New Orleans Bowl Preview

NEW ORLEANS BOWL

New Orleans, LA
December 21, 2008


Troy (8-4) vs Southern Miss (6-6)
(Sunday, 7 pm, ESPN)

Both teams enter this game on a roll. Southern Miss won their last four games to become bowl eligible. Troy, after a near-upset at LSU, trounced its two toughest Sun Belt opponents by a combined score of 83-12 to win the conference crown.

New Southern Miss head coach Larry Fedora's offense has been slowly improving this season. Running back Damion Fletcher has been remarkably consistent this season, topping 1,200 yards rushing for the third straight season. The Eagles have needed him while freshman quarterback Austin Davis learned the ropes.

Troy on the other hand was forced into playing its backup quarterback the second half of the season after losing starter Jamie Hampton to injury. Junior Levi Brown has been nothing short of spectacular since taking over, throwing 14 touchdown passes against only 3 interceptions.

Southern Miss has played better defense down the stretch, but it has been against inferior opponents. Against a Troy team that averages 33.3 points per game I don't think they will look as good as they did during their 4-game winning streak.

J.Pike's Pick: Troy 31, Southern Miss 23

WEEK TWELVE - Preview

Sure, it’s hard to find games under the national radar in a week where seemingly every game is flying under the radar. There isn’t a single Top 25 matchup on the schedule, but I’ll give you three non-BCS conference games that will have an impact on the bowl season.

East Carolina (6-3) at Southern Miss (4-6)
(Saturday, 2 pm)
With new head coach Larry Fedora, you can expect Southern Miss to be a point scoring machine in a couple years. Fedora has made progress in his first season, and has some impressive weapons at his disposal on offense (RB Damion Fletcher, TE Shawn Nelson, WR DeAndre Brown). East Carolina started off the 2008 season with a bang, upsetting Virginia Tech and West Virginia on consecutive weekends. But since then a couple key injuries and a quarterback rotation derailed the season. ECU has picked up the pace with three straight wins, and Patrick Pinkney appears to have the quarterback job all to himself again. That’s all I need to know to give Skip Holtz’s veteran squad the advantage.
J.Pike’s Pick: East Carolina 24, Southern Miss 17

San Jose State (6-4) at Nevada (5-4)
(Saturday, 3 pm)
Nevada quarterback Colin Kaepernick is really starting to come into his own. The sophomore kept Fresno State off balance all game long last Thursday night en route to an easy Wolfpack victory. Bruising Vai Taua is also emerging as one of the most productive running backs in the WAC. His impressive season total of 1,159 yards rushing this year includes the 263 yards he went for against Fresno State last week. San Jose State on the other hand is in a slump, losing two of their last three. Spartan quarterback Kyle Reed looked really good early in the season, but like the rest of the team, his play has declined of late. With home field advantage, Nevada will continue their late season surge with another impressive win.
J.Pike’s Pick: Nevada 26, San Jose State 17

Tulsa (8-1) at Houston (5-4)
(Saturday, 7 pm, CBS College Sports)
Neither one of these teams cares much about playing defense (Tulsa allows 388.6 yards per game; Houston gives up 385.2). However both are accomplished offensively, as they combine to score an average of 89.8 points per game, so this one has the look of a shootout. New Houston head coach Kevin Sumlin looks to have the Cougars on the right track, and with home field advantage they are more than capable of handing Tulsa their second loss in as many games. But the Golden Hurrican used their off week to stew over the Arkansas loss and will be ready to play. I expect senior quarterback David Johnson to lead a more complete Tulsa team to a high scoring win over a still-growing Houston team.
J.Pike’s Pick: Tulsa 54, Houston 44

WEEK TEN - Preview

With two top ten matchups (Texas at Texas Tech & Florida vs Georgia), one of the best traditional rivalries (Nebraska at Oklahoma), and perhaps the final Spurrier/Fulmer meeting on the docket this weekend it would be easy to overlook the rest of the schedule. But here are three games flying under the radar you should know about. One will be a good old fashioned smashmouth football game with a spotlight on running the football and playing defense; another features a future potential Faulk Trophy winner; and the other is going to be a shootout in which 40 points probably won’t be enough to get the win.

