20* Wildcard Total GOY wins on Saturday (Atl/Arz Over) as does 20* Wildcard GOY on Sunday (Eagles) / Bowls return on Monday and Larry has rare Las Vegas Insider GOY on the Fiesta.

Larry made it a PERFECT 2-0 sweep of his 20* plays this Wildcard Weekend. He ‘cashed’ with Atl/Arz ‘Over’ on Saturday and won with the Eagles (-3), 26-14 on Sunday. Playoff time is “winning time,” and it pays to stick with a 25-year vet.

There are just three bowl games remaining, beginning with tonight’s Fiesta Bowl. Larry and his “unmatched” contacts typically have a single GOY play in each in the NFL and CFB. In Week 11 of the NFL, Larry featured his Las Vegas Insider GOY on the Bucs over the Vikings, winning that game as part of his 11-5( 68.8%) regular season mark.

Coming off back-to-back 20* GOY winners in the NFL playoffs this weekend (see above), Larry is calling tonight’s Fiesta Bowl (Ohio St/Texas) his Las Vegas Insider GOY in college football. “It pays to be on the inside with Larry,” Want in?

Check back for Larry’s CBB and NBA releases for Monday between 12 noon and 1:00 ET.

As always, you may want to consider his subscription offers, which allow you to access his daily selections in all sports for $175 (7 days) or $400 (31 days).

I’ve always loved the Heisman, as in spite of all its warts and blemishes, it remains the most recognized and arguably the most-cherished individual award in any sport. I began doing a weekly Heisman top-10 on my nationally-syndicated radio show (”Bally’s Sports Central”) in the early to mid-90s and have continued it on the internet since. My weekly top-10 was available right here every week, with the first one appearing back on September 1.

The 2008 Heisman will be presented this Saturday at the Sports Museum of America in downtown New York, which is a first-time venue for this award. Heisman organizers generally invite three to five players to New York (based on vote totals) and on Wednesday announced that last year’s winner, Florida’s Tim Tebow, will be joined by Sam Bradford from Oklahoma and Colt McCoy from Texas. Tebow was the first sophomore to win the Heisman last year and is trying to become the second player to win it twice, joining Archie Griffin of Ohio State, who in 1974 as a junior and again in 1975 as a senior.

QBs have dominated the award this decade, as every winner since 2000 has played that position, save Reggie Bush of USC, who won in 2005. The last time all the Heisman finalists were QBs was 2001, when Nebraska’s Eric Crouch won the award and QBs held the first six spots. Instead of listing a complete top-10 (as I usually do), my final Heisman poll will include just four players, starting with Graham Harrell (who surprisingly didn’t get a New York invite) and working my way to my No. 1 choice, Letterman-style.

4) GRAHAM HARRELL (Texas Tech): Like his predecessors at Texas Tech, Harrell has lived with the claim that’s it’s Mike Leach’s “system” not the QB, which is the star of the Texas Tech offense. Graham has worked hard to overcome that stigma and there should be little doubt he did just that this season, but he still fell short of even getting an invite to New York, as one of this year’s finalists. In fairness to Harrell, that speaks as much to the superb play of the three QBs who are heading to New York, more than it does to Harrell’s 2008 season. After all, Harrell completed 406 of 568 passes (71.5 percent) for 4,474 yards with 41 TDs and 7 INTs. He added six rushing TDs and finished with a QB rating of 163.0 (9th-best). He has 32 career 300-yard games with 20 of those games being of the 400-yard variety. His 309-yard effort in the season-finale against Baylor gives him 15,429 career passing yards, the second-most yards all-time (Timmy Chang of Hawaii is the all-time leader with 17,072 yards). The two TD passes against the Bears give him 130 for his career, second to only Colt Brennan (131) on the all-time list. Tech plays Ole Miss in the Cotton Bowl on January 2 and a win would give this year’s team 12 wins, a single-season record for the school. While Harrell will leave the college ranks without a Heisman (he surely never figured that was “in the cards” when he arrived in Lubbock), he should conclude his college career as the all-time leader in TD passes (he needs at least two vs Ole Miss) and with only Timmy Chang of Hawaii having passed for more career yards. Those are two pretty nice ‘parting gifts.’

3) COLT MCCOY (Texas): As the wonderful Maxwell Smart used to say, “missed it by that much!” McCoy bested Bradford in the Texas/Oklahoma game on October 11 plus he and the Longhorns came within a dropped interception by Texas freshman safety Blake Gideon of besting Tech and Harrell on November 1. However, Gideon did drop what would have been a game-ending interception on a tipped ball and one play later, Harrell threw that famous TD pass to Crabtree. In the Oklahoma game, McCoy led the Longhorns on four straight second-half scoring drives (three TDs and one FG), as Texas rallied from a 28-20 deficit to a 45-35 win. At Lubbock on Nov 1, his team trailed 22-3 in the late second quarter and 29-13 with under 30 seconds to go in the third quarter but Texas came back behind McCoy to lead 33-32 before that ill-fated dropped interception and subsequent Harrell-to-Crabtree TD. Sports truly is a “game of inches” and I’m not sure I’m being entirely fair to McCoy by placing him at No. 3 but someone has to be No. 3, something he and his Longhorn teammates have to live with this year. However, let me note that McCoy will enter Texas’ Fiesta Bowl meeting with Ohio State (Jan 5) having completed 291 of his 375 passes. That’s 77.6 percent, a figure which would break the current single-season completion percentage of 73.6 percent set by Daunte Culpepper of Central Florida in the late 90s. He’s passed for 3,445 yards with 32 TDs and just seven INTs, while his QB rating of 179.2 ranks him third in the nation. McCoy is also the Longhorns’ leading rusher this year, gaining 576 yards on 128 carries (4.5 YPC) and scoring 10 TDs. He’ll enter the Fiesta Bowl having thrown at least one TD pass in 16th consecutive games and his five 300-yard passing games this year, topped the total number of times he had surpassed that 300-yard mark in his freshman and sophomore seasons combined (had four 300-yard games in his first two years at Texas). Reports are that he will return to Texas next season and that means he will continue to extend the school records he already holds. McCoy’s 3,445 passing yards this season broke Major Applewhite’s record for the most yards in one season in school history. His 32 TD passes in one season is also a single-season record at Texas, one he already owned when he threw 29 as a freshman (2006). The win against A&M in the regular season-finale was McCoy’s 31st win as a starter for the Longhorns, tying him with Vince Young for the most by a Texas QB. McCoy passed Vince Young for first place on Texas’ all-time list of TDs responsible for (passing, rushing, receiving) more than a month ago and with his two TD passes and two rushing against the Aggies, his career mark is now up to 99 (Young had 81 and former Heisman-winner Ricky Williams had 76). I hate to disagree with Three Dog Night but when it comes to the BCS, Three, not One, is the loneliest number.

2) TIM TEBOW (Florida): The Gators suffered what looked to be a devastating 31-30 loss at home to Ole Miss (Florida missed an extra-point) on September 27. Devastating in terms of Florida’s national title hopes and to Tebow’s chances of joining Archie Griffin as just the Heisman’s second repeat-winner. While Tebow had a season-high 319 yards passing in the Ole Miss game plus two rushing TDs, he had thrown for just six TDs and rushed for only 125 yards (2.6 YPC) over Florida’s first four games. Meanwhile, this year’s great contingent of prolific Big 12 QBs were piling up incredible numbers. However, Tebow has lived up to his post-game promise (after the Ole Miss contest), in leading the Gators to nine straight wins (8-0 ATS), by the combined scores of 445-117. The final win in that nine-game streak came in Florida’s 31-20 win over then-No. 1 (and undefeated) Alabama in the SEC championship game. Tebow completed 14-of-22 passes for 216 yards with three TDs and no INTs, while adding 57 yards rushing on 17 carries (he did not score a rushing TD). Tebow had 22 TD passes (just two INTs) plus added 10 rushing TDs in Florida’s nine-game winning streak. His final regular season stats look like this, 174-of-268 for 64.9 percent for 2,515 yards with 28 TDs and only two INTs (his QB rating of 176.7 ranks 5th). Florida and Oklahoma are set to play in Miami on January 8 for the BCS national championship but the Heisman needs to be decided before that showdown. No one expected Tebow to match last year’s numbers (3,286 yards passing with 32 TDs / 895 yards rushing with 23 TDs) but he’s fallen way short of them. I’ve noted before in this space that Harrell (406), Bradford (302) and McCoy (291) all have more completions this year, than Tebow has attempts (268)! The numbers just don’t favor him but he’s a tremendous kid and his personality (along with his obvious football talents), will sway many voters. Also, it’s very likely that Bradford and McCoy will take votes from each other in the Midwest and Southwest, while Tebow should carry the South region handily. I’m one who believes that career accomplishments should count for something in each year’s Heisman race but being a terrific person, while admirable, should count for nothing. Tebow’s numbers just don’t come close to Bradford’s this year and on balance, Bradford, not Tebow, should be this year’s winner. However, there is a ‘love affair’ with this kid (which I totally understand) that gives me a feeling Tebow can (will?) win on Saturday night in New York. Tebow’s been near-perfect in Florida’s nine-game winning streak and his terrific 4th quarter play, in which he led the Gators on two TD drives to overcame a 20-17 deficit, was quite special. However, it should also be noted that the victory over Alabama was the first time in his career that Tebow had led his team to a win after the Gators had trailed in the second half (Gators had been 0-5 prior to that). John Elway he is not. I’m giving Tebow extra-credit for last year’s Heisman win and will move him over McCoy but I will not place him No. 1 on my ballot (so the speak, as I don’t have one).

1) SAM BRADFORD (Oklahoma): I believe Sam Bradford should win this year’s Heisman, although I’m not convinced he will. As I just mentioned in the Tebow write-up, Bradford and McCoy could split votes and if you don’t think I’m right on this issue, consider this. The AP voted McCoy as the Big 12’s offensive player-of-the-year, while naming Bradford as its first-team All-Big 8 QB (figure that one out!). Also, Tebow’s off-the-field persona, is hard to match. Anyway, Bradford capped a memorable regular season by completing 34-of-49 passes for 384 yards with two TDs and no INTs, as Oklahoma cruised to a 62-21 win over Missouri in the Big 12 championship game. Much has been made of Florida’s nine-game winning streak since the Ole Miss loss, but how about Oklahoma’s seven-game winning streak since the Texas loss? Bradford topped 300 yards in six of those seven games, throwing 25 TD passes against just one INT, plus added three rushing TDs. The Sooners averaged 59.9 PPG during those seven games, becoming the first team in CFB history to top 60 points in five straight games (the fianl games of that streak). The Sooners have scored 702 points (54.0 per), the first team in modern history to crack the 700-point plateau. Bradford had a terrific freshman year in 2007, throwing for 3,121 yards (69.5 percent completions) with 36 TDs and eight INTs. His 36 TD passes were a new NCAA freshman single-season record and his QB rating of 176.52 led the nation. His current QB rating of 186.3 again leads the nation and he’s already easily surpassed last year’s TD pass (48) and passing yards (4,464) totals, with his BCS title game showdown against Tebow and Florida still left to be played. Bradford has 11, 300-yard passing games this season, breaking the single-season school record set by Josh Heupel (eight) in 1999 and 13 in his career (two have been 400-plus games). His 48 TD passes for the year extends the school record he already owns, surpassing the 40 Jason White threw in his 2003 Heisman season. How dominant have Bradford’s first two seasons really been? His two TD passes against Missouri extends his total to 84 through his sophomore season, which is the all-time record for any QB through his first two seasons (freshman and sophomore years). Who is second on that list? Try Rex Grossman, who had 55 TD passes in his first two years with the Gators. Either Bradford or Tebow will win the Heisman, meaning one or the other will have a chance to become just the seventh Heisman winner to also win a national championship in the same season. The current list includes, Matt Leinart of USC (2004), Danny Wuerffel of Florida (1966), Charlie Ward of Florida State (1993), John Lujack Notre of Dame (1947), Angelo Bertelli of Notre Dame (1943) and Davey O’Brien of TCU (1938). My choice for the Heisman is Bradford, who would join fellow Sooners Billy Vessels (1952), Steve Owens (1969), Billy Sims (1978) and Jason White (2003). However, Tim Tebow’s ’shadow’ is looming very large. We’ll find out just before 9:00 ET this coming Saturday on ESPN.

