2011 Duckie Awards

The Duckie Award:

The Duckie Award goes to the nation’s best player this season regardless of team or position. 

Nominees:

Andrew Luck

Robert Griffin III
Montee Ball
Tyrann Mathieu
Trent Richardson

Winner: Robert Griffin III

Griffin has been nothing short of spectacular this year and has put Baylor on the college football map.  After four games this season, RG3 had more touchdown passes than incompletions.  Griffin would be the Heisman frontrunner if his team had a defense.

Lou Brown Award:

The Lou Brown Award goes to the national coach of the year based on both pure achievement and exceeding expectations.

Nominees:

Kevin Sumlin

Les Miles
Bill Schneider

Winner: Les Miles

In a way, Miles has delivered a disappointing season by not committing any serious blunders in playcalling or clock management.  The Hatter deserves a lot of credit, despite the overwhelming amount of talent on his team, for keeping the team together in the face of multiple suspensions and off-field distractions over the course of the season. 

Barney Stinson Award:

This award goes to the best game of the regular season.  Importance of the game on a national scale is a factor, so no Tuesday night MAC shootouts are eligible.

Nominees:

Wisconsin vs. Michigan State (regular season)

LSU vs. Alabama
Wisconsin vs. Michigan State (conference championship)

Winner: Wisconsin vs. Michigan State (regular season)

This game featured everything: National Championship implications; Scoring outbursts; A late comeback; And, of course, a controversial Hail Mary touchdown when the clock hit zero.  This game effectively knocked Wisconsin out of the National Championship race, and the two teams did not disappoint when they met again in the conference title game.  In fact, the dramatic ending is the only reason this one wins out over the rematch.

The Devo One Hit Wonder Award:

The Devo Award goes to the most impressive single game performance by a player, though that player may not actually be a one hit wonder.

Nominees:

Robert Griffin III- 21-27, 359 Yards, 5 TDs vs. TCU

Patrick Edwards- 7 Rec., 318 Yards, 5 TDs vs. Rice
Case Keenum- 24-37, 534 Yards, 9 TDs vs. Rice

 Winner: Patrick Edwards

The only thing more impressive than Keenum’s nine touchdowns against Rice was his teammate Edwards’s five touchdowns against Rice.  Edwards scored those five touchdowns on just seven receptions, gaining 318 yards.  That’s 45 yards per catch.

Chet Steadman Award:

The Chet Steadman Award goes to the rookie of the year, or top freshman in America.

Nominees:

Sammy Watkins

Jadeveon Clowney
De’Anthony Thomas

Winner: De’Anthony Thomas

Everybody else will give this to Sammy Watkins, who had an unbelievable freshman year.  Thomas, however, made a bigger impact on a national scale.  With injuries to QB Darron Thomas and LaMichael James, Thomas was the player who seemed to step up and make the game changing plays in the biggest games of the year, while Watkins disappeared late in the year.

Charlie Sheen Award for Winning:

This award goes to the player, team, coach, conference, fan base, etc. that thoroughly embarrassed itself or wasted the most potential over the course of the season.

Nominees:

Stephen Garcia

Bill Stewart
Pac-12 South

Winner: Stephen Garcia

This one was a no-brainer and needs no real explanation.

Desperate Housewives “You’re still on TV?” Award:

The Desperate Housewives Award goes to the player who has seemingly been playing way longer than his eligibility should have allowed.  Just like I was shocked to learn that Desperate Housewives is still on TV, these players should all have been long gone before this season.

Nominees:

Rodgers, Oregon State

Jared Crick, Nebraska
Keith Nichol, Michigan State

Winner: Keith Nichol

How long has Keith Nichol been around?  He competed with Sam Bradford for the starting quarterback job at Oklahoma when they were freshmen.  Obviously, Nichol has since transferred to Michigan State, sat out a year, started at quarterback for the Spartans, and eventually moved to receiver, where he made one of the most memorable plays in Spartan history.

The Tranny Award:

The Tranny Award goes to the player who made the biggest impact as a transfer this season.