Temple (3-5) @ Navy (5-3)
(Saturday, 2:30 pm, CBS College Sports)
If you’re looking for a good old fashioned smashmouth football game this weekend, you should probably tune in to CBS College Sports at about 2:30 this weekend. Navy will roll out their triple option attack and try to penetrate the solid Temple defense. To give you an idea of how old fashioned this game could be, consider this: Navy didn’t thorw a single pass in their win over SMU a week ago. With quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada back in the fold, they’ll have at least the threat of a play action pass, but you can still bet on the ball staying on the ground more often than not. That is a direct challenge to a surprisingly stout Temple defense. The veteran Owls, led by Junior Galette, have been terrorizing MAC foes of late. In their five conference games they have limited opponents to 66 rushing yards (2.0 yards per carry!), and 16.2 points per game – not too shabby. But I don’t think Temple has enough offense to pull out a victory.
J.Pike’s Pick: Navy 17, Temple 10

UAB (2-6) @ Southern Miss (2-6)
(Saturday, 7 pm)
Sure, these two teams only have four wins between them this year. But there will be enough young talent on the field that you should pay attention anyway because both of these programs are capable of taking a big step forward in Conference USA next year. New Southern Miss head coach Larry Fedora has a good offensive mind, and he’s got some weapons at his disposal. Junior running back headlines the attack with 969 rushing yards and 7 touchdowns. But freshman wide receiver DeAndre Brown is the player that has Golden Eagle fans excited. At 6-foot-5, Brown is piling up touchdowns at an alarming rate (9 so far) thanks to the mismatches he creates in the red zone. But the Blazers possess possibly the most exciting player you’ve never heard of in junior quarterback Joe Webb. Webb is an excellent athlete that is improving his passing every week. He has the numbers (1,726 yards, 8 td passing; 723 yards 7 td rushing) that will put him in the running for the Faulk Trophy next season if he gets a little more help around him. Look for this game to be close at halftime, but Southern Miss will pull away in the second half as UAB has consistently played poorly after halftime this season.
J.Pike’s Pick: Southern Miss 31, UAB 20

Rice (5-3) @ UTEP (3-4)
(Saturday, 8:05 pm)
I’m not sure why this game isn’t on television because it should be the highest scoring game of the weekend hands down. Rice won last year’s meeting despite giving up 48 points. This year both teams will be without top defensive players this week due to injury, so the Owls might need to score more than 56 this time around to secure the W. Oh yeah, I should also mention that Rice is allowing 36.5 points per game, and last week UTEP gave up 77 points and 791 yards to Tulsa! Each quarterback should have a field day Saturday night. Euless Trinity alum Trevor Vittatoe paces the Miners with his excellent 16-4 TD/INT ratio. Chase Clement is like a mini-Colt McCoy (2,360 yards, 24 td passing; 402 yards, 7 td rushing) and has positioned himself as a serious underdog candidate for the Faulk Trophy. I’ll give the slight edge to Rice here because although they don’t have as much talent as UTEP does on paper, they have played more consistently up to this point.
J.Pike’s Pick: Rice 63, UTEP 51

WEEK EIGHT - Preview

This week we feature exciting matchups from the MAC, Conference USA, Sun Belt, and Mountain West that all have shootout potential

Western Michigan @ Central Michigan
Is this the battle that will decide the best team in Michigan? Not quite – the Spartans at Michigan State might have something to say about it. But both of these teams are probably better than Michigan right now. Each team is led by their outstanding quarterback – Tim Hiller for Western and Dan LeFevour for Central. Hiller is a really good pocket passer, while LeFevour is more in the Tim Tebow mold. The winner of this game will end up challenging Ball State for the MAC West division crown. I’ll give the Chippewas a slight edge since they are at home, but this should be one of the more entertaining games of the weekend.
J.Pike’s Pick: Central Michigan 36, Western Michigan 34

Southern Miss @ Rice
This matchup between two of the better teams in Conference USA will feature an impressive amount of skill position talent. Rice boasts arguably the best quarterback in the league (Chase Clement) and one of the most underrated wide receivers in the nation (Jarrett Dillard). Clement is a small college version of Chase Daniel – he’s small, but quick and efficient. He powers a potent passing game that also features rising star tight end James Casey, who has already caught 54 passes this season. Southern Miss features the best running back in the league (Damion Fletcher), the best freshman receiver in the league (DeAndre Brown), and one of the best pass catching tight ends in the nation (Shawn Nelson). That’s a lot of athleticism going up against two teams that put defense on the backburner - a shootout is imminent. Rice has the advantage with a more experienced team so the Owls should come out on top.
J.Pike’s Pick: Rice 37, Southern Miss 31