Stay tuned to ESPN right after that, as the network is presenting “The Greatest Game Ever,” the 1958 NFL championship game between the Colts and Giants. Here’s a free winner, lay the 3 1/2-points with the Colts.

Good luck, Larry

 1) SAM BRADFORD (Oklahoma) Last Week: 1. Sam Bradford only needed 19 attempts to get four TD passes in Oklahoma’s 65-21 win over Texas Tech on November. He was much busier last Saturday night in Stillwater, as he threw 44 times in the Sooners’ 61-41 win over the Cowboys. He completed 30 of his throws for 370 yards and four more TD passes, while also adding a fifth TD on a one-yard run. The Cowboys wouldn’t ‘go away,’ until the Sooners finally ended the drama with 17 points in the last 7 1/2 minutes of the game. The series is called “Bedlam” and that was about right, as the teams combined for the most points in the history of the rivalry and combined for 1,009 yards. The 61 points by Oklahoma is its most against OSU since 1980 (63) and marks the fourth straight game in which the Sooners have scored 60 or more points. I guess a reasonable person could place Harrell, McCoy or Tebow at the top of their Heisman list but I’m going wit Bradford. Since the Texas loss, he’s led the Sooners to six straight wins in which they’ve averaged 59.5 PPG. If the Sooners can maintain their 53.3 PPG clip in the Saturday’s Big 12 championship game and a bowl game, it will make them one of just three teams in college football history to score more than 700 points in a season. Bradford has averaged 338.0 YPG through the air in the team’s six-game winning streak throwing 23 TD passes with just one INT. Bradford had a terrific freshman year in 2007, throwing for 3,121 yards (69.5 percent completions) with 36 TDs and eight INTs. His 36 TD passes were a new NCAA freshman single-season record and his QB rating of 176.52 led the nation. His current QB rating of 191.0, which is higher than last year’s mark, currently puts him second in the nation. On top of that, he’s already surpassed last year’s TD pass and passing yards totals (see below) with two games left to his 2008 season. Bradford now has 10, 300-yard passing games this season, breaking the single-season school record set by Josh Heupel (eight) in 1999 and 12 in his career (two have been 400-plus games). His 46 TD passes for the year extends the school record he already owns, surpassing the 40 Jason White threw in his 2003 Heisman season. How dominant has Bradford’s first two season really been? His four TD passes against OSU extends his record to 82 through his sophomore season. Who is second on that list? Try Rex Grossman, who had 55 TD passes in his first two years with the Gators. Bradford’s already toped that by 27 and has two games remaining!. Oklahoma edged out Texas in last Sunday’s BCS standings giving the Sooners a spot in the Big 12 championship game against the Tigers on Saturday at Kansas City. Bradford’s two TD passes in a 24-point second half lifted Oklahoma to a 38-17 win over then-No. 1 Missouri in last year’s Big 12 title game at San Antonio. It could be a huge day for Oklahoma fans Saturday night, as a win could (should?) send Oklahoma off to the BCS title game in Miami on January 8 (Oklahoma owns seven national titles) plus Bradford off to New York next weekend to receive the Heisman. He would join fellow Sooners Billy Vessels (1952), Steve Owens (1969), Billy Sims (1978) and Jason White (2003). His season stats are: 268-of-393 (68.2 percent) for 4,080 yards with 46 TDs and 6 INTs / QB rating of 191.0 ranks him No. 2 / 5 rush TDs.

 2) COLT MCCOY (Texas) Last Week: 2. McCoy bested Bradford in the Texas/Oklahoma game on October 11 plus he and the Longhorns came within a dropped interception by Texas freshman safety Blake Gideon of besting Tech and Harrell on November 1. However, Gideon did drop what would have been a game-ending interception on a tipped ball and one play later, Harrell threw that famous TD pass to Crabtree. The Longhorns beat Texas A&M 49-9 on Thanksgiving night (ending a two-game losing streak to the hated-Aggies) but as I just mentioned, Oklahoma’s 61-41 win over Oklahoma State last Saturday night in Stillwater, was “just enough” for the Sooners to slip past the Longhorns in Sunday’s BCS standings and give them, not the Longhorns, a place in the Big 12 championship game. I’ve got a feeling it’s going to be a year of “almosts” for McCoy. The Longhorns moved to 11-1, with their win over Texas A&M (have claimed eighth straight 10-win seasons, which ties them with Miami, from 1985-92, for the second-longest streak of all-time). The Longhorns also own at least nine wins for 11 straight seasons, the longest active streak in the nation. Colt McCoy (23-of-28) threw for 311 yards and two TDs (16th straight game with at least one TD pass) and added two rushing TDs (11 carries for 49 yards) as he continues to climb the all-time leaderboard at Texas. McCoy has now thrown for 3,445 yards this season, passing Major Applewhite for the most yards in one season in school history. His 32 TD passes in one season is also a single-season record at Texas, one he already owned when he threw 29 as a freshman (2006). The win against A&M was McCoy’s 31st win as a starter for the Longhorns, tying him with Vince Young for the most by a Texas QB. McCoy passed Vince Young for first place on Texas’ all-time list of TDs responsible for (passing, rushing, receiving) more than a month ago and with his two TD passes and two rushing, his career mark is now up to 99 (Young had 81 and former Heisman-winner Ricky Williams had 76). McCoy’s completing nearly 80 percent of his passes on the year, his QB rating of 177.6 ranks 4th and he is still the team’s leader in rushing yards for the season with 576. That’s a pretty good resume but it may not be good enough? McCoy and Texas can only hope for a Missouri upset on Saturday, which could give Texas a shot at that BCS championship game. A poor performance by Bradford could also open the ‘Heisman door’ for McCoy. His season stats are: 291-of-375 (77.6 percent) for 3,445 yards with 32 TDs and 7 INTs / QB rating of 177.6 is 4th in the nation / 128 carries for 576 yards (4.5 YPC) and 10 TDs.

 3) TIM TEBOW (Florida) Last Week: 4. No one expected Tebow to match his terrific numbers from last year (3,286 yards passing with 32 TDs / 895 yards rushing with 23 TDs) but he really put himself in a pretty big ‘hole’ the first four games of ‘08. The Gators suffered a devastating 31-30 loss at home to Ole Miss (Florida missed an extra-point) on September 27 and while Tebow had a season-high 319 yards passing in that game plus two rushing TDs, he had thrown for just six TDs and rushed for only 125 yards (2.6 YPC) over Florida’s first four games. With this year’s great contingent of prolific Big 12 QBs, those kind of numbers are not going to cut it. However, Tebow has been quite impressive since that loss to Ole Miss, leading the Gators to eight straight wins, by the combined scores of 414-97. The streak includes a 51-21 win over LSU (last year’s national champs), 49-10 over Georgia (the nation’s preseason No. 1 team) and last Saturday’s 45-15 thumping of Florida State (most points Florida has ever scored at Doak Campbell Stadium). Tebow threw three TD passes (12-of-21 with no INTs) and ran for 80 yards (16 carries) adding a fourth score. Tebow broke Emmitt Smith’s school record of 36 rushing TDs against Georgia and is career total is now at 43. Florida became the first SEC team to score at least 42 points in six consecutive games with its 70-14 win over The Citadel on Nov 22, so it stands to reason that it became the first SEC team to score 42 or more in seven straight games with the FSU result. Tebow’s thrown 19 TDs (just two INTs) and added 10 more TDs on the ground over the last eight games but those Big 12 QBs just had too much of a head start. Consider this. Tebow has fewer pass attempts (246) than Bradford (268), McCoy (291) and Harrell (406) have completions. Florida plays Alabama on Saturday (at the Georgia Dome) in the SEC championship game. Alabama is No. 1 in all the polls plus the BCS standings, while the Gators are just 4th in the BCS. However, the Gators are No. 2 in the AP poll, which sets up the 40th all-time meeting of No. 1 and No. 2 teams. More importantly, since the AP poll is not a component of the BCS, it’s all but assured that the winner of this game is headed to the BCS title game. Obviously, Alabama would be and the fact that the Gators opened as a 10 1/2-point favorite (number as of Friday is down to 9 1/2), it’s almost a guarantee that a Florida win send the Gators to their second BCS title game in three years. Can Tebow can join Archie Griffin as just the second-ever back-to-back winner of the Heisman? Well, that’s a much longer shot. However, I have moved him into my top-3. Tebow’s season stats are: 160-of-246 (65.0 percent) for 2,299 yards with 25 TDs and 2 INTs / QB rating of 175.5 ranks 5th / 137 carries for 507 yards (3.7 YPC) 12 TDs.

 4) GRAHAM HARRELL (Texas Tech) Last Week: 3. One got the feeling that the Red Raiders were still in shock over their 65-21 ‘pasting’ at the hands of the Sooners last Saturday. Texas Tech found itself down 21-14 at home vs the Baylor Bears, a team which entered the game 2-49 all-time on the Big 12 road and had lost 31 consecutive games against AP top-10 teams, dating back to 1985. The Bears scored on their opening possession of the second half and all-of-a-sudden, Tech was down 28-14. However, despite playing without WR Michael Crabtree, who left with a right foot injury midway through the second quarter and did not return, Tech took control from there. Harrell finished 41-of-50 for 309 yards and he capped a 21-point rally for Texas Tech with his second TD pass of the game, midway through the fourth quarter, as the Red Raiders went on to win, 35-28. The Big 12 South ended in a three-way tie with Oklahoma, Texas and Texas Tech but as already mentioned, it was the Sooners who claimed the Big 12 title-game bid. Texas Tech has won 11 games in a season for just the third time in the program’s 84 years (also in 1953 and 1973) but the Red Raiders’ reward could be nothing more than a Cotton Bowl bid, left out of the BCS in favor of the Longhorns and Sooners. Harrell injured two fingers on his left hand in the second quarter of the Baylor game and while he had surgery on Sunday, the injury will not keep him from playing in Tech’s bowl game. Like his predecessors at Texas Tech, Harrell has lived with the claim that’s it’s Mike Leach’s “system” not the QB, which is the star of the Texas Tech offense. Graham has worked hard to overcome that stigma and there should be little doubt he did just that, this season. He now has 32 career 300-yard games with 20 of those games being of the 400-yard variety. His 309-yard effort gives him 15,429 career passing yards, the second-most yards all-time (Timmy Chang of Hawaii is the all-time leader with 17,072 yards). The two TD passes against the Bears give him 130 for his career, second to only Colt Brennan (131) on the all-time list. Like Texas, Tech needs an Oklahoma loss to Missouri. If that happened, Tech could (along with the Longhorns), grab a BCS bowl bid (no title game, though). Harrell’s season stats are: 406-of-568 (71.5 percent) for 4,474 yards with 41 TDs and 7 INTs / QB rating of 163.0 ranks 9th / 6 rush TDs.

