I love to read other bloggers as we all get ready for the BCS Title Game.  I have to give kudos to The Wiz for his post which lists the predictions of different writers in the sports world.  Check out his prediction post.

The Wiz also has an article written by Wendell Barnhouse who used to be a writer for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and now writes for Big12sports.com.  Barnhouse addresses all of the numbers and motivations and other interesting tidbits for the big game.

You can also check out the Fanblogs post.  Also, Adam at Inthebleachers.net posted his thoughts following the ITB Podcast.  I think we all want to see a good game not another SEC blowout.  Of course, some Oklahoma fans have already claimed a national championship.  I think “Superman” will have something to say about that.

The real Heisman Trophy will be awarded Saturday night, but Shotgun Spratling from The Blue Workhouse solicited votes from bloggers across the country and yours truly got a vote.   He asked us to list on our site our votes and why, etc.  So here goes.  This is the email I sent him with my top three votes.

1) Tim Tebow, Florida–reason, link:  http://collegefootballtopten.com/2008/12/07/tim-tebow-is-a-great-leader/

2)  Sam Bradford, Oklahoma–I saw him take some shots against TCU and was forced in to bad throws, but he had a great game in spite of it.  He carried the offense until the running game got better.

3)  Zac Robinson, Oklahoma State–He did everything the others did with as good a passer rating  along with the feet.

There you have it.  My votes for the Sports Blog Heisman Trophy Winner.

He may not win the Heisman Trophy this year, but Tim Tebow has more than impressed me with his leadership.  I get kind of skeptical when a college player has a ton of hype, legends, fan sites, myths and

even a Wikipedia page surrounding him.  But Tebow has shown his worth.  I think he is able to play in the NFL in spite of the Spread Offense he has played in at Florida.  He has the arm strength and the leadership to as well as the intelligence to play in a pro style offense.

Last night in the SEC Championship, Tebow led the Florida Gators to a 31-20 upset victory over previously undefeated and number 1 ranked Alabama.  I say upset because Alabama was ranked higher and was undefeated, and yes I am aware that Florida was a favorite going in to the game by the Vegas odds makers.  Tebow actually had to lead Florida from a small deficit in the final quarter to win the game, something he has never done.  Now Tebow has a national title, a Heisman Trophy, two SEC Championships (one as a starter), and some think, a second Heisman Trophy to come with a shot at a second national championship.  Is Tebow Superman?

Some players are great players.  Some great players are good leaders.  And, some great players are great leaders.  Tim Tebow is a great player and a great leader.  A good quarterback can get his offense to play hard for him, but getting the whole team to play hard for him is another matter.  Tebow is able to get his entire team to elevate their play for their quarterback.  You saw it on full display twice in the SEC Championship game.  First, after a touchdown, Tebow ran, not trotted, down to his kick off team to challenge them to make a play on the coverage.  The result, Alabama was tackled at the 15 yard line immediately putting their offense in a hole.  Second, during the second half, Tebow approached linebacker Brandon Spikes on the sidelines with a challenge to the defensive leader to get a stop.  Spikes and the defense delivered.  Tebow has that kind of leadership.  Rarely is a quarterback able to take command of the entire team, all areas, and challenge all of them to rise to the occasion.  It’s the kind of leadership that was seen in Vince Young when he was a Texas.

Tebow is a one of a kind.  He has the character, the athletic ability and the intelligence to be the nation’s premier player, and, despite how good the Big 12 quarterbacks have played, no other player means more to their team, the entire team, than Tebow does to the University of Florida Gators.  Tebow has a vote in the Heisman Trophy race, and he probably won’t vote for himself.  He is just that kind of person.  I think he will be more interested in a National Championship than a Heisman repeat.  However, if Tebow never makes in the NFL, and I think he will, he will be a great leader for some organization, church, country, etc.

I thought I would do an update of the Top Ten Returning QB’s article I wrote earlier in the year.  How are some of those QB’s doing anyway?  Have you ever heard of Nate Davis?

1.  Sam Bradford, Oklahoma
Sam was spectacular Saturday night against Texas Tech, and, well, has been all year.  Remember, he has one more game left with Oklahoma State before he plays in post-season play.
Numbers: 193.76 QB Rating, 68.2%, 3,710 and 42 touchdowns, 6 INT’s and a 193.76 rating.

