The reality of bad calls, more mailbag (cont.)

Ricky Stanzi and undefeated Iowa have struggled to earn respect because of the Big Ten's poor reputation. AP

Hey Stewart, is it just me or does the Heisman Trophy race this year feel like a race that every contender is doing his best not to win?
-- Brian Cowan, Boston

Well I assume they're not doing it on purpose, unless they have some aversion to visiting New York around the holidays. I realize it's very cold here that time of year, but you've still got the the Tree at Rockefeller Center, the toys at FAO Schwartz, ringing the bell on Wall Street ... it's really a very pleasant time to visit.

I would agree, however, that it's been a very strange race so far considering we started the season with three seemingly impregnable candidates -- Tim Tebow, McCoy and Bradford -- who either got injured or haven't done anything to cement their status. Meanwhile, there's been a seemingly endless stream of flavors-of-the week (Jahvid Best, Jacory Harris, Case Keenum, Jimmy Clausen, Ndamukong Suh) whose teams fell just as soon as they started getting ink.

The latest guy to wear that crown is Alabama's Mark Ingram. Remarkably, he rose from being barely mentioned last week to becoming the first player all year to overtake Tebow for No. 1 in this week's HeismanPundit.com poll. Even more interestingly, that poll's top five includes two players, Clausen and Suh, whose teams lost last week, which tells me they may be in it for the long run.

Chris Huston, the Heisman Pundit himself, wrote this week that, "We haven't seen a Heisman race this wide open since 1989 [when Andre Ware won]." If that's the case, expect the race to go right down to the last weekend, with one disclaimer: If Florida finishes the regular season undefeated, it would be a Woodson-over-Manning caliber upset if anyone other than Tebow wins it.

Hey Stewart. What's this I hear about you getting owned in the championship round of a Wii Tennis Tournament by the Gainesville Sun's Edward Aschoff during the 2008 BCS Title Game festivities?
-- Brad, Atlanta

How could you possibly have heard about that? Oh, right -- because Edward is advertising it.

First of all, there was no tournament. The Orange Bowl folks had a Wii set up in the media hospitality room, and I'd been dominating everyone I'd played that week. I really am a very good Wii tennis player. My serve is virtually un-returnable, as is my crosscourt forehand. But then along came Edward, whom I'd never met before. The guy is an electronic freak of nature. His reflexes are otherworldly. He can play an entire match without moving his wrist more than an inch in either direction. There's no possible way to get anything by him.

I remain in awe to this day.

The SEC said it told Arkansas "there was no evidence on the video to support the personal foul penalty." It was the same group of officials that called the LSU-Georgia game earlier this month. Will someone investigate this? It's very possible these referees are betting on games and having a hand in their outcomes.
-- John, Tuscaloosa

If that's the case, they didn't do a very good job of that, either. Florida was a 25-point favorite. If the refs had money on the Gators, they waited way too long to try and start helping them cover. And if they bet on Arkansas they were throwing flags on the wrong team.

I understand the Big Ten is undervalued right now, but if Ohio State, Michigan or Penn State were 7-0 right now, I guarantee they would be heralded A LOT more than Iowa currently is. Do you agree?
-- Robb Rood, Iowa City, Iowa

I do. Iowa already has two quality road wins over 6-1 Penn State and 5-2 Wisconsin, which is more than anyone but USC and Cincinnati can say right now. The Hawkeyes could add another this weekend at 4-3 Michigan State. They even had a nice nonconference win over 4-2 Arizona. But Iowa has multiple factors working against it right now, starting first and foremost with the Big Ten's poor reputation. It's also a blue-collar team lacking in star power. Plus, those puzzling scares from Northern Iowa and Arkansas State didn't help boost public confidence.

It's true the Hawkeyes don't have the same built-in benefit of the doubt as those three aforementioned glamour programs. Just look at Penn State, sitting there in the top 15 despite one win of substance (Minnesota). But let's not forget, we took Iowa plenty seriously earlier this decade, most notably the 2002 season when Brad Banks was a Heisman runner-up and the Hawkeyes rose as high as No. 3 in the polls. Their current status is a direct reflection of how far the Big Ten's reputation has sunk since that time.

