BCS officials have selected Bill Hancock to become the first executive director of the postseason system. BCS coordinator and Atlantic Coast Conference commissioner John Swofford announced Hancock's promotion from administrator to his new position on Tuesday.

Hancock will replace the BCS coordinator. The coordinator position has rotated on a two-year basis between conference commissioners since the Bowl Championship Series was implemented in 1998.

The change undoubtedly comes with the increased pressure from Congress this summer and the formal organization of an anti-BCS lobby in Washington to accelerate the Series' demise, which has turned its defense into a full-time job. It also undoubtedly comes to the relief of the conference commissioners like Swofford and the Big Ten's Jim Delany, who have had to take time out of their actual jobs to deal with intensifying media scrutiny, get berated by grandstanding Congressmen and generally come across as villains for defending a client most people -- including quite a few of the most high-profile coaches and the advocate-in-chief -- judged "guilty" years ago. That requires a full-time, public, marketing savvy cheerleader to hammer home talking points like "Every game is a playoff," and Hancock has been one of the few full-time employees the BCS has ever had in his mostly behind-the-scenes capacity as spokesman and administrator the last four years.

Hancock stands, then, to become the first true "Face of the BCS" in the media when he officially takes over in January. Good luck with that, Bill, and we promise we don't bite. Very hard.

1. Mark Ingram, Alabama–Ingram had another good game, rushing for 149 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries against Mississippi State.  He’ll pad his stats some more against Chattanooga next Saturday, then will have a chance to clinch the Heisman against Auburn and Florida.  On the year, he has 1,297 yards and 10 touchdowns, with another 25 catches for 225 yards and three scores.  He is on pace to have 1,686 yards and 13 touchdowns by the time the Heisman vote is due.   If he keeps doing what he has been doing and then closes out strong in a win over Florida, I like his chances of winning the Heisman.  However, the surges by running backs Toby Gerhart and C.J. Spiller could dilute some of his strength across the various voting regions.  Ingram’s old advantage of being the only legitimate running back in a race filled with quarterbacks might be turned on its head as he could end up being one of three running back candidates versus just one quarterback (McCoy).  This is one reason why I give him only a slight edge over McCoy right now.

2. Colt McCoy, Texas–McCoy is playing well of late and is coming off a 181-yard, two-TD performance in a rout of Baylor.  On the year, he has 2,628 passing yards, with 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions, while completing 72 percent of his passes.  He is on pace to have 3,416 passing yards, 25 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions by the time the Heisman vote is due.  Is this enough to overcome Ingram’s late surge?  The imminent collapse of Case Keenum’s candidacy should move some voters his way and many will be impressed by his career achievements, including the most wins ever by a quarterback.  McCoy is in a fairly good position:  If Alabama beats Florida, it eliminates the last quarterback with a shot at garnering significant support (Tebow) and makes McCoy the most viable option at that position.  If Florida beats Alabama, though, it could increase Tebow’s support at Ingram’s expense while making it likely that neither can beat out McCoy.  Of course, McCoy has to finish strong and get Texas to the BCS title game to make all this work.   

3. Toby Gerhart, Stanford–I wrote earlier last week about the player with the best chance of mounting a late-season run at the Heisman.  It was a wild scenario dependent on Gerhart having a big game against USC.  Well, he rushed for 178 yards and three touchdowns against the Trojans, giving him 1,395 yards and 19 touchdowns on the season.  He’s on pace to have 1,674 yards and 23 touchdowns by the time the Heisman vote is due (in 12 games, versus 13 for Ingram and McCoy).  Gerhart is still a longshot, but he does have a shot.  Of course, Stanford needs to win out, which would mean respectable wins over Cal and Notre Dame to give the Cardinal a 9-3 record.  He would need for Ingram to wilt down the stretch, yet for Alabama to beat Florida, thus eliminating both Ingram and Tebow.  Meanwhile, McCoy would have to underwhelm the rest of the way, while Gerhart closes with big games against the Bears and the Irish.  Can it happen?  Sure.  Will it?  There’s the rub.  Stanford needs to start making its case on his behalf, anyway. 

