Well, I guess a picture is worth 1000 words in this case as Week 4 not only saw Superman take a dose of kryptonite, but also saw several top 10 teams fall in stunning fashion. So, who's left to pick up the pieces in the YCS? Will anyone please step forward in the Heisman Watch? If you're just trying to make sense of it all, you've come to the right place. Everything you needed to know about Week 4 in college pig, right here, at RSS!
YCS STANDINGS
1.Florida (4-0, last game W at Kentucky 41-7, up next Oct. 10 at LSU)
-If the Gators were nervous last week after only beating Lane the Lip by 10, they have to be a nervous wreck over the health of Tim Tebow. After seeing that brutal hit over and over again, one has to wonder if JC QB will really be playing with a full deck when Florida visits LSU. Florida's one saving grace is their upcoming bye week, so they will have 2 weeks to prep for their toughest test of the season.
2. Alabama (4-0, last game W vs. Arkansas 35-7, up next Sat. at Kentucky)
-The Tide finally looked impressive once again for the first time since their opening win over Va. Tech. They held Arkansas QB Ryan Mallet to only 160 yards passing one week after he torched Georgia for over 400 yards and 5 TDs. The offense also seems to be getting more balanced every week. If Greg McElroy can continue to find phenom Julio Jones, Alabama should be set for an effective national semifinal in the SEC title game.
3. Texas (4-0, last game W vs. UTEP 64-7, up next Oct. 10 vs. Colorado)
-Finally, it's about time the Longhorns dominated a beatable opponent from start to finish, like they did to UTEP this past Saturday. Texas took a 40 point lead into halftime behind a better performance from Colt McCoy and never looked back. They have another warm-up game in two weeks against Colorado before the Red River Shootout, but it looks like the Horns may be peaking at just the right time.
4. Boise St. (4-0, last game W at Bowling Green 49-14, up next Sat. vs. UC Davis)
-The Blue Turf Band keeps rolling as Boise St. remained undefeated with an impressive performance at Bowling Green. Once again, it seems it will be up to Boise to bust up the BCS. Also, they get a nice scrimmage this week against I-AA UC Davis before perhaps their only remaining hurdle on the schedule, at Tulsa. If they get past that game, we could see not only the BCS busted, but the national championship picture.
5. Cincinnati (4-0, last game W vs Fresno St. 28-20, up next Sat. at Miami (OH))
-Still the most underrated team in the country, the Bearcats further beefed up their resume with a gritty win against Fresno St. Led by the dynamic duo of QB Tony Pike and WR Mardy Gilyard, Cincinnati could not only make a second consecutive BCS bowl game, but could sneak into the national title picture. The quality of the Big East seems to be on the rise though, so Cincinnati will need to continue to improve if they harbor big ambitions.
6. LSU (4-0, last game W at Miss St. 30-26, up next Sat. at #18 Georgia)
-LSU seems to be one of the big winners after all of the Top 10 losses, rising to #4 in both polls. Still, they were very unimpressive and should have lost if not for a 90-yard punt return and a last-minute goal line stand. Their ranking may be the latest beneficiary of a lack of quality teams this year in college football. The next two weeks will reveal a lot as they go between the hedges at Georgia and then host the Gators.
7. Houston (3-0, last game W vs. Texas Tech 29-28 up next Sat. at UTEP)
-The Cougars finally break in to the YCS after an exciting win against Texas Tech. QB Case Keenum led from the front, running in the winning TD in the final minute and throwing for 435 yards. Count Houston among other mid-majors who will need to go undefeated to be taken seriously by the BCS, a feat that is possible in the weak Conference USA.
8. TCU (3-0, last game W at Clemson 14-10, up next Sat. vs SMU)
-The last of the unbeatens in the YCS is Texas Christian, who earned their way in the hard way, winning on the road against SEC foe Clemson. While they're probably the least likely BCS Buster, they'll look to carry the Mountain West banner after BYU's choke job against Florida St. Oddly enough, BYU is the biggest obstacle to another Mountain West team making a national impact at the end of the year.
9. Va. Tech (3-1, last game W vs. Miami (Fl) 31-7, up next Sat. at Duke)
-The YCS finally has to include teams with one loss after only 4 weeks. The best of the bunch has to be Virginia Tech after their home drubbing of The U. As we told you in our Hot off the Grill Preview, the Hurricanes were the victim of an overanxious media hype machine as they were beaten soundly in every facet of the game in Blacksburg. The Hokies are now the clear favorite to be the ACC Champs, but that's as far as this team will go, unless college football goes completely nuts!