Arkansas State @ Louisiana-Lafayette
Arkansas State has slowed down after their scorching start. After a win over Texas A&M early, they have cooled off to 4-2 with recent losses to Memphis and Southern Miss. The Ragin’ Cajuns on the other hand are just getting heated up. Their running game ranks tops in the land and running back Tyrell Fenroy (842 rushing yards) and quarterback Michael Desormeaux (708 rushing yards) are starting to really run wild. Give UL-Lafayette the edge as they are on a roll and playing in front of the home folks.
J.Pike’s Pick: Louisiana-Lafayette 34, Arkansas State 26

Air Force @ UNLV
UNLV looked like they might be a surprise team in the Mountain West after their early season win over nationally ranked Arizona State. But it turns out ASU might not be very good this year and the Mountain West is better than anybody expected (other than my partner, B.Pike – he knew what was brewing out west). Air Force is once again one of the most efficient teams in the nation. They’ll make UNLV pay for every mistake they make, and fight for yet another victory over a more talented opponent.
J.Pike’s Pick: Air Force 26, UNLV 20

WEEK SIX - Preview

Now it’s time for our weekly look at the games that are flying under the national radar. The Commander In Chief Trophy is up for grabs in the Navy/Air Force game. The winner will have a leg up since Army doesn’t look to be a real threat. Conference USA is still wide open so UTEP and Southern Miss will battle to get in the race early. There are also key games in the second tier of the Mountain West and the MAC that could make the difference in who gets a bowl berth and who stays home in the post season.

UTEP @ Southern Miss
UTEP stumbled out of the gate this season, but coming off a big 58-13 win over Central Florida they look like they have finally found themselves. Quarterback Trevor Vittatoe and running back Terrell Jackson are underrated offensive weapons in Conference USA, and Southern Miss doesn’t play the same brand of fiery defense they played under the previous coaching staff. The Eagles have offensive weapons too, but UTEP has the better quarterback. The Miners are a team gaining momentum and they’ll pull off the upset.
J.Pike’s Pick: UTEP 32, Southern Miss 27

UNLV @ Colorado State
In 50 mph winds last season, these two teams paired up to produce a combined 1,049 yards of offense. Colorado State was able to capitalize on 5 UNLV turnovers to win 48-23, despite giving up 559 yards. The weather won’t be the same again this year, but the UNLV offense essentially is. Omar Clayton is back at quarterback and executing Mike Sanford’s offense better than anybody in Sanford’s four years as head coach. On the other side of the field, new CSU head coach Steve Fairchild has struggled to fully implement his new offense. In the early going the Rams are scoring only 18.8 points per game, so look for UNLV to take better care of the ball and break their five game losing streak in this series.
J.Pike’s Pick: UNLV 30, Colorado State 26

Ball State @ Toledo
Toledo might have been suffering from a little bit of the old “look-ahead” when they lost to Florida International a week ago. Ball State is on top of the MAC right now with a 5-0 record, but they will play this game without one of their top players, Dante Love. Love suffered a spine injury a couple weeks ago and may never play football again. Quarterback Nate Davis is still around though, so don’t expect too much of a drop-off offensively. Home field advantage has been important in this series over the last decade or so (the home team is 11-3-1 since ’93), and I think Toledo will show up ready to play. I like Ball State, but this game has “upset” written all over it.
J.Pike’s Pick: Toledo 36, Ball State 31

Navy @ Air Force
You might be able to count the number of pass attempts in this game on one hand. Air Force (ironically) avoids the air at all cost while taking advantage of opponents’ mistakes better than anybody else in the country. Navy plays a similar style of football, but quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada Nahasapeemapetilon and running back Shun White have more big play ability than anybody on the Air Force offense. That will be the difference in the game, so go ahead and give Navy the Commander In Chief Trophy.
J.Pike’s Pick: Navy 27, Air Force 19

Week Three Preview

Iowa State (+13) over Iowa
This rivalry has produced some very close games recently. Both schools are 2-0 this season, and Iowa has won their two contests by a combined score of 88-3. Don’t let that fool you though – Iowa’s big wins came against Maine and Florida International. Iowa State is a team on the rise with Gene Chizik at the helm, and he has an impressive quarterback in Austin Arnaud. The Cyclones will keep this game close and have a good shot at winning the game outright.

Baylor (+2½) over Washington State
Baylor is bad, but Washington State might be worse. Coming off a 66-3 loss at the hands of Cal, the Cougars must travel to Waco to face an offense that seems be gaining their footing in Art Briles’ new offense. Baylor will pick up the first meaningful win of the Briles era in this one.