2.  Tim Tebow, Florida
Tebow started slow, but he and Florida cranked it up after Ole Miss.  Tebow also hasn’t had to worry as much about running the ball as Florida has found other ways to run it.  He is, however, still a threat.
Numbers: 175.19 QB Rating, 65.8%, 2,114 yards passing, 427 yards rushing, 22 passing TD’s and 11 rushing TD’s.

3.  Todd Reesing, Kansas
Kansas has struggled after their Orange Bowl year.  The Jayhawks will make another bowl, but it won’t be as pretty.
Numbers: 144.99 QB Rating, 64.8%, 3,200 yards, 24 TD’s, and 10 INT’s

4.  Rusty Smith, Florida Atlantic
I expected more from Florida Atlantic this year, but then Head Coach Howard Schnellenberger found himself a marked man after talking like Texas wasn’t very physical.  The Longhorns whipped them in the first game, and they were never the same.
Numbers: 123.30 QB Rating, 54% 2,529 yards passing, 17 TD’s and 13 INT’s.

5.  Nate Davis, Ball State

Davis just helped Ball State to a perfect 12-0 record and the MAC West Division Championship. David Letterman will be very proud.  I wonder if Davis will end up doing a “Tonight’s Top Ten” on Letterman.
Numbers: 168.98 QB Rating, 67.2%, 2822 yards passing, 24 TD’s and 7 INT’s.

6.  Graham Harrell, Texas Tech
A dream season for the Red Raiders in spite of the loss to Oklahoma.  Texas Tech has a legitimate shot at a BCS bowl game.  Harrell and his receiver, Michael Crabtree, are possible Heisman Trophy finalists.
Numbers: 164.96 QB Rating, 70.5%, 4,438 yards passing, 39 TD’s and 6 INT’s.

7.  Chase Daniel, Missouri
The Tigers were number two in the country before losing at home to Oklahoma State.  Then, they went to Austin and lost, but have been winning ever since.  We all know that Chase was playing well.
Numbers: 171.18 QB Rating, 76.5%, 3,592 yards passing, 30 TD’s and 11 INT’s.

8.  Trevor Vitatoe, UTEP
Vittatoe is a poduct of Euless Trinity High School in Texas and he has just been a great QB for UTEP.  Unfortunately, the Miners haven’t matched his play.
Numbers: 149.08 QB Rating, 59.2%, 2,961 yards passing, 31 TD’s and 6 INT’s.

9.  Colin Kaepernick, Nevada
Nevada gave Boise State everything that it wanted and some more Saturday before bowing out to Boise’s perfect season.  Kaepernick runs Chris Ault’s Pistol really well, and he still young.
Numbers: 128.03 QB Rating, 54.4%, 2,082 yards passing, 1,087 yards rushing, 15 passing TD’s and 4 INT’s, 16 rushing TD’s

10.  Zac Robinson, Oklahoma State
Robinson has led Oklahoma State to one of its best seasons in years, and a win Saturday against Oklahoma would mean 10 wins.
Numbers: 178.02 QB Rating, 67.2%, 2,481 yards passing, 21 TD’s, 7 INT’s and 418 yards rushing.

Last year I started a Top Ten Offseason Stories segment.  There were two parts, and this year I will split the segment in to two posts as well.  The first post will contain numbers 6 through 10 while the second post will contain numbers 1 through 5.

10.  Tim Tebow Mission Trip–The Legend of Tim Tebow grows which each passing year.  Tebow won the Heisman Trophy in his first year as a starter, and now, there are reports that Tebow took a mission trip during the Spring.  Mission trips are nothing new for the Tebow family, his parents are missionaries.  However, it seems Tebow has convinced his head coach, Urban Meyer, to take a mission trip too.  Tebow just seems too good to be true.

9.  Josh Jarboe dismissed from OU Scholarship–After making a dramatic decision to sign his Letter of Intent with Oklahoma, the Georgia native recruit was dismissed for a video of a freestyle rap that surfaced on YouTube.  At first, the Sooners dismissed the significance, but after outcry from some in the media, decided that to remove Jarboe’s scholarship.  Jarboe had been arrested in the spring for a carrying a weapon on his high school campus.  Jarboe has since enrolled at Troy.

8.  Plus One Playoff Considered–And was rejected by BCS officials.  Nevertheless, a “plus one” was considered.  Despite being considered, the system was turned down and has left many upset about the evil while others are content.

7.  Coaches Visit Middle East–Five very prominent coaches including Georgia coach Mark Richt and Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis paid a visit to the Middle East to visit our soldiers, and they even got to meet the Commander In Chief when they returned.  The Coaches Tour was a great experience for both the coaches and the soldiers.

