COLUMN:Time for some midseason awards
Can you believe we’re already halfway through the college football season? I sure can’t – and it’s not just because the snow has yet to cover Merlin Olsen Field (knock on wood).And while the best action is still ahead for us, we’d be remiss not to take some time to look back on all the highs and lows that September and October have offered. So, in honor of what was a truly memorable first seven weeks of the season, here are my mid-season college football awards.
Biggest Surprise: Boise State? Seen that. Texas Christian? Eh, we knew it was coming. No, the real surprise team this season has been Michigan State. When we weren’t speculating on Big 10 expansion this summer, it seemed like the only talk coming out of the heartland had to do with the presumed three-team race for the Big 10 title. After seven weeks the only undefeated team in the conference is Michigan State. The Spartans have won convincing conference games against Wisconsin and Michigan to date, and doesn’t have to play Ohio State this year. If the Spartans can get past an Oct. 30 visit to Kinnick Stadium against Iowa, than Sparty could find itself in the national championship.
Biggest Disappointment: It’s tempting to say BYU, but we all knew that the Cougars would be rebuilding going into this season. Several teams thought to be possible national title contenders, including Texas, Florida, and Alabama, have already suffered losses, but the true disappointment this year has been the entire Atlantic Coast Conference. The conference doesn’t have a viable national title contender, and has only two teams ranked in the Top 25 of the BCS poll (Florida State at No. 17, Virginia Tech at No. 25). It’s a far cry from where the league was suppose to be coming into the year, when Miami (Fl), Georgia Tech, and Clemson were all drawing excessive praise.
Best Offensive Player: Cameron Newton (Auburn). It seems like just yesterday, talking Auburn football meant talking stifling defense and pitiful offense, but thanks to head coach Gene Chizik and quarterback Cameron Newton, the fourth-ranked Tigers can now do both. The Tigers are coming off a blowout win against then-12th-ranked Arkansas, and come into the halfway point with the nation’s sixth-best offense. Newton is the perfect quarterback to run the new spread veer-option offense, with both the accuracy as a passer and athleticism as a runner to give defenses fits. Looking for an early Heisman prediction? If Auburn stays perfect, Newton will more than likely be striking a pose at the trophy’s December presentation.
Best Defensive Player: Ryan Kerrigan (Purdue).The Boilermaker defensive end is not only one of the nation’s best pass rushers, he might be the most overlooked. Purdue’s offense has been foiled by injuries this year, but the resilient Boilermakers are still 4-2 thanks to Kerrigan and a defense which leads the Big 10 in both sacks and tackles for a loss. Kerrigan has already notched 13 solo tackles for a loss and nearly a sack a game for Purdue, which will look to play spoiler to Ohio State this weekend.
Best coaching performance: You can’t say enough about the job Gary Pinkel has done at Missouri, which remains unbeaten. After being blown out by Navy in the Texas Bowl last season it looked like the Tiger program was one on decline, but out of the ashes, Pinkel has rebuilt the Tiger team, starting with the defense. The No. 11 Tigers have given up a staggeringly low 10.8 points per game this season, and frustrated a highly regarded Texas A&M offense in last Saturday’s 30-9 win in College Station. But is Missouri for real, or have they just benefited from an easy schedule? We’ll find out when the Tigers clash with No. 1 Oklahoma on Saturday at 6 p.m. MST.
Best Game: There have been a lot of great games so far this season, but few were as memorable or earth shattering as South Carolina’s week six upset of then No. 1 Alabama. The Crimson Tide were the odds-on favorite to win the national title going into the season, and after five weeks they sure looked like it. But the Gamecocks, who’ve never overcome their ‘middle of the road’ status under Steve Spurrier, jumped out to an early lead against Alabama. We all expected the Crimson Tide to come back, but like a heavyweight fighter refusing to go down, South Carolina pulled away in the fourth quarter, eventually winning 35-21. Playoffs? Who needs them when you have a regular season which delivers games like this!
Adam Nettina is a senior history major and a member of the Football Writer’s Association of America. While not locked up in the Statesman office watching college football, he can be found eating Filet-o-Fishes at McDonalds. You can reach Adam at Adam.nettina@aggiemail.usu.edu.