ON FIRE
Felix Jones
Without a doubt, the best running back tandem in college football is Darren McFadden and Felix Jones. There is also little doubt that Jones is far and away the best back up"" running back in college football. Thus far in his junior season at Arkansas, Jones has rushed for 774 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground, as well as two more touchdowns on kick returns. Jones has reached the 100 yard mark with 15 or fewer carries in five games this year, including 132 yards on seven carries against North Texas. After a 101 yard, two touchdown performance against Mississippi last week, Jones is averaging an astounding 9.6 yards per carry on the season. That is not a typo, he actually is averaging 9.6 yards per carry. To put that into perspective, Donald Driver is averaging only 1.8 more yards per catch than Jones is averaging per rush, and most would say Donald has done quite well this year.
Tim Tebow
The sophomore Florida quarterback was at the winning end of the showdown between Kentucky and Florida, ending a two game losing streak for the Gators. Although he struggled in losses to Auburn and LSU, Tebow accumulated 334 total yards and five touchdowns (one rushing) and managed to outscore the prolific Kentucky offense 45-37, an impressive feat for a sophomore quarterback. Although Tebow is not as skilled of a passer as quarterbacks like Andre Woodson and Brian Brohm, his ability to run (10 rushing touchdowns this year) makes him just as much of an overall threat. Despite playing in a brutal conference, Tebow has been highly productive all season as a young player, leading one to expect that he will be even better next season.
Andre Woodson
The senior Kentucky quarterback was anything but under the radar prior to this season after throwing 31 touchdowns and seven interceptions on 419 attempts as a junior. Even now, no defense has been able to solve him. Woodson has been nothing short of fantastic this year, throwing 26 touchdowns along with only four interceptions on 295 attempts in one of the nation's toughest conferences. Although Kentucky lost 45-37 against Florida last week, Woodson did everything possible to win. Despite being sacked six times, he showed remarkable resilience and threw for 415 yards and five touchdowns with no turnovers. Woodson has the potential to be the first player selected in the NFL draft after consistently showing the ability to make any throw and make great decisions against top competition the past two seasons.
ICE COLD
Brian Brohm
A preseason 1st team All-American pick and favorite to be picked No.1 overall in the NFL draft by many, senior Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm was supposed to be a dominant force on one of the best teams in the Big East. After a 21-17 loss at the hands of Connecticut, Louisville is 4-4. Although Connecticut was wrongly given a touchdown on a punt return that should have been called a fair catch, it was Brohm's lackluster performance that allowed the game to come down to that play. Despite throwing 41 times, Brohm could only manage 228 yards for a rather pitiful 5.6 yards per attempt average. Brohm also had two interceptions to just one touchdown. Luckily for Brohm, he still has a great QB rating on the season (162.3) and should still be selected in the first half of the NFL Draft's first round.
South Carolina
While most people probably wrote off Vanderbilt for eternity after Jay Cutler went into the NFL, Steve Spurrier and his formerly No.6 ranked Gamecocks squad found out that Vandy can, in fact, still win games. Spurrier is the long time master of the college passing attack, but he was clueless against a Vandy defense that did not allow a single touchdown in the 17-6 upset. In addition to only giving up two field goals in the contest, Vandy's defense forced four turnovers and brought some serious heat, sacking Spurrier's quarterbacks seven times. South Carolina was presented with an opportunity to jump into the top-five rankings, but they instead settled for a loss in what should have been an easy win. They are now ranked No.15 in the AP poll.
California
For the second week in a row California is on the cold list. Despite being ranked sixth overall two games ago, California has managed to lose two straight games to unranked opponents. In the 30-21 loss to UCLA last week, junior quarterback Nate Longshore threw three interceptions, including the backbreaking interception that UCLA's sophomore cornerback Alterraun Verner returned for the game-sealing touchdown. Senior running back Justin Forsett found no room to run against the UCLA defense during his 76-yard effort and was held scoreless for the first time all season. California had the opportunity to take the No.1 ranking two weeks ago, but instead they are now sitting at No.18 in the latest AP poll.
