Honoring the best -- and worst -- from the week that was

By Andy Gray

Poking fun at the college sports world, one Monday at a time....

R U excited about the resurgent Rutgers football program? You bet we are. Howard Smith/US PRESSWIRE

Fans of the Week

It was a hell of a week in Piscataway, which became the unlikely center of the college football universe on Thursday night when Rutgers defeated No. 3 Louisville, 25-22. And credit must be given to these fans, who braved the chilly November winds to cheer on their Scarlet Knights in these attention-grabbing tops.

Player of the Week

Andre Woodson, Kentucky. The Wildcats QB had a giant game on Saturday, going 29-of-42 for 450 yards with four touchdowns and no picks in Kentucky's 38-26 win over Vanderbilt. The victory clinched a bowl game for the Wildcats and took Rich Brooks off the hotseat he's been on during the past year. On the season, Woodson has thrown for 2,575 yards, 24 TDs and seven interceptions.

Player of the Week II 

Darren McFadden, Arkansas. The Monday Awards tries to avoid jumping on bandwagons, but we couldn't have a Player of the Week without mentioning  McFadden. In the Razorbacks' 31-14 win over Tennessee on Thursday, the sophomore ran for 181 yards and two scores and also threw a 12-yard TD pass. Let the Heisman hype begin.

Team of the Week

Miami. After the Hurricanes' infamous brawl against FIU last month, many of our readers chimed in to say that the Miami program had become an embarrassment to college football. There were several other comments that can't be repeated in a family-friendly atmosphere like The Monday Awards. 

So let's give credit to the Hurricanes for even taking the field against Maryland four days after defensive tackle Bryan Pata was murdered. The team rallied late, but came up short, losing 14-13 to the Terrapins. Things don't get any easier this week ... and we're not even talking about Saturday's game at Virginia. On Monday, Miami's players and coaches will see Pata's body for the first time since he was gunned down Tuesday night in a parking lot outside his apartment. The following day, they'll attend his funeral at a North Miami church. On Wednesday, there will be a memorial service on campus for Pata and another student killed in a car accident.

Any grown man with his bald head painted with the UGA mascot and who gives 6-foot-3, 280-pound men kisses deserves fan of the week. Period. AP

Fan of the Week

Mike Woods of Colbert, Ga., who laid a wet one on UGA's Jeff Owens after the Bulldogs defeated No. 5 Auburn, 37-15, on Saturday. Frankly, Mike may win fan of the season for the superb paint job on his bald dome and the fact that he wasn't scared to kiss the 6-foot-3, 280-pound Owens.

Coach of the Week

Bret Bielema, Wisconsin. He won't win Coach of the Year. That award will go to Rutgers' Greg Schiano, Wake Forest's Jim Grobe, Oklahoma's Bob Stoops, or Arkansas' Houston Nutt or ... you get the point. But Bielema deserves credit. After defeating Iowa 24-21, the first-year coach has his team at 10-1 and ranked No. 12 in the nation. Granted, the competition hasn't been that tough -- the last seven teams that the Badgers have beaten are a combined  14-35 -- but you can only play the team across the field from you, and Bielema has made Wisconsin fans forget all about retired ex-coach Barry Alvarez.