Stonebreaker Award: Week 9

I get a Saturday off to actually watch some games instead of just looking at box scores, so I'm posting this as there aren't any really good games at the noon hour today (although Michigan-Illinois has some potential). Before I get into the rankings, here's a couple of matchups worth noting for tonight's games.

Patrick Peterson-Julio Jones: Peterson isn't ranked that high because I would guess teams aren't really throwing the ball his way. But with Jones getting the ball a lot more for the Tide in recent weeks, the ball will come Peterson's way a lot more today as two future pros go at it.

Ed Wesley-Chaz Walker:  Utah's leading tackler goes up against one of the better unknown running backs in the land in Wesley. If Utah holds TCU's running game in check, they'll pull off the upset.

Andrew Luck-Robert Golden: Luck is one of the best QB's in the land, but Golden and his secondary mates break up a lot of passes and pick off a lot of passes. The Wildcats also bring a lot of pressure, giving Stanford a test they aren't used to in the Pac 10.

Arkansas WR's- South Carolina DB's: The Cocks secondary was called out by Spurrier on College Football Live this week, and the Razorbacks will put the ball in the air. South Carolina needs big games from Stephon Gilmore, Chris Culliver and Safety DeVonte Holloman to stay in the mix for the SEC East crown.

Top 25:

1. Jeremy Beal, Oklahoma 418 ( 34 Tackles, 6 Sacks, 3 FF's, 13.5 TFL's, 4 Bkups)
2. Nick Fairley, Auburn 390 ( 43 Tackles, 7.5 Sacks, 1 Int, 18 TFL's)

3. Drake Nevis, LSU 355 ( 40 Tackles, 5 Sacks, 1 Int, 2 FF's, 11.5 TFL's)4. Dejon Gomes, Nebraska 354 (67 Tackles, 3 Ints, 2 FF's, 1 TFL, 3 Bkups)
5. Jamell Fleming, Oklahoma 348 ( 40 Tackles, 1 Sack, 2 Int's, 4.5 TFL's, 9 Bkups)
5. Wayne Daniels, TCU 348 ( 26 Tackles, 5.5 Sacks, 1 FF, 9 TFL's, 1 Bkup)
7. Brandon Bair, Oregon, 287 ( 35 Tackles, 3 Sacks, 13 TFL's, 5 Bkups)
8. Lavonte David, Nebraska 279 ( 86 Tackles, 3 Sacks, 7 TFL's, 5 Bkups)
9. J.J. Watt, Wisconsin 277 ( 39 Tackles, 5 Sacks, 1 FF, 13.5 TFL's, 5 Bkups)
10. Kelvin Sheppard, LSU 270 ( 73 Tackles, 3.5 Sacks, 1 FF, 7.5 TFL's, 2 Bkups)

11. Chimdi Chekwa, Ohio St. 269 ( 3 Ints, 5 Bkups)
12. Cliff Harris, Oregon 268 ( 5 Ints, 7 Bkups)
13. Robert Lester, Alabama 251 ( 5 Ints)
14. Mark Barron , Alabama 246 ( 52 Tackles, 6 Bkups)
15. Travis Lewis, Oklahoma 236 ( 74 Tackles)
16. Alfonso Dennard, Nebraska 225 ( 3 Int's, 6 Bkups)
17. Lamar Chapman, Utah 217 ( 5.5 Sacks, 2 FF's)
18. Jonathan Nelson, Oklahoma 216 ( 62 Tackles, 2 FF's)
19. P.J. Smith, Nebraska 214 ( 3 Int's)
20. Anthony Leon, Arkansas 213 ( 10.5 TFL's)
21. Sean Spence, Miami 209 ( 56 Tackles, 9.5 TFL's)
22. Chaz Walker, Utah 201 ( 61 Tackles)
23. Josh Bynes, Auburn 196 ( 55 Tackles, 3 Int's)
24. Devin Taylor, South Carolina 195 ( 6.5 Sacks, 10 TFL's)
25. Olivier Vernon, Miami 188 ( 4 Sacks)

Defensive Line Rankings:

1. Auburn: I've discussed and shown the merits of one Nick Fairley on a weekly basis. Antoine Carter has been a steady contributor as well, along with true freshman DE Corey Lemonier.

2. Oklahoma: Jeremy Beal has been the headline grabber, with Frank Alexander chipping in with 3.5 sacks in limited duty.

3. LSU: DT Drake Nevis has had an outstanding season, and the Tigers would probably be ranked higher if DE Sam Montgomery wasn't lost to a season-ending injury.

