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OFFENSE
Rivals.com All-Non Bowl Team
The ever-growing number of bowls assures that you no long have to be an elite team to reach the postseason, but plenty of elite players will remain home for the holidays anyway.
defensive end Ryan Kerrigan leads all FBS players with 26 tackles for loss and ranks second nationally with 1.04 sacks per game, but he won't get the national showcase a bowl appearance would have provided. Injuries wrecked Purdue's offense and led to a 4-8 finish that left the Boilermakers out of postseason contention.
"I've come to grips with the fact that we're not going to a bowl," Kerrigan said.
The best offensive player not to earn a bowl invitation is Colorado offensive tackle Nate Solder. Solder's outstanding individual performance didn't translate into much team success, as the Buffaloes went 5-7 in a disappointing season that resulted in the firing of coach Dan Hawkins.
"Not being in a bowl has been really tough on me, but not just for me," Solder said. "I'm more of a team guy, and it hurts that we're not in a bowl."
Kerrigan and Solder aren't alone. The presence of 35 bowls assures that best teams - and even some of average ones - get to play an extra game. But some of the nation's best players won't get the reward of a holiday trip to a warm climate.
You could put together an all-star team of all the guys who won't get to play in bowl games this season.
In fact, that's exactly what we did.
The all-no-bowl team has a heavy West Coast flavor, thanks to USC's probation and that the Pac-10 had only four bowl-eligible teams. The Pac-10 produced 12 players on our team, three times more than any other conference.
QB Matt Barkley, USC
Particulars: 6-2/220, Soph.; Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei
Buzz: The nation's top 30 quarterbacks in passing efficiency all are going bowling. Barkley ranks 31st in that category. Barkley struggled late in the season with a high ankle sprain that sidelined him for a 20-16 loss to Notre Dame, but he still threw for 2,791 yards and 26 touchdowns, with 12 interceptions.
RB Jacquizz Rodgers, Oregon State
Particulars: 5-7/191, Jr.; Rosenberg (Texas) Lamar Consolidated
Buzz: Rodgers delivered his third consecutive 1,000-yard season this fall by rushing for 1,184 yards and 14 touchdowns on 256 carries. He also caught 44 passes for 287 yards and three more scores. He exceeded 100 yards against Louisville, Arizona State, Washington, California and USC.
RB Rodney Stewart, Colorado
Particulars: 5-6/175, Jr.; Columbus (Ohio) Brookhaven
Buzz: Stewart rushed for 1,318 yards and 10 touchdowns on 290 carries this season. His average of 109.8 rushing yards per game ranked 12th nationally. He ran for 175 yards against Kansas, 123 yards against Iowa State and 195 yards against Kansas State in consecutive weeks.
WR Armon Binns, Cincinnati
Particulars: 6-3/204, Sr.; Pasadena (Calif.) High
Buzz: After spending last season as the Bearcats' No. 2 receiver to Mardy Gilyard, Binns proved he could be the top option. He caught 75 passes for 1,101 yards and scored double-digit touchdowns (10) for the second consecutive season.
WR Patrick Edwards, Houston
Particulars: 5-9/175, Jr.; Hearne (Texas) High
Buzz: Edwards had 71 receptions for 1,100 yards and 13 touchdowns. He scored three touchdowns each against Rice and Conference USA champion UCF, and he closed the season by catching 10 passes for 177 yards against Texas Tech. He remained just as productive even after a knee injury knocked out star QB Case Keenum early in the season.
WR Jordan White, Western Michigan
Particulars: 6-0/211, Sr.; Cleveland North Ridgeville
Buzz: White caught 94 passes for 1,378 yards and 10 touchdowns. His average of 114.8 yards per game makes him the nation's third-leading receiver, behind only Oklahoma State's Justin Blackmon and Hawaii's Greg Salas.
T Tyron Smith, USC
Particulars: 6-5/280, Jr.; Moreno Valley (Cal.) Rancho Verde
Buzz: He's a two-year starter who didn't turn 20 until this weekend. An excellent pass blocker, he may leave early for the NFL.
T Nate Solder, Colorado
Particulars: 6-9/315, Sr.; Buena Vista (Colo.) High
Buzz: Solder, a huge guy with good feet, graded out at 94.9 percent for the season and allowed one sack and three quarterback pressures. He posted a team-high 10 blocks that led directly to touchdowns.
G Colin Madison, Temple
Particulars: 6-4/323, Sr.; Villa Park (Ill.) Willowbrook
Buzz: Madison has earned first-team all-Mid-American Conference honors in each of the past two seasons. He made nine starts at right guard and two starts at left guard this season for the run-oriented Owls, who had the best winning percentage (.667, 8-4) of any team left out of the postseason.
G Brian Schwenke, California
Particulars: 6-2/285, Soph.; Oceanside (Calif.) High
Buzz: Schwenke was a Rivals.com second-team All-Pac-10 selection. His blocking helped teammate Shane Vereen rush for 1,167 yards and 13 touchdowns.
