it's never too early to start thinking about the stars of this upcoming college football year, so who do you have targeted in your "Top Players to Watch" for 2009?

obviously Sam Bradford will be the early front runner to repeat as Heisman winner.

Sam Bradford (QB Oklahoma)
Colt McCoy (QB Texas)
Tim Tebow (QB Florida..oops)
Dez Bryant (WR Oklahoma St, ranked #2 in nation in receiving yards)
Dezmon Briscoe (WR Kansas, in 2008 recorded 15 TD's and 1407 receiving yards)
MiQuale Lewis (RB Ball State, 22TD's, 1736 rushing yards...great #'s, but it's Ball State)
David Johnson (QB Tulsa, 52 TD's, 4059yards, 178.7 rating...great #'s, but it's Tulsa)
Chris Brown (RB Oklahoma, 21TD's, 1220 yards)


[skew]

It will be interesting to see how Russell Wilson may compare statistically with these guys later in the season. Russell's statistics in the games he played (11 total that he saw action in, but obviously played only a few plays against USuCk and 1 half against Rutgers) were great (21TDs, 1INT).

Is it realistic to even consider Russell a darkhorse based on his performance last season? I say why not...but Heisman winners come from national championship contenders, and while we are on the upswing, we are not there yet. Russell is the best QB in the ACC though, hands down.

Owen Spencer should be even better this year and Jarvis Williams as well, which will help Russell put up better stats (he easily should have 3 more TD's in his stats already), and Owen Spencer ranked #3 nationally in YPR (22.3 yards per catch).

CJ Spiller is also one to look for. He is arguably the most electric player in college football, and his announcement to forgo the draft and return for his senior season has a lot of people in Clemson excited (if only for the sole reason of watching him run). With a more experienced offensive line, and no set starting QB, you can bet that Clemson's offense will completely revolve around getting the ball to #28. At the end of the year, he should have impressive statistics and could be in the running.

[/skew]






[Edited on April 3, 2009 at 10:16 AM. Reason : tebow*]

4/3/2009 10:12:17 AM

Tebow?

And add the fact that Donald Bowens will hopefully be back playing too. Pretty solid wideout corp.

4/3/2009 10:15:30 AM

Eric Berry

4/3/2009 10:15:35 AM

Kellen Moore will be someone to watch out for this year too. Unfortunately for him non BCS players don't win the award.

4/3/2009 10:29:24 AM

kellen moore...boise state QB? how is he not a BCS player? do u mean he's from a team that has to work for an at-large BCS birth? I see no pitfalls in a player from one of those teams being a candidate

4/3/2009 10:32:29 AM

Except that they are on TV once or twice a season.

4/3/2009 10:33:51 AM

Boise State was televised nationally 5 times last year, and is scheduled to appear on national TV this year 6 times (3 ESPN, 3 ESPN2). That's way more than us.

4/3/2009 10:37:17 AM

Yes, the WAC is not a BCS conference.

For reference, here are your BCS conference schools
http://www.eprintablecalendars.com/lists/bcs-conference-schools/


[Edited on April 3, 2009 at 10:39 AM. Reason : link]

4/3/2009 10:38:30 AM

Philip Rivers should win this.

4/3/2009 10:39:51 AM

mccoy

i thought about going with tebow, but thom brennaman gave me the heads up that at some point this summer tebow will become enveloped in a blinding white light and ascend back to the heavens since his glorious work on earth will have finally been fulfilled

4/3/2009 10:43:27 AM

russel wilson

4/3/2009 1:32:43 PM

Terrelle Pryor!!!!!!!!!!!1111111

4/3/2009 1:34:13 PM

Terrelle Pryor is a poor man's Russell Wilson

4/3/2009 1:36:08 PM

^riiiiiight

4/3/2009 1:36:46 PM

Quote :

"Terrelle Pryor is a poor man's Russell Wilson"

winnar!

4/3/2009 1:41:03 PM

I know it's a State board... and Wilson is a damn good player, but is it out of the question to have SOME objectivity comparing him to Pryor? Thanks.

4/3/2009 1:41:56 PM

the acc only has two heisman winners? ward and weinke? we suck.

4/3/2009 1:42:00 PM

Wilson had more yards, more passing TDs, fewer interceptions

Pryor had a higher QB rating, higher completion percentage, two more rushing TDs, and 110 few pass attempts

It's a shame Pryor won't have the option of playing in Europe -- then both would have a future as pro athletes.

4/3/2009 1:46:40 PM

thanks. that's all I ask.

Interesting to note that only 5 Heisman winners are in the Pro Football HOF.

4/3/2009 1:48:06 PM

^^^ 3.

Philip Rivers assumed Heisman status after his senior season, much like UNC assumed the 1924 national championship.

