College Football Potpourii

by BH

Now that we have reached the end of the college football season, it can be said with some certainty that the two best teams in the country are headed to the BCS Championship game. USC and Texas kicked the crap out of UCLA and Colorado, respectively, earning a trip to the Rose Bowl that will decide whether the Longhorns win the school's first national championship since 1970 or the Trojans win their third in a row. This is the way college football championships should be decided. With the #1 and #2 teams facing off, Heisman Trophy candidates against Heisman Trophy candidates. Texas looked so good against Colorado that it seems inconceivable that they were playing a conference championship game. In the Coliseum in Los Angeles, what amounted to a conference championship was almost as lopsided. By the end of the day, we had learned that Vince Young is the most exciting quarterback in the country, and that Reggie Bush has achieved some mythical, god-like status.

I'm always amazed when watching college football games, with how long coaches will leave starters in during the course of blowouts. I think the score was 51-6, and the Trojans, with Bush, Lienart, and the rest of the first team still in the game, were throwing passes. I know UCLA has shown a knack for big comebacks this season, but jeez. It was still the third quarter, but the game seemed to be in hand for the Trojans. In Houston, Texas' actions after the game was well in hand left some wondering. Bolded parts come from an ESPN.com story.

Texas hung 70 on the board in 2½ quarters, which is scarcely believable. Even though the Horns didn't score again, coach Mack Brown was notably slow taking his foot off the accelerator.

Several defensive starters were still in the game at 70-3, and defensive coordinator Gene Chizik was still calling blitzes. One of them, by linebacker Drew Kelson, resulted in a vicious helmet-to-helmet hit on Colorado quarterback Joel Klatt, literally knocking him senseless.

Kelson was flagged, and Klatt was concussed. He left Reliant Stadium on a stretcher, bound for a local hospital for overnight observation.

The consensus in the media seems to be that the Heisman Trophy was locked by Reggie Bush and his 260 yards rushing, despite Vince Young rebounding to lead Texas' convincing win. Don't tell that to Coach Brown though.

"I'd just like to say, look at the year," Brown said when asked about his quarterback's Heisman bid. "Vince Young is a great football player and to me, the most valuable player on our football team for sure, and on any team in the country."

The Heisman is awarded to, according to the the Heisman Trophy Award website, Heisman.com, "the most outstanding college football player." It is not a most valuable player award.