SB Nation - Kellen Moore

Did Hawkeyes Dodge Bullet In Fiesta Bowl Campaign Scandal? (No)

Oops Pow Surprise — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 19:55:12 -0000

More photos » by PAUL CONNORS - AP

Fiesta Bowl executive director John Junker, left, presents Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis, right, with Eddie Robinson's severed head. (AP Photo/Paul Connors)

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The big news in college football today is that the Fiesta Bowl, that wretched bowl that figured out a way to screw all fans of college football by putting Boise State and TCU in the Separate But Equal Bowl, is under investigation for illegally funneling thousands of dollars to various friendly politicians. Here's more from the paper that broke the story, the Arizona Republic:

Over the past decade as the Fiesta Bowl worked to maintain its elite position as one of the top postseason college-football games, employees made contributions to politicians friendly to the bowl, including some donations that may violate campaign-finance laws.

Past and present Fiesta Bowl employees have told The Arizona Republic they were encouraged to write checks to specific candidates and were reimbursed by the bowl.

Such reimbursement would violate state and federal laws that prohibit funneling corporate campaign contributions through individuals. Participants could be charged with misdemeanors and felonies.

"If employees are giving contributions and they were being reimbursed, it's illegal, and it's something we definitely would review," said Amy Bjelland, state elections director.

John Junker, the Fiesta Bowl's chief executive, said employees never were reimbursed and the bowl did not orchestrate donations.

Really, the entire article (which, if you've got 15 minutes, we would suggest reading in full) is a case study in the necessity of follow-ups and fact-checking. Anyone can accuse someone of corruption. Only listen to the ones who have the paper trail to back it up.

But back to the subject we all really care about: the game itself. Even if this ends in Junker going to jail (and from the sound of it, he covered his ass well enough that that's not going to happen), the likelihood of anything actually happening to the bowl itself--now or in the near future--is low. After all, even as it seems that politicians have been remarkably friendly and beneficial to the Fiesta Bowl, the things they need seem safe in near perpetuity. That would be a major sponsor, a stadium to play in, and BCS affiliation. We don't expect any of those to go away--it'd be bad for business.

Still, expect Jerry Jones to raise a major stink about all this. As the Central notes, the one bowl that stands to gain the most is the Fiesta's "rival," the Cotton Bowl. The Cotton Bowl has struggled to maintain its high visibility in the wake of the SWC's demise (Its replacement on the national scene? The Fiesta. Viva La Fiesta!), but its placement in the new Gargantutron Cowboy Stadium gives it enormous leverage for a higher level of prestige. Suffice it to say, Double J will not let this controversy go unnoticed.

What should not happen is the notion that Iowa's somehow "better off" for not being in the Fiesta Bowl this year. It's still the same bowl. To pretend otherwise is the very definition of sour grapes. Iowa should still be in that bowl and Adrian Clayborn should still be sodomizing Kellen Moore with Moore's severed right arm. But at least now we can (quite spuriously and speciously) claim that Iowa deserved the spot, but their snub was only because Junker'n them's all a bunch of corrupt, money-grubbing fools anyway. Open season on that.

We're All Americans, But We're Not All All-Americans

Oops Pow Surprise — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:51:28 -0000

by Charlie Neibergall - AP

Iowa's Pat Angerer (43) celebrates with teammates Allen Reisner and Dace Richardson, right, after Iowa blocked a Northern Iowa field goal on the final play. Iowa won 17-16. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

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As is usually the case after a 10-win season, the accolades are beginning to pour in for the Iowa Hawkeye football team. Everyone and their mom has an all-conference or All-American team, but the two that actually matter--Walter Camp and the AP--are now out. And for the 33th year in a row, the unanimous selection for player of the year is Frank Stallone*.

More importantly, the AP named three Hawkeyes to their All-American teams. While nobody made it onto the first team, thanks to Ricky Stanzi's ankle injury--come on, you know if he stays healthy and Iowa goes 11-1 and finishes at #5 or so, even the guys on defense get a little bit more of a bump--both Bryan Bulaga and Pat Angerer made it to the second team, while Tyler Sash made third-team AA as a sophomore. A fine moment for all three players (two of whom, as we insular and provincial types are quick to point out, are native Iowans).

Meanwhile, the Walter Camp Foundation agreed with the AP, naming Bulaga and Angerer to their second team as well and effectively establishing the two as the de facto MVPs of their respective sides of the ball. We have a little beef with each designation, but for wholly different reasons.

First, though Bulaga is by far the best pro prospect on the line as of right now and was utterly dominant in 2008, the reality is that even notwithstanding the 3-week absence as he recovered from thyroid issues, he struggled in 2009. Brandon Graham and O'Brien Schofield manhandled Bulaga. And while those are two very good defensive ends, so was Aaron Maybin, the 11th pick of the 2009 by the Buffalo Bills and Bryan Bulaga's personal prison bitch after Iowa-PSU 2008. There was a substantial dropoff in play by Bulaga in 2009, and voters just didn't notice it when it came time to hand out awards.

Meanwhile, Dace Richardson was actually very good in his return to the line, and he got a fair amount of media attention when mid-season awards were being handed out. Then his ankle was rolled up on against Michigan State, and he disappeared from both the depth chart and voters' attention. But why should he have been punished for an ankle injury while voters looked past Bulaga's absence of a similar length? It's all past reputation, and that's not really fair to guys who come from nowhere and work their butts off--especially in their senior year, where there's no chance for any payoff in the "rewarded in Year X for play in Year X-minus-1" system that's come to be when it comes to honoring offensive linemen.

What this comes down to is that if the AP were to select an Iowa lineman for All-American this season, we'd have preferred it be Dace--though we'll certainly "settle for" Bulaga instead. If both men are playing their last game for Iowa next month, as lots of speculation suggests, then they've both had stellar careers in the black and gold and we wish them well.

On defense, on the other hand, Pat Angerer didn't really establish himself as the most dominant player for that Iowa defense, but that's hardly through any fault of his own. After all, one usually does so by being simply better than his teammates, and the talent level on the Iowa defense this year was both so high and so consistent that it was hard to see Angerer as someone who was the best player on defense. After all, you could always come back with, "well why not Sash? Or Adrian Clayborn? Or Amari Spievey? Or A.J. Edds? Or, hell, Jeremiha Hunter?" We're not saying that Angerer was the 6th best player on the Iowa defense by any means--just that ranking the top 5 or 6 or so would be impossible, because the gaps would be so miniscule that personal preference could easily mean a 3- or 4-spot swing here or there and it wouldn't even be objectionable.

Angerer's accolades, then, come from two areas: 1) his name, which is everything you could ever hope for times infinity; 2) and his stats, which sort of sneak up on you for the same reasons mentioned in the previous paragraph. As mentioned before, he was 5th in the nation in tackles at 11.3 a game. That's pretty outstanding, especially since--as TRE noticed during the season--Angerer's real strength might have been in pass coverage, not run support.

