Phil up the ballot

N.C. State's Rivers deserves more serious Heisman consideration

N.C. State's four losses have carried more weight than Philip Rivers' gaudy stats. AP

By any measure, he's had one of the most successful careers of any college quarterback in history.

Saturday, he'll make his NCAA-record 50th consecutive start, and by his first or second completion, he'll have sewn up the No. 2 spot on Division I-A's all-time passing list.

And yet, there's actually uncertainty as to whether N.C. State's Philip Rivers will even get invited to next month's Heisman Trophy ceremony in New York.

Why is that? Is it because he doesn't play for the No. 1 team in the country? Is it because his last name isn't Manning?

No, mostly it's because he plays for a 7-4 team with an awful defense.

And that's just silly.

"The Heisman Trophy was originally made out for the best football player in America, but I think it's been redefined recently because of the fact it's now the best player on one of the five, six or seven best teams," said N.C. State coach Chuck Amato.

"Nobody's talked about Philip since we've had three losses. He kind of fell off the face of the earth, and I think that's wrong. If our kicker makes an extra point the other day and we win by one point, is he back in it? If we don't fumble one time and we win, is he back in it? He played the same game, he was just as good."

On the season, Rivers has completed 72.3 percent of his throws for 3,740 yards, 29 touchdowns and just six interceptions for a 169.8 pass efficiency rating. He trails only Oklahoma's Jason White nationally in pass efficiency at 169.8, only Texas Tech's B.J. Symons in yardage.

Even in the Wolfpack's four losses -- two of them in overtime to No. 4 Ohio State and No. 11 Florida State -- he has a 71.9 percent completion rate for 378.5 yards per game, 13 TDs and four INTs. In last Saturday's game in Tallahassee, a 50-44 double overtime defeat, Rivers went 28-of-38 for 422 yards and four touchdowns. Four times he led the Wolfpack on game-tying or go-ahead scoring drives.

"He would get my vote," said Florida State coach Bobby Bowden, whose teams lost to Rivers the previous two seasons. "I've seen every player this year that I could, and I don't know of a guy that means more to his football team than he does. He just does it week after week after week after week."

INSTANT POLL Which quarterback would you most want on your team? Matt Leinart, USC Eli Manning, Ole Miss Philip Rivers, N.C. State B.J. Symons, Texas Tech Jason White, Oklahoma View Results

There's no disputing that Rivers will finish as the most accomplished quarterback in ACC history. He already holds conference records for career passing yards (12,733), touchdowns (90) completions (1,034), attempts (1,635), 300-yard games (17) and 400-yard games (six), among others.

One can't help but think, however, that if he had done the same thing for a more  powerful team -- the Wolfpack have gone 33-16 during his career -- we'd be talking about him as one of the all-time legends.

Take it from Bowden, the game's all-time winningest coach, who in his 28 years at FSU has faced the likes of Dan Marino, Brett Favre, Ty Detmer, Tommie Frazier and Danny Wuerffel.

"I think of the guys who have played against us, he'd have to be No. 1," he said. "We played Marino, and we beat him once. We played against Wuerffel, and we beat him as much as he beat us. But this kid here, he beat us two years and did everything in the man's power to beat us last week. I think he's the best player in the country myself."

Suffice to say, there will be nary a dry eye Saturday at Carter-Finley Stadium when Rivers plays his final home game against Maryland. Amato recently declared that after 40 years, Rivers has supplanted Roman Gabriel as the school's all-time greatest player. Plans are already underway to retire his jersey, which would be a major honor, no question.

But one that pales in comparison to that most precious of invites.

"I watch it every year," Rivers said of the Heisman ceremony. "It's something growing up as a kid you watched, never dreaming you'd actually have a chance at it. Just to be there, to have Jason White and Larry Fitzgerald sitting next to you and think, 'Wow, what great company I'm in' -- even if I didn't win -- that would be a great accomplishment." 

Around the rivalries

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Ohio State-Michigan may be for the biggest stakes, but there's no shortage of intrigue to these other weekend rivalry games:

Clemson (7-4) at South Carolina (5-6): Tigers coach Tommy Bowden was visibly shaken when asked Tuesday about his job security. Clearly his job -- not to mention Clemson's Gator Bowl hopes -- are riding on the outcome.

