One of my favorite things about blogging is making predictions, then when they come true I can brag about them. If they don’t come true, I can pretend they never occurred but still boast about the ones I got correct or nearly right. In the second part of MIZZOURAH’s bold predictions, we predict the 2008 BCS Games, Heisman Winners, Surprise teams, and teams doomed to disappoint us. Below I will lay out my thought process for my choices for the BCS games and potential Heisman winners. Next week I will talk about my picks for Surprise and Disappointing teams in 2008.

Get use to the name Cullen Harper

It’s April and spring time, time for new beginnings and fresh starts. So here is my first crack at who will be in the BCS Games come January of 2009.

BCS Title Game
USC vs Georgia - No surprise here if you followed who I voted in the top 2 of my Top 10 in Bold predictions. Both teams return a lot of talent, although USC will be a little green at quarterback, but both Sanchez and Mustain have a lot of potential. I really like the duo of Stafford and Moreno to be one best in the country. Also when you have defensive lineman that can run down WR, it can’t hurt either (See 2008 Sugar Bowl).

Rose Bowl
Ohio State vs Arizona State - As you can see I like Ohio State to win the Big Ten and keeping with the Tradition, I expect the Rose Bowl committee to pick the #2 team in the Pac-10 to replace USC in this spot. I like what the Sun Devils have coming back and think they have a good shot at finishing up high.

Sugar Bowl
Missouri vs Florida - Since the Sugar Bowl lost Georgia, they easily replace it with the Gators who boast the 2007 Heisman winner and possibly the 2008 one too (see Heisman predictions below). Missouri once again should finish at the top of the Big 12 North, but once again will fall to Oklahoma in the title game. However, unlike in 2008, the Tigers will get a BCS bid in 2009.

Orange Bowl
Clemson vs West Virginia - The best quarterback in the country that no one is talking about is Cullen Harper of Clemson. Harper along with the backfield tandem of CJ Spiller and James Davis is going to make Clemson a favorite in the ACC which does not look that tough. West Virginia who returns Pat White and Noel Devine on offense should be the favorites in the Big East.

Fiesta Bowl
Oklahoma vs Wisconsin - I already stated before that I believe Oklahoma will beat Missouri in the Big 12 title game. The second pick was a little tougher since the BCS rules state that no conference can have more than 2 teams in the BCS. I gave Fresno State a little thought as an at-large, but settled with Wisconsin. I think the Badgers are the second best team in the Big Ten and could be the Buckeyes’ biggest obstacle in capturing their 3rd outright Big Ten title in as many years.

Heisman Trophy

Harvin: Running through a defense near you in 2008

I am going to follow one of the Heismandment which state no more two-time winners, and eliminate Tim Tebow. But I do think someone from Tebow’s team will be in the race for the Heisman. Percy Harvin is an amazing athlete and does something extraordinary every time he touches the ball. Even in the Capital One Bowl loss to Michigan he did well, and it still baffles me why he didn’t get more touches in that game. Harvin is a running back/wide receiver hybrid and will take some of the load off Tebow this year.

My next thought for Heisman is from THE Ohio State University, Mr. Chris “Beanie” Wells. He had 146 yards in the title game and nice 65 yard run where he outran everyone in the speedy LSU defense. Wells not only has speed but has the power to punish defenders who try and tackle him. With those two things going for him and the fact that the Buckeyes have a strong offensive line, Wells’ rushing number will be close to 2000 in 2008.

Finally I am going to go with Chase Daniel of Missouri for a 3rd pick. Chase was already through this last year and is a known commodity (see McFadden 2006/07). What Daniel has going for him is that Missouri should have another good year and he will put up some big numbers. For him to win, however, he must have that one huge game against an Oklahoma or a Texas.

As most of us know, the most prestigious award in college football, the Heisman Trophy, will be handed out on Saturday. It is still unclear of the exact rules for voting for this awards since some vote for it like a most valuable player award, others only vote for players on good teams, while other actually vote on it based on who they think the best player in the country. I fall into the last category, I’ll look at a candidate and add or subtract in a few factors based on who they played. I was asked by Big Head of Mizzourah to take part in a Heisman Vote, and my vote is at the end of this article.