Nominees:

Russell Wilson

Jarvis Jones
Arthur Brown

Winner: Russell Wilson

Tom O’Brien chased off one of the best quarterbacks in the country, and Wisconsin reaped the benefits.  There’s not a lot of detail needed here, as it is easy to see the impact Russell Wilson had on the Badgers this year.

The Tony Award:

The Tony Award goes to the best play of the season, be it a spectacular individual effort or a game or season changing play.

Nominees:

Michigan State Hail Mary to beat Wisconsin

Andrew Luck one handed catch
Eric Reid goal line interception against Alabama

Winner: Michigan State

Eric Reid may have saved the SEC title for LSU with his interception against Alabama, but nothing tops the drama of Kirk Cousins’s Hail Mary to Keith Nichol to beat then undefeated Wisconsin. 

Charlie Steiner “Follow me to freedom!” Award

The Charlie Steiner “Follow me to freedom!” Award goes to the player who picked up the lantern, put his tie around his head, and carried his team on his back over the course of the season.  This is the most prestigious of all the Duckie Awards.

Winner: Collin Klein

Regular Season Wrap-Up

I'm going to keep it to just a top ten this week, because, frankly, continuing to 25 would be a waste of time with so few teams playing.  Keep in mind that I am releasing this before BCS rankings and bowl games are announced.  The next rankings will not be released until after the bowl games have been played, but I will be updating with post-season awards and probably some bowl analysis between now and then.  The first annual Duckie Awards should be posted some time this week.

Final Regular Season
1. SEC	The Tigers are the only undefeated team and have done so in dominating fashion.  They should be the a heavy favorite in the national title game, no matter who they play.
2. SEC	Here's where it gets tricky.  The Tide's only loss is by 3 points in overtime to the number 1 team, and they haven't done anything to warrant dropping from the number 2 position.  So, I am leaving them at number 2 to finish the regular season.  More on this below...
3. Oklahoma State	Despite ranking Oklahoma State 3rd, I believe they should play LSU for the national championship.  Similar to Bama, their only loss is in overtime, albeit to a much worse team.  That game, however, obviously had outside influences that had to negatively affect the Cowboys.  In an argument against a rematch, Bama and LSU have gone in different directions since their matchup.  Bama and A.J. McCarron have regressed, while LSU has gotten better.  With OSU's huge win over Oklahoma, they have earned a shot at LSU, as Bama has already had their's and has done nothing since then to prove the outcome would be any better for them.
4. Stanford	Stanford has a great team, but their loss to Oregon puts them out of the national title race.  Andrew Luck is great, but the Cardinal simply don't have the speed at the skill positions or on defense to compete for a national champhionship.
5. Wisconsin	Wisconsin and Michigan State proved their epic mid-season game was no fluke.  In fact, they may have played the two top games of the year.  Anybody who missed the Big 12 title game last night because they were watching Oklahoma State or Clemson has their priorities screwed up.  You would have thought they were playing for a trip to the national championship.  And, if it weren't for two hail mary passes, Wisconsin would be in the championshp game.  It's unfortunate that game had to end on a running into the kicker penalty (the correct call), and Michigan State didn't give themselves the chance to win the game.
6. Michigan State
7. Oregon	Oregon will face Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl in what should be a very interesting game.  The Ducks have lost two straight BCS games.  This should be an extremely high scoring game and a great way to start the new year.  I'm going to refrain from talking about the Pac-12 title game, because, honestly, I didn't care enough to watch it.
8. SEC	Here lies the third best team in the SEC, and, as was further confirmed in the Georgia Dome, it's not even close.  A matchup between Arkansas and either Baylor or Oklahoma in the Jerry Bowl should be fun to watch, though.
9. Boise State	Here is another "if only" team.  For the second year in a row, Boise lost there chance at a title because of a missed field goal.  Now, they will be lucky to end up in a BCS bowl or get stuck in another meaningless bowl game.  Boise's run of dominance may be over, because moving to the Big East certainly isn't going to help any perceptions.
10. Kansas State	Colin Klein led Kansas State to one more close win to finish up the regular season in the top ten.  Klein is probably the most underappreciated player in America and deserves a trip to New York for the Heisman ceremony.

