A sideline study guide: ten things every educated citizen of college football nation should know about the 2004 season and beyond

Sporting News, The, Nov 29, 2004 by Tom Dienhart

We take our college football seriously here at the SPORTING NEWS, striving to make experts of all of you. Now's the time to find out if you've been paying attention.

The Pigskin Professor is back to see how far your brains can push his blocking sled of gridiron knowledge. If you pass, you'll be allowed to say, "Not so fast, my friend," at the dinner table, mall, bar, quickie lube, barber--wherever--as much as you want. And no one will be allowed to say, "Shut up!" and punch you in the arm. Fail, and you'll be given two tickets to next year's Louisiana-Lafayette vs. Louisiana-Monroe game. And, believe me, you'd rather loofah your grandmother's back.

Buckle your chin strap, dab on some eye black, and get out your No. 2 pencil--it's testing time.

1. Who's the best freshman not named Adrian Peterson?

-- A. WR/PR Ted Ginn, Ohio State

-- B. RB Michael Hart, Michigan

-- C. QB Chad Henne, Michigan

-- D. WR Dwayne Jarrett, USC

-- E. TE Zach Miller, Arizona State

-- F. LB Brandon Siler, Florida

-- G. RB Jamario Thomas, North Texas

Answer: G. You've probably never heard of Thomas. Heck, you probably don't even know North Texas from Texas toast. Shame on you. The 5-11, 195-pound true freshman, who's nursing a hamstring injury, leads the nation with 1,709 rushing yards. And get this: Senior Patrick Cobbs, who led the nation in rushing last year, was supposed to be the Mean Green's running star, but he has been out since spraining a knee in UNT's second game.

2. Which team has been the biggest disappointment?

-- A. Clemson

-- B. Kansas State

-- C. LSU

-- D. Missouri

-- E. Ohio State

Answer: D. Many tabbed Mizzou to win the sad sack Big 12 North. Heck, we did. But it started to unravel in a loss at Troy State--the first time the Tigers showed an uncanny ability to blow a lead. It continued in home losses to Oklahoma State and Kansas State. The crux of the problem? Coach Gary Pinkel has insisted on making Brad Smith a pocket passer. Sorta like serving steak on a bun.

3. What has been the best game of the season?

-- A. LSU 22, Oregon State 21, OT, September 4

-- B. Tennessee 30, Florida 28, September 18

-- C. San Jose State 70, Rice 63, October 2

-- D. Southern California 23, California 17, October 9

-- E. Miami 41, Louisville 38, October 14

-- F. Michigan 45, Michigan State 37, 3 OTs, October 30

Answer: B. Late in the contest, a game of playground shove broke out. It went like this: Gators receiver Dallas Baker got pushed by Vols defensive back Jonathan Wade and retaliated in kind. The problem? Baker was punished, even though the referee should have seen Wade's initial push. Instead of getting sent to the principal's office, Baker was slapped with a personal foul penalty. That helped set up Tennessee's James Wilhoit for a game-winning 50-yard field goal with 6 seconds left--a kick that shoved the whole mess right in the Gators' faces.

4. What has been the biggest upset?

--A. Troy 24, Missouri 14, September 9

--B. Maine 9, Mississippi State 7, September 18

--C. Northwestern 33, Ohio State 27, OT, October 2

--D. Mississippi State 38, Florida 31, October 23

--E. Baylor 35, Texas A&M 34, OT, October 30

--F. North Carolina 31, Miami 28, October 30

--G. Duke 16, Clemson 13, November 13

Answer: D. It's not a good year to he a Florida fan. First Shove-gate, next Chokingdog-gate. This was a Mississippi State team that entered the game with one win and losses to Vanderbilt, UAB and I-AA Maine. In the end, the Gators' flop cost coach Ron Zook his job.

5. Who is the front-runner to win the 2005 Heisman Trophy? Keep in mind, a quarterback has won the past four Heismans.

--A. RB Michael Hart, Michigan

--B. QB Chris Leak, Florida

--C. QB Matt Leinart, USC

--D. RB Adrian Peterson, Oklahoma

--E. QB Aaron Rodgers, California

--F. QB Alex Smith, Utah

--G. QB Vince Young, Texas

Answer: G. Yeah, it's early, but this is why us media types were put on the planet. Leinart and Rodgers seem to be locks for the draft, and even if Smith stays, it'll be difficult for a guy from Utah to win the Heisman. So that narrows the field. Young is attractive because he'll be entering his third year in an offense built around his skills. He has made great strides as a passer in what should be an even more explosive offense. Mack Brown can't screw this up, can he?

6. What has been the most surprising development of the season?

--A. Perfect runs by Auburn and Utah

--B. The Big Ten's instant replay being a nonfactor

--C. Mike Price's instant success at UTEP

--D. Nebraska's struggles

--E. The quick firing of Florida coach Ron Zook

Answer: A. Thanks to the development of quarterback Jason Campbell and the arrival of coordinator Al Borges, the Tigers finally have a passing game to complement what has been a better than expected defense. The Utes were top 25 material in the preseason, but the continued development of the defense and a great offense have Utah speeding toward a BCS bid.

7. What has been the biggest injury?

--A. QB Erik Ainge, Tennessee (shoulder)

--B. QB Kyle Orton, Purdue (hips)

--C. CB/PR Antonio Perkins, Oklahoma (knee)