The weekend is over, and the nation’s observers have weighed in with their opinions. By that I mean the release of this week’s Top 25 lists.

Obviously the top 3 schools are going to be Florida, Texas and Alabama right now. From there, it’s debatable for every other position. However, there is a debate that didn’t seem to take place at all.

When I looked at the Top 25 lists, I was caught off guard and surprised by the fall that Nebraska took. Entering the weekend, Nebraska was ranked 19th in the AP poll and 18th in the Coaches poll. After losing 16-15 in Blacksburg, Va., to Virginia Tech, the Huskers fell to 25th in the AP and 24th in the Coaches.

At the same time the Hokies moved up from 13th and 14th respectably, to 11th and 12th.

This just raises a question for me. How do you justify dropping the Huskers that far after going on the road and nearly beating the Hokies? Yes, they deserve to fall from their spot at the beginning of the weekend. However, falling to 24th and 25th isn’t justified.

The Huskers instead should have been ranked around 22nd. If the loss would have come to Florida Atlantic or Arkansas State, then yes drop them as far as you want. However, on the road against a good — not great but good — Va. Tech team doesn’t seem the justification for a 6-place drop.

All in all, that was a harsh toke from both the AP and the Coaches.

Virginia Tech flanker Danny Coale (19) looks back as races down sideline 80 yards before getting stopped on the three-yard line by Nebraska late in the second half of an NCAA college football game at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, Va., Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009. The play set up the Hokies winning score in their 16-15 win. (AP)

Heartbreak.

There is no other word to describe what Nebraska Cornhusker fans were feeling after their 16-15 loss at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va.

The Hokies were thoroughly outplayed by the Huskers on both sides of the ball, however the story of the day for the Huskers was mistakes — such as penalties while near the goal line  and blown coverage late in the fourth quarter.

The Huskers were dominant on defense — allowing only 194 total yards until 2 minutes left in the game — with the exception of the final drive. On offense, the team moved the chains — playing especially efficiently in the run game (207 yards) — but couldn’t turn that movement into touchdowns.

Nebraska quarterback Anthony West (5) looks to pass during the first half against Virginia Tech in an NCAA college football game at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, Va., Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009. (AP)

However, not matter what anyone wants to say, the Huskers lost the game well before the fourth quarter, let alone the 81-yard pass from Tyrod Taylor to Danny Coale. The Huskers made it to the redzone five times — and a sixth time to the 21-yard line — and came away with five field goals and a punt.

The team’s inability to put the ball in the endzone proved deadly for their chances to pick up their first road win against a Top 20 opponent since 1997.

The most painful drive and result for Husker fans was in the third quarter. The Huskers got the ball with 5:27 left in the third, and proceeded to march 76 yards, from their own 18-yard-line to the Va. Tech 6-yard-line. However, this is where the wheels fell off.

On the next play, NU quarterback Zac Lee dropped back and found a wide open Mike McNeill in the endzone for what seemed like a 6-yard touchdown. Instead, this was called back for a blatant holding call going against Ricky Henry. Then before the next snap, the Husker offensive line was called for a false start and moved back another five yards.

On the next play, Lee placed a perfect pass to Menelik Holt — who did a heck of a job to come down with it in the endzone. However, when he hit the ground the ball popped out — which by a new NCAA bylaw, means it was incomplete. Next, on second-and-goal from the 21-yard-line, the Huskers were called for another holding penalty — moving them back another ten yards.

NU got their next play off, but it resulted in an incomplete pass, which was immediately followed by a false start to put the Huskers in a third-and-goal from the 36-yard line — meaning a field goal would be 53 yards. On the third down, Lee was dropped for another yard loss, and the Huskers decided to punt the ball. You could tell, the momentum had switched.

Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh (93) blocks a pass by Virginia Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor (5) during the second half of an NCAA college football game at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, Va., Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009. The Hokies won the game 16-15. (AP)

A previously confident Husker offense, now was timid and couldn’t understand what happened. And as an observer and journalist, I couldn’t begin to understand what had just happened. How does a team that seems to be clicking that well go from first-and-goal from the six-yard-line to a fourth-and-goal from the 36? It was unimaginable.

To that end, anyone watching had to credit the Hokie defense for its defensive pressure and — probably even more than the defense — the crowd for disrupting the Husker offense.

On the other side of the ball, the Hokies were saddled all day by the Nebraska defense. Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh was in the backfield all day. Fighting through constant double and triple teams from the Va. Tech offensive line, Suh was still able to get to the quarterback and running backs in the backfield.

It was obvious that Suh was too much to handle, and for the majority of the game, so was the rest of the Nebraska defense. The secondary did a good job of handling the Hokies’ receiving corps. It was a good display from the Husker defense — although against a suspect Hokie offense.