4. Tim Tebow, Florida–Tebow had 199 yards and one touchdown passing, along with 26 yards and a touchdown rushing against South Carolina.  On the year, he has 1,730 passing yards, 12 TD passes and four interceptions, along with 604 rushing yards and 10 scores.   He is on pace to have 2,249 passing yards, 16 touchdown passes, five interceptions, 785 rushing yards and 13 scores by the time the Heisman vote is due.  I think Tebow’s Heisman hopes are dwindling fast and his only hope is to put up crazy numbers from this point on.  Of course, the Gators need to win out, but he also needs for Ingram, McCoy and Gerhart to tank.  I think that is unlikely to happen, but you never know.

If the vote were held today

1. Mark Ingram

2. Colt McCoy

3. Tim Tebow

4. Toby Gerhart

5. Case Keenum

6. C.J. Spiller

7. Kellen Moore

8. Ndamukong Suh

9. Jimmy Clausen

10. Jordan Shipley

—USC coach Pete Carroll–an avowed disciple of pro-style offenses and defenses–got a healthy dose of college-style medicine against Oregon.  Is it just me, or is Carroll turning into the next Mack Brown/Lloyd Carr/Phil Fulmer?  Meaning, like the programs headed by the aforementioned coaches, USC is laden with talent, but lacking urgency, creativity or dynamism which, of course, eventually leads to head-scratching losses.  There’s only one way to go from here and that’s down, unless Carroll makes some wholesale changes.  But that’s unlikely to happen, since to do so would discredit the philosophy he’s been preaching this whole time. 

—Tony Pike is supposedly close to returning for Cincinnati.  But my question is:  Should Cincy put him back as the starter?  After all, his replacement, Zach Collaros is 2-0 in Pike’s absence and has completed 74.6 percent of his passes and has nine touchdowns with just one interception.  Just sayin’.

—After watching Iowa’s ridiculous comeback against Indiana, I must conclude that the Hawkeyes are the worst 9-0 team I’ve ever seen.  I’m sure Iowa fans don’t mind.

—Is this eye gouging thing really such a big deal?  I’m not defending it and I support some kind of suspension, but isn’t that stuff–and other dirty play–pretty standard for the bottom of a football pile?  Didn’t Brandon Spikes just happen to get caught on camera?

—Mark Richt says he might finally replace senior Joe Cox at quarterback.  I think it’s two losses too late.  The Bulldogs don’t have any major postseason plans, so it’s time to get ready for next year.   With this in mind, they should’ve been giving Logan Gray his shot a couple weeks ago.

—Don’t look now, but Duke is 5-3 and on the verge of a bowl berth, its first since 1994.  But can the Blue Devils find one more win out of the remaining schedule?  UNC, Georgia Tech, Miami and Wake Forest stand in the way.  Still, big props to David Cutcliffe for the job he has done.

—I can’t remember the last time two brothers were as productive as James and Jacquizz Rodgers for Oregon State.  Together, the two average 348 all-purpose yards per game and have scored 21 touchdowns. 

—Quarterback under the radar:  NC State’s Russell Wilson, who is third nationally with 21 touchdown passes.   Quarterback who wishes he were more under the radar:  Jevan Snead, who is tied for the national lead with 13 interceptions.

—As good as Boise State is, I think TCU is the non-AQ team with the best case for a title game berth if it wins out. 

—Updated BCS Picks:

BCS Title Game: Alabama vs. Texas

Sugar Bowl: Florida vs. Boise State

Rose Bowl: Iowa vs. Oregon

Orange Bowl: Georgia Tech vs. Cincinnati

Fiesta Bowl: Penn State vs. TCU

We all saw how great he played against Penn State in the Rose Bowl and he is now showing us that he is a legitimate contender for the Mackey Award and the he could be a great pick-up in the NFL. He is one of the better blocking TE's in the game and his performance on Saturday simply increased his exposure to those who don't folloow USC on a regular basis.

From the LA Times

McCoy looked like the best tight end in college football against the Fighting Irish, catching five passes for 153 yards and setting up two touchdowns and a field goal in the Trojans' 34-27 win at Notre Dame.

After waiting two seasons behind Mackey Award winner Fred Davis, the 6-foot-5, 250-pound McCoy has developed into an upper-round NFL prospect in his second season as a starter.