 5)JEREMY MACLIN (Missouri) Last Week: 5. It’s hard to argue against the fact that Crabtree is the nation’s best receiver but Maclin isn’t too far behind and he’s a better all-around performer. Maclin had 241 all-purpose yards last Saturday against Kansas. He caught nine passes for 123 yards (one TD), ran for 32 yards (three carries) and added 86 yards on KO returns. However, in the 117th meeting between the schools (the second-most played rivalry in Div I-A history), Todd Reesing’s 26-yard TD pass (on a 4th-and-7 play) gave Kansas a 40-37 win. It was ’sweet’ revenge for last season, when Missouri knocked an 11-0 Jayhawks team out of the national title race. Missouri had already clinched the Big 12 North title, so now it’s the Tigers who have a chance at some redemption this Saturday night vs Oklahoma. As for Maclin, he’s “done it all” for the Tigers this year and fits the ‘mold’ of former Heisman winners Johnny Rodgers (Nebraska, 1972), Tim Brown (Notre Dame, 1987) and Desmond Howard (Michigan, 1991), the only three WRs to have won this award. However, Maclin won’t be winning the Heisman in 2008, with this year’s field of QBs. His season stats are: 88 catches for 1,175 yards (13.4 YPC) 11 TDs / 34 carries for 248 yards (7.3 YPC) 2 TDs / 188 punt return yards and 855 kick return yards / 205.5 YPG ranks him 1st in all-purpose yards.

 6) CHASE DANIEL (Missouri) Last Week: 7. Daniel was my early favorite for this award but Missouri’s back-to-back losses to Oklahoma State and Texas did him in (as have the performances of fellow Big 12 QBs Bradford, McCoy and Harrell). If there was any doubt that like last year, no invite to New York was in the offing for this year, Saturday’s 40-37 loss to Kansas “sealed the deal.” Daniel’s 34 TD passes are a career high and tie him for sixth nationally but is performance against Kansas was one of his shakiest this season. He started the game 0-for-6 with an interception, fumbled at the end of a 54-yard run and was sacked for a safety. Missouri needed 16 1/2 minutes to get its initial first down. While he finished 25-of-41 for 288 yards with four TDs, he also had two INTs for the third time in four games. A year after he was a Heisman Trophy finalist, Daniel has completed 75.1 percent of his passes (up from 68.2 a year ago) and with 3,880 yards, has a shot at topping last season’s 4,306. However, Daniel also has a career-high 13 INTs and has thrown at least one INT in seven straight games. Not this year, Chase. Then again, he may “shock us all” and be the best QB on the field Saturday night in Kansas City. His season stats are: 331-of-441 (75.1 percent) for 3,880 yards with 34 TDs and 13 INTs / QB rating of 168.5 ranks 7th.

 7) MICHAEL CRABTREE (Texas Tech) Last Week: 6. Crabtree caught an amazing 134 passes last year as a freshman, leading the nation in both receiving yards (1,962) and TD receptions (22), as well. In the process, he became the first freshman to win the Biletnikoff award as the nation’s best receiver. Crabtree had eight catches with three going for TDs in Tech’s romp over Oklahoma State on 11/8. That performance extended his streak of recording at least five receptions and a touchdown catch to 13 consecutive games, matching Randy Moss and leaving him one game shy of Pitt’s Larry Fitzgerald, who had a 14-game streak for the Panthers from 2002-03. As we all know, Tech was overwhelmed by Oklahoma on 11/22 and Crabtree was held to six catches for 62 yards and most importantly, without a TD grab, ending his streak. Then he left last Saturday’s game against Baylor with a right foot injury midway through the second quarter and did not return. He finished with nine catches for 63 yards, the third straight game in which he’s been held to less than 100 yards receiving. However, he has topped 100 yards in 15 of his 25 career games, while catching an amazing total of 40 TDs. However, I prefer Maclin’s overall game, as far as this poll is concerned. Crabtree’s season stats are: 93 catches for 1,135 yards (12.2 YPC) 18 TDs.

 8)SHONN GREENE (Iowa) Last Week: 8. I put Greene in my top-10 a week ago for the first time this year. Some may ask, “why did it take so long?” Iowa went 6-6 last year, failing to make a bowl game for the first time since the Hawkeyes went 3-9 in 2000. As for Greene, he missed last season due to academic issues. However, Greene has made up for his transgressions this year. He ran for 144 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries in Iowa’s 55-0 win at Minnesota on Nov 22, propelling Iowa (8-4, 5-3) into a fourth-place tie in the conference with Northwestern. Greene topped 100 yards rushing in all 12 games this year, including a career (season) high 217 in a 38-16 home win over Wisconsin. He finished the year with 1,729 yards, setting Iowa’s single-season record (broke Tavian Banks’ record set in 1997). He averaged 6.2 YPC, scored 17 TDs and his 144.1 YPG ranks second in the nation.

 9) JAVON RINGER (Michigan State) Last Week: 9. I’ve had Ringer in my top-10 almost all season but for all the good things he’s accomplished, it’s hard to ignore his poor performances in the Spartans’ two Big 10 losses this season. First the good news. Ringer leads the nation with 21 TDs (No. 2 in scoring 10.5 PPG) and ranks third in rushing yards (132.5 YPG) with 1,590 yards. The 21 rushing TDs in a season ties the school record set by Jehuu Caulcrick’s last season. Ringer has seven 100-yard games this year (19 in his career) but was a non-factor in a 45-7 home loss to Ohio State (16-67) and MSU’s 49-18 loss at Penn State in the Spartans’ final regular season game.

10) MIQUALE LEWIS and NATE DAVIS (Ball State) Last Week: 10. Ball State joined the AP top-25 (at No. 25) back on October 5, marking the school’s first-ever appearance in the poll that began in 1936. The Cardinals completed a perfect 12-0 regular season by beating Western Michigan 45-22 on November 25. Lewis ran for 120 yards and three TDs, giving him 20 on the year which broke the single-season school record for most rushing TDs in a season. Lewis has topped 100 yards in 10 of 12 games this year and enters the MAC title game with 1,570 yards (5.7 YPC), ranking him 4th in the nation at 130.8 YPG. QB Davis threw for 273 yards but just one TD and enters Friday’s game with Buffalo having thrown 55 TDs and just 12 INTs the last two years (this year’s ratio is 25-6). The Cardinals enter Friday’s MAC championship vs Buffalo as one of the nation’s four unbeaten Division I-A schools. The 12 wins are a single-season school record (the 1978 team went 10-1) and the Cardinals are ranked 12 in the current AP poll and 12th in the latest BCS standings.

Enough already about the BCS somehow ruining college football. Everyone agrees that some sort of playoff structure would be superior to the BCS but in what universe have college football fans been living in for the last century? College football has NEVER had a playoff system and my earliest memories (mid 1960s) are of some announcer claiming that such and such school had just been awarded the “mythical” national championship.

Nothing has changed. The current BCS system (in place since 1998) didn’t replace a “working model,” rather it was introduced to a produce a game in which the nation’s top-two teams would meet in the season’s final bowl game, with the winner being crowned that year’s champ. Naturally, there will be times when not everyone (pollsters, coaches, fans, computers and even President-elect’s) will agree on which two teams deserve to be in the title game.

However, that’s not something new. The BCS did not create the situation, so how can anyone reasonably blame it? The bottom line is this and I hope Mr Obama is listening, since I’m sure with all that’s going on in this country and around the world, a college football playoff system is at the top of his “to-do list” come January 20. The college presidents, the only people which matter in this process, have no intention of implementing a playoff structure. Case closed!

As far as our President-elect is concerned, I hope he moves on to issues like to the two wars we are in, the greatest economic disaster in the US since the 1930s or any number of the other mildly important issues of the day. As for everyone else, get over the fact that there is NOT going to be playoff in college football and just enjoy the controversy, as well as the games (a wager or two, may help?). It’s NOT life-and-death and unless you’ve been ‘hiding under a rock,’ it’s nothing new.

Let me address the current situation and then take you down a ‘Reader’s Digest’ journey of some college football history. The Big 12 South ended its regular season with three schools all tied at 7-1 in the South Division. Three-way tie-breakers are tough in any sport and have been around a long time before there was ever a BCS. It’s not the BCS’ fault that Texas beat Oklahoma, Texas Tech beat Texas and then Oklahoma beat Texas Tech.

Why the Big 12 chose to use the BCS standings in its tie-breaking formula is I agree, a ‘head-scratcher?’ Why would the conference not decide its own division-winner? Why go to an outsider? If Texas has a complaint it shouldn’t be with the BCS but rather its own conference. Isn’t this just another example of someone “passing the buck?” I think so.

However, as I like to point out, this is nothing new. A recent BCS controversy arose in 2005 when USC, Oklahoma and Auburn all finished unbeaten in 2005. One team had to be left out of the national-title game. It turned out to be Auburn and the Tigers blamed the BCS. Now I don’t want to confuse the issue with facts but why doesn’t someone check with Penn State’s Joe Pa, who at 82, has been around a little longer than the BCS.

Joe Pa could tell you about his 1968, 1969 and 1973 teams which all won an Orange Bowl at the end of those seasons to finish with records of 11-0, 11-0 and 12-0, respectively. However, all three of those teams failed to win a national title. He could also add his 1994 team to the list, which after winning Penn State’s first-ever trip to the Rose Bowl, finished 12-0 but like the other three times, wound up second-best.

Texas claims its win over Oklahoma means it is deserving of a place in the Big 12 championship game but what about Tech’s win over Texas? Back in 2000, Miami-Fla cried “foul” when FSU was chosen to play Oklahoma in that year’s BCS title game. The ‘Canes and Seminoles were both 10-1 at the time but Miami had beaten FSU 27-24 in the regular season.

I can see the logic to that argument but Miami conveniently forgot to mention that Washington was also 10-1 at the end of the regular season that year and had beaten Miami, 34-29. So why didn’t the Huskies deserve to go over FSU and surely Miami, a team it beat? It gets back to my point about those three-way tie-breakers being almost impossible to decide fairly or without one team/school feeling as if it got ’screwed.’

Again, the BCS is NOT responsible for things like this. As far as “results on the field” counting for something, let me remind everyone of a little pre-BCS history that wasn’t too long ago and most good college football fans should remember. Joe Pa’s “partner in crime” these days is FSU’s Bobby Bowden, as the two “grand old men” of college football battle at the top of the career wins list.

Bowden won his first of two national titles in 1993. His team finished 12-1 that year after beating an undefeated and No. 1-ranked Nebraska team in the Orange Bowl, 18-16. However, the argument that season over which two teams were the best was between FSU and Notre Dame. In fact, FSU was favored by more than two TDs in its Orange Bowl game with Nebraska. Notre Dame finished that season 11-1, after beating Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl, which was still a “major” bowl in those days.

The catch is, 1993’s “Game of the Year” was a November 13 contest in South Bend, when 9-0 FSU (ranked No. 1) met 9-0 Notre Dame (ranked No. 2). The Seminoles were seven-point favorites in that game but the Irish won 31-24. Unfortunately for Notre Dame fans, the Irish were upset the following week by Boston College (41-39), on a last-second FG. When it came time to vote fo the nation’s No. 1 team after the bowls, both the AP and the coaches went with FSU, ignoring Notre Dame’s “win on the field.” Sound familiar? I think so and remember, the BCS was still five years away.

My point is simply this. The BCS is not to blame for college football’s inequities, as they’ve been around forever. You think the process of picking a national champion is bad now? Consider the year 1936 and then the year 1977.