Colt Brennan - If Colt put up the stats he did last season, I think he would be a shoe-in for the 2007 Heisman award. Colt has a lot going for him, he recently broke Ty Detmer’s record for career touchdown passes, he led Hawaii to their first ever BCS Bowl game, and finished the season undefeated. In all, Brennan owns 20 NCAA records. But since Hawaii did not play a difficult schedule, many think his stats are a bit over-inflated. Inflated or not, 4100 yards passing, 38 touchdowns, and a 71% completion percentage is eye popping.

Also Colt missed the better parts of two games this season and most of his games hardly anyone got to see because Hawaii plays so late at night. Right or wrong, he has been labeled a system quarterback, but really who isn’t? He has mastered his system and can execute it to near perfection. That’s what you want in a quarterback, also isn’t it impressive that teams know Hawaii is going to pass down after down, yet he still is able to get the stats he does?

Darren McFadden - McFadden is no stranger to this race, he finished as the runner up last season to Troy Smith. He is trying not to become the first person ever to be runner up two years in a row. McFadden is so effective that the Razorbacks named an offensive formation just for him. His stats are not eye popping, 1725 yards and 15 touchdowns, but if you dig deeper you will see how impressive they are.

First off, Arkansas played in the toughest conference in college football and the Razorbacks were not a great team this year. At the end of the season McFadden found himself lining up at quarterback. Unlike Tim Tebow, the defenses knew McFadden was going to run and he had over 525 yards rushing in his last two games against South Carolina and LSU using this formation. Working against McFadden is the fact that he was held under 100 yards 3 times this season, he is on a 4 loss team, and many say he got his yards because he had such a good backfield mate in Felix Jones.

Tim Tebow - Tim Tebow is an excellent dual threat quarterback from the University of Florida…who didn’t know that? Tebow recently became the first quarterback in NCAA history to run for over 20 touchdowns and throw for over 20 touchdowns in one season. Although only a sophomore, he is poised beyond his years. The #1 arguement for Tebow right now is that stat I mentioned and his 3100 yards with a 66% completion percentage. He did that playing (like McFadden) in the toughest conference in America.

The two knocks on Tebow are the fact that he is only a sophomore (they don’t usually win this award), and Florida has three losses. Tebow does have over 800 yards rushing but when you look at where he carried the ball 194 times, doing the math that is a little over 4 ypc. Yes, I know sacks are counted in, but that does not change that number too much.

Before I get to my vote, here is how I think it will play out Saturday night. Colt will finish third because no one respects Hawaii, that is at least until they pull an upset of Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. McFadden will finish second and Tebow will be the first sophomore in decades to win this award, mainly because of the 20-20 stat he has going for him. BUT, Tebow won the Maxwell award, and 7 of the last 8 to win that award did not win the Heisman. While the Walter Camp Award (which McFadden won) has been a Heisman winner the past 3 years and 4 of the last 8.

My vote is as follows: 3) Brennan, 2) Tebow, and 1) McFadden. It was really hard for me to distinguish between the three because for each I can give a legitimate reason why they should win it all. When it came down to choosing, I had to penalize Brennan for the lack of quality for his opponents. I thought if either of the two above him played the schedule he did, their stats would be out of this world. I picked McFadden over Tebow because I think he was impressive with a lot more stacked against him. They both were go to guys on their teams, while both had talented supporting cast, but I think the fact that since McFadden did it while only being one-dimensional was much more impressive to me. He did not have that thread of passing that Tebow did, and still was able to put up huge games when teams would stack the box against him.

So there you have it, my reasoning behind my picks. Now I ask the readers of In The Bleachers to leave me their ballot, and reasoning if you so choose, in the comment section.

In 2006, we were treated with one of the worst years in recent history for the Heisman Trophy race. Early on it was pretty clear that Troy Smith was going to run away with the award, and it became a race for who will finish second.

This year, however, is the total opposite; there has not been one clear cut candidate from the beginning. Each player still in the race has had a week or two where he had a bad game, but since no one is stepping up to the plate, they are still in the race. And the race is wide open right now.