Still, absent game-changing plays, it's somewhat difficult to notice the overall impact a player has on a game. And all of those game-changing plays seemed to happen to other players--most notably Sash and Clayborn, and to a lesser extent Spievey.

Thus we have a weird ambiguity about how we look at Angerer's standing as the most highly-lauded member of the 2009 Iowa defense. It's not that he didn't deserve it--far from it--but with a defense like Iowa's, you could basically pick a name out of a hat and feel relatively confident that you made a good choice. It was that kind of year. Effectively singling out Angerer for praise, then, seems unusual and almost a little unfair. Oh well. There are worse problems to have.

Full AP All-American teams are after the break.

First team
Offense
	   Quarterback -- Colt McCoy, senior, 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, Texas.
	   Running backs -- Toby Gerhart, senior, 6-1, 235, Stanford; Mark Ingram, sophomore, 5-10, 212, Alabama.
	   Tackles -- Russell Okung, senior, 6-5, 301, Oklahoma State; Trent Williams, senior, 6-5, 318, Oklahoma.
	   Guards -- Michael Johnson, senior, 6-6, 305, Alabama; Mike Iupati, senior, 6-6, 330, Idaho.
	   Center -- J.D. Walton, senior, 6-3, 305, Baylor.
	   Tight end -- Aaron Hernandez, junior, 6-2, 250, Florida.
	   Wide receivers -- Golden Tate, junior, 5-11, 195, Notre Dame; Jordan Shipley, senior, 6-0, 190, Texas.
	   All-purpose player -- C.J. Spiller, senior, 5-11, 195, Clemson.
	   Kicker -- Leigh Tiffin, senior, 6-2, 212, Alabama.
Defense
	   Ends -- Jerry Hughes, senior, 6-3, 257, TCU; Derrick Morgan, junior, 6-4, 272, Georgia Tech.
	   Tackles -- Ndamukong Suh, senior, 6-4, 300, Nebraska; Terrence Cody, senior, 6-5, 365, Alabama.
	   Linebackers -- Rolando McClain, junior, 6-4, 258, Alabama; Greg Jones, junior, 6-1, 228, Michigan State; Eric Norwood, senior, 6-1, 252, South Carolina.
	   Cornerbacks -- Joe Haden, junior, 5-11, 190, Florida; Javier Arenas, senior, 5-9, 198, Alabama.
	   Safeties -- Eric Berry, junior, 5-11, 203, Tennessee; Earl Thomas, sophomore, 5-10, 197, Texas.
	   Punter -- Drew Butler, sophomore, 6-2, 201, Georgia.
Second team
	   Quarterback -- Tim Tebow, senior, Florida.
	   Running backs -- Ryan Mathews, junior, Fresno State; Dion Lewis, freshman, Pittsburgh.
	   Tackles -- Bryan Bulaga, junior, Iowa; Chris Marinelli, senior, Stanford.
	   Guards -- Rodney Hudson, junior, Florida State; Mike Pouncey, junior, Florida.
	   Center -- Maurkice Pouncey, junior, Florida.
	   Tight end -- Dennis Pitta, senior, BYU.
	   Wide receivers -- Mardy Gilyard, senior, Cincinnati; Danario Alexander, senior, Missouri.
	   All-purpose player -- James Rodgers, junior, Oregon State.
	   Kicker -- Kai Forbath, junior, UCLA.
Defense
	   Ends -- Von Miller, junior, Texas A&M; Brandon Graham, senior, Michigan.
	   Tackles -- Gerald McCoy, junior, Oklahoma; Jared Odrick, senior, Penn State.
	   Linebackers -- Pat Angerer, senior, Iowa; Brandon Spikes, senior, Florida; Sean Weatherspoon, senior, Missouri.
	   Cornerbacks -- Perrish Cox, senior, Oklahoma State; Kyle Wilson, senior, Boise State.
	   Safeties -- Taylor Mays, senior, Southern California; Rahim Moore, sophomore, UCLA.
	   Punter -- Zoltan Mesko, senior, Michigan.
Third team
Offense
	   Quarterback -- Kellen Moore, sophomore, Boise State
	   Running backs -- LaMichael James, redshirt freshman, Oregon; Jacquizz Rodgers, sophomore, Oregon State.
	   Tackles -- Dennis Landolt, senior, Penn State; Ciron Black, senior, LSU.
	   Guards -- Brandon Carter, senior, Texas Tech; Jeff Byers, senior, Southern California.
	   Center -- Chris Hall, senior, Texas.
	   Tight end -- Dorin Dickerson, senior, Pittsburgh.
	   Wide receivers -- Freddie Barnes, senior, Bowling Green; Demaryius Thomas, junior, Georgia Tech.
	   All-purpose player -- Dexter McCluster, senior, Mississippi.
	   Kicker -- Hunter Lawrence, senior, Texas.
Defense
	   Ends -- Jeremy Beal, junior, Oklahoma; Brandon Sharpe, senior, Texas Tech.
	   Tackles -- Brian Price, junior, UCLA; Dan Williams, senior, Tennessee.
	   Linebackers -- Sergio Kindle, senior, Texas; Cody Grimm, senior, Virginia Tech; Navorro Bowman, junior, Penn State.
	   Cornerbacks -- Brandon Harris, sophomore, Miami; Alterraun Verner, senior, UCLA.
	   Safeties -- Tyler Sash, sophomore, Iowa; Mark Barron, sophomore, Alabama.
	   Punter -- Matt Reagan, senior, Memphis.

*Did you know he was in Tombstone, a.k.a. the SINGLE GREATEST MOVIE IN HISTORY? And in a phenomenal scene, to boot.

WAC All-Decade Team: Dinwiddie, Moore, or Brennan: How will you vote?

Kevan Lee — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:41:39 -0000

What does your WAC All-Decade Team look like? Pretty much exactly the same as your Bronco All-Decade Team?

The conference is holding an All-Decade vote-off on its website, letting fans pick the best players at each position from the past 10 years. Who will get your votes? What positions are the toughest to call? Join me after the jump for a look at some of the closest races, and we'll take the debate to the comments and see if we can't figure this thing out.

A quick note before we get started: The WAC automatically generated its list of nominees based on players who earned first- or second-team All-WAC honors at least twice and who were still playing WAC football during the year 2000. The year 2000, Conan? That's right, David Duchovny.

Without further ado, here are the positions that I am having the most trouble with. Please help me.

WAC All-Decade Quarterback: Dinwiddie, Moore, Carr or Brennan?

The Chase Holbrook mindscrub is nearly complete

Quarterback is going to be the most notable position on this All-Decade team, especially if Jared Zabransky can get that PF Chang's grassroots campaign going. The four biggest names on the list make for an interesting debate about who was the best quarterback of the past 10 years.

