For the incoming class of freshman, if they have not already reported to school for summer sessions, they will be there within a week or two. In that time they will get acclimated with the rigors of being a student and being to work out with their new teammates. So if you’ve been busy getting your freshman ready for school…here is what you missed in the past week.

What we’ve been working on:

We once again went out and got you another quality guest for the podcast. ESPN’s Bruce Feldman joined us last week to talk SEC and Pac 10 football. The podcast is pretty USC heavy, but when you are annually one of the best teams in the country, who has won 7 straight Pac Ten titles, and have one of the hottest starting quarterback battles going on…well you are going to hear about it. For you SEC fans, Bruce has some interesting thoughts on the SEC West, which should be a fun race to watch this year.

Just so you don’t think we are going to rest on our past accomplishments, Adam and I have another great guest lined up for a podcast which will be ready for your listening pleasure tomorrow morning. We feel bad that we have neglected the Big XII, so tomorrow you will hear Adam and I, along with The Wiz from The Wiz of Odds, discuss the Big XII. On paper it looks as if both the North and South could go down to the wire again when deciding who will play in the Big XII Championship game. Also, we’ll pick his brain about some National News.

Adam has continued to countdown his list of Top 50 Best Non-BCS Players. In his latest installment, Bryan Anderson, a wide receiver from Central Michigan is his choice at #34. Something tells me that Anderson will have a pretty big effect on another player that has yet to be named on this list.

Navy only returns 23% of last year’s offensive yards with potentially NFL bound players Shun White and Eric Kettani gone. Adam sits down and talks with Bobby Doyle about the endless barrage of questions he and the other Navy slotbacks are getting on how they are going to replace 77% of last year’s offense which has now graduated.

For the second year in a row the Big East Conference looks to be wide open. A lot of experts think it is going to come down between Pittsburgh and Rutgers, but neither are very solid under center. Brian talks about which players have the leg up to win the quarterback battles at both schools.

What we’ve been reading:

On a sad note, yesterday was the 3 year anniversary of Randy Walkers passing. Over at Lake The Post they are asking for a moment of silence to remember his passing.

He will go down in history for the murder that he did did not commit, and will be forever known as Nordberg in the Naked Gun movies; but before all of that he was a Heisman Trophy winner. Prolate Spheroid rehashes OJ’s career at USC.

Bruce Feldman picks the top 10 toughest non-conference schedule. A few teams that I mentioned made the list. But one team you won’t find on that list, who is Phil Steele’s #1 surprise team, the Penn State Nittany Lions.

Adam has talked about reviving a countdown he started last year where he picked the Top 10 potential upsets of a FCS team over a FBS team. Double T Nation has an early preview of the Red Raiders game against the North Dakota State Fighting Sioux. I am fairly certain this game will not make Adam’s list.

The Georgia Bulldogs suffered a heartbreaking and somewhat surprising upset loss to their rival Georgia Tech last year. Paul Westerdawg of the Georgia Sports Blog gives his thoughts on how to defend Tech’s option.

The Quad continues their countdown from 120 to 1. Yesterday they previewed the Navy Midshipmen at number 64.

Annually one of the best offensive line units in the country resides in the state of Oklahoma. The Crimson and Cream Machine previews this year’s crop of linemen for the Sooners.

NCAA Football 2010 comes out for video game consoles on July 14th. Over the Pylon has a sneak peak of Ball State’s Scheumann Stadium and Kentucky’s Commonwealth Stadium.

When Coach Wannstedt first arrived at Pitt, he was pulling in one good recruiting class after another, but after only going to one bowl game in his tenure, he finds himself still chasing a 82 year old man who is stealing recruits out of his own back yard. Recently, Wannstedt and the Panthers got a commitment from TJ Clemmings, a defensive tackle from New Jersey. But according to Zags Blog and Clemmings he did not commit.

Finally, I leave you with a sign of the Apocalypse. Evan Berry the younger brother of Tennessee safety Eric Berry has verbally committed to the Vols. Did I mention that Evan was 13 years old?

Need your college football fix after a week off at the beach? No problem, we’ve got you covered - just as long as you promise to lend us you’re beach house for next weekend.