Week 14 Top 25

Actually, that headline is a lie.  After careful review, there are not 25 worthy teams in the country this week, so we are stopping at 20.

Week 14
1. SEC	In case there was any question who the number one team in the country is, the Tigers answered that on Friday.  Take care of business in the SEC title game, and at least half of the BCS title game is easy.
2. SEC	The Tide did exactly what they were supposed to do in the Iron Bowl: Dominate a far inferior football team.  Of course, somehow, somebody will still vote for Auburn to be a top 25 team despite the fact that they are terrible.  Nick Saban is now at the mercy of the voters.
3. Houston	Houston locked up their undefeated regular season with a big win over Tulsa.  Tulsa is certainly not a world beater, but to beat them 48-16 is pretty impressive.  With a win over Southern Miss in the C-USA championship, Houston will have closed out the year with three straight wins over quality opponents.  The Cougars have only allowed an average of 13.25 points in the month of November
4. Stanford	Stanford took care of a Notre Dame team that thought they had something going for them.  They too will be playing the waiting game next weekend.  Regardless, they should find themselves in a BCS game as an at large team.
5. Oklahoma State	Here lies the only team besides LSU that can make a move to get into the BCS title game.  The Cowboys have to beat Oklahoma (and probably convincingly) to have a shot.  Most likely, their fate depends on how many voters are against a rematch.
6. Wisconsin	Clearly, I think more highly of the Badgers than the rest of the polls.  They are about 30 seconds away from being undefeated and absolutely unloaded on Penn State by dropping 45 points on a very good defense.
7. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University	UVA had a chance to step up and win a big game against VPISU.  Instead, what did they do?  Well, Colin Cowherd definitely saw this coming…
8. SEC	The Pigs showed their true colors against LSU.  They are a good team but are nowhere close to competing for anything meaningful…and Bobby Petrino is still an ass-hat.  Go ahead and book your New Year's ticket to Dallas for the Jerry Bowl.
9. Oregon	Oregon stomped Oregon State to secure their spot in the Pac-12 title game against……UCLA.  UCLA?!?!?  It should also be noted that game will be played in Eugene.  UCLA is 6-6, and after Oregon beats them by 80, they will be 6-7 and not eligible for a bowl game.  I hope the Pac-12 South is proud of itself.
10. Oklahoma	Oklahoma still has a chance to impact the national championship race, though not in the way they hoped.  Still, the Sooners would love to kick the Cowboys out of the race for good.
11. Michigan State	Michigan State stayed solid in their win over Northwestern, even though the division was already theirs.  After the events in East Lansing earlier this year, the matchup with Wisconsin looks huge.  Not only will the Spartans be playing for a trip to the Rose Bowl but a chance to prove that win was not a fluke.
12. Boise State	What does Boise's 36-14 win over Wyoming mean?  Absolutely nothing.
13. Kansas State	Kansas State had the week off and has a chance to finish a remarkable season with a win over Iowa State.  Of course, Oklahoma State had a chance to continue a remarkable season against Iowa State, and we all know how that went.
14. SEC	Mark Richt did exactly what he was supposed to do on Saturday.  They were not spectacular, but they took care of business and left Atlanta with a solid win…again.  Life will get tougher for Aaron Murray this week in Atlanta, though they have the chance to make the biggest mess of the BCS.
15. Michigan	This is why they hired Brady Hoke.  Another loss to the worst Ohio State team in over a decade would have sent depression levels to an all-time high in Ann Arbor…and it almost happened.
16. TCU	TCU didn't play anybody on Saturday, and with UNLV on the schedule, they don't play anybody this week either.
17. South Carolina	Connor Shaw is really pulling this team together.  His ability to run made the offense go against Clemson.  This team has struggled for most of the year, but Spurrier may have finally found the answer on offense.  With Lattimore back next year, the Cocks could finally be a real threat to win something.
18. Nebraska	This was obviously not the season Nebraska had hoped for, but they closed out with a solid win over Iowa.  Next year is do or die for Taylor Martinez to step up and become a real leader for this team.
19. Robert Griffin III	Texas Tech took RG3 out of the game with a cheap shot to the head, but that still didn't stop them from losing their fifth game in a row since beating Oklahoma.  It's about time for Tubberville to pack it in for good.
20. Penn State	Getting blown out with the division on the line is not good, and it's been long enough that we can stop feeling sorry for the players.  That said, Penn State has only lost to Bama, Wisconsin, and Nebraska this year, and they are still in position to win 10 games.