[Edited on April 3, 2009 at 1:49 PM. Reason : .]

4/3/2009 1:49:18 PM

yeah, you forgot God



-set the single season SEC record interception yardage mark with 265 yards
-already set the all-time career SEC record for interception return yards with 487 yards
-the NCAA record for interception return yards is 501, set by Terrell Buckley of Florida State, Berry needs 14 yards to pass him
-hes only played 2 years

4/3/2009 2:00:34 PM

but he's on Defense = fail

4/3/2009 2:01:35 PM

if Charles Woodson can scam his way into it then Berry certainly can... oh wait, that just a weird, random one year blip that never happened before or since

[Edited on April 3, 2009 at 2:10 PM. Reason : d]

4/3/2009 2:09:46 PM

I like how you ignore the fact that Woodson was the best returner in the country

while your boy was busy putting his naked butt and rectum on trainer's faces

4/3/2009 2:12:16 PM

Quote :

"while your boy was busy putting his naked butt and rectum on trainer's faces"

wut?

4/3/2009 2:13:38 PM

The Woodson/Manning debate: this is where Jaybee's objectivity ends.

4/3/2009 2:14:31 PM

6 years ago buddy boy

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/colts/2003-11-04-manning-defamation-suit_x.htm

4/3/2009 2:14:57 PM

^ completely overdone...

^^ not at all... bullshit and you know it. Once again, if Woodson won it, Champ should have won it the next year, he was better in every single way against better competition and didnt even come close to winning it

[Edited on April 3, 2009 at 2:28 PM. Reason : d]

4/3/2009 2:26:22 PM

silly cat

it doesn't matter if he was better than Woodson; they weren't competing with each other

He wasn't better than Ricky Williams, who would have beaten Woodson too

All three would have beaten your boy

4/3/2009 2:44:45 PM

Wilson will not win it because he plays at NC State.

4/3/2009 2:46:51 PM

^^ Champ was the same compared to Williams as Woodson was to Manning... neither should have won it. Woodson had one big game against Ohio State. Was he good? sure. But good enough to all of a sudden come from nowhere to be the only defensive player to ever win? never happened before or since - did he have such an amazing season to do that? no way, not even close.

if defensive players won the Heisman every 3-4 years or so, if there was a precedent, I would be ok with it then, but to say he had some incredible, "best defensive season ever" type performance is just stupid.

[Edited on April 3, 2009 at 2:53 PM. Reason : d]

4/3/2009 2:53:15 PM

The Heisman itself is pretty stupid.

4/3/2009 2:54:34 PM

He did it on one of the best teams in the country in the biggest college football rivalry in the country

and there was a huuuuuuuuge part of the voting populace who just plain didn't like Peyton

that Ohio State game just gave then a valid excuse not to vote for him








so yeah in terms of individual greatness, I don't think it was the best defensive season ever...Off the top of my head, I think Terrell Suggs 24 sack season was more impressive

but it was the perfect storm of a great (if not quite legendary) black defensive/ special teams player against an underachieving (from a wins/losses) perspective white quarterback...frankly I think a lot of people just wanted to see something different

If Danny Wuerfell doesn't win in 96, I think Peyton wins in 97

4/3/2009 3:01:03 PM

^ I agree with most of that... just saying Manning deserved to win.

4/3/2009 3:07:00 PM

i didnt forget THE Eric Berry (3rd post in thread)

4/3/2009 3:09:07 PM

Manning lost that Heisman when he choked away his shot at a national championship... Just like how he has choked every year in the playoffs except that one year when Bob Sanders carried him to a Super Bowl and Grossman handed the trophy to him.

Luckily for Tennessee, Tee Martin doesn't choke in the big games.

[Edited on April 3, 2009 at 3:20 PM. Reason : 2]

4/3/2009 3:16:56 PM

manning may have deserved it but im glad woodson wasnt a bust in the NFL.

at least he lost to someone who had a good career. a lot of good players left out cant say that.

4/3/2009 8:58:10 PM

RW

4/3/2009 9:52:10 PM

^^^ horrible troll effort... it has to be at least somewhat realistic to work

4/3/2009 10:37:06 PM

NCSU wins ACC, RW wins heisman

4/3/2009 10:45:53 PM

lets add Russell wilson to this list as well!! Go Pack!!

4/3/2009 11:15:54 PM

wow that was a stupid question.

everything is lined up for rw to win it... the last two have been sophomores.

[Edited on April 4, 2009 at 12:54 AM. Reason : .]

4/4/2009 12:50:41 AM

wow - berry returned an INT a lot of yards when the field was really spread out

and OMG he tackled noshow after tennessee gave up the first down

the guy's good, but come on man...what you're basically saying is getting a bunch of return yards but never scoring on them makes a guy the greatest player in the country...and that's simply retarded.

