Campus Confidential

By Adam Abramson

The location of my desk makes a lot of sense. I’m smack dab in the middle of the newsroom. Late night, I have to keep tabs on the whole site, so my location allows me to be between the news desk and sports desk so I am easily accessible.

The only problem with my locale was that I never had a clear view of any of the 954 TVs in the newsroom. I was always straining to look around some column, looking over my shoulder or getting up to catch something on the tube.

To remedy this, I put in a request for a small TV for the desk and they came through for me, except it had no cable. So my TV projected nothing but snow…until last night. Just in time for the Auburn-South Carolina game. Talk about being just in time.

Considering everyone (including me) thought it would be a blowout at the hands of the Tigers, Spurrier’s team overcame some monster hurdles to put up one hell of a fight. Has anyone ever seen a team have the ball for an ENTIRE quarter? I thought this was an amazing stat—South Carolina’s offense didn’t step foot on the field for the entire third quarter, after controlling the ball over 18 minutes in the first half.

Take away the dropped touchdown with two minutes left and we could have been looking at overtime (though Auburn driving the field to win the game at the end wouldn’t have shocked me). I am thanking the TV and cable gods that I was able to watch.

Oh, and send my regards to Fort Worth. Texas Christian forfeited the nation’s longest winning streak with a loss to BYU on Thursday night.

Moving on.

If last weekend was Sleepwalk Saturday, I’m jumping the gun and calling this Surprise Saturday…I’d call it Cardiac Saturday, but cardiac doesn’t start with an S and everyone loves alliteration.

This weekend’s potential marquee close calls:

• No. 1 Ohio State at No. 13 Iowa, 8
  
• No. 3 USC at Washington State, 7
  
• Alabama at No. 5 Florida, 3:30
  
• No. 6 Michigan at Minnesota, 8
  
• No. 24 Georgia Tech at No. 11 Virginia Tech, 3:30
  
• Purdue at No. 12 Notre Dame, 2:30
  
• No. 14 Oregon at Arizona State, 3:30
  
• Colorado at No. 25 Missouri, 12:30
  

• Can the Hawkeyes beat a No. 1 team? You know they’re going to be jacked up out in Iowa. I heard a story on the radio about the 12-10 Iowa win over Michigan in 1985 where it was so loud, the TV cameras where shaking. The crowd will probably be that insane tomorrow, but Ohio State looked pretty mean against Penn State. I’m not going against my national title favorite, but I think they’ll get a scare.

• I said in the office on Thursday that USC would lose to Washington State and I’ll stick to it or La Monica won’t let me live it down. I know WSU was crushed by Auburn in the opener 40-14, but that game was in Alabama and opening games are never a good benchmark. If the Cougars can use the tandem DeMaundray Woolridge (great name) and Dwight Tardy to control the clock and keep the Trojans off the field, anything is possible. Quarterback Alex on the Brink of an upset (that was bad, sorry) has a pair of legs himself which always makes it tough for defenses (see Auburn-South Carolina). I’m taking the Cougars here as long as they don’t turn over the ball.

• I thought a lot about Florida this week. I think they are overlooked. I know their ranking is impressive, but they’re not talked about with the Auburns, Southern Californias and Ohio States of the world. A few lucky breaks and I can see this team undefeated come year’s end. They might get a scare this weekend though.

• I have Michigan and Minnesota on the list, but I don’t think it’ll be that big of a deal. Although…the Wolverines are always good for the perennial let down game…why not on Cardi…err I mean Surprise Saturday.

• I haven’t faltered on this pick…Georgia Tech to beat Virginia Tech. I will give props to Hokie wide receiver David Clowney though. The man had an emergency appendectomy last week, but has been cleared to play just seven days after surgery. I’d still be in bed being spoon fed apple sauce.

• I want to figure out this Notre Dame team already, it’s driving me crazy. They look horrible, they look amazing, horrible, amazing. I am starting to think this could be because of a lack of depth. If they can get by Mike Alstott’s alma mater, they should be in good shape the next few weeks as they gear up for Southern Cal.

• Oregon beat Oklahoma in a kooky finish and now they’re a top 15 team. I’m not buying it. If Arizona State can get 11 guys to play defense at the same time, they’ll win this game.

• Yeah, I know I added Colorado/Missouri to the list. What I don’t know is how many people outside of these states care, but I put it because of the ranking. I’m going to take Colorado, they’ve gotta win a ball game at some point.
  

Well…I’m going to Manhattan to watch the Tech bowl. I’ll return home in time to watch the Big 10 games.

Enjoy.

By Adam Abramson

I know I’m a day late, and I apologize. But, as we all know, pimpin’ ain’t easy.

