40 Acres Sports

Want to be really pissed? Read this story about a Harris Poll voter from The Oklahoman’s Barry Tramel:

Some have questioned the validity of the Harris Interactive poll, which has had a spotty run in its four years as being part of the BCS.

The skepticism could be valid.

True story from the Boone Pickens Stadium pressbox Saturday night.

I asked Harris poll voter Pat Quinn, the former Oklahoma State University sports information director, how he would vote OU and Texas if the Sooners won Saturday night.

“Oh, I don’t know,” Quinn said. “Doesn’t really matter.”

Really?

“I think Alabama and Penn State will probably play for the national championship,” Quinn said.

You do?

“They’re the only undefeated teams, aren’t they,” Quinn said.

Uh, actually, Penn State has a loss.

“Oh well,” Quinn said, “those Big Ten teams have a lot of votes.”

Sigh. It’s so awful it’s almost hard to get angry about it. It’s not exactly unexpected as I was already under the impression that a great deal of Harris Poll voters watched little to no college football every weekend. I hope the BCS takes a long look at exactly who is voting in these things (including the current coaches) and whether they’re qualified to do so. Just a wild guess, Mr. Quinn won’t be a voter again next year.

The latest top 25 polls are out and the Longhorns have moved up a spot without playing a game. They’re now number seven thanks to USC drubbing Ohio State back to the Stone Age (and a #13 ranking). The Trojans certainly looked like a national title contender as did the Oklahoma Sooners in a lopsided victory over a Pac 10 opponent.

Check out this week’s rankings or view the top 10s below:

Texas starts at #16 in ESPN’s week 1 college basketball power poll. Should be moving up if they can take out UTSA.

As a freshman Kevin Durant had the best season ever for a Longhorn basketball player. Colt McCoy broke Texas passing records despite missing a game due to injury and only being a redshirt freshman. Sophomore baseball star Kyle Russell has set baseball power records with plenty of games left to play in the season; It’s a great time to be a Texas fan and we’re lucky to get a chance to see all three of these guys play for the Horns in a single year.

Vote below on which one of the three amazing Texas athletes has had (is having) the best season:

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Our Thoughts

Brian - No changes for me this week as only Darren McFadden and Steve Slaton were in action. McFadden had a solid game and was one of the reasons Arkansas was able to hang with Florida as long as they did, but he didn’t do enough to win and didn’t do enough too move up my list. In the Rutgers/West Virginia game Ray Rice made a strong case for himself to be the Big East running back on my list over Steve Slaton, but overall Slaton has had the better season of the two.

Matt - No changes this week for me either. I was pretty surprised to hear that Brady Quinn won the Maxwell Award. What did everyone see from him this year? All I saw was that he played two good teams, and in both of those games they got killed. No way he should win anything over Troy Smith. McFadden is the only reason Arkansas did anything this season, and I think if it were not for Troy Smith he would have had a legitimate shot to win. Oh well, there is always next year.

Related Links

• Last week’s poll
• ESPN Experts Poll

Our Thoughts

Brian - USC loses and all sorts of BCS hell breaks loose. It was a much more entertaining scene to watch without a dog in the fight, I’m sure I’d be going nuts right now if I was a Michigan fan. I think the voters got it right though, Michigan didn’t play well enough this year to earn a rematch with Ohio State. I think last year’s top 5 teams might all be better than any team this year.

Matt - Man, something about seeing USC lose just warms the heart doesn’t it? And can you imagine if the refs don’t blow the call in the Oklahoma/Oregon game? Oklahoma could have been right there in the National Championship hunt with Michigan and Florida. Oh well, I guess that’s what they get for being Sooners.

I know it may be just a little crazy to have LSU #2, but I just feel they are playing like the second best team in the nation right now. I think they would give Ohio State a much better game than Florida and probably even Michigan.

Related Links

• Last week’s rankings
• AP Top 25
• USA Today Coaches Top 25
• Master Coaches Survey

Our Thoughts

Brian - Not too much action in the Heisman race this week. If Brady Quinn had a huge game and upset USC all by himself he could’ve at least made this a decent discussion. Darren McFadden doesn’t have a chance to win this year but he’s certainly put his name at the top of any 2007 preseason lists.

Matt - If Troy Smith didn’t have such an outstanding year, Darren McFadden would have had a chance to win the Heisman. McFadden has been carrying Arkansas lately and is just putting up some incredible numbers. I moved Brady Quinn down with his loss to USC (0-4 by the way) and moved Colt Brennan into the #4 spot. Brennan has already thrown for 51 touchdowns and has a chance to break the all-time record. Ridiculous!

