Chase for the FIU Cup

Few teams in college football really get to play for anything these days. There's really only a handful of teams that have a shot at the national title every year. All the other teams are pretty much screwed. That is until now.

CFB 365 has given these teams a reason to play the games. I introduce to you the first annual FIU Cup. This prestigious award will be given out at the end of every season to the last remaining winless team. If there are multiple winless teams at the end of the season the award will be given to the team that most closely resembles the play of the vaunted Florida International Golden Panthers. If there are no winless teams the award will be given to a team with the worst record (or FIU by default).

Here are the teams that are still in the running for the Cup.


1. Virginia Cavaliers

Record 0-3

Losses - William & Mary, TCU, Southern Miss

The opening day loss to William & Mary pretty much seals the fate for Al Groh. He's don after this season. The Wahoos almost screwed everything up last week by going out and beating Southern Miss. Good thing for them, the Golden Eagles came storming back to eek out a victory.

Next best chance to win a game - Oct. 31 v. Duke. - Who knows. It's Halloween. Anything can happen.


2. Rice Owls

Record - 0-4

Losses - UAB, Texas Tech, Oklahoma St., Vanderbilt

The only loss that really looked bad was against UAB to start the season. However, the Blazers just went out and upset Southern Miss last night. That makes the Owls look a little bit better. Sadly to say it, but I don't like Rice's chances of staying in this chase.

Next best chance to win a game - Nov. 14 v. Tulane - Rice has some winnable ball games before this contest, but they're all on the road. Tulane at home should be a piece of cake.


3. Miami (OH) Red Hawks

Record - 0-4

Losses - Kentucky, Boise St., Western Michigan, Kent St.

Unfortunately for the Red Hawks, I think they have the worst chance out of the remaining MAC teams in the chase to win the FIU Cup. All of their losses have been to at least somewhat decent teams. Plus, they haven't looked entirely inept all season.

Next best chance for a win - Oct. 24 v. Northern Illinois - If Idaho can beat Northern Illinois, anybody can.


4. Eastern Michigan Eagles

Record - 0-3

Losses - Army, Northwestern, Michigan

Eastern Michigan has actually made significant strides under first year coach Ron English. They were in close ball games vs. Army and Northwestern before stumbling late, and they played Michigan tough for about a quarter. They've already accomplished more than they ever did under Jeff Genyk.

Next best chance to win a game - Oct. 3 v. Temple - I know Temple is coming off of a pretty big win against Buffalo last week, but the Owls are very inconsistent. I think the Eagles will be fired up by a rare occurrence: crowd noise at home.


5. Ball St. Cardinals

Record - 0-4

Losses - North Texas, New Hampshire, Army, Auburn

As of right now, the Ball St. Cardinals are the favorite to win the FIU Cup. They have easily played the worst schedule of the teams remaining in the chase and they have looked horrible in every game. I never knew how much this team would miss Nate Davis and Brady Hoke. Even when the administration made the unfortunate mistake of hiring Stan Parrish as the next head coach, I figured they could at least beat North Texas and New Hampshire. I was wrong.

Next best chance to win a game - Oct. 31 v. Ohio - This is a real big stretch. The Cardinals should be the underdog in every game they play this season. And for good reason.


6. New Mexico Lobos

Record - 0-4

Losses - Texas A&M, Tulsa, Air Force, New Mexico St.

The Lobos got rid of Rocky Long because they were sick of being average, How do you think they feel now that they are below average under Mike Locksley. The loss to New Mexico St. may set this program back for a long, long time.

Next best chance to win a game - Oct. 24 v. UNLV - Las Vegas is another team that has unexpectedly struggled this season. The Lobos should be able to man up at home and get the win.


7. Florida Atlantic Owls

Record - 0-3

Losses - Nebraska, South Carolina, Louisiana-Monroe

I'm a little surprised that FAU is still in the running for this award. I was sure they would have taken care of UL-Monroe last week. I guess when it comes to the FIU Cup, anything is possible. I don't think the Owls will be in the chase much longer.

Next best chance to get a win - Oct. 3 v. Wyoming - This is a definite win.


8. Florida International Golden Panthers

Record - 0-3

Losses - Alabama, Rutgers, Toledo

Of course the trophy's namesake will be in the running for the Cup. I think the Panthers will find a difficult time remaining on this list as they are actually quite talented this season. As you can tell, they have lost to some pretty decent teams.