The AP poll first came on the scene in 1936 and crowned its first national champion that year. Which school won? How about Minnesota, which finished 7-1. How much sense did it make to ‘crown’ the Gophers? Not much. Minnesota didn’t even win the Big 10 title that year, Northwestern did. The Wildcats finished 6-0 in Big 10 play that year, while the Gophers finished 4-1 and I can’t tell you why one school played five league games and the other six.

What I can report is that Northwestern beat Minnesota that year 6-0, yet after losing later that year to Notre Dame, the 7-1 Wildcats not only didn’t finish ranked higher than the school it beat, Northwestern finished No. 7 in the AP poll. At 9-0-1 LSU was No. 2, 7-1-1 Pittsburgh was No.3, 8-0-1 Alabama was 4th, 7-1-1 Washington 5th and 7-0 Santa Clara 6th. The year 1936 pre-dated the Rose Bowl’s agreement between the Big 10 and Pac 10 (then the Pacific Coast Conference), so neither Northwestern nor Minnesota went to a bowl game that year. By the way, the bowl season, as it were, consisted of just six games.

That’s the way college football began its process of choosing a national champion and some forty years later, it was just as screwed up. Heisman winner Earl Campbell led Texas to an 11-0 regular season in 1977 and the Longhorns were the nation’s undisputed No. 1 team, getting 49 of the 57 first-pace votes in that year’s final regular season poll. Texas was a member of the SWC at that time and each year, that conference’s winner would host the Cotton Bowl.

So how would the 1977 bowl season play out, so college football could determine its national champion? Oklahoma finished No.2 in that year’s regular season poll and as the winner of the Big 8, was contracted to play in the Orange Bowl. Alabama was No. 3 and as winner of the SEC, was off to the Sugar Bowl. Michigan finished No. 4 and as the winner of the Big 10, headed to Pasadena. Now that’s a great system, huh? Send each major conference champ off to a different destination!

Texas’ best available opponent that year was No. 5 Notre Dame, an independent not ‘locked in’ to a bowl commitment. In short, Notre Dame upset No. 1 Texas 38-10, Oklahoma lost in the Orange Bowl and Michigan lost in the Rose Bowl. No. 3 Alabama did beat Ohio State 35-6 in the Sugar Bowl but AP voters and coaches alike leapfrogged Notre Dame from No. 5, all the way to No. 1, as Bear Bryant and Alabama were left to cry foul.

Yeah, the BCS has really ruined college football.

Good luck, Larry

Monday, November 24

 1) SAM BRADFORD (Oklahoma) Last Week: 2. This past Saturday night in Norman, Oklahoma’s Bradford threw 19 passes while Texas Tech’s Harrell attempted 55 and as the saying goes, “less is more!” Saturday’s night showdown was pretty much over in the mid-second quarter (28-0) and was all-but-over when the Sooners scored two TDs in the final 1:04 of the half for a 42-7 lead. Bradford finished 14-of-19 for 304 yards with four TDs and no INTs in the 65-21 win. It’s difficult to chose between Bradford, McCoy and Harrell but I’ve got to place someone at No. 1. My choice this week is Bradford, who has led the Sooners to five straight wins since the Texas loss, averaging 331.6 YPG through the air with 19 TDs and just one INT (164 attempts). Bradford had a terrific freshman year in 2007, throwing for 3,121 yards (69.5 percent completions) with 36 TDs and eight INTs. His 36 TD passes were a new NCAA freshman single-season record and his QB rating of 176.52 led the nation. His current QB rating of 193.8, which is higher than last year’s mark, currently puts him second in the nation. On top of that, he’s already surpassed last year’s TD pass (42) and passing yards ( 3,710) totals with at least two games left to his 2008 season. Oklahoma is the nation’s No. 1 scoring team (52.6 PPG) and has scored 50-plus points in seven games this season, tying Oklahoma’s 2003 squad for the most 50-plus games in a single season.seven 50-point games. Bradford now has nine 300-yard passing games this season, breaking the single-season school record set by Josh Heupel in 1999 and 11 in his career (two have been 400-plus games). His 42 TD passes set a new school record in one season, surpassing the 40 Jason White threw in his 2003 Heisman season. Oklahoma and Bradford lost their showdown on October 11 to Texas and McCoy but made the most their game with Tech. The win moved Oklahoma to No. 2 in the coaches’ poll (Texas is 4th) and 3rd in the Harris poll (Texas is 4th). Texas is barely ahead of the Sooners in the BCS standings (No. 2 to No. 3) but while Texas hosts the 4-7 Aggies on Thanksgiving, the Sooners play at Stillwater vs Oklahoma State (ranked 12th in the BCS) on Saturday. An impressive win by the Sooners, will likely move them ahead of the Longhorns in next Sunday’s BCS standings, which would give Oklahoma a spot in the Big 12 championship game, if Oklahoma, Texas and Texas Tech all finish with one loss. Oklahoma has won 24 straight home games (15-7-1 ATS), which is the longest active home winning streak in CFB. The Sooners have also won 44 of their last 45 home games and are 60-2 SU at home under Bob Stoop, including 34-1 in Big 12 games. However, the Sooners are on the road this year at Oklahoma State. The Cowboys famously beat the Sooners in Norman 16-13 in 2001 (Stoops’ lone Big 12 home loss) and in ‘02 at Stillwater, 38-28. Since then, the Sooners are 5-0 SU and 4-1 ATS against the Cowboys. Bradford threw just 15 times in last year’s 49-17 win over the Cowboys but had four TD passes. His season stats are: 238-of-349 (68.2 percent) for 3,710 yards with 42 TDs and 6 INTs / QB rating of 193.8 ranks him No. 2 / 4 rush TDs.

 2) COLT MCCOY (Texas) Last Week: 3. McCoy bested Bradford in the Texas/Oklahoma game on October and 11 and if he and the Longhorns came within a dropped interception by Texas freshman safety Blake Gideon of besting Tech and Harrell on November 1. However, Gideon did drop what would have been a game-ending interception on a tipped ball and one play later, Harrell threw that famous TD pass to Crabtree. The Longhorns were idle last week as Oklahoma crushed Tech, 65-21. McCoy led Texas past Kansas 35-7 back on November 15. The Longhorns moved to 10-1, claiming their eighth straight 10-win season, which ties them with Miami (1985-92) for the second-longest streak of all-time. The Longhorns also own at least nine wins for 11 straight seasons, the longest active streak in the nation. Colt McCoy was 24-for-34 for 255 yards and two TDs (no INTs). It was his 15th straight game with at least one TD pass. McCoy’s two TD passes raised his season total to 30, breaking his own school record set in his freshman year (2006). He’s now 30-7 as a starter, tying Vince Young for the most wins as a Texas quarterback. McCoy passed Vince Young for first place on Texas’ all-time list of TDs responsible for (passing, rushing, receiving) a month ago and with his two TDs and one rushing (ran for 78 yards on 16 carries vs the Jayhawks), his career mark is now up to 95 (Young had 81 and former Heisman-winner Ricky Williams had 76). McCoy’s completing nearly 80 percent of his passes on the year, his QB rating of 177.6 ranks 4th and he is still the team’s leader in rushing yards for the season with 527. That’s a pretty good resume for the QB of the nation’s 2nd-ranked team in the current BCS standings. Can the Longhorns stay No. 2? They host Texas A&M Thanksgiving night and opened as a five-TD favorite. Texas is 14-1 in home finales since 1993 but that lone loss came to Texas A&M (12-7) in McCoy’s freshman year of 2006 when he threw three INTs. Deja vu? If so, Texas and McCoy ‘are out!’ McCoy’s season stats are: 268-of-347 (77.2 percent) for 3.134 yards with 30 TDs and 7 INTs / QB rating of 177.6 is 4th in the nation / 117 carries for 527 yards (4.5 YPC) and 8 TDs.

 3) GRAHAM HARRELL (Texas Tech) Last Week: 1. Texas Tech followed its dramatic 39-33 win over Texas on November 1 with a convincing 56-20 win over Oklahoma State on 11/8 in Lubbock. Like his predecessors at Texas Tech, Harrell has lived with the claim that’s it’s Mike Leach’s “system” not the QB, which is the star of the Texas Tech offense. Graham has worked hard to overcome that stigma and if there remained any doubters after the Texas game, there should have been none left after Harrell picked apart the Cowboys. He finished 40-of-50 for 456 yards with six TDs (three to Crabtree) and no interceptions. However, Harrell and the Red Raiders were embarrassed at Norman. Tech was down 28-0 before Harrell threw his first TD pass, down 52-7 at the time of his second and 65-14, when he threw his third. Tech entered the game No. 2 in all the major polls and in the BCS standings but the loss dropped them to No. 7 in the BCS standings. Tech’s 12-game winning streak is over, as is their streak of 14 straight games of having scored 30 points or more (both were the longest active streaks in CFB). Harrell finished the game 33-of-55 for 361 yards with three TDs and one INT. He now has 31 career 300-yard games with 20 of those games being of the 400-yard variety. His 361-yard effort moved him past Ty Detmer of BYU (15,031 yards) with 15,120 career passing yards, the second-most yards all-time (Timmy Chang of Hawaii is the all-time leader with 17,072 yards). The three TD passes give him 128 for his career, second to only Colt Brennan (131) on the all-time list. Tech has no way of winning a three-way tie with Oklahoma and Texas in the Big 12 South but if Oklahoma were to lose at Stillwater (that’s not far-fetched), the Red Raiders would advance to the Big 12 championship over Texas, because of their 39-33 win on November 1. If Tech loses to Baylor this Saturday in Lubbock (Tech opened as a 20 1/2-point favorite), the Red Raiders should be regulated to the Eagle Bank Bowl to play Navy. Baylor is 2-49 all-time on the big 12 road and has lost 12 straight games to the Red Raiders by an average of 30 PPG. Harrell’s season stats are: 365-of-518 (70.5 percent) for 4,438 yards with 39 TDs and 6 INTs / QB rating of 165.0 ranks 8th / 6 rush TDs.

 4) TIM TEBOW (Florida) Last Week: 4. No one expected Tebow to match his terrific numbers from last year (3,286 yards passing with 32 TDs / 895 yards rushing with 23 TDs) but he really put himself in a pretty big ‘hole’ the first four games of ‘08. The Gators suffered a devastating 31-30 loss at home to Ole Miss (Florida missed an extra-point) on September 27 and while Tebow had a season-high 319 yards passing in that game plus two rushing TDs, he had thrown for just six TDs and rushed for only 125 yards (2.6 YPC) over Florida’s first four games. With this year’s great contingent of prolific Big 12 QBs, those kind of numbers are not going to cut it. However, Tebow has been quite impressive since that loss to Ole Miss, leading the Gators to seven straight wins, by the combined scores of 369-82. The streak includes a 51-21 win over LSU (last year’s national champs) and 49-10 over Georgia (the nation’s preseason No. 1 team) but also last Saturday’s 70-19 win over The Citadel. Tebow broke Emmitt Smith’s school record of 36 rushing TDs against Georgia and his career total remained at 42, after he had just two rushing attempts for 34 yards in minimal work against The Citadel. Tebow had an early afternoon (was in for just five plays in the second quarter before turning things over to Brantley) but completed 9 of 11 passes for 201 yards and three TDs. Florida scored TDs on its first seven possessions, racked up 512 yards in the first half alone and became the first SEC team to score at least 42 points in six consecutive games. Florida is guaranteed a spot in the SEC title game, where the Gators will meet current No. 1, Alabama. If Alabama can beat Auburn and Florida beats FSU on Saturday, the winner of the SEC championship game on December 6 gets a spot in the BCS title game. Tebow’s slow start is too much to overcome this year in the Heisman race but Florida’s overall play has many thinking the Gators are now CFB’s best team. Tebow’s thrown 16 TDs (just two INTs) and added nine more TDs on the ground over the last seven games but those Big 12 QBs just had too much of a head start. Consider this. Tebow has fewer pass attempts (225) than Bradford (238), McCoy (268) and Harrell (365) have in completions. Florida plays at Florida State on Saturday. The Gators have played the Seminoles in their regular season finale every year since 1980 (14-13-1). However, Florida has won four straight (3-1 ATS), including last year’s 45-12 win in “The Swamp.” Tebow wasn’t 100 percent in that game, yet had 262 yards passing with three TDs, plus 89 yards rushing with two more TDs. His season stats are: 148-of-225 (65.8 percent) for 2,114 yards with 22 TDs and 2 INTs / QB rating of 75..2 ranks 5th / 121 carries for 427 yards (3.5 YPC) 11 TDs.

