Game of the Year

USC 34, Notre Dame 31, Oct. 15: Everybody already knows what happened in this one. All three of my honorable mention picks (as well as a few other awards on this list) also come from Oct. 15, which for our purposes will heretofore be known as the Day of the Year.

Honorable Mention: West Virginia 46, Louisville 44 (3 OT); Michigan 27, Penn State 25; Wisconsin 38, Minnesota 34

Play of the Year

Matt Leinart to Dwayne Jarrett: Trailing 31-28 late in the USC-Notre Dame classic, Leinart completed a fourth-and-nine pass to Jarrett that went for 61 yards to the Irish 13. Of all the incredible things about the pass -- the crowd, the situation, the fact that it barely cleared the fingertips of cornerback Ambrose Wooden, who had Jarrett covered perfectly -- what was most stunning was that Leinart checked into the play after surveying the defense at the line of scrimmage. If he gets my Heisman vote, as he might, I'll be thinking of this play when I fill out my ballot.

Honorable Mention: Wisconsin's blocks a punt for a touchdown to beat Minnesota; Bush's stop-and-go scoring run against Fresno State; Young's 80-yard touchdown scramble against Oklahoma State

Dumb Trend of the Year

Flag-Planting: This one goes in the category of logo-dancing as one of the alltime most childish acts a player can commit on the field. Michigan State did it in South Bend after beating Notre Dame and went on to a forgettable season. Bush tried it in the end zone at Notre Dame and broke the flagpole. Police prevented Georgia's Tim Jennings from taking a flag from his own cheerleaders. And Minnesota's Lawrence Maroney actually tried to plant one into the artificial turf at Michigan Stadium after the Golden Gophers upset the Wolverines (what was I saying earlier about student-athletes?).

Meltdown of the Year

Fred Rouse, Florida State: The talented freshman wide receiver looked like one angry dude on the sidelines during the Seminoles loss to Virginia. He was suspended one game for his antics and even drew some critical words from the normally avuncular Bobby Bowden, but it's going to take a lot longer before Rouse is able to make people forget about such a public temper tantrum.

Surprise of the Year

Oregon: Nobody was expecting much from the Ducks this fall, but after 11 games they are in position to play in a BCS bowl. Even if they don't get it (my colleague, Stewart Mandel, breaks things down for you here), their season was wildly successful, especially the way they reacted after losing quarterback Kellen Clemens to injury.

Disappointment of the Year

Tennessee: Only a few months ago, people were wondering if the Volunteers would compete for the national championship. I doubt Phillip Fulmer's job is in jeopardy yet, but the loss to Vandy is going to shorten whatever grace period he's got left. This leads me to our final award...

Bumper Sticker of the Year

Honk If Your Team Beat Tennessee