YCS/Heisman Watch-Week 6

Another week is in the books in college football, and we're back to tell you like it is here at RSS! Who are the movers and shakers in the YCS? Is the Heisman really Tim Tebow's to lose? Find out the answers to this and more as we wrap up the week that was in college pig!

YCS STANDINGS

1.Florida (5-0, last week W at LSU 13-3, up next Sat. vs. Arkansas)

-Saturday night's developments in the bayou should be frightening for the entire college football world. Florida won a tough road game in the SEC against a top 10 team, and they could have done it without Tim Tebow. The Gator defense completely dominated the entire game, and the 13-3 score does not reveal how dominant Florida was. Even without Tebow, Florida wins that game. Still, the Gators should be leery of a letdown similar to last year at home to Ole Miss. Tim Tebow still doesn't look 100% and Arkansas will visit the swamp with a capable QB in Ryan Mallet.

2. Alabama (6-0, last game W at Ole Miss 22-3, up next Sat. vs. #22 South Carolina)

-Nice to see the rest of the country catch up with the YCS and vault Bama to the #2 spot in both polls. They turned in their most complete performance of the season according to head coach Nick Saban, who has to be pleased with the team's defensive effort after a suspect outing the previous week against Kentucky. Ole Miss QB Jevean Snead was intercepted four times by the Tide defense and Bama RB Mark Ingram continued to return to his early season form (see more below...). The ole' ball coach shouldn't give this Tide team any trouble this Saturday, they look destined for a showdown with the Gators in Atlanta.

3. Texas (5-0, last week 38-14, up next Sat vs. #20 Oklahoma)

-Somehow the Longhorns still find themselves in the 3rd spot in the YCS countdown after looking unimpressive once again. They were losing at halftime, at home, to a Colorado team that should have its D-IA (or Bowl Subdivison Whatever) license revoked. Hopefully, for their sake, they were looking ahead to the Red River Shootout this Saturday. If not, the assumed Longhorns national title game appearance may vanish into thin air.

4. Cincinnati (5-0, last week idle, up next Thur. @ #21South Florida)

-The Bearcats created quite the stir here in Ohio with their leapfrogging of Ohio State two weeks ago. Thankfully for the Buck Nuts, order was restored to the universe as UC fell back below OSU after being idle this past weekend. Still, the YCS continues to recognize the outstanding job done by head coach Brian Kelly and the rest of the Bearcats. So, it would be nice if you didn't blow your season with a loss at USF this Thursday night...get past that hurdle, then the serious talk can begin for a dark horse national title run.

5. Boise St. (5-0, last week idle, up next Wed. at Tulsa)

-Perhaps the best medicine for Boise St. was a week off after their stinker of a performance at home against UC Davis. However, they'll have the spotlight all to themselves on a rare Wednesday night game at Tulsa.

6. Va. Tech (4-1, last game W vs. Boston College 48-14, up next Sat. @ #19 Georgia Tech)

-Virginia Tech continues its slow march back up the YCS with a dominant performance at home against Boston College. Perhaps the final test of their season will be this Saturday against the triple option of Georgia Tech. If they continue to go unbeaten, they would catch a real break in a potential ACC Championship game against one team from the poo-poo platter that is the ACC Atlantic Division.

7. Ohio St. (5-1, last game W vs. Wisconsin 31-13, up next Sat. at Purdue)

-Ohio St. also jumps up the YCS after an impressive win against previously unbeaten Wisconsin. Well, at least the defense and special teams of the Buckeyes were impressive, combining for 3 TDs while Terrelle Pryor and the offense continues to struggle. While I won't go as far as others (cough, Colin Blowhard, cough) to condemn all Big 10 quarterbacks and their coaches, it would be nice to see some semblance of a consistent passing attack. Let's remember Vince Young wasn't lighting the world on fire as a sophomore either.

8. TCU (5-0, last game W at Air Force 20-17, up next Sat. vs. Colorado State)

-TCU stays stuck in neutral after a close win at Air Force this past weekend. While it was a gutsy win, their ceiling now has to be a BCS berth, not a miracle national title game appearance. They seem like the next most likely to fall from the YCS though, with BYU and Utah still looming large on their schedule

9. USC (5-1, last week idle, up next Sat. at Notre Dame)

-USC may have needed their bye week more than any team in the country. They have key players banged up on both sides of the ball (Matt Barkley and Taylor Mays included) and will need all hands on deck for their next 3 games which will make or break their season. The first is at the Fighting Irish, and you can bet Charlie Weis and Jimmy Clausen will be summing up all of the magic they've already used this season for the Trojans come Saturday.