 5)JEREMY MACLIN (Missouri) Last Week: 6. It’s hard to argue against the fact that Crabtree is the nation’s best receiver but Maclin isn’t too far behind and he’s a better all-around performer. Maclin caught eight passes for 103 yards and one TD in Missouri’s 52- 20 win at Iowa State on November 15.. It was his sixth 100-yard receiving game this year and the ninth of his career. He added eight rushing yards and 111 more yards on four kickoff returns. Maclin has 79 receptions for 1,052 yards (13.3 YPC) with 10 TDs. He’s added 198 rushing (6.4 YPC) with two more TDs. Throw in 188 yards on punt returns plus 769 more on kickoff returns and his 200.3 YPG ranks him first in all-purpose yards nationally. Missouri was off last week but plays Kansas in Kansas City on Saturday and then meets the Big 12 South winner in the Big 12 championship game in the same stadium on December 6. Missouri’s back-to-back losses to Oklahoma State and Texas (October 11 and 18) took the Tigers out of the national title-game ‘picture,’ as it did Maclin’s QB, Chase Daniel, in the Heisman race. Last year Missouri was left out of the BCS bowl ‘party’ but can gain some “sweet revenge” if it were to upset the Big 12’s South champ (Oklahoma, Oklahoma State or Texas) in the Big 12 championship game, this year.

 6) MICHAEL CRABTREE (Texas Tech) Last Week: 5. Crabtree caught an amazing 134 passes last year as a freshman, leading the nation in both receiving yards (1,962) and TD receptions (22), as well. In the process, he became the first freshman to win the Biletnikoff award as the nation’s best receiver. Crabtree had eight catches with three going for TDs in Tech’s romp over Oklahoma State on 11/8. That performance extended his streak of recording at least five receptions and a touchdown catch to 13 consecutive games, matching Randy Moss and leaving him one game shy of Pitt’s Larry Fitzgerald, who had a 14-game streak for the Panthers from 2002-03. As we all know, Tech was overwhelmed by Oklahoma last Saturday and Crabtree was held to six catches for 62 yards and most importantly, without a TD grab, ending his streak. For the second straight game he was held to less than 100 yards receiving but he has topped 100 yards in 15 of his 24 career games, while catching an amazing total of 40 TDs. However, I decided to move Maclin into the top-five this week, ahead of Crabtree.

 7) CHASE DANIEL (Missouri) Last Week: 7. Daniel was my early favorite for this award but Missouri’s back-to-back losses to Oklahoma State and Texas did him in (as have the performances of fellow Big 12 QBs Bradford, McCoy and Harrell). Daniel has completed 76.5 percent for 3,592 yards with 30 TDs and 11 INTs (his QB rating of 171.2 ranks 6th) but likely will not get an invite to New York this year (he finished fourth last year). Sweet revenge could still be his however, if Missouri were to upset the Big 12’s South champ (Oklahoma, Oklahoma State or Texas) in the Big 12 championship game. Missouri plays Kansas in Kansas City this Saturday at Arrowhead Stadium, where the Big 12 championship game will be held on December. .

 8)SHONN GREENE (Iowa) Last Week: NR. This is the first time I’ve had Greene in my top-10 this year. Some may ask, “why did it take so long?” Iowa went 6-6 last year, failing to make a bowl game for the first time since the Hawkeyes went 3-9 in 2000. As for Greene, he missed last season due to academic issues. Greene ran for 144 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries this past Saturday in Iowa’s 55-0 win at Minnesota, propelling Iowa (8-4, 5-3) into to a fourth-place tie in the conference with Northwestern. Greene topped 100 yards rushing in all 12 games this year, including a career (season) high 217 in a 38-16 home win over Wisconsin. He finished the year with 1,729 yards, setting Iowa’s single-season record (broke Tavian Banks’ record set in 1997). He averaged 6.2 YPC, scored 17 TDs and his 144.1 YPG ranks second in the nation.

 9) JAVON RINGER (Michigan State) Last Week: 8. I’ve had Ringer in my top-10 almost all season but for all the good things he’s accomplished, it’s hard to ignore his poor performances in the Spartans’ two Big 10 losses this season. First the good news. Ringer leads the nation with 21 TDs (No. 2 in scoring 10.5 PPG) and ranks third in rushing yards (132.5 YPG) with 1,590 yards. The 21 rushing TDs in a season ties the school record set by Jehuu Caulcrick’s last season. Ringer has seven 100-yard games this year (19 in his career) but was a non-factor in a 45-7 home loss to Ohio State (16-67) and last Saturday’s 49-18 loss at Penn State (17-42).

10) MIQUALE LEWIS and NATE DAVIS (Ball State) Last Week: NR. Ball State joined the AP top-25 (at No. 25) back on October 5, marking the school’s first-ever appearance in the poll that began in 1936. The Cardinals enter Tuesday’s game at home vs Western Michigan at 11-0, one of just four unbeaten Division I-A schools. The 11 wins are a single-season school record (the 1978 team went 10-1) and the Cardinals are ranked 15 in the current AP poll and 15th in the latest BCS standings. Lewis has topped 100-yards in nine of 11 games this year, with his season-high (177) coming last Wednesday in Ball State’s 31-24 win at Central Michigan (the two-time defending MAC champs). QB Davis threw four TD passes in the win over the Chippewas and enters Tuesday’s home finale having thrown 54 TDs and just 12 INTs the last two years (this year’s ratio is 24-6).

The CFB weekend began on Tuesday, as it so often does these days, and the first important game of the weekend was played Wednesday night in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. If Ball State’s 31-24 win over Central Michigan was a preview of things to come, we’re in for a fun weekend. The Cardinals moved to 11-0, setting a school record for wins in a season (BSU’s 1978 team went 10-1). Ball State is one of five remaining unbeaten teams, joining Alabama and Utah (both 11-0) plus Texas Tech and Boise State (both 10-0).

Those five teams are a collective 53-0 SU and 32-14-2 ATS (69.6 percent), belying the notion that the pointspread is “the great equalizer.” Alabama, No. 1 in the BCS standings (all rankings from here on out will be that of the BCS, as it’s the only one that counts) is idle this weekend, with only its “Iron Bowl” game with Auburn looming on November 29 in Tuscaloosa prior to the Tide’s showdown with No. 3 Florida in the SEC championship game (December 6 in Atlanta).

The most important game of the weekend is No. 2 Texas Tech (No. 2) at No. 5 Oklahoma. The Red Raiders have never played a more important game, as a win would put them in the Big 12 championship game (in Kansas City on December 6) and assuming Tech didn’t lose at home to Baylor on December 29 (the Bears are 2-49 all-time in Big 12 road games), a win in that game would put the Red Raiders in the BCS title game.

That’s pretty heady stuff for a program which has played in 31 bowls but never in one of the four current BCS bowls (Fiesta, Orange, Rose, Sugar). Tech’s been to the Cotton Bowl (closest in importance to the current Big-Four) just twice, losing 55-14 to USC after the 1994 season and losing 13-10 to Alabama following the 2005 season. Tech’s overall bowl record is a sad 10-20-1.

Meanwhile, the Sooners have been to 41 bowls, including six BCS bowls since 1998 (first year of the BCS). They’ve won seven national titles with Stoops claiming one of those in 2000 (he lost BCS title games in ‘03 to LSU and ‘04 to USC). A win here by the Sooners will likely mean a three-way tie in the Big 12’s South division, meaning the school with the highest BCS ranking on November 30, will get to play in the Big 12 title game on December 6.

Tech is tied with Alabama and Utah for the nation’s longest active winning streak with 12 straight wins. The Red Raiders are averaging 47.9 PPG (3rd in the nation) and have now scored at least 30 points in 26 of their last 28 games, including 14 in a row, a streak which also leads the nation. Oklahoma is No. 1 in the nation in scoring, averaging 51.4 PPG. The Sooners have won 23 straight home games (14-7-1 ATS), which is the longest active home winning streak in CFB. The Sooners have also won 43 of their last 44 home games and are 59-2 SU at home under Bob Stoops. The Sooners are favored by seven points as of Friday morning.

No. 7 Utah enters the 84th meeting of the “Holy War” with No. 14 BYU, having reached 11-0 for just the second time in school history. The first time was in 2004, when the Utes became the first school from a non-BCS conference to crash the BCS bowl ‘party.’ That team (coached by Urban Meyer and led by QB Alex Smith, remember him?), finished 12-0, after beating Pitt 35-7 in the Fiesta Bowl. As for BYU, the Cougars know a little bit about winning and winning streaks themselves. BYU enters this game 10-1, with that lone loss coming 32-7 at TCU on October 16. That loss ended a 16-game winning streak and since the beginning of the 2006 season, the Cougars are 32-5 SU overall and 22-1 in the MWC. The Utes are favored by seven points.

Boise State is 10-0 and ranked 9th in the BCS standings and the Broncos will be “pulling for” the Cougars on Saturday. There is no way that Boise State could leapfrog the Utes, if they were to beat BYU. Remember, there is just one ‘opening’ for a non-BCS conference schools in the four BCS bowl games. The Broncos are at Nevada on Saturday, a team they’ve beaten eight straight times (7-1 ATS), although the non-cover came last year in Boise, when the Broncos (26-point favorites) escaped with a 69-67 win in four overtimes. The Broncos are favored by 6 1/2 points.

Winners of the ACC, Big East, Big 10 and Pac 10 all get a BCS bowl bid. The ACC title is still up for grabs. Thursday night, Miami-Florida (back in the AP top-25 for the first time since September of 2006), got crushed at Georgia Tech, 41-23. The five-time national champs could have clinched at least a tie for first in the Coastal Division with a win. Instead, Georgia Tech (8-3/5-3) takes over first in the convoluted Coastal Division but the Yellow Jackets will need some help because three other contenders could win on a tiebreaker.

As for the Atlantic Division, we know this, if Maryland (7-3/4-2) beats Florida State (7-3/4-3) and Boston College (7-3/3-3) in its final two games, it will earn a berth in the conference title game. Maryland is the only team in the nation this season with four wins over ranked opponents and is a small underdog (1 1/2-points) against FSU this Saturday. Boston College is at Wake Forest, where the Demon Deacons are favored by two points.

Few would have predicted at the beginning of the season that Cincinnati’s November 22 home game against Pittsburgh would likely decide the Big East champion. However, first place in the Big East and the inside track toward the conference’s BCS berth will be on the line when No. 19 Cincinnati hosts No. 20 Pitt. Dave Wannstedt’s first three years produced just a 16-19 record but the Panthers’ monumental upset in their season finale over West Virginia last year, which denied West Va a spot in the BCS championship game, heightened expectations in ‘08.

