So you watched the Alamo Bowl to scout Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III. What you saw was NFL eye candy everywhere.
Baylor back Terrance Ganaway (Sr) projected as a fifth-round NFL Draft prospect. Five Alamo bowl touchdowns later, albeit against a terrible Huskies defense, he will move up in the draft.
Ganaway upstaged Huskies junior back Chris Polk who only ran for 147 yards and a score on 30 carries.
Senior Huskies wide receiver Jermaine Kearse accounted for 198 yards and a score on five receptions to upstage senior Baylor wide-out Kendall Wright who projects as a first or second rounder. Wright caught seven passes for 91 yards and a score for the night. For the season, Wright was good for 108 receptions for 1,668 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Then there are the quarterbacks. Sophomore Keith Price follows Jake Locker as quarterback for the Huskies. I will circle the date on my calendar when the Huskies play the USC Trojans just to see the Price-Matt Barkley showdown. Washington had better fix that defense for any real chance to win, but what an offensive show that will be.
Griffin III completed 73 percent of his passes for a touchdown and he ran for another in Baylor’s winning effort. Here’s a new Draft scenario. Andrew Luck and RG3 are drafted 1-2 and neither the Colts nor Rams are open to any deals for the pair.
That could put Peyton Manning and Sam Bradford in play for a move. Fair warning: Hog Heaven is prepared to blast the Redskins front office if Washington trades for Manning. We have been through that scenario with Donovan McNabb. We heard Mike Shanahan acknowledge that the team is in a rebuild mode. (Washington would be a year ahead if Shanahan took that approach last season.)
If a new quarterback were coming, it would be best that he be young to grow with the team Shanahan will put in place. That is strategic thinking. Washington needs a good dose of that.
But, Griffin 3rd hasn’t decided to declare for the draft yet. Baylor beat traditional Big 12 powers Texas and Oklahoma, but did not win the title. That leaves an aftertaste of unfinished business that must tug at Griffin—as it did with Matt Barkley and Andrew Luck. Every now and then in the corrupt BCS era, we get reminders that there really are student-athletes with higher aspirations than turning pro.
I think those players are from intact, middle-class families that instill a value that a person is what they do and not how much they make. From a distance, the Griffins appear to be one such family. I would not find it surprising if RG3 assessed what talent remained at Baylor and what talent is leaving Ok State as part of his stay or go thinking. He has until January 15, 2012 to make his decision. I think he will take his time.
One hundred points and 1,000 yards in a single game! That game was more Madden than football. No other Bowl game this season will match the Alamo Bowl for football enjoyment.
How is it that Baylor is only ranked 15th? Baylor would give LSU trouble as surely as Oklahoma State would have given them trouble. Not advocating for Baylor vs. LSU here. I am advocating for Oklahoma State. The BCS likes to say that every game counts. Well conference championships should count more. Losses in conference championship games should not count as much as they do.
The Bogus Championship Series has contracts with participants that requires them to refer to the winner of the manufactured system as BCS Bowl “National Champion.” Unless the sports media is part of the contract, who knows what secret handshake deals exists, I don’t see why the media goes along with it.
It’s “BCS Champion,” people. That’s all it is and it’s always in dispute.
Recaps
The Crystal Ball Run: Baylor, Washington Pander To Our Basest Desires.
Football Nation: Ganaway Scores 5 TDs As Baylor Outlasts Washington.
ESPN Boxscore: Baylor 67, Washington 56.
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