The overall performance, however, was ruined by one play with about 1:30 left in the game. On a second-and-six from the Va. Tech 16-yard-line, Taylor was able to buy himself enough time with his feet to allow for Coale to get open behind the Husker secondary. Taylor — who was inaccurate for the majority of the game — threw a perfect pass to Coale, who then ran to the Husker three-yard-line.

That set up an 11-yard TD pass by Taylor to Dyrell Roberts to give the Hokies their 16-15 lead — and subsequent win.

Now, it’s time to analyze this game.

Nebraska coach Bo Pelini talks to his staff on his headset during an NCAA college football game against Virginia Tech at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, Va. Saturday Sept 19, 2009. The Hokies won the game 16-15. (AP)

The Huskers were the better team for 58 minutes, however, that didn’t matter in the end. They couldn’t finish in the redzone, and Lee looked off the entire game when it came to the passing game. However, they were able to run on the Hokies and should have come away with a win.

There were two plays that stand out in my mind, where I must question what Husker head coach Bo Pelini, and offensive coordinator Shawn Watson were doing.

First came on the frustrating drive I detailed above. Yes, penalties had pushed the Huskers back to the 37-yard-line and it would have been a 54-yard field goal. However, Alex Henery has shown he has the leg to make a field goal from this distance and sitting with a 12-10 lead at the time, I don’t know why you don’t try the field goal.

Some might argue that if Henery misses the attempt, then the Huskers turn the ball over to the Hokies in great field position. But I counter with the fact that the Huskers had stopped the Hokie offense time and time again. With a field goal that was within range, and a chance to put points on the board, you have to be willing to try. This attempt could have won the game for the Huskers.

The next play in question is one that most people wouldn’t have questioned during the game — but I did.

Virginia Tech split end Jarrett Boykin (81) tries to elude Nebraska defenders, Larry Asante, bottom, and Prince Amukamara, top, during the first half of an NCAA college football game at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, Va., Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009. (AP)

What was going through Watson’s mind when he decided to punt on fourth-and-one from the Hokie 40-yard-line with less than two minutes left? The Huskers were moving the ball effectively and could have easily pushed for that last yard. If they would have gotten the first down, the game would have been over — it would have turned into a milk the clock situation.

Once again, the argument against it was that if unsuccessful the Hokies would get the ball in great field position. In fact, Watson said after the game that his decision to punt was made easy by his faith in the defense to stop the Hokie offense from producing the points needed to win the game.

I counter with this: if you have such confidence in the defense to come up with the stop, then why not go for the first down?

Seriously, that justification doesn’t work at all. If you go for it on that fourth down, and don’t make it, then the defense at the 40-yard-line is the same as it was when the Hokies have the ball at the 12.

In the end, these are only questions we can think upon and wonder about. It doesn’t matter anymore, because the game is over, and in an ugly battle, the Hokies ended on top. Yes they were lucky to win in a way. However, they earned the victory with their redzone defense. The only conclusion you can reach as an observer is it is hard to win a game when you can’t convert touchdowns and you can’t perform in the redzone.

Both teams have a ways to grow, but I come away from the game more concerned about the Virginia Tech offense than either side of the ball for Nebraska. But both teams have a ways to climb before they reach the nation’s elite.

I would like to apologize for my 8 month vacation from posting, there has been much news in the college football landscape. I have been meaning to get back to posting, and analyzing, but life has been getting in the way.

That is going to change. I will not be as ambitious as I was last fall — nearly posting every day — but I will post the most important news, and I will do pregame breakdowns, postgame reports, and analysis of Nebraska and prominent national games.

So join me as I try go get back into the swing of things. Thanks!

Here is a guest column from my friend and co-blogger for Kicks Soccer blog, Alex Haueter. He’s quite knowledgable, and he approached me about a post National Championship Game post/column. So here are his words.

When Sam Bradford’s pass fell incomplete on fourth-and-four with about two-and-a-half minutes remaining in Thursday’s BCS National Championship Game, pens hit paper and fingers struck keyboards throughout the country as sports writers began an annual ritual.

The summary of a title game between two good teams?

Don’t be so naive.

Instead, American sportswriters have come to prefer bashing the BCS instead of writing about it. Even in the Associated Press’ summary of the game, the writer includes an obligatory reference to a college playoff system. Florida’s win got it the silverware, but fans of Texas, USC and Utah are hardly willing to acknowledge the Gators as national champions.

Do these other teams have an argument? Of course, they do. Utah did all that was asked of it, winning its games by an average of almost 20 points with an early season win at Michigan and victories over (at the time) 12th-ranked Texas Christian, 14th-ranked Brigham Young and fourth-ranked Alabama, a team that spent much of the season atop the polls. Texas was a missed tackle away from a perfect season, and beat Oklahoma on a neutral field by the same spread as Florida. USC’s stifling defense held its opposition to barely more than a touchdown per game, and probably would have done so against Penn State in the Rose Bowl had the game not been out of hand by halftime.