In my opinion, the favorites are Ryan Dinwiddie, Boise State's most accomplished quarterback of all-time; Kellen Moore, Boise State's future most accomplished quarterback of all-time; David Carr, No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft; and Colt Brennan, prolific college passer and Honolulu wax museum feature. Karl Benson, their WAC accolades if you will:

Ryan Dinwiddie: 1st team (2002), 1st team (2003), POY 2003
Kellen Moore: 2nd team (2008), 1st team (2009), Freshman of the Year 2008, POY 2009
David Carr: 2nd team (2000), 1st team (2001), POY 2001
Colt Brennan: 1st team (2006), 1st team (2007), POY 2006, POY 2007

How do you think the QB race will shake down? The race most likely will come down to Dinwiddie and Brennan as one is the most successful WAC quarterback of the decade and the other is the most recognizable. Will productivity or popularity win out?

My deciding factor: Dinwiddie won WAC championships. Brennan did not. That should account for something.

via media.idahostatesman.com

Etcetera: Will Jared Zabransky get any votes? Anyone surprised at how well Kellen Moore holds up against players who have played an entire career in the WAC?

WAC All-Decade Running Back: What do you do with LaDainian Tomlinson?

a.k.a. The One Where You Vote For Ian Johnson

Climb aboard the way-back machine for this category, destination: anonymity.

Yonus Davis, San Jose State (2nd 2005, 2nd 2006, 2nd 2008)
Brock Forsey, Boise State (1st 2001, 1st 2002, POY 2002)
Howard Jackson, UTEP (1st 2003, 1st 2004)
Ian Johnson, Boise State (1st 2006, 1st 2007, 2nd 2008)
Keylon Kincade, SMU (2nd 2002, 2nd 2003)
Chance Kretschmer, Nevada (1st 2001, 2nd 2003, FOY 2001)
Ryan Moats, Louisiana Tech (1st 2003, 1st 2004, POY 2004)
Daniel Porter, Louisiana Tech (1st 2008, 2nd 2009)
Joe Smith, Louisiana Tech (2nd 2001, 1st 2002)
Vai Taua, Nevada (1st 2008, 1st 2009)
LaDainian Tomlinson, TCU (2nd 1998, 1st 1999, 1st 2000, POY 1999, POY 2000)
Deonce Whitaker, San Jose State (2nd 1999, 1st 2000)

Howard Jackson? Deonce Whitaker? The immortal Joe Smith? What conference have I been watching for the past 10 years?

A lot of votes will undoubtedly go LaDainian Tomlinson's as voters go "Hey, he's in my ESPN the Magazine" when they see his name. But is one year of 21st century WAC domination enough? For me, it is not, but I am open to any arguments that say otherwise.

Out of the whole list, there are only three POY winners: Tomlinson, Ryan Moats, and Brock Forsey. Moats and Forsey are definitely in the running for me, but I think you also have to consider Ian Johnson (three-time All-WAC performer) and Vai Taua (the face of Nevada's new rushing attack).

If I'm picking one back, it is Brock Forsey. If I'm picking two (and I am because the WAC lets me), it is Forsey and Moats. Would you put Ian Johnson on your All-Decade team?

WAC All-Decade Wide Receivers: Do any Broncos make the cut?

Two Broncos make the roster of All-Decade nominees. Are either Jeremy Childs or Austin Pettis worthy of a spot?

The competition at WR is intense with the likes of Bernard Berrian, Davone Bess, Kevin Jurovich, Ashley Lelie, and Chris Williams. Any one of those players could make the final three. Do Childs and Pettis fit with them?

Add one season to either player's resume, and I think the answer is easy. However, since Childs left early for the pros and Pettis still has time left at Boise State, their careers are not as complete as other WAC receivers. Was Childs the best receiver in the conference during his stay with the Broncos? I'd say yes. Is Pettis the best receiver in the conference right now? Absolutely. Are either good enough to make the All-Decade team? What do you think?

WAC All-Decade Offensive Line: If you had to choose between Daryn Colledge and Ryan Clady ...

Fat guys have their day in the sun

There are a lot of big names on the nominee list for offensive linemen, and the fact that the WAC lets you vote for five big uglies makes stuffing your ballot with Broncos a little easier.

But let's say you had to choose between the two Broncos on the list. Would you take Daryn Colledge or Ryan Clady? And why?

Colledge was the self-made Bronco lineman who was an All-WAC player three years running. Clady was the prototypical NFL tackle who earned two first-team awards then left early for the NFL. Does Colledge's four-year success trump Clady's brief brilliance?

For the record, I voted for both, but if I had to choose only one for the All-Decade team, I think I'd lean toward Colledge.

WAC All-Decade Defensive Backs: If Quintin Mikell doesn't make this, I am not responsible for what happens to Karl Benson

Is this where I vote for Marty Tadman?

Mikell is the only player in the secondary to win POY honors, and his two trips to the first-team (plus his success at the pro level) should make him a shoo-in. Will any other Broncos join him?

Kyle Wilson is up for nomination along with Jeron Johnson, Gabe Franklin, and Marty Tadman. Franklin, Tadman, and Wilson all made three All-WAC teams, a feat only matched one other time by a secondary player (UTEP's D.J. Walker). The Broncos should be well-represented in this category. But how well-represented? Is three players too much to ask?

Your turn

How will you be voting with the WAC's All-Decade Team? Are you putting down Dinwiddie's name? Where will Ian Johnson be on your ballot? Is Korey Hall a no-brainer? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Haden, Hernandez Are Your AP All-Americans

mlmintampa — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 20:25:47 -0000

The Associated Press All-American teams announced today included Joe Haden as first team cornerback and Aaron Hernandez as first team tight end. Maurkice Pouncey gets shafted and sent to second team at center. Also on the second team was Mike Pouncey at guard and Brandon Spikes at linebacker. Tim Tebow was named second team, behind Colt McCoy, upsetting the fanboys that worship at the altar of golden boy Jimmy Clausen and new Pac-10 poster boy Jake Locker. They must be really upset that Kellen Moore, another quarterback of a BCS team, was the third team quarterback. I guess winning games means something to the AP. Your unanimous selections were Mark Ingram, Toby Gerhart, Ndamukong Suh and Rolando McClain.

What could have been: How Kellen Moore stacks up against Heisman finalists

Kevan Lee — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 15:51:29 -0000

The 2009 Heisman Trophy ceremony will take place tomorrow night sans perhaps the nation's best player in Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore. Score update: College football 13, Rationality 0.

How does Moore compare to the New York-bound Heisman Trophy finalists? Join me after the jump for a comparison, and share your Heisman vote in the comments.

via www.unlockedsports.com

Tim Tebow

College football's BFF was predestined to find his way to New York for this year's Heisman ceremony. Tebow's numbers might not back up his candidacy (3.8 yards per carry, 18 TD passes), but his overwhelming charisma does the trick.