The Heisman Pundit has his own views on who is the leader right now, but again I differ. One of the biggest problems with the Heisman Award is in its definition. It goes to the “most outstanding collegiate football player in the United States.” That is a pretty ambiguous definition. After watching quite a bit of games this year and drudging through stats upon stats, here would be my top 5 if the season were to end today.

McFadden leaves many defenders in the dust

1. Darren McFadden – He is the best player in college football today, and statistically speaking, can you imagine the number of yards he would have if Houston Nutt did not take away carries from McFadden to give to Felix Jones? His 321 yards (HT: Hogblogger) last week was just a glimpse of what he can do. Arkansas is not as good of a team as last year, but he gets to play in one of the toughest conferences in American and inflicts fear in defensive coordinators eyes every time they have to scheme against him. What other running back has an entire offensive set (WildHog) created for him just so he can touch the ball more? None, and not only does he run the ball out of that set, but he can throw.

Take a look for a second at McFadden’s stats so far this season: 1314 yards rushing, 5.9 yards per carry, 12 rushing touchdowns, and 2 passing touchdowns. I already mentioned about Felix Jones taking carries away, but imagine those number if he had a competent quarterback, instead of Casey Dick running the show?

Dixon has a chance to lead the Ducks to their first Rose Bowl since 1995

2. Dennis Dixon – Dixon is one of the main reasons that Oregon is #3 in the BCS at the moment. If you don’t recall Dixon had a chance to leave the Ducks this summer to pursue a career in Professional Baseball, but chose to come back for another year. So far this season Dixon has thrown for 2074 yards with 20 touchdowns and only 3 interceptions. The number that jumps out in my mind is his 68% completion percentage. Yes, his passing numbers aren’t mind boggling when compared to others (Harrell & 2006 Brennan), but he has also amassed 549 yards on the ground, 8 touchdowns, and a long run of 80 yards.

Oregon has played some tough competition against California, Arizona State’s tough defense, USC, and Michigan. To put up those stats against those teams is impressive. Dixon has a chance to overtake McFadden as long as the Ducks keep winning. It has been a long time since the Heisman voters chose a winner from a team with 3 or more losses, and it is conceivable that Arkansas will lose again.

Hart has a lot to cheer about since the Wolverines have rattled off 8 straight wins

3. Michael Hart – Who would’ve thought after the disastrous initial two weeks that Michigan had that Hart would still be in the Heisman race come week 11? Michael is the Hart and Soul of the Wolverine team (cheesy pun I know). What is impressive about Hart is that he has 1155 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 5.5 yards per carry, all the while not playing two games this year against Illinois and Minnesota. Also, Michigan has been without their top signal caller, Chad Henne for parts of this season. With true freshman Ryan Mallet in the game, opponents would stack the box against Hart, daring Michigan to pass. The Wolverines would still run the ball, and Hart has gotten over 100 yards in every game he has played this year.

Hart is a bit behind the eight ball in the voters eyes because of the way Michigan started the season. Next week (if Ohio State & Michigan win) the stars could align for a spotlight game for Hart. If he and the Wolverines could pull off an impressive victory against the #1 team in the nation, Hart could open some voters’ eyes.

Daniel has a few more big games to improve his stock

4. Chase Daniel – Outside of the state is Missouri, if you would’ve said that the Tigers would be in the top 10 late in the season, most would’ve said “Missouri has a football team?” Daniel has some impressive stats throwing for 2954 yards, 23 touchdowns, and an impressive 68% completion percentage. He has also run for 233 yards and 3 touchdowns this season. Daniel had big games when the spotlight was on against Oklahoma and Nebraska, but he fizzled a bit in his big duel against Graham Harrell and Texas Tech. The Tigers won the game, but most people expected a lot more from Chase against the Red Raiders.

For Daniels to win the Tigers need to win out. He is a junior and his name is not McFadden, so he is lagging behind the other 3 in that category. The Tigers have some big games remaining where Daniel can shine. This week they are home against the Aggies, then travel to play Kansas State. If they pass those two tests, a potential Big 12 north title match against Kansas looms, and then a possible Big 12 title game. Daniel has some ground to gain on the rest, but has plenty of big games to do it with.

