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Arkansas coach Danny Ford might be walking the unemployment line instead of the sideline soon. (Allsport)
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Grades are in for the second quarter. The Big Men on Campus include The Usual Suspects: Nebraska, Florida and Penn State, as well as a few surprises. The grades:
Six teams in Top 25, 10 in Top 50. Grade: A
Alliance: The winner of the SEC title game, plus one other team from among Florida (6-1), Tennessee (5-1), Auburn (7-1), long shot LSU (5-2) and upstart Georgia (6-1).
Bowlers
(five): The number could go as high as eight with an extra Alliance bid, a cherry-pick of a Liberty Bowl vacated by the Big East, and Independence Bowl. You can make a case for nine teams being bowl-worthy.
Arkansas coach Danny Ford might be walking the unemployment line instead of the sideline soon. (Allsport)
Heisman hype: Peyton Manning, please call your agent.
Say goodnight now: Arkansas' Danny Ford (3-4) stands only behind John Mackovic in the soon-to-be-unemployed line. Mississippi State's Jackie Sherrill (5-2 but a tough November ahead) is advised to beat Ole Miss; and Tennessee's Phil Fulmer has a short leash.
Surprised to see you: Georgia had a 6-1 schedule, but no one expected the Bulldogs to be 6-1. Kentucky's quick rise wasn't expected, either.
Whatever happened to: Alabama is 4-3, with two disturbing losses, a defense that is reeling, and suspicions that Mike DuBose's offense isn't as novel as anticipated.
Conference story line: The can-anyone-beat-Florida debate was answered, leaving one to speculate if anyone can do it again in the SEC title game. The improved conference depth has been an added plus.
New names for your Rolodex: It's a down year for rushers when Florida's Fred Taylor (799 yards) leads the league, but injuries slowed LSU's Cecil Collins (596) and Kevin Faulk (512) as well as Georgia's Robert Edwards (474). Tennessee's Jamal Lewis (516) has been a key part of a balanced Vols attack the last month ... The SEC has five QBs ranked in the national top 20 in efficiency, including Georgia's Mike Bobo (No. 8) and Kentucky's Tim Couch (2,830 yards passing, tops in the nation). Unsung Mississippi quarterback Stewart Partridge (1,765 yards passing) has been a key part of the Ole Miss resurgence ... Florida cornerback Cedric Donaldson (6 interceptions) will get some support as defensive player of the year.
Down the stretch: Saturday, Georgia-Florida; Nov. 15, Auburn-Georgia; Nov. 22, Kentucky-Tennessee, Alabama-Auburn, plus Florida-Florida State for state bragging rights and rankings; Nov. 29, Mississippi-Mississippi State, probably for a bowl bid.
Six teams in Top 25, seven in Top 50. Grade: A-
Rose Bowl/Alliance: The Nov. 8 Penn State (6-0)-Michigan (7-0) game has the look of a Rose Bowl decider, but Purdue (6-1) will argue that. A second Big Ten team with one loss is an odds-on favorite for an Alliance berth.
Bowlers (five): The seven teams currently 5-2 or better should all get berths. Wisconsin (7-2) has played the softest slate, and Michigan State (5-2) has the most difficult schedule left.
Heisman hype: Penn State's Curtis Enis (677 yards rushing) will get some support as long as the Nittany Lions are unbeaten. The lack of candidates is hardly a reflection on the talent here: Iowa's Tavian Banks (1,125) Wisconsin's Ron Dayne (1,271, No. 1 nationally), Michigan State's Sedrick Irvin (672).
Say goodnight now: No "For sale" signs posted here, but look for Northwestern's Gary Barnett again to be mentioned for every high-profile opening.
Surprised to see you: Purdue was 40-88-4 the last 14 years, but it took Joe Tiller just one year to jump-start the program. The Boilermakers haven't bowled since 1984.
Whatever happened to: Illinois. More was expected of Ron Turner at Illinois (0-7) after six years of the desultory Lou Tepper era.
Conference story line: It's top-heavy nature. For a league which was identifiable for years by just Michigan and Ohio State, it's an asset to have so many teams getting good publicity.