Next best chance to get a win - Oct. 10 @ Western Kentucky - I went against the grain and picked a road game for the Panthers. They should be able to knock off the Hilltoppers away from home.


9. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

Record - 0-4

Losses - Tennessee, South Florida, Central Arkansas, Navy

Western Kentucky maybe the biggest threat to Ball St.'s chances of winning this thing. The Hilltoppers are just plain awful. After looking somewhat competent against South Florida in week 2, WKU went out and lost to 1-aa Central Arkansas. That's sure to get you on this list.

Next best chance to get a win Oct. 17 v. Louisiana-Lafayette - This is a long shot, but it could kind of be considered a winnable game.


10. Nevada Wolfpack

Record - 0-3

Losses - Notre Dame, Colorado St., Missouri

Nevada is probably the best team on this list. They won't be here for long.

Next best chance to get a win - Oct. 3 v. UNLV - I still think Nevada will make a bowl game. Their turnaround starts this week.

Talented Trios

The glamour positions on most college football teams are the QB, WR and RB positions.

Some teams are more blessed than others when it comes to the talent that they have at these positions.

I've decided to rank the top ten QB, WR and RB trios in the nation. There are some teams that have 2 out of the 3 that didn't make my list like West Virginia. The Mountaineers have no proven receiver this season. Some teams on the list have more than one great player at a certain position. If that is the case, I will mention the other players.

Here is my top ten trios:


1. Florida Gators - QB - Tim Tebow, WR - Percy Harvin, RB - Emmanuel Moody.
Go ahead and accuse me of being a homer with this pick. You're probably right. However, if you give me a Heisman winning QB, a leading Heisman candidate WR and a RB that was PAC-10 Freshman of the year, I'll take it all day long. Emmanuel Moody seems to be the weaker of the trio, but he does have Chris Rainey backing him up. Rainey and Harvin on the same field will be a thing of beauty to behold.

2. Clemson Tigers - QB - Cullen Harper, WR - Aaron Kelly, RB - James Davis.
If I wasn't such a homer, the Tigers would probably be in the top spot of this list. The most talented player on their team isn't even a part of this trio. RB C.J. Spiller is explosive and agile, he could easily start over Davis. Tommy Bowden has a plethora of weapons on offense this season, and the Tigers should be able to get to the ACC championship with them.

3. Ohio St. Buckeyes - QB - Todd Boeckman, WR - Brian Robiskie, RB - Chris Wells.
Having Chris Wells at RB moved the Buckeyes high up on this list. Boeckman really surprised me last season with his performance. If he can produce like that again this year, both he and Robiskie should have solid campaigns. This may not be the flashiest trio, but it sure is one of the most talented.

4. Oklahoma Sooners - QB - Sam Bradford, WR - Joaquim Iglesias, RB - DeMarco Murray.
The Sooners are always loaded at these three positions. Iglesias should step in nicely as the first option at receiver. Murray is a bona fide superstar at RB. QB Sam Bradford should be in New York at the end of the season for the Heisman Trophy ceremony.

5. BYU Cougars - QB - Max Hall, WR - Austin Collie, RB - Harvey Unga.
All three of these players are All Mountain West caliber stars. The Cougars are heavy favorites to win their conference, and these three, along with a stout defense, are the main reason for that. Hall should be in contention for the Heisman throughout the season. The BYU passing attack should allow RB Harvey Unga to put up some big numbers.

6. USC Trojans - QB - Mark Sanchez, WR - Vidal Hazelton, RB - Joe McKnight.
The Trojans are perhaps the deepest team in the country at all three positions. Mitch Mustain will be backing up Sanchez, which is the weaker of the trio. Patrick Turner will actually get more receptions than Hazelton, I just happen to think Hazelton is more talented. The same can be said for the RB position as well. I listed McKnight as the RB because I feel he is more talented than the likely starter, Stafon Johnson.

7. Georgia Bulldogs - QB - Matthew Stafford, WR - Mohammed Massaquoi, RB - Knowshon Moreno.
I have to be honest, if it weren't for Moreno, the Bulldogs might not even make my top ten. Fortunately for Georgia, they have the best RB in the nation. Stafford should be much improved this season, as should Massaquoi. However, the Bulldog offense starts and stops with Knowshon.