What Kellen Moore could beat him at: Passing TDs, QB efficiency rating, wins, consistency, left-handed throwing contests, audibles, undefeated regular seasons, Mark Johnson popularity contest

What he could beat Kellen Moore at: crying, man pheromones, Heisman trophies, national championships, concussions, magazine covers, girlfriend hyperbole, Jesus popularity contest

via thematadorsports.com

Colt McCoy

McCoy might be the front-runner in one of the tightest Heisman races in history, due solely to his not receiving the award last year. The Texas QB had a stellar 2008, followed up by a hit-or-miss 2009 (including a 20-for-36, 3 INT championship game). Fortunately for him, he has lazy, misinformed sports journalists on his side.

What Kellen Moore could beat him at: passing TDs, QB efficiency rating, grasp of clock rules, fewer 3-INT games, Sports Illustrated features about pluckiness, text messages to Case Keenum

What he could beat Kellen Moore at: running the read option, throwing to Jordan Shipley, number of babies in the Texas area named after him, pictures with football sledgehammers

via blog.al.com

Mark Ingram

Ingram is the driving force of the No. 1 team in the country, which will pretty much guarantee you some Heisman votes every single time. His 1,500 yards and 15 TDs aren't lights out, but when you're the leader of the national championship favorites, they don't have to be.

What Kellen Moore could beat him at: percentage of team's total offense, recovered fumbles from center, average margin of victory over conference opponent, intimate knowledge of Nevada's secondary, staring contest

What he could beat Kellen Moore at: Running with the ball, poll ranking, national championship game appearances, fathers who played in the NFL, 100-yard games against Chattanooga

via cdn.bleacherreport.com

Toby Gerhart

Gerhart's numbers (1,700 yards, 26 TDs) dwarf those of Ingram, but the one thing hurting Gerhart's candidacy the most is that Stanford did not win its conference. Can a player win the Heisman by playing on an above average Pac-10 team?

What Kellen Moore could beat him at: wins, undefeated regular seasons, conference championships, BCS ranking, ESP, inspiring an entire region with his QB play, times described as "not prototypical"

What he could beat Kellen Moore at: baseball, TD runs, stiff arms, comparisons to John Riggins, future Snapple endorsements

via bigrednetwork.com

Ndamukong Suh

Nebraska's dominating defensive tackle worked his way into Heisman consideration with a Big XII championship game for the ages. The road is tough for a defensive Heisman candidate. Does Suh's resume warrant a Charles Woodson-type honor?

What Kellen Moore could beat him at: maybe a foot race, name pronunciation, conference championships, not losing to Iowa State

What he could beat Kellen Moore at: arm wrestling, feats of strength, NFL draft position, girth

The official vote of OBNUG, which is not really all that official

The Heisman Trophy seeks to award the "most outstanding college football player" in the country. With that in mind, Tebow and McCoy are out, more linemen should be in, and the decision between Gerhart, Ingram, and Suh is a tough one. I'll go with Suh because he found a way to have an impact despite constant double- and triple-teams. I wouldn't be upset if either Ingram or Gerhart won it, though.

Your turn

Who do you think will win the Heisman on Saturday? Will you be watching? Will Kellen Moore get a New York invite before his career is up? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Poll

Who will win the 2009 Heisman Trophy?

Who Should Win the Heisman?

cocknfire — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 15:30:13 -0000

More photos » by JACOB HARRIS - AP

Might cocknfire's vote go to a Notre Dame player, like Johnny Lujack?

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Hopefully in time to be included in the Sports Blog Heisman Trophy presented by The Blue Workhorse.

This is not the easiest year to craft a Heisman ballot, at least not the way it should be done. As I've said before, the Heisman is becoming too much like the MVP award, and the MVP is becoming too much like the Heisman. Remember that the Heisman Award is supposed to go to "the most outstanding college football player in the United States." There is no reference there to how valuable you are to your team. There's not even a suggestion that your team has to be very good. The winner has to "the most outstanding." That's a tall order for anyone to fill.

Which is why I get distressed when I hear people touted for the award because his team is great and "they just couldn't do it without him." If the numbers back up that player being the most outstanding, fine. But his team's achievements shouldn't be as important to a candidate's chances as they are.

That said, they can't be discounted either. Which is why you have to at least look at Colt McCoy -- until you realize that he's having either his worst or second-worst statistical year and has nearly disappeared in three of his team's biggest games (Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Nebraska). Because showing up for the big games does matter if you're going to be most outstanding.

Showing up for almost all the games also matters. It's not just enough to be good overall; you need to have games where you shine. Just because your team's achievements aren't central to the award doesn't mean the ability to carry a team, either in victory or defeat, isn't something we should look for in a Heisman candidate.

But the overall numbers are a good place to start. I've chosen a few players from several different categories to consider. The choices aren't that easy to make; there are a lot of good football players in the NCAA -- and I threw in Tim Tebow because this is an SEC blog and so he has to at least be considered.

First, the quarterbacks.

Your going to want to click that for a larger version because it's got a lot of good info in there. For those unfamiliar with PEPCT (pass efficiency percentage), it's a new stat I'm still tweaking that measures a quarterbacks performance against defenses based on those defenses' normal pass efficiency numbers. And we should note that Tebow also has 859 rushing yards and 13 TDs on the ground.

But even if you add the rushing yards, Tebow just hasn't produced as much as Kellen Moore or Jimmy Clausen. The touchdown numbers would move him past Clausen, but he's thrown almost as twice as many picks as Clausen in comparison to the number of attempts. The numbers just don't support a Heisman candidacy this year.

Still, let's look at how players tended to do on a week-by-week basis.

You're not reading that incorrectly; Tim Tebow has passed for 250 or more yards in one game (Arkansas) all season long. Yes, I realize that Tebow is a running quarterback; but you should have to throw the ball for more than 250 yards more than once in a season to be a Heisman contender.

Not that there's nothing wrong with the other two contenders. It was hard to come up with a "signature" game for either -- their best games came either against weak opponents or when their teams lost, and like McCoy they sometimes had subpar outings in important games. For example, Moore's numbers aren't terrible against Oregon, but it was still his worst game statistically. And Clausen's "signature" game was against a team that defeated Notre Dame.

I'll choose Kellen Moore as the best of the quarterbacks.

Running backs overall.

It's harder to adjust statistically for defenses with running backs than with quarterbacks, though I'm working on a couple of possible ways to do it. In any case, here are a few things that I found interesting about this chart. First, Mark Ingram is undeniably the best per carry by more than a half-yard. Second, he has the edge in receiving yards. But look at Gerhart's touchdown numbers; they are absurd. He essentially scored every twelfth time he ran the ball. Dion Lewis was very good, but he just can't quite compare with what Ingram and Gerhart did overall.

Weekly.

Here is where Ingram's candidacy takes a little bit of a hit. Three times he rushed the ball for fewer than 75 yards, a mark that Gerhart and Lewis never falled to make. Even against the defenses of the SEC, the "most outstanding" should do better than that -- especially at rival Auburn with a chance at an undefeated season on the line.

Gerhart was more consistent by far this year, and his worst game seems just a little bit better than the others. Sure, it was against Wake Forest, but at least it wasn't against Navy.

So Toby Gerhart gets first place among the running backs, with Mark Ingram a close enough second to warrant further consideration later.

