| |
NOMINEE |
THE SKINNY |
| Overrated |
The Pac-10 |
Can an entire conference win this? The Pac-10 has played like the Big West in disguise. Special recognition goes to UCLA. A year ago the Bruins finished one play out of the Fiesta Bowl. This season they finished 4-7. |
| Underrated |
A pair of quarterbacks |
Heisman winner Ron Dayne should give the right arm of the trophy to Wisconsin quarterback Brooks Bollinger. Once the freshman took over as starter in October and made the pass a genuine threat, Dayne found a lot more room to run. Louisiana Tech quarterback Tim Rattay led his team to an 8-3 record and an upset of Alabama. The Bulldogs aren't playing in a bowl because they're not a part of the sport's aristocracy. Were bowl bids -- or, dare we say, playoff bids -- awarded on merit, we would see Rattay again. |
| Annoying |
The computer rankings |
When one team's rating varies as much as 30 places depending upon the poll, please refer to the old acronym GIGO: Garbage in, garbage out. The conference commissioners ought to have enough guts to appoint a committee -- comprised of one representative from each league -- to name the teams that will play for the national championship. |
| Breakthrough |
Virginia Tech |
The Hokies have become a dominant team in all three phases of the game. Plus, we've got the rest of redshirt freshman quarterback Michael Vick's career to look forward to. |
| Uplifting |
Clint Stoerner, Arkansas |
For 12 months, the Razorbacks' quarterback had to listen to how his November 1998 fumble cost his team an upset of Tennessee and gave the Volunteers the opportunity to go on and win the national championship. This season Stoerner threw three touchdown passes to lead Arkansas to a 28-24 upset of Tennessee. Runner-up: East Carolina. Stranded on the road for a week when floods stemming from Hurricane Floyd hit their Greenville, N.C., campus, the Pirates came back from 20 points down to shock the Hurricanes, 27-23, in a game played on neutral turf in Raleigh. |
| MVP |
Joe Hamilton, Georgia Tech |
If I can't pick Pedro Martinez (he should win it somewhere), then I'm going with the Yellow Jackets quarterback. Without Hamilton, Tech and a simply awful defense wouldn't have come close to its 8-3 record and a return engagement in the Gator Bowl. |
Storyline to
follow in 2000 |
Joe Paterno |
Penn State coach Joe Paterno's pursuit of Bear Bryant's Division I-A record of 323 victories. Paterno needs seven wins to tie. Of course, he's needed seven to tie for some time -- since the Nittany Lions went from 9-0 to 9-3. |
