Since it is roughly the middle of the college football season, Jeremy and I have decided to dish out some mid-season hardware. See which of our bloggers is most impressed with Auburn's turnaround...
Offensive MVP
Brian - Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M: As much as I hate to list him as the offensive MVP, if you took him off the team, then Texas A&M would be notably worse. Thus, he is the most valuable player for his team. Others in the running were Marcus Mariota (Oregon) and Aaron Murray (Georgia)
Jeremy - Tajh Boyd, Clemson: Have to say I agree with Brian to a certain extent. Without Johnny Football, A&M would be a mess. But they lost the only game that has really mattered so far whereas Tajh Boyd has led his team to victory in it's biggest game so far. Though that could all change on Saturday night in Death Valley. Murray and Mariota were also contenders.
Defensive MVP
Brian - Not Jadeveon Clowney. Vic Beasley, Clemson: 9 sacks already and playing for a team in national title contention.
Jeremy - Vic Beasley, Clemson: Had Florida not lost Dominique Easley, I think he would have been here. But I have to agree with Brian on this one.
Freshman of the Year
Brian - Jameis Winston, Florida State: Already 5th in Total QBR, has 17 TDs to 2 INTS. Quite impressive.
Jeremy - Jameis Winston, Florida State: It's a no brainer. He's put up amazing stats (even better than Maziel last year to this point), but it won't matter if he can't lead his team to victory Saturday night.
Best Game
Brian - LSU @ UGA: This game featured an almost fully healthy Georgia vs. LSU between the hedges at Sanford Stadium. Two offensive juggernauts that traded blows the entire game.
Jeremy - LSU @ UGA: I was fortunate enough to be at this game and it was an absolute slugfest. It's a shame UGA lost to Mizzou because I think it took some luster off of how amazing their game with LSU was. It will be tough to top.
Best Coaching Job
Brian - Gus Malzahn, Auburn: Remember Auburn's record last year? It was 3-9. Auburn is already 5-1, ranked, and beat a solid Ole Miss team. Things are looking bright on The Plains.
Jeremy - Art Briles, Baylor: Maybe this isn't a big surprise but Art Briles could nab any number of coaching jobs in the off season if he wants to leave Baylor. They put up 69+ in every game until this past weekend. Sure, the toughest part of their schedule is ahead but don't be surprised if Briles keeps it going.
Biggest Surprise
Brian - Auburn Tigers: See my description of Gus Malzahn above.
Jeremy - Texas Tech Red Raiders: Man that Kliff Kingsbury is smooth with his 5 o' clock shadow. His team is undefeated too after Tommy Tuberville left them in a lurch. I could've gone with Auburn too but Brian covered that.
Top 10
Brian - 1. Alabama, 2. Oregon, 3. Ohio State, 4. Florida State, 5. Clemson, 6. LSU, 7. South Carolina, 8. Texas A&M, 9. Miami (FL), 10. Stanford
Jeremy - 1. Oregon, 2. Alabama, 3. Clemson, 4. Florida State, 5. LSU, 6. Ohio State,
7. Baylor, 8. Texas A&M, 9. Miami, 10. South Carolina
Top Conferences
Brian - 1. SEC, 2. PAC-12, 3. ACC, T4. Big Ten, T4. Big 12, 6. AAC
Jeremy - 1. SEC, 2.PAC-12, 3. ACC, 4. Big 12, 5. Big 10, 6. AAC
What to watch
Brian - I am most interested to see how the SEC plays out, conference wise and on a national scale. A healthy Georgia can certainly win out until the SEC Championship. I don't foresee Missouri beating Florida, South Carolina, and Texas A&M without James Franklin. What will happen if Georgia makes the SEC Championship with 2 losses, and South Carolina wins out (beating Clemson) with only has 1 loss? They would likely be out of National Championship picture, despite only losing once at Georgia early in the season. The same is true of Texas A&M. Assuming Alabama beats LSU and makes the SEC Championship, A&M could represent another SEC team with 1 loss (if they beat LSU as well), which was to Alabama early in the season.
Jeremy - Like Brian, I am very interested in how the SEC plays out. Regardless, I am thinking that this might be the year someone finally gets them. Right now, I'm a believer in Oregon, though they still have some hurdles. I will also be interested in the politics that will unfold if one-loss LSU has to battle an undefeated Florida State, Ohio State or Baylor for a spot in the championship game. There's been some SEC backlash but how can you penalize LSU for a 3 point road loss, especially if UGA wins the East still, if they beat Bama, A&M, and UGA again. I'm also keen on how the Mack Brown situation plays out at Texas. Did the Oklahoma win save his job? And if he is fired the first month of the offseason is going to be bonkers with the coaching carousel. Lots of football left to be played first though.
No comments:
Post a Comment