Who isn't?Quarterback Jeff Smoker has turned around his life and, in the process, helped turn around a Michigan State program. The Spartans are already bowl eligible, thanks partly, if not mostly, to Smoker and his ability to the make most out of new coach John L. Smith's pass-happy system. Last season, thanks partly, if not mostly, to Smoker's substance abuse problems, the Spartans finished 4-8 overall, 2-6 in the Big Ten, and lost six of their last seven games.
Tight end Kellen Winslow Jr., who plays as if his jockstrap is on fire, has become the emotional (sometimes too emotional) leader of the Miami Hurricanes. And did we mention that NFL scouts say he's the likely No. 1 pick in the 2004 draft?
Virginia Tech running back Kevin Jones has all but recovered from an early season wrist injury (on the worst cheap shot you'll ever see -- oh, wait, I forgot about Ohio State linebacker Robert Reynolds' throat gouge vs. Wisconsin) and is putting up triple-digits on a weekly basis. Jones pressed a teensy weensy bit in the first couple of games, but is now totally comfortable as the centerpiece of Va Tech's offense.
He doesn't get the same amount of pub, but Hokies quarterback Bryan Randall deserves serious consideration for any half-season award.
Would Northern Illinois be 6-0 with wins against Maryland and Alabama without running back Michael "The Burner" Turner? Does Texas beat OU? Exactly.
Things you don't say at the Texas Tech training table: "Hey, B.J., can you pass the salt?" Look out, because quarterback B.J. Symons will take the salt shaker and throw a perfect spiral at your chest. Exactly 41 people outside the greater Lubbock area knew who Symons was at season's beginning. Now he's on the Heisman Trophy short list, thanks to passing numbers that would boggle an IBM mainframe.
Oklahoma quarterback Jason White's numbers can't be ignored. The Sooners have scored 50 or more points four consecutive games, the first time that's happened in OU history. White is averaging at least three TD passes per game and his pass efficiency and completion numbers are Heisman quality.
Oregon State RB Steven Jackson has led the Beavers to a 5-1 start.
Pittsburgh wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald is a human highlight film.
Auburn tailback Cadillac Williams might be the best player pound for pound.
Arkansas tailback Cedric Cobbs can grind a defense into a fine powder.
North Carolina State quarterback Philip Rivers deserves better than a 4-3 team.
I wouldn't want to cover USC wide receiver Mike Williams or Oklahoma State wideout Rashaun Woods, or have to fill the gap with Minnesota tailback Marion Barber III coming at me, or try to keep track of Alabama tailback Shaud Williams. And I'd wear a sequined puffy shirt before I'd want to be hit by Miami safety Sean Taylor, Purdue safety Stuart Schweigert, OU linebacker Teddy Lehman, or Wisconsin defensive tackle Anttaj Hawthorne.
With that said, I'll whittle my Player of the Half-Season list down to three: Jones, Symons and White.
And the winner is. . . White.
The Heisman ballot lists three names. Using that as a guide, my three names don't include Texas Tech senior quarterback B.J. Symons. The reason is that the Red Raiders (5-1) have played one winless team and only two with winning records. One of them, North Carolina State, beat Texas Tech 49-21. If Symons continues his 490-plus yards per game pace throughout the season, then we'll talk. Texas Tech closes the season against Oklahoma, which may be a Heisman showdown between Symons and Sooners senior quarterback Jason White. That would be fun.Third place is Virginia Tech. . .junior quarterback Bryan Randall. You thought you would read tailback Kevin Jones, didn't you? Trust me. A month ago, I thought I would have written it. Randall is the real reason the Hokies are No. 3 in the nation. His numbers aren't great, but Randall's value to the team can't be measured by numbers, except maybe 6-0.
Second place is White, and, on my ballot, he's more 1A than 2. White leads the nation in passing efficiency, and his performance has been astounding, given that he has played very little over the last four years, mostly because of two knee surgeries. White has had a tough time getting traction in the memory of my colleagues. I have seen him listed as Josh White, Gabe White and Jason Long. That's what he gets for being an unknown, I suppose.
The bottom line, though, is that without White, the Sooners would probably be 6-0 anyway, which is why my Player of the Half-Season is:
Steven Jackson of Oregon State. Jackson, a junior, isn't exactly a surprise. He led the Pac-10 last season with 1,690 yards, more than 500 yards more than any other back in the league. He has rushed for 100 yards or more in every game this season and 11 of his last 12. But Jackson's 227-yard performance against California two weeks ago won me over. When the defense knew Jackson would be getting the ball -- he carried it 35 times -- he still had the best game of his season.
