We’re halfway through the college football regular season and it’s time to dish out some serious hardware.
You know what that means: Welcome to the first annual Middy Awards, a place to recall the first half’s highlights, lowlights, bloopers and bungles. There are no 20-minute acceptance speeches and all trophies are in the mail.
Without any further explanation, let’s get it started.
Biggest choke: This one’s a no-brainer. Michigan v. Appalachian State. This 34-32 Mountaineers victory will go down in history as one of the greatest upsets of all time and rightfully so. It was basically the football equivalent of David walking into Goliath’s house with nothing but a toothpick and taking out the whole family. Watch for the Wolverines to begin their seasons against high school JV teams from now on.
Honorable Mention: USC falling on its face to Stanford at the Coliseum. Shocking? Yes. Poll-shattering? Oh yeah. Refreshing? Most definitely.
Team of the half: LSU. For them to have survived this long in the top 10 is like shooting par at Carnoustie playing Tiger Woods PGA Tour for the first time ““ just about impossible. The Bayou Bengals are the only preseason top-10 team that still does not have a loss, and they’ve knocked off quality opponents such as Florida, Virginia Tech and South Carolina. Their defense has been more stifling than wearing a fur coat in a sauna, making LSU the team to beat this season.
Biggest Surprise: Boston College. From unranked to start the season to No. 4 in the AP Poll, this squad has climbed the charts like a sherpa on a coffee binge. Although they have yet to beat a legitimate contender (their best win was against a currently unranked Georgia Tech team), they have certainly taken advantage of all the upsets this season. However, their spot in the national limelight may be short-lived as they’ve got No. 12 Virginia Tech, No. 21 Florida State, Maryland, Clemson and Miami to end the season. Whammy.
Most Silent but Deadly: Hawai’i. Even though they play in the Western Athletic Conference, the Warriors (formerly of the Rainbow variety) are about as dangerous as they come. They’ve put up over 53 points per game with 44 touchdowns on the year. To put that in perspective, there were 77 Division I teams that didn’t score that many all of last season. But the scary part is, they’ve got a decent defense too. Not great but decent. All they have to do is force opponents to punt once or twice a game and that spread offense will take care of the rest. Don’t be surprised if Hawai’i sneaks into the BCS.
Player of the half: Darren McFadden, running back, Arkansas. Although his Heisman stock has suffered because his team has already lost twice in conference, he will have plenty of opportunities to prove himself as the nation’s best player. The Razorbacks still have to play Auburn, South Carolina, Tennessee and LSU and will lean on McFadden to keep them in it. He’s put up solid stats already, averaging six yards per carry, and if he can keep it going, look for him to be taking home a little bronze statue at the end of the season.
The “Dave Chappelle ““ where did they go?” Award: Louisville. From a preseason No. 10 ranking to falling off the face of the college football map in six weeks is just impressive. They’ve got the offensive power of Don Imus but the defense of a third-grade girl scout team. Ten bucks says this team will become the first in history to put up over 100 points in a game and lose.
That’s it for the Middy Awards. Join us again next season as we crown the formerly-NFL Miami Dolphins “Best Newcomers.”
E-mail Feder at jfeder@media.ucla.edu if you think Notre Dame should have won “Most Potential.”