6.  Howard Schnellenberger calls out Texas–Schnellenberger has always coached with a swagger, but he just gave Texas incentive to not overlook Florida Atlantic.  Of course, he tried to back off his words, but it might be Texas who is hitting FAU in the mouth.

To Be Continued

Continued

5.  Georgia–The Bulldogs are number 1 in the AP poll finishing the 2007 season as the nation’s hottest team.  The Dawgs routed Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl to finish the year.  Georgia struggled early before realizing that Knowshon Moreno was the answer at RB, and the defense rose to dominate once again.  Georgia returns QB Matt Stafford of Dallas’ Highland Park and Moreno at RB along with the core of their defense.  While the Bulldogs return some high profile players such as Stafford and Moreno, they have some holes to fill particularly on the offensive line.  To make matters worse, LT Trinton Sturdivant went down in a preseason scrimmage, and he is out for the season.  The Dawgs also need to find players at WR.  Nevertheless, Coach Mark Richt is one of the best, and the Revival of the Dawgs has been hard to ignore.

4.  Florida–The Gators return All World WR Percy Harvin and All-Around-Great-Guy Tim Tebow, and with an improved running game by an actual RB, their offense may be even more explosive.  The defense was very young in 2007, but if they gained valuable experience they might become much improved by the end of the year.

3.  Oklahoma–The Sooners return all of the players needed to make a run at the National Title.  Sam Bradford has proven himself a good QB, and the defense is usually stout.  Oklahoma will have to overcome the disappointment of their Fiesta Bowl loss to West Virginia, but should be rolling by the Red River Rivalry in Dallas.

2.  USC–Same song, second verse.  That’s how you could describe USC’s preview every year.  The Trojans will have a new QB, but the objectives will be the same.  Win the Pac 10, and have a shot at the National Title.  Mark Sanchez suffered an injury in preseason practice, but he plans on being back.  Few have a better group at Linebacker that USC.  And, Joe McKnight is just beginning his big-play era.

1.  Ohio State–Last year the Buckeyes snuck up on everyone, this year the Ohio State University will be watched closely.  They return their starting QB and RB, and their offensive line is experienced.  The linebacker unit is one of the best in the country led by James Laurinaitis.  They have one of the top 2 or 3 secondaries, and everything has come together for the Buckeyes to make their way back to a third BCS National Title Game.  Even though they lost the first two, the third time might be a charm.  Look for Ohio State to give QB Todd Boeckman more responsibilities in the passing game, and he should reward the coaches by cutting down on the mistakes.  And then, there is the Terrelle Pryor factor.  The coaches may use him like Florida did Tim Tebow his freshman year.  Pryor may become the ultimate change up for the Buckeye offense.

Summary: CFTT Preseason Top Ten

1. Ohio State
2. USC
3. Oklahoma
4. Florida
5. Georgia
6. Clemson
7. LSU
8. Oregon
9. Missouri
10. South Florida

While compiling this list, I constructed a rating system for returning QB’s.  I pulled out my trusty Phil Steele magazine and crunched the numbers.  This list is skewed in that it does not take into account the QB’s running ability hurting QB’s such as Pat White or others who play in a very run dominated offensive system.  That being said, it is interesting to note that a few good running QB’s ended up on this list.  A dual QB is only as good as his ability to pass.  My system took into account total yards passing, QB efficiency, yard per attempt, TD’s and INT’s.  Because I didn’t want the fact a QB passed for 4000 yards to be too much of a weight, I averaged those stats with QB efficiency.  Basically, you had to be really good in all of these areas to make the list.  The need for a dangerous QB becomes more important with each year.  An offense really needs more than just a “bus driver” to win championships.

1.  Sam Bradford, Oklahoma–Sooner fans should be happy.  This time last year OU didn’t know who would start, now Bradford has become a phenom.  He is big and strong with a rocket arm.  This year we might see him run the ball some from the Spread.  He led the nation in efficiency last year as a Redshirt Freshman.  When Bradford struggled, the Sooners lost.

2.  Tim Tebow, Florida–Tebow won the Heisman with his famous 20 TD’s and 20 TD passes mark.  His efficicency was slightly below Bradford’s as the two rated the same in my system.

3.  Todd Reesing, Kansas–Do you think that Kansas might be good again?  If they are, they can thank Todd Reesing.  Reesing is undersized and very ungalmorous on the field, but he gets results.  Kansas runs what I call the Blue Collar version of the Spread Offense, and Reesing is the catalyst.