New names for your Rolodex: Purdue's Billy Dicken, the No. 3 QB a year ago, has passed for 1,841 yards and ranks among the leaders in efficiency, as do Michigan's Brian Griese, Penn State's Mike McQueary and Ohio State's duo of Joe Germaine and Stanley Jackson, who rank fifth and ninth and have combined for 1,918 yards passing ... Minnesota's Tutu Atwell (38 catches, 26.6 average on kick returns) has become the Gophers' game-breaker ... Despite poor records, Illinois' Robert Holcombe (841 yards rushing) and Northwestern's Adrian Autry (744) have a shot at 1,000 yards.
Down the stretch: Oodles. Saturday, Ohio State-Michigan State and Purdue-Iowa; Nov. 8, Michigan-Penn State and Michigan State-Purdue; Nov. 15, Penn State-Purdue; Nov. 22, Ohio State-Michigan, Wisconsin-Penn State; Nov. 29, Penn State-Michigan State.
Four teams in Top 25, six in Top 50. Grade: B+
Rose Bowl/Alliance: Four teams remain alive for the Rose Bowl, with the Washington (6-1)-Washington State (7-0) game likely to decide things. Big Ten and SEC teams have stronger cases for an Alliance bid.
Bowlers (four): Barring a free fall, the Washington schools, UCLA (6-2) and Arizona State (5-2) have bids in hand. USC (4-3), Stanford (4-3) and Oregon (4-4) will all need to pick up speed for an at-large bid in the Las Vegas Bowl.
Heisman hype: The Cougars' Ryan Leaf has earned more good notices than "Rent'' this season.
Say goodnight now: Arizona's Dick Tomey (3-5) and USC's John Robinson (4-3) each need a big victory in November to save their jobs.
Surprised to see you: After an 0-2 start, UCLA has won six in a row, and Washington State was picked to finish in the second division.
Whatever happened to: Stanford was expected to compete for the title, but its defense collapsed. USC is staring at back-to-back bowl-less seasons for the first time since 1982-83, when probation was a factor.
Conference story line: The conference has become a modern-day Bataan Death March because of its overall depth and tough scheduling, which doesn't do much for the national image. Since Washington shared a national title in 1991, the conference has produced just one Top 10 team at the end of the season (Arizona State, 4th in '96).
New names for your Rolodex: UCLA QB Cade McNown (2,139 yards passing) is ranked first nationally in efficiency and has passed Skip Hicks as the Bruins' MVP ... Stanford's Troy Walters (53 catches) has passed Cal's Bobby Shaw for the league lead ... Oregon's Saladin McCullough (853 yards), who was headed to USC before a test problem, has become the top back in a league full of them (Arizona's Trung Canidate, 644 yards; Washington State's Michael Black, 733; Washington's Rashaan Shehee 846) ... UCLA's Jim McElroy and USC's R. Jay Soward have become big-play threats.
Down the stretch: Like the Big Ten, jam-packed. Saturday, Washington State-Arizona State and UCLA-Stanford; Nov. 15, Stanford-Washington State and Washington-UCLA; Nov. 22, Washington State-Washington and UCLA-USC.
Two teams in Top 25, six in Top 50. Grade: B
Alliance: No change here, it's North Carolina (7-0)-Florida State (7-0) for the Alliance berth Nov. 8.
Bowlers (four): The loser of that showdown will have a shot at an Alliance at-large bid depending on how the Big Ten and SEC shake out. Five teams still are in the hunt for the other bids.
Heisman hype: None this year, but you might want to put some future book action on Florida State's Travis Minor.
Say goodnight now: N.C. State's Mike O'Cain (3-4) might need an upset of Florida State or Virginia to save his job.
Surprised to see you: Wake Forest is 4-4, playing physical and bidding for its first winning season since 1992.
Whatever happened to: Maryland (2-6) expected a quicker turnaround under Ron VanderLinden.
Conference story line: Parity. With Florida State on top and teams taking turns beating each other, it's harder to notice the improving top-to-bottom strength of the league.
New names for your Rolodex: Both North Carolina QBs, Oscar Davenport and Chris Keldorf, rank in the top 30 in efficiency ... Florida State's Thad Busby has thrown for 2,080 yards, but that's not tops in the ACC. Wake Forest's Brian Kuklick has thrown for 2,099, with Desmond Clark (53 receptions) and Jammie Deese (43) his best targets. The Deacons are also getting 31.5 yards per kick return from Myles Savage ... No one is likely to crack 1,000 yards rushing this season. Clemson's Raymond Priester (713 yards) has the best chance ... Duke PK Sims Lenhardt has made 13 of 15 FG attempts.