Related Links

• Last week’s poll
• ESPN Experts Poll

Our Thoughts

Brian - USC hadn’t impressed me all season but they’ve had two good games in a row and I moved them ahead of Florida in my rankings. If the Gators can beat up Arkansas in the SEC Championship, they still have a chance to move back ahead of USC. Will the national media finally stop overhyping Notre Dame next year? Maybe we can wait till they beat a single ranked team or don’t get blown out when they played good teams before we mention them with the nation’s elite teams.

Matt - It truly pains me to put USC at the #2 spot, but I can no longer deny them that ranking, and I would much rather see them play Ohio State than see a rematch against Michigan. Can you imagine what will happen if another SEC Champion (Florida) gets left out of the National Championship game? It wouldn’t be as bad as the Auburn fiasco, but it still would get people thinking more about a playoff.

Related Links

• Last week’s rankings
• AP Top 25
• USA Today Coaches Top 25
• Master Coaches Survey

Vince is up for the Week 12 Sunday Stud. Let’s make sure he wins.

Our Thoughts

Matt -Mike Hart had a huge game against Ohio St, and is the only reason they were even close. It is too bad he doesn’t have any more games to play, as McFadden, Quinn, and Slaton will likely steal the spotlight. Troy Smith sealed the deal with his performance against Michigan, and that might as well just handed him the trophy right then. I would hate to be some of these other guys going to New York, knowing you don’t even have a shot.

Related Links

• Last week’s poll
• ESPN Experts Poll
• SI.com Heisman Watch

Our Thoughts

Brian - With Texas out of the race and the top 5 or 6 teams behind tOSU being interchangeable, I was strangely bored by the Ohio State vs. Michigan game Saturday afternoon. If someone upsets the Buckeyes in January we could be looking at a split national title with one of the one-loss teams who didn’t make it in. The most interesting story for Texas fans to follow may be whether Boise State finishes off their schedule without any blemishes and earns a spot in the Fiest Bowl against the Longhorns.

Matt - Not really too much movement in my poll this week, with Rutgers and Wake Forest as the only real big drops. Do people really want to see a repeat of Ohio St/Michigan? I sure don’t. Hopefully Florida or USC will take care of business in their remaining games. And too bad Notre Dame got waxed by Michigan. If that game was actually close, Notre Dame would be sitting in a much better position.

Related Links

• Last week’s rankings
• BCS Standings
• AP Top 25
• USA Today Coaches Top 25
• Master Coaches Survey

Our Thoughts

Brian - I moved Colt McCoy down a spot since he didn’t play much Saturday, even though I think we all saw the big difference in the Texas offense when he’s not in there. Troy Smith and Brady Quinn will each have their opportunities over the next two weeks to state their claim over the trophy. If Ohio State beats Michigan this Saturday and Smith plays well the award is likely his, but if he leaves the door open at all Quinn will have a shot against USC next week to make a statement. Not nearly as interesting a race as last year.

Matt - Darren McFadden continues to have big games when their team needs it the most. In games against Auburn, South Carolina, and Tennesse this year, he has accumulated 512 yards rushing and 5 touchdowns. Troy Smith will lock up the Heisman this weekend if he has a decent performance against Michigan. I moved Colt down to the #5 spot, mainly because he didn’t play and he is questionable to return.

Related Links

• Last week’s poll
• ESPN Experts Poll
• SI.com Heisman Watch

Our Thoughts

Brian - Well Longhorn fans can at least root for who they feel like this week, no more worrying about strength of schedule or who we need to lose. I can finally root for Ohio State and their classless fans to lose to Michigan this weekend. I really have no clue who should be #3 behind Michigan and Ohio State, Florida, USC, and Notre Dame all have big flaws and I think there’s a chance all three lose before the regular season’s done. If Arkansas runs the table (which they might) and makes it to the BCS Championship game it would be one of the most amazing stories in college football in a long time.

Matt - Quite a shake-up this week as many top 10 teams lose, causing a lot of mess in most people’s polls. Everything is setting up perfectly for Ohio State/Michigan since they are the clear #1 and #2. This will be Ohio State’s second #1 vs. #2 match-up this year. I can’t imagine that happens often.

Cal took the biggest hit for me, losing to a team with only 4 wins up to that point. Tennessee also fell quite a bit, mainly because it was their second straight loss (LSU & Arkansas).

Related Links

• Last week’s rankings
• BCS Standings
• AP Top 25
• USA Today Coaches Top 25
• Master Coaches Survey

It pains me to see that the team who benefited most from our loss to Kansas St is, you guessed it, USC. USC jumps from the #7 spot all the way up to #3 in the BCS. And now it looks like they will control their own destiny when it comes to playing in the BCS National Championship game.