At the end of the season, the BCS is not the right way to find a national champion. Anything involving computers and algorithms that the average fan can’t understand isn’t. The system it replaced wasn’t perfect, either, but there was room for compromise through split national titles. Those, of course, caused plenty of debate, too. Remember the 1997 season? At the end of the year, Nebraska and Michigan shared the honor, despite the feeling of most pundits that the Cornhuskers would have easily handled the Wolverines had they played at year’s end.

The idea of a one-off system has its upside, but what happens if three teams go unbeaten through the regular season and the bowls? What if there are four one-loss teams at the end of the year? What’s the proper way to determine which team or teams are left out of a one-off game for the national title? As usual, it would be the polls, and whether human- or computer-generated, that system would majorly screw a program or two. Additionally, a one-off system would come under heavy fire as being unnecessary the first time it was one-sided, particularly if it pitted an unbeaten BCS crasher against a one-loss team from a major conference.

Naturally, the debate always turns to a playoff system. This is great in theory, but its advocates make a couple of fundamentally flawed assumptions about playoffs. The first is that the best team wins. That’s not always true.

Remember last year? The New York Giants upset the 18-0 New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. It was truly a game for the ages, an Instant Classic in ESPNese. But did the best team really win? No. The best team that day won, but if you took a poll after the Super Bowl (had an AP NFL Champion, so to speak), New England still would have been top. In other sports, the best team doesn’t always win the playoffs, either. The No. 1 ranked team entering March Madness has only won the title six times since seeding began 24 years ago. In Major League Baseball, the team with the best regular season record has won the World Series less than 50 percent of the time. In every year from 2002 to 2007, a wild card team – a team unable to even win its division – appeared in the World Series. Three of them won.

In playoffs, upsets happen. Were college football to adopt an eight-team playoff, it would only be a matter of time before an eight seed got lucky and ran the table, thereby opening debate about luck vs. skill in determining a national champ.

Granted, there’s not a lot of discrepancy in terms of players and records between the No. 1 and No. 8 teams in the country, but that brings up the next flaw in the system: Teams will get screwed in playoffs, too. Teams will be left out of the playoffs that deserve to be in them, and teams will get in that have no right to be there but are because they are conference champions. If a playoff system were applied to this year’s BCS, who out there would actually think Virginia Tech had a right to be in the playoffs ahead of a one-loss Texas Tech or the unbeaten Boise State?

Sit down, Hokie fan. You’re wrong.

How would a college football playoff solve anything? It would just invite controversy earlier than the national championship game. Allowing only conference champions into the playoff would be a complete farce, because let’s face it: The best team in the Mid-American Conference couldn’t hold a candle to the second- or third-best team in the Southeast Conference or the Big 12. But if let conference bridesmaids in, and potential BCS playoff crashers are going to be stuck watching a 9-4 major conference champion play in “their” playoff spot.

Additionally, think about the negative effect on fans and players. In order to accommodate a playoff system, either the regular season would have to be shortened or college football would need to continue until after the Super Bowl. College football fanatics would love this, to be sure, but remember that college football is played by student-athletes, not athlete-students. After the demands of football-filled fall, the last thing these men need is an equal (if not greater because of the win-or-go-home pressure) amount of strain on their spring semesters. Let’s face it: Most college football players, even ones at major programs, aren’t going to be stars at the next level. Academics matter.

The other option is to shorten the regular season to 10 games. Losing a home game or two probably wouldn’t ruin athletic departments, but fans of non-playoff teams would have less of what makes college football worth watching for them. Fans of 111 programs would have less vested interest in a college system with playoffs. Not only would the season be shorter, but the bowls would be more meaningless than they already are, if they continued to exist. Less interest in bowls could mean less interest from sponsors; bowls would dry up. A lot of athletic departments count on money from bowl games, and a lot of cities bank on the economic impact of 50,000-plus college football fans showing up to spend money on vacation.
No solution exists for crowning an undisputed national champion in college football. The current system is unarguably flawed, but fixing it with a playoff isn’t the right solution. The NFL has 32 teams; 12 make the playoffs, usually with no less than four or five common opponents each. The NCAA has 119 teams. Unfortunately, as it stands now, 10 make the BCS games, usually with little or no overlap, except among same-conference at-large teams.

It’s not fair, and it probably never will be. And shut up: Florida is the best team in the country.

- Alex Haueter

This year brings with it a host of interesting games, and in this post I’ll let you know my thoughts about who will win each of them and put a spread on it. Feel free to post your picks and we’ll see who does best in this friendly little competition.