"He's got the whole package," USC Coach Pete Carroll said. "Few guys are that flashy and effective as receivers that can also block.

"He's going to be a tremendous prospect at the next level."

McCoy enters Saturday's game against Oregon State averaging a team-best 25 yards a reception. He has caught 14 passes, second on the team to wideout Damian Williams, and overcome a few early drops to become a short, mid-range and deep threat.

"He can stretch the field," freshman quarterback Matt Barkley said. "It's been such an advantage to have that. . . . The way he can run vertically and just have a knack for catching the ball and finding that open window is huge."

I still laugh at the scene of McCoy dragging those ND defenders downfield before thy brought him down short of the goal line. That was a sight! McCoy was honored for his performance against ND by being named the Mackey Award player of the week.

He will continue to play an important role as SC goes down the stretch.

- - -

We are about to enter the second half of the season and now the fun begins. SC has the meat of the schedule in front of them. After this weekends game against Oregon St. SC goes on the road against the Duck's in Eugene then on to Tempe to face ASU. It has been an interesting ride so far, SC has not left us bored that is for sure with huge road wins against Ohio St. and Notre Dame. Yes there was the slip up against the Huskies but with what we have seen from them I think it was clear that the loss of Barkley and Mays along with Sarkisian and Holt knowing the strengths and weaknesses of this team backward and forward combined for a perfect storm  for the upset...Hats off to them for the win but lets not get carried away.

The mid-season reviews and award lists are out and SC has some good representation...

Lets start with Ted Miller's Second-half outlook of USC...

Will Washington prove to be the only bump in the road for USC? And if USC rolls to an 11-1 record, will it play its way into the national title game? Or will we see the Trojans matched up again (sigh) with a Big Ten team in the Rose Bowl? It might be more fun if the Trojans lost to Oregon on Oct. 31 and then won out and earned an at-large invitation to another BCS bowl game. It seems like a massive long shot, given the selection procedure, but just picture USC vs. Florida/Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. Yummy!

I am not even worrying about the post season, there is way too much football left to play and a couple of tough games still on the schedule...not just Oregon.

If anything the Notre Dame game showed me that we still have some work to do on finishing. The defense took their foot off the gas and let ND back in it, the dumb penalties sooner or later will come back to haunt us and cost us a game and for as great as Matt Barkley played he still is susceptible to making rookie mistakes.

SC needs to tighten a few things up...

Decreasing dumb penalties,3rd down conversions, the running game and the red zone offense still need to improve.

Michael Lev of the OCR has a quick take...

MIDSEASON MVP

MLB Chris Galippo

Taking over at the heart of an almost all-new front seven, the redshirt sophomore from Servite High has become an instant leader and among the top playmakers for the ninth-ranked defense in the nation. Galippo leads USC in tackles (41), is tied for first in pass breakups (four) and also has five tackles for loss, an interception and a forced fumble.

MOST IMPROVED PLAYER

RB Allen Bradford

Even though he didn't play much last season because of injuries, Bradford has made the most tangible gains. The redshirt junior entered this season with 123 career rushing yards and a 2.9-yard average. In six games, he has 228 yards and a 6.3-yard average. Also considered: RB Joe McKnight, TE Anthony McCoy, OT Tyron Smith, DT Jurrell Casey, DE Nick Perry and LB Michael Morgan.

Any one of those players listed above could be seen as most improved. Especially Nick Perry. You have to love what PC is doing with him...he is an absolute beast and he will only get better.

- - -

Here are a few links to some mid-season awards.

Phil Steele's 2009 Mid Season All-Pac-10 team

SN's midseason All-Americans: Offense

SN's midseason All-Americans: Defense

- - -

Here is an interesting take on the BCS from the WSJ...

Quantitatively and qualitatively, USC looks like the top option should any member of the Alabama-Florida-Texas triumverate falter. The Trojans top Boise, Cincinnati and Iowa in total defense. Of that group, they trail only the Bearcats in total offense. With the nation's ninth-rated defense by yards, the Trojans appeared to have one weakness heading into the season: quarterback play. But Matt Barkley continues to disprove that notion, along with the now-foolish idea that Aaron Corp should've started over him to begin the season. Mr. Barkley threw for 380 yards in the victory over Notre Dame.