If the season ended today, here’s who I would invite to New York, in order this week:

Adrian Peterson, Oklahoma
Running back, Junior
So far, so good for AP. As OU moves into its Big 12 schedule, we’ll see how he responds, but if I had to guess, I say business as usual.
Last week: 27 carries, 128 yards, 3 TDs against Middle Tennessee St.
This week: idle

Troy Smith, Ohio State
Quarterback, Senior
His numbers aren’t All-World or anything, but he’s played against four potential bowl teams so far and he’s only thrown two picks. It almost goes without saying that OSU is not No. 1 if Smith isn’t under center. Saturday is a game people will remember come December, so he better step it up if he wants the Trophy.
Last week: 12-22, 115 yards, 1 TD against Penn State
This week: at No. 13 Iowa

Garrett Wolfe, Northern Illinois
Running back, Senior
I think it’s funny that some people don’t consider him a candidate when he’s the nation’s leading rusher breaking off an average of 207 yards per game. Enough said.
Last week: 22 carries, 198 yards, 4 TDs against Indiana State (the fighting Larry Birds)
This week: at Ball State

Calvin Johnson, Georgia Tech
Wide receiver, Junior
He was simply dominant against Virginia last Thursday. Tomorrow he gets the chance to torch Virginia Tech. If he does, that’s two-for-two on stepping up in huge games (think back to opening week versus Notre Dame). He’s gotta beef up the numbers for more serious consideration though.
Last week: 6 catches, 165 yards, 2 TDs versus Virginia
This week: at No. 11 Virginia Tech

Brady Quinn, Notre Dame
Quarterback, Senior
You can’t keep this guy off of the list after his gutsy performance against Michigan State. You can say the Spartans stopped blitzing, giving him more time, but he still picked them apart as well as any quarterback is capable of – he just needs to put it together on a more consistent basis.
Last week: 20-36, 319 yards, 5 TDs at Michigan State
This week: at Purdue

Making moves:

Ray Rice, Rutgers
Running back, Sophomore
All of the hype was around backfield mate Brandon Leonard coming into the season – they even had a Heisman banner in Times Square for him – but Rice is the man putting up for the Scarlet Knights. He’s the nation’s fourth leading rusher and has nine TDs.
Last week: 23 rushes, 105 yards, 3 TDs versus Howard
This week: tonight at South Florida

Defensive bruiser:

Alvin Bowen, Iowa State
Linebacker, Junior
Bowen’s notched 54 tackles in four games, what a ball hawk. He didn’t have his most stellar weekend against Texas with just six tackles, but totals of 20 and 15 against Toledo and Iowa make up for it. He also has two picks.
Last week: Six tackles versus Texas
This week: versus Northern Iowa

One of the many ways I waste time outside of the office is following recruiting year in and out. I remember my sophomore year of college, some buddies of mine were following Tech’s prospects and showed me the proper channels to follow it, and from there, it kind of blossomed.

One thing that always ends up a topic of discussion is rankings and star power. Recruiting services such as Scout.com and Rivals.com always create controversy with their evaluation of the nation’s top prep players.

Many believe that rankings and stars mean very little in the grand scheme of themes, but I’m not one of them. The more five-star prospects a team accrues, the more of a chance its 22 will win more ball games than its counterparts with less blue chippers.

That’s not to say five-star players never flake out or two- and three-star guys never pan out, but from an odds perspective, I’d put my money on a five-star guy (not rocket science, I know).

I decided to look up the top 10 recruits in the country from last season…here’s how they’re doing so far (rankings according to Scout.com):

1. Chris Wells, RB, Ohio State: 25 carries, 96 yards, 1 TD (playing behind junior Antonio Pittman)
2. Andre Smith, OL, Alabama: Starting offensive tackle
3. Sam Young, OL, Notre Dame: Starting offensive tackle (pictured)
4. Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma: Redshirt
5. Vidal Hazelton, WR, Southern California: No catches (look at who the Staten Island native is playing behind though)
6. Sergio Kindle, LB, Texas: Hobbled by an ankle injury. Starting to see action.
7. Myron Rolle, S, Florida State: Splitting time at rover (see below)
8. Percy Harvin, WR, Florida: 7 catches, 132 yards, 1 TD, 4 rushes, 83 yards
9. Micah Johnson, LB, Kentucky: 4 games, 12 tackles (11 solo, not bad…)
10. Mitch Mustain, QB, Arkansas: 33-65, 487 yards, 5 TDs, 5 INTs

That’s a pretty impressive list for a bunch of 18-year olds. Hazelton is playing behind the most talented trio of wide receivers in the country (Dwayne Jarrett, Steve Smith and Patrick Turner). Reports also say Kindle would be a big time contributor had he been healthy this summer.

If you guys like it, I’ll keep an eye on more freshmen as the year progresses and I’ll put together a All-Freshman team when the season wraps up.

I’ll close with some words about Myron Rolle. During the Miami-Florida State game, my buddy Nick calls me to talk about the game when they flashed to Rolle on the screen. We both realized how jacked this kid was and Nick goes “that’s one of those kids who we have no advantage over.”

Here’s why:

In addition to being one of the top football prospects in the country, Rolle (6’2, 218…monster) was an A-student at The Hun School and won the prestigious Watkins Award given to “a high school student on the basis of academic achievement, athletics and community involvement.”

In addition to receiving top honors for grades, Rolle took AP Biology, BC Calculus and Spanish (more AP classes than I took in high school). His SAT score is equivalent to a 1340 on the old version (that’s really good). HE WAS THE LEAD ROLE IN THE SCHOOL MUSICAL –“Fiddler on the Roof.” He was the sports editor of his school’s paper when he was a freshman in high school and was freshman class president. He was also a top basketball player and ran track.

