Just in case you have never seen THE PLAY, click below.

One thing to note is how amazing the drive led by John Elway was to put Stanford ahead. Faced with a fourth and 17 on the Stanford 13-yard line, Elway hits his receiver for a 29-yard gain. He eventually leads the Cardinal to what appears to be a game-winning field goal with eight seconds to go.

Who knew that the biggest mistake of the game came when Stanford called that last timeout so quickly?

Also, the Cal announcer nails the entire sequence.

“One of the most remarkable finishes you’ll ever see!” he says.

But he said that before THE PLAY happened. He spoke too soon:

“>

THE BALL IS LOOSE!

Some odds and ends….

–An NFC scout talks in circles about Brady Quinn to Yahoo’s Charles Robinson, comparing him to–of all players–Kyle Orton.

Some people are going to look at his production, with the field all spread out, and if they don’t like his arm, they’re going to say there’s inflation. Going into [his senior season], Orton had a lot of that talk about the Heisman Trophy and [being] a top pick. But a lot of questions were there. He had that good size and seemed to be where you wanted him to be mentally. But I think as a whole, people still weren’t entirely sure about his arm….

…Right now, I would say Quinn is a far better athlete than Orton, but he’s still got to show some of the same things. A lot of opinions can change.”

So, the scout uses Orton as a cautionary note, yet still wants Quinn to show the same things as the former Purdue quarterback? How befitting it is for an NFL scout to make such little sense.

As for the two offenses, there is a huge difference (one can only gather that the scout does not watch a lot of college football). For instance, Notre Dame’s offense actually empasizes a balanced attack, with a legitimate running game. Purdue’s does not. The Irish passing game also tends to be more vertical, while Purdue rarely throws the ball down field.

One last thing: Some talked of Orton as a Heisman candidate, but we never really took him too seriously here at HP. Quinn will have no such credibility problem and is the odds-on Heisman favorite.

–Speaking of Quinn, he has already narrowed his list to six agents to represent him when he graduates.

–Stew Mandel talks about the ACC in his latest letter bag..

The main question: Is the ACC living up to its hype as a super conference?

For starters, I think that different people have different ideas on what makes a good conference. Some look at ranked teams or bowl wins. Others look at competitiveness and overall balance.

I’ve always tended to lean towards the latter. A conference that has fewer weeks off tends to, in my book, be better overall.

Last year, I thought that the ACC was just such a conference. Going in, I called it the top conference in the country. While there were no teams that competed for the national title, there were 11 teams (Duke excluded) that had the ability to win on any given day.

I think that is an attribute also shared by conferences like the Big Ten and Pac-10. Leagues like the Big East, SEC and Big 12, not so much. More on conference rankings soon.

–Fred Rouse and A.J. Nicholson have been charged with robbing teammate Lorenzo Booker.

Rouse confessed his involvement to authorities on May 28, according to police. Rouse was arrested and charged with three felonies: burglary of a dwelling, grand theft and unrelated possessions of a controlled substance without a prescription, which was ecstasy. Rouse has been released on bond. A warrant is out for the arrest of Nicholson, who faces felony charges of burglary of a dwelling and grand theft and criminal mischief, which is a misdemeanor.

It’s a shame that Rouse went down that road. He was a special talent with an NFL career in his future. If he gets convicted of this crime, it’ll all be gone.

As for Booker, I’m sure this is not what he had in mind when he left Ventura, Calif., for Tallahassee.

–CFN’s Heisman leaders look not unlike HP’s.

–Tom Dienhart of The Sporting News previews Ole Miss on the rise.

The Rebels have a chance to be a ‘hip’ team down South in the next couple years, but they have to start producing soon, or Ed Orgeron won’t be there to see all his young talent develop. One thing that is distressing is the lack of innovation on offense.

Last year, the Rebels were horrible offensively. This year, they have brought in Dan Werner from Miami to shake things up. Werner wants to build around the run and play-action passes.

Yawn.

So what he is saying is that the offense will be just another run-of-the-mill SEC unit–no vertical passing game, no spread elements, no fun ‘n gun.

I think that’s a big mistake. You know Ole Miss will be strong defensively. But it won’t have the talent on offense to challenge SEC defenses with such a conservative approach.

