MaxwellPundit: Week Eleven

THE GAME is here. I'm not going to lie, I strongly considered making my top five Troy Smith, James Laurinaitis, Ted Ginn, Antonio Pittman and Quinn Pitcock just to stick it to all those losers from _ichigan... but in the end thought better of it to maintain the integrity of the poll heading into the home stretch of the 2006 regular season. Just know, though, I was really thinking about doing that.

Now here is O-H your ballot... I-O

1- Troy Smith, Quarterback/Conqueror of the So-called "Victors," The Ohio State University

After a week filled with rumors about a broken finger on his throwing hand, the real Troy Smith returned to the Scarlet and Grey just in time to tune up hapless Northwestern 54-10 after what amounted to a week off mentally against Illinois. 200 total yards and 4 TDs in a shortened day under center for #10 are just about the statistics to which we've grown accustomed over the past ten weeks. Troy can salt away the Maxwell by putting on his annual maize-and-blue surgery clinic Saturday at The Shoe.
(Last Week- 1)

2- Brady Quinn, Quarterback/The Other Quarterback Who Wears 10, University of Notre Dame

Well, well, well... look at who's team is back in the national title hunt. And guess who has been leading the way? A.J. Hawk's brother-in-law has actually put up better stats than his '06 Fiesta Bowl counterpart this season but his brutal outing against UM is what maintains a safe distance between Mr. Smith and Mr. Quinn.
(Last Week- 2)

3- Steve Slaton, Tailback/Still Studly in Second Place, West Virginia University

Slaton's broken record of around 150 yards and a TD or two on the ground per game continued in week ten against Cincinnati (148 yds, 2 TD) en route to yet another big score for the 'Neers. This kid has been so much fun to watch this year but I really have to wonder how close behind Troy Smith Slaton would be if not for those backbreaking fumbles at Papa John's. He'll need to roast Pitt and Rutgers in the coming weeks to have an outside chance at the top spot and even then he'll need some help from UM and USC.
(Last Week- 3)

4- Ray Rice, Tailback/Clutch Performer, Rutgers University

Undefeated... Rutgers? I know... I can't believe it, either. One thing I can easily believe is that Greg Schiano's Scarlet Knights would've never overcome that 25-7 deficit without the heroics of big number 27 in the backfield. Gaining 75 of his 131 rushing yards in a fourth quarter to complete an improbable comeback over a top-five opponent? That, my friends, is what a player of the year candidate does.
(Last Week- 5)

5- James Laurinaitis, Linebacker/Turnover Machine, The Ohio State University

A warm welcome back to the top five to the actual best defensive player in the Big Ten. While all the accolades have gone to Lamarr Woodley and his sack factory up north, can we all take a step back and realize that the Little Animal has not only over three times more tackles this season than Woodley (91 vs 29) but also has more turnovers (8 vs 7). As always, a big game against that school up north could mean that Laurinaitis will be a finalist for Maxwell in addition to the Butkus.
(Last Week- NR)

Dropped Out- Brian Brohm (4)

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Also considered- Marshawn Lynch (Cal), Brian Brohm (UL), Colt Brennan (UH), Mario Manningham (UM), Ted Ginn Jr (OSU), John David Booty (USC), Lamarr Woodley (UM)

No Longer Considered- Garrett Wolfe (NIU), Chris Leak (UF)

Considered for Comedic Purposes- Bo Schembechler's Bellyaching (UM), Jim Tressel's Bomb Security Measures (OSU)

Considered for Purposes of Sticking it to That School Up North- Antonio Pittman (OSU), Quinn Pitcock (OSU), Anthony Gonzalez (OSU), Vernon Gholston (OSU), Brian Robiskie (OSU), Beanie Wells (OSU), Marcus Freeman (OSU), Malcolm Jenkins (OSU), Alex Boone (OSU), Doug Datish (OSU), Antonio Smith (OSU)

Never Considered For Even a Second- Chad Henne (IAMFJ, UM), Mike Hart (UM)