, but the Bruins have played well. They are 3-0 and have two non-conference BCS wins (@Tennessee, Kansas State).

NC State @ Wake Forest – 2.5 I expect this one to happen. NC State has the more talented team.

USC – 5 @ Cal

Cal is coming off a terrible performance against Oregon by any team going on the road with a freshman Quarterback and a lot of inexperience has the potential to struggle.

(Andrew Melnick is Howard the Dunk’s lead blogger. Subscribe to his RSS feed and add him on Twitter to follow him daily.)