Week 13 Top 25

Week 13
1. SEC	On a weekend when nobody was safe, the Tigers left no doubt against Old Miss.  Of course, the events of this weekend all but guarantee a loss to Arkansas.
2. SEC	Nick Saban has solved the option, or does that only apply when Paul Johnson loses?  Actually, Georgia Southern put up more points on the Tide than anybody else this season.  In the end, though, the Eagles never posed any real threat to the Tide.
3. Houston	Houston beat SMU, but nothing that happened in the game was as important as what happened a few hours beforehand:
4. SEC	The Hogs had no trouble with the other terrible Mississippi team.  They are poised to turn a mess into a disaster zone with a win over LSU on Friday.  Speaking of disaster zones, the Egg Bowl will be on ESPNU Saturday night, and may provide a few good laughs if you don't gouge your eyes out from the terrible football being played.
5. Stanford	Stanford barely avoided a disastrous loss to Cal.  It's normal to expect a hangover after losing to Oregon, but they need to have their act together for Notre Dame this week.
6. Oklahoma State	This is what happens when you don't play defense.  It's a miracle that it didn't happen sooner.
7. Virgina Polytechnic Institute and State University	VPISU has might as well change their name to "Ranked here by default."   Nobody really believes they are a top ten caliber team, but their opponents just keep losing to them.
8. Wisconsin	For those not paying attention or blinded by Russell Wilson, the real star of the Wisconsin offense has turned out to be Montee Ball.  Ball now has 30 touchdowns on the season.  Wisconsin will face Penn State to decide who goes to the Big 12 championship game.
9. Oregon	Saturday night's results bring more legitimacy to a question people have been afraid to ask.  Is Matt Barkley better than Andrew Luck?  We can say for sure that USC's DL is better than Stanford's.  Barkley went 26/34 with four touchdowns against Oregon, considerably better than Luck's performance.
10. Oklahoma	Something was indeed wrong with OU.  After Oklahoma State's loss, Oklahoma had a chance to get back in the BCS title race, but Big Game Bob showed up again.  Even without Ryan Broyles, talent is not an issue for the Sooners.  It is, and always has been toughness.
11. Michigan State	The Spartans ripped Indiana just as they should have.  More important is that they clinched the Legends division and a spot in the Big 12 title game.
12. Boise State	Kellen Moore had no issues rebounding against San Diego State.  The same can't be said, however, for the Broncos defense.  Boise will continue to succeed with Chris Peterson, but once Kellen Moore is gone, the days of even thinking about a national title are probably over.
13. Penn State	The Nittany Lions are the leaders of the Leaders division still.  Did Jim Delaney not think about how ridiculous that would sound when they chose division names?  It all comes down to the matchup with Wisconsin this weekend.  Penn State better plan on scoring, because the Badgers are clicking again on offense.
14. Kansas State	They just win.  A week after winning a 4OT shootout, KSU beat Texas while being outgained 310-121.  Colin Klein had 26 carries four a total of 4 yards, but 3 of those yards came on a touchdown run, allowing the Wildcats to win 17-13.
15. SEC	That was one of those wins that should almost count as a loss.  Instead of coming out and taking care of business, the dogs screwed around and barely beat one of the worst teams in the country, and this wasn't an example of the underdog coming out and playing over their heads.  In the end, however, Mark Richt is going back to the SEC title game.
16. Michigan	I don't think anybody saw this one coming.  There is clearly a new regime in Ann Arbor, and the Wolverines are showing more toughness this year than they did in three years combined under Rich Rodriguez.
17. TCU	TCU rolled over Colorado State and should do the same to an awful UNLV team to finish the year undefeated in conference.  Congratulations on winning the Mountain West?
18. Clemson	Dabo is as Dabo does.  There is absolutely no excuse for getting blown out by NC State.  It doesn't matter if Sammy Watkins was hurt or the Tigers lost focus after clinching the division, they should be embarassed.
19. SEC	The Cocks didn't make it easy against the Citadel, but they pulled away in the end.  In fact, the entire SEC managed to look like crap against I-AA teams on Saturday, except for Bama (who still allowed 7.7 yards per carry against GSU).
20. Nebraska	There's the Taylor Martinez we all know and love.  Martinez can make exciting plays, but the truth is that he's not a championship caliber player.  Bo Pelini's has failed to meet expectations for the second year in a row.
21. Virginia	There must be something magic in Mike London's tears, because UVA just keeps winning.  They now have a chance to do something special with a win over VPISU.
22. Georgia Tech	Time for the obligatory Paul Johnson is a genius comment.  This team lacks a killer instinct, and they are fortunate it didn't bite them against Duke.  With the ACC out of reach, UGA is once again the Super Bowl, and they cannot get away with the same mistakes they made against Duke.
24. Robert Griffin III	It's too bad Baylor doesn't have a defense.  RG3 is having one of the most spectacular seasons in recent memory, but it has mostly been meaningless because his teammates can't stop anybody…except Oklahoma.
24. Notre Dame	There was absolutely nothing impressive about their win over BC, but Notre Dame has won 8 of their last 9.  They have a chance to legitimize themselves against Stanford or finish with yet another average season.
25. Tulsa	They still don't play much defense, but they can still score.  Tulsa has lost 3 games this year to Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Boise State.  Nobody has a more impressive collection of losses.  They now have a chance to finally beat a top ten team and ruin Houston's season.

