CFB 2010: My Midseason Awards

Oct 13, 2010

Normally I steer clear of typical sports blog content-filler posts. You know the ones I’m talking about, the standard End-of-the-Year awards, Preseason Predictions, Things I’m Thankful For in Sports right around Turkey Day…that type of thing.

Then I looked at the imaginary schedule I have taped to the wall of my office, and a couple of thoughts hit me: 1.) there are not a lot of big games this week, and 2.) it’s the midway point of the 2010 season.

And viola, *My Meaningless Midseason Awards post was born.

As we hit the halfway point of what has been another exciting and compelling college football season, there have been a number of plays, and players, that stand out above the rest. So without further ado, I present my picks for the best and worst of the season so far. I’m even going to use another tired blog staple – bullet points – so you really get the full effect.

BEST GAME: Michigan State 34, Notre Dame 31 (OT), September 18^th

This game was like an Oscar nominated film directed by Clint Eastwood. It started out kinda slow, got more dramatic and began to hook you by the middle, went into full-on nail biting mode in the last quarter, and then left you speechless at the end. A fake field goal for the win that wound up giving the coach a heart attack? Even Dirty Harry himself can’t script that stuff.

Runner up: Boise St 33, Virginia Tech 30 – the rare overhyped matchup that lived up to the hype

WORST GAME: Alabama 31, Florida 6, October 2^nd

The polar opposite of the Boise/VTech contest, this ballyhooed SEC title game rematch had all the drama of an episode of the new Hawaii 5-0. That Bama would turn around and get beat by South Carolina a week later has no bearing on how disappointing this game was to fans of the conference and the sport.

Runner up: New Mexico State 16, New Mexico 14 – thank God no one was awake to see this one

BEST PLAYER, OFFENSE: Denard Robinson, QB, Michigan 1,223 yards & 8 TS passing, 991 yards & 9 TDs rushing

Despite his “off” outing (301 tot yds, 2 TDs) against Michigan State last weekend, Shoelace still has the numbers and ‘wow’ factor to be considered the most dynamic offensive player at the halfway point. But if he should stumble again, there are plenty of worthy candidates to take his place, such as…

Runner up: Taylor Martinez, QB, Nebraska – “wow” factor nearly as high as Robinson’s, and rising fast

BEST PLAYER, DEFENSE: Nick Fairley, DL, Auburn 25 tkls, 5 sacks, 12.5 TFLs, 12 QB hurries, 1 INT

Other defenders have more tackles, more sacks, and more picks than the 6’5”, 300-lb behemoth from Auburn, but only one player has more tackles for loss, and when you add in his 12 QB hurries, it doesn’t take a veteran D-coordinator to figure out that this guy flat out stuffs opponents – a lot.

Runner up: Greg Jones, LB, Michigan St. – the reigning Big 10 defensive POY is a lock to retain that title

BEST COACH: Mark Dantonio, Michigan St.

Has any coach inspired his team without even being on the sideline or in the locker room as much as Dantonio has this season? He already had his Spartans believing they could hang with their “big brothers” in Ann Arbor coming into the season, but the whole fake field goal/heart attack thing coupled with the win over the Wolverines has taken inspirational motivation to a whole ‘nother level

Runner up: Chip Kelly, Oregon – Kelly’s been through it all in the past year yet still has the Ducks in the driver’s seat for the BCS title game

WORST COACH: Lane Kiffin, USC

His condescending, smug attitude alone could win him this award, but throw in his record, ranking, terrible defense, and overinflated ego and you’ve got a landslide winner

Runner up: Butch Davis, UNC – 13 players suspended, 3 players dismissed, one coach canned, a preseason Top 25 program in disarray…he’s the new poster boy for “lack of institutional control”

BEST PLAY: Michigan State’s fake field goal to beat Notre Dame in OT

Like there was ever any doubt

Runner up: LSU’s fake field goal against Florida – lesson learned: fake field goals will always win awards

WORST PLAY: Tennessee’s 13 men on the field against LSU

All that was missing was the calliope music and a big top

Runner up: Utah’s Kyle Whittingham icing the kicker against Pitt, twice – if at first you succeed, DON’T try again!

BIGGEST SURPRISE, TEAM: Oklahoma St (5-0, ranked #20)

Ranked 64^th to start the season and expected to be bottom-dwellers in the deep Big-12 South, the Cowboys are in position for a BCS bowl game, thanks to an exciting offense that is ranked 2^nd in the nation in PPG (52.6)

Runner up: Michigan State (6-0, #13) – unlike the networks, we have a feel good story of the fall season

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT, TEAM: Florida (4-2, ranked #22)

The Gators were ranked 4^th to start the season, now it’s only a matter of time before they stop receiving votes as the disappointing losses keep piling up

Runner up: Texas (3-2, UR) – from preseason #9 to middle of the Big-12, the Horns will fall even further after Nebraska blasts them this week

BIGGEST SURPRISE, PLAYER: Denard Robinson, QB, Michigan

From third-stringer in 2009 to record-setting Heisman frontrunner in 2010, the sensational sophomore has got it all: dazzling moves, cool nickname, highlight reel plays, and unlimited upside

Runner up: Stephen Garcia, QB, South Carolina – the much-maligned SC signal caller has been benched, disciplined, and demoted over the last three years, but he just knocked off the #1 team in the country

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT, PLAYER: Dion Lewis, RB, Pitt

The diminutive dynamo went from 3^rd in the nation with 1,799 yards rushing and 18 total touchdowns in his freshman year to second on his own team with just 206 yards and 2 TDs this season; talk about a sophomore slump

Runner Up: Jake Locker, QB, Washington – remember all the talk of him being a Heisman candidate and the #1 pick in the next NFL draft? Me neither

There you have it, my picks for the best and worst of the 2010 college football season, halfway home edition. Enjoy the games this week.

*Be sure to tune in at the end of the year for the postseason awards post I also never do.