WHO'S HOT
Big XII Quarterbacks
The Big XII as an entire conference is red-hot this season, and their quarterbacks have a lot to do with it. It starts with senior quarterback Graham Harrell, who has led his Texas Tech to a squad to a 10-0 record and a legitimate shot to play for the National Championship. Harrell leads the conference and the nation in passing yards, and is completing over 70 percent of his attempts. Sophomore Sam Bradford isn't far behind. His 3,406 yards through the air are second in the conference and the nation. And senior Chase Daniel and juniors Todd Reesing and Colt McCoy rank fourth, ninth and 10th in passing yards in the country, respectively.
USC
The Trojans' early loss to Oregon State back in September may hold them back from a National Championship, but since their loss USC has been on fire. In their six victories since the Trojans' defeat, USC is outscoring their opponents by 34.7 points per game. Their victories include two wins over top 25 teams and three shutouts. USC also trampled over both Washington schools by a combined score of 125-0. Their defense is like a brick wall, allowing just 3.8 points per contest since their downfall at Oregon State. The Trojans may not make the trip to the National Title game, but no one would want to play them if they did.
The Mountain West Conference
No one ever talks about the Mountain West in College football, but the top of their conference is playing as well as the best in some other major conferences this season. The Mountain West has three teams in the top 25 in the BCS Standings as of now. For those who are counting, that's just as many as the ACC and the Big Ten, one more than the Big East and two more than the Pac-10. No. 7 Utah sits atop the league with a 10-0 record and a chance to play in a BCS Bowl. And No. 17 BYU and No. 18 TCU have just one and two losses, respectively.
WHO'S NOT
The Pac-10
Besides USC, no one in this league really scares anyone. As mentioned before, USC is the only team to crack the top 25 in the BCS. Oregon State sits in second, but an early loss to 5-5 Stanford prevents them from gaining anyone's respect. At the bottom of the conference sits the only school in the FBS without a victory, Washington. Washington State is 1-9 overall and 0-7 in the conference. UCLA, who caught the nation's attention with an opening weekend win over Tennessee on national television has sputtered out. The Bruins are now 3-6.
Clemson
The Clemson Tigers entered the season as the favorite to win the ACC and a possible national title contender. Now they sit near the bottom of a weak ACC with a 2-4 conference record. Head coach Tommy Bowden was fired earlier this year for failure to meet expectations once again. Senior quarterback Cullen Harper has been a huge disappointment this season with a 9-12 touchdown to interception ratio. With a 4-5 overall record, Clemson is questionable to make it into any bowl game.
Tennessee
The Volunteers are another team that will let its head coach go after a poor season. Things started off on the wrong foot when Tennessee fell to what turned out to be a mediocre UCLA team in the Volunteers' first game. Then Tennessee got embarrassed at home to rival Florida in a 30-6 drubbing. Tennessee did not get its first SEC win until Oct. 18 against Mississippi State. Now the Volunteers are muddled in a three game losing streak. And last week they hit rock bottom with a home loss to Wyoming, which entered the game 3-6.
- Compiled by Scott Kellog
