Don’t give up — this still will be great season
SEC title game, open Heisman race just some of the storylines ahead
Al Messerschmidt / Getty ImagesSome might wonder where the drama of this college football season is, but we can’t wait for a Florida-Alabama SEC Championship Game, NBCSports.com contributor Joey Johnston writes.
ASK THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL EXPERT
By Joey Johnston
NBCSports.com contributor
updated 9:24 p.m. ET Oct. 20, 2009
 | Joey Johnston |
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Greatest college football season ever? Well,
that was our contention when the 2009 campaign began. Frankly, we’re still waiting for the excitement, the drama, the sizzle.
But don’t give up on it — yet. There’s every reason to believe in some twists and turns, some unexpected bumps, a few controversies and a finish worthy of that spectacular final act, the first BCS Championship Game to be held at the Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena, Calif. (Don’t forget, Texas’ win over USC was in the Rose Bowl game ... not the added title game.)
Here are five compelling topics that should make it yet another college football season to remember:
Alabama vs. Florida
Yes, we know. There are many, many games to be played. But we can’t help ourselves. The possibility of this remains way too tantalizing. Already, the potential SEC Championship Game is shaping up as one of the all-time classics.
Picture the scene: Unbeaten and No. 1-ranked Alabama, seeking to avenge last season’s loss to the Florida in Atlanta, against unbeaten and No. 2 Florida, by then on a 22-game winning streak.
The Crimson Tide will be seeking to complete their return to glory and perhaps end Florida’s run at the SEC pinnacle.
The Gators will be gunning for one of the great modern accomplishments — winning three SEC titles in four seasons, while setting themselves up for an attempt at back-to-back national championships.
Suspense in the Heisman Trophy race
What seemed like the safest bet in sports has been thwarted.
Wasn’t the Heisman Trophy reserved for that quarterback troika: Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford (the 2008 winner), Texas’ Colt McCoy and Florida’s Tim Tebow (the 2007 winner)? I mean, that QB order could be jumbled and a new Heisman favorite plucked from a hat each day during the run-up.
But nobody else could be a serious contender, right?
Wrong.
Tebow maintains his almost mythical hold on the nation’s consciousness — the fact that he played after coming off a concussion and helped the Gators to a road victory against LSU will certainly resonate — but he hasn’t been overwhelming in 2009.
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Bradford’s season has been haunted by unfortunate injuries.
McCoy, accurate as ever, hasn’t been particularly special (admittedly, though, McCoy’s 2008 season raised the bar pretty high).
So there’s an opening for someone new.
If the Heisman voting ended today, I’d cast a ballot for Alabama running back Mark Ingram, who had 246 rushing yards against South Carolina (after a 172-yard afternoon against Ole Miss). If he slices and dices Monte Kiffin’s Tennessee defense, watch out! (It remains incredible to me that Alabama players have won every major individual award — except the Heisman).
I’d give a long look to the improbable story of Cincinnati quarterback Tony Pike, who’s battling an injury problem of his own.
I’d even consider Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen, who is finally living up to the press clippings.
Don’t rule out Houston quarterback Case Keenum, either.
This could — and probably will — change on a weekly basis. That’s a good thing. Open-and-shut Heisman races are boring.
This was supposed to be the ultimate exclusive Heisman club this season. No way someone else could crack the QB troika.
Now it’s wide open.
Unbeaten teams vs. one-loss USC
Cincinnati is 6-0 and facing a few tests in a much more competitive Big East Conference. But what if the Bearcats run the table?
Iowa is unexpectedly 7-0 in the Big Ten. What if the Hawkeyes go 12-0?
Then there’s perennial national-title contender USC sitting at 5-1, still smarting from the inexplicable 16-13 loss at Washington. What if the Trojans don't lose again?
How does this pecking order get established?
The Weis Watch
Notre Dame is still the lightning-rod story in college football. The Fighting Irish are 4-2, but it has to be one of the shakiest 4-2 marks in recent memory.
Three of the victories — Michigan State, Purdue and Washington — were clinched in the final minute (or overtime). Notre Dame couldn’t get it done against Michigan or USC.
Now comes the stretch run.
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Can Notre Dame qualify for a BCS bowl game without defeating a ranked team? It’s possible. The Irish have four of their final six games at home.
Charlie Weis needs a big finish.
Cinderella stories
If No. 8-ranked TCU wins at BYU on Saturday, the Horned Frogs might be looking at 12-0 if they can defeat Utah on Nov. 14.
Meanwhile, No. 4 Boise State seems a lock for 12-0.
What to do with these guys?
Why don’t we just enjoy?
We don’t believe either of these programs are in the class of Florida or Alabama, but it would be a kick to see them get a shot at knocking off one of the big boys.
Terrific conference races
Virginia Tech’s defeat probably makes it another season for the ACC to lack a national-title contender. The ACC is back to its usual jumbled mess, and its fans already are reaching for the league’s tiebreaker rules in anticipation of multiple-car pileups in the division races.
The Big East has three ranked teams. Cincinnati, a Top 5 program for the first time in its history, still must face West Virginia and Pittsburgh.
The Pac-10 is a flip of the coin, although USC at Oregon on Halloween looms pretty large.
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More newsChris Graythen / Getty Images Brian Johnson, who led Utah to an upset of Alabama in the 2009 Sugar Bowl, is ready for his first season as the Utes' offensive coordinator. At 25, the ex-QB will be the youngest with that job at the FBS level.