Tebow and the Gators won’t take home a title this year, but Tim could take home some other hardware soon

5. Tim Tebow – The hype surrounding Tebow is insurmountable. He definitely had a legitimate shot in taking home this award, but as a sophomore he needed his team to perform a little better than they have this season. Tebow leads the Gators in both passing (2228 yards 21 touchdowns) and rushing (598 yards 14 touchdowns). Right now I find it hard to believe he will win this award, but the stage is set for him for 2008. Tebow is a phenomenal athlete and an excellent football player, barring any injuries we will be hearing his name and Heisman in the same sentence for at least one more year to come.

It is now Week 6 of the 2007 College Football Season and one thing is for sure, I have no idea who the real Heisman Candidates are. When the season started we had a group of players led by Darren McFadden, Colt Brennan, Colt McCoy, Steve Slaton, Patrick White, John David Booty, and Jamaal Charles. I can honestly say that none of those players have shined and many of them have hurt or exhasuted their chance at winning the Heisman this season.

The Heisman Pundit each week takes a look at the chances for each player and gives his top 3 to 5 for that week. After last week’s mess, he has narrowed this list of winners down to 3; McFadden, Booty, and Tebow. I rarely disagree with such a Guru like HP, but I think he is missing some key players in this race. I also understand that politics play a big part of who wins the race, but here are some additional players that should get some consideration.

Andre Woodson has to be considered a contender. We will find out more about him this Thursday against South Carolina, but he has put up some strong passing numbers and has led Kentucky to a 4-0 record. He beat Louisville and Arkansas (ahem McFadden) on consecutive weeks. Woodson has 1300 yards passing and 16 TDs, let’s see if he can continue against the meat of the SEC.

PJ Hill of Wisconsin appeared on the radar screen last year as a freshman and with Wisconsin in the Top 10, he should appear again this year. In 5 games he has 10 total touchdowns and 667 yards on the ground. If the Badgers keep winning, Hill will be a main reason why.

Boston College is at the top of the ACC and Matthew Ryan is a huge reason so. The Eagles are 5-0 and Ryan has thrown for 1545 yards and 11 touchdowns. BC lacks a strong running game so we do know if the Eagles continue to win, it will be with the arm of Ryan.

Laugh if you want but Michael Hart should get some Heisman consideration. If not for Hart, the Wolverines might be winless. Hart might not be big in stature, but he runs all out every down he carries the ball, and lately that has been the majority of the offensive snaps. The Wolverines till have a shot at winning the Big Ten title and Hart has 761 yards and 7 TDs in those 5 games. The more Michigan wins, the more people should look at Hart.

Even though the Ducks lost on Saturday, Dennis Dixon’s play was not a reason why they lost. Dixon does it both through the air and on the ground. In the air Dixon has 1238 yards passing and 12 TDs while on the ground he has run for 308 yards and 5 TDs. If Oregon can upset USC later on this season, the nation will get another glimpse of how good Dixon is.

Why is it “dead blogging” you may ask? Because I’ll probably kill myself half-way through the ordeal. By the Way. Did you know ESPN was showing the Heisman Trophy ceremony at 8 pm? I totally didn’t. I wish they would devote 90% of Sportscenter to it or at least give me a promo. Oh, and Kirk looks like he was up all night making a Herbstreit #4, because his racoon eyes were about to give me rabies.

Be that as it may, welcome to the official ITB 2006 Heisman Trophy live-blogging/dead-blogging update thread!

8:00-8:56 EST: Watch re-run of Heroes on NBC… post gratuitous picture of Hayden Panettierre.
8:57: See that Troy Smith won the Heisman.
9:57 (and 2 seconds): Go back to Heroes and watch them prepare to save the cheerleader so that they may/may not save the world.
As if I needed a reason for this

The Somewhat more serious synopsis:

Pre-show - AKA Sportscenter. Nice to see Barbaro hosting Sportscenter. Good to know his leg is all healed… wait, that’s Linda Cohn?

Separated at Birth?

8:05: Lee points out that no Ohio State QB has won the Heisman. Then he forgets Herbstreit’s name as he sends it over to him. Meanwhile, Quinn, McFadden and Smith pretend they enjoy eachother over a game of NCAA Football.