Pitt suffered a season-opening home loss to Bowling Green but the Panthers have won seven of their past eight games (7-2/3-1). As for Cincy, this is just Brian Kelly’s second year at the school but he’s already led the Bearcats to two bowl wins. His first game on the sidelines for the Bearcats came in the 2007 International Bowl (a 27-24 win over Western Michigan) and he followed that with a 10-3 record last season (his first full season), including a win in the Papajohns.com Bowl (31-21 over Southern Miss).

The Bearcats have won three straight games, including 28-20 at Louisville last Friday, to move a half-game ahead of Pitt and West Virginia in the conference (8-2/4-1). Beating Pitt would all but wrap up Cincinnati’s first-ever BCS bid, as the Bearcats have already beaten West Va and their final conference game is on November 29 at home vs Syracuse (2-8/1-5). Since joining the Big East, the Bearcats are 0-3 SU and ATS vs the Panthers but Saturday they are favored by six points.

Penn State (10-1/6-1) can win the Big 10 by beating Michigan State in Happy Valley on Saturday. The Nittany Lions haven’t gone to the Rose Bowl since the January after their 1994 team capped a 12-0 season by beating Oregon 38-20 in Pasadena. That 1994 team was the fourth Joe Paterno team to go unbeaten but not win a national championship, joining the 1968, 1969 and 1973 teams.

The Spartans (9-2, 6-1) could earn their first trip to Pasadena since January of 1988, with a win over Penn State and a Michigan upset of Ohio State (Buckeyes are favored by 20 1/2-points ). That 1987 MSU team opened the season with a 27-13 home win over USC but then lost to Notre Dame 31-8 and Florida State, 31-3. However, they went 7-0-1 in the Big 10 and then beat USC (again), 20-17 in the Rose Bowl. Penn State is favored by 15 1/2-points.

The storyline in the Pac 10 is quite interesting. The Trojans (6th in the BCS) have won six straight Pac 10 titles and gone 5-1 in six consecutive BCS bowl appearances. They are the only team in the nation to have finished in the AP top-five in each of the last six years. The Trojans are 9-1 (7-1 in the Pac 10) this year and own the nation’s stingiest defense, allowing 8.3 PPG. However, it’s the Oregon State Beavers (7-3/6-1) who control their own fate in the Pac 10. That’s because OSU beat then-No. 1 USC 27-21 in Corvallis back on September 25.

If the Beavers beat Arizona in Tucson this Saturday (Beavers are 2 1/2-point dogs) and the Ducks back in Corvallis on November 29th in the 112th meeting of the “Civil War,” OSU would be headed to Pasadena for the first time since January of 1965. The Beavers went 8-2 during the 1964 season under head coach Tommy Prothro and then lost 34-7 to Michigan in the Rose Bowl. Prothro left for UCLA after that game and Oregon State’s next bowl appearance wasn’t until 1999.

In fact, Oregon State suffered 28 consecutive losing seasons (from 1971-1998) before Dennis Erickson rejuvenated the football program in 1999. Erickson led the Beavers to three bowls in his four years in Corvallis, including a 41-9 Fiesta Bowl win over Notre Dame (that team finished 11-1 and ranked 4th in the final AP poll). Mike Riley returned for a ’second tour’ with OSU in 2003 and he’s taken the Beavers to four bowls in five years but a Rose Bowl trip this year would be a major surprise and quite noteworthy.

Good luck this weekend, Larry

(Monday, November 17)

 1) GRAHAM HARRELL (Texas Tech) Last Week: 1. Texas Tech followed its dramatic 39-33 win over Texas on November 1 with a convincing 56-20 win over Oklahoma State on 11/8 in Lubbock. Like his predecessors at Texas Tech, Harrell has lived with the claim that’s it’s Mike Leach’s “system” not the QB, which is the star of the Texas Tech offense. Graham has worked hard to overcome that stigma and if there remained any doubters after the Texas game, there can be none left after Harrell picked apart the Cowboys. Harrell fumbled on Tech’s first possession and OSU took a 7-0 lead but he then led the Red Raiders to TDs on their next seven possessions. Harrell finished 40-of-50 for 456 yards with six TDs (three to Crabtree) and no interceptions. That followed his 474-yard effort against the Longhorns (by the way, that makes 103 attempts the last two games vs Texas and OSU, without an interception), giving him his 30th game of 300 yards passing, with 20 of those having topped 400 yards. The 456-effort gives Harrell 14,759 career passing yards, just behind Ty Detmer of BYU, who ranks second with 15,031 yards (Timmy Chang of Hawaii is the all-time leader with 17,072 yards). The six TD passes give him 125 for his career, as he passed Ty Detmer (121), leaving only Colt Brennan (131) ahead of him on the all-time list. The win over Texas was arguably the biggest in school history, as it marked Tech’s 500th career win and was the school’s first-ever against a school ranked No. 1. However, the OSU win solidified Tech’s No. 2 ranking in the BCS standings and sets up another “biggest game in school history” this Saturday in Norman against Oklahoma. Tech is tied with Alabama and Utah for the nation’s longest active winning streak with 12 straight wins. The Red Raiders are averaging 47.9 PPG (3rd in the nation) and have now scored at least 30 points in 26 of their last 28 games, including 14 in a row, a streak which also leads the nation. Tech got a much-deserved week off (as did the Sooners) but head to Norman this Saturday where Oklahoma has won 23 straight and 43 of its last 44. So who’s worried? Surely not Harrell. The Red Raiders beat the Sooners 34-27 last year in Lubbock, a loss that knocked Oklahoma out of the national championship chase. Harrell had an interception returned 63 yards for a TD to give the Sooners a 7-0 lead but Sam Braford was forced out of the game with an apparent concussion with the Sooners up 7-3, after just their second possession of the game. Tech scored 24 straight points after Bradford went out and by the time the Sooners got anything going on offense in the fourth quarter, it was too late. Harrell threw for 420 yards (47-of-72) with two TDs (also two INTs) and ran for a third. However, two years ago in Norman, the Sooners won 34-24, as Harrell had just 250 yards passing (26-of-48) with two TDs and an interception. The early number has the Red Raiders as a seven-point underdog. His season stats are: 332-of-449 (71.7 percent) for 4,077 yards with 36 TDs and 5 INTs / QB rating of 165.2 ranks 7th / 6 rush TDs.

 2) SAM BRADFORD (Oklahoma) Last Week: 2. Talk about ’splitting hairs.’ It’s difficult to chose between Harrell, Bradford and McCoy. In the end it may come down to personal preference for the voters. Does one prefer blondes, brunettes or red-heads. Bradford had a terrific freshman year in 2007, throwing for 3,121 yards (69.5 percent completions) with 36 TDs and eight INTs. His 36 TD passes were a new NCAA freshman single-season record and his QB rating of 176.52 led the nation. His current QB rating of 188.9, which is higher than last year’s mark, currently puts him second in the nation. On top of that, he’s already surpassed last year’s TD pass (38) and passing yards ( 3,406) totals with at least three games left to his 2008 season. Oklahoma is the nation’s No. 1 scoring team (51.4 PPG) and has scored 50-plus points in six games this season (the only Oklahoma team with more 50-point games was the 2003 squad, with seven 50-point games). Bradford completed 22-of-33 passes for 320 yards and four TDs (to four different receivers!) in his last game (a 66-28 win at Texas A&M) without an interception, plus added a rushing TD. Bradford now has eight 300-yard passing games this season, tying the single-season school record set by Josh Heupel in 1999 and 10 in his career (two have been 400-plus games). His 22 completions now give him an Oklahoma-record 461 for his career. Oklahoma and Bradford lost their showdown on October 11 to Texas and McCoy but get a ’second chance’ this Saturday when Texas Tech and Harrell visit Norman. Oklahoma has won 23 straight home games (14-7-1 ATS), which is the longest active home winning streak in CFB. The Sooners have also won 43 of their last 44 home games and are 59-2 SU at home under Bob Stoops. Neither Oklahoma nor Bradford can afford a loss to Texas Tech if the Sooners are to have a chance at the BCS title game and Bradford at the Heisman. As I mentioned in the above write-up, Bradford was knocked out of last year’s game early on. “Game on” this Saturday at 8:00 ET! Bradford’s season stats are: 224-of-330 (67.9 percent) for 3,406 yards with 38 TDs and 6 INTs / QB rating of 188.9 ranks him No. 2 / 4 rush TDs.

 3) COLT MCCOY (Texas) Last Week: 3. McCoy bested Bradford in the Texas/Oklahoma game on October and 11 and if he and the Longhorns came within a dropped interception by Texas freshman safety Blake Gideon of besting Tech and Harrell on November 1. However, Gideon did drop what would have been a game-ending interception on a tipped ball and one play later, Harrell threw that famous TD pass to Crabtree. Remember my line about splitting hairs? I’ll keep McCoy at the No. 3 spot but the final three weekends promise plenty of drama. While both Harrell and Bradford were resting this past Saturday, McCoy led Texas past Kansas 35-7. The Longhorns moved to 10-1, claiming their eighth straight 10-win season, which ties them with Miami (1985-92) for the second-longest streak of all-time. The Longhorns also own at least nine wins for 11 straight seasons, the longest active streak in the nation. Colt McCoy was 24-for-34 for 255 yards and two TDs (no INTs). It was his 15th straight game with at least one TD pass. McCoy’s two TD passes raised his season total to 30, breaking his own school record set in his freshman year (2006). He’s now 30-7 as a starter, tying Vince Young for the most wins as a Texas quarterback. McCoy passed Vince Young for first place on Texas’ all-time list of TDs responsible for (passing, rushing, receiving) a month ago and with his two TDs and one rushing (ran for 78 yards on 16 carries vs the Jayhawks), his career mark is now up to 95 (Young had 81 and former Heisman-winner Ricky Williams had 76). McCoy’s completing nearly 80 percent of his passes on the year, his QB rating of 177.6 ranks 4th and he is still the team’s leader in rushing yards for the season with 527. That’s a pretty good resume for the QB of the nation’s 4th-ranked team in the AP and 3rd in the current BCS standings. While Texas Tech and Oklahoma battle in Norman this coming Saturday night, the Longhorns are off until Thanksgiving, when they host Texas A&M. His season stats are: 268-of-347 (77.2 percent) for 3.134 yards with 30 TDs and 7 INTs / QB rating of 177.6 is 4th in the nation / 117 carries for 527 yards (4.5 YPC) and 8 TDs.

 4) TIM TEBOW (Florida) Last Week: 4. No one expected Tebow to match his terrific numbers from last year (3,286 yards passing with 32 TDs / 895 yards rushing with 23 TDs) but he really put himself in a pretty big ‘hole’ the first four games of ‘08. The Gators suffered a devastating 31-30 loss at home to Ole Miss (Florida missed an extra-point) on September 27 and while Tebow had a season-high 319 yards passing in that game plus two rushing TDs, he had thrown for just six TDs and rushed for only 125 yards (2.6 YPC) over Florida’s first four games. With this year’s great contingent of prolific Big 12 QBs, those kind of numbers were not going to cut it. However, Tebow has been quite impressive since that loss to Ole Miss, leading the Gators to six straight wins, by the combined scores of 299-63. The streak includes a 51-21 win over LSU (last year’s national champs) and 49-10 over Georgia (the nation’s preseason No. 1 team). Tebow led the Gators to a dominating 56-6 win over South Carolina this past Saturday, completing 13-of-20 passes for 173 yards with two TDs and no INTs. He ran for 39 yards (14 carries), while adding another rushing TD. He broke Emmitt Smith’s school record of 36 rushing TDs against Georgia and his career total is now up to 42. Florida is guaranteed a spot in the SEC title game, where the Gators will meet current No. 1, Alabama. Florida is currently No. 3 in the AP poll and 4th in the BCS standings. If both Alabama and Florida can stay perfect the rest of the way, it’s likely that SEC championship game on December 6, will give the winner a spot in the BCS title game. Tebow’s slow start is too much to overcome this year in the Heisman race but Florida’s overall play has many thinking the Gators are now CFB’s best team. Tebow’s thrown 13 TDs (just two INTs) and added nine more TDs on the ground over the last six games but those Big 12 QBs just had too much of a head start. The Gators host The Citadel this Saturday, so Tebow will have little chance to impress anyone. His season stats are: 139-of-214 (65.0 percent) for 1,913 yards with 19 TDs and 2 INTs / QB rating of 167.5 ranks 9th / 119 carries for 393 yards (3.3 YPC) 11 TDs.