What we’ve been working on:

Matt Bracken of the Baltimore Sun joined us on the podcast on Thursday, filling us in on the state of recruiting in the Mid-Atlantic region. He let us know the teams and players to look out for as we head into the heart of camp and combine season, and even took some time to give us his outlook on the Maryland Terps heading into 2009. Brian and I also give him a rough time about Michigan at the end of the show, although Matt remains hopeful for a turnaround this year.

We continue our countdown of the Top 50 Best Non-BCS Players, taking a look at CMU defensive end Frank Zombo in our latest entry.

Army head coach Rich Ellerson told Adam that young people in this country are looking for a challenge, and that need to be tested will lead them to the banks of the Hudson and to Army. Adam would never question a coach like Ellerson, but openly wonders whether or not that need for a challange hasn’t led the vast majority of recruits to Annapolis, not West Point.

BRUCE FELDMAN joins the podcast this week to talk SEC and Pac-10 football, so do try to tune in if, you know, you’re into that sort of thing.

What we’ve been reading:

Phil Steele says Duke will be this year’s Vanderbilt.

Paul Myerberg of The Quad continues his season previews, reminding us why we tune into The Cosby Showon Nick at Nite by taking a solid and objective look at Temple.

Corn Nation looks at the strengths of the teams in the Big 12 North, making the case for why each member of the Division could win the title in 2009. Frankly, we’re in awe that writer Corn Blight could even come up with something for Iowa State.

Our good friend The Heisman Pundit is up to his yearly rankings, and he’s got the running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends covered in his most recent postings. Check the comment section for each of his rankings for our (and by ‘our’, we really mean Adam’s) thoughts.

T. Kyle King of Dawg Sports was seriously on ESPN radio. Like you know, as a guest. He rocks out in an interview right hyah. Careful though - once you actually listen to him speak you’ll find yourself trying to read his always insightful posts in a Georgia accent. Not recommended for Yankees like Brian and I.

Our friends at DraftDaddy.com sound off on their top senior tailbacks heading into 2009, with Kansas’ Jake Sharp making an appearance on the list. We like the inclusion of Sharp, who (as DD notes) is actually one of the fastest players in college football.

Our favorite misguided Notre Dame blogger (The Subway Domer) continues his crash course in introducing the college football world to the 36 Notre Dame players who he says will make an impact in 2009. His latest post spotlights RB/FB Robert Hughes and S Harrison Smith, although I could do without the photo of my good friend Ross Pospisil laying helplessly on the ground.

Jeremy from The Mountain West Conference Connection chimes in with a great post on what some are calling the “Riley Nelson Rule”, which could end up becoming an issue with the increasing number of LDS and Polynesian recruits we are seeing at the upper levels of the game.

And finally, the Wizard of Odds takes some time to “philosophize” on BCS conference teams and their hunger for cupcakes.

That’s all for now. Check back later today at ITB for the continuation of our Best of the Non-BCS Countdown!

It’s a bright and sunny Saturday here in central Maryland. By all accounts I should be outside cutting the grass or grilling up some thick cut of red meat while blaring a Kenny Chesney song in the background. But I’m not doing any of those things.

In fact, I’m currently in a dimly lit room of my basement staring back and forth between my computer screen and a much too difficult to read, will-surely-destroy-my-eyesite-by-the-time-I’m-30 magazine page informing me about the correlation between yards per point and offensive success.

It can only mean one thing.

That’s right college football fans. Call it Christmas in May, because today Phil Steele Magazine arrived in good old West Friendship, Maryland. Needless to say, this makes Adam a very happy young man.

Brian and I will of course have much more in lead-up to our interview with Phil Steele next week (to be posted here at the ITB website and on Itunes on Monday, June 8^th), but for now I thought I’d drop some initial first impressions. Your ridiculously obsessive and personal questions are of course welcomed to these otherwise random notes. Enjoy!

