In the Trenches: MWC's beef, Stafford No. 1, Brown and spring tales
Dennis Dodd and J. Darin Darst of CBSSports.com provide analysis on weekly college football topics.
| Dennis Dodd | J. Darin Darst |
| 1. Does the Mountain West deserve an automatic spot in the BCS? | |
| Yes, but that's hardly the argument. The Mountain West agreed to the current parameters and now wants to change its mind in midstream. It doesn't work that way when you're dealing with a $200 million bowl system and networks. The MWC is the best non-BCS league. It has proven itself in recent years that it can play with the big boys. Too bad it must wait until 2012, at the earliest. Last week's Tour de Capitol Hill by the MWC was posturing. The league hired a lobbying firm and commissioner Craig Thompson spoke to senior staff in legislators' offices. Thompson said his league wanted to raise awareness. What he really did to the other BCS commissioners was raise tensions. You don't go to Washington to chat. You go to round up a posse against the big boys. The MWC won't win. Not this round. The big boys still have all the power and the majority if the issue ever comes to a vote, which it won't. The Mountain West knows it is wrong on this one. Its day will come. It just has to wait a few years. | Of course the MWC does, but so do the WAC, MAC, Sun Belt and C-USA. What gives the ACC or Big East or any other conference for that matter an automatic bid over other conferences? What good reason can anybody give for the ACC or Big East having an automatic bid to play in a bowl game that gives out $17 million, while others don't? There is no good reason. Sure, the commissioners voted and everybody agreed to this system, but it is still flawed. You might as well have two divisions -- BCS and non-BCS. The non-BCS teams can have their own championship game because the system doesn't allow them to be on a level playing field with the major conferences. Utah, Boise State and others realistically know they have to go undefeated, because if they slip up and lose, it's bye-bye BCS game, hello Dec. 27 bowl. Meanwhile, the ACC champ can go 7-5 and still be headed to the Orange Bowl. Yeah, great system. |
| 2. Is Matthew Stafford the best player in the NFL Draft? If you were a GM, would you take him No. 1? | |
| Some semantics: Stafford is the best quarterback available in this draft. That doesn't make him the best player. That doesn't make the Lions an NFL team either. That's my point. If Stafford goes No. 1, the risk is that his spirit (and career) would be destroyed by the terrible team around him. I'd go line first or defense, but I'm no Matt Millen so I'll leave it up to the geniuses in D-town to clean up his mess. I know Pete Prisco loves this guy but I'll come down in the middle. I didn't like Stafford throwing 33 interceptions in 33 career starts. I didn't like him completing less than 60 percent of his passes. I would have loved for him to stay another year to work on his footwork, but blame Sam Bradford for that. I do like that Stafford accomplished as much as he could with an average to poor offensive line. His receiving corps wasn't the greatest either. Unlike Matt Leinart, his best could be ahead of him. But take him No. 1? No way. In this modern NFL you've got to be a franchise quarterback right away. Detroit is barely an NFL franchise and there aren't that many Matt Ryans around. You have to get guys to protect and sack the QB before you draft one that high. | I'm no expert when it comes to players and the NFL. A few years ago, I thought Alex Smith was a late first-rounder, not the No. 1 overall pick, but what do I know? Obviously not as much as the 49ers. But when I look at Stafford's college career, I just don't see it. Sure he has the size and strong arm that make NFL scouts salivate, but 33 interceptions in 33 starts against college defenses is a number that doesn't sit well with me. Frankly, it's nothing against Stafford, I'm just not really a big fan of any of the quarterbacks in the draft. I also don't blame Stafford for coming out early. It's a weak year for QBs and he knew he'd be a top 3 pick. I'd come out early too, but I think he could have improved his skills by staying one more season at Georgia. Now if I was the GM of the Lions there is no way I would take him with the No. 1 overall pick. The Lions are so bad and Stafford is going to go through some major growing pains the first couple of seasons. You have to start building on the offensive or defensive line. Alabama's Andre Smith would have been my No. 1 pick, but skipping a workout and just leaving the NFL Combine is never a good sign. |
| 3. Is Bryce Brown this year's Terrelle Pryor, the franchise player worth waiting for? | |
| Before answering that question you have to ask is Terrelle Pryor actually a franchise player worth waiting for? Pryor did some good things as a freshman for Ohio State, but let's face it, there's a long way to go. Bryce Brown's situation is different. Not necessarily worse, just different. Before picking a school, Brown plans to go on a week-long fast. He has an advisor (Brian Butler) who is becoming more famous than the kid. Miami and Southern California might or might not have gotten fed up and dropped out of the running. I can only go by what I've seen. Brown has Reggie Bush-type highlights. He doesn't seem to have an injury problem. Both Pryor and Brown jerked around several schools, stringing them out way past signing day. Both Pryor and Brown have/had handlers (Pryor was counseled by Pittsburgh Steelers backup quarterback Charlie Batch, who wants to someday become an agent). If Brown keeps his head on straight and stays humble then he might be the real deal. Might. | Totally different positions and situations. First off, if Brown decides to bail on his commitment to Miami, it wouldn't be a travesty for the Hurricanes. He has the potential to be a great running back, but the Hurricanes already signed two great RBs (Lamar Miller and Mike James) in this class and South Florida is loaded with high school RBs for next year with a few players already leaning toward Miami. The other major aspect is if Brown doesn't sign with Miami, he'll most likely head out west to Oregon or USC, where the Hurricanes will never see him again. The Pryor situation was huge on so many levels. Not only was he the No. 1 player in high school, but he was deciding between three conference rivals -- Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State. Pryor also stepped right in as the starting quarterback and was a major reason the Buckeyes reached the Fiesta Bowl. Can you imagine the ripple effect had he signed with Michigan? I'm not so sure the Buckeyes would have landed in the Fiesta Bowl with Todd Boeckman at QB all season. Rich Rodriguez's first season at Michigan probably would have been a lot different if Pryor was in Ann Arbor. |
| 4. What spring practice issue are you keeping an eye on the most? | |
| It has to be the immediate future at Oregon. There's still a possibility coach Mike Bellotti might slide over to the AD chair before spring practice starts March 30. There's already a succession plan in place with offensive coordinator Chip Kelly ready to take over when Bellotti makes his decision. He keeps dropping contrary hints. Bellotti might be around two more years. He might step down next month. Duck Nation is waiting. So is Brown, who still has Oregon on his list of finalists. Bellotti/Kelly have top 10 talent in 2009. If Oregon gets out of September (Boise State, Utah, Cal) then anything is possible. | I'm keeping my eye on the quarterback issue at Southern California. This is a team that usually just plugs in any quarterback and is successful -- Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, John David Booty, Mark Sanchez. So who is next on that list? Former Arkansas transfer Mitch Mustain was supposed to be the greatest thing to happen to the Razorbacks, so it will be interesting to see if he can finally take over a starting job. We could be in for quite a battle in spring practice with Mustain, backup Aaron Corp and incoming freshman Matt Barkley. |