This kid is a friggin’ bruiser.

Oh, and let me know if you want me to talk more recruiting, make it known.

Watch out for the Heisman Watch tomorrow.

By Adam Abramson

Why is this entry called "Do the walk of life?" Well, I've had that Dire Straits tune stuck in my head the last two days and I wasn't sure what this post was going to accomplish, so there you go. And I know it's called "Walk of Life" not "Do the walk of life."

Moving on to business. I woke up to two important IMs today.

The first I received came from my college buddy, Wes. He informed me that Monday's Pardon the Interruption talked about Ohio State's Jenkins spiking the ball on the one-yard line (see my post from Saturday). Think Kornheiser and Wilbon read my blog? I do, and that's all that counts. Wes, good looking out. I should have cable at my desk by Friday.

Another important one came from my college editor, Jeremy. Basically, it said "Okay, so you have Virginia Tech ahead of Georgia Tech, but you think GT will win. Then you b&m about WVU ahead of Texas in the polls because if Texas and WVU met on a neutral field, UT would win. If that's your logic (which it should be) then VT should be behind GT."

I couldn't come up with a witty retort to this. I simply said "Good point. I should change that." So, whoops. Because the AP did it two weeks ago, I'm releasing a new poll, and I tried to be honest with myself about VT (see the poll below). I dropped them 7 places. I think all 17 teams in front of VT right now could beat the Hokies. Now, if VT makes me eat crow by winning convincingly on Saturday, I'll move it back up near the top 10.

But, I still don't see VT winning that game. I feel even more confident about my pick after the news surfaced that Tech's second-leading wide receiver (who's blocked two kicks in four games), and one of its top (if not top) defensive lineman were suspended. A Saturday night altercation outside some of the bars in Blacksburg led to their arrests. I'm not even going to try and wrap my head around that one.

I'll finish with two things...one, the poll below. Two, why don't many "blue chip" football recruits hail from Long Island? There are a boat load of huge high schools here. The numbers just don't add up. I know all about East Meadow's John Elliot, Uniondale's Andrew Quarless (2005), North Babylon's Jason Gwaltney (2004) and I'm sure plenty of other great players have come from Long Island. But considering the size of LI and some of the high schools on it, I'm surprised at the number (or lack there of) of top college football players who call LI home.

Maybe players on LI are underrated? Freeport’s D’Brickashaw Ferguson was a three-star prospect (out of five) in 2002. St. Anthony’s Matt Hahn, another three-star in 2004, starts at FB for Penn State. Discuss. On my comments, preferably.

OHHH, and about my cold. Christine, here at work, told me about this stuff called Airborne. I went and picked it up at the drug store. Worked wonders.

1. Ohio State
2. Texas
3. Florida
4. Auburn
5. Southern California
6. Michigan
7. Louisiana State
8. West Virginia
9. Georgia
10. Louisville
11. Oregon
12. Iowa
13. Oklahoma
14. Notre Dame
15. Georgia Tech
16. Clemson
17. Tennessee
18. Virginia Tech
19. California
20. Nebraska
21. Michigan State
22. Texas Christian
23. Rutgers…for the second week in my top 25
24. Boise State
25. Chris Simms’ spleen (I still think it could beat Arizona State)

By Adam Abramson

I call my buddy Nick Saturday night and he greets me with the following: “Yo. If you could have a cheetah or rabbit as a running back, what do you choose?”

Adam: “Umm. Cheetah.”

Nick: “[Explicative]. Rabbits are so low to the ground, they can’t get tackled.”

Adam: “Cheetahs run 60 mph and will rip your face off if you try to tackle them.”

Although cheetahs get fatigued easily, I think I win that as long as I have Michigan State’s Jehuu Caulcrick (6’0, 260) as my third down back.

About the State-Notre Dame game. I know I should have kept writing Saturday night, but when I shut down the operation, it wasn’t even half time. I would have written 72 pages had I kept going. I had people calling me, emailing me and IMing me about it, telling me I shouldn’t have stopped. Instead, show some love by leaving a comment.

Why did the comeback transpire? Was it because Brady Quinn turned it up about 100 notches or because the Spartans decided to watch the game from home in the second half? I’ thinking that Quinn figured how to throw an out route (see my Saturday night post) and everything unfolded from there. Notre Dame didn’t do anything special to spark the comeback; they just executed.

I will say that I think Drew Stanton is as good as Quinn, if not better.

Someone on one of the message boards I troll called this past “Sleepwalk Saturday.” I think that’s pretty darn clever considering there were so many close calls.

With a lot of big conference games coming up, I’m gonna give most close calls passes. But, Mark Richt, if you’re reading this, don’t think I’ll always be this kind. I won’t.

