The Big Four (NCAA Football 10)

[pfeffuh]

This thread we be of a simulated seasons, with stories told throuhg the eyes of four of the four biggest names in college football (Oklahoma, Texas, Florida, and USC). Each will follow the team season by season, with in depth statistics, anaylsis and recaps that will give tribute to their efforts to win a National Championship. I will not be touching recruiting, and will only help with the depth chart, redshirting, and simulation strategies (for the entire season, not game by game) for the teams. The rest will be left up to the beauty of the sim, and the players and coaches of the teams. Also, if one team starts to fall apart (not just for one season) a new team may be selected, but the teams are more or less permanent barring a Michigan football type meltdown.

[pfeffuh]

Gators Come Out as Early Season Favorites
Gainsville, Florida-- Tim Tebow has it all going for him; quarterbacking the number one team in the nation, on his way to being an NFL player, and already considered to be one of the greatest collegiate players of all time. There is just one more thing he wants to accomplish; another national championship. With a heisman and a championship to his credit, you would Tebow would have been content with his career so far. And with that, you couldn't be anymore wrong. "I want to accomplish as much as I can for this season as a team. This is what I have been playing for my whole career, and this is my last year here," Tebow told reporters at his preseason conference.

Tebow isn't exactly the only weapon the team, with the entire team looking seemingly unbeatable. At halfback, Jeffery Demps, Chris Rainey and Emmanuel Moody ressurect the three headed monster that is known as Florida's running game. Preparing for all three backs must be a nightmare in itself. At wideout, they have Deonte Thompson, who is fast enough to burn almost every corner, David Nelson, a possesion senior who still can burn someone for the long ball, and Riley Cooper, another speedster. At tight end, Aaron Hernandez provides a fast target for Tebow, who is definitely a stand out speed guy for tight end. A stud-filled offensive line rounds out the offense, definitely a force to be reckoned with this year.

On the defensive side of the ball, remarkably, there is no let up to this incredible Gator team. Carlos Dunlap and Jermaine Cunningham are two incredible pass rushers at the two end positions, and both could put up big sack numbers. A trio of great tackles (Lawrence Marsh, Terron Sanders and Jaye Howard) will plug up the middle for the Gators this year, and give offensive lines night mares. Solid outside linebackers AJ Jones and Dustin Doe make a very good combo and middle-man Brandon Spikes provides the all-american feel that surrounds the rest of this team. At the cornerback position, Joe Haden and Janoris Jenkins are threats to pick off most passes that come their way. And safeties Major Wright and Ahmad Black don't let off on the threat as they can pick you off in a second also, making for a star studded defense.

If you ask me, this Florida team can't possibly be beatable.

2009-2010 Florida Gators Schedule
FCS Southeast
Troy
Tennessee
@ Kentucky
BYE
@ #5 LSU
Arkansas
@ Mississippi State
#13 Georgia
Vanderbilt
@ South Carolina
FIU
#20 Florida State

[pfeffuh]

Back to Back for Bradford?
Norman, Oklahoma-- Sam Bradford is a man with many things. He has a heisman, a pretty clear road to the NFL, and a great life going for him already here in Oklahoma. However, he is missing one thing, a national championship. After managing to make it to the title game last season, Bradford didn't manage to pull out the game, leaving him heartbroken and tantalized by having the chance of having a championship put right in front of their face. "This is our year," Bradford told the team in front of the most devote fans who witnessed the first practice. Maybe he is right.

Bradford has a team thirsty for a championship as well. At halfback, they have a superstar runner DeMarco Murray and a nice compliment to him with back-up Chris Brown. At wide receiver, he has the lightning quick Ryan Broyles, the quick Adron Tennell, possesion receiveer Jameel Owens, and the freshman Dejuan Miller. Jermaine Gresham, the all american tight end, is probably the most talented receiver on the team, and the top tight end in the nation. A slightly above average offensive line seems to be the only flaw in Bradford's chance to win another heisman; a good enough number of sacks could put a large dent in his heisman hopes. "Our offense isn't as high-octane as last year's, so hopefully our defense can pick up the slack this year," Bradford told reporters.

Moving to the defenders, Auston English and Jeremy Beal are solid pass rushers, but more of the pressure will most likely be pushed through the middle. Defensive tackle and absolute stud Gerald McCoy captains the defense, and is looking like he could have a monster season. DeMarcus Granger is the other starting DT, and he definitely isn't a weakness either. Keenan Clayton and Travis Lewis make a heck of a combination at outside linebacker, and solid on the rush and coverage. Ryan Reynolds has big play ability at middle linebacker. In the secondary, Dominique Franks and Brian Jackson are solid corners, but the weaknesses are really reserved to the safeties. Desmond Jackson and Quinton Carter are solid, but don't look like National Championship safeties.

Looking at all this, with some good breaks, Oklahoma could run the table.

