Weekend Watch List: Know these guys? You'd better recognize

The Davey O'Brien Award announced its three finalists this week. Two of them you can figure out: Brady Quinn and Troy Smith.

The third player under consideration to be the nation's best quarterback is on probation.

Hawaii's Colt Brennan doesn't shy away from that fact. He's willing to talk about the situation that resulted in him being kicked off Gary Barnett's Colorado team in January 2004.

Colt Brennan has thrown 48 TD passes this season. That's right, 48. And he only has eight picks. That's right, eight. (AP)

"There was an incident one night," Brennan said. "I was drinking and got invited over to a girl's room. I was under the impression that she wanted me there. It pretty much got into a he-said, she-said thing."

Actually it was much more than that. Brennan was acquitted on charges of sexual assault and indecent exposure. He was found guilty of first-degree criminal trespass and second-degree burglary, spent seven days in jail and is the middle of four years of probation.

It shouldn't diminish his misconduct that the incident came in the middle of the CU recruiting scandal, but it has to be mentioned.

Brennan says his coaches and lawyers have gotten "complaints" in the form of e-mail from Colorado authorities warning Brennan to stop speaking about his situation.

"Right now it's like, 'Don't cause any controversy or turmoil,'" Brennan said. "The last couple of weeks I've been getting into it. It's hard for me not to get into that story without offending anyone."

Without the baggage, Brennan is one of the most refreshing stories in the country heading into the holiday season. In fact, we're dedicating the Weekend Watch List this Thanksgiving week to those you might have forgotten or never heard of.

With the baggage, the story is much the same. Brennan has kept his nose clean and is about to become the latest record-setting quarterback with the Warriors.

He guides the nation's most prolific offense (49.2 points, 544.7 yards per game), while throwing 4.8 touchdowns per game. He is seven touchdown passes away from breaking David Klingler's single-season record (54) and is on pace to shatter Shaun King's eight-year record for single-season pass efficiency.

The 25th-ranked Warriors (9-2) still have games left against Purdue on Saturday and Oregon State on Dec. 2. The junior almost certainly will lead the country in total offense and touchdown passes for a second consecutive year.

Poll Colt Brennan has 48 TD passes with two games and a bowl left. How many will he finish with? 2% 50   34% 51 to 55   49% 56 to 60   14% More than 60   Total Votes: 5081

Brennan showed up on campus as a walk-on (for obvious reasons) in 2005 after a year at Saddleback Community College. Syracuse and San Jose State, where a cousin played, also recruited Brennan. But he saw something special in Hawaii coach June Jones, a noted quarterback maker.

"One thing that was different, he had this arrogance, cockiness," Brennan said. "He said, 'You can go get a scholarship to San Jose, but if you want to play in the NFL some day, you come to Hawaii and I can make that happen for you.'"

Brennan played his way into the lineup a year after Timmy Chang set the NCAA career passing mark under Jones.

Not a bad landing area for a SoCal kid who backed up Matt Leinart his senior year at Mater Dei High School. Now NFL scouts are flocking to Brennan's games, trying to figure out what's next. Is he another product of Jones' pass-happy system or prospect for Sundays?

You've got to like the efficiency: only eight interceptions in 419 throws. You've got to love the accuracy: 72.3 percent, which is approaching another single-season NCAA record.

You've got to appreciate the kid's outlook. He's in paradise. He's winning. He's free.

"There's plenty of things to be grateful for," he said.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, here's a WWL list of those you need to know about this holiday season:

• Desmond Reed has a right to be bitter. Thirteen months ago, USC's kick returner planted his foot to field a kickoff in Notre Dame Stadium's 4-inch-high grass. Next thing he knew his knee was shredded, there was nerve damage and his career was in danger.

USC's Desmond Reed was back in uniform for the season opener at Arkansas. (Getty Images)

Reed will be in uniform in the latest USC-Notre Dame showdown, not exactly healthy but well enough to play. That is a minor miracle considering the high grass -- supposedly mandated by Charlie Weis to slow down the Trojans -- probably caused Reed to tear knee ligaments without being hit as he tried to field the kick.

"I really don't think I would have got hurt if the grass wasn't long," Reed told the Los Angeles Times.

When doctors went in for surgery they found that a nerve had been damaged, causing Reed to have a drop foot. The condition still causes his foot to drag when he walks.

Before each game and practice, Reed goes through an elaborate training room preparation (taping, plastic shield in his right shoe) that allows him to play.

Meanwhile, no one, Weis included, has admitted to intentionally letting the grass grow. Last year, it was addressed with a nod and a wink when anyone would ask.

Here's hoping Reed gets some small revenge with a big return.

• Please choose a heart-warming side in Saturday's Rice-SMU game. Both are 6-5. Both are trying to sew up a bowl bid for the first time in -- forever. Rice, which started 0-4, hasn't been a bowl since 1961. For SMU it would mark the first postseason since before the death penalty (1984).

First-year Rice coach Todd Graham has refused to accept losing after having to play body-bag games against UCLA, Texas and Florida State. SMU is four years removed from a winless season.

Rice receiver Jarett Dillard came from being a lightly regarded kid from San Antonio to a Biletnikoff semifinalist. Dillard has caught a touchdown pass in 13 consecutive games, second-longest streak in NCAA history.

The winner of the Underdog Bowl is assured of a bowl bid. The loser, not so much.

• Boise tries to clinch its BCS bid (at Nevada) with the most courageous player in the country. That's a subjective observation, but consider anyone tougher than Ian Johnson.

The Broncos' fantastic running back returns to the lineup having recovered from a partially collapsed lung. That's after playing with a partially collapsed lung.

Johnson thinks he got hurt with about nine minutes left in the second quarter of the San Jose State game in Nov. 11. He played the entire game running for 149 yards and a touchdown.

That's not half of it. Turns out Johnson had been playing with cracked ribs since Sept. 16. He played on without flak jacket. The collapsed lung resulted from being hit in the area of the cracked ribs. After the game Johnson was admitted to a San Jose hospital.

• Duke's John Talley might be having an All-American season, but you'll never know it. He's buried playing for the worst program in America. Going into the season finale against North Carolina, Talley has a career six interceptions and is tied for the lead in active career interceptions (17) and leads in interception return yardage (375).

• The guy Talley is tied with in career interceptions is Utah senior defensive back Eric Weddle (vs. BYU in the regular-season finale). Recruited by Urban Meyer, Weddle was starting by the fourth game of his freshman year. He has played seven different positions -- in the same game (quarterback, cornerback, safety, linebacker, punt returner, punter and holder).

Against San Diego State this season, he had three interceptions, running two back for touchdowns and scored a rushing touchdown as a quarterback.

• USC linebacker Rey Maualuga has been in an out of trouble at Troy. He's also on the edge of greatness. Here's hoping the kid makes it. It's hard to criticize a kid whose dad died last year from cancer.

• BYU's John Beck (at Utah) is the next great Cougars quarterback, almost before anyone has noticed. The senior has been named Mountain West offensive player of the week six times and is the latest at the school to surpass 10,000 passing yards.

Beck is coming off a career-high 464 yards over New Mexico in the game that clinched the Mountain West title.

• Calais Campbell probably won't make any All-American teams, but in this season of depression, Miami has a candidate.

Campbell, a sophomore defensive end, went into Thursday's game leading the team in sacks (nine), tackles for loss (16) and forced fumbles (three). He had sacks in seven consecutive games and was second in the ACC in that category.

The kid is 6-feet-8 and is conjuring images of Ted Hendricks. How's that for old-school Miami?