Joey Johnston

We’re about midway through the college football season and there’s plenty still left to settle (probably beginning with Saturday’s Texas-Oklahoma game).

It’s time for some examination, re-evaluation and predictions.

It’s time for the Midseason Report.

Here we go:

One man’s Heisman ballot
1. QB Tim Tebow, Florida; 2. Colt McCoy, Texas; 3. QB Tony Pike, Cincinnati.

Best team
The Alabama Crimson Tide. SEC rival Florida still holds the No. 1 ranking, but Alabama (6-0) has matter-of-factly taken care of business each week, beginning with a neutral-field 34-24 win against Virginia Tech to start the season. Alabama has offensive efficiency, defensive domination and a boatload of young talented players who make you believe that Alabama’s glory days are here to stay.

Best game
Miami 38, Florida State 34 to open the season on Labor Day night. Tremendously entertaining back-and-forth affair, largely devoid of defense, but who cared? Miami has parlayed that performance into a 4-1 start. Many experts (myself included) figured the Hurricanes could be looking at 0-4 after beginning with Florida State, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech and Oklahoma. Instead, Miami is very much in the hunt for an ACC championship, thanks to some defensive personnel that have stepped up and super-cool sophomore quarterback Jacory Harris.

Best conference (top to bottom)
The Big 12. I see more good-to-great teams here than in any other league. The SEC, even with Florida and Alabama at the top, has slightly lost its edge.

Top upset
Washington 16, USC 13. True, the Trojans have made a disturbing habit out of falling to a lowly regarded Pac-10 opponent. So in one way, this looked like the annual hiccup. But really, considering USC’s near-decade of dominance and the recent woeful fortunes of Washington football, this was a pretty rare afternoon.

Biggest surprise
The Iowa Hawkeyes. Iowa is 6-0 for the first time since 1985, when Chuck Long was the quarterback and Heisman Trophy runner-up to Bo Jackson. It wasn’t supposed to be a vintage Iowa team — not with the loss of running back Shonn Greene and defensive lineman Mitch King — but the Hawkeyes might be capable of contending for the Big Ten championship. Road games at Wisconsin, Michigan State and Ohio State will tell the tale.  

Biggest disappointment
The Ole Miss Rebels. Ole Miss was everyone’s chic pick to win the SEC West and finish in the Top 10. Clearly, Ole Miss (3-2) is not in the class of Alabama. What’s more, the Rebels laid a major egg by losing at South Carolina 16-10. 

Best freshman
Tate Forcier, Michigan quarterback. He may not finish among the passing leaders or immediately contend for the Heisman Trophy, but we love his spirit and his skills. It looks like Rich Rodriguez has one less thing to worry about in his attempt to turn around the Wolverines. 

Best offense
Houston. If not for the inexplicable 58-41 loss at UTEP, we’d probably be celebrating the Cougars as a BCS Championship Game hopeful. Those possibilities, though, all went up in smoke. But there isn’t a more entertaining show than the one staged by the Case Keenum-led Cougars each weekend.

Most disappointing offense
Plenty of candidates here, but we’re going with the UCLA Bruins, who have managed just nine touchdowns in five games (thank goodness for other factors, which have UCLA at 3-2). UCLA is ranked 114th (out of 120 teams) offensively and that’s not going to cut it in L.A.

Best defense
Florida. Five games, two touchdowns (and an average barely over 200 yards per game) allowed. Tim Tebow can’t do it alone, particularly when he’s coming off a concussion, and there’s a serious lack of playmakers in the Gator lineup. But the constant is that Gator defense, which throttled LSU 13-3 and should be the driving force behind Florida’s march to Atlanta and a probable showdown with Alabama in the SEC Championship Game.

Worst defense
The Rice Owls (0-6) have already allowed 35 touchdowns, along with an average of 472 yards per game.

Coach of the year
Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech. The Hokies continue to be the class of the ACC. There’s a chance Virginia Tech could sneak into the BCS Championship Game discussion by finishing the season with a 12-game winning streak, including the ACC title game. Remember, Virginia Tech opened with a 34-24 neutral-field loss against Alabama. 

Coach of the year, runners-up
Kirk Ferentz, Iowa; Brian Kelly, Cincinnati; Chris Peterson, Boise State; Nick Saban, Alabama.

BCS Championship Game prediction
Alabama vs. Texas.

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