I will also let you know which are the games to watch. So without further ado,  here are the bowl picks:

Italics = Predicted winner     Marked through = Loser

EagleBank Bowl: Wake Forest vs. Navy, Dec. 20, 11 a.m. ESPN, Spread: 10

New Mexico Bowl: Colorado State vs. Fresno State, Dec. 20, 2:30 p.m. ESPN, Spread: 5

St. Petersburg Bowl: Memphis vs. South Florida, Dec. 20, 4:30 p.m. ESPN2, Spread: 10

Las Vegas Bowl: BYU vs. Arizona, Dec. 20, 8 p.m. ESPN, Spread: 17 *Watch this one!*

New Orleans Bowl: Southern Miss vs. Troy, Dec. 21, 8:15 p.m. ESPN, Spread: 8

Poinsettia Bowl: Boise State vs. TCU, Dec. 23, 8 p.m. ESPN, Spread: 3 *Watch this one!*

Hawaii Bowl: Hawaii vs. Notre Dame, Dec. 24, 8 p.m. ESPN, Spread: 17

Motor City Bowl: Florida Atlantic vs. Central Michigan, Dec. 26, 7:30 p.m. ESPN, Spread: 14

Meineke Car Care Bowl: West Virginia vs. North Carolina, Dec. 27, 1 p.m. ESPN, Spread: 7

Champs Sports Bowl: Wisconsin vs. Florida State, Dec. 27, 4:30 p.m. ESPN, Spread: 10 *Watch this one!*

Emerald Bowl: Miami (Fla.) vs. California, Dec. 27, 8 p.m. ESPN, Spread: 6

Independence Bowl: Northern Illinois vs. Louisiana Tech, Dec. 28, 8:15 p.m. ESPN, Spread: 3

Papajohns.com Bowl: NC State vs. Rutgers, Dec. 29, 3 p.m. ESPN, Spread: 5

Alamo Bowl: Missouri vs. Northwestern, Dec. 29, 8 p.m. ESPN, Spread: 28 *Watch this one!*

Humanitarian Bowl: Maryland vs. Nevada, Dec. 30, 4:30 p.m. ESPN, Spread: 10

Texas Bowl: Western Michigan vs. Rice, Dec. 30, 8 p.m. NFL Network, Spread: 7

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces: Houston vs. Air Force, Dec. 31, Noon ESPN, Spread: 7

Sun Bowl: Oregon State vs. Pittsburgh, Dec. 31, 2 p.m. CBS, Spread: 3

Music City Bowl: Boston College vs. Vanderbilt, Dec. 31, 3:30 p.m. ESPN, Spread: 6

Insight Bowl: Kansas vs. Minnesota, Dec. 31, 5:30 p.m. NFL Network, Spread: 12

Chick-fil-A Bowl: LSU vs. Georgia Tech, Dec. 31, 7:30 p.m. ESPN, Spread: 4

Outback Bowl: South Carolina vs. Iowa, Jan. 1, 2009, 11 a.m. ESPN, Spread: 5

Capital One Bowl: Georgia vs. Michigan State, Jan. 1, 2009, 1 p.m. ABC, Spread: 7 *Watch this one!*

Gator Bowl: Nebraska vs. Clemson, Jan. 1, 2009, 1 p.m. CBS, Spread: 14 *Watch this one!*

Rose Bowl: Penn State vs. USC, Jan. 1, 2009, 4:30 p.m. ABC, Spread: 12 *Watch this one!*

Orange Bowl: Cincinnati vs. Virginia Tech, Jan. 1, 2009, 8:30 p.m. FOX, Spread: 3

Cotton Bowl: Ole Miss vs. Texas Tech, Jan. 2, 2009, 2 p.m. FOX, Spread: 24 *Watch this one!*

Liberty Bowl: Kentucky vs. East Carolina, Jan. 2, 2009, 5 p.m. ESPN, Spread: 7

Sugar Bowl: Utah vs. Alabama, Jan. 2, 2009, 8 p.m. FOX, Spread: 3 *Watch this one!*

International Bowl: Buffalo vs. Connecticut, Jan. 3, 2009, Noon ESPN2, Spread: 3 *Watch this one!*

Fiesta Bowl: Ohio State vs. Texas, Jan. 5, 2009, 8 p.m. FOX, Spread: 17 *Watch this one!*

GMAC Bowl: Ball State vs. Tulsa, Jan. 6, 2009, 8 p.m. ESPN, Spread: 7 *Watch this one!*

BCS National Championship Game: Florida vs. Oklahoma, Jan. 8, 2009, 8 p.m. FOX, Spread: 14 *Watch this one!*

Hope you have a great bowl season, I know I’ll enjoy watching the games. And submit your own, we’ll see who can come out on top.