• Texas and Florida in the National Title. I know: Phil really went out on a limb here, didn’t he?
• Notre Dame is Phil’s pick to make it to the Gator Bowl, to face off against Clemson (!?!)
• Bradford, Tebow, and McCoy are Phil’s top three quarterbacks. CMU’s Dan LeFevour, Ole Miss’ Jevan Snead, Nevada’s Colin Kaepernick, and (here’s the shocker) Arkansas’ Ryan Mallet round out the top seven.
• For the first time in which I can ever remember, Phil has included FCS players in his player rankings.
• Phil’s Conference Rankings based on last year (in descending order): SEC, Big 12, Pac-10, MWC, ACC, Big 10, Big East, CUSA, IND, WAC, MAC, Sun Belt.
• Phil says Illinois will be the most improved team in the country this year.
• Surprise Team Top Five: 1) Penn State 2) Rutgers 3) Cal 4) Notre Dame 5) Illinois.
• Preseason Top 10 you ask? Here we go: 1) Florida 2) Texas 3) USC 4) Oklahoma 5) Penn State 6) Mississippi 7) Notre Dame 8 ) Alabama 9) Cal 10) Ohio State.
• Phil likes BYU to win the MWC, UTEP and Southern Miss in CUSA, Boise in the WAC (seven of his nine power rankings call for Boise to go undefeated), CMU and Ohio in the MAC, and Troy in the Sun Belt.
• Florida has Phil’s highest +/- rating at 140.00. NMSU has his lowest at 90.80.
• Phil has revised his experienced charts. Army and Navy and Air Force are no longer at the top on a yearly basis. This year’s most experienced team is Minnesota. Missouri is his least experienced team.
• From the Turnover=Turnaround charts. Oklahoma, Florida, Buffalo, Wake, and Ohio State “going down?”. Washington St, Wyoming, Washington, North Texas, and Army “going up?”
• Same two girls as always modeling bikinis. How old are those ads?
• Lettermen Returning Indicator: Toldeo, UAB, and Stanford have an 89% chance of improved record. Navy, Missouri, and South Carolina have 82% chance of weaker or the same record.
• Phil picks Georgia Tech to outrush Navy in 2009. Dammit.
• Phil likes Tebow for the Heisman.

I need oxygen. Keep those questions coming!

For some of you who were wondering, and also for those of you who weren’t, yes I am still alive. Thanks to Adam for dropping in his 2 cents here and there along the way while I recover from real life duties and real life injuries that included a separated shoulder. It’s hell turning 30. Speaking of injuries, I’d like to wish Spencer Hall from EDSBS a quick and speedy recovery as he hurt his back from a pull up accident. No word on if those pull ups were in attempt of actual exercise or to get the last beer off the top shelf.

Special thanks to Dr. Montgomery for taking good care of me!

Getting to the world of college football; as Adam mentioned, the bible of college football otherwise known as Phil Steele’s College Football Preview will be out in stores on June 9th. If you have never heard of Phil Steele, you must live under a rock because his magazine is THE BEST preview magazine and it is a must have for all statistical junkies like myself. Nothing is confirmed yet but hopefully we will have Mr. Steele joining us on a podcast in the near future.

Speaking of Adam, be sure to head over to GoMids to check out some of his latest work. Yesterday he got to talk to Navy’s defensive coordinator Buddy Green and the turnaround in his defense from the 2007 season to the 2008 season.

In the news of transfer quarterbacks not named Greg Paulus, our friends over at Boiled Sports have posted that former Miami Hurricanes quarterback Robert Marve will choose the Boilers over Tennessee. Joel at Rocky Top Talk is not as confident that Marve will pick the Vols, but he is not ready to throw in the towel just yet. The official announcement will come this Friday.

The College Football Cafeteria has an interesting piece about my favorite college football coach, Joe Paterno. Recently Paterno went on record saying that the Big Ten needs to get a 12th team in order to have a conference championship game and stay relevant in the voters minds later in the season. Yes this is all true, but I really believe the Big Ten brass is still holding onto a pipe dream that Notre Dame will some day join the conference, and with the new deal that they just signed with NBC a year ago, I do not see that happening anytime soon.

On second thought his release is a bit wide

Other schools such as Pittsburgh, Syracuse, and Rutgers were also bounced around. You all know how I feel about the Big Ten, but when you look at Big East basketball, really only the ACC rivals it. I cannot see either Pittsburgh or Syracuse leaving the Big East since they are such strong basketball schools to move to the Big Ten. Rutgers might be a good idea if they are looking for a team, but does the Big Ten, which still is having trouble accepting Penn State because of their Eastern Ties, want to bring in a school that is even further east? I really think not.

