Weekend Top 25 results

Every time you think you have a handle on what's going on in the college football world, you're sent back to the drawing board.

If Tennessee beats LSU, will underrated head coach Phillip Fulmer finally get the credit he deserves?

While Miami barely survived for the second time in four weeks and is headed to the Rose Bowl, the same can't be said about Florida. Unlike the Gators' loss at Auburn in mid-October, losing to a talent-laden Tennessee squad (even at The Swamp) doesn't qualify as one of the big shockers in college football history.

Sure, it's nearly impossible to win at Gainesville, but the Vols won the national championship not long ago and are blessed with top-drawer personnel at just about every key position.

QB Casey Clausen, while just a sophomore, has plenty of big-game experience and has developed into an efficient signal-caller who does a great job managing the offense. And how about senior RB Travis Stephens! He's been quite a hole-filler for the Vols, who over the last two years sent the likes of Jamal Lewis and Travis Henry to the NFL.

The Vols have a talented and deep receiving corps, led by Donte Stallworth and Kelley Washington, and an emerging tight end in sophomore Jason Witten. While the offensive line misses the injured Michael Munoz, this group has gained the necessary cohesion and done a commendable job.

Defensively, the DT tandem of John Henderson and Albert Haynesworth can really unnerve opposing centers and guards. Keep in mind that Henderson was bothered much of the season by an ankle injury he sustained early on, and senior DE Will Overstreet spent time on the injured list. And don't forget, Stallworth also missed significant action due to injury.

If the Vols get past LSU in the SEC championship game Saturday, will vastly underrated head coach Phillip Fulmer get the credit he so richly deserves? Year in and year out, he has the Vols in the national mix. And everyone who covers college football knows that as a recruiter he has few, if any, peers. Fulmer has stockpiled big-time talent across the board at Knoxville.

Lackluster Heisman race goes down to wire
Not only has there been a mad scramble to see who will end up in Pasadena at the Rose Bowl, but the Heisman situation also provides intrigue.

First, is there truly a candidate who has done everything it takes to win the coveted award? On the offensive side, which is where just about all the Heisman winners come from, none of the so-called leading contenders made a statement Saturday.

Three quarterbacks -- Florida's Rex Grossman, Miami's Ken Dorsey and Oregon's Joey Harrington -- struggled in big games. As for another QB, Eric Crouch, it wasn't his fault that Nebraska was routed by Colorado on Nov. 23. So even though he's basically a one-dimensional quarterback who beats you with his grit and running skills, not his arm, Crouch may vault back to the top of the Heisman voting.

I believe that RB Luke Staley of BYU deserves some votes. His rushing numbers are mind-boggling and his value was proven against New Mexico; he sat out that game, and the Cougars scored just 24 points (a season low). This past week, he was a key performer in BYU's thrilling come-from-behind victory over Mississippi State in Starkville before going down with a leg injury that may have ended his junior season.

In a year where no offensive performer has seized and maintained a position as the leading Heisman candidate, shouldn't Oklahoma safety Roy Williams and Miami safety Edward Reed draw serious consideration?

Williams was a huge factor in just about every game for the Sooners, while Reed has established himself as one of the top pass-coverage safeties in the history of the game. His 22 career interceptions broke the previous mark at Miami that was held by Bennie Blades.