COLLEGE FOOTBALL / GENE WOJCIECHOWSKI : No Statuettes Come With These Awards

Time for our prestigious--or so we keep telling ourselves--1991 awards. The envelopes, please.

Overachiever of the Year Award

The nominees: North Carolina State (9-2), Kansas State (7-4), Bowling Green (10-1), Vanderbilt (5-5), Mississippi State (7-4), USC (3-8).

The reasons: Dick Sheridan’s peers consider the Wolfpack coach one of the best in the business. Now we know why. . . . Picked to finish last in the Big Eight Conference, the Wildcats took advantage of a weak early schedule, almost beat Nebraska and Colorado in successive weeks and won seven games for the first time since 1954. . . . In only his second season at Bowling Green, Gary Blackney produced 10 victories from a team expected to win half that many. . . . At last check, the Commodores have as many Southeastern Conference victories as Kentucky, Mississippi and Auburn combined. . . . Florida Times-Union columnist Gene Frenette recently asked 25 college football reporters to rank the 10 most disliked coaches in the country. Mississippi State’s Jackie Sherrill won by a comfortable margin. Of course, that’s not the only thing he won this year. Try seven games and a bowl invitation. . . . How the Trojans won three games, including one against Penn State, is beyond us. A remarkable piece of coaching.

And the winner is: Kansas State.

Underachiever of the Year Award

The nominees: Michigan State (3-8), Auburn (5-5), Houston (4-6), Louisville (2-9), USC (3-8).

The reasons: We picked Michigan State to win the Big Ten title. The Spartans thanked us with a 20-3 opening loss to Central Michigan. We should have known then. . . . Is it tapes or taps for Auburn Coach Pat Dye? . . . We picked Cougar quarterback David Klingler to win the Heisman Trophy. Then we discovered that his offensive line was a free-floating tub of goo. . . . Injuries ended the Cardinals’ season before it began. . . . How the Trojans lost eight games, including one against Memphis State, is beyond us. A disappointing piece of coaching.

And the winner is: USC.

Radio Shack Frequent Buyer Award

The nominee: Former Auburn defensive back Eric Ramsey.

The reasons: With hand out and microphone on, Ramsey brought an athletic program to its knees. He owns the hottest set of secret recordings since the Nixon Tapes.

And the winner is: Ramsey.

Coach of the Year Award

The nominees: Miami’s Dennis Erickson, Washington’s Don James, California’s Bruce Snyder, East Carolina’s Bill Lewis, Florida’s Steve Spurrier, Stanford’s Dennis Green.

The reasons: His best team might be a season away, and yet, Erickson has positioned the Hurricanes for another national title. . . . If we were the Washington athletic director, we’d call Florida State and ask how to word those lifetime contracts. Then we’d beg James to sign on the dotted line. . . . In interviews, he’s usually as bland as a cheese pizza, but on the sideline, Snyder is daring, organized, resourceful and good enough to make an NFL franchise quite happy one day. . . . With apologies to Ray Goff, Lewis is the guy Georgia should have hired. . . . If Athletic Director Bill Arnsparger never does another thing at Florida, it won’t matter. He hired Spurrier. . . . Green is another NFL head coach waiting to happen.

And the winner is: Erickson.

Wish You Weren’t Leaving Award

The nominees: California quarterback Mike Pawlawski, Michigan offensive tackle Greg Skrepenak, Tennessee wide receiver Carl Pickens, Virginia quarterback Matt Blundin, Colorado quarterback Darian Hagan, Kansas running back Tony Sands.

The reasons: Anybody who leads Cal to a 9-2 record, never runs out of bounds or slides when scrambling, goes face to face with Washington’s Steve Emtman and isn’t afraid to say what’s on his mind is OK in our notebook. . . . Skrepenak elevated the drive block to an art form. . . . Pouty Pickens will flourish in the pros. . . . Blundin didn’t thrown an interception the entire season and led the surprising Cavaliers to an 8-2-1 record. This was his first and last year as a starter. . . . The Buffaloes never lost a Big Eight game in the three years Hagan was a starter. He’s the most exciting option quarterback in the country. . . . Tuxedo Tony, all 5 feet 6 and 170 pounds of him, leaves with the NCAA single-game rushing record, 396 yards. This is from a guy who was barely recruited out of high school.

And the winner is: Hagan.

Bozo Bowl Award

The nominees: Aloha Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Copper Bowl, Sun Bowl.