Running total: 18-16 … not horrible …

University at Buffalo President John Simpson and UB Athletic Director Warde Manuel named Turner Gill the 23rd head football coach at University at Buffalo on Dec. 16, 2005. Gill signed a contract extension to continue being the head coach at Buffalo on Dec. 16, 2008. (File photo by Paul Hokanson)

Three years, to the day, that Turner Gill was announced as head coach at University at Buffalo, he signed a contract extension to continue coaching the Bulls.

Today the school and Gill announced that Gill would stay on as head coach for the Bulls with a contract extension that will go through the 2013 season.

Gill will receive a pay raise — as will his assistants — which will make him one of the highest paid coaches in the Mid-American Conference.

“On the day I came here to be the head coach I told my team that one day we would be successful here at the University at Buffalo,” Gill said in a statement.

“Now, more than ever, I have never been more proud to be the head coach of this program at this great academic institution. This program has proven it can win now and it is built to continue to win in the future. I am grateful to president John Simpson and athletic director Warde Manuel for their continued support and faith in me as a football coach and leader of young men.”

Gill has been mentioned for job openings at Syracuse, Auburn and Iowa State. He has a record of 15-22 in three years coaching the Bulls — a team that had won a total of 10 games in the seven years prior to Gill taking over.

“I am extremely proud of the accomplishments of Turner, his coaching staff and his team,” Manuel said. “They have brought unprecedented attention to the University at Buffalo and have been great ambassadors for the school. I am thrilled that Turner will remain as our head coach, and with President John Simpson, am elated to reward him and his staff for their efforts.”

This obviously means that Gill will be withdrawing his name from any more head coaching vacancies this year, although with another good year at Buffalo he will be a hot commodity next year around this time.

I’m happy for Gill and his accomplishments, there are few coaches out there who will work as hard for their team and for their community as Gill will. He’s been a class act wherever he has coached, and he’s shown it while coaching the Bulls.

On a personal note: I’m also happy the rumors of him going to Iowa State — which I had heard from very credible sources — will now go away. As a Nebraska native — and UNL Journalism School graduate – I never want to see Gill coaching at a rival of NU.

Paterno given extention

Joe Paterno turns 82 years old on Sunday, and he’ll be celebrating this birthday in style.

In this Sept. 20, 2008 file photo, Penn State coach Joe Paterno coaches the first half of NCAA college football game against Temple in State College, Pa. Paterno has a new three-year contract extension to go along with his new hip. The Hall of Famer and winningest coach in major college football history has agreed to a new deal with the university, the athletic department said Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2008 in a statement. (AP)

The coach was on the last year of his previous contract and had expressed his desire to return to Penn State for more football. An institution for the college, it’s not like they could just let him go — especially after an 11-1 season and a trip to the Rose Bowl.

The contract will run through 2011 and will provide “for the opportunity of Coach Joe Paterno leading the football program through the 2011 season,” the school said in their statement.

Paterno is the winningest coach in major college football history.

Oklahoma to play without Murray

Oklahoma announced today that star running back DeMarco Murry would be unable to play against Florida in the BCS Championship Game on Jan. 8, 2009.

Oklahoma running back DeMarco Murray (7) carries for a touchdown against Nebraska in the second quarter of an NCAA college football game in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Nov. 1, 2008. (AP)

Murray was injured during the opening kickoff of the Big 12 Championship, and didn’t return during the game.

Originally the OU coaching staff thought it was just a deep bruise, but upon further investigation it was found out that Murray blew out his hamstring and will need surgery.

Murray’s surgery is scheduled for Dec. 22, 2008. The school said that according to head trainer Scott Anderson, it will be about five months before Murray is cleared to resume training.

Murray was a beast this season, accounting for 18 touchdowns and 1,397 total yards.

Oklahoma will use running backs Chris Brown (1,110 yards rushing and 20 TDs) and Mossis Madu (463 yards rushing and 6 TDs) to replace the injured Murray.

Buffalo head football coach Turner Gill is doused at the end of their 42-24 victory over Ball State in the Mid-American Conference NCAA championship football game at Ford Field in Detroit, Friday, Dec. 5, 2008. (AP)

Charles Barkley was very adamant in who he wanted to take over his Auburn Tigers when on TNT for NBA coverage last week. And with Auburn’s decision, Barkley is screaming foul.

Barkley called for Auburn to hire ex-Nebraska coach and quarterback Turner Gill — now head coach at Buffalo University. Barkley sited Gill’s wonderful job at Buffalo and his ability to turn a once laughing stock of Division I football into a conference champion in just three years.

However, Auburn decided to hire Iowa State head coach Gene Chizik instead.

Barkley came out after the official announcement of Chizik and claimed the only reason the Tigers didn’t hire Gill was because Gill happens to be an African-American.

