Staying In School: Who Will Have The Biggest Impact

Every year college players have the chance to realize their dreams and cash in on a potentially lucrative career by taking their talents to the NFL. Let's take a look at some of the guys who passed up the possibility of declaring for the NFL draft in order to stay in school and possibly help lead their teams to Conference and National Championships.

1. Justin Blackmon and Brandon Wheedon, Oklahoma State- Okie State was picked by everybody to finish near the bottom of the Big 12 South this year. But led by Brandon Wheedon, Justin Blackmon and Kendall Hunter they put up the 2nd most points in College Football and passed for the 3rd most yards. As a redshirt sophomore Justin Blackmon emerged as one of the most dynamic wide receivers in the land. In 12 games he caught 111 balls for 1782 yards and 20 TD. He finished 1st in the Nation in TD receptions, 1st in Receiving Yards per game, 2nd in Total Receiving Yards, 2nd in Receptions per Game and 3rd in Total Receptions. To say it was a break-out season would be a huge understatement. In 2009 Brandon Wheedon backed up Zac Robinson and only threw 24 passes all season. This year he got his opportunity and did not waste it. Wheedon put up 4277 yards passing (2nd to only Landry Jones in Big 12 land) and was the highest rated passer in the pass happy Big 12. I'm not sure about how valued Wheedon is by the NFL, especially since he's a 27 year old college QB, but getting both of these guys to come back to school (especially Blackmon) was a huge coo for Mike Gundy. Now the biggest question is how the Cowboys offense will function with Dana Holgerson moving on to West Virginia.

2. Andrew Luck, Stanford- This was the most surprising of all as Luck was thought by many to be the #1 overall pick in the draft. Luck would be my #1 with a bullet if Jim Harbaugh had come back to coach Stanford. Stanford did stay in house with their coaching choice to replace Harbaugh by picking Offensive Coordinator David Shaw. Keeping the offense in tact will be huge for Shaw and Luck. Luck was the third highest rated passer in the Nation (behind some guys named Cam Newton and Kellen Moore) and also led the Pac-10 in Passing Yards and TD. I think it's safe to say that Stanford is here to stay (at least for another year).

3. Ryan Broyles, Oklahoma- Oklahoma went 12-2 this year and won the Big 12 Championship. Now they are poised for a run at the National Championship and Broyles coming back gives them the shot in the arm that they might just need to get them over the hump. Broyles led the Nation last year with 131 catches and helped Landry Jones become a much better QB in 2010. Broyles also led the Nation with 9.4 receptions per game, that's an incredible number and Big 12 defenses are going to have their hands full with Broyles and the Sooners offense next year.

4. Kellen Moore, Boise State- Ok, so maybe he's not widely coveted by the NFL. But we still see guys go pro that have no business doing so. Moore is only listed as 6'0" so maybe he's not the typical NFL QB but he sure is the cog that keeps Boise State going. This year the Broncos lose their top two receiving targets in Titus Young and Austin Pettis (both reeled in 71 catches last year) so keeping Moore is huge for maintaining the offense and breaking in some new targets. Moore's stats are as impressive as any other QB in College Football. Over the last two years he has passed for over 7000 yards and has 74 TD and only 9 Interceptions.

5. Case Keenum, Houston- This isn't the typical staying in school but Keenum was a 5th year senior who suffered a torn ACL and missed the last 9 games of last season. Without Keenum, Houston finished the season winning just 3 of their last 9 and concluded the season with a record of 5-7. With Keenum they went 10-4 in 2009. In the two years spanning 2008 and 2009 Keenum passed for over 10,000 yards and posted 44 TD in both of those seasons. If nothing else, Keenum provides us bloggers and sports writers some stats to drool over. Keenum was granted a 6th season by the NCAA and this guy is looking forward to watching it.

6. Jared Crick, Nebraska- There are some good defensive players who passed up the draft but this one might have the biggest impact. Last year Crick posted 70 total tackles (3rd on the team), 14.5 tackles for loss (5th in the Big 12) and 9.5 sacks (2nd in the Big 12). Nebraska was 9th in scoring defense last year in the Nation but their offense faltered and they fell to defeat in 3 of their last 4 games. With Crick coming back Nebraska doesn't need to worry about their DL as they prepare for their first game in their inaugural season in the Big 10.