I've never understood why wide receivers don't get more consideration than they do for the award. So let's take a look at some of the better wideouts this year.

How hard was it for an SEC fan to include two Notre Dame players on his list of potential Heisman candidates? I don't want to talk about it.

But Golden Tate had an outstanding year. Look at that touchdown percentage and the yards per catch. With 45 fewer catches than Freddie Barnes against tougher competition, he had just 55 fewer receiving yards. Another 14 receptions for Danario Alexander only earned him 148 additional yards. The edge is resoundingly to Tate among the players I looked at here.

Weekly.

This is where Alexander and Barnes fall off the table to me. Both have more games with fewer than 75 yards than Tate and were far worse in their worst outings. (Though one becomes more and more curious as to how Notre Dame lost to Stanford. Oh, that's right. They had to play defense.)

So the best wideout of the group appears to be Golden Tate.

Finally, we have to look at defenders and examine this hype about Nebraska's Ndouopiufdsoia Suh, or something like that.

Dr. Saturday is the one who got me to consider Brandon Graham. And you've never heard of Von Miller at Texas A&M, who was completely off my radar until I started looking through the numbers. I know you've heard of Ndamukong Suh, because you probably watch football on ESPN and they mention his name almost as frequently as McCoy's.

All three of these players are very good, and consider that Suh was probably double-teamed more than any defensive lineman in the country. Even so, based purely on the statistics, you have to give Miller the edge here.

Weekly.

If you thought that Suh was almost unstoppable against Texas in the Big XII Championship Game, you were right. Four and a half sacks among six tackles for loss and 11 overall. Nothing Graham or Miller did all year can come close to matching that.

Counting all of those things and throwing in some of those "intangibles," I have to go with Ndamukong Suh as the defensive candidate.

Leaving us with:

Kellen Moore
Toby Gerhart
Mark Ingram
Golden Tate
Ndamukong Suh

One of these names is really in a different league from the others -- literally -- and that's Moore. He had a great year for Boise State, but playing in any midmajor save the Mountain West isn't quite like playing in a BCS conference. For consideration, you need to put up laughable numbers, and Moore's not quite there.

The next cut is tough, but I'm removing Golden Tate. That's hard, because I really wanted to see him at least get considered. He is, though, on a 6-6 team that not's going to a bowl game. Gerhart was on the best Stanford team in years, Ingram helped win an SEC Championship and Suh led the Cornhuskers to a Big XII North title. Again, the team's season can't be the central point. But we're getting to the point here where hair-splitting is all that's left.

So the top three are Gerhart, Ingram and Suh. Not terribly original. But the idea here is not to be surprising or creative; it's to find the best. Find me better than any of those three at their positions. I don't think it can be done.

We're allowed three names for the final ballot. So I now have to put them in order. This is the hardest part, because I honestly think any one of these players is more than deserving.

But Ingram disappeared one time too many. And as good as Suh was for Nebraska this year -- and as scared as I'd be to tell him this to his face -- the numbers put up by Toby Gerhart are almost incomparable. Gerhart it is.

1. Toby Gerhart
2. Mark Ingram
3. Ndamukong Suh

Clone Chronicles' Sports Blog Heisman Ballot

Mark Kieffer — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 02:18:17 -0000

Similar to the Blogpoll we are also submitting a Heisman Ballot. The Blue Workhorse, is putting together ballots, to crown a Sports Blog Heisman Trophy Winner. Later I will go through my top 3 choices (with the last being my top choice), along with an honorable mention.

Feel free to critique, or post your own in the comments. They won't be counted in the final ballot, but makes for good discussion:

Before I start, I think it's important to understand that the trophy is supposed to award "the most outstanding player in collegiate football". In other-words, it's supposed to recognize the best player in the sport, not the best player on the best team, and not a lifetime achievement award. It's a tough balancing act, because you want to give guys credit for stepping up when the pressure is on, but at the same time you don't want to feel like you have to give it to a player on a team competing for the National Championship.

In reality, when you have biased groups making decisions, they aren't necessarily going to take this into consideration. That's the way it goes. It isn't perfect, and honestly it doesn't matter too much to me. I mean, I don't mind having a small debate, and I certainly enjoyed going through the process in trying to identify the players I thought were the most outstanding, but overall I'm not emotionally invested in the result at all.

To me, college football is about the team. I care more about wins and losses, and how the team does. I do want to recognize individuals for what they have accomplished, but I'm not going to start some drama because Colt McCoy wins it over Ingram or something like that.

On the next page, I'm going to do a countdown of my honerable mentions, along with my top 3 choices (the last one being my #1 choice):

Honorable Mentions: Dion Lewis, RB, Pitt and Kellen Moore, QB, Boise State

Lewis should be a future Heisman winner down the road. The guy rushed for 1640 yards, averaged 5.5 yards/carry, and scored 16 TDs as a freshmen! He also caught 24 passes for 190 yards, and 1 TD, showing he is a reliable target as well. Also, he's a fun player to watch. If he stays healthy, he will have a great college career!

With Moore, what a great "quiet" year he's had. He lead all of NCAA Football in QB Rating (167.5). He completed 64.8% of his passes, for 3325 yards, 39 TDs, and only 3 INTs. The guy is only a Sophomore as well. Maybe over the next couple of years he can gain some notoriety, but who are we kidding? I think the "establishment" is always going to crap on Boise State, and it's too bad because this kid is very good.

#3: Freddie Barnes, WR, Bowling Green

I had the chance to see this guy play, and he's a playmaker! As a Senior, he stepped up big for Bowling Green, catching 138 receptions for 1551 yards, and 16 TDs. I understand the guy is playing in the MAC, but having a game where he caught 22 passes against Kent State is pretty good. It's not like anyone on ISU came close to that against Kent State this year. It's too bad he played for a small school, but he's a gamechanger without a doubt. More of a possession guy, than a deep threat, but still some lofty numbers. You'll get a chance to see this guy play against Idaho in the Humanitarian Bowl. Fun player to watch.

#2: Toby Gerhart, RB, Stanford

If you thought Dion Lewis had some good numbers, check out Toby Gerhart's. He rushed for 1736 yards on 311 carries (5.6 yards/carry), and scored 26 TDs! I love this type of a player because he's a hard worker, is smart, and has a lot of heart. Without him, I don't think Stanford is able to beat Oregon, USC, and Notre Dame

#1: Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska

I think it's a pretty obvious choice. I actually kind of hate making this choice because it's too damn easy. He isn't leading the nation in sacks, or anything like that, but he's a dominating player. Am I going to say he's the greatest of all time or something like that? Probably not. It seems like every couple of years, somewhere in the nation, there's the 2nd coming. Glenn Dorsey comes to mind from LSU, but there are others. With that said, Suh made an impact on every play he was out on the field, was fighting double-teams all year, and still put up the numbers he did. He's not going to wint the Heisman for real, but he will be the #1 draft pick, have a great NFL career, and make craploads. To me, that's a pretty good consolation for not winning the Heisman.