8:10: Brian Obergfell welcomes us to the Heisman Trophy presentation. Thank God. I’ve been wondering when Brian would thank us for the past 10 minutes.

8:12: ESPN sings McFadden’s praises for around 3.7 seconds, realizing it’s pointless to do more. Nor does D-Mac get to talk. Seriously, can we get rid of the whole D-Mac, T-Mac, A-Rod, A-Rod thing. Just say his name. Fowler, you look like a #$#!%^ idiot. Until this ends, no longer will I say people’s names on this site.

8:14: B-Qui gets about 2 minutes, looks extremely… how do I say it… homo-sexual tonight.

Because life isn’t complete without a Little Laura Quinn

8:16: They leave Smith for last, in no way signifying he will win… although they have featured Archie Griffin prominently tonight. Probably just a coincidence.

8:19: First mention of Ali Rap. Maybe there have been more, I haven’t really paid attention. Oh, and in the previous note, it should be T-Smit and A-Grif…

8:21: We learn B-Qui was a greedy little s#%@, denying his mother money when he was young… meanwhile, his sister comes off as the complete opposite… go figure.

8:22: Poli Sci Prof G-Lo (George Lopez) talks of B-QUi wanting to learn. Amazement oozes out of his words, showing shock that a Notre Dame football player could care about his academics.

8:24: Speaking of hindsight B-Ber (Bonnie Bernstein), that dress is not attractive, and no one really respects the Fergie hair. In other news, the man who sired B-Qui (yeah this is too annoying to continue) has the Red Foreman hair going on… so ladies (and AJ Hawk), be prepared for that in the future.

8:26: “Brady, what did Coach Weiss teach you to be a QB?” Answer in his mind: “Jack s#$^, Tyrone 4 Life!”

Aside: About Brian D. Obergfell
Along with Being a Trustee with the National Sports Museum and protector of the Heisman Trophy, Brian D. Obergfell has a day job. Brian is a partner at Emmett, Marvin & Martin, LLP. A Graduate of Boston U., he attended law school at New York Law School. No truth to the rumor he was at Game 7 of the Yanks-Red Sox game in 2004 wearing a half Red Sox/Yankees jersey.

Unlike Laura, Brian isn’t a traitor

8:34: We’ve learned that McFadden has purchased 5-6 pairs of shoes since arriving in NY. For some reason, this seems to bother no one. Nevermind that I had a job in college and could barely afford a pair of K-Mart sandals, yet he comes from a poor background in Arkansas, plays football and has no job… Just saying.

8:37: Commercial for Ali Rap! So “Float Like a Butterfly, Sting like a Bee” is a precursor to “First things first, I poppa, freaks all the honeys”. Thank you you shaking SOB.

8:39: Another Ali commercial. All is right with the world.

8:40: Troy Smith has overcome a lot, first and foremost his extreme hatred for sweater vests

Troy Smith was here, hating sweater vests.

8:45: What Jim Tressel “re-learned” from Troy Smith - Love is the strongest thing there is… there’s something weird going on at OSU. Someone needs to sick Carl Monday on the football program.

Watch out Tressel

8:48: The ceremony is brought to you by Nissan and the Braun 360 Complete, not to be confused with the Braun 180 half-assed edition.

8:50: A Craftsman commercial asks where I go for tools… my answer

8:51: Ali Raps commercial

8:53: ESPN introduces the past Heisman winners on hand… a who’s who of failed NFL players.

8:54: For those wondering, Judge John Spizzo is a judge of the Southern District of New York.

8:55: Judge Spizzo is currently vamping.

8:55: Troy Smith is announced the winner… damn, my pre-show guess was 10 seconds to late. Damn you Spizzo, couldn’t you have vamped for 10 more seconds?

8:58: Troy Smith thanks Quinn and McFadden, secretly for sucking a little more than he does.

9:00: My mother calls, asking if I can switch on MSNBC to see if the space shuttle has launched. She sounds as intoxicated as Linday Lohan on a Wednesday (i love you mom).