Down the stretch: Besides the Heels-'Noles showdown, North Carolina has its usual war with Clemson (4-3) Nov. 15. Saturday's Clemson-Wake Forest game will likely produce a bowl team. Florida-Florida State Nov. 22 will have national implications.
Two teams in Top 25, six in Top 50. Grade: C
Alliance: Sorry, the invitation was lost in the mail.
Bowlers (four): Wacky as usual, it's impossible to predict which two teams will get berths in the WAC title game Dec. 6. Rice (5-2) controls its own destiny in the Mountain Division, as do Colorado State (6-2) and Fresno State (4-4) in the Pacific, but upsets seem to be the rule this year. BYU (5-2), New Mexico (6-2), Utah (4-4). Air Force (7-2) and Wyoming (5-4) all believe they're bowl-worthy. Someone will go home unhappy.
Heisman hype: Rice's top back in its devastating option, Michael Perry (848 yards), deserves ballot consideration.
Say goodnight now: TCU has already bagged Pat Sullivan, and beleaguered Tulsa coach Dave Radar might be removed from his office. UTEP's Charlie Bailey continued survival stumps experts.
Surprised to see you: Rice showed enough last year that the Owls' rise in '97 isn't a complete surprise. So did New Mexico, but no one expected a 6-0 run to start the season.
Whatever happened to: BYU's going through a rare period, its passing game misfiring often and the running game too inconsistent to make up for it. BYU's defense has been soft, too.
Conference story line: One would be the still unwieldy nature of a 16-team league featuring teams with nothing in common. A second would be the continued fight to gain some national respect and a spot in the Alliance. Third would be the shift to stronger defenses in a league which always embraced the 1,000-yard, 100-point game.
New names for your Rolodex: Perry, Benji Wood (721 yards) and QB Chad Nelson (644) are the key to the Rice attack ... Colorado State's Moses Moreno is ranked sixth in pass efficiency, but no WAC QB ranks in the Top 20 nationally in yardage. Several starters have been KO'd by injuries, such as BYU's Kevin Feterek, Air Force's Blane Morgan and Hawaii's Tim Carey ... New Mexico's Graham Leigh (1,455 yards passing) has been the big surprise ... With San Diego State's Az Hakim hurt, Utah's Kevin Dyson is the best WAC receiver.
Down the stretch: Saturday, Rice at SMU; Nov. 8, Fresno State-Colorado State; Nov. 15, Rice at Utah, Air Force-Wyoming and New Mexico at BYU; Nov. 22, Utah-BYU.
No teams in Top 25, two in Top 50. Grade: C
Alliance: Not invited.
Bowlers (one): The winner of the MAC title game Dec. 6 advances to the Motor City Bowl, with Toledo (7-0) the likely winner of the South meeting Ohio (7-1), Miami-Ohio (6-2) or Marshall (6-2). The MAC's depth could send a second team to fill another bowl. Ohio's option is high octane, and Marshall has Randy Moss.
Heisman hype: Moss (62 catches, 110 points) has gotten his share, but he will likely be nothing more than an afterthought to voters. Toledo's Chris Wallace (1,787 passing yards) is gaining stature fast.
Say goodnight now: Jim Corrigall of Kent (2-6) is 7-33-1 in three-plus years. Lee Owens of Akron (1-7) is 7-23 in two-plus.
Surprised to see you: Toledo was thought to be in a rebuilding mode, but Wallace, who had club feet as a kid, has taken them into some Top 25 rankings.
Whatever happened to: Ball State has slumped after seasons of 7-4 and 8-4 (with a bowl), in part because of inexperience and the improved depth in the league.
Conference story line: National recognition at last. Miami-Ohio has been the cradle of coaches for eons, but it's been a long time since four MAC teams were getting national acclaim.
New names for your Rolodex: A ton of skill players mark the charts. Ohio's triple option features Dwayne Harris (983 yards), Kareem Wilson (634) and Riz Buckman (477), but five other RBs have 700-plus yards, including Miami-Ohio's Travis Prentice (947) and Central Michigan's Eric Flowers (793) ... Besides Wallace, Marshall's Chad Pennington (2,374 yards), Eastern Michigan's Charlie Batch (2,312) and Kent's Jose Davis are posting big passing numbers ... Kent's Eugene Baker (66) ranks second nationally in catches.
Down the stretch: Saturday, Miami-Ohio at Toledo; Nov. 8, Miami-Ohio at Ohio; Nov, 15, Ohio at Marshall.