Week 12 Top 25

Week 12
1. SEC	The Bayou Bengals were less than spectacular against Western Kentucky, especially in the first half, but they eventually pulled away in the second half.  A hangover after the Field Goal Fest of the Century is understandable, though a potential matchup with Oklahoma State will require one of the Tigers' mediocre quarterbacks to actually make some big plays.
2. Oklahoma State	We've now seen the Cowboys play defense twice this year after their 66-6 win over Texas Tech.  Iowa State is the only thing standing between OSU and an epic matchup with Oklahoma.  If they can continue to play mean on defense, the Cowboys should be able to book their ticket to the national title game.
3. SEC	Speaking of hangovers, Alabama looked like they did a few too many car bombs before playing Mississipip State before eventually pulling away.  A.J. McCarron looks like he's lost confidence since the LSU game and may be in danger of coming down with Kyle Wright syndrome.  Seriously though, ordering car bombs at last call is a terrible idea.
4. Oregon	Oregon was as impressive as I've ever seen them against Stanford.  It was the first time I've seen them use their speed to play the agressor.  Instead of playing finesse and using that speed to run away from people, the Ducks used it to attack Andrew Luck and Stanford.
5. Oklahoma	Oklahoma got a much needed week off.  Hopefully, they've gotten their act back together to give us the game we're all hoping for on December 3rd.
6. Houston	Maybe Houston isn't just  a one trick pony.  It wasn't just the Case Keenum show in the Super Dome, as Charles Sims ran for over 200 yards, mostly in the 2nd quarter.  The next few weeks get interesting, as the Cougars have SMU and Tulsa to finish the regular season, with the Tulsa matchup likely deciding who will go to the Conference USA championship game.  Houston is in good shape to make a BCS game, but they're not home free yet.
7. Stanford	Oregon exposed Stanford's lack of speed, especially on defense.  No matter how tough and hard-nosed Stanford is, you can't hit what you can't catch.  Andrew Luck came back down to Earth without his favorite targets available, which has left the Heisman race wide open.
8. SEC	After a few shaky wins recently, the Hogs unloaded on Tennessee, probably making Derek Dooley hate his job even more.  They can really make a mess of things with a win over the Hat to close the regular season.
9. Clemson	Dabo is going back to the ACC Championship Game for Clemson's second appearance in his third full season, but Wake didn’t make it easy on them.  The meaningful takeaway from that game is that Taj Boyd was forced to perform in crunch time and delivered, unlike against Georgia Tech.
10. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University	Logan Thomas could've made a fortune charging Georgia Tech defenders for rides on Thursday night, but I suppose that would be some sort of NCAA violation.  The Turkeys now have one less team to worry about in the division, on their way to a rematch with Clemson.
11. Wisconsin	Wisconsin dealt with Minnesota just as they should have and have the chance to give Illinois their fifth straight loss this week.  After starting 6-0, it looked as if Ron Zook had saved his job again, but it may be tough to survive a five game losing streak after that start.  If they win out, Wisconsin will still find its way to the Big 12 title game.
12. Nebraska	Nebraska walked into a tough situation and came out with a win while also exhibiting the highest level of sportsmanship and class.  It was a powerful moment when both teams kneeled together at midfield prior to kickoff.  Yet again, on Saturday, Bo Pelini kept the ball out of Taylor Martinez's hands in a tough game.