If Mr. Barkley hadn't missed the Washington game, the Trojans might already occupy one of the top two spots. But with the way Florida and Texas are playing, who knows – maybe they will again.

It is going to get interesting as we go down the stretch.

- - -

Here is Pete Carroll on PMS

All Pac-10 has their USC/OSU preview up.

Ted Miller has a little more in his "What to watch for in the Pac-10"

As expected, Mark Tyler is done for the season, with Stanley Havili expected to be a game time decision because of his shoulder injury.

Here is a good read by the Trojan Empire on the BCS

The computers aren't exactly in love with USC yet -- ranking them 11th. Both human polls (USA Today and Harris) rank USC 4th, enough to keep the Trojans ahead of TCU, but not Boise State, Cincinnati, and Iowa.

1 Florida (6-0)
2 Alabama (7-0)
3 Texas (6-0)
4 Boise State (are...)
5 Cincinnati (you...)
6 Iowa (kidding...)
7 USC (6-1)
8 TCU (6-0)
9 LSU (5-1)
10 Miami (5-1)

USC is the top-ranked 1-loss team. Oregon (5-1) falls just one spot outside the top-10 even with a better computer ranking than the Trojans. Because the computers almost like Arizona (4-2) as much as USC, the Cats land the 22nd spot, despite being ranked 37th and 40th in the Harris and USA Today. If they can hold or improve that spot, it should be a quality opponent for USC to end its schedule with.

If USC wins out and gets hosed, you can bet your ass we'll be doing a second run on the BCS: Beyond Common Sense shirts.

2009 Week 1 BCS Standings

It's truly one of the most remarkable inventions of the past 20 years. It costs nothing to operate, runs 24-7 without a hitch and never requires maintenance.

It’s the one, the only Southeastern Conference hype machine.

Many a college football fan — and bettor — has been swallowed in the annual hype surrounding the league. But this year is different. With a fat, new TV contract and powerful network behind it, the machine has been cranking it out like never before.

The reality is that the SEC in 2009 consists of Alabama, Florida and a bunch of nobodies. In nonconference games against Division I-A opponents, SEC teams are a pedestrian 14-11 against the spread. In nonconference play against teams from Bowl Championship Series conferences, the record is 4-7. That’s a .363 percentage, the worst of the six BCS conferences.

Covers is second to none in coverage of industry news, statistics and advice. Be sure to check Covers' excellent matchups page for this week's games, featuring previews, trends and line moves.

McKnight has emerged as USC's No. 1 running back - ESPN

Matchups, Challenges, and Keys to a Buckeye Victory | Bleacher Report
I am not a real big fan of B/R but this is a decent write up...

Why is Southern Cal #3? " Raidersaint’s Weblog

Maualuga Fires Off A Round – Bucknuts.com
Go get 'em Rey!

Why Ohio State will beat USC…. " Forward Pass
interesting read...

Barkley plans to keep his cool in Columbus - OCRegister.com

USC quarterback Barkley, on playing at Ohio State: "Bring it on" - LA Daily News

USC Football: Will Trojans go after Ohio State’s Russell? - OCRegister.com

USC quarterback Matt Barkley is ready for the noise at Ohio State -- latimes.com

Tressel Video

Young QBs in spotlight for USC-Ohio State

Carroll opens up about Ohio State - College Football - Rivals.com

Time for USC, Ohio St. to alter BCS approaches...
...if either wishes to play a role in the BCS.

Welcome to the Trobuckalypse: So when would USC not be a touchdown favorite? - Dr. Saturday

I hope to have something a little more substanstial later today...thanks for all of your patience

Chris Brown: Central Michigan (+13.5) over Arizona.
I like Arizona, I really do. I like what Mike Stoops has done, and within a few years, offensive coordinator Sonny Dykes (son of former Texas Tech legend Spike Dykes and protege of fellow Texas Tech legend, Captain Leach), will be a head coach for a D-1 program somewhere. But, while this game is at Arizona, I cannot justify the nearly two-touchdown spread; in fact, I think the Chippewas will win it outright. CMU has won eight games in each of coach Butch Jones's first two seasons, but more importantly they return 17 starters, none more important than Tim Tebow-lite, quarterback Dan Levour. Levour is a tough, gritty kid, and this is just the type of win over a BCS program to jumpstart his senior year.  More importantly, Arizona should take a step back after losing a lot of talent from last year's squad, and I think that regression will begin in week one.