The Heisman Pundit is back writing again and I could not help but get a chuckle from his new one where he discusses how Tim Tebow is working on his throwing motion for the NFL. Here is probably THE best player of the past two seasons messing with his throwing motion. Why fix what isn’t broke? I can’t exactly see Urban Meyer jumping up and down at the possibility of Tebow starting the season trying the work out the new kinks of throwing the ball differently.

Finally it is never too early for Preseason Polls right? Well, yes it is too early, but they are fun to debate. Mark Schlabach over at ESPN puts out his 3rd version (to date) of the 2009 Preseason Poll. I do have a few critiques…in my opinion, no Big Ten team should be ranked in the top 10. They ALL have way too many holes to fill. My other gripe is with Virgina Tech, why all the love for Tyrod Taylor? I just don’t see it and I do not see the Hokies finishing higher than 15th this year.

Even with the impending cold front which could bring snow threatens the northeast, it isn’t enough to damper my excitement of the spring games that happened this weekend. For the most part the the majority of the teams have their games in the latter part of the month, but we were able to get a glimpse of at least 1 team that could have title implications in their game this past weekend.

Spring is in the air

The Texas Longhorns concluded their spring practice with an offense vs defense scrimmage. It wasn’t too long ago that Mack Brown and the rest of his staff were coming into the 2008 season worried about their secondary. Well in their scrimmage Sunday, it was their secondary that played the best.

Earl Thomas and Nolan Brewster each had a pick; and Thomas took his to the house. Colt McCoy didn’t have his best game, but Mack Brown doesn’t feel the need to worry. McCoy went 11-of-24 for 95 yards. The folks over at Barking Carnival have a nice recap of the Longhorns’ spring game highlighting both the offense and the defense.

Most of the news on the Florida State Seminoles has not been good. Just a few weeks ago the NCAA came down on sanctions against the school which included stripping them of 14 wins and losing some scholarships.

Coach Bowden was hoping that the players put that behind them to have a successful spring. In their scrimmage he was really impressed with the work of the defensive secondary. During most of the spring the offense had the upper hand, but it was the defense who forced 5 turnovers on fumbles and won the scrimmage 39-27 in front of 36,000 people.

Ty Jones who has had a good spring, did not have a good spring game fumbling the ball four times. Unfortunately the bad news for Florida State did not end there; wide receiver Rod Owens was arrested after the game and charged with driving under the influence.

Moving out west, the Air Force Falcons had their spring scrimmage, and even after it coach Troy Calhoun is still not sure who will be his starting quarterback. Tim Jefferson, who started last year as a freshman and fellow classmate Asher Clark will both head into the fall fighting for the job.

Can Griffin turn Baylor around?

The reason behind Calhoun’s indecision is that neither quarterback had enough practice time to get fully evaluated. Jefferson only participated in 5 practices due to academics and Clark had a knee injury that required surgery. Calhoun was force to go with untested junior-to-be Ben Cochran and sophomore-to-be Connor Dietz for most of the spring.

If you watched any of the TCU Horned Frogs last year, you could not help but to come away impressed with their defense. Even with some holes left due to graduation, the Horned Frogs still look impressive on that side of the ball. In their spring game, they only allowed the offense to score on one occasion, and coach Gary Patterson came away with a feeling of ease that his defense could be back to its 2008 form.

Linebacker Tanner Brock, who had 625 tackles in high school impressed everyone in his first scrimmage. Brock ran with second-team defense Saturday after earning reps with the first-team ‘D’ during spring practice.

If I were to guess, I think Baylor’s time as being the Big 12 whipping boy is coming to an end. Quarterback Robert Griffin is developing into a star, and he took one more step towards stardom in the Bears’ spring game.

Griffin completed 19-of-25 passes for 310 yards, with touchdown passes of 60, 35 and 43 yards to three different receivers. He also ran for 41 yards and a touchdown. Griffin wasn’t the only star as running back Jarred Salubi had a nice day gaining 40 yards on 12 carries.