4.  Rusty Smith, Florida Atlantic–Who is the second best QB in Florida?  Rusty Smith.  He is also the fourth best returning QB.  Look for a FAU game this fall and see what others have seen.  Smith and FAU absolutely throttled Memphis in the New Orleans Bowl.  Who’s their coach?  Howard Schnellenberger who has a national championship to his credit.

5.  Nate Davis, Ball State–I didn’t seen this one coming.  I didn’t even know the Ball State threw the ball.  But Davis’ numbers are good across the board.  Davis had 3667 yards passing, 30 TD’s and only 5 INT’s.  Don’t know anything about him?  Me neither.  I gues we can find out more.

6.  Graham Harrell, Texas Tech–Harrell was last year’s CFTT Offensive Player of the Year.  He threw for 5705 yards and 48 TD’s.  It does help when you can throw the ball to Michael Crabtree.  He may pass for 5000 yards again unless Texas Tech finds a running game.

7.  Chase Daniel, Missouri–The pride of Southlake Carroll High School in Southlake, TX was a Heisman finalist last year.  Daniel burst on the scene two years ago when everyone thought Mizzou had a big chore replacing Brad Smith.  Never mind.  Daniel will do just fine, thank you.

8.  Trevor Vittatoe, UTEP–That’s the University of Texas El Paso for those who don’t know the initials.  They are the Miners.  Vittatoe had very good numbers as a Freshman for the Miners, and he should only get better.

9.  Colin Kaepernick, Nevada–Kaepernick was a sensation for the Wolfpack in his first year starting.  His best stat, only 3 INT’s in 247 passes.  He finished the season with a 150.8 efficiency rating.

10.  Zac Robinson, Oklahoma State–Lost in the fiasco involing head coach Mike Gundy’s rant was the fact that Robinson was living up to his potential and making plays for the Cowboys.  Robinson will be the clear cut starter this year and should see his stats improve even more.

Who do you think is the among the top ten returning QB’s?  Tim Tebow. . . . Graham Harrell. . . . . . Curtis Painter. . . . . . Dan Lefevour. . . . . . . Rusty Smith?  Let me know.

todd(at)collegefootballtopten(dot)com

Here is my Top Ten Heisman Trophy Contenders.  Most of these guys are already on the radar.  This list is in no particular order.

1. Tim Tebow, Florida–He’s the defending Heisman Trophy winner, and the fist Heisman Trophy winner as a Sophomore.  And, he may have more websites dedicated to him than any other college football player.
2. Chase Daniel, Missouri–He is important to the Missouri offense, so if he stays healthy, he is a part of the, um, chase.
3. Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech–The Air Raid offense at Texas Tech has never had this much talent.  He is big, strong, and fast.
4. Pat White, West Virginia–WVU will depend even more on White to lead its offense with the departure of Steve Slaton.  The Mountaineers already have a website for White.
5. James Laurinaitis, Ohio State–There is always one defensive player everyone wants in the conversation, well this him.  Destined for stardom in the NFL, not the WWE.
6. Chris Wells, Ohio State–Wells opened the BCS National Title Game against LSU with a 65 yard TD run ending the game with 146 yards rushing.
7. Knowshon Moreno, Georgia–Moreno had a stellar Freshman season, and he only started half the games.  He really is a superstar.
8. Graham Harrell, Texas Tech–Last year’s CFTT Offensive Player of the year.  His stats were astounding, but his efficiency may be even more so.
9. Percy Harvin, Florida–Electrifying.  Fast.  If Harvin can stay healthy, his stats will be big.
10. James Davis, Clemson–O.K.  I am listening to everybody else here.  I don’t know much about Clemson, but everyone seems to think that Davis will have a big year.

Possible Surprises

Mike Goodson, Texas A & M
Todd Boeckman, Ohio State
Joe McKnight, USC
LeSean McCoy, Pitt
Ian Johnson, Boise State
C. J. Spiller, Clemson

According to Phil Steele, UNT’s 2008 schedule is ranked 92nd toughest out of 120 teams.  If you just take wins and losses of the teams on the 2008 schedule from the year before, UNT is ranked 82nd compared to 96th in 2007.  With their 92 ranking in Steele’s magazine, UNT’s schedule is considered tougher than Texas teams Rice, a UNT opponent, and Houston as well as nearby Tulsa, also a UNT opponent.  With that in mind, let’s take a look at the UNT schedule.

