Sure, college football's actual awards will not be given out for several weeks, but why not take a few minutes in this final 2005 edition of GameDay to bestow some love on the peculiar people and moments that have made this season memorable in their own special ways. GameDay presents the following awards:
Dave Wannstedt, Pittsburgh and Bill Callahan, Nebraska
Some coaches, like USC's Pete Carroll and Notre Dame's Charlie Weis, make seamless transitions from NFL life to the college ranks. Others, however, do not. Probably the two most over-hyped hires in recent college football history have been Dave Wannstedt at Pitt and Bill Callahan at Nebraska. Coming off a berth in the 2004 Fiesta Bowl, the Panthers were expected to contend in a weak Big East, but their play has been as uneven as Wannstedt's mustache, leaving Pitt at 4-5 coming into this weekend.
Callahan, meanwhile, was hailed as the man who would bring Nebraska's offense into the 21st century, ditching decades of option football for an up-tempo West Coast attack. The Cornhuskers are 5-4 this season after finishing 5-6 in 2004. And to think Nebraska canned Frank Solich because he won 'only' 75 percent of his games.
Pittsburgh at Nebraska,
Sept. 17, 2005
How fitting that the aforementioned coaches would face off against each other in a bizarre game that will be remembered for its incompetence. In mid-September, Nebraska took a 7-6 lead deep into the fourth quarter, but missed a 38-yard field goal with 1:28 to go. Pitt responded by moving into field goal range, and decided to kick on third down in case something went awry. Well, the snap bounced off the holder's helmet directly into kicker Josh Cummings' hands. Cummings smartly threw the ball away, giving the Panthers a last gasp. The Huskers blocked the next kick, sending Pitt home with a loss. Of course, the real losers were anyone who paid to see this game.
ABC television
During the Sept. 17 broadcast of the Notre Dame-Michigan State matchup, the network flashed a graphic that showed the Fighting Irish had never lost a game in which quarterback Brady Quinn did not have a turnover. As the graphic is still on the screen, Quinn throws an interception that the Spartans return for a touchdown. True to form, Notre Dame loses 44-41.
Justin Kucek, Minnesota
In a play that will live forever in Badger lore, Minnesota redshirt freshman punter Justin Kucek dropped the snap in the closing seconds of the Wisconsin game, then decided he could still get the kick off despite Badger linebacker Jonathan Casillas barreling down on him. Bad decision. The Badgers smothered Kucek's blocked punt in the end zone and went on to win 38-34, leaving Goldie, with his bucktoothed grin, as the only Gopher fan smiling in the Metrodome.
Matt Leinart, USC
Applaud all you want the decision of the Southern California signal-caller's decision to forsake fame and fortune for one more year of college. It sure must be tough to get all his homework done, what with all the celebrity hobnobbing that comes with being the most recognizable football player in star-crazy Los Angeles.
Of course, if your course load consisted of a one-credit ballroom dancing class, you'd come back too. Leinart should be commended for putting in the work his first three years so that he can graduate with just a couple more sociology credits in the spring, but he is as much a 'student' at USC right now as Ashlee Simpson is a singer.
Tyrone Prothro, Alabama
Talk about taking one for the team. Alabama wide receiver Tyrone Prothro broke his leg while trying to haul in a touchdown reception in the fourth quarter of the Crimson Tide's 31-3 win over Florida Oct. 18. While injuries are no laughing matter, it is ironic that Alabama fans had referred to Prothro as the team's primary 'game-breaker.' Even in his absence, Alabama has rolled to a 9-0 record and may threaten to knock Texas out of the BCS title game.
Fisher DeBerry, Air Force
While the merits of how offensive the Air Force coach's statement that 'Afro-American kids can run very well' are debateable, claiming that his Cadets lost to Texas Christian because the Horned Frogs 'had a lot more Afro-American players than we did' is a poor way to explain a loss. Isn't it possible that TCU'which is now 9-1 on the season while Air Force is 3-7'had a better game plan, or possibly better coaching?
Temple
How bad is Temple? After being kicked out of the Big East for years of ineptitude, the Owls are in the process of joining the Mid-American conference, where they hope to be more competitive.
Well, the results are in, and they aren't pretty. In addition to being routed by major conference powers like Miami, Wisconsin and Arizona State week in and week out, the winless Owls also dropped their three games against MAC teams by a combined score of 130-37. The only positive for coach Bobby Wallace in 2005 is that he got fired midway through the season.
Stanford
OK, so Stanford isn't a huge Division I-A football power. Sure, every few years they put together a decent season. They even played Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl in 2000. But the 2005 edition of the Cardinal is mystifying. How does a team that beats Navy and Arizona State and loses to UCLA in overtime lose to a Division I-AA team? Somehow, it happened. In September , Stanford lost 20-17 to UC-Davis, a team transitioning to I-AA after years as a Division II team. The Aggies, by the way, have lost to noted powerhouses New Hampshire, Portland State, South Dakota State and Stephen F. Austin this season.
Purdue, Oklahoma, Pittsburgh, Tennessee
This one goes out to all the pretenders out there, especially the above four teams that rode name recognition to undeserved high rankings in preseason polls. No sleeper team has ever looked more asleep than Purdue. Oklahoma demonstrated that USC's rout in the 2004 Orange Bowl was not a fluke'Oklahoma's 2004 season was, while inconsistent Tennessee was doomed by coach Philip Fulmer, who flip-flopped on quarterbacks like Ricky Williams does on quarter-sacks.