So what about you? Who would be in your top 3/4?

Kellen Moore named WAC Player of the Year, Coach Pete named Coach of the Year, Broncos place 7 on first-team All-WAC

Kevan Lee — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 17:35:22 -0000

The All-WAC football teams and players of the year were announced today, and the Broncos were well rewarded. Kellen Moore took home Offensive Player of the Year and Coach Pete won Coach of the Year. Nevada's Dontay Moch kept the Broncos from sweeping the three major awards as the Wolf Pack DE received DPOY honors.

After the jump, view the full list of award recipients and the first- and second-teams for the conference. Share your thoughts in the comments on who got snubbed, who surprised, and what you think about how the awards turned out.

(2009 all-wac team pdf)

First-team All-WAC offense	First-team All-WAC defense
WR Austin Pettis, Boise State (Jr.) WR Titus Young, Boise State (Jr.) WR Greg Salas, Hawaii (Jr.) TE Dennis Morris, Louisiana Tech (Sr.) OL Nate Potter, Boise State (So.) OL Andrew Jackson, Fresno State (Jr.) OL John Estes, Hawaii (Sr.) OL Mike Iupati, Idaho (Sr.) OL Alonzo Durham, Nevada (Sr.) QB Kellen Moore, Boise State (So.) RB Ryan Mathews, Fresno State (Jr.) RB Vai Taua, Nevada (Jr.)	DL Ryan Winterswyk, Boise State (Jr.) DL Chris Carter, Fresno State (Jr.) DL D'Anthony Smith, Louisiana Tech (Sr.) DL Dontay Moch, Nevada (Jr.) LB Ben Jacobs, Fresno State (Jr.) LB Blaze Soares, Hawaii (Sr.) LB Adrien Cole, Louisiana Tech (So.) LB Bobby Wagner, Utah State (So.) DB Kyle Wilson, Boise State (Sr.) DB Shiloh Keo, Idaho (Jr.) DB Davon House, New Mexico State (Jr.) DB Duke Ihenacho, San Jose State (Jr.)
Kickers	Returners
K Kevin Goessling, Fresno State (So.) P Robert Malone, Fresno State (Sr.)	ST Titus Young, Boise State (Jr.)

First-team All-WAC analysis

Who could have predicted Nate Potter being on the WAC's first-team offense? I mean, besides drof darb ... End-of-year WAC awards are voted on by WAC coaches ... Boise State had the most first-teamers out of any other WAC school with seven ... every WAC school was represented on the conference's first-team, you know, like the major league baseball all-star game ... Boise State getting two out of the three first-team receivers (and the first-team quarterback) says a lot about how opposing coaches view the Boise State offense ... How about Titus Young getting on the first-team twice? Has he made good on his potential or what? ... Only seven players on this list will graduate this season, including none of the skill position players on offense ...

Second-team all-WAC offense	Second-team all-WAC defense
WR Seyi Ajirotutu, Fresno State (Sr.) WR Max Komar, Idaho (Sr.) WR Brandon Wimberly, Nevada (Fr.) TE Virgil Green, Nevada (Jr.) OL Kenny Wiggins, Fresno State (Jr.) OL Aaron Kia, Hawaii (Sr.) OL Irv Stevens, Idaho (Sr.) OL Rob McGill, Louisiana Tech (Jr.) OL Kenneth Ackerman, Nevada (Sr.) QB Colin Kaepernick, Nevada (Jr.) RB Jeremy Avery, Boise State (Jr.) RB Daniel Porter, Louisiana Tech (Sr.) RB Robert Turbin, Utah State (So.)	DL Billy Winn, Boise State (So.) DL Aaron Lavarias, Idaho (Jr.) DL Kevin Basped, Nevada (Jr.) DL Carl Ihenacho, San Jose State (Sr.) LB Winston Venable, Boise State (Jr.) LB JoJo Dickson, Idaho (Jr.) LB James-Michael Johnson, Nevada (So.) LB Justin Cole, San Jose State (Sr.) DB Jeron Johnson, Boise State (Jr.) DB Lorne Bell, Fresno State (Jr.) DB Moses Harris, Fresno STate (Sr.) DB Jonathon Amaya, Nevada (Sr.)
Kickers	Returners
K Trey Farquhar, Idaho (Fr.) P Philip Zavala, San Jose State (Sr.)	ST Phillip Livas, Louisiana Tech (Jr.)

Second-team all-WAC analysis

I was wondering when we were going to see Billy Winn's name ... Talk of the Broncos having the WAC's best secondary of all-time at the start of the season may have been a little presumptuous, but three players out of five on an All-WAC team isn't bad ...

Which Bronco players do you think got snubbed?

Top individual awards

Offensive player of the year - Kellen Moore
Defensive player of the year - Dontay Moch
Freshman of the year - Brandon Wimberly
Coach of the year - Chris Petersen

The surprise from this group is Petersen beating out Idaho's Robb Akey for coach of the year honors. While Petersen certainly deserved it, the WAC went out of character in not awarding it to the coach of an overachieving team like the Vandals ... You might see the Freshman of the year award and think that Boise State, with all its youth, would have certainly had a candidate for that, but not necessarily. Kirby Moore might have been the most likely candidate, but the Broncos are really stacked with sophomores and juniors ... Had Ryan Winterswyk played more than 60 percent of the defense's snaps, I think there would have been a different outcome at defensive player of the year ... I'm kind of glad that the WAC didn't award DPOY to Kyle Wilson based solely on reputation ... Kellen Moore was every bit as good this year as he was last year, and it's nice to see the coaches recognize his value to the Broncos.

Boise State finishes regular season undefeated, breezes by New Mexico State, 42-7

Kevan Lee — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 23:07:41 -0000

More photos » by Matt Cilley - AP

15 days ago: Boise State's Titus Young, left, makes a reception against the defense of New Mexico State's Davon House during the first half of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Dec. 5, 2009, in Boise, Idaho. (AP Photo/Matt Cilley)

Browse more photos »

Boise State sailed to an easy win over New Mexico State on Saturday, beating the Aggies 42-7 and wrapping up an undefeated regular season. Was it enough for a BCS bid? Tonight's Texas-Nebraska game might have something to say about it, and you can comment along throughout that game in Saturday's comment thread.

For a full recap and analysis of the Boise State win, continue reading after the jump. Who stepped up in Austin Pettis's absence? What new star enjoyed a breakout game? Who looked better: Martin or Avery? Analysis ~~coming soon~~ now posted, and feel free to add your own reaction in the comments.

Broncos have done everything asked of them; now the waiting game begins

Boise State wrapped up its third undefeated regular season in four years with the win over New Mexico State - one of the best streaks in college football. Will Boise State be rewarded with a BCS bowl?

Who knows? Tonight's Texas-Nebraska game will play a big role (comment on that game in today's Comment Thread, if you'd like), and the final answer will come tomorrow (there will be a BCS comment thread for that, too). In the meantime, let's take a step back and just appreciate what the Broncos have been able to accomplish this year.