@ Kansas State, August 30, TBA
The Wildcats are known to Texas fans for knocking off the Longhorns the last two years.  In his first year as coach, Ron Prince took the ‘Cats to the Texas Bowl, but last year K State fell apart after a promising start.  The Wildcats return 7 offensive starters and 5 defensive starters and will be relying on some newcomers to get back to a bowl game.

Tulsa, September 6, 6 PM
This will be the home opener for the Mean Green, and it should be rough.  Tulsa had basically the best offense in the country last year with about 543 yards of total offense per game.  This is an interesting match up as UNT Coach Dodge was leading Southlake Carroll High School to the 2005 Texas 5A DII State Championship at the same time that Tulsa Offensive Coordinator Gus Malzahn was leading Springdale High School to the Arkansas 5A State Championship.  Both coaches employ a hurry-up, no huddle, spread offense.

@ LSU, September 13, 7 PM
Mark this down as a nice pay day.

@ Rice, September 27, TBA
Only once did Rice hold a team to less than 29 points, and that was FCS Nicholls State.  Rice will be looking to get better on defense, but the offense returns 9 starters.

Florida International, October 4, 6 PM
Simply speaking, FIU was the worst team in the nation last year winning just one game, but they beat UNT in the last game of the season.  I guess the Golden Panthers were due for a win.  They return 9 starters on both sides of the ball.  FIU was fairly competitive with most of its Sun Belt Conference foes, just don’t get them mad.

Louisiana-Lafayette, October 11, 6 PM
The Ragin’ Cajuns return 8 starters including the QB on an offense that rushed for 252 yards per game.  In fact, ULL rushed for 300 yards against UNT last year.  The Ragin’ Cajuns finished last year 3-9, and, of course, look to build on that toward a winning record.

@Louisiana-Monroe, October 18, 6 PM
The Warhawks return 7 starters on offense and 8 on defense.  The defense struggled last year, but the offense rushed for 209 yards per game.  ULM finished the season winning 5 of their last 6 after losing to North Texas including a stunning 21-14 upset at Alabama in front of 92,138 fans.  UNT is 3-2 against ULM in the last 5 years.

Troy, October 25, 6 PM
The Trojans, the Alabama version, returns 7 starters on both offense and defense.  Troy has a new Offensive Coordinator after OC Tony Franklin left to take the same position at Auburn.  Troy has been one of the most consistent teams in the Sun Belt the past couple of years winning 8 games in each year including a trip to the New Orleans Bowl as the representative of the Sun Belt Conference.  Trivia:  Ohio State plays back to back Trojans, first USC and then Troy (September 2008).

@Western Kentucky, November 1, TBA
UNT won a thriller last year in Denton, but the Hilltoppers who are still in transition from the Football Championship Subdivision to the Bowl Championship Subdivision, will return 7 starters on offense and 6 on defense.  WKU averaged 247 yards on the ground but a meager 162 through the air.  So, who wants to travel to Bowling Green?

@ Florida Atlantic, November 8, 3 PM
The Owls were the surprise champions of the Sun Belt Conference a year ago when they knocked off Troy at the end of the year to earn the trip to the New Orleans Bowl.  This season FAU returns 10 starters on offense and 8 on defense.  QB Rusty Smith may be the best QB in the state of Florida not named Tim Tebow.  Smith passed for 463 yards in their upset at Minnesota.  For the year, Smith threw for 3688 yards with 32 TD’s and only 9 INT’s.  In 2008, FAU begins the season in Austin against the Longhorns.

@ Middle Tennessee State, November 22, TBA
The Blue Raiders have flirted with the Sun Belt Conference Championship in each of the last 2 years with their best chance in 2006 when they were upset in the last game against Troy to lose the title.  MTSU returns their top QB’s Dwight Dasher and Joe Cradock.  The Blue Raiders return 6 starters on offense and defense.  Despite injuries at the QB position all year in 2007, the Blue Raiders averaged 336 yards per game including 202 yards passing per game.

Arkansas State, November 29, 1 PM
2008 marks the first year as ASU will be called the Red Wolves changing it from Indians per the NCAA.  The Red Wolves returns the dynamic duo of Corey Leonard and Reggie Arnold.  QB Leonard accounted for 3057 total yards of offense for ASU in 2008 for an average of 254 total yards per game.  Arnold was a 1000 yard rusher for the second year in a row, and when he and Leonard are healthy the Red Wolves are dangerous and never out of a game.  However, the Red Wolves lose a lot from a defense that included Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year Tyrell Johnson who was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the second round with the 43rd pick.