C Ben Lamaak, Iowa State
Particulars: 6-4/320, Sr.; Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Kennedy
Buzz: After playing tight end and left tackle earlier in his career, Lamaak moved to center as a fifth-year senior and adapted to his new position well enough to earn second-team All-Big 12 honors from the league's coaches and Rivals.com.
DEFENSE
E Sam Acho, Texas
Particulars: 6-3/260, Sr.; Dallas St. Mark's
Buzz: A bright spot in the Longhorns' disappointing season, Acho had 59 tackles. He had 17 tackles for loss, including nine sacks. He also forced five fumbles and had five fumble recoveries.
T Jurrell Casey, USC
Particulars: 6-1/305, Jr.; Long Beach (Calif.) Poly
Buzz: Strong against the run, Casey has 67 tackles - an extremely high total for an interior linemen. He also is among the Pac-10 leaders with 11 tackles for loss.
T Stephen Paea, Oregon State
Particulars: 6-1/311, Sr.; Los Altos (Calif.) Timpview
Buzz: He's a solid run stuffer and an effective inside pass rusher. Paea has seven sacks, 11 tackles for loss and four forced fumbles.
E Ryan Kerrigan, Purdue
Particulars: 6-4/263, Sr.; Muncie (Ind.) Central
Buzz: A pure dominator, Kerrigan ranked first in the nation in tackles for loss with 26 and third in sacks with 12.5. He also forced five fumbles, giving him 14 of those in the past three seasons. And he did it all with zero help from teammates on a moribund Purdue defense. Kerrigan was the Rivals.com Big Ten defensive player of the year.
LB Akeem Ayers, UCLA
Particulars: 6-4/255, Jr.; Los Angeles Verbum Dei
Buzz: A big hitter, Ayers finished the season with 68 tackles, including 10 tackles for loss. He also had two interceptions, which he returned for 90 yards, broke up four passes and forced and recovered two fumbles.
LB Mario Harvey, Marshall
Particulars: 6-0/250, Sr.; Hargrave (Va.) Military Academy, preceded by Forsyth (Ga.) Mary Persons
Buzz: Harvey, nicknamed "Thumper," was the only player from a non-AQ school to be selected among the 15 Butkus Award semifinalists. He recorded 143 tackles - 17.5 for loss - as well as 8.5 sacks. He finished his career with 420 tackles to tie for fifth place on the school's career list. He was the Rivals.com C-USA defensive player of the year.
LB Mike Mohamed, California
Particulars: 6-3/245, Sr.; Brawley (Calif.)
Buzz: One year after leading the Pac-10 with 112 tackles, Mohamed recorded a team-high 95 stops to rank second in the conference with 8.55 per game. He was named the Pac-10's football scholar-athlete of the year.
CB Omar Bolden, Arizona State
Particulars: 5-10/195, Jr.; Ontario (Calif.) Colony
Buzz: He returned from an injury that shortened his '09 season and had an outstanding season, with three interceptions (one returned for a touchdown) and seven pass breakups In addition, he made 52 tackles.
CB Chase Minnifield, Virginia
Particulars: 6-0/185, Jr.; Lexington (Ky.) Henry Clay
Buzz: Minnifield picked off six passes this season. Virginia Tech's Jayron Hosley, Hawaii's Mana Silva and Alabama's Robert Lester are the only FBS players with more interceptions. He had two interceptions in the Cavaliers' upset of Miami.
FS T.J. McDonald, USC
Particulars: 6-3/205, Soph.; Fresno (Calif.) Edison
Buzz: He led the Trojans in tackles with 89, while also grabbing three interceptions and breaking up four passes. He also blocked a kick.
SS Chris Conte, California
Particulars: 6-3/212, Sr.; Los Angeles Loyola
Buzz: Conte was third on the Bears in tackles with 72. He also had an interception, broke up three passes and forced a fumble.
SPECIAL TEAMS
K Will Snyderwine Duke
Particulars: 5-11/190, Jr.; Bethesda (Md.) Landon School
Buzz: Snyderwine went 21-of-24 on field-goal attempts this season and was 8-of-10 from at least 40 yards out, with a long of 52. One of his three misses was from 54 yards. He made all 32 of his extra-point attempts and set school records for field goals, consecutive field goals (18) and field-goal percentage (.875).
P Jeff Locke, UCLA
Particulars: 6-1/210, Soph.; Glendale (Ariz.) Mountain Ridge
Buzz: Locke led the Pac-10 and is No. 5 nationally with a 45.8-yard average on 64 attempts. He had 19 punts downed inside the 20, which has helped the Bruins rank second nationally in net punting.
KR Brelan Chancellor, North Texas
Particulars: 5-9/168, Fr.; Copperas Cove (Texas) High
Buzz: Chancellor averaged 28.0 yards per return to rank 16th nationally. He scored in each of his last two games, on a 91-yard return against Louisiana-Monroe and a 93-yard return against Kansas State.
PR Phillip Livas, Louisiana Tech
Particulars: 5-8/180, Sr.; Houma (La.) South Terrebonne
Buzz: Livas ranks seventh in the nation with an average of 15.5 yards per punt return, including an 88-yard touchdown against San Jose State. He scored on a total of eight career returns, which ties an NCAA record.