Orgeron should take a page on offense from his old coaching mate, Norm Chow, to spice things up. Otherwise, it may be another tough season down in Oxford.

–The Lindy’s preseason magazine is in. I have to say that the national edition is not as good as the conference one. For starters, Lindy’s could get some better writers. Its current batch scrapes the bottom of the barrel.

Lindy’s top three are Notre Dame, Ohio State and West Virginia.

–Athlon, meanwhile, has a top three of Oklahoma, Notre Dame and USC.

–Some aren’t too happy with the new NCAA regulation that allows already-graduated players to transfer to another school in their fifth year without having to sit out.

While many are saying it’s a bad rule because of how unfair it is to the programs, I don’t have a problem with anything that gives some freedom and reward to athletes who actually bother to take their studies seriously.

They are supposed to be student-athletes, not chattel. It’s sad that some reporters can’t see that.

CFR has a creative post that fleshes out the college football blog family tree.

In the sport of kings—thoroughbred horseracing—the majority of, if not all modern horses can trace their origin to just three ancestors. They are the Darley Arabian, the Godolphin Arabian and the Byerly Turk. Thanks to superior qualities within those horses (speed, temperament, competitiveness), they emerged as the dominant bloodstock for all that followed.

For all intents and purposes, all college football blogs can also trace their origin to three ancestors. They are Heisman Pundit, MGoBlog and EDSBS. One could say they are the Holy Trinity, the Blogfathers if you will. Thanks to their own superior qualities, these blogs have also emerged as the bloodstock for all future college football blogs.

I had never thought of it like that, but it’s pretty cool, nonetheless, to be included in that group.

You can definitely see how blogs have branched into a few distinct styles, but I think that team blog formats like MGO’s will continue to dominate things numbers-wise. There’s no shortage of devoted fans out there who want to write about their team.

I think the other two blog types are a bit harder to start up and maintain, if only because of the breadth of subjects that must be covered. On the other hand, there is also more freedom to be creative and more opportunity to grab hold of a wider audience.

All this talk of blog history made me curious to go back and see when certain blogs came into existence. I tried to stick to blogs that deal primarily with college football and have produced a steady stream of posts. Here’s what I came up with (any corrections are welcome, so pipe in if you can help!):

The Blog Creation Timeline

Tigerpundit (March 2, 2002. Only blogged in March and August of 2002 before picking up again in June 2003)

Fan Blogs (April, 2003)

Pitt Sports Blather (Aug. 2003)

Georgia Sports Blog (Dec., 2003. Discontinued until Aug. 2004)

Heismanpundit (Sept. 2004)

College Football Resource (Oct. 2004)

ATL/Burnt Orange Nation (Nov. 2004)

State Fans Nation (Nov. 2004)

MGOBlog (Dec. 1, 2004)

Blue-Gray Sky (Dec. 4, 2004)

Atl Eagle (Dec. 8, 2004)

We Are The Boys (Jan. 2005)

Everyday Should Be Saturday (Feb. 2005)

Canes Addiction (Feb. 2005)

Gunslingers (Feb. 2005)

I Blog For Cookies (March 2005)

Braves and Birds (March 2005)

Voluminous (May 2005)

The Realist (June 2005)

Bruinsnation (June 2005)

Sunday Morning Quarterback (July 2005)

Kyle on Football/Dawgsports (July 2005)

Paradigm Blog (Aug. 2005)

View From Rocky Top (Aug. 2005)

The Wizard of Odds (Aug. 2005)

House That Rock Built (Sept. 2005)

Michigan Zone (Oct. 2005)

———————————————————

There’s obviously a host of blogs that aren’t listed, but it wasn’t my intention to leave anyone out. Please let me know which ones I missed!

One thing I found noteworthy is that Tigerpundit is the oldest blog of them all. I had no idea until I checked the archives. I don’t think TP has ever gotten proper credit for that.

I’m glad to have it and another ancient blog–Pitt Sports Blather–among my links.

USA Today’s Michael Hiestand talks college football in his latest sports television column.

The big news? Dan Fouts will become a play-by-play announcer after 19 years as an analyst.

It’s all part of a big shakeup at ABC following the retirement of Keith Jackson and the loss of Lynn Swann and Aaron Taylor to other endeavors.