Alabama (4-7) at Auburn (6-5): No gray area here. With Auburn's season already considered a colossal disappointment, a loss to the Tide would be the last straw for Tommy Tuberville. And remember, each of the last two years the favorite in this one has gotten trounced.

Washington State (9-2) at Washington (5-6): Amid an ongoing scandal and one of the worst defeats in school history last week against Cal, the Huskies need an Apple Cup upset to avoid their first losing season since 1976.

Cal (6-6) at Stanford (4-5): Cal is looking to retain the Axe for the first time since 1994, and it's also make or break for both teams' bowl chances. The Bears are in if they win, out if they lose. The Cardinal need to beat both Cal and Notre Dame.

Utah (8-2) at BYU (4-7): A Utes win would clinch their first outright conference title since 1957.

Sooners' scare in store?

Whether it was the Boston College game for Miami in 2001 or the Arkansas fumble against Tennessee in '98, nearly every national champion in recent history -- 1995 Nebraska excluded -- has had at least one major scare en route to the trophy.

So when, if ever, will Oklahoma finally have a close call? Hard as it may seem to believe, here are a couple reasons it could come this weekend against 7-4 Texas Tech.

The Sooners have played only three road games all season, all against teams with losing records. And while their average victory margin in their eight home and neutral-field games is a staggering 40.5, two of their road contests have been decided by seven (Alabama) and fourteen (Colorado) points.

And Texas Tech has won nine straight home games, 13 of its past 15.

On the flip side, of course, is the fact that OU is the one Big 12 team that's had no trouble with former Sooners coordinator Mike Leach's explosive offense. In three previous meetings, the Sooners have won 60-15, 30-13 and 27-13, with the Red Raiders, who are passing for almost 500 yards per game this season, averaging 262.3.

More fun with the BCS

Besides the USC-Ohio State controversy, here are a couple more bizarre scenarios to consider:

If LSU and Georgia reach the SEC championship, the Tigers could actually beat the Dawgs and still hurt their Sugar Bowl chances. Not only do they not get a quality win bonus for beating the Dawgs a second time, but if the loss knocks Georgia -- ranked sixth in the BCS -- out of the top 10, they'd lose the points from their Sept. 20 win over the Dawgs as well.

If Texas, now fifth in the BCS, moves up one more spot, the Longhorns are, according to the BCS rules, guaranteed an at-large berth. However, what if Kansas State or Missouri beats Oklahoma in the Big 12 championship game, earning their own automatic berth, and the Sooners, as would probably be the case, remain in the top three? The BCS rules state that a conference can't send more than two teams.

"What would happen is the champion would be protected," Big 12 associate commissioner Tim Allen told The Kansas City Star. Which means either the Wildcats, No. 19 in the BCS rankings, or the Tigers, No. 28, would go the Fiesta Bowl in place of the Longhorns.

More record setting

Texas Tech's B.J. Symons needs just 83 yards against Oklahoma to eclipse Ty Detmer's single-season passing record of 5,188 yards.

Considering that his bowl stats will count, too, and considering his penchant for 500-yard games (he's had four of them), it's not out of the question he could finish with 6,000.

Worth noting

With Michigan star Chris Perry unlikely to rack up his usual numbers against Ohio State's stout run defense, the game's key matchup should involve Michigan's talented receivers -- Braylon Edwards, Jason Avant and Steve Breaston -- against the Buckeyes' secondary. "Their trio of receivers is probably the best we've played," said OSU coach Jim Tressel. ... If Oklahoma co-defensive coordinator Mike Stoops lands the Arizona job, he might have to leave the Sooners before the Big 12 championship. AD Jim Livengood has said he wants a coach in place by Dec. 1. Arizona has also requested an interview with USC offensive coordinator Norm Chow. ... Pittsburgh defensive end Claude Harriott's potential demotion marks a stunning reversal of fortune. A year after earning All-Big East honors with 9.5 sacks and 21 tackles for loss, Harriott, who has battled several injuries, has just two sacks and seven TFLs. ... Talk about the rich getting richer: Oklahoma, which already has a commitment from the nation's top quarterback prospect, Rhett Bohmar (Grand Prairie, Texas), is in the lead for the No. 1 running back, Adrian Peterson (Palestine, Texas). Texas, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech and USC are all in contention as well.

Stewart Mandel covers college sports for SI.com.