2009-2010 Oklahoma Sooners Schedule
#17 BYU
FCS West
Tulsa
Bye
@ Miami
Baylor
#3 Texas
@ #25 Kansas
Kansas State
@ #21 Nebraska
Texas A&M
@ Texas Tech
#9 Oklahoma State

[pfeffuh]

Texas Seeks Redemption
Austin, Texas-- Although Colt McCoy is a star, Texas is a very balanced team, with weapons all over the field. Jordan Shipley, probably the best receiver in all of collegiate football, looks to be the most explosive player on the team. You can call him the star (he has the stuff to back it up) or you can call him the X-Factor (McCoy will need him to put up any numbers), but either way you have to recognize his importance to this Texas football team. He racks up yards and touchdowns, but does them in key moments of the game. "Obviously, this season is a star studded one for us," Mack Brown commented on his team, "We have Colt and Jordan back for one last shot at a title. And believe us, we will do anything to get it."

Texas' offense is headed by last year's top three heisman candidate Colt McCoy at the quarter back position. He returned for one purpose, and one only, to win a championship. "I don't give a damn about the heisman, my four years here would be worth remembering if I didn't win one." At halfback, the power back Cody Johnson starts, with back ups Vondrell McGee and Foshwitt Whittaker making a pretty dominant running attack. Jordan Shipley, the superstar wide out who can break tackles and beat secondaries deep left and right, teams up with speedsters Malcolm Williams and Brandon Collins. At tight end, Blainer Irby is a very capable blocker and receiver. A solid offensive line rounds out one of the top two offenses in the country, with two players capable of being named heisman.

On defense, Texas is not looking as solid as they normally do, which could be fatal to the team's success. At ends, Eddie Jones is solid while Sergio Kindle is a superstar pass rusher. He very well could lead the nation in sacks, and definitely will be giving O-Line's nightmares. At defensive tackle, Lamarr Houston and Ben Alexander will try and clog up the middle, but are not good enough to be considered elite tackles. Keenan Robinson and Roddick Muckelroy make for a strong outside linebacker combination. In the middle, Jared Norton is a quality linebacker, but not a star. At cornerback, Chykie Brown and Aaron Williams are speedy corners that can hopefully stick with some of the more talented receivers. Earl Thomas and Blake Gideon are the great safeties that round out the team.

2009-2010 Texas Longhorn Schedule
UL Monroe
@ Wyoming
Texas Tech
UTEP
BYE
Colorado
#2 Oklahoma
@ Missouri
@ #9 Oklahoma State
UCF
@ Baylor
#25 Kansas
@ Texas A&M

[pfeffuh]

USC's Freshman Gets His Chance to Shine
Los Angeles-- USC quarterbacks have been turning heads for the last decade from big names like Carson Palmer all the way down to Mark Sanchez. A new quarterback has taken ove the reins, and shockingly enough, that quarterback won't be Aaron Corp or Mike Mustain, but instead true freshman Matt Barkley. Although it is Pete Carroll's tendency to play experience over youth, and sometimes even talent, Carroll has stepped out of character for this move. "Unexpected, I guess you could say, but we all feel here at USC that Matt gives us the best chance to win football games, and that is the ultimate goal here, right?" the USC ninth year coach defended when asked why the choice was made.

Matt Barkley is the little known starter at quarterback, and may be the biggest question mark in an otherwise solid offense. The running game could easily be the best in the entire country, with starter Stafon Johnson, and equally as talented CJ Gable, with explosively fast Joe McKnight. At wide out, the quick, efficient Damian Williams teams with the speedy receiver Ronald Johnson, and possesion receiver David Ausberry. At tight end Anthony McCoy, an experienced do-it-all tight end, rounds out the scorers, but the offensive line may be the team's biggest asset. If you think that every USC backfield is always amazing, it is always assisted by the phenomanal line that it puts out every season.

At the end position, switching over to the always deep defense that Pete Carroll season after season brings to the table, Malik Jackson and Everson Griffen put some pressure on the quarterback. However, Christian Tupou adds to that pressure with his teammate Armond Armstead assisting him in their smash mouth defensive tackle pass rush. The outside linebackers Malcolm Smith and Michael Morgan are solid, but definitely nothing to call home about. Chris Galippo takes the middle up, and can defend any play or zone on the field it seems with flawless technique. In the secondary, CB's Shareece Wright and Kevin Thomas as well as free safety Josh Pinkard combine for a lineup filled with potential picks. However, the best player on USC may just be their strong safety superstar Taylor Mays. Literally a threat to do it all, nothing can be done to even contain the main except throwing to the opposite side.

USC looks to be a talented team with a big question mark at a big position.

