If Sam Bradford is healthy and Oklahoma’s defense continues to dominate, then Miami is in trouble.  The whole nation could be in trouble.

With nearly everyone picking Florida, Alabama, and Texas to vie for the national title, Oklahoma finds itself playing underdog for the first time in a long while.

“Oklahoma is in the national title race as much as any other team right now,” Legend Fisher DeBerry said. “They are a solid, well-coached football team.”

As long as the Sooners take care of their own business, DeBerry could be right. Their first chance to prove they have righted the ship comes this weekend when Oklahoma takes on a Miami team that is coming off an embarrassing loss at Virginia Tech.

Oklahoma also has its shot at revenge for last year’s loss in two weeks against Texas.  If the Sooners can win out — a schedule including five ranked opponents — then they will have a great shot to head to Pasadena.

Other one-loss teams looking to join the Sooners in the early national title talk are USC and Virginia Tech.

The Hokies sent a clear message that they weren’t going anywhere in the ACC in their 31-7 win over Miami.

“Virginia Tech has proven that it will be a very difficult team to beat [this year] in the ACC,” said former Virginia head coach George Welsh — a man with experience in the league. The Hokies are looking to earn a chance for another shot at an Alabama-quality team in a BCS match up.

USC — another one-loss team — has a chance to pounce on a demoralized Cal squad and regain momentum heading deeper into the conference schedule this week. Cal was on the cusp this year until they were handing a demoralizing 42-3 loss at Oregon.

The Trojans and Hokies are familiar with the national stage and hope that they can make everyone forget their early losses.

Still, undefeated teams remain and are making their case in the national title debate.  All reigning from the Midwest: Iowa, Michigan, and Cincinnati have tough enough schedules to make a case for inclusion to the big game if they can win out.

Cincinnati enjoyed its first BCS berth last year and is poised to make another run.

“Cincinnati has been impressive over the past couple years,” Legend John Cooper said. They are a team deserving of our attention.”

Michigan and Iowa might be long shots but they have both showed they can come back in the 4th quarter against big-time programs.

“There are still some unanswered questions at Michigan, but they have an opportunity this year to answer those questions,” Cooper said.

Don’t forget about Ohio State, either. The Buckeyes’ lone loss was to a gritty USC opponent on a last-minute drive. They find themselves in a familiar situation and are sure to make a statement in the Big Ten once again.

With the first third of the season behind us, coming away with a loss after this week could prove devastating.

So, the question looms: Which of these teams can keep their composure through to the end?  Or will Boise State, TCU, or Houston crash the party?

The first of the three-part podcast series Coaches vs. Computers features a conversation between Richard Billingsley, a computer pollster with the BCS, former Ohio State head coach John Cooper and Legends Poll Executive Director Andy Curtin. The crew discussed several aspects of the Legends Poll and computer polls.

• Cooper says Iowa doesn’t have great team speed.
• Cooper thought Penn State was overrated.
• Cooper said QB Darryl Clark played one of the worst games he’d seen him play.
• Billingsley said a lot the rankings are based on hype, i.e. LSU.
• Billingsley said a few computer polls have Iowa ranked No. 1.

Standard Podcast [ 7:16 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The Lott Shots features the Top 5 bone-crushing hits from Week 4. The Legends Channel rated Kentucky DE Taylor Wyndham No. 1 this week for his knock-out shot on Florida QB Tim Tebow.

What do you think?

Watch the video and vote for your favorite hit by Tuesday Oct. 6.

The top vote-getter will be named the Lott Shot of the week!

NEWPORT BEACH, Ca. – Iowa Linebacker Pat Angerer has been named the Lott Trophy IMPACT Player of the Week.

Angerer, a 6-1, 235-pound senior from Bettendorf, Iowa, had a team high 14 tackles, an interception (returned for 38 yards) that set up a touchdown and a forced fumble that helped seal Iowa’s 21-10 win over previously unbeaten Penn State.  The Hawkeyes are 4-0.

Iowa will receive $1,000 for its general scholarship fund in recognition of Angerer’s accomplishment.

“Angerer had a great game along with the entire Iowa defense,” said former Ohio State Coach John Cooper, a member of the Legends Coaches who selected the Player of the Week.  “Angerer’s interception broke Penn State’s back.  If Penn State could have kept that drive alive, they could have won the game, but that interception ended their undefeated season.”

Angerer was also named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week.

Other players nominated for the Player of the Week were Eric Norwood of South Carolina, Sean Weatherspoon of Missouri, George Selvie of South Florida and Brandon Spikes of Florida.

2009 Lott Trophy IMPACT Players of the Week

Week 1 – Mike Nixon, Arizona State

Week 2 – Derrick Morgan, Georgia Tech

Week 3 – Eric Berry, Tennessee

Week 4 – Pat Angerer, Iowa

Named after Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott, the Lott Trophy is awarded to college football’s Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year.  Now in its sixth year, the Lott Trophy is the first college football award to equally recognize athletic performance and the personal character attributes of the player.

Sponsored by The Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation in Newport Beach, the award is given to the player who exhibits the same characteristics Lott embodied during his distinguished career: Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity.

Past winners of The Lott Trophy:

2004 – David Pollack, Georgia

2005 – DeMeco Ryans, Alabama

2006 – Dante Hughes, California

2007 – Glenn Dorsey, LSU

2008 – James Laurinaitis, Ohio State

In five years, the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation has donated more than $650,000 to various charities, including $25,000 to each of the winners’ universities.

Voters for the award include selected members of the national media, previous finalists, the Board of Directors of the IMPACT Foundation, the IMPACT Foundation Board of Advisors comprised of retired NFL players and the Legends Coaches, a distinguished group of former college head coaches.