Matt Hinton: Cincinnati (+5) over Rutgers (Monday).
The line on this one goes as high as 6.5 on some sites, a pretty strong diss to the defending Big East champs. Yes, the Bearcats lose 10 starters from a solid defense that anchored the best team in school history, but Rutgers' losses on offense -- goodbye, leading passer and receiver in school history -- are about as substantial. The Knights also flopped at home last Labor Day, in a loss to Fresno State that looked worse and worse as the year wore on. Put it this way: Cincy returns a substantial percentage of its offense, including the best quarterback in the conference, and Brian Kelly has yet to fall short of expectations in any season as a head coach. Rutgers' offense isn't in very good position out of the gate to exploit the turnover on the other side.

Doug Gillett: Georgia (+4.5) over Oklahoma State.
I realize I'm jinxing my team eight ways from Sunday by even allowing this to cross my mind. But even if the Zac Robinson rumors have no legs, OSU has been experiencing an inordinate amount of personnel turmoil over the last few weeks, and even a Cowboy defense at full strength would be tasked with bouncing back from last year's 94th-in-the-nation performance. As good a coordinator as Bill Young may be, I'm not sure he can yank the handbrake and pull a 180 with that unit in the span of a single game. Georgia's defense didn't play so well themselves during the second half of last season, but the talent and experience are there, and given Mark Richt's sterling record in opponents' home stadiums, I put my faith behind Georgia to make the necessary adjustments and pull out a close win in Stillwater.

Holly Anderson: Miami, Ohio (+15) over Kentucky
Can these be flatly irrational? I'll take the Redhawks over Kentucky, because apparently Dick's Sporting Goods in Lexington doesn't carry Tennessee gear, and to quote a dear Vawl partisan buddy, "After 24 [losses to Tennessee] in a row, you have lost the right to be a [jerk] about it."

Louisiana Tech (+13.5) over Auburn.
Because the Bulldogs are one of those pesky, sneaky upset types to begin with (they knocked off Mississippi State in last year's opener en route to their first bowl win in 30 years) and Auburn is such a completely unknown quantity at this point.

Nevada (+14.5) over Notre Dame.
Because I really like getting emails telling me I'm a religious bigot (despite my Catholic background) for not liking their football team. Keep 'em coming, beautiful people.

TrojanWire has crossed enemy lines and will be publishing a Cal grad's weekly betting analysis for USC football.

Dr. Bob will be helping TrojanWire make weekly picks at the BetUS Sportsbook.

You can get Dr. Bob's Best Bet of the Week by subscribing to his service. Watch the ESPN video after the jump to see how Dr. Bob actually applied the BUAD 310 lessons you slept through.

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USC and Florida were about even in my ratings at the end of last season and it's a shame that the two best teams didn't get to face each other in the National Championship game. The reason for the Trojans' exclusion was a late September loss at Oregon State by a 21-27 count in a game in which USC out-played the Beavers 6.1 yards per play to 5.0 yppl but were -2 in turnover margin. USC may be able to afford one loss this season given the enhanced strength of the Pac-10 this season and the tougher non-conference schedule (at Ohio State and visiting a ranked Notre Dame team). While the Trojans could make it to the National Championship game with one loss, they should be favored to win each and every week, including at Ohio State (although they may not be).

Yes, USC must replace 8 defensive starters that were selected in April's NFL draft, including 4 in the first 2 rounds, but the Trojans' secondary is going to be just as good and most of the replacements along the defensive front 7 are going to be headed to the NFL when they're done kicking ass for the Trojans. FS Taylor Mays returns to lead the unit after earning 1st Team All-American honors last season and replacing departed defensive backs Kevin Ellison and Cary Harris will not be difficult, as new starters Shareece Wright and Kevin Thomas are better NFL prospects than either Ellison or Harris (both 6th round draft picks). In fact, Thomas defended more passes (7 broken up and 3 interceptions) as a back up last season than either Ellison or Harris did as starters. The question on the defense is the front 7, which employs 6 new starters and has to replace 4 players drafted in the first 2 rounds. There is always talent waiting to fill the holes at USC, but the holes are pretty big this year and the lack of experience may be a minor problem early in the season (we'll find out on September 12th). I don't expect the USC defense to be historically good as it was in 2008 (allowed a miniscule 3.7 yards per play to a schedule of teams that would combine to average 5.7 yppl against an average stop unit), but the Trojans should still rank among the best defensive teams in the nation.