Central Michigan (-3½) over Ohio
Don’t be fooled by Ohio’s gutsy performance against Ohio State last weekend. They still don’t stand much of a chance against MAC powerhouse Central Michigan. QB Dan LeFevour will show the Buckeyes how to move the ball against Frank Solich’s Bobcats.

UCLA (+9) over BYU
I’m not sure how BYU is favored by 9 points in this game. UCLA plays great defense and will get after Max Hall all day long. That will keep the game close enough for UCLA’s offense, hobbled by injuries, to sneak out with the win.

Southern Miss (+1½) over Arkansas State
Arkansas State has produced two “whoa” moments already this year. In week one they beat Texas A&M in College Station, and last week they scored 83 points in a win over Texas Southern. But Southern Miss still has the overall talent edge with running back Damion Fletcher and tight end Shawn Nelson. USM wins this one outright.

Stanford (+12) over TCU
This was a tight contest last year, and that was only Jim Harbaugh’s first season. Stanford is playing even more consistent football this season and they’ve already got two conference games under their belt. That early season experience gives the Cardinal a slight edge over TCU so if they don’t win outright, they’ll definitely keep it within 12.

Other games I like, but don’t feel good enough about to qualify them as “Locks":
Illinois (-24½) over Louisiana-Lafayette
Oregon (-7½) over Purdue
Penn State (-26½) over Syracuse
Michigan (Pick’em) over Notre Dame
Georgia Tech (+7) over Virginia Tech
Western Michigan (-8) over Idaho
Mississippi State (+10½) over Auburn
Kentucky (-16½) over Middle Tennessee
Oklahoma (-20) over Washington
Utah (-24½) over Utah State

Week Three Preview

Here are a few games that deserve your attention despite the fact they aren’t getting the hype of, say, Ohio State v USC this week. Each contest features non-BCS conference teams that will be in contention for bowl games and conference titles.

Central Michigan @ Ohio
Fresh off their near up set of Ohio State, the Bobcats of Ohio get to face MAC favorite Central Michigan. Central is coming off a big loss to #1 ranked Georgia, so they’ll be hungry to face someone on their own level again. Dan LeFevour will be too much for the Ohio defense.
J.Pike’s Pick: Central Michigan 34, Ohio 20

Air Force @ Houston
This might be the toughest game of the week to pick. Air Force head coach Troy Calhoun has done extremely well so far in Colorado Springs, and he looks to have a pretty good defense in tow this season. New Houston head coach Kevin Sumlin has been up and down in his first two games at the helm, and so far he can’t count on his defense to come up with stops. This game could go either way, but I’ll go with the disciplined Falcons of Air Force in a difficult non-conference road game.
J.Pike’s Pick: Air Force 28, Houston 24

Rice @ Vanderbilt
Both teams are 2-0 and coming off big wins. Vanderbilt came up with one of the program’s biggest wins in recent memory when they knocked off South Carolina on Thursday night. Rice simply scored three touchdowns in the final 7 minutes, including a game winning interception return for a touchdown with 11 seconds left, to overcome a 15 point 4th quarter deficit. This should be one of the more entertaining games of the week.
J.Pike’s Pick: Vanderbilt 31, Rice 27

Southern Miss @ Arkansas State
Who knew this would be a game to watch? Arkansas State jumped on my radar with a win over Texas A&M in week one, and Southern Miss was able to keep it relatively close against Auburn last week. I think Arkansas State’s bubble bursts here. Southern Miss has a talented team with a very potent offense. Corey Leonard and Arkansas State might pile 80+ points on 1-AA competition, but they won’t here. Welcome to the Mid-Leagues, Red Wolves.
J.Pike’s Pick: Southern Miss 34, Arkansas State 24

Bowling Green @ Boise State
Ian Johnson, the man responsible for scoring the game winning 2-point conversion against Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl two seasons ago, is still in the backfield for the Broncos. That means he’ll get the ball early and often. Bowling Green visits the Smurf Turf after a puzzling first two weeks that saw them beat Pittsburgh and then get blown out by Minnesota. Boise shouldn’t have any problems, especially running the football.
J.Pike’s Pick: Boise State 37, Bowling Green 21

Gameday Commentary - Morning Games

Ohio State 26, Ohio 14
Ohio State actually trailed early in the 4th quarter of this game against Frank Solich's Bobcats. The Buckeyes were clearly playing vanilla football, but they displayed zero emotion until the fourth quarter when a Roy Small punt return for touchdown broke the game open.
J.Pike's Thoughts:
*Ohio State is going to struggle to score against USC next week. The running game struggled mightily against Ohio, most notably not being able to pick up a 4th and short at one point in the first half. Granted, Beanie Wells wasn't playing and he'll be a factor, but the bigger problem is that Ohio State's receivers are average at best. Brian Robiskie and Brian Hartline just don't want to go get the ball, and you better believe they'll need to make a play or two against USC to avoid three-and-outs on every series.
*The Ohio Bobcats played a great game. Solich had his team ready to play and they looked like they belonged on the same field as Ohio State. Even when starting quarterback Theo Scott went down with an injury in the first half, Boo Jackson stepped right in and showed the same poise in directing the offense against what appears to be a slightly overrated Buckeye defense.