I’m not a huge fan of the Fouts move. I don’t think his voice has quite enough ‘ring’ to it to call a game with much distinction. However, his eyesight will be an improvement over Keith Jackson’s, who often made mistakes while viewing the games from his in-booth monitor.

Here’s the complete rundown of the ABC/ESPN and ESPN2 Commentator Teams:

ABC Saturday Night College Football
Play-by-play–Brent Musburger
Analyst–Bob Davie and Kirk Herbstreit*
Reporter–Lisa Salters

ABC Saturday games
Play-by-play–Brad Nessler
Analyst–Bob Griese and Paul Maguire
Reporter–Stacey Dales

ESPN College Football Saturday Primetime
Play-by-play–Mike Patrick
Analyst–Todd Blackledge
Reporter–Holly Rowe

ESPN College Football Thursday Primetime
Play-by-play–Chris Fowler
Analyst–Kirk Herbstreit
Reporter–Erin Andrews

ESPN2 College Football Saturday Primetime
Play-by-play–Ron Franklin
Analyst–Ed Cunningham
Reporter–Dr. Jerry Punch

ESPN Saturday noon
Play-by-play–Sean McDonough
Analyst–Chris Spielman
Reporter–Rob Stone

ESPN2 Saturday noon
Play-by-play–Pam Ward
Analyst–Mike Gottfried
Reporter–Jimmy Dykes

ABC Saturday games
Play-by-play–Mark Jones
Analyst–David Norrie
Reporter–Sam Ryan

ABC Saturday games
Play-by-play–Dan Fouts
Analyst–Tim Brant
Reporter–Jack Arute

ABC Saturday games
Play-by-play–Gary Thorne
Analyst–Andre Ware
Reporter–Todd Harris

ESPN and ESPN2 Fridays
Play-by-play–Dave Pasch
Analyst–Rod Gilmore and Trevor Matich
Reporter–Alex Flanagan

ESPN and ESPN2 midweek games
Play-by-play–John Saunders
Analyst–Craig James
Reporter–Todd Harris

ESPN and ESPN2 midweek games
Play-by-play–Rece Davis
Analyst–Mark May and Lou Holtz
Reporter–Rob Stone

* On certain weeks, Herbstreit will be unable to work ABC’s Saturday night telecast due to the location of College GameDay

Pre-games, halftimes and post-games
John Saunders, Craig James and Doug Flutie

College GameDay*
Chris Fowler, Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit

Saturday day-long pre-game, halftime and post-game as well as midnight show
Rece Davis, Mark May and Lou Holtz

* Desmond Howard will return as a College GameDay contributor

…you won’t get to have a cake like this:

The press box has a creamy filling

Wedding cakes modeled on college football stadiums…I think there could be a market for it–even outside of Texas.

Sports Illustrated lists its top 15 plays in college football history in its photo gallery today.

The magazine’s No. 1 play? It’s the ‘Bush Push’ from last year’s USC-Notre Dame game.

I have to say that I am hard pressed to find a better play than THE PLAY from the 1982 Cal-Stanford game, though. I won’t rank a top 15, but here are my top five plays. Like SI’s list, they are all from the modern era:

1. The Play, Cal-Stanford, 1982

–Simply the wackiest ending ever to a football game on any level. I never get tired of watching it.

2. Kordell Stewart to Michael Westbrook, 1994

–How this play gets overshadowed by Flutie’s miracle is beyond me. Stewart threw that ball 75 yards in the air.

3. Randall to Henderson, 2002 (The Bluegrass Miracle)

–This one was priceless because of the premature celebration by the Kentucky fans.

4. Flutie to Phelan, 1984

–Such a legendary play, but few remember that the Heisman voting had already taken place.

5. Leinart to Jarrett, 4th and 9, 2005

–This was a more amazing play than the Bush Push. Jarrett was seeing double after a previous hit, the crowd was as loud as a crowd could be, Leinart had to audible and then placed the ball just beyond Ambrose Wooden’s fingertips.

The Stanford saxophone player and Kevin Moen, together forever in college football lore

Here’s the third in an ongoing series by HP that will look at the top players in the country at some of the key positions.

So far, we’ve broken down the running backs and quarterbacks.