While the defense has to replace many stars, the offense only has to replace one. Quarterback Mark Sanchez had an excellent season as the starter and will now be starting for the New York Jets. It's tough to imagine sophomore Aaron Corp or freshman Matt Barkley being as efficient as Sanchez was last season, but the same was said of Matt Leinart when he had to replace Carson Palmer and of John David Booty when he followed Leinart. The only bad year for the USC pass attack was in 2007 when the receiving corps lacked talent and experience after Steve Smith and Dwayne Jarrett left campus, but the Trojans' pass attack has rated between +1.8 yards per pass play better than average and +2.8 yppp in the other 6 seasons since 2002 and the average new starter during that time had a rating of +2.3 yppp. The receiving corps is loaded with talent and experience heading into this season and WR Damian Williams is poised for an All-American season after nabbing 58 balls at 15.0 ypc and 9 scores as s sophomore last season. I expect the new USC quarterback to be about 2.3 yards per pass play better than average, which is down some from the +2.7 yppp rating of Sanchez last season. The rushing attack, meanwhile, should be even better than last season. The top 4 backs return to run behind the nation's best offensive line, which returns 5 starters (although C O'Dowd is questionable to start the season) and the Trojans could average over 6 yards per running play after averaging a stellar 5.6 yprp last season behind an inexperienced line that returned just 1 starter. Stafon Johnson, Joe McKnight, and company should enjoy running through the holes that this year's Trojans' offensive line should create. USC averaged 6.7 yards per play in 2008 (against teams that would allow 5.1 yppl to an average attack), and I think they could be even better this season.

USC's special teams were a mixed bag last season, as the punting (33.0 net average) and punt returns (opponents averaged 36.7 net) were bad while the kickoff team was the 2nd best in the nation (21.8 yard line average opponent field position after kick-offs) and the kick return unit was good (26.5 average return). The Trojans must replace the punter (no problem there) and kicker David Buehler but the kick and punt return specialists are back. The departure of P Woidneck is likely to be a positive, but Buehler did a great job on kickoffs (although a bit worse than average on field goals) and I doubt the Trojans can repeat their great kick-off coverage stats. However, I expect more out of the punt return team and the kick returns should continue to shine. USC should once again be good overall in special teams.

The Trojans rank as my #2 rated team behind Florida entering the 2009 season, but that rating is contingent on Corp or Barkley continuing the recent tradition of great USC quarterbacks. The first big test is at Ohio State on September 12th, but I think the Trojans will be better than the Buckeyes on both sides of the ball even if the new quarterback isn't quite ready to play at typical USC standards. The Pac-10 schedule presents tough tests at Cal and at Oregon and a non-conference road game against a Notre Dame team that for once may actually be pretty good (although still likely to lose by 10 to 14 points to the Trojans). It will be a tough task for USC to come away from those 4 challenging road games with 4 wins, but I'd favor the Trojans in each of those games. An 11-1 season and another BCS bowl win is the most likely outcome (unless that BCS bowl game is against Florida), as USC tends to slip up in one Pac-10 game every year.

If you believe in omens, then I suggest selling your stock in USC football season this season. If you believe in shoddy workmanship, then you should sell your stock in the manufacturers of crystal football trophies. No one is really sure how the topper on USC's 2004 BCS Championship trophy ended up at the bottom of its case (and mostly likely scratched), but Trojan fans are hoping it is not a portent of impending doom.

Actually, it's mostly Bruins fans who are hoping that it is a sign from above. USC fans are too busy kite surfing with their agents to care.

Football: BCS Trophy at USC drops the ball [OC Register]

* * * * *

When I say it's Tuesday, you say "you better."