Michigan 16, Miami(OH) 6
Michigan looked pretty decent jumping out to a 10-0 lead early in the first half, but basically had to hold on to beat a scrappy Redhawk team that wouldn't go away.
J.Pike's Thoughts:
*Miami(OH) punter Jacob Richardson put himself firmly in the running for the inaugural Sproles/Sauerbrun Award for Special Teams player of the year. His booming punts single-handedly kept Miami in the game. He finished the day with 7 punts for a 54 yard average, landed 4 punts inside the 20 yard line, and boomed a 74 yarder at one point.
*Michigan doesn't have a quarterback. Steven Threet can run pretty well for a 6'6" guy, but his accuracy in the passing game leaves a lot to be desired. He missed just about every open receiver beyond five yards the whole game. Nick Sheridan is a more accurate passer, but he doesn't have a good arm and can't execute the zone read play as effectively. It will be a chore for Michigan to put points on the board this season.
*Daniel Raudabaugh played a good game for Miami(OH). He was by far the best quarterback on the field today, displaying good arm strength and the ability to make some very good touch throws - as long as he isn't rushed.

Georgia Tech 19, Boston Colleg 16
Persistency was the key for Georgia Tech's running game today. After running up against the brick wall that is BC's front seven for about three quarters, Jonathan Dwyer finally busted a 43-yard touchdown run on an option pitch midway through the fourth quarter to put the game away. Tech finished with 166 rushing yards, and only 240 total yards in the game, but it was enough to secure the win and a 2-0 start for new coach Paul Johnson.
J.Pike's Thoughts:
*I was wrong. Chris Crane is no Matt Ryan. Crane struggled mightily, taking a safety, throwing two interceptions, and making several other poor throws that should have been interceptions as well. The BC defense is good, but they'll need at least a little help from the offense if they are going to win games in the ACC this year.
*Paul Johnson is off to a great start so far in his Georgia Tech coaching career. His team wasn't as good as the Boston College team overall, but they won the fundamentals battle. His commitment to the running game paid off and they have a solid enough defense that they are going to win some games in the ACC this year. A bowl game is definitely in store.

WEEK TWO - Preview

Southern Miss @ #9 Auburn
(Saturday, 11:30am, ESPN360.com)
Why it could happen: Auburn didn’t exactly light up the scoreboard last weekend against Louisiana-Monroe. In fact the defense and special teams scored almost as many points as the offense did. Auburn is still trying to figure out their quarterback situation, but Southern Miss has a potent offense that amassed 633 yards and 51 points last week.
Why it won’t happen: The Auburn defense is significantly than the Ragin’ Cajuns defense. USM will score, but it will be much tougher going against Tuberville’s unit. Ben Tate should also have plenty of room to run the ball against the Golden Eagle defense.
J.Pike’s Pick: Auburn 26, Southern Miss 16

#25 BYU @ Washington
(Saturday, 2pm, FSN)
Why it could happen: Husky Stadium isn’t an easy place to play. BYU has high expectations this season and are favored in this game. Even though Washington doesn’t look very good this year, this looks like a classic “trap” game.
Why it won’t happen: Jake Locker doesn’t have a good enough arm to keep Washington from being one dimensional on offense. BYU is good enough defensively to slow down Washington, and good enough offensively to score points in a difficult environment.
J.Pike’s Pick: BYU 33, Washington 20

#10 West Virginia @ East Carolina
(Saturday, 3:30pm, ESPN)
Why it could happen: East Carolina did it to Virginia Tech last week. Patrick Pinkney played a very good game against a Hokie defense that is far superior to what West Virginia is going to field. East Carolina has a solid defense too, and West Virginia didn’t show off the same potent running game they had last year, running for “only” 149 yards last week.
Why it won’t happen: Pat White will find a way to win. Even though they didn’t run the ball as well last week, White threw a career high 5 touchdown passes.
J.Pike’s Pick: West Virginia 27, East Carolina 20