“I think race was the No. 1 factor,” said Barkley, who played basketball for Auburn before a long NBA career. “You can say it’s not about race, but you can’t compare the two resumes and say [Chizik] deserved the job. Out of all the coaches they interviewed, Chizik probably had the worst resume.”

And you know what? Barkley has a point.

Look at what these two coaches bring to the table:

Chizik is 5-19 over his two seasons as head coach at ISU. Sure Iowa State was 4-8 the year before Chizik took over, but Chizik has actually manged to make them worse. Not only that, but ISU was just one year removed from being tied for the North Title. Sure it’s difficult to recruit to a school like Iowa State — I mean who really wants to go to Ames? — but that’s not an excuse.

You know where else it’s hard to recruit players to?

Try Buffalo, NY., where it’s always cold and they play in a minor conference. Yet Gill has attracted players that never would have thought about Buffalo before, and has molded them into a class team. In the past two years Gill has lead a team that had won 10 games total — I’ll repeat that, TOTAL — in their first seven seasons, to 13 wins.

Heck, Gill has more wins this season than Chizik does in his head coaching career.

But Auburn AD Jay Jacobs said he had two main concerns. First was Gill’s lack of experience in the SEC — because coaching in the Big 12 was worse? And second was that Jacobs was concerned as to why he should hire Gill at Auburn if Gill was passed over at his Alma Mater after last season.

First of all, both those “concerns” are insulting when you choose Chizik as your coach.

Second, lack of experience in the SEC? Really? The Big 12 is a very competitive market, and just as tough to coach in. And then lets see Chizik take a horrible team and turn them into something respectable — oh wait, he can’t.

And then there was the concern about Gill being passed over at Nebraska. This was probably the most insulting and least informed statement Jacobs made. Did Jacobs even look at what state the Huskers were in while searching for a coach? Did he notice that the Nebraska offense was in great shape? Did he notice that NU needed stability on defense? Did he realize that Gill is an offensive coach?

Did Jacobs even pay attention to Gill during his interview, or was it just an interview set up so he didn’t look racist? And here’s the most important question, did Jacobs even consider the fact that Auburn’s defense is fine but he needs a lot of help on offense?

Gill is an offensive coach with a great track record. Chizik is a defensive coach who hasn’t shown he can lead a team. If those are your two options, you make the call.

Maybe race wasn’t a part — in fact I really hope it wasn’t — but Jacobs puts up a horrible defense against the argument when he hired Chizik. Gary Patterson? Sure. Brian Kelly? Go for it. Chizik? Not a chance.

Three words describe my feelings towards hiring Gene Chizik at Auburn right now: The Wrong Choice.

Oklahoma football player Sam Bradford, right, speaks after he won the Heisman Trophy during a ceremony Saturday, Dec. 13, 1008 in New York. (AP)

In what was an anticlimactic ceremony, Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford came away from the Downtown Athletic Club of New York carrying the Heisman Trophy.

Bradford beat out Texas’ Colt McCoy and the reigning Heisman winner, Florida’s Tim Tebow, for the honor. Bradford becomes only the second sophomore ever — Tebow was a sophomore last season when he won — to win the Heisman.

This announcement came as no surprise to me — as I had predicted it early in the day — but I was somewhat disappointed by the result.

After seeing the voting totals, however, I thought it was a supremely interesting Heisman race. I mean all one needs to see is the final votes to see how interesting the race truly was.

Bradford received 300 first-place votes, McCoy 266 and Tebow 309. Not since 1956 — Tommy McDonald of Oklahoma — had a player drawn the most first-place votes and finished third.

Truly where it mattered most was in the Southwest part of the country, where many votes went to Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree — who finished fourth and fifth respectively.

In the end, I’m not surprised by how this played out, but I’m just a little disappointed in the result. Bradford had the most talent around him all season — and he appropriately thanked that help after being called up — and he was closely followed by Tebow. Not among those with the blessing of a Percy Harvin or DeMarco Murry was McCoy.

McCoy had no Crabtree to throw to, and no Harvin to hand the ball off to. Instead, McCoy had to lead his team in rushing and become the most accurate passer in the history of the NCAA just to put his team in position to make a run at the BCS Championship.

By the definition of the award, McCoy deserved it. He was the most outstanding player in college football this season. No player meant as much to their respective teams as McCoy meant to the Longhorns. And for no other reason than that, he should have won.

Congratulations go out to Bradford for a wonderful season, and he deserves most honors bestowed upon him. However, it takes less effort to do what Bradford did this season than what it took to do what McCoy did.

With McCoy already announcing he will return to Texas next season, the question turns to whether Bradford will come back to OU — he is a draft eligible third-year sophomore — or head to the NFL. Will Tebow go to the NFL after three wildly successful seasons? Who will be favored for the award next year?

