05-25-2004, 05:36 PM
Saw this on CFN:
In the last few years we have seen Chad Pennington, Byron Leftwich, Ben Roethlisberger and Josh Harris light up the MAC. Which QB from the conference will follow in their footsteps this year? My top three are Charlie Frye (Akron), Bruce Gradkowski (Toledo) and Josh Betts (Miami). --Matt Beck, Dayton, Ohio
Both Frye and Gradkowski are poised to have huge years, but Gradkowski will get much more exposure. His team is already scheduled for four ESPN appearances and could enter the season in the top 25. I visited Toledo during the spring and had a chance to watch tape of Gradkowski with the Rockets' innovative offensive coordinator, Rob Spence. Gradkowski is not the most physically impressive quarterback, but he runs their no-huddle spread attack to perfection, always making the right read. The guy was a first-year starter last season and completed 71 percent of his passes, for crying out loud. With nearly the entire offense returning, including top receiver Lance Moore, I wouldn't be surprised to see a Roethlisberger/Leftwich type season from Gradkowski.
That said, Frye has been putting up big numbers for three seasons now and could wind up passing Leftwich as the MAC's all-time leading passer by the time he's done. If the Zips can improve on last year's 7-5 mark under new head coach J.D. Brookhart, perhaps Frye will finally get some national recognition.
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It seems that every year there at least one "mid-major" team goes undefeated until the last couple of games. If one of the teams is able to break the cycle and make it the whole year, I think they may get into the BCS. Who would you pick to have the best chance this year? --Greg, Louisville
I can think of plenty of that will be good enough to do so this year but don't necessarily have the schedule to pull it off. One of those would be your hometown team, Louisville, which should be nationally competitive but has to play Miami at the Orange Bowl on Oct. 14. Win that one and then we'll talk. Same with Toledo. Like Miami of Ohio, which lost to Iowa to begin last season and then won 13 in a row, the Rockets could sweep through the MAC but lose their season opener to Minnesota. Therefore my actual best bets are Utah, which went 10-2 last season and should be favored in every game on its schedule; TCU, whose toughest game is at Louisville; and Memphis, which opens at Ole Miss but beat the Rebels last year.
<a href='http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/news?slug=allaboutfootbal&prov=cnnsi&type=lgns' target='_blank'>http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/news?slug=al...cnnsi&type=lgns</a>
In the last few years we have seen Chad Pennington, Byron Leftwich, Ben Roethlisberger and Josh Harris light up the MAC. Which QB from the conference will follow in their footsteps this year? My top three are Charlie Frye (Akron), Bruce Gradkowski (Toledo) and Josh Betts (Miami). --Matt Beck, Dayton, Ohio
Both Frye and Gradkowski are poised to have huge years, but Gradkowski will get much more exposure. His team is already scheduled for four ESPN appearances and could enter the season in the top 25. I visited Toledo during the spring and had a chance to watch tape of Gradkowski with the Rockets' innovative offensive coordinator, Rob Spence. Gradkowski is not the most physically impressive quarterback, but he runs their no-huddle spread attack to perfection, always making the right read. The guy was a first-year starter last season and completed 71 percent of his passes, for crying out loud. With nearly the entire offense returning, including top receiver Lance Moore, I wouldn't be surprised to see a Roethlisberger/Leftwich type season from Gradkowski.
That said, Frye has been putting up big numbers for three seasons now and could wind up passing Leftwich as the MAC's all-time leading passer by the time he's done. If the Zips can improve on last year's 7-5 mark under new head coach J.D. Brookhart, perhaps Frye will finally get some national recognition.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
It seems that every year there at least one "mid-major" team goes undefeated until the last couple of games. If one of the teams is able to break the cycle and make it the whole year, I think they may get into the BCS. Who would you pick to have the best chance this year? --Greg, Louisville
I can think of plenty of that will be good enough to do so this year but don't necessarily have the schedule to pull it off. One of those would be your hometown team, Louisville, which should be nationally competitive but has to play Miami at the Orange Bowl on Oct. 14. Win that one and then we'll talk. Same with Toledo. Like Miami of Ohio, which lost to Iowa to begin last season and then won 13 in a row, the Rockets could sweep through the MAC but lose their season opener to Minnesota. Therefore my actual best bets are Utah, which went 10-2 last season and should be favored in every game on its schedule; TCU, whose toughest game is at Louisville; and Memphis, which opens at Ole Miss but beat the Rebels last year.
<a href='http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/news?slug=allaboutfootbal&prov=cnnsi&type=lgns' target='_blank'>http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/news?slug=al...cnnsi&type=lgns</a>