Here’s my top 25, followed by thoughts…

1. Ohio State
2. Texas
3. Florida
4. Auburn
5. Southern California
6. Michigan
7. Louisiana State
8. West Virginia
9. Georgia
10. Louisville
11. Virginia Tech
12. Oregon
13. Iowa
14. Oklahoma
15. Notre Dame
16. Tennessee
17. Clemson
18. Georgia Tech
19. California
20. Nebraska
21. Michigan State
22. Texas Christian
23. Rutgers…for the second week in my top 25
24. Boise State
25. Chris Simms’ spleen (if I had to pick a team, I’d go with Alabama)

• I love how West Virginia is ranked ahead of Texas. Do the pollsters really think if WVU and UT met at a neutral site that the Mountaineers would win? I think the Longhorns would blow them to pieces. After WVU’s ugly display of football for most of Saturday against East Carolina, the ice they’re walking on can’t get much thinner.

• October 7, Michigan State at Michigan. Should be a good one.

• Why can’t Florida State run the ball? Put it this way: FSU had 287 rushing yards against Rice and are NOW ranked 82 in the country in rushing at 108.75 yards per game. Here’s why I ask: What do their tailbacks Lorenzo Booker (senior) and Antone Smith (sophomore) have in common? They were both ranked No. 1 in the country coming out of high school. No excuses in my book.

• The ACC still sucks.

• Cool fact: Joe Cox, Georgia’s savior at quarterback on Saturday, went to Independence High School in Charlotte with still teammate Mohamed Massaquoi (same as Chris Leak). Independence is riding a 97-game winning streak. That’s a lot of games.
  

By Adam Abramson

It’s 8:04 p.m. and I’m sitting down in front of the big screen with my pops to watch Notre Dame-Michigan State and Boston College-North Carolina State.

Sounds simple. But instead of sweet pregame montages, we have Linda Cohn fumbling through words on ESPN 2 and American Bandstand on ABC (some band I’ve never heard of playing a song I’ve never heard with a shoddy attempt to incorporate football highlights).

My dad looks to me and says, “I guess they’re trying to reach your demographic with this music.” Well, on behalf of my demographic, I just want to say it’s ridiculous and a waste of money. Play some sweet music we’ve all heard of, show some money highlights and muzzle Brent Musberger and you have my attention.

What a weird afternoon of football though. Colorado gives Georgia fits, East Carolina has West Virginia on its toes for a while, Wisconsin gave Michigan a run for its money, Penn State led 3-0 at the half at Ohio State, Auburn only had a 10-0 advantage against Buffalo at the half and Cincinnati led going into the fourth quarter against Virginia Tech.

Speaking of Virginia Tech, I didn’t get to watch the Hokies…again. Because I’m trying to shake this cold bug I decided not to make the trip to Manhattan to watch the game and none of the bars out here had ESPNU. So I spent the early afternoon with Wisconsin-Michigan on mute and Bill Roth telling the story of Virginia Tech-Cincinnati on Internet radio.

My thoughts? Well, Michigan WR Mario Manningham is darn good. His two touchdown catches were quite impressive. I also heard Mark May call Badger tailback P.J. Hill Jr. the Wisconsin Winnebego (5’11, 242) – what a great nickname. As far as the Tech game? I was trolling the VT message boards during the game and everyone wanted to give Cincinnati credit, but I’m not buying it. The ACC is soft this year and I’m calling a Georgia Tech win over VT right now, as much as that pains me to say. I’ll sing a different tune if the Hokies can beat GT, but I don’t see it happening right now.

Before I move on, Michigan State just scored on a three-play drive to take a 7-0 lead over Notre Dame. Spartans QB Drew Stanton is the real deal. He’s mobile, accurate and tough. This is going to be a high scoring affair if Brady Quinn can complete an out route.

Anyway, I don’t want to get into too many specifics about today or else I’ll be typing 3,000 words before I know it, but did anyone see the end of the Penn State-Ohio State game? Malcom Jenkins picks off a terrible pass from Anthony Morelli with about three minutes left, makes some nifty moves and turned it into a touchdown. Now…was I the only one who saw him spike the ball in celebration on the 1-yard line? The announcers didn’t say a word about it, but it looked pretty obvious to me. If you saw this comment and let me know I’m not crazy.

Staying on crazy, Alabama kicker Leigh Tiffin must be pulling his hair out after missing field goals of 33, 30 and 37 yards and an extra point in the second overtime as the Tide lost to Arkansas. I hope someone is staying with Tiffin tonight until he falls asleep. As former Alabama football player Forrest Gump once said “That’s all I’m gonna say about that.”

Notre Dame safety Tom Zbikowski, one of my favorite cfb players, just muffed a punt, picked up and fumbled it again. The best part of the play was the fact that State punter Brandon Fields got into the pile and came up with the ball. I went to look up Fields’ numbers this year, clicked his bio and his eyes looked closed. It was funnier when I started typing it.

Michigan State just scored on a trick play. Oops. 14-0. Wide receiver Matt Trannon (of the basketball team, right?) just caught a screen and threw it to a wide open Javon Ringer on the other side of the field. They said he can throw the ball 23 yards, seriously? What an athlete.

I wish I would have thought of this earlier, but I am going to start calling them the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, presented by ABC’s Brent Musberger (has the ring of The Big 12 Championship, presented by Dr. Pepper, right? This has officially turned into a stream of consciousness).