9:01: Smith talks for 5 minutes, then Fowler asks him to reach out and touch it. Corso slinks away to go stroke Mr. Beasley.

9:02: The final results: Smith gets 801 first place votes and breaks the record for the highest % of votes. Second place, McFadden I believe, gets 46, a close second indeed. Then Quinn, Hart and Slaton.

9:02 (2): Ali Raps begins. Jay-Z has relinquished his greatest in the world title, while I go peruse College Humor. Have a good night America.

According to ESPN, Ohio State’s QB Troy Smith, Notre Dame’s QB Brady Quinn, and Arkansas’ RB Darren McFadden are the finalists for the 2006 Heisman Trophy. All three will be in attendance Saturday in New York when the winner is announced. If Smith wins, like many think, it will be the first time a Big Ten QB has won this award. Coverage starts Saturday at 8pm EST on ESPN.

1. Troy Smith - Rumor has it that Troy is on the third paragraph of his acceptance speech as of this moment.

2. Michael Hart - It does not look like Hart will get his wish for a rematch, but if he returns next year he will be a front runner for the ‘07 award.

3. Darren McFadden - If McFadden would not have started the season injured we might be talking about him challenging Smith for the Heisman. This guy can do everything from play RB, WR, and he can even line up at QB. He’s a special player for the Razorbacks.

4. Steve Slaton - I think the injuries have finally caught up to Slaton. He has one last chance to show everyone what he can do against a tough Scarlet Knight’s defense.

5. Brady Quinn - I am done drinking the Quinn kool-aid. Even if Smith had had a bad game against the Wolverines, Quinn did nothing against USC to show that he was Heisman worthy. His little tantrum slamming down the phone on the sidelines didn’t help any either.

6. Colt Brennan - Brennan lacked the exposure needed for this award but that does not take away from his stats. Plus he showed that he can do it against a BCS team as the Warriors beat Purdue last Saturday.

7. Patrick White - White is the best dual threat QB in the nation. The injury hurt him against the Bulls, but if his passing skills keep developing teams will have a tough time game planning. White also needs a healthy Slaton for the Mountaineers offense to run on all cylinders.

8. Ian Johnson - The Division 1-A leader in rushing touchdowns for an undefeated team needs to be on this list somewhere. Don’t let the blue turf fool you; Johnson is a quality running back.

9. Calvin Johnson - Johnson is still hanging on the list since he is the best receiver in college football, but if Dwayne Jarrett would have played a full season
.
10. Ray Rice - Rice will get to go head to head this week in Morgantown with two competitors for the 2007 Heisman.

1. Troy Smith - In the words of the great Keith Jackson “HELLLLLLOOOOOOO HEISMAN!!!”

2. Steve Slaton - Slaton had a big day against the Panthers running for over 200 yards while having another 100 yards in the receiving column. I really believe that Slaton is the best back in college football right now, and he showed his versatility in the Backyard Brawl.

3. Michael Hart - Even though Michigan came up short Hart had another impressive day. He ran for 142 yards against the #1 team in the Nation at their home field. This guy has been a model of consistency all year long.

4. Brady Quinn - Smith’s performance against the Wolverines will negate anything that Quinn does against USC this weekend. Quinn has been a little disappointing this year in my eyes. He has all this offensive firepower around him, yet only has a few standout games.

5. Darren McFadden - McFadden did not have a great day statically against the Bulldogs, but his big profile games are yet to come. With Arkansas fighting for a spot in the BCS title game he will have big spotlight games against LSU and Florida coming up. If he can put up some big numbers against those defenses, the college football world will have to notice him.

6. Colt Brennan - Brennan still has two games remaining and he has 48 touchdowns and only 8 interceptions. Any QB would die for those numbers. He has a good shot at 60 TDs because the two teams the Warriors have left to play do not have very good defenses.

7. Patrick White - White is really coming into his own. He is showing that he is not only a great running QB but he can also throw the ball too. As long as he and Slaton stay healthy WVU will have a shot at going to a BCS bowl in the years to come.

8. PJ Hill Jr. - Not an exceptionally great day against Buffalo but he did not play the entire game. None the less, 1500 yards and 15 touchdowns for any play is impressive, not to mention a freshman.

