"The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do." - Walter Bagehot

What a weekend for college football! Rivalry weekend always promises to be a fun one, however I didn’t think that we’d see quite as many close games as we did on Friday and Saturday. Both Alabama and Texas were pushed to the limit by their in-state rivals, while the two teams playing the ACC Championship game next week, Clemson and Georgia Tech, both lost to their rivals. We also saw Pittsburgh lose to West Virginia and Oklahoma State get blown out by Oklahoma. With so many good games this weekend, I’m going to try and touch on all of them; I’ve also got a big Heisman preview below.

To start, I don’t think there was a bigger storyline in college football this weekend than Tim Tebow and his

last game in the Swamp. An emotional Tebow and head coach Urban Meyer led the Gators to a commanding victory over rival Florida State. What excites me about this team, is that not only do they have the talent to win a third national championship in four years, but they also have a tremendous amount of juniors and redshirt sophomores who could make the jump to the NFL; if the Gators win another championship, then many would assume that these players have nothing more to win in college and would be ready to leave for the pros. When you look at Joe Haden, the Pouncey twins on the interior of the offensive line, Carlos Dunlap, and Aaron Hernandez, the Gators clearly have some talent that would be highly sought-after at the next level. For Tebow, he leaves behind a legacy that college football observers will remember forever. His remaining legacy has yet to be decided. If Tebow can go on to win three national championships and two Heisman trophies in four years, he’d have to be considered the greatest college football player ever. Stats support your argument, but when you also consider the amount of work that Tebow does off the field as well as the passion, intensity, and energy that he plays with, it’d be easy for college football enthusiasts to name his as one of the best ever. He has two more games to play in college; enjoy watching him, because we may never see a player like him ever again.

Saturday night’s game between Georgia and Georgia Tech provided an entertaining, high-tempo game in which the Bulldogs’ defense played outstanding against the Yellow Jackets’ option offense. Draft Headquarters’ interviewee Reshad Jones had an outstanding game for Georgia as he recorded seven tackles and a great one-handed interception in the Bulldogs’ win over their in-state rival.

As I watched the Arkansas-LSU game, there was only one thing that I could think about, and it was how

impressed I was with the Razorbacks’ quarterback Ryan Mallett. A former top recruit from high school, Mallett is 6-7 with likely a stronger arm than Matthew Stafford. If Mallett opts to enter the draft, I’d have to think seriously about ranking him as the top quarterback prospect in the 2010 draft ahead of Jake Locker. Mallett did as much as he could on Saturday night to put the Razorbacks into a position to win the game, but his supporting cast let him down. Sooner or later, Mallett is going to have a far better supporting cast in the NFL, where he’ll likely win the majority of those close games that he keeps his teams in.

I’m not sure if it’s possible to go a week without talking about Notre Dame and their soon-to-be-fired head coach Charlie Weis. I’d expect to hear about Weis’ firing early in the week with talk heating up soon after that of discussions to have Cincinnati head coach Brian Kelly head to South Bend. This past weekend Kelly helped to lead the Bearcats to a victory over Illinois. Next weekend they’ll face Pittsburgh, who is coming off a tough loss to rival West Virginia. The winner of next weekend’s game will take home the Big East Championship and a BCS-berth. Now, if Pittsburgh wins, my question is whether or not the BCS would still admit Cincinnati as an at-large team? Assuming they did, that would take one of the at-large spots out of the equation, likely from Boise State or Iowa. However, I’d be very surprised if Pitt was able to pull off the upset.

Heisman Race

1. Toby Gerhart RB Stanford – After Gerhart’s outstanding performance against Notre Dame on Saturday night, which included 29 carries for 205 yards and three touchdowns in addition to one catch for 33 yards, Gerhart has a firm grasp on the first place spot in the Heisman rankings. Gerhart has rushed for 1,736 yards and 26 touchdowns this year, almost assuring himself of a chance to be in New York on Heisman night. The only thing holding Gerhart back from winning the Heisman is the fact that his team has lost four games and doesn’t rank as one of the top teams in college football.

2. Colt McCoy QB Texas – Colt McCoy’s performance in the Longhorns’ victory over Texas A&M on Thursday night raised both his Heisman stock and his draft stock. McCoy threw for 304 yards and four touchdowns as well as carrying the ball 18 times for 175 yards and one touchdown. McCoy proved on Thanksgiving night that he is one of the top players in college football, and with another similar performance next week against Nebraska in the Big 12 Championship Game, McCoy should have a good chance at finishing in the Top 2 for the Heisman. If the Longhorns end up being upset by the Cornhuskers, then McCoy will likely drop in the rankings.

3. Tim Tebow QB Florida – As mentioned earlier, Tebow is looking to make history this year if he is able to take home another Heisman Trophy award. With 221 yards and three touchdowns through the air and another 90 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, Tebow had one of the best game’s of his career in his final game playing in front of the Florida faithful at the Swamp. I think that Tebow needs to have the type of game next week against Alabama that makes you say, without a doubt, he’s the best player in college football. He’s capable of doing it, as we’ve all seen before, and he’s likely going to need to have that type of performance in order to beat Alabama and take the Gators to another National Championship game. I think that McCoy and Tebow are very close in the rankings right now and it’s all going to come down to next week.

