Will these title plans be derailed by ill-timed injuries?

	D.J. Shockley was knocked out of the Dawgs' game against Arkansas in the first half, and returned to watch the second on crutches. AP

Though they make a whole lot more money than I do, and though their offices are often bigger than my apartment, there are times I truly feel sorry for college football coaches. They can spend a year's worth of late-night meetings and marathon film sessions preparing their team to pursue a national championship, only to have one freakish, uncontrollable injury to their star player derail all their best-laid intentions.

It's often been said that of all the ingredients for a special season, the most important of all is luck. After some of this weekend's sadder developments, it would be hard to disagree.

No. 4 Georgia, 7-0 and in hot pursuit of an SEC, if not a national title, suffered a devastating blow during Saturday's 23-20 win over Arkansas when senior quarterback D.J. Shockley suffered a knee injury. Though not believed to be season-ending, the timing couldn't be much worse, as the Dawgs will most likely be without him for Saturday's Cocktail Party showdown with No. 16 Florida. With Shockley sidelined most of the afternoon, Georgia managed just 217 total yards against a Razorbacks defense that had been allowing nearly twice that much per game, which doesn't bode well against a Gators unit that's ranked fifth in the country.

Meanwhile, No. 15 Oregon, which at 7-1 is hoping to run the table and land a BCS at-large berth, has lost senior QB Kellen Clemens for the rest of the regular season with a broken ankle. He just happened to rank No. 5 in the country in total offense. Without Clemens, the Ducks needed a fourth-quarter fumble return for touchdown to survive lowly Arizona 28-21. Suddenly the Sun Bowl is looking a lot more likely than the Fiesta.

And while No. 5 Alabama (7-0) has now survived two games without top playmaker Tyrone Prothro, the negative effect of his absence is undeniable. In the five games prior to his injury, the Crimson Tide averaged 29.6 points. The past two weeks, they've scored a combined 19 points and needed last-second Jamie Christensen field goals to beat both Ole Miss and Tennessee. It's hard to believe 'Bama will be able to keep grinding out 6-3 victories against the likes of LSU and Auburn.

Such is the cruel reality of college football, where some teams get the injury breaks and others don't. While top-ranked USC has overcome myriad obstacles throughout its 28-game winning streak, it has never had to play a game without Matt Leinart or Reggie Bush, and Texas has had Vince Young under center for every meaningful snap of its 14-game win streak.

If Georgia or Alabama can overcome their stars' injuries to remain undefeated, it will make an already special season that much more memorable. If not, their followers will likely forever be playing the "What if?" game. Florida State fans still wonder whether their 1998 title game against Tennessee might have gone differently had Marcus Outzen not had to sub for future Heisman winner Chris Weinke. Miami fans still lament Willis McGahee's ACL tear in the Fiesta Bowl against Ohio State.

Yep, luck can be a real downer sometimes. Or, in the case of USC or Texas, it can be your greatest ally.

Player of the Week

Brad Smith, QB, Missouri

Those oohs and ahhs you may have heard off in the distance Saturday were actually emanating from Columbia, Mo., where the Tigers' electrifying senior quarterback gave his greatest performance yet in a career already full of them. Smith -- keep in mind, he's a quarterback -- ran 28 times for 246 yards and three touchdowns, including a 79-yard explosion, while completing 21-of-36 passes for 234 yards in an important 41-24 win over Nebraska.

Of the 84 plays Missouri ran against the Huskers, Smith ran or threw on 61 of them. His 480 yards of total offense broke the school record, and he became the first player since Indiana's Antwaan Randle El in 2000 to both run and pass for 200 yards in a game. And to imagine, it was just a week ago that Tigers fans were ready to hand over Smith's job to freshman Chase Daniel after he rallied the Tigers past Iowa State. For all the turmoil Smith and coach Gary Pinkel have endured the past season-and-a-half, Mizzou (5-2, 3-1 Big 12) is suddenly in a position to win its division if it can beat Colorado in Boulder on Nov. 5.