9. Calvin Johnson - You have to at least consider this guy in top 10 since he is the best receiver in college football.

10. Ray Rice - Rice along with the entire Rutgers team fell flat on their faces against Cincinnati, but that should not take away from the great year and the feel good story that the are the Scarlet Knights.

Well it is the week that the country has been waiting for, the big Ohio State vs Michigan game where Troy Smith can lock up the Heisman or just open the door for other people to snatch the trophy. If he has a poor game that opens the door for Brady Quinn to have a great performance against USC and steal the trophy right from under his nose. Don’t discount Michael Hart either, because he can move right on up with a huge day this weekend.

1. Troy Smith - If Ohio State wins this weekend not only will Troy Smith be playing in the National Title game, but he will also have to prepare his acceptance speech for the Heisman Trophy.

2. Brady Quinn - Quinn had a nice day against Air Force, but if he wants to really win this award he has to do better. Brady will have conflicting interests this week. For Notre Dame to make the title game he should root for Ohio State, but if he wants the Heisman he needs Troy Smith to have a bad day.

3. Michael Hart - Hart had 95 yards in limited duty on Saturday. He has to be licking his chops at the chance to take advantage of the Buckeye’s run defense. If somehow he can pull a 150 yard game in Columbus, he could make a serious case for his candidacy.

4. Steve Slaton - Slaton bounced back after having a tough time holding onto the ball to rush for 148 yards against Cincinnati. He has a second chance to showcase himself on a national stage in a few weeks against Rutgers.

5. Colt Brennan - In under 4 quarters of action Brennan threw for 406 yards and 4 touchdowns. Those are some serious stats for this Junior.

6. Darren McFadden - McFadden’s stock rises with every game like he had last week against Tennessee (181 yds 2 TDs) and the fact that Arkansas is still in the hunt for a BCS Bid and maybe a National Title shot. As long as the Razorbacks keep winning, McFadden’s will get the must needed exposure to win this award, but we are talking next year.

7. Ray Rice - Ray Rice and Rutgers shocked the nation with their win over Louisville. Rice was a very important part of that win running for 131 yards and 2 touchdowns. The sophomore gets to go head to head with Slaton in a few weeks to decide who is the best sophomore running back in the nation.

8. Ian Johnson - When a back runs for 149 yards and scores his NCAA Division 1-A leading 21st touchdown you have to be impressed. When you find out he did most of it on a collapsed lung, you have to say WOW!

9. PJ Hill Jr. - The freshman continues to impress having another nice day as Wisconsin beat Iowa. He may not get the publicity the other backs do above him but he will be a force to reckon with in future years as he is only a freshman.

10. Patrick White - White is a perfect compliment to Slaton in the backfield. He really impressed me in the game against Louisville as he put the team on his back while Slaton was on the sidelines injured. If he can produce a little more on the passing game he will be a serious threat come next year’s Heisman.

Honorable Mention: Calvin Johnson, Marshawn Lynch

Boise State sophomore running back Ian Johnson, who leads the nation in touchdowns with 21, remains hospitalized in the Bay Area according to Boise, Idaho ABC affiliate, KBCI 2.  Johnson suffered a collapsed lung in Saturday’s game, where Boise State edged San Jose State, 23-20.

Johnson is expected to be released from O’Conner Hospital in San Jose, California on Tuesday.  Boise State head coach Chris Peterson did not Johnson out for Saturday’s home game against Utah State, saying, “It’s still up in the air, but we are not going to rush him.” 

The Boise State Broncos are currently ranked #12 in the most recent BCS rankings.  Under new terms in the BCS selection rules, the Broncos would automatically receive an at-large bid to a BCS bowl, likely the Fiesta Bowl against the Big 12 Champion, if they finish in the top 12 in the final BCS rankings OR if they finish in the top 16 while ranked ahead of one of one of the automatic BCS-qualifying league champions. Boise State is currently ranked ahead of the highest ranking Big 12 (#13 Texas) and ACC (#14 Wake Forest) teams.

A dark-horse Heisman candidate, Ian Johnson has rushed for 1466 yards and 21 touchdowns in just 10 games this season.