With Texas’ loss, the Horns fall all the way down to #13 in the BCS, their National Championship hopes lost. Rutgers also makes a huge move after beating Louisville and now claims the #6 spot. They are still a long shot to make it to the title game, but with the way this season is going, who knows what can happen.

• BCS Standings

Our Thoughts

Brian - I’ve been saying no one could catch Troy Smith since Adrian Peterson went down, now I’m not sure. He’s still the leader and is putting up solid numbers, but it’s been a while since he did anything outstanding. Colt McCoy passed Vince Young and Chris Simms in the record books against Oklahoma State and he passes Brady Quinn on my Heisman poll today. McCoy has better stats and has played against better defenses than Quinn. McCoy didn’t have a stellar game in Texas’ loss to Ohio State, but at least he didn’t choke big time like Quinn against Michigan.

Matt - Finally Colt McCoy is getting some love in the Heisman race. I think he has proved that he is the second best quarterback so far this season. And if you look at the numbers, he has more yards and touchdowns than Troy Smith. I obviously don’t expect him to win, but it sure is impressive what he is doing as a freshman. I added McFadden as my darkhorse after his ridiculous performance against South Carolina. I wonder how the Arkansas/USC game would have been different if he was healthy.

Related Links

• Last week’s poll
• ESPN Experts Poll
• SI.com Heisman Watch

Our Thoughts

Brian - Texas has been slowly climbing the polls since the loss to Ohio State back in September and they’re now in a spot to pounce on any mistake by Ohio State, Michigan, or Louisville. If the Cardinals go down to Rutgers Thursday night on ESPN, it could mean Texas would get a chance to defend their title in January. I think the Horns, Florida, and Auburn are all better football teams that have played tougher schedules than Louisville, so anything resembling a slip up will have them vaulting ahead of even an undeafeated Big East champion. The Big East isn’t the terrible conference it was in years past, but it’s still a pretty darn mediocre one.

Matt - LSU had an impressive win at Tennessee, where they have won only twice now in I think their last 15 match-ups; so I have moved them back into the Top 10. I still don’t think Louisville is the 4th best team in the nation, but with the win against West Virginia I have to put them up there for now. If they don’t look good for the next couple of weeks, I may have to drop them below Florida.

Related Links

• Last week’s rankings
• AP Top 25
• USA Today Coaches Top 25
• Master Coaches Survey

Texas moves up to the 5th spot in the BCS, still leaving a glimmer of hope for making its way back to the BCS National Championship game. They are neck and neck with Florida, right behind Louisville, who could still lose to Rutgers or Pitt. If Louisville does lose, Texas could make up the .0020 needed to pass Florida, mainly because Florida’s schedule is getting weaker and Texas still has A&M left.

Who knows what is going to happen in the SEC West. Arkansas will have to lose 2 games for Auburn to play in the title game, which is a good possibility because the Hogs still have Tennessee and LSU left on their schedule. If Arkansas does make it to the title game, Auburn may be sitting in the best position in the SEC, just sitting there waiting and easing into a BCS match-up.

Our Thoughts

Brian - When Texas started the season everyone thought the running game would carry them and the QB situation would be the team’s weak point. Redshirt freshman quarterback Colt McCoy went from question mark to seriously deserving Heisman consideration. He’s just a freshman won’t win it but you’re starting to hear his name pop up every now and then, he’s currently climbed up to ninth of SI’s Heisman Watch. It’ll be interesting to see if he can play well enough through Texas’ last three (or four) games to earn a trip to New York. Not bad for somebody who still looks like he’s about twelve.

Matt - Well, with Ray Rice not doing much against UConn, he is basically out of the running for the Heisman. Troy Smith continues to dominate, although that isn’t too hard when you are playing the worst of the Big 10. And I don’t really see why everyone has Mike Hart in the Heisman race. He doesn’t put up great numbers and he is playing on an offense that struggled to score 17 points against Northwestern. He has to be the most overrated player in the hunt.

Related Links

• Last week’s poll
• ESPN Experts Poll
• SI.com Heisman Watch

Our Thoughts

Brian - USC has flirted with disaster all year and it finally caught up to them. Their loss helps clear up the murky BCS picture (that abomination always seems to manage to clear up by the end of the year) and is one less obstacle in Texas’ path on the way to a chance to repeat as national champions. Of course Texas is going to have to play a lot better than they have the last two weeks against Nebraska and Texas Tech if they plan on their slow climb up the rankings.