If I were the Big 12 commissioner, I'd be looking for a way to have TCU and Texas A&M switch conferences. TCU clearly can play with the big boys; A&M can not. Is there any precedent for such a move and is there any chance it could happen?
-- Dave Gannon, San Antonio

Harsh!

First of all, the only recent precedent for a conference expelling a member was the Big East booting Temple, but that had as much to do with the program's disarray and poor attendance as wins and losses. Texas A&M is not Temple. The Aggies play in an 83,000-seat stadium. They have some of the most recognizable traditions in the sport (the 12th Man, the Midnight Yell, etc.). And lest we forget, they're three years removed from a Holiday Bowl appearance and two years removed from a second straight win over Texas. A&M may be down right now -- way, way down -- but it's still one of those programs that will always be one good coaching hire away (read: not Mike Sherman) from righting itself.

That's not the case with TCU. There's no question the Horned Frogs are a highly competitive program. But generally speaking, TCU would not bring value to a conference like the Big 12. It has small fan support (average attendance: 34,512) and it's not going to bring in new television eyeballs (Texas takes care of that). It's unfortunate that the school of Sammy Baugh and Davey O'Brien got lost in the shuffle when the Southwest Conference crumbled. Geographically speaking, there's no logical reason the Horned Frogs should be in the Mountain West. But from an overall program standpoint, TCU much more closely fits that league's members than the Big 12's.

Why was Florida not penalized in the polls for losing to Arkansas, only to have the referees steal the game for them?
-- Tom Hubbard, Palos Verde Estates, Calif.

When the refs start missing field goals, I'm sure teams will be penalized accordingly.

Hey Stewart. After the Notre Dame game, several of the commentators (not just Dr. Lou) were speculating that a 9-3 or 10-2 Notre Dame team would almost certainly get into a BCS game. It doesn't seem plausible that they can get into the top eight for an automatic bid. Even with just one more loss, could they really get into the top 14 to become eligible for an at-large spot? They aren't in either the AP or coaches Top 25 at the moment.
-- Tim, Chapel Hill, N.C.

If the Irish win out, they're going to a BCS bowl. They're right on the cusp of the Top 25 as it is, so it's not hard to envision them moving into the top 14, and I doubt there will be an army of other 10-win teams come December.

Just one loss, however, and it's probably Gator Bowl here we come. But that would be true of just about anybody. Illinois in 2007 remains the only three-loss team to receive an at-large berth.

Growing up, I felt Ohio State had a huge advantage being the only major football school in a talent-rich state, but now Cincinnati has changed the equation. To what extent does the Bearcats' emergence explain the Buckeyes' decline?
-- Jim Power, Sioux Falls, S.D.

I don't think they're related. Brian Kelly (and Mark Dantonio before him) weren't beating Ohio State for prospects. The Buckeyes still get pretty much whomever they want, as their recruiting rankings show (their past four classes have ranked 12th, 15th, third and fourth nationally according to Rivals.com). Heck, their starting quarterback was the top prospect in the country two years ago.

But recruiting rankings are hardly gospel, and it seems Kelly and his staff have done a better job evaluating and developing talent lately than Jim Tressel's crew. I mentioned this Monday, but it's worth repeating: Ohio State's current crop of running backs and receivers is the most mediocre of Tressel's tenure. On paper (technically, "in cyberspace"), they're supposed to be world-beaters. Receiver DeVier Posey (a Cincinnati native) was a five-star recruit. Running backs Brandon Saine and Dan Herron were four-star guys.

But would anyone in their right mind take these guys over Cincy receiver Mardy Gilyard? Of course not. Gilyard was a two-star running back coming out of Florida in 2005.

Just to be clear, Ohio State's roster is still plenty talented top to bottom, and the Buckeyes probably have three times as many NFL prospects as Cincinnati. But right now the Bearcats have a better quarterback (Tony Pike, who himself was barely recruited out of high school), better weapons around him and a system that fits its players. That makes a huge difference.

With all due respect to you Mr. Mandel, Tebow didn't win the game. The refs gave it to Florida. And from here on, when anything happens in life -- anything -- remember, "the refs will give it to Florida."
-- Eli, Bronx, N.Y.

I sprained my ankle last week playing softball. It hurts like holy hell. If the refs would like to give my pain to Florida, I would happily oblige.