So few college football teams can maintain consistent success anymore. For Boise State to be able to do it, with two seniors on the depth chart and with a huge target on their back every week, is really remarkable. Congratulations to Coach Pete and the Bronco players.

Kyle Efaw is the new Austin Pettis

After two shaky three-and-outs to start the game, the Bronco offense picked up steam and scored TDs on six of their next seven drives. Did they miss Austin Pettis? Yes and no. The two three-and-outs could have used Pettis's sure hands on a 3rd down call, but the rest of the Bronco possessions seemed just as smooth and efficient as always.

With Pettis's production missing, there was rampant speculation all week long on who would fill his shoes. Here are stats on the most notable replacements.

Titus Young 7 catches, 92 yards, 1 touchdown
Kyle Efaw 5 catches, 68 yards
Jeremy Avery 3 catches, 50 yards
Mitch Burroughs 1 catch, 32 yards
Chris Potter 3 catches, 31 yards

Kirby Moore 3 catches, 18 yards

The winner? Kyle Efaw. The TE's five catches and 68 yards were nearly season highs in both categories (he had 70 yards versus LaTech). Efaw was a part of the offense from the get-go, and his 19-yard catch on the first scoring drive really sparked the offense.

How do you think Titus Young performed? He definitely had his ups and downs, dropping a few balls and going offside but also coming up with a big TD grab and leading the team in receiving. He was open on all four of his deep routes, but he and Kellen Moore couldn't connect. At least we're not questioning Moore's arm strength anymore, right?

What do you think about Burroughs and Potter? Their final numbers appear pretty insignificant, and they were not a big part of the offense like it seemed they might be. The Broncos predominantly moved the ball on the ground and through Young, Efaw, and Avery through the air. It worked fine against NMSU, but will it work so well in a bowl game?

Best news of the day? Michael Atkinson is as good as we thought he was

The giant Bronco DT who had been plagued by injuries and suspension for much of the year finally looks healthy, and he seems to have grown into the No. 3 DT spot behind Chase Baker and Billy Winn. Atkinson was a big part of the defensive gameplan on Saturday with New Mexico State's running focus. Though he's not a polished player by any stretch, his size and strength in the middle of the Bronco defense is different than what any other BSU player brings to the table. He gets better and better every week, and he could end up playing a big role in the Broncos' bowl game.

Also, did you see his block on Doug Martin's TD run? Atkinson lined up at fullback and completely collapsed his man as well as an entire side of the Aggie defense. It was one of the most dominating blocks I have seen a Boise State player make.

From the department of new Bronco defenses: The 2-4 and the 5-2

Justin Wilcox is really just making stuff up at this point. Against the Aggies, Boise State unveiled two new looks on defense, and with the Aggies being the Aggies, both formations worked like a charm.

The first was a 5-2 defense with three defensive tackles along the line: Baker, Winn, and Atkinson. The Broncos went to this defense to match up against NMSU's big running sets.

Later on in the first half, Boise State showed a 2-4 with only two down linemen and defensive linemen Byron Hout and J.P. Nisby as stand-up linebackers. Similar to the 3-3-5, the 2-4 allowed Boise State to blitz and get some quick pressure on the Aggies.

For the bowl game, who knows what we'll see? The 1-6? The 10-Wilson? I think anything's fair game at this point.

How many WAC teams could Tommy Smith start on?

Bronco linebacker depth was called into question this week with the injuries to Daron Mackey and Derrell Acrey, but the performances of Hunter White, Aaron Tevis, J.C. Percy, and especially Tommy Smith provided a pretty good answer. Smith received his most playing time all season, and he made the most of it, running down players on defense and special teams.

New Mexico State rushed for 142 yards, 114 coming from RB Seth Smith. Considering that the running game was all the Aggies had on Saturday (they completed 4 passes for 49 yards all game long), the play of the Bronco front seven had to be solid, and it was.

Dan Paul continues transmogrification into Richie Brockel

Is Dan Paul as good at blocking from the fullback position as Richie Brockel was? I might not go that far just yet, but the Paul-Brockel comparison is getting easier and easier to make every week. Paul excelled once again, replacing the injured Brockel. His contribution to the running game in recent weeks is a big reason why Boise State has been so successful on the ground. Looking at him, he honestly looks like the next generation Brockel. Hard to believe he was playing linebacker just a year ago. He seems born to be a fullback.

Avery and Martin: It's just not fair anymore

Both Bronco running backs had big games on Saturday, Avery with 86 yards and a score and Martin with 83 yards and 4 TDs. Martin got things going on the Broncos' third drive of the game with some hard running that softened the Aggie defense. Avery picked up where Martin left off, making plays outside the tackle and using his speed to chew up yardage.

Best run of the day? It had to be Martin's 56-yard burst to the end zone where he stiff-armed a defender at the line of scrimmage and showcased some pull-away speed to the end zone. On Saturday, I think the Bronco running game was more dangerous than the passing game, and I cannot remember the last time I thought that.

Other observations:

It is rare that a defender can get back to the punter so fast, which might be why George Iloka didn't get the full block on the Kyle Hughes punt.
There are easier ways to throw 16-yard outs to Kyle Efaw than sweep throwbacks.
Is Chris Potter more of a blocking threat than a receiving threat? Potter's best plays this season have featured his blocking skills, including a wipeout of an NMSU defender on Jeremy Avery's TD run. To run successfully, you have to have receivers who block downfield. In that sense, Potter's value is better than it seems.
The New Mexico State offense looked like this was its opening game of the season. Apart from Seth Smith, that offense has to be one of the worst in WAC history.
Did his stats in this game officially remove Kellen Moore from Heisman consideration? He was still his usual flawless self, but I have to think that Heisman voters want to see TDs.
According to Mark Johnson, we should all be pulling for the Broncos to make the Tostitos Doritos Bowl.
Speaking of Johnson, he made an ominous reference at the end of the game that this could be his last broadcast considering that Boise State's media contracts change next year. Hmm ...

Poll

Who was Boise State's player of the game against New Mexico State?

Jeremy Avery

10 votes

Doug Martin

122 votes

Brandyn Thompson

8 votes

Billy Winn

27 votes

167 votes | Poll has closed

Will Boise State make a clean sweep of WAC awards?

Kevan Lee — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 15:55:15 -0000

More photos » by J.D. Pooley - AP

2 months ago: Bowling Green quaterback Tyler Sheehan (13) is sacked by Boise State's Ryan Winterswyk (98) while Bowling Green's Brady Minturn (70) is late with the block during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2009, in Bowling Green, Ohio. (AP Photo/J.D. Pooley)

Browse more photos »

Award season is just around the corner, and after this week's games, the WAC will be naming its players of the year and coach of the year. Does Boise State deserve to sweep the awards?

After the jump, take a look at how each award race is shaping up and share your comments on how likely a Bronco sweep would be.