At Arizona, head coach Mike Stoops decided to do things differently this year. He allowed two of his captains to have a draft and pick the teams for this year’s spring game. Most of the concern for the Wildcats is; who will replace Willie Tuitama. Tuitama left the school as the career leader in passes, attempts, yards and touchdowns, and capped his career by leading the Wildcats to a 31-21 victory over BYU in the Las Vegas Bowl in December.

The two candidates in line to replace him are Sophomore Matt Scott who completed 11 of 20 passes for 206 yards with one interception. Scott was the backup to Tuitama last season. Nick Foles is the other guy. Foles is a sophomore transfer from Michigan State, led the Blue team going 16-for-24 for 183 yards with no picks.

It was Nick Scott who got the last laugh as he completed a touchdown pass on the last play to lead his team, the White Team, to a 23-21 victory. Stoops likes what he sees from both Scott and Foles but is not ready to name a starter yet. He even went as far as saying he would ponder the idea of rotating them during the season until one stood out.

…Those Irish fans sure know how to write. Even if you’re not a fan of the Golden Domers, a trip to The Blue-Gray Sky should be in order for anyone looking beyond the usual “yea, duh” analysis that seems to dominate the calender during this time of year. Not only do Pat and Jay do phenomenal work throughout the season and offseason in evaluating all things Notre Dame football, but a recent guest article by John Walters challenges any lingering mainstream media dobuts that college football bloggers not only write extremely well, but write extremely well while providing useful and compelling analysis. And that’s not even taking into account Michael’s latest feature, which takes a comprehensive and enlightening look at the “devolution” of the Irish offense in 2007 and 2008 based on personnel packages. Try busting out terms like “Detroit” and “Jax” the next time you line up against your friends as the Irish in NCAA ‘09. I know I sure will.

Ok, enough rubbing it in on my part, but because his Nittany Lions are in the NIT Final in basketball I thought I’d surprise Brian and let the closet Irish fan in me out for one afternoon…

Unfortunately I do not share the same love for the combine as my friend Adam does, so you will not get any big insights from me. But as was mentioned on the podcast and many times already on this site, the blog Draft Daddy is the place to go for all of your NFL Combine news. The folks over there have a nice layout and they update their links each day to keep them fresh.

I’d run a 4.4 40 if she was at the finish

I did however have an interesting conversation on the last podcast with Chris from Draft Daddy in respects to the combine results trumping the results a player can have on the field. If I were a NFL GM (hey I could do a better job than Matt Millen), I would take more stock in what I saw on the field in game condition more than some drills. Yes it is important to show off your speed and agility, but seeing it on the field is more important in my opinion. ESPN’s Bruce Feldman gives his top 10 scouting cliche’s that I am sure you heard a ton of times already on the NFL Network.

Purdue came into the season with one of the top senior quarterbacks in the country with Curtis Painter. Well we all know what happened, Purdue had a bad season, and Painter was benched a few times. Painter, along with a few other Boilermakers, took part in the NFL Combine last weekend. And out of all of them, running back Kori Sheets came out as the most impressive. Sheets ran a 4.47 40-yard dash, which was good enough to put him in the top 3 for running backs.

We’ve talked a lot about the physical tests that can make or break an NFL Prospect, but let’s not forget that the teams are allowed to interview these players also. Over at The Quad, they have an interesting piece about a few of the players and their experience at the combine as well as some of the interviews they went through.

Enough about the combine for right now. Let’s look ahead to next season for a second…the time is closing in and we are only 6 months away. Wow, that seems like such a long time, but not too long to look at the top 10 out of conference games for 2009. The number one game should be no surprise, it is when Southern Cal comes east to play Ohio State.

I want to end this article on a non-football note. As many of you know I am a Penn State fan. Last weekend, the students of Penn State had what they call THON. THON is a completely student run philanthropy, largest student-run philanthropy in the world. It is a yearlong effort to raise funds and awareness for the fight against pediatric cancer.

Since 1977, THON has raised more than $59 million for The Four Diamonds Fund at Penn State Children’s Hospital. I’m happy to say that not only did I contribute to that fund, but I personally know a few of the students who danced in THON. This year alone the students at Penn State raised $7,490,133.87 for the Four Diamonds Fund. A special thank you goes out to all that have contributed, you should know that you will make a difference in someone’s life.