Honorable Mention: Michael Floyd/Notre Dame, Mark Barron/Alabama, Janoris Jenkins/Florida, LaMichael James/Oregon, Russell Wilson/NC State

Under The Radar: Non-BCS Games of Week Two

I picked some good ones last week. Temple beat Villanova by hitting a FG in the last 3 seconds of the game to take a 1 point lead before returning a fumble for a TD on the last play of the game to ice it 31-24. Troy kicked a FG with 4 seconds left to top Bowling Green 30-27. In one of the best plays of the weekend East Carolina hit a 33 yard Hail Mary as time expired to fend off an upset bid by Tulsa 51-49. So 3 out of the 4 games I brought you last week were decided in basically the last play of the game. The other pick was a sentimental pick as Bill Curry and the Georgia State Panthers had their first ever game in the history of the school and beat Shorter in a rout 41-7 in front of 30,000 fans at the Georgia Dome. I was 3-1 picking straight up with no spread as I picked Tulsa to pull the upset of East Carolina but was denied on the Hail Mary. I was going to put Central Michigan at Temple as my first "Game of Week Two" but that game is now over (Temple won 13-10 in OT by the way).

UTEP (1-0) at Houston (1-0)
Fri, Sept 10th (ESPN and ESPN3.com)
10:15 PM EST

Anybody remember last year when Houston was getting some serious buzz after beating Oklahoma State (a Top 10 team at the time) and then Texas Tech? Houston was the #12 team in the nation and UTEP was coming off of a 64-7 throttling at the hands of Texas. So what happened? Well, of course UTEP pulled the upset 58-41. UTEP finished up the year by losing 5 of their next 7 games and Houston went on to finish 10-4 despite losing their last two games. Houston will be looking for revenge but it might not be as easy as they want. In addition to losing to UTEP last year, Houston only beat UTEP by 5 points in 2008 and 3 points in 2007.

My Pick: Houston


BYU (1-0) at Air Force (1-0)
Sat, Sept 11th (Versus)
4 PM EST

Last week BYU was seen beating Washington and Heisman darling Jake Locker. Air Force but up 65 on Northwestern State. Last year BYU clipped Air Force by 17 at home. This year the game is on the road for BYU but I expect them to prevail. Watch this one to get a peak at BYU Freshman Jake Heaps. Last week he went 13 of 23 for 131 yards in his debut as a true freshman.

My Pick: BYU


Bowling Green (0-1) at Tulsa (0-1)
Sat, Sept 11th

Both of these teams played games that I listed in my column last week and both games delivered on dramatic finishes. On paper this doesn't look like the best game but both teams put up valiant fights last week and came up just short. Tulsa lost at East Carolina 51-49 because of a fluke Hail Mary play and Bowling Green lost at Troy on a last second FG. Expect both teams to play with a lot of heart and emotion.

My Pick: Tulsa

Pre-Season Preview: Houston Cougars

2009 Record: 10-4 (6-2, C-USA Runner-Up)
2009 Bowl: Armed Forces Bowl (lost to Air Force 47 to 20)
Final 2009 AP Ranking: Not Ranked
Head Coach: Kevin Sumlin (18-9 at Houston)
Non-Conference Schedule: Texas State (9/4), at UCLA (9/18), Mississippi State (10/9), at Texas Tech (11/27)

2009 Offensive Statistics
Scoring: 42.3 points per game (1st in CUSA, Tied for 1st in Nation with Boise State)
Rushing Yards/Game: 132 (8th in CUSA)
Passing Yards/Game: 430 (1st in CUSA, 1st in Nation)
Total Yards/Game: 563 (1st in CUSA, 1st in Nation) 

2009 Defensive Statistics
Scoring: 30.1 points per game (7th in CUSA)
Rushing Yards/Game: 226 (last in CUSA, 115th in Nation)
Passing Yards/Game: 224 (2nd in CUSA)
Total Yards/Game: 451 (9th in CUSA)

2009 Misc Stats
Turnover Margin: +0.21 per game (5th in CUSA)
Penalties: 40 yards per game (2nd in CUSA)

Returning Starters
Offense: 9
Defense: 6
Kicker/Punter: 1

Top Returning Statistical Leaders
Passing: QB Case Keenum, Sr (489 of 697 for 5632 yds, 44 TD, 15 INT, 402 ypg, 8.1 yds/att)
Rushing: RB Charles Sims, Soph (132 carries for 698 yds, 9 TD, 5.29 ypc, 49 ypg)
Rushing: RB Bryce Beall, Jr (139 carries for 670 yds, 7 TD, 4.82 ypc, 47 ypg
Receiving: WR James Cleveland, Sr (104 rec, 1214 yds, 14 TD, 8.7 rec/game)
Receiving: WR Patrick Edwards, Jr (85 rec, 1026 yds, 6 TD, 6.1 rec/game)
Receiving: WR Tyron Carrier, Jr (90 rec, 1012 yds, 7 TD, 6.4 rec/game)
Receiving: RB Charles Sims, Soph (70 rec, 759 yds, 1 TD, 5 rec/game)
Tackles: LB Marcus McGraw, Jr (156)
Sacks: LB Marcus McGraw, Jr and DL David Hunter, Jr (4)
Interceptions: DB Jamal Robinson, Sr (6)

