College Football Week 12....why sometimes passing doesn't matter.

Juice Williams is quietly becoming a great passing quarterback as he's ranked 13th nationally in passing yards per game. Last year he didn't crack the top 100. This year he leads the best passing offense in the Big Ten. Last year it was the worst. But this year Illinois is 5-5, last year they finished 9-3 in the regular season and represented the Big Ten in the Rose Bowl. Another difference is that last year Illinois ran the ball much more effectively behind Rashard Mendenhall. It's good to see that Williams can pass, but Illinois fans must be somewhat frustrated given the fact that Illinois' success relies heavily on its ground game. This year they only have two games where they have rushed for over 200 yards as a team. Last year they did it in all nine of their wins (and none of their losses). But it's a different game plan as Illinois has taken about 7 of their running plays per game from 2007 and turned them into passing plays in 2008. Good for Williams' pro career, but bad for Ron Zook's.

Jimmy Clausen has taken his passing offense from 110th (where Notre Dame finished in 2007) to 21st thanks in large part to an improved schedule, a year of experience and the fact that he cut his hair. All joking aside, the Irish are looking much better than they did a year ago, but they are still 5-4. As someone who predicted them to finish 6-6, I can't say I'm surprised. I don't care if Clausen is ranked 16th in the nation in passing, I still don't like this offense.

Speaking of quarterbacks I don't like, Matthew Stafford is right behind Clausen up there in the top 20. And it's not that I don't like him, it's just that I think Stafford is over-rated. Georgia has a great team when they're playing official disaster-areas like Tennesse and Arizona State. Many thought Stafford was the messiah who was going to prematurely lead his team to the promised land. But they got the wrong guy. This guy may have a great arm and at times can scramble and make stunning plays, but for the most part he makes bad decisions. Please note, the lone exception to this was last Saturday when Stafford apparently had the game of his life against Kentucky.

Btw, what happened to the "IT" Quarterbacks of 2007, i.e., the guys who finished in the top 15 nationally in passing yards per game? Most graduated. Max Hall and Chase Hollbrook remained. And the Big 12 guys tripled in size. In 2007 they had just two quarterbacks in this group, but this year they have six (and sometimes seven, depending on the week). But fallen are (and injuries the last two weeks to Bacher and Painter are not to blame):
Willie Tuitama 9th
C.J. Bacher 10th
Curtis Painter 12th
Rusty Smith 15th