FanHouse GeorgeSelvie

The 2010 NFL draft is still 51 weeks away, and yes, a whole lot will change during the 2009 college football season. But millions of us are obsessed with the NFL draft, so with the 2009 draft now behind us, let's take a very early look ahead at potential No. 1 overall pick Sam Bradford of Oklahoma, as well as the other top players in the Class of 2010.

God bless you, Week 3. Finally, it's time for football with outcomes less predictable than Al Davis' wardrobe or what happens when you leave PJ Hill alone with a Twinkie. Here's 10 games to watch other than Ohio State-USC.

Kansas vs. South Florida, Friday 8PM

Why We're Watching: Velour. Please, Mark Mangino, bring back the velour. We'll plant a velour tree, write velour ballads and pray to a velour god who wears gold chains and sleeps on a circular bed (Which is probably James Caan).

Then there's the football, as two previously not-ready-for-primetime teams meet on national television in a game that's as much about this season as a dipstick on the state of two climbing programs. Quarterbacks Matt Grothe andTodd Reesing are the constants from last year's teams, but both the Bulls and Jayhawks have to prove that they've successfully rebuilt key areas of their teams. South Florida lost two four-year starters at cornerback to the NFL draft and replaced them with Jerome Murphy and Tyller Roberts, two players with two career starts entering the season. Kansas lost its leading rusher and its leading receiver, but seems to have no problem filling the holes with Brandon Anderson-styled powerback Angus Quigley and an array of receivers (Reesing has completed passes to 11 different players).

But the matchup of the game will be South Florida's George Selvie against red-shirt freshman lineman Jeff Spikes. Selvie led the nation in sacks last year, but hasn't had the chance to so much as touch a quarterback inappropriately this season. He's due, which should alone send a shiver down Bulls' fans like they just hired Isiah Thomas to run the team. And if that doesn't strike enough fear, consider this: When he was a kid, George Selvie had a Buick fall on his head. If you think that doesn't make you an unstoppable badass, ponder it some more with the entire Wisconsin offensive line sitting on your head to add to the realism.

If South Florida wins, they likely won't play another ranked team this season until they meet West Virginia in December. [ Ed. Note -- The Bulls edged out Kansas on a dramatic last-second field goal. ]

South Florida had an amazing run last year beating Auburn and West Virginia and climbing all the way to number two in the BCS poll with a 6-0 record. Then the wheels came off and they stumbled down the stretch losing three Big East games in a row and then getting totally hammered by Oregon in their bowl game. Was it a case of playing over their head early, or did a lack of experience catch up with them late? If those are my only two choices I'd go with the latter. This was a team that should have been playing for a title or at least a BCS berth last year. But that was last year. Let's look at how they'll do this year.

Why They'll Win

The Bulls return nine starters on offense and eight on defense. On offense, everything revolves around quarterback Matt Grothe. He led the team in rushing and passing the last two years. He's exceptionally tough, and draws a lot of comparisons to Brett Favre for his erratic play. He's not an exceptional passer or runner, but like Favre he makes the plays he needs to make. However, he also threw 14 interceptions each of the last two years. With another year under his belt he should be able to cut down on his mistakes and get the rest of the offense involved. Outside of Grothe, four of the top five receivers return as well as two experienced rushers in Benjamin Williams and Mike Ford. Not to mention four of the starting five offensive linemen return.

The defense returns two potential All-Americans in defensive end George Selvie and safety Nate Allen. It's a fast defense that is near impossible to run outside on and big enough in the middle to make life tough. It was a tale of two season for the Bulls, though, as they were stingy the first half of the season but gave up over 30 points to four of their last six opponents. With so much experience returning, they should be able to correct their mistakes.

Forget it! When the award is handed out at the end of the year, just keep you hands in your pockets and look the other way. Yes, Big East homerism running on all cylinders here. But I find it hard if not impossible to think that George Selvie, defensive end for South Florida, isn't one of the top four linemen in all of college football.

By any measuring stick, Selvie has all the defensive linemen that are still eligible beat. And those linemen would be Glenn Dorsey of LSU, Chris Long of Virginia, and line backer James Laurinaitis of Ohio State. Here's a little breakdown of the stats. In order, they are tackles, tackles for a loss, sacks, and because a couple of them made them, interceptions.

G. Selvie -------49-- 27.5-- 13.5-- 0

G. Dorsey ------46-- 8.5--- 5.0---- 0

J. Laurinaitis -51-- 7.5 ---5.0---- 2

C. Long --------65---- 16----12---- 1

OK, not the prettiest thing you've ever seen, but it does put things in perspective. 27.5 tackles for a loss!!! It's unreal what this kid is doing. And unlike Long and Laurinaitis, he's done it against the likes of West Virginia, Auburn, and North Carolina to name a few. While Long and Laurinaitis have done it against much weaker competition. I have all the respect in the world for Glenn Dorsey, but to be honest he hasn't been as good as advertised this year. I don't have any doubts that he is that good, but for my argument I'm looking at what they have done on the field this year. Not what they are capable of doing.

Luckily for Selvie, and not so luckily for the rest of the Big East, he's a sophomore and should be at the top of this list next year. But for my money, he's at the top of the list this year.

As we have reached the midway point of the season, it's time to take a look at who is positioning themselves for some hardware at the end of the season.

Pat White- Last years Big East offensive player of the year hasn't quite had the type of year we were expecting out of him. For anyone else, it would be a banner year. But this is Pat White. That guy you expect to run wild every week and complete enough passes to keep the defense honest. Well, he's completing 71% of his passes for 865 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception. But oh what an interception it was, as Ben Moffitt rumbled into the end zone and put South Florida up for good. He's also rushed for 411 yards on 69 carries for seven touchdowns. With the bulk of the big games on the Mountaineer schedule still ahead of them, Pat will have his chances to shine.

Steve Slaton- Again, I kind of feel like he's not quite living up to expectations. Part of that is that West Virginia has this guy, Noel Devine, that has dazzled everyone watching, and taken away carries that Slaton would have otherwise had. But as the season wears on and Slaton doesn't tire out, we might see a different result at the end of the year. For now, Slaton is third in the Big East in rushing with 625 yards and nine touchdowns.

Matt Grothe- The South Florida quarterback is leading the team in rushing, passing, and bad haircuts. Cheap shots aside, he's also one tough mother. If you've taken the time to watch a South Florida game, you've notice that every time he gets tackled he bounces right up. It almost seems like he's racing to get up before the person that tackled him. He doesn't have the wheels of a Pat White or the arm of a Brian Brohm, but he does have a motor that never seems to quit. And he's probably the only player in the Big East that has a legit shot at the Heisman.

Brian Brohm- What a shame Louisville is a defense optional team, because Brohm would be leading in the Heisman race by a mile. He's completing 67% of his passes for 23 touchdowns and four interceptions. He also has nearly 1,000 more yards passing than the leagues number two passer, Mike Teel. That's 2,765 yards or 395 per game. And if Atlanta keeps playing the way they're playing, he'll be wearing a Falcons jersey here real soon.

More after the jump.