With more than half the college football season already over, it’s time to look back at the first few weeks of the season and focus on the major issues that have taken place and what fans have to look forward to for the remainder of the season.
Sam Bradford’s Shoulder
The reigning Heisman Trophy winner put off millions of dollars in the NFL draft to return to school in the hopes of guiding the Oklahoma Sooners to a national title. Unfortunately, the Oklahoma quarterback’s goal quickly evaporated, along with probably the rest of his season, after he suffered a sprained AC joint in his shoulder in the first game of the season against Brigham Young University and then re-injured it against the Texas Longhorns in the Red River Shootout. Bradford is contemplating surgery, which would sideline him probably for the rest of the season and leave the Sooners, currently 3-3, looking at a very disappointing season.
LeGarrette Blount punch vs. Boise State
Losing to the Boise State Broncos 13-9 in the Oregon Duck’s opening game turned out to be something Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount did not handle very well. Following the game, Blount got into an altercation with Boise State player Byron Hout who he then preceded to punch in the face. Blount was then escorted off the field by Oregon school officials but feeling rather unsatisfied with his behavior, Blount got into a tussle with some of the home fans and had to be restrained and dragged off the field by security in order to prevent him from going into the stands.
Blount has been suspended for the rest of the season and as a senior, will no longer play for the Oregon Ducks. In one of the most appalling examples of unsportsmanlike conduct, Blount should be ashamed for taking such a great opportunity, like playing Division I college football, for granted.
No clear Heisman Trophy candidates
Despite the return of the top three Heisman finalists from last year, it seems no player in the nation wants to step up and claim this award, which is given to the nation’s best college football player. Bradford’s injury has all but eliminated him. Florida quarterback Tim Tebow has also been injured and has looked shaky at times as has Texas quarterback, Colt McCoy.
Some new faces such as running backs Mark Ingram and Jahvid Best from Alabama and California, respectively, have emerged only to lose attention after poor games. Notre Dame’s quarterback Jimmy Clausen and wide receiver Golden Tate have drawn attention as well as Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and Houston quarterback Case Keenum. With nobody emerging as a consistently dominant threat every week, the Heisman race will probably go down to the wire in such a wide-open field.
Surprise Teams of the Year
Every year preseason rankings come out for the top 25 college football teams. The rankings are mostly rough estimations compiled by sports writers and media personnel of which teams they see as the best. These rankings are based on a multitude of factors including results from the previous season and returning players. Three teams have been severely underrated after they have gone above and beyond expectations this year are Iowa, Washington and Michigan.
Iowa, originally #21, is off to a 7-0 start and is currently ranked #7 in the nation while sitting in first place in the Big Ten standings. The Washington Huskies did not win a single game last year and although they sit at an average 3-4 record (despite a difficult schedule), they defeated the #3 Southern California Trojans and were briefly ranked at one point this season. Lastly, Michigan finished with their worst season in school history last year, chalking up a dismal 3-9 record. However, this year Head Coach Rich Rodriguez’s complicated spread option offense has taken control and led the Wolverines to a 5-2 record despite having a freshman at quarterback in Tate Forcier.
Bust Teams of the Year
As expected, there will be teams that exceed expectations as well as teams that will fall way short. I am giving Oklahoma a pass in this category because they have been plagued by devastating and unforeseen injuries and already ripped enough in this article.
Florida State is widely known for its football legacy and winning traditions but has limped to a horrific 2-4 record and is currently last in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Originally ranked #22, Florida State is now miles away from even sniffing the polls.
The Ohio State University also continues to fall short of expectations year after year. They failed to win a big non-conference game against Southern California (a now yearly tradition at the school), recently lost to 1-5 Purdue University and struggled to beat the Naval Academy in the team’s first game. Originally ranked #8, Ohio State sits at #18 and continues to choke against big time competition.
Lastly, Mississippi was ranked at a lofty #6 to start the season but has been completely shutdown in their two losses against South Carolina and Alabama. Previous Heisman candidate quarterback Jevan Snead has been absolutely stunned by the defenses of these two teams and the Ole Miss Rebels have fallen out of the polls completely.
The Tragic Death of Jasper Howard
On the morning of October 18, starting cornerback for the UConn Huskies, Jasper Howard, was stabbed to death during a fight after a university sanctioned school dance. Howard, coming off the best game of his career only hours earlier against the Louisville Cardinals, had left his hometown of Miami to come to UConn in order to escape the violence in his neighborhood. Howard was also expecting his first child and was the first person in his family to go to college. One of his goals was to play well enough and make it to the NFL so he would have the money to move his family out of the rough Miami streets.
I felt it was important to mention this because it made me recognize that win or lose, sports become quite minimal in a situation like this. It’s a cruel reminder that there are more important things in life than football games and we can only hope Howard’s family, friends and UConn teammates find the strength to overcome this sudden tragedy. Things certainly get put into perspective when a young man who was on the right track in life and had so much going for him loses his life in such a senseless way.
Outlook for Rest of 2009
With just over half the season done, it’s time to look ahead to what the rest of the college football season has to offer. I think the national title game, barring a severe choke job by any of these schools, will come down to the Texas Longhorns against the winner of the SEC Championship game, likely a matchup between the Alabama Crimson Tide and Florida Gators.
Come January, I expect the Longhorns and Crimson Tide to meet in Pasadena for the title game with the Crimson Tide winning in a defense-dominated game. Major BCS bowl berths will also go to the Cincinnati Bearcats, Iowa Hawkeyes, Southern California Trojans, Boise State Broncos, Penn State Nittany Lions, Virginia Tech Hokies, Florida Gators, Miami Hurricanes, Oregon Ducks and Texas Christian Horned Frogs.
Lastly for the Heisman trophy, Notre Dame’s Jimmy Clausen, Texas’ Colt McCoy, Florida’s Tim Tebow and Alabama’s Mark Ingram making it to the final presentation in New York City in early December. In a close vote, I think Colt McCoy takes home the trophy.