Brady Quinn was just sacked on third down. Man, what a rough first 10 minutes for the Irish. Things have gotta change quickly.

On ESPN2, Boston College is up 6-3 on NCSU. I went down to Raleigh for a game last year, the Wolfpack faithful take their football seriously and they’re pretty knowledgeable…they’ve gotta be in pain this year.

Kerry Reed just dropped a touchdown pass. Gotta catch that ball son. This came after a 37-yard run by Drew Stanton, can we say first round draft pick? Another ball just went through Terry Love’s hands on third down, forcing a field goal. The Irish are lucky it’s not 21-0.

Okay, enough play by play. On Monday, I’m going to put out my top 25 poll and more thoughts about the weekend. I’m going bold with some of my rankings, so be sure to check it out. I also want to say, for the record, that Rutgers was ranked in my poll last week. Maybe I do know what I’m talking about.

And because it’s my blog, I want to say congrats to Division III Emory and Henry for improving to 2-1 today. A good college buddy of mine coaches there, and they rule.

I’m ending this as Quinn throws another terrible out route. Bye.

By Adam Abramson

I’m ticked off.

I started feeling under the weather yesterday as I was writing the Heisman watch. I figured I could shake it with a ‘mind over matter’ deal like I usually try to do. But, I couldn’t. I’m sick. At least it’s Friday and I now have an excuse to lay on the couch and watch football all day.

On to more important things.

Calvin Johnson.

Wow.

The Georgia Tech wide receiver is unstoppable. He has the build of Terrell Owens (Johnson is 6’5, 235, Owens is 6’3, 225), the attitude of Marvin Harrison (aka humble) and the hands of…I don’t know, someone with huge hands.

Thursday night, Johnson torched Virginia to the tune of six catches, 165 yards and two touchdowns. That’s 27.5 yards per catch for those of you fumbling for a calculator. In four games he has 19 catches, 311 yards, 5 touchdowns.

If I played quarterback for the Yellow Jackets I would just drop back, throw up a deep ball and have Calvin go get it on every down much like I do on Playstation. I am figuring that Johnson wouldn’t get tired, much like the guys on the game don’t. (For the record, I don’t do it every down, but I do it a lot)

Against Troy and Samford (not Stanford), Johnson had two and four catches, respectively. If he can grab a combined 13 balls against Notre Dame and Virginia, GT’s offense is doing him a disservice by not getting him the ball more against the cupcakes on the schedule.

If any receiver could win the Heisman, it’d be Johnson. But the task is so difficult, he’d have to be hauling in 7-8 for 100 and 1-2 every week and then probably host a telethon to get votes.

He’ll be in my Heisman watch next week unless Virginia Tech back Branden Ore and Rutgers back Ray Rice rush for 5 scores a piece.

Before I get to the weekend, I wanted to link this highlight reel made after last night’s game. One, because UVa is my sworn rival, and two because it’s hilarious. It’ll take a minute or two to load.

As for my thoughts about this weekend…

• Colorado is going to drop to 0-4 after getting massacred by Georgia. I hope nobody told Dan Hawkins it would be easy in Boulder.

• Cal has an important game against Arizona State. Falling to 2-2 after starting the season in the Top 10 wouldn’t make things very ginger in Berkeley.

• What’s going to happen to the ACC is Boston College loses at North Carolina State? Frankly, I don’t know if it’s possible because the Wolfpack is in a dramatic tailspin, but the conference would be a complete mess if BC does lose. Right now, BC, Wake Forest and Virginia Tech are the only unbeatens in the conference. Not good.

• Upset watch: host Kansas State over No. 8 Louisville. The Cardinals are so injury plagued, it has become unfair. Star running back Michael Bush is out for the year and the very talented Brian Brohm won’t be throwing passes for at last a month.

• Penn State is going to be 2-2 after this weekend because Ohio State is going to flat out dominate Joe Pa's boys. If trends hold, the Nittany Lions will have two bad losses on their record with a couple of potential losses on the horizon (mainly Michigan in October). The emotional high from last year’s Orange Bowl victory isn’t lasting very long.

• Upset watch #2 (but not nearly as…alarming): Wisconsin at Michigan. Could this be a let down game for the Wolverines? I don’t think so, but you never know.

• Upset watch #3 (pretty alarming, but if it happens then maybe Notre Dame isn’t good after all): Michigan State doesn’t have the most stellar defense in the country, but it has enough weapons on offense (QB Drew Stanton and RB Javon Ringer) to make a Saturday night date with Notre Dame interesting. Stanton is a gamer and I think he’ll be pretty good on Sundays in the future. Maybe that’s just me.
  

Noon: Cincinnati at Virginia Tech
3:30: Penn State at Ohio State
4:30: West Virginia at East Carolina. I want to see more of WVU. And, on a side note, ECU has a nice stadium. I was there for a game during the David Garrard era and I was pretty impressed.
8:00: Notre Dame at Michigan State. I might have to watch this one on mute considering B.M. is calling the game.

I’ll cut it off here. Enjoy the weekend. Wash your hands, keeps the germs away.

