This morning I had the opportunity to sit down and interview Phil Steele, one of the most respected college football prognosticators in the country. Phil is involved with the Capital One Mascot Challenge so I wanted to talk to him about that and get his thoughts on a wide range of college football topics and the action this season both on the field and between the mascots.
Smith: What game are you looking most forward to this weekend other than Florida State-Clemson and why?
Steele: I have my eye on UCLA versus Stanford. UCLA is unbeaten and we get to find out if they are for real. If UCLA can win this game, it makes next week’s game with Oregon have national title implications. Now Stanford came out flat last week but had a chance to win with throws into the endzone at the end of the game. Stanford is at home coming off a loss and that helps. Overall they are the stronger team. UCLA has a tough two week stretch here with back to back road games and could pick up a couple losses. However, if they can navigate these two games, watch out for them.
Smith: Who is your Heisman favorite to this point?
Steele: I am a Heisman voter so I keep an open mind and don’t get locked into one guy. Last year at this time everyone was picking Geno Smith and he ended up not even being a finalist. Right now I would say A.J. McCarron, Johnny Manziel, and Marcus Mariota are up top. Keep an eye on the winner between Tajh Boyd and Jameis Winston this week. Also don’t discount AJ McCarron. He is going for his third National Title in a row and if the stats are close at the end he just may win it.
Smith: Is there a dark horse candidate that comes to mind?
Steele: Jameis Winston. Even though he is getting publicity, he is still off the national radar. If he can take his team into Death Valley and win everyone will be talking about him. Another guy to is off the radar is UCLA QB Brett Hundley. If he can knock off Oregon and Stanford on the road in back to back weeks, he has a shot.
Smith: Who has the best chance to beat Alabama?
Steele: The Oregon Ducks have the best shot. Right now Vegas has them as a 3 point underdog. They have a mobile quarterback in Marcus Mariota. Plus they have an underrated defense. All everyone talks about is offense, offense, offense with the Ducks and for good reason but this group is the best they have had in the last 10 years despite being on the field a lot. Oregon’s defense is holding opponents 107 yards per game below their season average. They would be the best test for Alabama.
If they win this weekend, Florida State can stand player for player with Alabama. The big question is, can they get through season unbeaten? They were favored in every game they played last year yet somehow they lost 2 games last year.
Smith: Are there any National Title contenders a bit off the radar?
Steele: FSU is somewhat off the radar, but there are not a lot of teams flying under the radar at this point in the season. The team that could really come out of nowhere is the Baylor Bears. I picked QB Bryce Petty 1st team preseason in my magazine without starting a game and that has worked out well. They have a great running back in Lache Seastrunk, and a tremendous Wide Receiver group. It’s a down year for Big 12 as well. If you look at Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas Tech, you can poke holes in all of those teams. I could make the case Baylor will be favored in every game left on their schedule and I would be shocked if they weren’t If I had Baylor on my schedule I would be tossing and turning at night.
Smith: How would you explain the popularity of the mascot challenge?
Steele: The easiest thing to explain it is the competition factor. School Spirit is always high when it comes to fan votes and Capital One has mascots go head to head. Capital One makes it easy for you to vote by going to www.CapitalOneBowl.com. I got involved last year and saw that it would be lots of fun. I have my 8-year-old daughter put in her votes by showing her pictures of the mascots. My 82-year-old mother loves to get involved too. Before the season I come out with my preseason power ratings just like I do for the action on the field. Every week there is also a new power rating. Another neat thing is when teams play each other, their mascots will go head to head. The Oregon Duck is in this year, Michigan State’s Sparty, Virginia Tech’s HokieBird, and USF’s Rocky The Bull to name a few. As the season goes on the standings are based on records. Last year Cocky from South Carolina lost to Texas Tech’s Raider Red in the championship in a big upset after being the favorite all season long.
Smith: Who is your favorite to win the challenge?
Steele: So far Rocky The Bull has handled every test and is 6-0. Last week, Rocky beat Bucky the Badger 88%-12%! Rocky has been #1 in my power poll for the last 4 weeks. You never know what can happen though since last year Cocky was unbeatable and got upset in the championship game.
Smith: Tell everyone how they can vote in the Capital One Mascot Challenge
Steele: Head on over to www.CapitalOneBowl.com and you can voted right there. You can choose to vote on one matchup or all 8 matchups. The winner will be crowned January 1, 2014 with the winning school being awarded a $20,000 scholarship toward its mascot program. Each participating Capital One All-America mascot’s school receives $5,000 for their respective mascot program. Added you can have 25 points or 100 points. If fans want to go the extra mile, they can participate in 25-point and 100-point challenges by posting photos/videos on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram as proof that they met the challenge. This week challenge is name your mascots pet of choice.
I would like to thank Phil for sitting down and speaking with me. It was great talking college football with the person whose magazine all of us College Football nuts read on a yearly basis. Make sure you go to www.CapitalOneBowl.com and vote for your favorite mascot!