Eight Saturdays down, seven to go.
The college football season crosses over into its second half this week, so today Sporting News unveils its midseason All-American team. The midseason team is filled with surprises compared with the preseason All-American team, especially at the offensive glamour positions.
At running back, the Big Ten is well represented with Iowa’s Shonn Greene and Michigan State’s Javon Ringer. Preseason team: Ohio State’s Chris Wells and Georgia’s Knowshon Moreno. Neither remains.
At QB, Colt McCoy of Texas is the selection. He wasn’t even on the three-deep preseason team of Florida’s Tim Tebow (first team), West Virginia’s Pat White (second team) and Missouri’s Chase Daniel (third team).
ADVERTISEMENT
At wide receiver, a different Big 12 South receiver, Oklahoma State’s Dez Bryant, than expected gets the midseason nod, along with Minnesota’s Eric Decker. Preseason team: Florida’s Percy Harvin and Texas Tech’s Michael Crabtree.
Midseason All-American team - Offense
QB Colt McCoy, Texas: Completing 81 percent of his passes. Think about that for a moment. 81 percent.
RB Javon Ringer, Michigan State: His 263 carries are 57 more than anyone in the nation. Can he last into late November?
RB Shonn Greene, Iowa: A huge half-season for an average team with a one-dimensional offense.
WR Dez Bryant, Oklahoma State: Cowboys are loaded with skill players, but no one scares defenses like Bryant.
WR Eric Decker, Minnesota: Overlooked in ‘07 (Gophers were 1-11); you can’t ignore the Big Ten’s best receiver anymore.
TE Chase Coffman, Missouri: The one positive constant in Missouri’s quickly eroding season.
OL Andre Smith, Alabama: The best pass protector in the game, and better than many current NFL starting left tackles.
OL Michael Oher, Mississippi: Turned down NFL first-round money last year, and having an even better senior season.
OL Duke Robinson, Oklahoma: The most consistent player on OU’s star-studded line.
OL Alex Mack, California: Doesn’t get nearly the credit he should; one of the game’s nastiest—and technically sound—players.
OL Herman Johnson, LSU: One AFC scout says he still isn’t close to reaching his massive potential.
K Louie Sakoda, Utah: He’s 15-of-17 on field goals this season, 50-of-59 in his career. Also averages 43 yards per punt.
KR Derrick Williams, Penn State: Still hasn’t developed as a first-option receiver, but sets up the offense with big returns.
Defense
DE Brian Orakpo, Texas: The best defensive player—and maybe best player overall—in the game right now.
DE Jerry Hughes, TCU: Former high school tailback leads the nation in sacks (11) and is tied for second in tackles for loss (14).
DT Terrence Cody, Alabama: The most valuable player on the Tide; his presence in the middle has completely changed the defense.
DT Fili Moala, USC: Quietly having a big season for the team quietly working back up the national polls.
LB Rennie Curran, Georgia: No one runs like Curran, the game’s best blitzing/pursuing linebacker.
LB Scott McKillop, Pittsburgh: A tackling machine; classic run-stuffer getting more publicity with Pitt’s emergence.
LB James Laurinaitis, Ohio State: Has been so good since 2006, you almost take him for granted.
CB Malcolm Jenkins, Ohio State: Physical, aggressive corner allows Buckeyes to blitz more because of his man coverage skills.
CB Alphonso Smith, Wake Forest: He’s not the biggest guy on the field, but clearly the most productive in critical situations.
S Eric Berry, Tennessee: Few safeties can erase coverage mistakes from their cornerbacks like Berry, whose dynamic ability eventually will force Vols to play him on offense, too.
S Kevin Ellison, USC: A big, bruising hitter; an intimidating sight across the middle for any receiver.
P Kevin Huber, Cincinnati: The nation’s best punter last year; now he’s even better at placing punts.
PR Brandon James, Florida: If you punt to him, better stop the first move or everybody’s chasing.
Matt Hayes is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at
mhayes@sportingnews.com