By Adam Abramson

Adrian Peterson, Oklahoma
Running Back, Junior
He hasn’t done anything to change my mind. I still think he’s the best player in the country. He’s piling up the yards and has five scores already, but my concern is the work load OU is throwing at him – he’s had 96 touches in three games. Only four others have at least 80 touches.

Garrett Wolfe, Northern Illinois
Running Back, Senior
He’s the nation’s leading all-purpose runner thus far. I understand his competition is not earth shattering, but 285 total yards against No. 1 Ohio State isn’t bad…it’s actually quite good. You gotta count him in if he keeps adding to his touchdown total, currently standing at 5.

Steve Slaton, West Virginia
Running Back, Sophomore
This kid is a bull. He’s ripping off carries to the tune of 8.11 yards. Consistent second and twos? That’s quite a weapon for West Virginia.

Troy Smith, Ohio State
Quarterback, Senior
The best player on the nation’s best team is fitting the bill. Seven passing touchdowns, zero interceptions and the nation’s third best QB rating – oh, one of his wins was in Texas. Almost forgot that.

Chris Leak, Florida
Quarterback, Senior
In addition to throwing the nicest ball I’ve ever seen, Leak has led the Gators to three wins as the nation’s top passer. He’s topping everyone in passing touchdowns (10), has thrown for 799 yards at a 65.5 completion percentage and amassed the country’s best passer rating – 177.5. I remember when he came out of Independence High in Charlotte with the college football universe in his palms. It’s been quite the ride for Leak (who’s had his share of critics for not living up to expectations), but better late than never.

Guys who are making a stink:

Keenan Burton, Kentucky
Wide Receiver, Junior
In three games Burton has had 18 touches (12 catches, 6 returns) for 446 yards. That’s 24.8 yards per touch. Call me crazy, but I think UK needs up his touches per game. Assuming the Wildcats started from their one, they’d score every fourth time he got a touch, right?

Chase Holbrook, New Mexico State
Quarterback, Sophomore
He’s the only passer in the country to eclipse 1,000 yards so far. His total? 1,200 yards. He has nine touchdowns to just two picks. If his arm doesn’t fall off, he’s going to put up some big boy numbers.

Defensive bruiser:

H.B. Blades, Pittsburgh
Linebacker, Senior
He’s everywhere averaging almost 14 tackles per game. He’s also picked off a pass, broken up a few more, and made his way into the backfield a couple of times. Pittsburgh is 2-1 largely in part to the Plantation, Fl. native.

By Adam Abramson

In my four years covering college football I met all kinds of players. I interviewed some of the nicest guys in the world, I encountered players who made my sides hurt from laughing, I met guys who were quiet and ones who would talk for hours, quotable players and cliché players. In my experiences, I also met guys I found repulsive.

I had the chance to interview Brock Berlin, Kevin Jones, Kellen Winslow, Pat Watkins, Ronnie Brown, Carnell Williams, Jason Campbell, Marcus Vick and tons of other now-NFLers. Each of these guys were different in their own ways.

When I read a column about Florida standout freshman Percy Harvin on ESPN.com last week, I was reminded of every player I met in college that I hated.

Being that I lived in Virginia for eight years, I followed high schools in the Mid-Atlantic region religiously — as I am starting to up here on Long Island. I’ve known about Harvin for the last three years and I was never a fan of this kid —last week’s article by Mark Schlabach confirmed that.

I should say that my dislike of Harvin started during his college recruitment when the Virginia Beach product practically made a mockery of his in-state schools by saying he wanted to play for a winner. While he is right (Virginia Tech and the University of Virginia haven’t exactly won any national championships in football lately, err ever), I’ve never heard of a player trash his home state the way he did.

Harvin was considered the top football prospect in the country and has gotten off to a fast start at Florida, but an attitude like the one he has will only get him so far. I suggest you read the article for yourself but it talks about incidents he was involved with in high school that I remember all too well.

He related a high school brawl, shoving a referee, getting spit on and being banned from defending 5 gold medals in track by being the only star on the field. The only problem I have with that is his Landstown High School teammate Damon McDaniel was among the top wide receivers in the country as well — he now plays for Florida State.

I’ve played and followed sports my whole life. I know confidence is a big part of competitive spirit and is a driving force behind some of the best athletes in the world. But don’t be so cocky that you embarrass yourself. I’ve met plenty of standup players who were icons in college football. Darryl Tapp, an All-American defensive end for Virginia Tech, now Seattle Seahawk, is one of the nicest people (not just athletes) that I’ve ever met.

Percy, give Darryl a call and learn a little lesson in humility and respect.

By: Adam Abramson

I feel bad for Gordon Riese.

He was the replay official on duty at the Oklahoma-Oregon game who botched two reviews in the final 72 seconds which pretty much cost Oklahoma the game. After returning home Riese had to unplug his phone after the SEVENTH death threat. What a sad state of affairs.

The college replay system sucks though. First, it takes too long. There should be someone standing next to the official on the field with a stopwatch. If the man up in the booth cannot figure the call out in 60 seconds, then it’s not conclusive enough. Game on.