10. Miami (Fl) (4-1, last game W vs Florida A&M 48-16, up next Sat. at UCF)

-The U sneaks back into the YCS, just narrowly edging out Iowa for the coveted final spot this week. Count this as a tip of the cap for their impressive win over Oklahoma two weeks ago instead of their run-of-the-mill victory over FAMU this past Saturday. While the 'Canes may not be in the running for the ACC (save for a Va. Tech stumble), they can still play their way into an at-large bid if they keep the resurgence up.

Dropped from the YCS: LSU

Just Missed Out: Iowa, Oregon, Nebraska

-Again, only one team drops out of the YCS, the Bayou Bengals of LSU. Perhaps that #4 ranking was a bit misleading as they showed no offensive spark against the Gators. Still, their defense will be good enough to finish just outside the top 10 by season's end. Iowa continues to be snubbed by the YCS because, frankly, they aren't any good. They were fortunate to get by Michigan at home, and if they can win on the road at Wisconsin this Saturday, then maybe they'll get their due. Oregon and Nebraska also seem to be two teams who have recovered from tough out-of-conference losses to right the ship and should be a factor in the Pac 10 and Big 12 races down the final stretch of the regular season.

RSS HEISMAN WATCH

1. Tim Tebow-QB-Florida (last week 11/16, 134 yards, 1TD, 1INT, 17 rushes, 38 yards)

-Tim Tebow keeps a tenuous hold on 1st place in the RSS Heisman Watch after a gritty performance at LSU. When many felt he couldn't or shouldn't play, he led his team to victory in their biggest game of the season. Again, especially in this weak year of candidates, most of the lazy sports media may award the Heisman to Tebow as a lifetime achievement award or as the best player on the best team. The most damaging thing for his candidacy would be a letdown performance next week at home to Arkansas.

2. Tony Pike-QB-Cincy (last week idle)

-Tony Pike holds firm the best way Heisman candidates this year can, by not playing! His Heisman candidacy, much like most of our list this week, can get a real boost this week as he plays Thursday night at South Florida. Being the QB at a low-profile program like the Bearcats is already one strike against Pike, but if he continues to play at the high level he has been, and continue to win games, his candidacy will be hard to ignore.

3. Jimmy Clausen-QB-Notre Dame (last week idle)

-Much like Pike, Clausen is coming off a bye week playing his most important this week at home to USC. A career-defining win and performance against a program like the Trojans could be enough to vault Clausen all the way to the top of the Heisman Watch list. His season has already had a magical feel to it with several last-gasp victories already, one more against USC would be hard to ignore.

4. Ndamukong Suh-DT-Nebraska (last week 6 tackles, 1 for loss, 1 forced fumble, 1 INT, 1 pass defended)

-Finally, finally, a defensive player makes his way back into the Heisman Watch. Who couldn't be impressed with Suh's overall dominant performance at Missouri last week. He's strong enough to shut down any running game almost single-handedly while being athletic enough to drop into coverage and make plays. Suh has been an unheralded great player for a couple years now, so it's good to see him getting the national recognition he deserves. Still, he would have to match those numbers in every game the rest of the season to be a serious threat to the Heisman.

5. Colt McCoy-QB-Texas (last week 32/39, 265 yards, 1TD, 1INT)

-In case you haven't gotten the theme of this week's RSS Heisman Watch, Colt McCoy is the 3rd QB on the list who faces a make-or-break game this week for his Heisman candidacy. The Red River Shootout at the beginning of the season was imagined to be a game with huge Heisman implications between Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy. Instead, we get a game with one QB coming back from injury (Bradford) and another QB whose Heisman campaign is on life support (McCoy). It will take a monumental performance by McCoy to climb back up the mountain and challenge for the Heisman.

Dropping Out of the Race: Case Keenum drops out of the Heisman Watch not of his own doing, but because Houston has now officially dropped out of the national spotlight, never to be heard from again until the It's a Candy Dish, Not a Bowl, Bowl. Keenum continues the long line of Wild West gunslingers who put up awe-inspiring numbers, but aren't legit candidates.

Keep an Eye On: Alabama RB-Mark Ingram

-An RSS favorite is slowly making his way back into the Heisman discussion as our eye this week turns to hard-charging Bama RB Mark Ingram. For the second week in a row, Ingram led the Alabama attack with 28 rushes for 172 yards and a TD. Whiie Ingram hit a rough patch after his impressive opening week against Va. Tech, his dominant running style is rounding back into form. While the stable of backs at Alabama damages a serious challenge, he's a player worth watching the rest of the year in college football.

That does it for this week's YCS/Heisman Watch. As always feel free to let us know what you think by posting a comment. Tune in later this week for our baseball thoughts as well as our NFL wrap-up. Also, look for the continuation of our Decade Series as we review the Top 10 Flops of the Decade. Until then, it's bye for now!