4. Mark Ingram RB Alabama – Ingram’s 30 yards rushing and 21 yards receiving against Auburn may have cost him a shot at winning the Heisman. In the clutch, Ingram was on the bench and true freshman Trent Richardson was in the game to help propel the Crimson Tide offense. Like Tebow, Ingram needs to have one of the best performances of his career next week against Florida. He also needs to help the Tide pull the upset and beat Florida in route to taking the Tide to the National Championship game.

5. C.J. Spiller RB Clemson – C.J. Spiller had a Heisman-winning moment when he took the opening kickoff to the house in Clemson’s win over South Carolina. However, after that, Spiller virtually disappeared, rushing for just 18 yards and catching three passes for 19 yards. When you also consider that Clemson lost to South Carolina, I think that this almost completely takes Spiller out of the running for the award. C.J. would need the game of his career next week against Georgia Tech in order to have a chance of winning the Heisman. He’s a bit of a long shot now.

NFL Sunday

The legend of Vince Young never ceases to amaze me. One of the reasons that I started Draft Headquarters in 2007 was because I enjoyed following the 2006 draft, the one that included Mario Williams, Reggie Bush, Vince Young, Matt Leinart, and Jay Cutler. The amount of well-known, talented players in the draft stood out to me over any other year. Ever since Young had his miraculous touchdown run against USC that won the Texas Longhorns the National Championship at the end of the 2005 season, Young has had the

ability to seemingly make something out of nothing as well as take an average team and turn them great. Such was the case on Sunday. In addition to leading the Titans to their fifth straight victory as well as going to 9-0 in his last nine starts dating back to 2007, Young displayed the type of talent and playmaking ability that made the Titans want to select him with the third pick in the 2006 draft. It’s hard to put into words how amazing Young’s 99-yard drive was to beat the Arizona Cardinals on the last second of the game. It is the type of drive that can define a career, especially if Young goes on to have tremendous amounts of success from this point on. What’s ironic about this situation was that the Cardinals on Sunday, of all games, were starting Matt Leinart at quarterback, the same Matt Leinart that was starting for USC when Young beat the Trojans in the 2005 Championship game. Once again Young beat Leinart and stole the show as he led his team to victory. What seemed like a impossible feat when the Titans were 0-6, Tennessee actually has a chance to make the playoffs now as a wildcard. They are only two games behind the Denver Broncos and one game behind the Pittsburgh Steelers for a wildcard berth. Next week’s game at Indianapolis is going to be a tough one, however the Titans then have a three-game home stand against St. Louis, Miami, and San Diego, all must-wins if they lose to the Colts. The Titans finish the season at Seattle. If they can beat the Rams, Dolphins, and Seahawks that would put them at eight wins. They’d need to beat either San Diego or Indianapolis to have a realistic chance of making the playoffs with nine wins. Whether or not they make the playoffs is hard to project, however it’s certainly going to be fun to watch as Young clearly is at the top of his game and he is capable of winning any game when he is on his game.

What I find interesting about Young’s emergence this season is actually what happened before the

season when Steve McNair was killed on the Fourth of July this past summer. One of Vince Young’s

greatest mentors early in his career was McNair, who helped him to adjust to the life in the NFL and mentored him on growing up and maturing so quickly and in such a big spotlight. When McNair passed away, it had to have had an effect on Young. With Young having now taken over for Kerry Collins, his play since his first start this year has been tremendous, and the fact that he is doing it for the same team that McNair made his name with, and brought to a Super Bowl, seems special. Whether it’s a coincidence that Young is playing so well for McNair’s former team, or if it’s a dedication or symbol for McNair, I’m not sure. What I do know, is that Young’s play this year brings back amazing memories of watching McNair make the same game-winning plays that have defined both his and Young’s careers.

You may have to think back a few days, but the Denver Broncos victory over the New York Giants was a huge win for a Denver team that really needed it. Coming off of four-straight losses, the Broncos playoff hopes and season seemed to be hanging in the balance. Their win gives them new hope, and with three of their final five games against Kansas City (two) and Oakland (one), the Broncos have a very good chance of landing one of the wildcard berths in the AFC. The combination of Kyle Orton, Knowshon Moreno, and Brandon Marshall has proven to be more productive than the trio of Jay Cutler, Eddie Royal, and Marshall a year ago; something that seemed to be impossible at the beginning of the year. While they’ve had a few bumps in the road, head coach Josh McDaniels has this team on the right track and they’re the type of team that no one is going to want to face in the playoffs.