 5) MICHAEL CRABTREE (Texas Tech) Last Week: 5. I had Crabtree No. 9 in my preseason poll, along with fellow WRs Percy Harvin (Florida) and Jeremy Maclin (Missouri) but while Maclin’s been a poll-regular for me due to his versatility, I didn’t put Crabtree into my top-10 until November 3 (at the No. 5 spot). As the saying goes, better late than never. Crabtree caught an amazing 134 passes last year as a freshman, leading the nation in both receiving yards (1,962) and TD receptions (22), as well. In the process, he became the first freshman to win the Biletnikoff award as the nation’s best receiver. Crabtree had eight catches with three going for TDs in Tech’s romp over Oklahoma State on 11/8. That performance extended his streak of recording at least five receptions and a touchdown catch to 13 consecutive games, matching Randy Moss and leaving him one game shy of Pitt’s Larry Fitzgerald, who had a 14-game streak for the Panthers from 2002-03. Crabtree had a modest 89 receiving yards in the game but has topped 100 yards in 15 of his 23 career games, while catching an amazing total of 40 TDs. Tech visits Oklahoma this Saturday in a game which has some fairly important implications. Crabtree’s season stats are: 78 catches for 1,010 yards (12.9 YPC) with 18 TDs.

 6)JEREMY MACLIN (Missouri) Last Week: 6. It’s hard to argue against the fact that Crabtree is the nation’s best receiver but Maclin isn’t too far behind and he’s a better all-around performer. Maclin caught eight passes for 103 yards and one TD in Missouri’s 52- 20 win at Iowa State this past Saturday. It was his sixth 100-yard receiving game this year and the ninth of his career. He added eight rushing yards and 111 more yards on four kickoff returns. Maclin has 79 receptions for 1,052 yards (13.3 YPC) with 10 TDs. He’s added 198 rushing (6.4 YPC) with two more TDs. Throw in 188 yards on punt returns plus 769 more on kickoff returns and his 200.6 YPG ranks him first in all-purpose yards nationally. Missouri is off next week and closes vs Kansas in Kansas City on November 29.

 7) CHASE DANIEL (Missouri) Last Week: 7. Daniel was my early favorite for this award but Missouri’s back-to-back losses to Oklahoma State and Texas did him (as have the performances of fellow Big 12 QBs Harrell, Bradford and McCoy). Daniel has completed 76.5 percent for 3,592 yards with 30 TDs and 11 INTs (his QB rating of 171.2 ranks 5th) but likely will not get an invite to New York this year (he finished fourth last year). Sweet revenge could still be his however, if Missouri were to upset the Big 12’s South champ (Oklahoma, Oklahoma State or Texas) in the Big 12 championship game. Missouri is off next week and closes vs Kansas in Kansas City on November 29.

 8) JAVON RINGER (Michigan State) Last Week: 8. Ringer leads the nation with 20 TDs (No. 1 in scoring 10.9 PPG), ranks third in rushing yards (140.7 YPG) and 4th in all-purpose yards (173.2 YPG). The 20 rushing TDs in a season is the second-most in school history, behind Jehuu Caulcrick’s 21 set last season. The Spartans are 9-2 for the first time since 1999 and can win a share of the Big Ten title by winning at Penn State this coming Saturday, something they haven’t done since 1990. Ringer has seven 100-yard games this year (19 in his career) but was a non-factor last year (13 carries for 48 yards), when the Spartans came back from a 24-7 deficit to beat Penn State 35-31 in East Lansing.

 9) MAX HALL (BYU) Last Week: NR. Max Hall red-shirted his freshman year (’04) at Arizona State and then transferred to BYU but left for a mission before joining the football team. When he took over as BYU’s starting QB at the beginning of ‘07, he hadn’t played a competitive game in four years. All he did last year was lead BYU to an 11-2 season, passing for 3,848 yards in ‘07, throwing 26 TDs and just 12 INTs (completed 60.1 percent). BYU entered this year on a 10-game winning streak and extended it to 16 in a row, before losing in Fort Worth to TCU, 32-7. Hall has led the Cougars to four consecutive wins since, throwing for 326.3 YPG with 14 TDs and just two INTs during the run. Hall has 11 career 300-yard games (two of more than 400), is 21-3 as a starter and has led BYU to 20 wins in its last 21 games. BYU travels to salt Lake City this Saturday, hoping to spoil 11-0 Utah’s perfect season. The Utes are currently No. 7 in the BCS standings and a win almost assures them their second BCS bowl bid since 2004. Playing with a sprained shoulder last year, Max Hall drove the Cougars 80 yards in seven plays to beat the Utes, 17-10 at Provo. All he had to do was convert on a fourth-and-18 from his own 12 with barely a minute remaining, connecting on 49-yard gain. The play, with 1:05 left, kept the final drive going and led to an 11-yard touchdown run with 38 seconds. Will we see that same kind of drama this year?

10) Up for grabs. You make the call.

The current NBA season is only 17 days old (I’m writing this on 11/13) but there is already quite a story developing in a city I spend a lot of time in these days, Los Angeles. The Staples Center is ‘home’ to both the Lakers and Clippers but that’s the only thing these two teams have in common. The Lakers never trailed at New Orleans on Wednesday night, leading the Hornets 28-17 at the end of the first quarter, 51-30 at the half and while they almost blew a 21-point fourth quarter advantage, won 93-86.

With the Celtics edging the surprising 103-102 Hawks earlier Wednesday night, the Lakers head into the weekend as the NBA’s lone remaining unbeaten team, at 7-0 (6-1 ATS). It’s the first time the team’s opened 7-0 since the 2001-02 season, the year of the franchise’s last championship. It should be noted that the Lakers’ best-ever start to open a season came in the 1997-98 season, when they opened 11-0, finished 61-21 but were swept 4-0 by the Utah Jazz in the Western Conference finals.

It’s far too early to ‘crown’ the Lakers just yet but the team’s early numbers are truly impressive. LA leads the NBA in scoring (104.7 PPG) and is also an NBA-best in points allowed (86.7 PPG). That combo gives them a point-differential of plus-18.0 PPG, a figure that is truly mind-boggling. Here’s just a quick historical perspective.

Comparing LA’s point-differential start this year to the NBA’s top regular-season teams in each of the last five seasons reveals this. Boston went 66-16 last year with a point-differential of plus-10.3 PPG. The preceding years were as follows. The 61-21 Mavs (2006-07) came in at 7.3, the 64-18 Pistons (2005-06) at 6.7, the 62-20 Suns (2004-05) at 7.1 and the 61-21 Pacers (2003-04) at 5.8.

Point-differential is a great indicator of a team’s real strength and it should be noted that only last year’s Celtics (among the five teams just listed) went on to win an NBA title. It’s no coincidence that Boston’s 10.3 PPG differential was a full three points better than any of the other four teams and 4.5 PPG better than the worst of the four teams, the 2003-04 Pacers.

Michael Jordan’s best Chicago Bulls team was the one which set an NBA record for wins in a season, going 72-10 in the 1995-96 season. The Bulls led the NBA in scoring that year (105.2 PPG) and finished third-best in points allowed (92.9). Chicago’s point-differential was 12.2 PPG but not the nest all-time. That belongs to another Laker team.

In 1971-72, Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West led the Lakers to a then NBA record 69 wins. That team won an incredible 33 straight games at one point during that season (still an NBA record), finishing that year as the league’s top-scoring team (121.0 PPG) and its sixth-best defensive team (allowed 108.7). Doing the math, one gets a point-differential of 12.3. As the Lakers progress through this season, let’s keep an eye on that number.

The Staples Center will host two games over the weekend, Friday night when the Lakers meet the Pistons and Saturday afternoon, when the Clippers take on the Warriors. What the Lakers are ‘giving’ the fans of LA this year, the Clippers are ‘taking away.’ While the Lakers were moving to 7-0 on Wednesday, the Clippers were losing 103-98 in the Staples Center to the Sacramento Kings. The loss drops “LA’s other team” to 1-7 SU and ATS.

The Clippers are not just losing, they are getting ‘killed!’ No NBA team is scoring less that the Clippers’ 88.3 PPG average and coupled with the 101.6 PPG they are allowing (five teams allow more), the Clippers’ point-differential is an abysmal, minus-13.4 PPG. Let’s compare the Clippers’ current point-differential mark to that of the worst teams of each of the last five NBA seasons, starting with last year and going backwards.

The Heat won just 15 games last year and had a point-differential of minus-8.6 PPG. The Grizzlies won 20 games in 2006-07 (minus-5.1), the Blazers won 21 games in 2005-06 (minus-9.5), the Hawks won 13 games in 2004-05 (minus-9.7) and the Magic won 21 games in 2003-04 (minus-7.0).

What do Clipper fans have to look forward to the rest of the year? Who knows for sure this early? However, I will mention that the worst season in NBA history belongs to the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers, who went 9-73 that year, with a point-differential of minus-12.1 PPG. The Clipps’ minus-13.4 PPG to open this year should have their fans worried.

Good luck, Larry

Monday, November 10

 1) GRAHAM HARRELL (Texas Tech) Last Week: 2. Harrell threw for five TDs and 646 yards in Stillwater last year (the fourth-best passing game in major college football history) but the Red Raiders lost to the Cowboys, 49-45. However, losing hasn’t been an option for Mike Leach’s Red Raiders in ‘08 and Tech followed its dramatic 39-33 win over Texas on November 1 with a convincing 56-20 win over Oklahoma State last Saturday night in Lubbock. Like his predecessors at Texas Tech, Harrell has lived with the claim that’s it’s Mike Leach’s “system” not the QB, which is the star of the Texas Tech offense. Graham has worked hard to overcome that stigma and if there remained any doubters after the Texas game, there can be none left after Harrell picked apart the Cowboys. Harrell fumbled on Tech’s first possession and OSU took a 7-0 lead but he then led the Red Raiders to TDs on their next seven possessions. Harrell finished 40-of-50 for 456 yards with six TDs (three to Crabtree) and no interceptions. That followed his 474-yard effort against the Longhorns (by the way, that makes 103 attempts the last two games vs Texas and OSU, without an interception), giving him his 30th game of 300 yards passing, with 20 of those having topped 400 yards. The 456-effort gives Harrell 14,759 career passing yards, just behind Ty Detmer of BYU, who ranks second with 15,031 yards (Timmy Chang of Hawaii is the all-time leader with 17,072 yards),. The six TD passes give him 125 for his career, as he passed Ty Detmer (121) , leaving only Colt Brennan (131) ahead of him on the all-time list. The win over Texas was arguably the biggest in school history, as it marked Tech’s 500th career win and was the school’s first-ever against a school ranked No. 1. However, the OSU win solidified Tech’s No. 2 ranking in the BCS standings and sets up another “biggest game in school history” on November 22 in Norman against Oklahoma. Tech owns the nation’s longest active winning streak with 12 straight wins and the Red Raiders, who are averaging 47.9 PPG (3rd in the nation), have now scored at least 30 points in 26 of their last 28 games, including 14 in a row, a streak which also leads the nation. Tech gets a much-deserved week off (as do the Sooners), before heading to Norman where Oklahoma has won 23 straight and 43 of its last 44. So who’s worried? Surely not Harrell, who takes over the top spot in my poll. His season stats are: 332-of-449 (71.7 percent) for 4,077 yards with 36 TDs and 5 INTs / QB rating of 165.2 ranks 7th / 6 rush TDs.