4. Oregon: It's been the Brandon Bair show for most of the year, as he's basically lived in opposing teams' backfields. The Ducks could move up to number one if DE Kenny Rowe keeps coming up with big plays. The Preseason all Pac-10 selection has 5 Sacks and 10 TFL's after a slow start.

5. Texas: Texas has fallen out of the top 25, but not because of the efforts of Sam Acho and Eddie Jones, top 25 staples who came up with an abundance of sacks and TFL's while the Longhorns were ranked.

Studs of the Week:
Shane Horton, USC ( 11 Tackles, 2.5 Sacks, 1 Bkup)
Shaun Prater, Iowa ( 10 Tackles, 1 Int, 0.5 TFL, 1 Bkup)
Colin McCarthy, Miami ( 18 Tackles, 1 Int, 2 TFL's)
Johnny Thomas, Oklahoma State ( 6 Tackles, 1 Int, 1 FF, 2 Bkups)
Jamell Fleming, Oklahoma (6 Tackles, 1 sack, 2 TFL, 3 Bkups)
Antonio Allen, South Carolina ( 7 Tackles, 4 TFL's, 1.5 Sacks)

Stonebreaker Award: Week 7

After a multiple week hiatus, The Stonebreaker Award rankings are back. I've still been monitoring the defensive statistics still on a week to week basis, and with today's post, I'm going to reveal not only the top 25 defensive players in the land up to this point, but I'm also going to give you my top 5 team secondary rankings, with linebacker, defensive line, and total team rankings to follow in the next three weeks. Before I do this however, I'm going to peel back the curtain and define how I arrive at these rankings each week.

How it Works: I've been keeping track of six defensive categories; tackles, sacks, interceptions, tackles for a loss, passes broken up, and forced fumbles. To be in the rankings for the week, your team has to be in the consensus top 25( adding up the votes for both the AP, and ESPN polls). Your stats don't count if your team isn't ranked. For example, Texas players' stats count up until they fell out of the rankings, and now that they're ranked again, I pick up with their stats they had accumulated while ranked. I rank the top 25 in tackles, sacks, and ints each week, and the top 15 in forced fumbles, TFL's, and pass breakups. The total number of points players accumulate from when I rank these each week is their "score," and the players with the top 25 scores are in my top 25. So basically you could be having a great statistical year, but if your team craps the bed, you fall back. It's a flawed system, but college football knows all about flawed systems, so I'm comfortable with it. In theory, you should be playing in relevant games and be ranked in the top 25 if you and your team are that good.

Top 25:
1. Ahmad Black, S, Sr. Florida 334 points
2. Jeremy Beal, DE, Sr. Oklahoma (308)
3. Nick Fairley, DT, Jr. Auburn (301)
4. Wayne Daniels, DE, Sr. TCU (298)
5. Jamell Fleming, CB, Jr. Oklahoma (285)
6. Drake Nevis, DT, Sr. LSU (274)
7. Brandon Bair, DT, Sr. Oregon (251)
8. Dejon Gomes, S, Sr. Nebraska (239)
9. Janoris Jenkins, CB, Jr. Florida (223)
10. Lavonte David, LB, Jr. Nebraska (216)
11. Chimdi Chekwa, CB, Sr. Ohio St. (212)
12. Kelvin Sheppard, LB, Sr. LSU (209)
13. Jeremy Brown, CB, Soph. Florida (205)
14. Robert Lester, S, Soph. Alabama (201)
15. J.J. Watt, DE, Jr. Wisconsin (199)
16. Cliff Harris, CB, Soph. Oregon (192)
17. Travis Lewis, LB, Jr. Oklahoma (184)
18. Anthony Leon, S, Sr. Arkansas (183)
19. P.J. Smith, S, Soph. Nebraska (170)
20. Antoine Carter, DE, Sr. Auburn (167)
21. Jonathan Bostic, LB, Soph. Florida (164)
22. Mark Barron, S, Jr. Alabama (163)
22. Chaz Walker, LB, Jr. Utah (163)
24. Shea McClellin, DE, Jr. Boise St. (156)
25. Alfonso Dennard, CB, Jr. Nebraska (155)

Defensive Back Rankings

1. Florida: Despite the 4-3 record, most of the problems with the Gators come from the offensive side of the ball. In Black, Jenkins, and Jeremy Brown, Florida has 8 Ints, 11 breakups, and 60 tackles from Black.

2. Oklahoma: Jamell Fleming is number 5 overall, but the Sooners have two more DB's in the top 50 in Jonathan Nelson and Quinton Carter. Freshman Tony Jefferson has 37 tackles and 5 breakups as well.

