Press Pass
Tomorrow, Navy will beat Army again and the college football regular season will officially end for 2009. That leaves a few questions to be answered and of course the so-called experts spout off to anyone and everyone who will listen to their prognostications.
Now it's my turn to weigh in on the topics of Notre Dame, the Heisman, and the BCS.
Brian Kelly to Notre Dame
When I started writing this earlier in the week, the column started with my pick for who would become the next Irish coach who will 'wake up the echoes'.
I am proud to tell you that Brian Kelly was on the top of that list. Now I get to tell you why it was a great choice for Irish fans.
Charlie Weis did some good things at Notre Dame. He got them close. Kelly, who was an impressive 34-6 at Cincinnati, will place the Irish in the 10-win category next season.
Yes, I am sold this is the guy to do it. Since Lou Holtz stepped down just shy of Rockne's all-time win total, the most wins any of the three coaches, Bob Davie, Ty Willingham, and Charlie Weis, could muster was 35 during their coaching career. Florida has that many in the last three years alone.
Kelly has experience at running a college program and more importantly, a history of turning programs around. Not only that, the guy knows how to win a bowl game.
Weis said he was not there to coach a .500 team. He made no excuses; he did not get the job done. Kelly will get it done and the Irish will be loved and loathed on a national scale once again.
The Heisman goes to…
Ah, this is a tough one.
My pick is going to be Colt McCoy of Texas. I think it will be a very, very close vote but he is the man. He won the Walter Camp award as the best player in college football for the second year in a row, the Davey O'Brien award, and the Walter Camp award.
Is he the best player in the land? Probably not. I believe this award will be given on the sum of his entire career rather than one season.
Toby Gerhart is the most valuable player in college football. Take him away from the Cardinal offense and the only reference to Stanford would be the place a certain well-known celebrity train wreck golfer went to school. Gerhart single handedly carried his team past USC and Notre Dame. The problem for Gerhart is that he plays on the west coast for a team not named USC.
Tim Tebow is probably the greatest college football player in this era. He is intelligent, a true student athlete and the epitome of what you would like from a leader on and off the field. Having that said, the most difficult task he has had the past two years is trying to get voters to award him his second Heisman trophy.
Mark Ingram is a versatile and outstanding back. His performance against Florida will be legendary at Alabama. He has great things ahead of him, unfortunately, he will only sap up southern votes from Tebow leaving both to applaud McCoy.
I will tell you I cannot say Ndamukong Suh's first name, but this year's Butkus award winner from Nebraska is something to watch. The top-5 NFL pick this spring will only prove once again how difficult it is for a defensive player to win the Heisman.
BSC Bowl Picks
ROSE BOWL: Oregon 45 Ohio State 17 - Oregon is a very, very good team. Big Ten is still lost in the cloud of dust way of playing the game.
SUGAR BOWL: Florida 56 Cincinnati 34 - If Pitt can score 44, Tebow will be asking for a Heisman re-vote.
FIESTA BOWL: Boise State 38 TCU 24 - I'd like to know what coaches say that gets kids to go to Idaho.
ORANGE BOWL: Georgia Tech 34 Iowa 14 - See the Rose Bowl and replace Oregon with Georgia Tech.
BSC CHAMPIONSHIP: Alabama 27 Texas 24 - Alabama can run the ball and play defense. McCoy is the Texas rushing game. The clock runs out on Texas in this one.