 2) SAM BRADFORD (Oklahoma) Last Week: 1. Talk about ’splitting hairs.’ It’s difficult to chose between Harrell, Bradford and McCoy. In the end it may come down to personal preference for the voters. Does one prefer blondes, brunettes or red-heads. Bradford had a terrific freshman year in 2007, throwing for 3,121 yards (69.5 percent completions) with 36 TDs and eight INTs. His 36 TD passes were a new NCAA freshman single-season record and his QB rating of 176.52 led the nation. His current QB rating of 188.9, which is higher than last year’s mark, currently puts him second in the nation. On top of that, he’s already topped last years TD pass (38) and passing yards ( 3,406) totals with at least three games left to his 2008 season. The Sooners jumped out to a 38-14 halftime lead at College Station (they are averaging 47.3 points in the first half in their last three games!) and finished with a season-high 66 points, which is the most-ever for an opponent at Kyle Field (Sooners won 66-28). Oklahoma has now scored 50-plus points in six games this season and the only Oklahoma team with more 50-point games was the 2003 squad, with seven 50-point games. The Sooners rank second in the nation in scoring (51.4 PPG), after scoring 58, 62 and 66 points the last three Saturdays. Bradford completed 22-of-33 passes for 320 yards and four TDs (to four different receivers!) without an interception, plus added a rushing TD as the Sooners cruised to their sixth straight win over the Aggies. Bradford now has eight 300-yard passing games this season, tying the single-season school record set by Josh Heupel in 1999 and 10 in his career (two have been 400-plus games). His 22 completions now give him an Oklahoma-record 461 for his career. Oklahoma and Bradford lost their showdown on October 11 to Texas and McCoy but get a ’second chance’ on November 22 when Texas Tech visits Norman. Oklahoma has won 23 straight home games (14-7-1 ATS), which is the longest active home winning streak in CFB. The Sooners have also won 43 of their last 44 home games and are 59-2 SU at home under Bob Stoops. Neither Oklahoma nor Bradford can afford a loss to Texas Tech if the Sooners are to have a chance at the BCS title game and Bradford at the Heisman. More to come. Bradford’s season stats are: 224-of-330 (67.9 percent) for 3,406 yards with 38 TDs and 6 INTs / QB rating of 188.9 ranks him No. 2 / 4 rush TDs.

 3) COLT MCCOY (Texas) Last Week: 3. McCoy bested Bradford in the Texas/Oklahoma game on October and 11 and if he and the Longhorns came within a dropped interception by Texas freshman safety Blake Gideon of besting Tech and Harrell on November 1. However, Gideon did drop what would have been a game-ending interception on a tipped ball and one play later, Harrell threw that famous TD pass to Crabtree. Remember my line about splitting hairs? I’ll keep McCoy at the No. 3 spot but the final four weekends promise plenty of drama. McCoy overcame two first-half interceptions last Saturday in Austin, as the Longhorns beat Baylor, 45-21. He finished the game 26-of-37 for 300 yards (he now owns eight career 300-yard games) with five TDs and added 21 yards on the ground. His five passing TDs are the second-most in a single game for his career, behind his six-TD effort in October of 2006, also against Baylor (also a Texas school-record). McCoy passed Vince Young for first place on Texas’ all-time list of TDs responsible for (passing, rushing, receiving) three weeks ago and with his five TD throws vs Baylor, his career mark is now up to 92 (Young had 81 and former Heisman-winner Ricky Williams had 76). Let’s remember that McCoy took over for Vince Young in ‘06 as a redshirt freshman and led Texas to a 10-3 season, throwing for 2,570 yards (68.2 percent completions) with 29 TDs (then a freshman record, broken last year by Bradford) and just seven INTs. The Longhorns went 10-3 again last year but McCoy’s numbers ‘fell off.’ He did throw for more yards (3,303) but his completion percentage dipped slightly (65.1), while his TDs (22) went down and his INTs went way up (18). The win over Baylor ups Texas to 9-1 on the season, giving the Longhorns at least nine wins for 11 straight seasons, the longest active streak in the nation. McCoy’s completing nearly 80 percent of his passes on the year (78.0), his QB rating of 180.3 ranks 4th and he is still the team’s leader in rushing yards for the season with 449. That’s a pretty good resume for the QB of the nation’s 4th-ranked team in the AP and 3rd in the current BCS standings. While fellow Big 12 schools Texas Tech and Oklahoma get the week off, the Longhorns travel to Lawrence, Kansas to take on the Jayhawks. It’s just the second time this year that the Longhorns have had to leave the state (played at Colorado on October 4). Texas hasn’t played Kansas since 2005, when the Longhorns beat the Jayhawks 66-14, in a game they led at half, 52-0. Texas should be reminded that the Jayhwaks has won 14 of their last 15 home games but that loss did come to Texas Tech on October 25, by the score of 63-21. McCoy and Texas will have a tough time topping that one. His season stats are: 244-of-313(78.0 percent) for 2,879 yards with 28 TDs and 7 INTs / QB rating of 180.3 is 4th in the nation / 101 carries for 4449 yards (4.4 YPC) and 7 TDs.

 4) TIM TEBOW (Florida) Last Week: 4. I’ll repeat what I said last week, that the only player remaining who has a chance to challenge the Big 12’s “Big Three” of Bradford, Harrell and McCoy is the “defending champ,” Florida’s Tim Tebow. No one expected Tebow to match his terrific numbers from last year (3,286 yards passing with 32 TDs / 895 yards rushing with 23 TDs) but he really put himself in a pretty big ‘hole’ the first four games of ‘08. The Gators suffered a devastating 31-30 loss at home to Ole Miss (Florida missed an extra-point) on September 27 and while Tebow had a season-high 319 yards passing in that game plus two rushing TDs, he had thrown for just six TDs and rushed for only 125 yards (2.6 YPC) over Florida’s first four games. With this year’s great contingent of prolific Big 12 QBs, those kind of numbers were not going to cut it. Tebow is a terrific talent and he’s proven just that since the Ole Miss loss, leading the Gators to five straight wins, while outscoring their opponents 243-57. The streak includes a 51-21 win over LSU (last year’s national champs) and 49-10 over Georgia (the nation’s preseason No. 1 team). Tebow led the Gators to a 45-12 win at Vandy last Saturday, completing 12-of-17 passes for 171 yards with three TDs and no INTs. He added a season-high 88 yards on the ground (11 attempts) and two more TDs. He broke Emmitt Smith’s school record of 36 rushing TDs against Georgia and his two vs Vandy ups his career total to 41. The win gives Florida a guaranteed spot in the SEC title game, where the Gators will meet current No. 1, Alabama. Florida is currently No. 3 in the AP poll and 4th in the BCS standings. If both Alabama and Florida can stay perfect the rest of the way, it’s likely that SEC championship game on December 6, will give the winner a spot in the BCS title game. Tebow is well-deservedly respected by all for the way he carries himself and leads his life off the field. That will give him tremendous good-will among many voters (much like Archie Griffin, the award’s only two-time winner) but in the end, I just don’t see how a voter could place him ahead (as of now) of the three players (forget my order) I have currently placed above him. Up next for the Gators are Steve Spurrier and South Carolina. Two years ago, the Gamecocks (and their lovable coach) nearly beat the Gators in “The Swamp” (lost 17-16) but last year in Columbia, the Gators won 51-31. All Tebow did in that game was throw for 304 yards with two TDs plus run for 120 yards with five more TDs. A repeat performance could just get me (and others) re-thinking Tebow’s chances at a second straight Heisman. His season stats are: 126-of-194 (64.9 percent) for 1,740 yards with 17 TDs and 2 INTs / QB rating of 167.1 ranks 8th / 105 carries for 354 yards (3.4 YPC) 10 TDs.

 5) MICHAEL CRABTREE (Texas Tech) Last Week: 5. I had Crabtree No. 9 in my preseason poll, along with fellow WRs Percy Harvin (Florida) and Jeremy Maclin (Missouri) but while Maclin’s been a poll-regular for me due to his versatility, I didn’t put Crabtree into my top-10 until last week (at the No. 5 spot). As the saying goes, better late than never. Crabtree caught an amazing 134 passes last year as a freshman, leading the nation in both receiving yards (1,962) and TD receptions (22), as well. In the process, he became the first freshman to win the Biletnikoff award as the nation’s best receiver. Crabtree had eight catches with three going for TDs in Tech’s romp over OSU last Saturday. That performance extended his streak of recording at least five receptions and a touchdown catch to 13 consecutive games, matching Randy Moss and leaving him one game shy of Pitt’s Larry Fitzgerald, who had a 14-game streak for the Panthers from 2002-03. Crabtree had a modest 89 receiving yards in the game but has topped 100 yards in 15 of his 23 career games, while catching an amazing total of 40 TDs. As already mentioned, Tech visits Oklahoma on November 22 in what will be a fairly important game. Crabtree’s season stats are: 78 catches for 1,010 yards (12.9 YPC) with 18 TDs

 6)JEREMY MACLIN (Missouri) Last Week: 7. It’s hard to argue against the fact that Crabtree is the nation’s best receiver but Maclin isn’t too far behind and he’s a better all-around performer. Maclin has 71 receptions for 949 yards (13.4 YPC) for nine TDs. He’s added 190 rushing (7.0 YPC) with two more TDs. Throw in 188 yards on punt returns plus 658 more on kickoff returns and his 198.5 YPG ranks him second in all-purpose yards nationally.

 7) CHASE DANIEL (Missouri) Last Week: 6. Daniel was my early favorite for this award but Missouri’s back-to-back losses to Oklahoma State and Texas did him (as have the performances of fellow Big 12 QBs Harrell, Bradford and McCoy). Daniel has completed 76.1 percent for 3,264 yards with 28 TDs and 10 INTs but likely will not get an invite to New York this year (he finished fourrth last year). Sweet revenge could still be his however, if Missouri were to upset the Big 12’s South champ (Oklahoma, Oklahoma State or Texas) in the Big 12 championship game.

 8) JAVON RINGER (Michigan State) Last Week: 8. The lone RB on this list, leads the nation with 20 TDs (No. 1 in scoring 10.9 PPG), ranks second in rushing yards (140.7 YPG) and 4th in all-purpose yards (173.2 YPG). The 20 rushing TDs in a season is the second-most in school history, behind Jehuu Caulcrick’s 21 set last season. The Spartans are 9-2 for the first time since 1999 and can win a share of the Big Ten title with a win at Penn State in two weeks (Michigan State is off next week), something they haven’t done since 1990.

 9) BARACK OBAMA (Illinois) Last Week: 10. I had him in a dead-heat for the No. 10 spot last week with Arizona’s John McCain but his 364-173 electoral win moves him up one spot. Watch out boys, this guy has a way of attracting voters.

10) DAVID JOHNSON (Tulsa) Last Week: In a season dominated by QBs, I figured a should find a spot for the nation’s top-rated QB from a school ranked 25th in the latest AP poll and 23rd in the BCS standings.