The harsh reality has set in, we now have a little over eight months before the 2009 college football season starts. There is still some football to watch with the Senior Bowl fast approaching and the NFL entering its Conference Championship week. But unless you are lucky enough to have rooting interest in one of those for teams…like me…it’s nothing more than a reason to drink and gather with friends.

Kiss the 2008 season goodbye!

The last day to declare for the NFL draft and the biggest notable staying for another year is Tim Tebow. Well you can add another to that list as Gerald McCoy decided he wants to stay for another year with the Sooners.

The other McCoy from Pittsburgh still has not made up his mind on what to do. Reports came out late last week that Shady McCoy was going to forgo his final two years of eligibility to enter the NFL Draft, but after a meeting with head coach Dave Wannstedt, he then said he was undecided. Let’s make it easy for you Shady, most of the defense is gone, you still have Bill Stull at quarterback, and Matt Cavanaugh is still going to be your offensive coordinator. LEAVE NOW while you still have two good knees.

Someone who isn’t making news headlines but should, Florida State’s Myron Rolle will study at Oxford instead of entering this year’s NFL draft. Rolle is a great story as he was one of the top recruits in his class, had a good career with the Seminoles, and used his talents on the field to get him a free education and a Rhodes Scholarship. Myron is the prime example of a student-athlete, congratulations to him and his family.

I was a bit rough on the Big 12 South last week, but there is no doubt there was and still is a lot of talented football players in that conference. The always great Barking Carnival takes a look at the Big 12 South and what each team will lose, and how they will look going into the 2009 season.

If you are anything like me, you did miss some of the bowl action. It is really hard to watch every game everyday…unless you have a DVR or zero life. Both Corn Nation and Spencer Hall over at Sporting News take you through the bowl season. Jon takes a look at the worst Big 12 Performances in the 2008-09 bowl season, while Spencer does his job taking you A to Z through it.

Finally, we will spend the next eight months arguing back and forth over if Florida is the true champion (which they are), or if USC and Utah could have beat them and deserve there share of the title. The man who had the first College Football Podcast, the Enligtened Spartan, takes a look at another argument; Which state had the greatest college football success in 2008. ES looks at both the FBS, FCS, and all of the lower divisions to make his point, it is definitely a great read. Here is a bit of a spoiler though…my state is the BEST!

To steal a quote from Colonel Sink right before the invasion of Europe; “Tonight is the night of nights”. The waiting is over as the BCS National Championship Game between Florida and Oklahoma will kick off from Miami, a little after 8pm EST on Fox.

Although some people don’t think that this game is the Championship game, that it was already decided when Utah beat Alabama; I refuse to be that rebel because I believe in the BCS. Plus I also can’t take a guy seriously who still thinks Pacific still has a College Football team. Thanks to Dr. Saturday for pointing out that blunder.

A group of fans will go home from Miami dejected and disappointed, come tomorrow if they were caught crying on camera they will probably be ridiculed by Spencer in Friday’s Curious Index, especially if they are a Sooners fan.

I have already given my prediction on who I think will win; I think Florida has a decided advantage in the Special Teams aspect, I think their quick defensive line will not allow Bradford to sit in the pocket like he is use to, and I don’t think the Sooners will be able to stop the Gators. For the Sooners to win they have to establish the run to keep the Gators off balance and use their weapons at wide receiver and tight end to find holes in the Florida secondary. The Gators haven’t faced a passing attack like the Sooners this year so it will be a test for their secondary.

If you haven’t already got enough pregame material; below are some good previews to check out. Enjoy the game everyone, savor it because we don’t have another one for 9 months.

Final Thoughts About the Championship Game - [Saurian Sagacity]

BCS Title Preview - [The Reitmeyer Rant]

Hold that pose: Florida, Oklahoma play for No. 1 - [Yahoo Sports]

Oklahoma Defense vs. Florida Offense - [Crimson And Cream Machine]

Oklahoma Offense vs. Florida Defense - [Crimson and Cream Machine]

Oklahoma vs Florida - [Heisman Pundit]

Gators-Sooners: The B/R Guide To The BCS Championship Game - [Bleacher Report]

My prediction: Florida 45 Oklahoma 21

As you probably know by now, Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford won the Heisman trophy Saturday night in one of closest races in recent memory. Bradford, who becomes the fifth Sooner in history to win the award, totaled 1,724 total points in the voting, edging out Colt McCoy’s 1,604 points and Tim Tebow’s 1,575 points. While all three candidates seemed more than deserving to win the award, what was most interesting about this year’s voting process was that it was actually Florida’s Tebow - not Bradford - who received the most first place votes.