Matt - Man, what an embarrassing loss for USC, who go into Oregon State and just get throttled. Yeah, they came back and made it close, but they were getting dominated through almost 3 quarters. I think this was a long time coming though, as they were eeking out wins before this loss. Texas narrowly escaped the same disaster, with Colt McCoy leading the Horns to a tremendous comeback. I am still in shock when I think about some of the plays he made. Hook ‘em.

Related Links

• Last week’s rankings
• AP Top 25
• USA Today Coaches Top 25
• Master Coaches Survey

USC understandably caused some shifting in the top of the BCS, though there were a couple of changes that I really don’t understand. Why does an idle Louisville jump all the way from 8 to 5. Why does Florida jump ahead of Auburn with Auburn holding a win against Florida? Doesn’t make much sense if you ask me, but luckily we still have a few weeks ahead to narrow things down a bit more. Your thoughts?

Texas debuts at number 19.

Our Thoughts

Brian - With Adrian Peterson now off the list due to his injury and Calvin Johnson’s zero catch performance against Clemson I’ve got two new names in my top five this week. The new guys are Brady Quinn and P.J. Hill. Quinn has steadily crawled back into the race and with a last minute drive against UCLA put his name back in the mix. Troy Smith is back on top and unless he has a bad performance in an Ohio State loss there’s really no one that can catch him. He still could lose it, but there’s no way anyone else can do anything to win it.

Matt - Troy Smith is basically running away with this Heisman trophy. Unless he has a horrible game against Michigan and Rice or Slaton do something crazy, Smith has this locked up. I finally have Brady Quinn back in the Top 5 after his nice comeback performance against UCLA. Ted Ginn Jr. stays at my dark-horse #5 spot, although it will be really hard for him to get much further.

Related Links

• Last week’s poll
• ESPN Experts Poll
• SI.com Heisman Watch

Our Thoughts

Brian - Louisville drops for me as they haven’t looked like a top 10 team since they took out Miami over a month ago. Hopefully each of the top four Big East teams (West Virginia, Louisville, Rutgers, and Pittsburgh) find some way to lose a game and knock themselves out of the national title hunt. The top of the BCS rankings are getting interesting and the Longhorns could become a factor again soon.

Matt - My Top 8 remains totally unchanged, with Ohio State holding down 1st place with ease. Not too many other changes either, just a few minor adjustments based on how teams played. Many teams escaped with some close calls this weekend, with Texas kicking the game winning field goal late, Notre Dame getting the impressive 3 play 80 yard drive, and Tennessee closing out a close one.

Related Links

• Last week’s rankings
• AP Top 25
• USA Today Coaches Top 25
• Master Coaches Survey

Our Thoughts

Brian - This is the Adrian Peterson Memoriam Heisman List. He had a great game against Iowa State before breaking his collarbone in what might have been his final collegiate carry. He’ll be off the list next week. With Peterson gone, this now becomes Troy Smith and a bunch of scrubs. Garrett Wolfe’s embarrassing performance against Western Michigan knocks him off my list for good. Sorry but if you play for Northern Illinois you can’t afford to have any weeks like that. It’ll be interesting to watch if Mike Hart or Steve Slaton can make any sort of run at Smith in the season’s final half.

Matt - Ok, so putting Garrett Wolfe in the number spot must have put some sort of major jinx on him. I now have back in the #3 spot, where he should feel comfortable and put up some big yards this weekend. It is definitely a shame what happened to Adrian Peterson this past weekend, and he probably would be my front runner for Heisman if he didn’t get hurt.

Related Links

• Last week’s poll
• ESPN Experts Poll
• SI.com Heisman Watch

Our Thoughts

Brian - The SEC is screwing up my top 25. All sorts of movement thanks to Florida and Georgia losing, and because what I thought was a good Iowa team losing to freaking Indiana. I had real trouble with my top 5. The only spot I’m sure of is Ohio State at #1 and then I’ve got no clue. USC was impressive early in the year against Arkansas and Nebraska but has looked pretty beatable the last few weeks. West Virginia at #3 is a crime but at the same time I had trouble putting them behind one-loss Texas. All I know is that I’m praying that the national title somehow doesn’t feature either WVU or Louisville.

Matt - Unfortunately Texas did not fare so well in the first BCS poll. Being 9th means that we have a lot of ground to make up, and a lot of teams ahead of us have to lose. Texas has a big matchup against Nebraska this weekend, which will hopefully add to their strength of schedule. I am not really impressed with my #2 and #3 teams, but I feel that is the only logical place you can put them right now. I am still not convinced about West Virginia and Louisiville, but it is hard to place them any lower than I already have them.

Related Links

• Last week’s rankings
• AP Top 25
• USA Today Coaches Top 25
• Master Coaches Survey