2010 Pre-Season Rankings
Lindy's: #23
Mark Schlabach: Not Ranked
Rivals: #21
Scout: Not Ranked
Sports Illustrated: #21

Despite having the #1 Offense in all of College Football last year the Cougars were defeated in the Conference USA Championship game by East Carolina. Can Houston, under Coach Kevin Sumlin, take the crown this year? Dustin at the Houston based blog Scott & Holman gives us his take on the 2010 Houston Cougars.

What are the major strengths and biggest weaknesses of the team?

Strengths: The offensive skill positions. If he stays healthy, QB Case Keenum will end his senior season this year with every significant NCAA passing record there is. The two running backs (junior Bryce Beall and sophomore Charles Sims) have won the last two C-USA Freshman of the Year awards. (Beall's a power runner, always falls forward, Sims is almost impossibly quick.) The wide receiving corps is deep, with the top three receivers returning. Senior James Cleveland led the team last year with with 104 catches, 1,214 receiving yards and 14 TD catches last year, even though it noticeably took him and Keenum until about the fourth game of the year to get in sync (he was in his first year after transferring from a JuCo), and he played the last half of the year with a severely injured abdominal.

Weaknesses: The defense, until proven otherwise. There is some hope, with a new defensive coordinator coming in (Brian Stewart, formerly a DC for the Dallas Cowboys), a switch from the 4-3 to the 3-4, and stud DT Matangi Tonga transferring in. (Tonga transferred from a JuCo, he previously started as a frosh at BYU.) The defense looked pretty good in the Spring, and actually "won" the Red & White Game against the offense, although a few of the proven stars of the offense were sitting out nursing injuries.

Looking at the schedule who will be the first major test and why?

UTEP, in the second game of the year, because they did beat us last year after all. I don't expect the Miners to break Houston's 15 game winning streak at Robertson Stadium, but they always do seem to have a potent offense, and the game will be an excellent test for the Stewart defense.

What team on the schedule do you fear the most?

If I had to pick one, Texas Tech. But all three D-1A (I refuse to call it FBS) non-conference opponents (@UCLA, vs. Mississippi State, @Tech) will be difficult. In conference play, Southern Miss is a very good team, and playing in Hattiesburg is never easy.

Who is the best player on your team that nobody talks about?

Junior Linebacker Marcus McGraw. He gets lost in the mix because nobody talks about the defense, but he's a legitimate next-level type of player. He's been starting since day one, and has 259 tackles through his first two seasons.

Who is the best offensive player on the team?

It's an obvious pick, but Keenum. Only thing he has to prove is that the last two games of last season (9 total INT thrown in Conference Championship game and Bowl game losses) were a fluke.

Who is the most impactful defensive player on the team?

Hate to throw everything on a first-year guy, but it's Tonga. Run defense was already a problem last year, and with the switch from the 4-3 to the 3-4, the Cougars need a big guy up front to cause some havoc. Expectations are that it'll be Tonga.

What player(s) needs to step up this year in order for the team to reach it's full capability?

The defense as a whole. The offense will score its points. If the defense is at least mediocre, it'll be a welcome improvement, and the whispers of BCS-busters will start. As I mentioned, that starts up front, hopefully with Tonga.

Who is the top offensive newcomer that can make an impact this year?

The depth chart is pretty well hashed-out with returnees from last year, but at gun point, I'd pick freshman WR DeAndre Perry.

Who is the top defensive newcomer that can make an impact this year?

I'm tired of picking Tonga, so we'll go with safety Jacky Candy. The JuCo transfer was expected to compete for a starting spot in the secondary last year, but injured his knee and missed the entire year. He's been tearing it up this Spring. You might hear some of his hits from wherever you are.

Gut feeling on the teams final record at the end of the regular season and what makes this a successful season in your eyes?

Gut feeling is: 10-2. I think we'll drop one of the non-conf games, and one game in C-USA that we have no business losing. (SMU or Rice or something.) A successful season is one in which we win Conference USA. For all of his accolades, and all of the talk of Heisman hopeful surrounding Keenum, he still hasn't won a C-USA title. A lot of Cougar fans won't be happy with anything short of an undefeated season and a BCS bid (we're an optimistic bunch), but I just want to win conference.

Next Up: Cincinnati Bearcats

2010 Previews
Big East- Pittsburgh Panthers, West Virginia
MAC- Temple Owls