Without Jackson, Oregon State wouldn't be 5-1. He has road games against Washington State on Oct. 25 and against USC on Dec. 6, which gives him tests as difficult as those awaiting the other top candidates. He may not be there at the end of the season. But he's at the top right now.
Who's the Coach of the Half-Season?
Let's see. . . Joe Novak has done the impossible. People outside DeKalb actually know what NIU stands for.
OU's Bob Stoops has good players and -- here's the trick -- knows what to do with them.
Auburn's Tommy Tuberville has calmly guided the Tigers back from the mass hysteria that comes with an 0-2 start.
Georgia Tech's Chan Gailey is winning with a true freshman quarterback and without 10 players (including star RB Tony Hollings and defensive end Tony Hargrove) who were ruled academically ineligible before season's start.
Iowa is 5-1, despite losing most of its offense to graduation. Now you know why Kirk Ferentz's name is on the Palm Pilot of most NFL general managers.
Mark Mangino. Kansas. 4-2. The same number of wins as K-State's Bill Snyder.
Miami's Larry Coker is. . . (Never mind. See Stoops item above.)
John L. Smith wasn't Michigan State's first choice -- not that anyone cares after a 6-1 start.
Minnesota's Glen Mason is this close to creating something special.
Virginia Tech's Frank Beamer is a bargain: head coach and special teams genius.
Wisconsin is down to its third-team tailback and second-team quarterback. . . and still beats the defending national champion to improve to 6-1.
The agent for Texas Tech's Mike Leach is going to be a busy man during the offseason.
And hearty pats on the back to Purdue's Joe Tiller, Washington State's Bill Doba, Utah's Urban Meyer, Navy's Paul Johnson and Georgia's Mark Richt.
The finalists: Coker, Gailey and Novak.
And the winner is. . . Coker.
There is a dearth of candidates, perhaps because there are only five undefeated teams remaining. The obvious candidate is Northern Illinois coach Joe Novak. The Huskies beat Maryland, won at Alabama, beat Iowa State, and are 6-0 despite a run of injuries that would have left most teams struggling to play .500 ball (see Oregon).To me, however, Novak is the John McCain of this race. McCain got a lot of favorable press three years ago, and the public seemed to adore him. In the end, however, he didn't win the Republican nomination. The guy everyone expected to win, the guy with the most resources, won the prize.
The coach of the half-season is Bob Stoops. No team has been more dominant. Coach of the half-season should be about making your team play above expectations. Oklahoma may have been picked No. 1, but no one expected the Sooners to be this explosive on offense. This is the first Oklahoma team to score 50 points or more in four consecutive games.
The most difficult coaching job is taking a great team and keeping it focused under pressure. Not only has Stoops done that, but Oklahoma seems to play better every week. This decision is easy.
What's your Worst Knucklehead Prediction of the Half-Season?
So many knucklehead predictions, so few paragraphs available.But my personal brain cramp favorite came as recently as last Thursday. When asked if Miami could win without injured tailback Frank Gore, I boldly declared: "Not this week at Florida State, it can't."
Later, I was astute enough to add: "Miami still has one of the best coaching staffs in D-IA, tight end Kellen Winslow, and apparently an inexhaustible amount of FSU mojo. Will that be enough? Uh, no."
This is what happens when you run behind those insecticide truck sprayers as a kid.
This isn't even close. After Louisiana Tech scored two touchdowns in the last 1:09 to beat Michigan State, 20-19, a game in which the Spartans stopped themselves with penalties and mistakes, a performance described here as "sloppier than a kindergarten art class," I wrote the following."With an angry Notre Dame team awaiting them Saturday, followed by the Big Ten schedule, the season doesn't look promising. The battle to stay out of the conference cellar is Oct. 4, when Indiana visits East Lansing for the Spartans' homecoming."
Since the loss to Louisiana Tech, Michigan State has won four consecutive games, including a 31-3 rout of Indiana.
Quarterback Jeff Smoker is the feel-good story of the season. Michigan State is in the thick of the Big Ten race. My prediction may have been a tad wide of the plate.
The worst thing is, when I wrote it, I pointed out the similarity between this Louisiana Tech victory and one of four years ago, when the Bulldogs scored a touchdown with 2 seconds left to play to beat Alabama, 29-28. After that game, the Crimson Tide won eight of its last nine games and took home the SEC championship. Gee, you think the conclusion I should have drawn was staring me right in the face?