Bob Loblaw's College Football mid-season report

No it’s not 1985 or 1977 for those of you shocked that the current top 3 are old school powers, Texas, Alabama, and Penn State. Yet another season of upsets, surprises, disappointments, and questions continues on. Having no idea what is going to happen next makes it so much fun to follow doesn’t it? So without further ado we will go ahead and rate the best/worst, most surprising and most disappointing teams, coaches, and players from each of the conferences at this point as if the season ended today. We will also attempt to peer into our crystal ball and see who will win each league and play for the national title. As you may guess the crystal ball is often flawed and if you read the preseason predictions article, you will see that some of the predictions by this great panel were in fact, shockingly, incorrect. But things always have a way of evening themselves out like they did for Jerry Seinfeld in the “even steven” episode.
(All rankings and lists are to this point, not a season ending prediction)

ACC:Best team so far: Atlantic: Boston College, the Eagles have been surprising with Chris Crane often looking like Matt Ryan. Coastal: Georgia Tech, Paul Johnson’s new offense has the Jackets a 3 point loss away from being undefeated.
Biggest surprise: BC and Georgia Tech, BC lost so many players, GT has a new coach and offense. Also Maryland has played well after a slow start.
Biggest disappointment: Clemson, starting the season in everyone’s top 15, and firing your coach by week 7 will usually give you a strong chance to win this category. Once again this program has underachieved regardless of what happens from here on out, and this time it finally cost Tommy Bowden his job.
Player of the Half Year: Chris Crane, Boston College
Coach of the Half year: Paul Johnson, Georgia Tech
Hot Seat: Bobby and Tommy Bowden, with Tommy already having taken the plunge.
Predicted Championship Game: based on remaining schedules, Maryland vs. Georgia Tech with Tech winning the league title with the triple option offense.

BIG EAST:
Best Team: South Florida, despite the loss to Pitt, they have a big win over Kansas and are clicking on offense right now.
Biggest Surprise: Louisville has gotten off the mat and can reach a bowl after last year’s disappointment with a solid finish to the season
Biggest disappointment: West Virginia’s national title hopes were short lived after 2 early losses, but they can still win the league title. Rutgers at 2-5 has looked awful.
POHY: Matt Grothe, USF Pat White and Leshon McCoy will challenge by the end, but right now it is Grothe.
COHY: Dave Wannstedt has kept Pitt together to win 5 straight since an opening loss and is in position to contend for a Big East title.
Hot Seat: Greg Robinson, Syracuse-no longer a matter of if but when.
Predicted Champ: South Florida will win in Morgantown on Dec. 6th and go to the BCS for the first time.

Big 10-
Best team-Ohio State until they are knocked off, which Penn State will have a chance to do this week. The winner of the showdown will win the title.
Surprise: Northwestern and Minnesota are both 6-1 and headed to bowls.
Biggest disappointment: Purdue and Wisconsin both have yet to win a league game. Wisconsin has not been the same since the comeback loss to Michigan; Purdue is not sending Joe Tiller out in style. Michigan has also been disappointing, more based on tradition and history then actual on the field play in an obvious rebuilding year.
POHY: Daryll Clark, QB Penn State. Chris Wells or Terrelle Pryor can take this away if they outplay Clark and OSU beats PSU.
COHY: Tim Brewster, Minnesota, from 1-11 to 6-1.
Hot Seat: Bill Lynch, Indiana 5 losses in a row will keep the Hoosiers from another bowl and start the grumbling. Rich Rodriquez has the most pressure, but is not going anywhere yet.
Predicted Champ: Ohio State will beat Penn State in Columbus 23-17 and go on to become the first ever outright Big Ten champion 3 years in a row.

Big 12:
Best team: Texas, but a tough schedule could derail the Horns.
Surprise: Oklahoma State is in the top 10 for the first time since the days of Barry Sanders. They will need to step it up to beat Texas and contend in the South.
Disappointment: Really can’t pick one, this league is too good. Many thought Missouri would be undefeated but they have lost to 2 good teams.
POHY-Colt McCoy has been huge in the big games and outplayed Sam Bradford in the Red River battle.
COHY-Mike Gundy Oklahoma State
Hot Seat: Maybe Ron Prince if Kansas State doesn’t make a bowl again, but really nothing burning yet in this league.
Predicted Champ: Texas vs. Missouri in the title game. Texas wins 38-23 and goes on to play for the National Title even if they end up with 1 loss.

PAC 10:
Best Team-USC-1 hiccup, as always, other than that, dominating when they play their best..
Surprise-Oregon St beat USC and is tied for first in the Pac 10.
Disappointment: Arizona State, high preseason hopes are gone after 4 straight losses.
POHY-Mark Sanchez if USC keeps on rolling
COHY: Mike Riley for keeping Oregon St in the championship race.
Hot Seat: Tyrone Willingham, 0-6 start has sealed his fate at season’s end.
Predicted champ: USC will go 11-1 and argue that they should be in the top 2.

SEC:
Best Team: Alabama, the Tide are the only undefeated team left in a league with 4 legitimate national title contenders.
Surprise: Alabama for being so good so soon, and Vanderbilt, on the cusp of a bowl game.
Disappointment: Auburn’s new offense has not gelled and Tennessee is a shadow of it’s once proud self.
POHY-Tim Tebow is still the best player in the league, Knowshon Moreno and Matthew Stafford will have their say when Florida and Georgia meet on Nov. 1.
COHY-Bobby Johnson, Vanderbilt or Nick Saban, Alabama
Hot Seat: Phillip Fulmer, how long will Rocky Top put up with the mediocrity?
Predicted champ: Florida vs. Alabama in the title game Florida wins 23-13 and plays for the National Title with 1 loss.

Other Teams with a Shot at the BCS:
Utah, Ball State, Tulsa, Boise State will all need to go undefeated and sneak into the top 12 to get a shot. Boise State looks like the best bet right now.


Current Heisman Trophy Standings:
Colt McCoy, Texas
Tim Tebow, Florida
Sam Bradford, Oklahoma
Knowshon Moreno, Georgia
Graham Harrell, Texas Tech
Dropped from the favorites list for now:
Chris Wells, Ohio State-due to injury
Pat White West Virginia-2 early losses
James Davis, Clemson-plays for Clemson
Chase Daniel, Missouri-last 2 weeks have lowered his stature in a league loaded with QB’s.

The ScrubSports college football department will stick by its preseason prediction that the Big 12 Champion and the SEC Champion will play for the National Title, we’ll tweak it and go with Texas over Oklahoma, but still pick Florida to win the SEC and the BCS Title for the second time in 3 years, this time in the Orange Bowl close to home. USC and Ohio State will both be left out with 1 loss and will get to play each other again in the Rose Bowl for the consolation bouquet of Roses. We will also predict that whatever hack announcing crew Fox assigns to the BCS title game will bore most of America as fans will be wondering where Ron Franklin and Brent Musberger are midway through the first quarter.