Offensive Player of the Year

Candidates

Kellen Moore
QB Colin Kaepernick, Nevada
RB Ryan Mathews, Fresno State

The race for this year's WAC OPOY has been eerily reminiscent of those maddening JumboTron plane/waterboat/car races they have at sporting events. One minute the red one is the lead. The next minute, it's the yellow one. Would someone please just end the thing so that we can all mentally prepare for the hidden-ball-in-helmet video?

Mathews was the overwhelming favorite for this award at the season's halfway point, but as is Mathews M.O., he got injured and has fallen behind. Next in line was Kaepernick who spearheaded a revitalized Nevada team as it ran off eight straight wins. However, it appears that the player with the most momentum at the end of the season is Moore, who clearly outdueled Kaepernick in the de facto WAC championship.

The favorite? Moore. It would be an abomination if anyone other than Moore took home OPOY honors. In other words, it would be a lot like last year.

(Note: All three players should return next year, providing quite the hype-fest for Karl Benson and the WAC. Has he already printed the media guide cover?)

Defensive Player of the Year

Candidates

Ryan Winterswyk
DT D'Anthony Smith, Louisiana Tech
LB Ben Jacobs, Fresno State
S Shiloh Keo, Idaho
DE Dontay Moch, Nevada

Out of the three WAC awards, I think this one will be the closest one to call. Each of the above four players has had a special season. Idaho's Keo is second in the WAC in tackles and has been the sole playmaker on a much-improved Vandal defense. Jacobs has been an animal, recording 82 tackles, 3 FFs, 3 FRs, and two blocked kicks; plus, the WAC loves choosing linebackers (see Solomon Elimimian last year). Smith is the most NFL-ready defensive player in the conference, and while his numbers aren't outstanding, his impact certainly has been. Moch leads the conference in TFLs and is in the top three in sacks.

And then there's Winterswyk. He currently leads the WAC in sacks (8.0) and sits second in TFLs (15). He has been a disruptive force all season long, hassling quarterbacks and stuffing the run. Has he been Boise State's best defensive player this season? I would say yes. And in a year when there is no clear-cut player deserving of WAC DPOY, wouldn't it make sense to choose the best player on the conference's best defense?

The Statesman unveiled its choices for WAC awards this week, and they come to a different conclusion than I did.

Boise State cornerback Kyle Wilson is the choice in a year without a dominant player. Wilson is an All-American whose production - three interceptions, two pass breakups, two touchdowns - doesn't show his true value.

Do you think Wilson has played better than Winterswyk this season?

Personally, I think that Wilson had a better 2008. Anyone who says that teams do not throw Wilson's way this season is absolutely wrong. Teams most certainly throw his way, and he has been surprisingly undisciplined with penalties and tackling at times this year. Don't get me wrong. Wilson is still an all-time great Bronco. I just don't see him deserving DPOY honors this season.

If we're talking about who is more valuable to the Broncos' defense, then I think Wilson might win. But as far as the player who has had the better season, I think that player is Winterswyk.

Is there another player on the Boise State defense you think has had a better year? Jeron Johnson? Billy Winn?

Coach of the Year

Candidates

Coach Pete
Robb Akey
Chris Ault

The only reason I listed Ault above is that I can see some people giving him credit for bringing Nevada out of that 0-3 hole and running off eight straight wins. That said, I think the discussion is really between Robb Akey and Coach Pete.

But really, should it even be a discussion? No doubt Akey worked some miracles with the Vandals this year in bringing them to 7-5. However, he lost his team's three biggest games and only won one out of five games after becoming bowl eligible against a weak schedule. The Vandals lost by double-digits to the conference's three best teams, giving up 133 points combined to Nevada and Boise State. And to put the cherry on top, Idaho dropped its season finale at home against a three-win Utah State.

On the other hand, Coach Pete has gone undefeated with the youngest team in the country.

If the WAC is serious about awarding COY to the coach who had done the best job this season, the award will go to Coach Pete. Year in and year out, he pulls off an incredible job, and it would be a shame if he is punished for his consistency.

(Note: I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the turnaround that Hawaii's Greg McMackin has done with the Warriors. The season could not have started worse for UH - McMackin's homophobic/apologetic blunder at media days, the Warriors' 2-6 start, the loss of their starting quarterback. But four straight wins, including a victory over Navy, has Hawaii on the cusp of a bowl. Who would have thought that was possible a month ago?)

Your turn

Who do you think will win this season's WAC awards? Share your winners in the comments. Also, please weigh in on who you think has had the better season: Ryan Winterswyk or Kyle Wilson.

SB Nation - Kellen Moore

Did Hawkeyes Dodge Bullet In Fiesta Bowl Campaign Scandal? (No)

We're All Americans, But We're Not All All-Americans

WAC All-Decade Team: Dinwiddie, Moore, or Brennan: How will you vote?

WAC All-Decade Quarterback: Dinwiddie, Moore, Carr or Brennan?

The Chase Holbrook mindscrub is nearly complete

WAC All-Decade Running Back: What do you do with LaDainian Tomlinson?

a.k.a. The One Where You Vote For Ian Johnson

WAC All-Decade Wide Receivers: Do any Broncos make the cut?

WAC All-Decade Offensive Line: If you had to choose between Daryn Colledge and Ryan Clady ...

Fat guys have their day in the sun

WAC All-Decade Defensive Backs: If Quintin Mikell doesn't make this, I am not responsible for what happens to Karl Benson

Is this where I vote for Marty Tadman?

Your turn

Haden, Hernandez Are Your AP All-Americans

What could have been: How Kellen Moore stacks up against Heisman finalists

Tim Tebow

Colt McCoy

Mark Ingram

Toby Gerhart

Ndamukong Suh

The official vote of OBNUG, which is not really all that official

Your turn

Who will win the 2009 Heisman Trophy?

Who Should Win the Heisman?

Clone Chronicles' Sports Blog Heisman Ballot

Kellen Moore named WAC Player of the Year, Coach Pete named Coach of the Year, Broncos place 7 on first-team All-WAC

First-team All-WAC offense

First-team All-WAC defense

Kickers

Returners

First-team All-WAC analysis

Second-team all-WAC offense

Second-team all-WAC defense

Kickers

Returners

Second-team all-WAC analysis

Top individual awards

Boise State finishes regular season undefeated, breezes by New Mexico State, 42-7

Broncos have done everything asked of them; now the waiting game begins

Kyle Efaw is the new Austin Pettis

Best news of the day? Michael Atkinson is as good as we thought he was

From the department of new Bronco defenses: The 2-4 and the 5-2

How many WAC teams could Tommy Smith start on?

Dan Paul continues transmogrification into Richie Brockel

Avery and Martin: It's just not fair anymore

Other observations:

Who was Boise State's player of the game against New Mexico State?

Jeremy Avery

Doug Martin

Brandyn Thompson

Billy Winn

Will Boise State make a clean sweep of WAC awards?

Offensive Player of the Year

Defensive Player of the Year

Coach of the Year

Your turn