Two teams in Top 25, six in Top 50. Grade: C-
Alliance: Nebraska, Nebraska and Nebraska.
Bowlers (six): Hardly deserving of six automatic bids, the likes of Missouri (5-3) and Texas Tech (4-3) are in the hunt. What does it say when Kansas State (6-1) is the second-best team in a 12-team league?
Heisman hype: Nebraska's Ahman Green (993 yards rushing) is making a late run, and it doesn't hurt to play on a top-ranked team.
Say goodnight now: The paperwork (money) is being put together to end John Mackovic's days at Texas. Texas A&M's R.C. Slocum is advised to finish fast. Oklahoma's John Blake will push the envelope if the Sooners again finish 3-8.
Surprised to see you: Considering their low preseason status and handful of suspensions before kickoff, Oklahoma State (6-1) has to be considered the surprise team of '97.
Whatever happened to: Texas-Oklahoma used to be one of the "Big Games." Now it's a busted pipeline. They're a combined 6-9 and have been underachievers all decade. Colorado (4-3) still has time for a turnaround.
Conference story line: Considering all the hype that accentuated the merger of the Big Eight and Southwest powers, the Big 12 has been a dud. More teams are backpedaling. If you can pick a program capable of challenging Nebraska, you should be playing lotto.
New names for your Rolodex: The league has a dearth of good quarterbacks and a lot of talented backs -- A&M's Dante Hall (562 yards, 12.9 per punt return) and Sirr Parker, Oklahoma's De'Mond Parker (1,123) and Texas' Ricky Williams (1,178). Hall, Parker and Williams are all ailing, though ... Oklahoma State TE Alonzo Mayes (29 receptions) will receive some first-team All-America support, and safety R.W. McQuarters should get some consideration as the Big 12 player of the year ... Tech's Donnie Hart and Malcolm McKenzie each have 46 catches ... Kansas State PK Martin Gramatica has made 14 of 15 field goals.
Down the stretch: Colorado-Kansas State Nov. 15 might hold the Buffs' bowl hopes, and then there's Nebraska-Colorado Nov. 28. Nebraska will be a 20-point pick over any South team in the Big 12 title game Dec. 6. Don't expect any James Brown-like theatrics.
No teams in Top 25, two in Top 50. Grade: C-
Alliance: Not invited.
Bowlers (one): Southern Mississippi (5-2) is the odds-on favorite to win the league. Cincinnati (6-2) and Tulane (4-3) will draw some interest for at-large bids.
Heisman hype: None here, although Tulane's Shaun King has amassed more than 2,000 total yards this season.
Say goodnight now: Memphis (2-5) coach Rip Scherer is 9-20 in two-plus seasons. The word in Louisville (1-7) is that Ron Cooper has lost control of his program.
Surprised to see you: If not for Oklahoma State and Bob Simmons, Tulane's Tommy Bowden would be drawing a lot of nominations as coach of the year. The Green Wave were 12-55 in their previous six seasons, haven't bowled since 1987 and haven't had a winning season since 1981.
Whatever happened to: East Carolina (2-5), whose crash from last year's 8-3 campaign has been pretty swift.
Conference story line: Say what you will about the relative merit of the teams in this league, but it's a lot deeper than the Big East, and it's best days are ahead of it.
New names for your Rolodex: Louisville QB Chris Redman (2,349 yards) ranks fourth nationally, with TE Ibn Green (38 catches) also up for postseason honors ... King has been the catalyst for the Green Wave offense, airing 49 passes to JaJuan Dawson and 38 to P.J. Franklin ... RBs Vaughn Inniss and Ketric Sanford give Houston a solid tandem.
Down the stretch: Southern Mississippi gets a national test drive against Tennessee Nov. 8. The Nov. 15 game versus Houston might be for the Liberty Bowl bid.
Two teams in Top 25, three in Top 50. Grade: D
Alliance: Creeping back into the picture is Syracuse (5-3), but West Virginia (6-1) controls its destiny. If the Mountaineers stumble, then Virginia Tech (5-2) takes command.
Bowlers (four): Those three are secure for bids. Miami (3-4) and Pittsburgh (4-3) are long shots to qualify for the fourth berth.
Heisman hype: He's not likely to get many first-place votes, but West Virginia's 5-foot-9 Amos Zereoue (1,048 yards, 5th nationally) deserves consideration.