The reasons: Because the Aloha Bowl representatives were clueless about finding an opponent for Georgia Tech. ABC, which is televising the game, had to bail them out. By doing so, they stole Stanford from the Freedom Bowl. May President Bush interrupt regularly scheduled programming with a three-hour news conference at the exact moment Georgia Tech and Stanford begin play. . . . Wow, what an exciting Sugar Bowl matchup: Notre Dame (8-3) against Florida, which could drop to 9-2 if it loses to Florida State Saturday. We would rather watch Punky Brewster reruns. . . . In the Copper Bowl, exciting Baylor, which beat Arkansas, 9-5, a few weeks ago, plays Indiana (6-4-1), which nearly didn’t qualify for postseason play. Just goes to show what bowl reps will do for an overrated Big Ten team. . . . The Zzzzzzzzzun Bowl matches Illinois (6-5), which lost its last two games, against UCLA (8-3), which lost to three of the four ranked teams it played this season.

And the winner is: Sugar Bowl.

Les Miserables Award

The nominees: Navy (0-10), New Mexico (3-9), Oregon State (1-10), Missouri (3-7-1), Cal State Fullerton (2-9), Oklahoma State (0-10-1).

The reasons: If Navy’s football program were a ship, it would be scuttled. . . . Pity the next New Mexico coach. . . . One of the worst trips in the Pacific 10 Conference is made easier because of one thing: an automatic victory. Say a prayer for Beaver Coach Jerry Pettibone. . . . The Tigers haven’t had a winning season since 1983, despite the fertile recruiting grounds of nearby St. Louis and Kansas City, to say nothing of Illinois. . . . Titan Coach Gene Murphy should have gotten out years ago. . . . Since Barry Sanders left after the 1988 season, the Cowboys are 8-24-1. Coach Pat Jones deserves better.

And the winner is: Missouri.

Heisman Trophy

The nominees: Brigham Young quarterback Ty Detmer, Michigan wide receiver Desmond Howard, Washington defensive lineman Steve Emtman, Florida State cornerback Terrell Buckley, Indiana running back Vaughn Dunbar.

The reasons: Detmer leads the nation in total offense and passing yardage, is second in pass efficiency and, in many respects, has had a better season than in 1990, when he won the trophy. . . . Howard leads the country in scoring and touchdowns and is the main reason Michigan still has a chance to win a national championship. . . . If opposing teams could quadruple-block Emtman--and get away with it--they would. . . . Find a better defensive back than Buckley. We dare you. . . . Sure, Dunbar carries the ball about 1,000 times a game. He also gained 1,699 yards, averaged 5.1 yards and was the heart and soul of a so-so Indiana team.

And the winner is: Howard.

Talk of a 1992 Kickoff Classic matchup between Washington and Miami is a bit premature. The Huskies and the Hurricanes are on the Kickoff Classic wish list, but Miami, which last played in the game in 1984, might have a scheduling problem. The Kickoff Classic is scheduled for Aug. 31 at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. The next week, the Hurricanes must travel to Iowa to play the Hawkeyes. Would Miami want to start its season with two road games against the likes of Washington and Iowa? If it meant a chance at the Huskies, Miami would. Washington would be faced with a similar situation. The Huskies have a Sept. 5 appointment at Arizona State. Other probable Kickoff Classic candidates: Oklahoma, Florida, Alabama, Florida State, Michigan and UCLA. . . . The Pigskin Classic at Anaheim Stadium, tentatively scheduled for next August, wants an in-state team. They think it would help ticket sales. They are right. Possible invitees include UCLA, Stanford and California. USC probably played its way out of consideration. And it might be a longshot, but Don Andersen, executive director of the Pigskin Classic, said he has talked with Notre Dame about accepting an invitation. Most of the heavy negotiating won’t be done until early January, when the NCAA Convention convenes.

No wonder Colorado Coach Bill McCartney has a soft spot for this year’s team. In their last four games, the Buffaloes tied Nebraska at Boulder, where the windchill factor made it minus-8 degrees; beat Oklahoma State on a wind-whipped day that saw the Buffaloes convert a fake field goal into a touchdown in the last 10 seconds; defeated Kansas in a snowstorm, and beat Iowa State in near-blizzard conditions with the windchill factor at minus-20 degrees. Entering the Kansas game, Colorado hadn’t played in the snow since 1979. . . . Memo to the Rams: Fresno State Coach Jim Sweeney would look good on the team’s 1992 media guide. . . . Remember David Klingler? The people who present the Davey O’Brien Award, given to the nation’s top quarterback, seem to have forgotten him. On the award’s official ballot, the Houston star’s name is misspelled, Klinger .

Top 10

As selected by staff writer Gene Wojciechowski

No. Team Record 1. Miami 10-0 2. Washington 11-0 3. Florida State 10-1 4. Michigan 10-1 5. Penn State 9-2 6. Florida 9-1 7. Texas A&M; 9-1 8. Iowa 10-1 9. Alabama 9-1 10. Tennessee 8-2

Waiting list: Nebraska (8-1-1), Colorado (8-2-1), East Carolina (10-1), Clemson (8-1-1), California (9-2).