10. Ohio St. (3-1, last game W vs Illinois 30-0, up next Sat. at Indiana)
-Ok, fine, call it a home pick. But, back-to-back shutouts don't lie as this defense looks as dominant as the Buckeyes have since their national championship. If the BuckNuts can just let Jim Tressell coach and allow Terrelle Pryor and the offense to develop an identity, Ohio St. should make a return visit to Pasedena, perhaps for a rematch with the Trojans?
Dropped from the YCS: Miami, Cal, Penn St., Ole Miss
Just Missed Out: Oklahoma, USC, Iowa
-The casualty list is longer than ever with 4 teams dropping out of the YCS after embarrassing defeats. Miami, Cal, and Ole Miss were exposed as frauds after each was severely outplayed by conference opponents while Penn St. failed to show up at home on a Saturday night against Iowa. Once again, this goes to show the rankings mean almost squat until at least Week 6 (which is why we at RSS try to cut through all the BS to get you the real rankings). Meanwhile, USC and Oklahoma are knocking at the door still sitting on one loss. Even though USC did defeat Ohio St., they've been less than impressive the last 2 weeks and in all honesty should have lost at the 'Shoe. Iowa is also knocking at the door of the Top 10, which means they will probably lose this week against Michigan.
RSS HEISMAN WATCH
1. Tim Tebow-QB-Florida (last game 5/10, 103 yards, 1 TD; 16 rushes, 123 yards, 2 TDs)
-For now, Tebow remains atop the Heisman Watch. It remains to be seen if Tebow will be held out of any games (Urban Meyer says he'll be ready for LSU in 2 weeks, but we're not so sure). A concussion that appears to be that serious is nothing to mess around with. Before the injury, Tebow ran like a man possessed, even breaking off a 30 yard run. If he comes back to that form healthy, he may find a lonely perch in the Heisman race.
2. Colt McCoy-QB-Texas (last game 28/35, 286 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT)
-McCoy gains 2 spots, merely from the struggles of those around him. McCoy has been beneath nearly all of his stats from last season, but as long as Texas remains in the Top 3, McCoy will be in the same contention for the trophy. Some spotlight games are approaching for McCoy to shine once again on the national stage.
3. Case Keenum-QB-Houston (last game 38/58, 435 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 1 rush TD)
-Keenum wasn't out of this world impressive against Texas Tech in a Wild West shootout, but he did something perhaps more important... led a game-winning drive in the clutch. If Keenum can keep up his pace by throwing for over 400 yards per game and Houston keeps winning, Keenum might be a Cinderella bid to make it to New York.
4. Tony Pike-QB-Cincy (last game 18/26, 300 yards, 3 TDs)
-A cordial welcome to the Bearcats field general. We thought about putting WR Mardy Gilyard on the watch, ya know, just to shake things up a bit by adding a non-quarterback, but Pike's case is a little stronger. He put up some good numbers against Fresno and has complete control in the offense. Like many other possible fairytale stories, Cincy just has to win out against teams they'll be favored against and hope the voters take notice when all the hands have been layed out on the table.
5. Jimmy Clausen-QB-Notre Dame (last game 15/26, 171 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT)
-Someone, anyone, take this 5th spot. By default it goes to Clausen after throwing a game-winning TD in the final seconds at Purdue. Another nod to Clausen for playing through the pain and sticking it out. Of course, in Clausen's mind, he should already have won 2 Heismans and 2 National Titles... but he'll have to settle for his first appearance in the Watch instead.
Dropping Out of the Race: And probably for good are Javhid Best (RB-BYU) and Jacory Harris (QB-The U), when your teams get thoroughly outplayed (Cal especially) and you are helpless to aid the team's cause, that isn't Heisman material. Best and Harris join the many who have laid claim to a legitimate Heisman hope, only to see it slip away after a poor team performance.
Keep an Eye On: Blaine Gabbert (QB-Mizzou)
As a Tigers fan, this is a homer pick. But, after watching 2 of Gabbert's first games as a Sophomore starter I have come away impressed. Everyone thought this was a down year for Mizzou, but Gary Pinkel has effectively reloaded the program with Gabbert the next in line to play QB. Another Big XII North crown might not be out of the question. He might even be more physically gifted than Chase Daniel, and with time could master Mizzou's high powered attack. By no means is he a Heisman threat this year, but be on the look out for Mr. Gabbert in the years to come.
Coming up tomorrow we shall do our best to Protect the Shield... will we cave in, swallow our pride, and salute Brett Favre's heroics from Week 3? It might take a few nausea pills or a hefty bribe, so tune in tomorrow to find out as we also highlight a different QB (or two) in our Athletes of the Decade Countdown! Bye for now!
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