This was a great kickoff to the FBS postseason, and now I can’t wait to watch the last two Heisman Trophy winners match up head-to-head in the BCS Championship. Should be fun.

Iowa State football coach Gene Chizik waits to walk onto the field with players, including Ben Barkema, left, and Todd Blythe, right, before a game against Kent State, Thursday, Aug. 30, 2007, in Ames, Iowa. Chizik is in his first year as Iowa State coach. (AP)

Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard said in a statement that head coach Gene Chizik has been hired to replace Tommy Tubberville at Auburn.

“Gene [Chizik] confirmed for me today that he is accepting the head coaching position at Auburn,” Pollard said. “I’m disappointed for our Iowa State fans and student-athletes that he has chosen to leave our program after only two seasons.

“I understand that it [Auburn] is a dream job for him, but the timing and the way it played out has been hurtful and disappointing. Although this is a significant set back, we will get through the challenge because the Iowa State University athletics program is far greater than one person.”

With that in mind this hiring has to raise some eyebrows — I know it raised mine.

Is Gene Chizik really the best fit for the Auburn job? How can anyone at this point in time justify Chizik to lead a program to prominence? What has he shown to make anyone confident that he can do the job?

I’m sorry, and I don’t really mean to attack Chizik personally, but the job he’s done at Iowa State was poor — at best. He took over for a team that was on a high and quickly brought them back down to Earth.

Honestly, I was waiting for the announcement of Chizik being fired, or at least ISU’s AD saying he was on thin ice, yet today he moves to a more prestigious job? Wow.

On the other hand, this could be a good day for Iowa State. They don’t have to buy out Chizik’s contract, and it opens to the door for them to hire someone else. One name I think would fit quite well in Ames, is Turner Gill.

However, would Gill be willing to coach in the Big 12 and not coach for Nebraska? His blood runs very Nebraska red, so it’d be interesting. Just a thought.

I guess what I’m saying is, I don’t understand how Gene Chizik was able to move up in the world after showing poorly at the level he was already at.

Heisman finalists Sam Bradford, left, of Oklahoma, Colt McCoy, center, of Texas, and Tim Tebow, of Florida, pose for a photo after The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards ceremony in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., Thursday, Dec. 11, 2008. (AP)

Today marks the biggest day of individual achievement in college football, the presentation of the Heisman Trophy.

This year brings with it an interesting fight for this coveted statue, including maybe the three most compelling arguments for the award I’ve seen in a long time. However, that isn’t the only storyline that has lead up to tonight’s award ceremony. No, there has also been plenty of controversy.

It all started with the controversy of the BCS and the Big 12 Championship. With the extra game, Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford showed himself well against a slumping defense and lead the Sooners to their fifth straight 60-point game. But did Oklahoma deserve the extra game over Colt McCoy and Texas? It’s debatable.

Then there is the invitations sent out by the Downtown Athletic Club of New York , and how Texas Tech’s Graham Harrell wasn’t even invited. Instead, there were only three invitations sent out … to Oklahoma’s Bradford, Texas’ McCoy and Florida’s Tim Tebow.

Although there was controversy about the invitations, there is no controversy about whether one of these three would win the award. With that in mind, here’s a look at each one of these three candidates.

Tim Tebow, QB, Florida –

lorida quarterback Tim Tebow (15) looks for an open receiver as Alamaba's Bobby Greenwood closes in during the second quarter of the Southeastern Conference Championship NCAA football game at the Georgia Dome Saturday, Dec. 6, 2008 in Atlanta. (AP)

History could be made tonight as Tebow, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, looks to become only the second ever two-time Heisman winner. He’s trying to join former Ohio State running back Archie Griffin as the only two-time winners. And Tebow’s case is strong:

Tebow is fifth in the nation in passer rating (176.7) while going 174-for-268 for 2515 yards, 28 touchdown passes and only two interceptions, and he has rushed for 564 yards and 12 touchdowns. He’s lead the Gators to the BCS National Championship game against Oklahoma — as he works for his second National Championship as well.

Tebow has become arguably one of the Top five to ten college football players of all-time, and he still has one more year of eligibility left. Just imagine if he were to win tonight, and come back next year … could we be looking upon the first ever three-time winner?

Heisman Moment: Tebow has been relatively quite this season — even with his great numbers and season — when it comes to “Heisman Moments.” No, he doesn’t have a 97-yard run from scrimmage or TD catch against Oklahoma like Eric Crouch did in 2001, but what Tebow does have is leadership. For me, the moment that defines Tebow’s season was the way he reacted after Florida’s surprise loss to Ole Miss. After that game, Tebow was nearly perfect and lead his team to the SEC Championship and a birth in the BCS Championship Game. There’s no one moment for his definition, it was the full season.

Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma -

Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford drops back to pass during the first quarter of the Big 12 Championship football game against Missouri Saturday, Dec. 6, 2008 in Kansas City, Mo. (AP)

Bradford probably has the brightest future out of the three Heisman finalists. He stands strong at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds and possesses the mobility and laser arm that the NFL scouts drool over. Not only that, but he is efficient and accurate. In fact, he leads all active college quarterbacks in career passing efficiency, and is on top of that stat this year.

Bradford leads the nation in passer rating (186.29) while going 302-for-442 for 4464 yards (third in the nation), leading the nation in passing touchdowns (48) and only throwing 6 interceptions. He doesn’t have the rushing stats that Tebow or McCoy have, but he pushed the piles five times for rushing TDs of his own.

Last year Tebow made history, becoming the first sophomore to win the award, and this year Bradford looks prime to follow in Tebow’s footsteps.

No quarterback can come close to Bradford’s passing stats, and he lead Oklahoma to a record 702 points this season. He orchestrated the Sooners current streak of five straight games of 60 points or more. In fact, if you were to look up Heisman stats in the dictionary, his stats would probably be listed amongst them.

Heisman Moment: Bradford’s Heisman Moment for me came against Texas Tech. There wasn’t one play in that game that set him apart, it was the full game. Bradford did exactly what McCoy and Texas couldn’t, break down Tech’s defense. Bradford didn’t just dominate Tech, he went 14-for-19 for 304 yards and four touchdowns. Tech didn’t even know what hit them.

Colt McCoy, QB, Texas -

Texas quarterback Colt McCoy, left, evades Oklahoma State safety Andre Sexton during the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2008, in Austin, Texas. Texas won 28-24.(AP)

McCoy had a very strong season, and probably is the most valuable player in college football this season. Texas has talent, a lot of it, but they aren’t as loaded on the offensive side of the ball as Florida or Oklahoma and it showed this season. However, even though he had a harder go of it, he put together a great season and arguably should be playing against Florida on Jan. 8, 2009 instead of Bradford and Oklahoma.

McCoy is third in the nation in passer rating (179.2) while going 291-for-375 for 3445, 32 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also lead the Longhorns in rushing with 576 yards and 10 TDs. However, the story of his season is his passing accuracy this season.

McCoy has completed an NCAA record 77.6% of his passes this season — in fact he could go 0-20 against Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl and still set the record. McCoy had only two games this season in which he completed less than 70% of his passes and only one where completed less than 60% of his passes, and that one game happened to be Texas’ one loss — against Texas Tech.

McCoy has already announce he will return for his senior season, and looks to be a Heisman favorite next season no matter what happens tonight.

Heisman Moment: There are a couple moments that stick out in my mind for McCoy’s Heisman resume.

The first moment was against Oklahoma. With his Longhorns down 21-10, McCoy took the game over and lead his team to five scoring drives and a 45-35 victory over the Sooners. McCoy looked as impressive as any quarterback that day.

The second moment came with less than six minutes to go in Lubbock, TX., as McCoy lead his Longhorns down the field for what looked like the winning score against Texas Tech. 11 plays and 80 yards later, the Longhorns had a 33-32 lead with only 90 seconds to go. All Texas needed was a stop to secure a BCS Championship Game appearance, and McCoy’s Heisman. Unfortunately for the Longhorns, the didn’t get that stop.

The ending of that game, however, didn’t change the fact that it was a Heisman moment by every definition of the phrase.

Prediction -

Now comes the time for the “bold” predictions.

I am conflicted when it comes to tonight’s ceremony. On one hand, Tebow and Bradford have both lead their teams to the BCS Championship Game, but Texas wouldn’t have been close without McCoy. I guess it comes down to the definition of the award — which goes to the most outstanding college football player — and then it’s the stats.

So it comes down to two categories; who I’d like to win and who will actually win. And those two categories don’t match up this year.

I would like to see McCoy get the trophy, he deserves it. Oklahoma and Florida both would have had a shot to be where they are now without Bradford and Tebow respectively. Maybe not as good a shot, but still they have the talent to have had a chance. However, Texas needed this season from McCoy to stand a chance. He was a leader and a winner.

With that in mind, I personally believe that Sam Bradford will win tonight, with Tebow being the runner up and McCoy in third. Bradford’s statistics are mind-boggling and his leadership is undeniable. I think the conference championship helped his cause a lot, and probably pushed him over the top. However, we’ll find out tonight if that is correct.

How I’d like it to finish

1. Colt McCoy
2. Sam Bradford
3. Tim Tebow

How I think it will finish

1. Sam Bradford
2. Tim Tebow
3. Colt McCoy