2009-2010 USC Trojan Schedule
San Jose State
@ #7 Ohio State
@ Washington
Washington State
@ #15 Cal
BYE
@ Notre Dame
Oregon State
@ #12 Oregon
@ Arizona State
Stanford
BYE
UCLA
Arizona

[pfeffuh]

PRESEASON TOP 25

1. Florida (41)
2. Oklahoma (20)
3. Texas
4. USC
5. LSU
6. Alabama
7. Ohio State
8. Penn State
9. Oklahoma State
10. Virginia Tech
11. Ole Miss
12. Oregon
13. Georgia
14. Boise State
15. Cal
16. North Carolina
17. BYU
18. Georgia Tech
19. TCU
20. Florida State
21. Nebraska
22. Iowa
23. West Virginia
24. Utah
25. Kansas

Heisman Race
1. Tim Tebow, Florida- Considered possibly the best player in college football history, he definitely has the credentials to win another heisman and will most likely put up the numbers he needs. He can throw and run, and the threat of doing one usually opens up the other.

2. Sam Bradford, Oklahoma- A super armed quarterback, the man can just flat out throw. Coming off of a heisman season last year, losing some of his targets looks to impact him minorly as he tries for a back to back.

3. Colt McCoy, Texas- Probably the least likely of the three, because he has a wideout that may take some of the credit for his numbers and success, but still a very feasable candidate. One of the best QB's in Texas school history, look for his numbers to be right up there with Tebow and Bradford.

4. Jahvid Best, California- The speedy, little back has a lot of superstar back, has a lot of talent for him, but has little talent around him on the offensive side of the ball. Although he may put up big numbers, in a quarterback world, you need wins and passes to have a great shot at the heisman, or at least one of those.

5. Daryll Clark, Penn State- Somewhat of a sleeper pick, Clark rarely makes mistakes, and Penn State has a pretty talented team. I doubt he wins it, but he may stay on this list for a while.

[pfeffuh]

The Big Game of the Big 4 this week:
Oklahoma vs. BYU
Quarterbacks- Sure, Oklahoma definitely has the advantage here, but Max Hall definitely is a talented quarterback, and a big game could really catapult him into much greater things, including some heisman hype.

Halfbacks- Again advantage goes to DeMarco Murray and Oklahoma, but not by much, as Harvey Unga is an extremely powerful back that can get you a goalline touchdown whenever is needed, which is really an underrated qualituu.

Receivers- This is where the depth really shines through, with all the talent on Oklahoma and Jermaine Gresham at tight end, ONeill Chambers and co. for BYU can hardly compare.

Defense- Again, huge advantage here to Oklahoma's deep team. The number 2 team in the country has a stacked offense, while some positions BYU looks more like a crap school then a ranked school.

Prediction: 42-14 Oklahoma.

[pfeffuh]

Not Even Close
Norman Oklahoma-- BYU was fired up for this one, but there is a distinct difference between fired up, and prepared. And for this one, BYU definitely was not prepared. After going to into the second quarter only down 3-0, because of a stellar defensive performance, a 20 point second quarter by the Sooners killed all hope BYU still had. The Cougars, who didn't put up a single point until the fourth quarter, just could never get it started. "Our offense just flat out fell on our faces. I mean, there is only so much a defense can do for a team with out getting discouraged. We can't expect a shut out on such a dynamic offense," Max Hall told reporters after the game. Hall was shut down all game, completing only 25 of his 50 attempts, and throwing 2 picks compared to his single touchdown. "He played tough, but we just were in over our heads there," Harvey Unga, player of the game for the Cougars, set of his captain.

Oklahoma had a lot of praise after the game, but for once, it wasn't all directed towards Sam Bradford. "He wasn't on his game tonight, but he didn't make mistakes. If we don't make mistakes, we will win our games," Bob Stoops told reporters of his quarterback, who couldn't be reached for comment. The biggest suprise of this game may have been Oklahoma's lack of offense, settling for 5 field goals, and also adding a punt return for a TD by DeMarco Murray. That left their offensive total for touchdowns at a less then stellar two against a much less then stellar defense. "We're not worried. We will definitely have this straightened out eventually," DeMarco Murray said after the game. And they can take their time, not playing a tough opponent until the go to Miami in 4 weeks.

Scoring Summary
1st quarter
FG OU: J. Stevens, 51 yard FG

2nd quarter
FG OU: J. Stevens, 46 yard FG
FG OU: J. Stevens, 48 yard FG
TD OU: R. Broyles, 14 yard pass from S. Bradford
TD OU: D. Murray, returned punt 79 yards

3rd quarter
TD OU: R. Broyles, 5 yard pass from S. Bradford
FG OU: J. Stevens, 28 yard FG
FG OU: J. Stevens, 25 yard FG

4th quarter
TD BYU: H. Unga, 1 yard pass from Max Hall
FG BYU: M. Payne, 44 yard pass
FG BYU: M. Payne, 46 yard pass

Sam Bradford: 18/34, 2 TD's, 277 yards
Max Hall: 25/50, 206 yards, TD, 2 int's

Harvey Unga: 18 carries, 79 yards
DeMarcus Murray: 19 carries, 80 yards

Adron Tennell: 6 catches, 97 yards
Ryan Broyles: 6 catches, 90 yards, 2 TD's
B. Thompson: 7 catches, 97 yards
Harvey Unga: 4 catches, 25 yards, TD

Austin Box(2nd string MLB): 9 tackles, 2 int's