Saturday is the annual day that the media proclaims one college football player top dog of his sport.  Its good to see a couple of new guys get their shot at the bronze stiff arm in “Big Suh” and Toby Gerhart, as well as knowing that Tim Tebow will most likely not win his second Heisman thus preserving the legacy of Archie for at least one more year.  Anyhoo, here’s the rundown on the finalists:

Toby Gerhart, RB, Stanford:

• 311 attempts
• 1,736 yards
• 5.6 yards per carry average
• 26 TDs
• 0 Fumbles
• 10 receptions
• 149 yards

Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska:

• 82 tackles
• 47 solo tackles
• 12 sacks
• 1 interception

Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama:

• 249 carries
• 1,542 yards
• 6.2 yards per carry average
• 15 TDs
• 30 receptions
• 322 yards
• 3 TDs

Tim Tebow, QB, Florida:

• 182/279 passing (65.2%)
• 2,413 yards
• 18 TD, 5 INT
• 203 rushes
• 589 yards
• 13 TDs

Colt McCoy, QB, Texas:

• 330/468 passing (70.5%)
• 3,512 yards
• 27 TDs, 12 INT
• 128 rushes
• 348 yards
• 3 TDs

Now, who do I think should win the trophy?  Well, if I had a vote I’d cast it for either Ndamukong Suh or Toby Gerhart.  They both played like men among boys during their respective seasons, easily head and shoulders above anyone else at their positions this year in college football.  Who do I think will actually win?  Probably Mark Ingram.  He had a great performance in the SEC championship game on national TV and that game, coupled with his season stats, will probably catapult him to the stage on Saturday.

By now you know who is facing whom in all of the BCS games this year.  But for the record here is the rundown:

Sugar Bowl:

Cincinnati vs. Florida

Fiesta Bowl:

Boise State vs. Texas Christian

Orange Bowl:

Iowa vs. Georgia Tech

Rose Bowl:

Oregon vs. Ohio State

BCS National Championship Game:

Texas vs. Alabama

Well, as much as it would seem that the BCS hates the Big Ten, they’re one of only two conferences to get two teams into BCS bowls.  (Partially due to the two “mid-majors” in the Fiesta Bowl.)  I would love to see Texas beat Alabama because I really don’t like the SEC and never have, but I’m kind of getting tired of this whole “Big 12 vs. SEC” game for the national championship.  And I really don’t understand the Fiesta Bowl matchup.  I know both TCU and Boise have been trying to make a case to play for the title, but playing each other isn’t going to get it done.  If anything, I think the greatest interest would have come from switching TCU and Cincy in their respective bowl games.  But I digress.  For the state of Ohio football, I hope that Florida puts Cincinnati in their place by 30 and that Ohio State is able to muscle out a win against Oregon.  Tell me your predictions below in the comments section.

Now, bear with me a for a moment after what I’m about to say.  Terrelle Pryor has been pretty good passing the ball the last two games.  I mean good to the tune of 24/48 (50%), 374 yds, 3 TDs, and only 1 INT.  While the completion percentage doesn’t look quite like Colt McCoy’s the TD:INT ratio is where I like to see it.  Want to hear something more surprising than those numbers?  In the past two games, Pryor has only been sacked once.  Now, granted, one of these games was against New Mexico State, but that doesn’t mean that the starting 11 doesn’t have to go out there on Saturdays and do their jobs right.

Does anyone else see a correlation between the two stats?  Well, compare those numbers for the past two games with the Oct. 17 loss at Purdue.  Pryor was 17/31 (55%), 221 yds, 1 TD, 2 INTs.  In addition, Pryor lost two fumbles.  And as for the offense line that game?  They gave up 5 sacks.  Yeah, I’m starting to see a pattern here.

It may be elementary that passers who get better protection are going to pass better, but Pryor has been taking heat all year for his throwing, but the fact of the matter is he’s been under pressure all year behind an offensive line that has been more porous than swiss cheese.  Now this doesn’t absolve Pryor from all the blame, but surely it at least covers some of it.  I would love to have some numbers on the amount of time Pryor has had from the snap of the ball until he throws or is forced to scramble/roll out because of pressure.  But as a college kid who lives off of $60 every two weeks for groceries, I’m not really in the market for a DVR.

However, what I will be doing this weekend as I’m downing Budweiser’s watching the game from the comfort of my living room is taking the time and effort to calculate that exact stat for examination.  Make a mental note of it yourself, if Pryor is given ample time in which to make a decision about where he should throw or whether he should tuck it and run without being chased from the backfield by a defensive lineman or a blitzing linebacker he should have games comparable to his last two and the team will have a greater chance of coming out of Happy Valley with a Happy W.