This week, we’ll take a look at the receivers, all of whom measure at least 6-3 in height. The era of the big wide out is in full bloom:

Dwayne Jarrett, USC–Just call him Mr. Touchdown. He’s got 29 of them in his first 26 games. He has added some bulk to his 6-5 frame and should be even more physical in 2006. He was a unanimous All-American last year with 91 catches for 1,274 yards and a nation-best 16 TDs. He is a likely first-round pick in the next draft.

Jeff Samardzija, Notre Dame–He burst onto the scene last year with 77 catches for 1,249 yards and 15 TDs. He’s got a great knack for making plays on the ball in the air and has deceptive speed for his size (6-5, 216 pounds). Has become a bit of a cult hero with his long, Marilyn Manson-like hair.

Calvin Johnson, Georgia Tech–A rare physical specimen whose numbers suffer somewhat because of a lackluster passing attack by Tech. Still, he had 54 catches for 888 yards and 6 TDs last year. At 6-4, 235 pounds, he overmatches most defensive backs. The early favorite to be the first receiver taken in the next draft.

Sidney Rice, South Carolina–The nation’s top freshman receiver last season, he had 70 catches for 1,143 yards and 13 TDs. He went on a tear to close out the year, with six 100-plus-yard performances and nine TDs in his last seven games. Should be even better in his second year in Steve Spurrier’s system.

Mario Urrutia, Louisville–‘Super Mario’ averaged an amazing 21.5 yards per reception in 2005 as just a redshirt freshman. Overall, he had 37 catches for 797 yards, but missed the better part of four games due to injury. The 6-6, 220-pounder should thrive as the feature receiver in the Bobby Petrino’s high-powered offense.

Honorable Mention–Jason Hill, WSU; Dwayne Bowe LSU; Jarrett Hicks, Texas Tech

Calvin Johnson is a future top-10 pick in the NFL draft

WRs Ready For A Breakout Season

Andre Caldwell, Florida–If he is fully recovered from injury, he should be the go-to guy in Meyer’s spread.

Rhema McKnight, Notre Dame–He was starting ahead of Jeff Samardzija last year before injuring his knee. If he is healthy, he should put up numbers similar to what Maurice Stovall had last season.

Lance Leggett or Ryan Moore, Miami–At least one of these talented wide outs should thrive in Miami’s new receiver-friendly system.

Terry Richardson, Arizona State–Played in the shadow of Derek Hagan last year, but should have a huge season catching balls from either Sam Keller or Rudy Carpenter.

DeSean Jackson, California–A premier playmaker who should build upon a fine freshman season, depending on what the quarterback situation is for the Bears.

DeSean Jackson is ready for a breakout season

Up and Comers (Future Stars)

Mike Thomas, Arizona
Early Doucet, LSU
Patrick Turner, USC
Greg Carr, Florida State
Billy Pittman, Texas
Mohammed Massaquoi, Georgia
Ernie Wheelright, Minnesota

Billy Pittman averaged 22 yards per catch for the Longhorns!

Better Than You Think

Mark Bradford, Stanford
Todd Blythe, Iowa State
D’Juan Woods, Oklahoma State
Earl Bennett, Vanderbilt
Mike Walker, UCF
Chansi Stuckey, Clemson

Mike Walker is better than you think

Top Freshmen

Percy Harvin, Florida
Vidal Hazelton, USC
Damon McDaniel, FSU
Sam Shields, Miami

Percy Harvin should be a phenomenal freshman

Top Five Wide Receiver Conferences, 2006

1. Pac-10–Dwayne Jarrett, USC; DeSean Jackson, Cal; Jason Hill, Washington State; Mark Bradford, Stanford; Mike Thomas, Arizona

2. SEC–Sidney Rice, South Carolina; Dwayne Bowe, LSU; Andre Caldwell, Florida; Mohammed Massaquoi, Georgia; Earl Bennett, Vanderbilt

3. ACC–Calvin Johnson, Georgia Tech; Ryan Moore, Miami; Chansi Stuckey, Clemson; Greg Carr, FSU; Deyon Williams, Virginia

4. Big Ten–Ted Ginn, Ohio State; Dorien Bryant, Purdue; James Hardy, Indiana; Shaun Herbert, Northwestern; Deon Butler, Penn State

5. Big 12–Todd Blythe, Iowa State; D’Juan Woods, Oklahoma State; Jarrett Hicks, Texas Tech; Billy Pittman, Texas; Nate Swift, Nebraska