Watching The Watch List

Eric Norwood , South Carolina – Recorded two sacks in his team high 10 tackles.  Also had 2 quarterback hurries and a blocked punt in upset win over Mississippi, 16-10.  Mississippi had only 109 yards passing on 8 for 22.  Norwood now had 28 career sacks, best in school history.

Brandon Spikes, Florida – Led Gators with 10 tackles in win over Kentucky, 41-7.

George Selvie, South Florida – Had 2 tackles for loss, a sack and a fumble recovery in 17-7 win over Florida State.

Darrell Stuckey, Kansas – 7 tackles and a forced fumble as Kansas went to 4-0 with 35-28 win over Southern Mississippi.

Brian Duncan, Texas Tech – Recorded 14 tackles and broke up two passes in loss to Houston, 29-28.

Greg Jones, Michigan State – Led Spartans with 14 tackles in 38-30 loss to Wisconsin.

Kurt Coleman, Ohio State – Led Buckeyes with 9 tackles, a forced fumble and a pass breakup as Ohio State recorded second straight shutout, 30-0 over Illinois.

Sean Weatherspoon, Missouri – Had team high 9 tackles (one for a loss) as Mizzou went to 4-0 with a 31-21 win over Nevada.

Keaton Kristick , Oregon State – 12 tackles, one for a loss, in loss to Arizona, 37-32.

Injuries: Oregon’s T.J. Ward missed his third consecutive game with an ankle sprain…Penn State’s Sean Lee missed the Iowa game with a knee injury…Taylor Mays of USC returned to the lineup after missing a week…

Named after Pro Football Hall of Fame member, Ronnie Lott, The Lott Trophy is awarded to college football’s Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year. Founded in 2004 by The Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation, The Lott Trophy is the first and only college football award to equally recognize athletic performance and the personal character attributes of the player. The Lott Trophy is given to the player who exhibits the same characteristics Lott embodied during his distinguished career: Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity. Voters for the award include selected members of the national media, previous finalists, the Board of Directors of the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation and the Legends Coaches which is a distinguished group of former college football head coaches. The sixth annual Lott Trophy dinner will be held December 13th at The Pacific Club in Newport Beach, California. For more information on The Lott Trophy visit: http://www.LottTrophy.com.

Former Florida State football All-American Myron Rolle has teamed with the U.S. Department of the Interior to begin a program aimed at improving the health and physical fitness of American Indians.

Rolle, who begins a Rhodes Scholarship at Oxford next week, first became involved with this issue at FSU while working with the Seminole tribe. His foundation and the Department of the Interior will fund the “Our Way to Health” programs at five Bureau of Indian Education-funded schools in Arizona and New Mexico beginning this fall. The six-week programs will offer incentive-based activities that stress team building, nutrition and education about diabetes, which strikes many American Indians.

“There will be educational and athletic components that will be tailored to each specific tribe,” Rolle said. “We want these kids to embrace exercise and diet for themselves, but also to teach it to their siblings and parents.”

Students will be divided into teams that will compete for points. The winners from the two states will be honored at an Arizona Cardinal game in January.

Rolle put a possible professional career on hold to pursue the Rhodes Scholarship, a decision he said he has never regretted. He will study medical anthropology at Oxford, an area that looks at the social and cultural aspects of medicine. Rolle plans to eventually earn a medical degree and play professionally.

The former defensive back continues to follow FSU and coach Bobby Bowden.

“They made some things happen last week at BYU (in an upset of the then-No. 9 Cougars) but their defense still needs to get on the right page,” Rolle said. “I think it’s going to be a 10- or 11-win season with a big bowl game. … And I hope Coach Bowden stays as long as he can. I’m a big fan, and once he retires, all of college football will suffer a loss.”

———-

Named after Pro Football Hall of Fame member, Ronnie Lott, The Lott Trophy is awarded to college football’s Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year. Founded in 2004 by The Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation, The Lott Trophy is the first and only college football award to equally recognize athletic performance and the personal character attributes of the player. The Lott Trophy is given to the player who exhibits the same characteristics Lott embodied during his distinguished career: Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity. Voters for the award include selected members of the national media, previous finalists, the Board of Directors of the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation and the Legends Coaches which is a distinguished group of former college football head coaches. The sixth annual Lott Trophy dinner will be held December 13th at The Pacific Club in Newport Beach, California. For more information on The Lott Trophy visit:www.LottTrophy.com.

The Miami Hurricanes — then No. 9 — were downgraded in Blacksburg, Va., after a strong defensive showing by No. 6 Virginia Tech, 31-7.  Defensive Coordinator Bud Foster artfully mixed in a blitz package to successfully pressure ‘Cane quarterback Jacory Harris where other opponents had failed.  Feeling the heat, Harris was sacked twice with a forced fumble leading to an early score.  In all, Harris was just 9-of-25 for 150 yards passing, and an interception.

“Coach Foster put together a really good game plan and put us in some good situations,” Hokie linebacker Cody Grimm said.

Miami was successful on just one-of-11 third down conversions.

For his team’s great play, Bud Foster is awarded the “Legends Nike Game Ball” for the National Defensive Coordinator of the Week.

Offense | Defense | Special Teams | Offensive Coordinator

Florida is No. 1. Alabama is No. 2. Texas is No. 3.

And Then?

“Everybody else is on a lower level,” former West Virginia Coach Don Nehlen said.

Another wild weekend brought a shakeup Sunday in the second Legends Poll of the fall. Boise State cracked the top five, Cal tumbled 18 spots…

Click on image below to read full story in SN Today

	Legends Poll
September 28, 2009 – Week 4