Riese said he felt rushed and didn’t have every angle at his disclosure. Sports have always had the element of human error involved. Basketball referees let Dwayne Wade dance around the lane in the NBA Finals, baseball umpires have mammoth strike zones for some players and tiny ones for others, hockey and soccer referees blow offside calls all of the time and football officials sometimes make mistakes also.

You play and watch sports knowing that this could happen. Replay does help, don’t get me wrong, but the replay systems are flawed. Officials are paid for a reason and if we’re going to trust them, we can’t stop football games seven times for 3-4 minutes each time to get it right. It’s insane.

Sorry Oklahoma, maybe you did get jobbed, but you’re not the first to suffer such a fate.

On a more positive note, a lot of great football was played this weekend and Virginia Tech’s scoring defense is #1 in the country (3.3 points a game).

Here’s my top 25 with thoughts below:

1. Ohio State
2. Texas
3. Auburn
4. Florida
5. Southern California
6. Louisiana State
7. Michigan
8. Louisville
9. Georgia
10. West Virginia
11. Notre Dame
12. Tennessee
13. Virginia Tech
14. Oregon
15. Iowa
16. Boston College
17. Oklahoma
18. Texas Christian
19. Clemson
20. Florida State
21. Nebraska
22. California
23. Alabama
24. Rutgers
25. North Carolina State

Okay, kidding about the last one. Boise State is my 25th team. How bad are things in Raleigh though? Back to back losses against Akron and Southern Miss…it’s a miracle if Amato can keep his job another year.

And once again, we see how bad the ACC is. I’m honestly a little hesitant about Tech being #13. We’ll see though. I thought about the possibility of extreme parity in the conference, but then I saw BYU nearly beat Boston College and Louisville crush Miami and I squashed that thought.

Notre Dame choked. I watched the game with two life-long Irish fans and they didn’t have words for what went down in South Bend. When Notre Dame played Georgia Tech in week 1 on ABC, I heard Brady Quinn referred to as “The No. 1 draft pick” and “a Heisman Trophy winning quarterback.” Not potential, not likely, but absolute. I did a little research that night and came up with the following: last season Quinn threw for a combined three touchdowns and an interception in Notre Dame’s three biggest games (at Michigan, against Southern Cal and the Fiesta Bowl against Ohio State) for an average QB rating of 85.1. While not disastrous, those numbers were a little alarming and I realized he wouldn’t lead his team to an unblemished mark this year.

Despite the loss, Notre Dame could end up in a BCS bowl again contingent on two things.

1. The defense gets tougher.
2. The Irish beat USC. They should win the rest of their games.

This weekend also reaffirmed that the Southeastern Conference is so dominant, every other conference should host parties and make the SEC the guest of honor. It’s too bad for the conference that Ohio State will win it all this year. Because of Notre Dame losing and the circus that was OU and UO, nobody is talking about two of the best games this weekend, Auburn beating LSU and Florida edging Tennessee.

Last week I said I would tell you why I don’t like Percy Harvin, the Florida wide receiver. But check back tomorrow and I’ll tell you all about it. I’m going to cut it off here in my effort to make these shorter.

By: Adam Abramson

I started to write this blog when the college football season began, but because of our awesome high school site the production of it was put on the back burner (it was worth the wait). So, while this is my first post, this is my third week writing.

One goal I had when I starting writing for this blog was to keep my posts on the shorter side. If you have my attention span, then I think it works out better that way.

However, I think I have failed miserably at that. But I will try better, promise.

Okay, last night West Virginia murdered a terrible Maryland team, 45-24 (it was 28-0 before I could blink). I am starting to become a believer. Look for my poll next week, the Mountaineers will be in the top 10 (mostly because of Steve Slaton). On his first 8 carries last night he had 150 yards. That’s just crazy. It’s too bad that Long Island product Jason Gwaltney is no longer sharing the load with Slaton. As the season rolls on, Slaton is going to get more and more worn down. Having a premiere back, like Gwaltney, helps alleviate that (I assume Gwaltney would have been a stud, based on his performance at North Babylon High).

Oh well, the point is that I guess I’m starting to believe in West Virginia. They’ll probably be somewhere in the 8-12 range after the weekend (depending on what else transpires). With Rutgers playing well, the Big East could actually be somewhat interesting this year:

Big East game people care about: West Virginia at Louisville
Big East game people might tune in to watch: Louisville at Rutgers, November 9
Big East game people might tune in to watch (assuming the Nov. 9 game goes well): Rutgers at West Virginia, December 2

Enough about Morgantown and running backs that could have been. This weekend’s line up is the next best thing to bowl week. Just take a gander at the games this weekend:

No. 11 Michigan at No. 2 Notre Dame, 3:30
No. 6 LSU at No. 3 Auburn, 3:30 (Why would they schedule both for 3:30…just terrible).
No. 19 Nebraska at No. 3 Southern California, 8
No. 7 Florida at No. 13 Tennessee, 8 (again)
Clemson at No. 9 Florida State, 7:45
No. 17 Miami at No. 12 Louisville, 3:30
No. 15 Oklahoma at No. 18 Oregon, 3:30 (becoming a theme)
No. 24 Texas Tech at No. 20 Texas Christian, 5:30
Iowa State at No. 16 Iowa, noon

Whew. This all-star lineup poses a huge problem for me. Tonight after work I am driving to Northern Virginia for somewhat of a reunion with my college buddies. Tomorrow on the schedule is a BBQ and college football. So, from a planning standpoint, here’s what I am thinking.