Say goodnight now: Rutgers' Terry Shea is as good as gone, especially with his AD having just been relieved of his duties.
Surprised to see you: Pittsburgh doesn't have a victory against a team over .500, but the Panthers are farther along than people expected.
Whatever happened to: Miami is two losses away from its first losing season since 1979, Howard Schnellenberger's first year.
Conference story line: Besides the poor play and lack of quality QBs, it would have to be the future shape of the league. Rutgers (0-8) and Temple (2-6) are borderline I-A programs and Syracuse might bolt.
New names for your Rolodex: The conference has a fleet of good runners besides Zereoue: Boston College's Mike Cloud (678 yards) and Omari Walker (490), Tech's Ken Oxendine (575), Pitt's Dwayne Schulters (567), Miami's fast-improving Edgerrin James (675) and Temple's Stacey Mack (619) and Elmarko Jackson (446) ... Syracuse's rise can be traced to wide out Quinton Spotwood (28 catches, 20.8 yards per punt return) and Kevin Johnson (32.2 per kick return). Safety Donovan Darius has six picks.
Down the stretch: West Virginia-Syracuse eliminates one team from the race Saturday. Pitt still has to play all three contenders. Miami-Syracuse Nov. 29 might be just for old times' sake.
No teams in Top 25, one in Top 50. Grade: D-
Alliance: Not this year.
Bowlers: Notre Dame (3-5), and only if they run the schedule and are willing to consider a small bowl, which is so unlike them.
Heisman hype: Ron Powlus, of course.
Say goodnight now: If the Irish finish 4-8, movement could be swift in South Bend. Nelson Stokely of SW Louisiana (1-7) has a sub -.500 record over 11 years (60-68-1), as does Ed Zaunbrecher (13-29) at NE Louisiana (3-6).
Surprised to see you: Louisiana Tech (6-2) has one good victory and one near miss and should finish 8-3, giving Tech two consecutive winning seasons.
Whatever happened to: The Notre Dame saga would take up too much space. Navy (3-3) and Army (3-4) suffered personnel loses and found opponents had caught up with its wishbone attack. Navy can still finish 8-3 if it upsets Notre Dame.
Indie story line: The Indies, especially those new to I-A, fill body-bag games for major foes. Army moves to C-USA next year, and Central Florida might have talks with the Big East.
New names for your Rolodex: Despite an erratic season, Navy QB Chris McCoy still has 559 rushing yards ... The group's best RB might be UAB's Lucious Foster (534 yards) ... Louisiana Tech QB Tim Rattay (2,824 yards) ranks second in yardage, and Troy Edwards, his favorite target (75 catches), first in receptions ... Central Florida's combo of QB Daunte Culpepper (2,239 yards, eighth) and Siaha Burley (54, 8th) are also hot ... Tech DB John Noel leads the nation in interceptions with seven.
Down the stretch: Saturday, Navy-Notre Dame and Louisiana Tech-Alabama; Nov. 8, Army-Air Force; Nov. 15, Notre Dame-LSU; Dec. 6, Army-Navy.
No teams in Top 25, none in Top 50. Grade: F
Bowlers (one): The league champ is host of the Humanitarian Bowl in Idaho. Utah State (4-4) is the best team by far; the Aggies were a competitive 1-4 in non-conference games against WAC and PAC-10 foes.
Say goodnight now: North Texas coach Matt Simon is 16-25-1 in three-plus seasons, and '97 has been a disappointment, but he does play a tough schedule. Boise State is 3-5, but some schools want to hire Houston Nutt away right now.
Conference story line: It's a great baseball conference. Football-wise, it is everyone's homecoming game, a poorly disguised I-AA league. It was 11-24 in non-league games this year, and seven of those victories came against I-AA opponents.
New names for your Rolodex: Passing dominates the league, with Nevada's John Dutton (2,177 yards), Idaho's Brian Brennan (2,196) and Utah State's Matt Sauk (2,135) all nationally ranked. Idaho's Antonio Wilson (63) is third nationally in receptions, Nevada's Geoff Noisy fifth (61) and Utah State's Nakia Jenkins (54) eighth.
Down the stretch: Saturday, Utah State-Boise State; Nov. 8, Boise State-Nevada; Nov. 15, Utah State-Nevada.
Bob Keisser covers the sports media for the Long Beach (Calif.) Press Telegram.
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