8. Arizona St. Sun Devils - QB - Rudy Carpenter, WR - Chris McGaha, RB - Keegan Herring.
The Sun Devils have some great talent on offense this season. Some could even argue that their trio may be better than USC's. I think the one area that Arizona St. has an advantage over USC in is QB. Carpenter will most likely put up some gaudy numbers this season. Dennis Erickson has this program poised for a title run.

9. Nevada Wolfpack - QB - Colin Kaepernick, WR - Marko Mitchell, RB - Luke Lippincott.
This trio is different from the others in that it is mostly a running attack. Mitchell is a tremendous receiver, and Kaepernick does a terrific job of getting the ball to him. However, this offense revolves around the legs of Kaepernick and RB Luke Lippincott.

10. Pittsburgh Panthers - QB - Pat Bostick, WR - Derek Kinder, RB - LeSean McCoy.
The only sure thing about this trio is McCoy. Kinder is coming back from an injury that forced him to miss all of last season. Bostick is embroiled in a QB battle as of this moment. However, if both players play like they're supposed to, the Panther could be in Big East title contention.

The top 25 players: WAC

Over the past few seasons, the WAC has been the cream of the crop when it comes to non-BCS conferences.

Two years ago the Boise St. Broncos pulled off one of the biggest upsets in conference history with their victory over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl.

Last season, the Hawaii Warriors made it through the regular season undefeated. This year Boise St. is trying to wrestle back control of the conference. However, a lot of "experts" are picking Fresno St. to make a run at the title.

Here's my list of the top 25 players in the WAC.


1. Ian Johnson - Boise St. RB - Ian Johnson could be a dark horse candidate for the Heisman Trophy this season. The now famous back is a touchdown machine. With a new QB, Johnson should get plenty of carries once again.

2. Chase Holbrook - New Mexico St. QB - Holbrook has quietly put up some astronomically numbers for the Aggies. NMSU is in danger of losing it's 1-a status. In order to save the program, Holbrook will have to get accompany those numbers with wins.

3. Luke Lippincott - Nevada RB - A lot of people underestimate Lippincott at the RB position. However, whenever I watched a Wolfpack game last season, I saw this kid make play after play. I think he deserves this ranking.

4. Jeremy Childs - Boise St. WR - Childs is yet another play maker for Chris Petersen and the Broncos. I don't see how people can pick Fresno St. above them.

5. Solomon Elimimian - Hawaii LB - The Warrior defense will need to step up in a big way this season. They lost too much on offense to rely on that unit once again.

6. Chris Williams - New Mexico St. WR - Williams is the preferred target for QB Chase Holbrook at NMSU. Hal Mumme will dig deep in his playbook to find ways to get this guy the ball as much as possible.

7. Adam Leonard - Hawaii LB - Leonard joins Elimimian on a very solid linebacker unit. Coach McMackin knows he can count on these two to lead his defense this season.

8. Andrew Woodruff - Boise St. OL - Woodruff is usually the man in charge for clearing running lanes for Ian Johnson. Based on Johnson's stats, you can tell Woodruff is good at what he does.

9. Colin Kaepernick - Nevada QB - Caepernick is probably the least known of all the dual threat quarterbacks in America. This guy may actually be a bigger threat on the ground than through the air.

10. John Estes - Hawaii OL - Estes' talents may go unnoticed this season. That's largely due to the fact that there is absolutely nothing left on offense for the Warriors. Despite this, Estes will still be plugging away on the line.

The rest:

11. Antonio Baker Louisiana Tech DB
12.David Veikune Hawaii DL
13. Joshua Mauga Nevada LB
14. Christopher Owens San Jose St. DB
15. Bear Pascoe Fresno St. TE
16. Jon Monga Fresno St. DL
17. Kevin Jurovich San Jose St. WR
18. Marko Mitchell Nevada WR
19. Kyle Wilson Boise St. DB
20. Cole Popovich Boise St. OL
21. Dominic Green Nevada OL
22. Shiloh Keo Idaho DB
23. Jarron Gilbert San Jose St. DL
24. Bobby Lepori Fresno St. OL
25. Tom Brandstater Fresno St. QB