With the way that Dennis Dixon played for the Pittsburgh Steelers last night, I wouldn't be surprised if a

team like Carolina contacted the Steelers in the offseason. The Panthers have no quarterback of the future, which Jake Delhomme continues to show; Delhomme clearly needs to be replace, and they have no first round pick. This is asking for a Matt Schaub/Matt Cassel type of situation where the Panthers could trade for a young, talented quarterback to come in and help them turn around their franchise. Dennis Dixon showed last night that he clearly has the tools to play quarterback in the NFL, he just needs to be in the right system and the right coaching staff. In addition to playing in the pro-style formation, Dixon would also be reunited with his former Oregon teammate and backfield counterpart Jonathan Stewart. Could you imagine a wildcat formation with Dixon, Stewart, and DeAngelo Williams in the same backfield? Offering up a mid-round pick for Dixon to the Steelers would make sense for the Panthers. They'd add a young, talented player for good value and they’d have someone who could come in and help right away.

MVP Watch

1. Peyton Manning QB Colts – There is no doubt in my mind that Peyton Manning is the MVP of the 2009 season. Leading yet another come-from-behind victory in a divisional matchup with the Houston Texans, Manning threw for 344 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions. Manning was 15-20 in the second half with two touchdowns after halftime. Some will say that Favre deserves the award, but without Manning, how far would the Colts be? You can’t say there’s a more valuable player in the league to his team than Manning is to the Colts.

2. Brett Favre QB Vikings – Brett Favre has made a case for the award, but with the best running back in football, a very good offensive line, as well as one of the top defenses in the league, it’s easy to see why Favre has been able to throw freely week in and week out. His stats have also been padded by going up against one of the easiest schedules in the league. Favre deserves some votes, but there’s no question that Manning is more valuable.

3. Drew Brees QB Saints – The Saints are undefeated and are heading into one of the biggest games of the season tonight against the New England Patriots. Brees has commanded the Saints to come-from-behind wins as well as blowouts in which his stats were hard to believe. Brees is as valuable as any player in the NFL, but his play hasn’t been as hot as Manning’s and Favre’s in recent weeks.

4. Tom Brady QB Patriots – One of the players of the decade, Tom Brady is having a great season as he’s led the Patriots to first place in the AFC East and a potential first round bye in the playoffs. Brady has been lights out as of late; he got off to a bit of a slow start, likely due to his knee injury last season, but he’s been as hot as any player in the league up until now.

5. Chris Johnson RB Titans – No player in the NFL has been as explosive and as valuable to their team as Chris Johnson has been in the Titans resurgence in the last five weeks. On Sunday, Johnson rushed for 154 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries and also caught three passes for 32 yards. He joined Earl Campbell and Eric Dickerson as the only players in NFL history with 125+ yards in six straight games. Johnson is on pace for 2,024 rushing yards, 2,450 total yards, and 15 touchdowns. If the Titans end up making the playoffs, Johnson, in addition to Vince Young, will get serious looks for MVP.

NFL Draft Implications

I recently had a chance to talk to one of my top sources regarding the top of the draft. Word around the league is that St Louis could take a look at one of the top defensive tackles with their top 3 pick in 2010. In addition to St. Louis, both Tampa Bay and Detroit could use one of Ndamukong Suh or Gerald McCoy, and you could make an argument that Cleveland could also use one of them. Expect to see both Suh and McCoy be taken in the Top 4-5 picks of the draft. Also, there’s talk that this year’s quarterback class has been over-hyped and there aren’t as many elite-level prospects as some observers think there are. Jake Locker is assumed to be the top prospect, but there are some in the league who aren’t as high on Jimmy Clausen as others are. With the amount of talented linemen that could be in this year’s draft, don’t be surprised if some well-known quarterbacks have an Aaron Rodgers or Brady Quinn-type of free fall.

- Missouri wide receiver Danario Alexander probably has no idea how much he helped his draft stock this past weekend. In the Tigers’ 41-39 thrilling win over Kansas, Alexander continued his outstanding season by catching 15 passes for 233 yards and one touchdown as well as carrying the ball once for 10 yards. Alexander has a large frame at 6-5, 215 lbs; he has a long-stride, but once he reaches top speed, he’s capable of running with most players in the country. Alexander has caught 107 passes for 1,644 yards and 13 touchdowns.

- The 2010 senior cornerback class is going to be one of the worst cornerback classes in recent memory.

Between Patrick Robinson (who had a horrible game against Florida), Syd’Quan Thompson, Brandon Ghee, Trevard Lindley, Kyle Wilson, and Perrish Cox, we will have several second-tier cornerbacks, or second-to-third rounders, but no elite prospects. With that said, it’s also worth noting that Florida junior Joe Haden is expected to enter the draft and could go as high as the Top 10. Because there is going to be such a large fall-off between Haden and the next best prospect (assuming no other junior corners declare), we could see Haden’s already hot draft stock take an even greater spike up. It’s simple supply and demand; there’s going to be one excellent cornerback prospect, with several teams needing secondary help (Atlanta, Baltimore, Detroit, New York Giants, among others); as a result, teams are going to be willing to trade up in the draft to take Haden higher than other teams would expect him to go, and they'll also be willing to pay more than usual in order to get him. This is a large reason why I think that Haden will end up going in the Top 10 this year.

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