Buffalo @ Pittsburgh
(Saturday, 5pm, ESPN360.com)
Why it could happen: Pitt was upset by Bowling Green last week, and Buffalo might be an even tougher opponent. Turner Gill’s Bulls routed UTEP last week to the tune of 42-17.
Why it won’t happen: Pitt has to circle the wagons and get a win for coach Dave Wannstedt here … don’t they?
J.Pike’s Pick: Pittsburgh 24, Buffalo 22

Ole Miss @ Wake Forest
(Saturday, 2:30pm, ABC)
Why it will happen: Houston Nutt has the Rebels on the upswing while Wake and the ACC appear to be declining. Wake looked good against Baylor, but this isn’t Baylor. Look for the Ole Miss defense to contain the Demon Deacon running game and force Riley Skinner to beat them. Dexter McCluster will rack up some big plays for the Rebel offense and ice this game late.
J.Pike’s Pick: Ole Miss 27, Wake Forest 24


Alright, so I lied. After picking only four games against the spread last week (and going 2-2), I see even more games I want to pick against the spread this week. We'll see how this goes.

Southern Miss (+17½) over Auburn
(Saturday, 11:30am, ESPN360.com)
Auburn’s offense isn’t quite up to speed yet and won’t break the 30 point mark. The defense is really good but new head coach Larry Fedora has the Southern Miss offense humming already, and they’ll score enough to keep it close.

Ole Miss (+8) over Wake Forest
(Saturday, 2:30pm, ABC)
Congratulations Demon Deacons - you smacked around Baylor. Houston Nutt comes to town with a vastly improved Ole Miss squad that plays enough defense to possibly pull off the upset.

California (-13½) over Washington State
(Saturday, 5:30pm, FCS-Pacific)
Washington State simply doesn’t have enough players to compete this season. Cal on the other hand seems to have new life on offense thanks to the move from Nate Longspare to Kevin Riley at quarterback. Cal wins big.

Tulsa (-21½) over North Texas
(Saturday, 6pm)
Tulsa has one of the best offenses in the nation. Head coach Todd Graham has scored points everywhere he’s been, and North Texas coach Todd Dodge is in over his head here. Tulsa might go for 60 points in this one.

Western Michigan (-6) over Northern Illinois
(Saturday, 6pm)
Western Michigan tested their mettle in Lincoln last week and came out looking like they might be able to do some damage in the MAC. Northern Illinois on the other hand blew it against a Minnesota team that is one of the worst in the nation. Western wins handily at home.

Other games I like, but don’t feel good enough about to give them “Lock” status:
Oklahoma (-21½) over Cincinnati
Air Force (+3) over Wyoming
Buffalo (+13) over Pittsburgh
South Florida (-14) over Central Florida
Iowa State (-7) over Kent State
Miami (+21½) over Florida
Arizona State (-14) over Stanford

Best Non-BCS Conference RBs

1. Ian Johnson, Boise State
Everybody knows who Ian Johnson is thanks to Boise State's big upset victory over Oklahoma two seasons ago in the Fiesta Bowl. Johnson's the guy who scored the winning points on a Statue of Liberty two-point conversion run and then subsequently proposed to his girlfriend. Johnson had some injury problems in 2007 and didn't play in two regular season games and only got 4 carries in the bowl game. He's the best all around back not in a BCS conference, with impressive career numbers of 3,418 yards and 45 touchdowns.

2. Damion Fletcher, Southern Miss
Fletcher is hot on Johnson's heels though with a bit more speed and two more seasons of eligibility to go. In two seasons in Hattiesburg he has surpassed the 100 yard mark in 16 games. Fletcher has an impressive 2,974 yards and 26 touchdowns already in his career.

3. Eugene Jarvis, Kent State
Pound for pound Eugene Jarvis has to be mentioned among the discussion of best running backs in the nation. Jarvis stands only 5-foot-5 and weighs in at only 170 pounds, but he's quickly establishing himself as one of the most feared backs in the nation. After being passed on in recruiting by all the BCS conference schools in the area, Jarvis has a chip on his shoulder and is out to prove all the recruiters that he can play big time football despite his size. With his quickness and ability to hide behind his offensive line and explode when a hole opens up, he'll be a nightmare for MAC defensive coordinators for the next two seasons.

4. Darrell Mack, Utah
5. Tyrell Fenroy, UL-Lafayette

OTHERS TO WATCH
Deonte Jackson, Idaho
Luke Lippincott, Nevada