3. Nebraska: Corner Prince Amukamara could be the next great NFL corner whom no one knows how to say his name, and he only has the 4th most points in his own defensive backfield. Gomes, Smith, and Dennard are all in the top 25 mainly because they've combined for 8 Ints and 6 breakups. Gomes also ranks high with 53 tackles and 2 forced fumbles.

4. Alabama: Robert Lester started hot with 4 Ints early, keeping him highly ranked, but preseason All-American Mark Barron has been creeping up the rankings each week. Barron leads the team in tackles with 47, and has contributed something in all 6 major categories. Dre Kirkpatrick also has played well, with 35 tackles and 3 ints.

5. Arkansas: I know they just gave up 900 points to Cam Newton and the boys on Saturday, but despite this performance, Arkansas' secondary has played well. Anthony Leon has 8 TFL's from the safety position, and Rudell Crim, Tramain Thomas, and Ramon Broadway all are in the top 75.

Lines of the Week:
Orie Lemon, Oklahoma St.: 17 Tackles
Travis Lewis, Oklahoma: 14 Tackles, 0.5 TFL's, 1 Bkup
Keith Tandy, West Virginia: 10 Tackles, 1 Int, 1 FF, 0.5 TFL's
Brad Madison, Missouri: 3 Tackles, 3 Sacks, 3 TFL's
Shaquelle Richardson, Arizona: 7 Tackles, 2 Int's, 3 Bkups

Stonebreaker Awards: Week 3 Results

It must be September, because Notre Dame has already lost a game in overtime. This does not matter however, because I've gotten used to the Irish being a top 25 afterthought before the leaves even start hitting the ground over the last couple of years. I simply pick and choose different bandwagons to leap on and off of, parlaying these flings into a partially satisfying college football experience each season. I'm also pacified by the fact that the Bears are 2-0. I always like pro football better anyway. As for the bandwagons I mentioned, West Virginia, Arkansas, and TCU sound like good spots for me to unleash my 25 inch vertical and hop aboard.

Top 10:
1. Wayne Daniels, TCU ( 9 Tackles, 3.5 Sacks, 1 FF, 6 TFLS)
2. Jamell Fleming, Oklahoma ( 25 Tackles, 2 Ints, 2 TFLS, 4 Breakups)

3. Ahmad Black, Florida ( 24 Tackles, 1 Sack, 3 Ints, 2 TFLS)
4. Nick Fairley, Auburn (16 Tackles, 4 Sacks, 1 Int, 7 TFLS)
5. Chindi Chekwa, Ohio St. ( 11 Tackles, 2 Ints, 1 FF, 1 TFL, 3 Breakups)
6. Janoris Jenkins, Florida, ( 9 Tackles, 1 Sack, 2 Ints, 2 TFLS, 4 Breakups)
7. Sam Acho, Texas ( 10 Tackles, 2 Sacks, 1 FF, 5 TFLS)
8. Anthony Leon, Arkansas( 19 Tackles, 2.5 Sacks, 5.5 TFLS)
9. Eddie Jones, Texas ( 18 Tackles, 4 Sacks, 6 TFLS)
10. Antoine Carter, Auburn( 14 Tackles, 3 Sacks, 5 TFLS, 1 Breakup)
10. Dejon Gomes, Nebraska ( 21 Tackles, 1 Int, 1 FF, 1 Breakup)

Best of the Rest

12. Drake Nevis, LSU
13. Robert Lester, Alabama
13. Olivier Vernon, Miami
15. T.J. McDonald, USC
16. Shea McClellin, Boise St.
17. Brandon Bair, Oregon
18. Tyler Moeller, Ohio St.
19. Jeremy Beal, Oklahoma
20. Chaz Walker, Utah
21. Jeremy Brown, Florida
21. Lavonte David, Nebraska
21. Travis Lewis, Oklahoma
24. Kelvin Sheppard, LSU
25. P.J. Smith, Nebraska

We have basically the same top 10 as last week, but people that had good early starts have fallen back to the back a little bit. In terms of individual units, Florida has 3 DB's in the top 25, with two in the top 10. Texas and Auburn's Defensive Lines' put 4 combined in the top 10, while the highest rated linebacker I have is Chaz Walker from Utah at number 20. With the top teams playing less "cupcakes" in the upcoming weeks, look for a shakeup in the rankings, as first stringers won't be getting benched at halftime and will put up bigger stat lines. In closing, for this weeks slate of games involving top 25ers going up against each other, pencil me in for Alabama squeaking by Arkansas, West Virginia going into Baton Rouge and beating LSU, Auburn beating South Carolina, and Boise State simply destroying Oregon St. Oh yeah, and Notre Dame is going to beat Stanford.