Midseason Report

Season 1 is at the halfway point, and there have certainly been some surprises and close finishes. Let's take a look at which teams and players are making the most noise.

The RUTS4 Top 3

The #1 Florida State Seminoles started the season ranked #10, but have made it to week 8 undefeated. The Noles have relied on a stifling defense and a balanced offense, although RB Chris Thompson has been the star of the show. Thompson is 3rd in the nation in rush yards and has received comparisons to former Seminole great Warrick Dunn.The Noles, after escaping with a 38-21 week 7 win over Boise State, will be favored in its remaining games and are the front-runner to win the SEC title. Although conventional wisdom and past performances in late-season games suggest Coach UTVOL54's team will need to be leery of a speed bump or two along the way. Coach UTVOL54 cleared a huge hurdle in week 2 by ending his brother and arch-enemy's 7 game winning streak against him in the Noles' 37-21 win over USC. However, the coach has been most pleased with his team's awesome uniform combos through its first 6 games. "Unprecedented style," Coach UTVOL54 said.

Don't look now, but the mighty Michigan Wolverines are back! Unranked at the beginning of the season, the Big Blue has climbed the polls all season, and on the heels of defeating then #1 LSU, Stanford and Ohio State, the Wolverines are now ranked #3 in the nation. The biggest test for rookie coach roop1189 will be in week 9, when his Wolverines host Coach StuBucksman and the Oregon Ducks. The winner of that game will all but lock up the Pac 12 North title. Michigan ends the season with huge games against current #4 Texas and rival Coach stinvol and his Miami Hurricanes. Can Coach roop1189 continue his winning ways? The Big Blue nation is giddy and ecstatic about their team, and with speedy Qb Denard Robinson and the nation's 2nd leading rusher Vincent Smith, the Wolverine offense might have what it takes to win the Pac 12.

The #4 Texas Longhorns have taken full advantage of two big upsets this season. The Horns effectively hooked both Alabama and rival Oklahoma and have rolled out to an impressive 5-0 record to start the season. Texas must take it one week at a time, but the Horns will be favored to enter their week 11 game against division rival USC 8-0. The winner of that game will likely emerge as the Pac 12 South winner and earn a trip to Hawaii for the Pac 12 title game. Week 13 poses a huge challenge as well, with a trip to Ann Arbor to face Michigan. The weather will likely be chilly for that late November match up too.Texas RB Cody Johnson has had a great year so far, and the Longhorns have proven that they can win the big games. Can Coach ChrisHicks21 keep his mojo?!


Best game so far:
The best game of the year so far was won on the game's final play. In week 2, the Tennessee Volunteers traveled to Norman to battle #1 Oklahoma. After a controversial call, the Sooners found themselves trailing 8-7 late in the game. With a chance for 1 final play, Sooner QB Landry Jones fired away to the end zone, connecting with Kenny Stills for a 46 yard game winning pass. The Sooners prevailed and crushed the hearts of the Volunteer faithful.

Heisman Contenders:
1. Marc Tyler (RB, USC)
2. Case Keenum (QB, Houston)
3. Vincent Smith (RB, Michigan)
4. Trent Richardson (RB, Alabama)
5. Chris Thompson (RB, Florida State)


Midseason Predictions
With 8 weeks left in the season, there are a lot of games left to be played, but here are the experts' predictions for how things will shake out....

SEC Championship Game --- Florida State vs. LSU
Pac 12 Title Game --- USC vs. Michigan

BCS National Title Game --- Florida State vs. Michigan

But...the experts have been wrong before....