The Georgia Tech Yellowjackets finally hit the top this year when they won the ACC and played in a bowl game. They hadn’t had that honor before, but they are finally feeling like they are a major player in the college football world. Let’s first give them a round of applause. They also have another problem moving forward though. They are going to lose three star players to the NFL draft. This isn’t all that surprising, because that’s what generally happens at this time of year, and lots of dominant teams end up struggling after the loss of top players each year. This year might be particularly tough for Georgia Tech, as they haven’t had the opportunity to have long-term success with anyone but these three players. I’m interested to see what they decide upon.

When Texas and Alabama took the field last night in California during the national championship, it looked like a good duel between Colt McCoy and McElroy and Ingrahm. But within a few minutes of kickoff, McCoy got a shoulder injury that led him to be sidelined for the rest of the game. He tried to come back, he tried to help call plays. But even the best play isn’t going to work if the talented player can’t be on the field. His replacement Garrett Gilbert was very good, especially considering that he hadn’t played much in a long time. He hasn’t started a game since high school probably. Meanwhile, McElroy and his team put together a very nice game, winning 37-21 in the end. Congrats to them and we wish both teams the best in the future.

The Boise State Broncos were against TCU this season in the Fiesta Bowl. They wanted to get a win, but they were stuck on their 33 yard line and a 4th down. They brought out a play that you almost never see. It’s called the “Riddler”, where the punter comes out and fakes a punt and throws a pass. It ended up being a 30 yard strike, getting the first down and setting up the winning touchdown. The Broncos were undefeated this season and it’s because they have strange plays like this. I have to say, the punter did an amazing job with that throw, since they don’t usually get a chance to make a pass, let alone with the pressure, from the defenders and from the situation. This would have been a huge problem if he’d missed his mark, because of the field position. But it was an exciting game and congrats to Boise State for their talented play and good coaching!

Even though there are dozens of games in the next couple of days in college football, there is one story that has been dominating the conversation recently. Texas Tech has been covered with the Coach Mike Leach scandal. One of his players, who happens to be the son of a famous ESPN correspondent, claims that he was made to stay in a dark room during practices after a concussion a few weeks ago. Meanwhile, the coach says that it was just a regular room that was kept dark and it’s better for the player who’s having headaches. Either way, the coach wanted to lead his team in the Alamo Bowl on Saturday, but he’s been fired. They’re desperately seeking an injunction to let him coach, but it seems doubtful now.

Otherwise, just enjoy some of the great bowl games, even though there are some coaching changes for some of the teams. There are some great possibilities for very talented teams.

Although he didn’t win the Heisman Trophy this year, he did get a good backup prize. Ndamukong Suh won the AP college football player of the year award for his various impressive performances including a fantastic show of talent in his team’s game against Texas. This is the first year that the AP has announced such a recognition but it’s definitely deserved for this player. It might sometimes be the same winner as the Heisman but it’s not necessarily going to be the case. Suh, however, came in 4th for the Heisman, for example, though he certainly was basically as deserving as any of the other candidates, just without the successful team or huge numbers throughout the season. Either way, it’s an honor for Suh and hopefully one of many to come in the future.

When Utah and California battle in the Poinsettia Bowl in just a week or so, it’s going to be a big competition. In recent years, Utah has been one of the best bowl competitors in the NCAA. When the bowl comes on TV, it might even be one of the best. These two teams aren’t the best, but they are an amazing matchup. Utah, in fact, had a stumbling start to the year, with a loss in week 3 to Oregon. But then they won 6 in a row. Especially during that last half of the season, they have created a lot of momentum that could well carry them to a good bowl win. But California has been a team that can win against anyone, though their season was up and down this year. I hope these two teams will give a great exciting battle for the Poinsettia Bowl that will make for great television.

The Cincinnati Bearcats had a rough patch the last week or so. They had the regular end-of-semester in college kinds of things. Then there was a banquet in honor of the seniors and at the end of the night, their coach Brian Kelly told then that it was all true that the team was going to lose him to Notre Dame next season, starting immediately. The players were of course disappointed and some of them angry. They’re being asked to change generals in the middle of the battle. But they have their interim coach and there is a replacement coach who will start next year. In the last few days, however, the team got right back out on the field to enjoy themselves and to practice for the first time since the switch. It was good for them to get back out there and run around a little bit. It got them back into their routine and it also got some of the steam off that they had developed over the last two weeks or so.

Mark Ingram won this year’s college football Heisman Trophy. It was one of the closest races in the history of the Heisman. Lots of people had expected Colt McCoy to take it back a few weeks ago, but his 13-12 win against Nebraska just wasn’t up to the standard that we had set for him in our minds, especially when he threw three interceptions and was sacked several times. Ingram barely beat Toby Gerhardt of Stanford by 28 points. He gave an emotional speech thanking his family for their support, including his father, who is currently in a New York prison. The Alabama running back had a quiet, but very strong season, which is part of the reason that his team will be in the BCS championship this year. Many pundits say that the committee made the right choice and let’s congratulate him on his great work this year!

Well, we always have to remember that college football is played by younger people rather than professionals who can be expected to perform in a professional manner. This is good advice for people in Michigan State Spartans Country to keep in mind during the Alamo Bowl next month. They will be missing 12 players against Texas Tech, due to a large fight that they had with a fraternity in town. They had a little argument one night at a local nightclub and then the next night went in, perhaps with hockey masks, and there was a big brawl. There is still an investigation ongoing and more charges could be filed. But the players, 9 charged and a few more, have been told that they cannot participate in the game. They will not be allowed in the football study areas, practices, or anywhere else for the football team. Thus, the team will struggle to replace them on short notice, but that’s the way it goes sometimes in NCAA games.

The Florida Gators weren’t able to get it done this season. They will be competing in the Sugar Bowl. But they lost to the Alabama Crimson Tide this weekend and have, thus, found themselves out of the BCS Championship game in January. The Crimson Tide will be battling against the Texas Longhorns. Colt McCoy will do his best to complete his nearly perfect season, in which he is widely considered to be a top contender for the Heisman Trophy. But Alabama isn’t a team that will easily roll over, as proven by their 200-plus yards on the ground against a hard Florida team. Both of these teams are top in the league in their ability to stop the rush, so it’s going to be a very interesting matchup, with two teams who can both run and block the run. Perhaps they’ll pass instead. The game is still a month away, but it’ll be great.