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.

Let’s get ready for the BCS Championship Game! While millions will watch on TV, thousands will get BCS Championship tickets to be at the Rose Bowl to see the game in person. There are several teams that are in the running still, because the choices aren’t based solely on standings and current record. One of the decisive games coming up is the SEC championship, which will pit Alabama against Florida. It is widely assumed that the winner of the game will get a slot in the championship game, since they are so talented. Another team that seems quite possible is Texas, with their talented quarterback Colt McCoy who has been able to push the team to new heights. But don’t wait for the full announcement of the teams; you know that there will be two amazing teams on the field during this game so just get your tickets and be there!

There is a lot of talk this morning about the BCS Bowl championship and who might be selected for it now that the season is finally completed. Florida is a potential shoe-in, because they have been completely dominant again this season. But they have been challenged by the Alabama Crimson Tide, who have had a phenomenal season, especially on defense. Will they face one another? Or will Texas be another contender. They have had a practically perfect season under the tutelage of Mr Colt McCoy. He has been able to lead them in most of the stats, especially after the 4 touchdown effort he gave last week. But will that be enough? Florida is defending their championship from last year, but these two teams could be the ones to give them a big challenge this year!

Colt McCoy has been the toast of the NCAA for awhile, and yesterday we saw that. He was amazing in the way he played against Texas A&M, winning by a score of 49-39. They are #3 in the country right now and McCoy might have sealed up a BCS Championship Game as well as the Heisman Trophy. It’s great to see this kid living up to the expectations that were set for him over the last few years. With his 4 touchdown passes yesterday, and a 65 yard run for another TD, he was able to keep his team undefeated on the season, even though A&M had a game like none other this season. It didn’t make any difference, as Texas just rolled right through. McCoy clearly can see the field well and can make decisions with no difficulty. Expect to see something exciting from him in the future!

There are a few important teams who are in big trouble at the moment. Not only has this year gone sour, but for some of them the last few years have been big trouble for them too. One of the teams involved is USC, which we’ve read about in recent weeks. Another is Michigan, who has been dropping for over a year. Last year, they had their first under .500 year in nearly two centuries (ok, maybe not that long, but still a long time!). A second year of that is underway again, with the continuing loss of players. Another team in that tank is Notre Dame, who has turned in one of their worst seasons in many years. The next few weeks will be critical to see if these teams are going to bring in new coaching corps or if we’ll see them try to keep some sense of continuity on the teams.