Morgan Burnett of GT had just as many INT's last year, 1 less TD, 21 more tackles, and a FF...if he had 170 more return yards, do you think he'd be heisman worthy? after all, he played on a team that was actually somewhat decent last year.

[Edited on April 4, 2009 at 2:08 AM. Reason : ..]

4/4/2009 1:49:06 AM

^ Burn

I'm thinking that if we are going there (nominating def players) whats stopping Brandon Spikes from being right there with Berry. He's got the same amount of recognition as EB and you have to basically go undefeated to even be in the talk. Tenn won't go undefeated but UF might. Tebow would get his 2nd though if that happened.

[Edited on April 4, 2009 at 2:33 AM. Reason : ^]

4/4/2009 2:32:21 AM

^^ yeah, you are right, I forgot that turnovers and field position are totally useless in football, never impacts anything. And 170 is SO inconsequential! I mean, its only about 1/3 of the all-time NCAA career record! you can just ignore that!!

As for the first down comment, he is a safety that doesnt play up on the line much, so if he tackles the RB it will probably mean that hes gotten some yards already, but that doesnt diminish what Berry did... he could be maybe the best cover corner in the country (if he played corner) AND knock the shit out of people. And the field spread out comment was really stupid... if he was slower the field wouldnt have been as "spread out", and the whole point is that he just somehow always gets to the ball, he just has that intangible talent/luck/skill to make big plays.

Here, here are a few plays where it wasnt "spread out" unless you count the people he runs by






Burnett is good, really good, but hes not Berry. I think the 1st team all SEC, 1st team All-American, Jack Tatum award,etc. show that (but garsh Jaybee, thats just SEC bias!)... you just love saying the opposite of whatever I say... you live for it.


^ I am not saying he will win it, he wont, unless there is a random Woodson type vote. But, he could definitely deserve it, he is as good as anyone else at their respective position





[Edited on April 4, 2009 at 3:14 AM. Reason : d]

[Edited on April 4, 2009 at 3:18 AM. Reason : d]

4/4/2009 2:51:56 AM

Quote :

"eah, you are right, I forgot that turnovers and field position are totally useless in football, never impacts anything. And 170 is SO inconsequential! I mean, its only about 1/3 of the all-time NCAA career record! you can just ignore that!! "

Its like in the HR record in baseball, where Jose Canseco is a 1/3 of Ruth's total behind him. I for one consider that completely meaningless, they are pretty much equals!



[Edited on April 4, 2009 at 3:24 AM. Reason : damn 30 min. limit to edit]

4/4/2009 3:22:21 AM

comparing the all-time HR record (arguably the greatest honor in baseball) to the all-time interception return yard record (which I didnt even know they kept track of) is really apples to oranges

I think Eric Berry is a beast as well, but that part of the argument isnt very good. If Berry wins the Heisman based on setting the record for interception return yards, then that just tells me that the NCAA had a REALLY REALLY down year

4/4/2009 7:21:10 AM

of course its not the same in terms of prestige, but thats not the point. The point is that 170 return yards is a HUGE difference between two players. Its hard for a player to get an INT period, but then, he would have to return it 100 yards. And THEN get another one (or fumble) and then go another 70 yards... if a player has one 100 yard return in their career that is rare, much less in a season where he also has a 70 yard return. He was making it sound like it was the same thing as 170 yards difference between two QBs passing yards total.

My whole point is that there is no one as good at their position in college football as Berry is at his and hes only played through his sophomore season... IMO hes already (at this stage in his career) the best defensive player in UT history, better than Reggie White, John Henderson, Albert Haynesworth, Al Wilson, Dale Carter etc

[Edited on April 4, 2009 at 2:17 PM. Reason : d]

4/4/2009 2:17:12 PM

it's not that he isn't good...it's just that some useless stat like interception return yards isn't going to win someone a heisman. that's the point i'm arguing with you...that berry isn't heisman worthy, not that he isn't good

let me ask you this, other than vandy and northern illinois, did any of his INT return yards have any sort of impact on the outcome of the game? did any of the turnovers or return yards he had on the other INT's mean ANYTHING at all in the games?

4/4/2009 9:05:45 PM

that's a stupid question.

a 4th quarter, "game winning pick six" wouldnt be game winning if that 1 yard run for a TD hadnt occurred back in the 1st quarter... the impact on the game is impossible to quantify, there are so many factors that go into things.

not even sure what you are trying to say... because a play happens in a game that they lost it doesnt count as a good play??? thats ignorant

[Edited on April 4, 2009 at 9:19 PM. Reason : d]

4/4/2009 9:11:28 PM