Unfortunately for Oklahoma fans and college football fans everywhere, the nation's best quarterback's college career may be over. Of course, Sam Bradford and the medical team that is examining his right shoulder do not know for certain if he will be able to return or not, but it is discouraging news for Bradford and the Sooner nation, who before the season began planned on gunning for a national title. Those hopes are over as Oklahoma now holds only fleeting hopes of winning the Big Twelve South.
Recapping the day in 500 words or less, this is what Saturday taught us about the season:
- With three losses, Oklahoma's national title hopes are dead and are long shots to win the Big Twelve South. Who in their right mind would criticize Bradford at this point if he chooses to sit out the rest of the season, even if he's cleared to play the Sooners' final couple games? The man was the surefire top pick in the 2010 NFL Draft and, with that now in question, would be wise to protect his draft stock and NFL future as much as possible. Saturday morning, Landry Jones was the future in Oklahoma. Fourteen plays later, he was the present.
- The Iowa Hawkeyes continue to get better and better as the season progresses. On September 13, I called Iowa, "the worst preseason top 25 team to start the season 2-0 in this history of the game." After narrowly escaping Northern Iowa and allowing Iowa State to beat themselves in their first two games, I really believed that statement. Now, the Hawkeyes are the best team in the Big Ten. That's something nobody can contest.
- Nothing says BCS National Championship like the 23 flavors in Dr. Pepper. It says football so much that every Saturday I make my own Dr. Pepper by combining one shot of every drink I have in my refrigerator. It comes out pretty close to the real thing.
- I can't help but think that Ohio State was overrated after they were downed by Purdue. The Buckeyes have not impressed me all year. Call me a downer, but I don't think Terrelle Pryor has lived up to the hype surrounding him as a recruit even if he is only a sophomore. Of course, he's only one man and this can't all fall on him. But anybody who puts on the recruiting spectacle that he did better be Superman.
- Alabama is the best team in the nation. How anybody can say that the Crimson Tide is playing better than the Gators but Florida deserves the #1 ranking is beyond me.
- There has to be some JFK level conspiracy theories after the Florida/Arkansas game. The pass interference in the end zone? Defending yourself from being whacked 25 yards away from the play? I don't know why the referees wasted everybody's time with Florida's second to last possession. Next time just give them the six points and move on. Florida did not win the game; they survived with a little help from the referees. Florida's defense may be the best in the nation, but their offense was far less than impressive on Saturday and has been all season long.
- Texas Tech beat 15th ranked Nebraska to move to 5-2. They're only two losses came against Texas and a highly underrated Houston Cougars team. Mike Leach has established a plug and play offense that allows any quarterback to be successful and throw for a bazillion yards.
- Tyrod Taylor is a passer now. And a damn good one it seems.
With a career day, Mark Ingram Proved He's Worth The Hype on Saturday. This guy is my Heisman frontrunner at this point in the season and anybody who disputes that better have a damn good argument. He rushed for 246 yards on 24 carries and a touchdown on Saturday night. Tim Tebow hasn't done all that much for the Gators this season, yet is still many people's pick for Heisman. Jimmy Clausen had the chance to become the frontrunner if he beat USC, but came up just short, and Colt McCoy had a less than stellar showing against Oklahoma. Even in his least productive game of the season (17 carries for 50 yards—Sept. 26 vs. Arkansas) Ingram managed to find the end zone twice.
Montel Harris of Boston College rushed for 264 yards on 27 carries and scored 5 touchdowns against NC State on Saturday, becoming a New Household Name in the process. Included in the 264 yards was a 70 yard run that set up his 2 yard touchdown run the very next play. It wasn't his first big day of the season. Harris rushed for 179 yards on 25 carries against Florida State on October 3. He rushed for 2 touchdowns in that game as well.
My Heisman ballot if they let me vote:
1. Mark Ingram, Alabama- Third most rushing yards in the NCAA. Carries his team when nothing else is going right.
2. Jimmy Clausen, Notre Dame- 14 touchdown passes and only 2 picks. Needs to win a big one. If Notre Dame beat USC, he'd be the consensus frontrunner.
3. Tony Pike, Cincinnati- Consistency, consistency, leadership. I like this guy. Hope he can go next week vs. Louisville.
4. Case Keenum, Houston- Threw for over 500 yards in a loss to the University of Texas at El Paso and has not thrown for fewer than 330 yards in any game this season. The 5-1 Cougars are underrated as a team, and Keenum may be the most underrated quarterback in the nation. Has two quality wins over Big Twelve teams (Oklahoma State and Texas Tech) and defeated Mississippi State of the SEC.
5. Tim Tebow, Florida- Gives Florida a chance to win every week. Hasn't done enough to warrant another Heisman win, though. Florida's undefeated record is in large part due to their defense, while their drop to #2 in the AP poll is largely due to their offense's lacking in big games.
Next week's games worth watching include a Thursday night showdown between two disappointing ACC teams when Florida State visits North Carolina. Ohio State looks to get back on the winning path against Eric Decker and the Minnesota Golden Gophers, as does South Florida when they travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Panthers and phenom freshman running back Dion Lewis. Arkansas and Mississippi look to prove they belong in the upper echelons of the SEC when they meet in Oxford. Also on Saturday, top ranked Alabama takes on Tennessee, Clemson travels to Miami, Penn State visits Michigan and Oklahoma takes on Kansas in a Big Twelve showdown. LSU is looking to rebound from a loss to Florida when they take on Auburn, TCU and Brigham Young will fight it out to prove they belong among the elite, while Texas travels to Missouri in the primetime headliner. - Danny Hobrock
Danny Hobrock is a sports journalist who primarily covers college football and professional baseball. He is a contributor for several sports related blogs and is the former editor of a political and current events website.----------
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