Noon:
Primary game: Duke at No. 14 Virginia Tech
The Hokie fans are getting restless. They (and me) want to see some semblance of a vertical passing game.

Keeping an eye on: The battle of Iowa and Boston College-BYU.
No real comments of substance here. I could say something about the Jesuits and Mormons, but I won’t. Although, in essence, I did.

3:30:
Primary game: Michigan at Notre Dame
There’s so many story lines here. Can Lloyd Carr start win some big games as Michigan’s coach again? Is Chad Henne a good quarterback? Is Notre Dame for real? Michigan has a good shot at winning this game. The Wolverines trump Georgia Tech in quarterback (Henne > Reggie Ball) and running backs (Michael Hart, Kevin Grady & Brandon Minor > Tashard Choice & Rashaun Grant). GT has Calvin Johnson, but Michigan has Pittsburgh legend Steve Breaston, Mario Manningham and tight end Kyle Ecker (who I think is tough as nails to stop). Michigan’s defense is sound enough to contain Notre Dame. It should be interesting, I can’t wait. The crazy thing about this game? It’s not even the Irish’s toughest.

Keeping an eye on: LSU at Auburn
I have been on the LSU boat for a while. I think Les Miles’ Tigers will knock off host Tommy Tuberville’s Tigers in a game that won’t be as exciting as it looks on paper. Although I wouldn’t be floored if it went the other way, there’s a reason why one is No. 6 and the other No. 3.

Also keeping an eye on: Miami at Louisville
If Larry Coker’s Hurricanes drop this game, and manage to drop another one down the road, is he going to be fired? I don’t know, I think so though. When he arrived at the U, he had a ton of talent, and did well with it. Since, he’s brought in a ton of talent and hasn’t won at the rate he should. I think I could have Miami playing on a higher level than Coker is right now. Also, Louisville needs to win some big games if they want people to take them seriously. Here’s its chance.

Also also keeping an eye on: Oklahoma at Oregon
Oklahoma is going to lose this game and drop out of the top 25 because hype isn’t real, Boobie Miles is real.

5:30
I would care about the Texas Tech-TCU game, but I don’t. I’ll watch the score ticker and catch the highlights.

8:00
Primary game: Florida at Tennessee
Devoting my attention to this game over the Nebraska-USC game is a no brainer. I have been so annoyed with Brent Musberger calling the Saturday night games for ABC, I can’t take it anymore. I’d rather watch Tennessee get rolled by Florida than hear Brent sing the praises of Bill Callahan, the west coast offense, Nebraska tradition, Pete Carroll, John David Booty, Dwayne Jarrett, etc. I think you get the point.

Florida is going to crush Tennessee. The spread offense is working wonders in its second year. On a side note, Florida freshman wide receiver Percy Harvin might be the most annoying person in college football, already. He’s good as all get out, but I cannot stand this kid. Check back with me early next week, I’ll break down why I detest this kid as much as I do (trust me, I have my reasons, and they’re legit).

Although I won’t watch the Nebraska-USC game with bated breath, I am curious to see what’s going to happen. Is Nebraska ready to be a powerhouse again? I don’t think so, next year is a different story, though.

Okay, this is pathetic, I wanted to keep it short, and I’m already at 1,100 words. I’ll finish up with my “guys to keep an eye on” and duck out.

Michael Hart, Michigan RB – The man responsible for keeping Notre Dame’s offense off the field.
Montario Hardesty, Tennessee RB – “ ” Florida’s “ .”
Brian Brohm, Louisville QB – If the Cardinals get the big win they desperate need, it’ll be because of him.
Marlon Lucky, Nebraska RB – He has all the tools, he just needs a coming out party.
Gaines Adams, Clemson DE – He might end the life of Drew Weatherford if he gets a sack.
Brandon Cox, Auburn QB – Auburn needs him to be the seasoned veteran in a HUGE game.
Jerod Mayo & Marvin Mitchell, Tennessee LBs – Lethal. Two games, 40 tackles (combined).

Hope you enjoy it as much as I will.

Adam Abramson began life in Fort Lauderdale as a rabid Miami Hurricnaes fan. A move to Virginia introduced him to NASCAR, Bass Pro Shops and Waffle House -- all of which are non-existent on Long Island, but are all vital to him.

His allegiance to the Canes dropped the day he decided to become a Virginia Tech Hokie. His allegiance to the Hokies dropped the day he started Campus Confidential, according to many Virginia Tech message board posters.

In Blacksburg, he served as the sports editor for the independent daily the Collegiate Times for three years, covering ACC football and basketball. After graduating in 2006 with a degree in Professional Writing, Adam moved to New York -- a land that doesn't care about college football.

Every Saturday in the fall you can hear Adam on XM Radio talking Xs and Os on Ch. 144.