13. Michigan State	Michigan State continued to finish strong by drilling Iowa.  With only Northwestern and Indiana left on the schedule, the Spartans should hold their lead over Nebraska in the division.
14. Boise State	It finally happened.  Boise's 35 game home win streak is over, as are their chances for a national title.  With Kellen Moore graduating, this may have been Boise's last chance to make a run at a title, but their defensive issues finally caught up to them.
15. Penn State	I'm not going to discuss the Penn State scandal.  Give a lot of credit to the players for hanging together and almost pulling out a near impossible win over Nebraska.  Penn State still holds the lead in their division, but chances are Wisconsin will end that when they play to close the season.
16. Kansas State	Kansas State finally got their 8th win and had to earn it in four overtime periods against A&M.  After the way they lost to Oklahoma State, you have to feel good for Colin Klein.  I've said before and will say it again.  Klein is this team, and what he's done this season is really remarkable.
17. SEC	Mark Richt is a win over Kentucky away from an SEC Championship game appearance.  The blowout win over Auburn is impressive no matter how bad the Tigers are right now, but it's still hard to get a read on the dogs.  They still haven't beaten anybody with a pulse but have continued to get better over the course of the season.
18. Southern Miss	Disaster almost struck against UCF, as Southern Miss escaped with a one point win.  The Eagles have clinched a share of the division and just have to beat one of UAB and Memphis to clinch a spot in the title game.  Even if they reach the C-USA title game, Southern Miss's lack of defense could mean trouble against either Houston or Tulsa.
19. Michigan	Michigan rolled over Illinois to continue the Illini's slide.  With the division likely out of reach, the Wolverines have one goal: Beat Ohio State.  Actually, that may have been their only goal regardless of the division race.
20. TCU	TCU still has the magic.  Gary Patterson made the gutsiest call of the year when the Horned Frogs went for two to take the lead over Boise.  After a hurrendous pass interference call kept the Broncos drive alive, karma kicked in and sent Boise's field goal attempt wide right.
21. SEC	The Gamecocks still have major issues, but at least they are finding ways to win.  With their SEC schedule complete, they need to hope Kentucky recruits a real football team and beats Georgia if they want to get to Atlanta.  Otherwise, the season will hinge on spoiling Clemson's dream season.
22. Texas	I'm not sure Texas really deserves to be here after being dominated by Jekyll and Hyde Missouri, but I don't feel inclined to forgive West Virginia or Notre Dame of their sins just yet.  Texas has a chance to prove if they belong or not with Kansas State, A&M, and Baylor left on the schedule.
23. Virginia	I can't believe I'm doing this, but UVA is 7-3 and controls their own destiny in the ACC Coastal division.  It won't be easy, though, with FSU and VPISU left.  To offset this positive statement on Mr. Jefferson's university, I will yield to Colin Cowherd.
24. Florida State	FSU won one of the worst played and officiated games I've ever seen, so I guess they should get some sort of credit but not much.  I'm going to stop here to avoid any unintentionally crediting.
25. Georgia Tech	Forget the 26 points they scored on a very good VPISU defense, Paul Johnson has been figured out.  All you need is a couple extra days to prepare and he can't win.  The option is dead, and no player will ever want to play at Georgia Tech.