As our good friend Chris Huston of Heismanpundit tells us, Tebow’s third place finish is the first by a leading first-place vote getter since Oklahoma’s Tommy McDonald in 1956. As always Heismanpundit.com has the historic presentation covered from all angles, as Chris continues to recap Saturday night’s events and their implications for next year at his site.

While Bradford’s Heisman triumph was the college football story of the day it was by no means the only one, as the FCS, Division II, and Division III playoffs all rolled on, with the game of the day taking place in Cedar Falls, Iowa. After building a 20-7 lead in the fourth quarter the Northern Iowa Panthers looked poised to head to Chattanooga to face off against Montana in the FCS Title game, but a late-game surge by Richmond quarterback Eric Ward and the Spider offense ultimately put Richmond on top 21-20.

While it may have been tough to top Friday night’s Montana-James Madison finish the Spiders and Panthers did just that, with Ward’s touchdown pass to Joe Stewart with fourteen seconds left to go in the game completing Richmond’s comeback. It’s been an improbable run to the FCS Championship game for the Spiders, who weren’t on anyone’s radar to make the playoffs after starting the year at 4-3.

The stage is set for yet another Mt Union-Wisconsin Whitewater showdown in the Division III National Championship next week, as both the Purple Raiders and Warharks won their semifinal games to advance to the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl. For the Purple Raiders is was all about senior running back Nate Kmic, who broke Danny Woodhead’s one year old NCAA rushing record with a 310-yard day against Wheaton College. Kmic, who we told you about last week, surpassed Woodhead’s mark by 24 yards in the win, boosting his career rushing total to 7,986 yards.

He currently holds the all-division NCAA mark for touchdowns and career points as well, with 129 scores and 774 total points in his illustrious career. Saturday’s game will mark the fourth straight meeting between Wisconsin Whitewater and Mt. Union for the Division III National Title, with the Purple Raiders looking to avenge last year’s upset loss.

In coaching news, Iowa State’s now-former headman Gene Chizek took the Auburn head coaching job, while Army, fresh off a seventh consecutive loss to Navy in the annual Army-Navy game, canned second year man Stan Brock. Yet with a defensive pedigree and a 5-19 career record as a head coach Chizek was not the answer Auburn fans were hoping for, writes SI.com’s Andy Staples. As far as Brock goes, his 0-2 record against Navy (losing the ‘07 and ‘08 games by a combined 78-3 margin) speaks for itself, but it was ultimatly his incompatability with coaching option football that doomed him. Who is next for the Black Knights?

My guess is they take a long look at Wake Forest offensive coordinator Steed Lobotzke. And how about Ball State’s Brady Hoke? After leading the Cardinals to a 13-1 regular season he’ll be taking hs services to San Diego State. Hard to imagine that being a step up, but when you’re offered a raise of nearly three times what you’re currently making in this economy I don’t blame him. Look for Ball State offensive coordinator Stan Parish to replace him in Muncie.

Finally, I’d like to direct you’re attention to a fantastic article about Navy senior quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada. Bill Wagner of the Annapolis Capital says that a lingering hamstring injury nearly led the signal caller to quit the team with a month left to go in the season, but that Navy offensive coordinator Ivin Jasper talked him into sticking the year out. It proved to be the best advice Kaipo received all season, as the Hawaii native returned against Army last week to give Navy’s offense a much needed spark in the 34-0 win.

I bring all of this up because I actually had a fairly awkward elevator ride with Kaipo coming out of the Navy-Notre Dame game a month ago in which you could pretty much tell the usually incredibly upbeat Kaipo wasn’t himself. After the game a couple of the other Navy beat writers and I had a conversation about it, and we all pretty much concluded that we wouldn’t likely be seeing Kaipo on the field for the rest of the season. Just goes to show how a little determination can go a long way, and how a determined and motivated college athlete can prove a group nosy sportswriters (and I include myself here) wrong any day.