The thing that sets college fantasy football apart from other fantasy sports is the unpredictable nature of the game. Roster turnover, young players and the depth of the player pool make college fantasy projections the most difficult of all sports. In one-quarterback leagues, three of the current top-5 fantasy signal callers were probably not drafted and three of the top-5 running backs likely were waiver wire pick-ups. So its time to pay the piper. Today, we compare our pre-season ranks to that of the current top fantasy performers and then hand out our mid-season awards for the already dwindling 2008 college football season.

While these numbers are certainly interesting at this point, fantasy owners need to realize that this is still just the halfway mark. Tim Tebow, for example, is entering conference play where he will be asked to do a lot more for the offense and therefore his numbers will get better. Dan LeFevour’s numbers are likely to go up as he enters MAC conference play. After a battle with the top-ranked Sooners this weekend, Colt McCoy is not likely to be the No. 2 fantasy quarterback at this time next week. But it doesn’t mean that its not fun to look at:

Current Top-5 Fantasy QB’s:

	Name	School	Rank*	Pass Yds	Pass TD	INT	Rush Yds	Rush TD
1	Chase Clement	Rice	#10	1,748	16	4	323	5
2	Colt McCoy	Texas	#27	1,280	16	3	317	4
3	Case Keenum	Houston	#28	1,920	19	5	179	0
4	Graham Harrell	Tex. Tech	#1	2,027	18	3	4	2
5	David Johnson	Tulsa	#20	1,682	23	5	53	1

* - Preseason Rank

Top-5 Preseason QB:
1. Graham Harrell, Texas Tech (Currently: #4)
2. Dan LeFevour, Central Michigan (#17)
3. Tim Tebow, Florida (# 32)
4. Chase Daniel, Missouri (#14)
5. Pat White, West Virginia (#25)

Current Top-5 Fantasy RB’s:

	Name	School	Rank*	Rush Yds	Rush TD	Rec.	Rec Yds	Rec TD
1	Donald Brown	UConn	#64	1,067	12	14	54	0
2	Javon Ringer	Mich. St	#10	988	12	7	60	0
3	MiQuale Lewis	Ball St	UR	802	12	12	112	0
4	Tyrell Fenroy	La-Laf.	#34	750	10	10	134	0
5	Derrick Washington	Mizzou	#83	500	10	9	92	2

* - Preseason Rank

Top-5 Preseason RB’s:
1. Chris Wells, Ohio State (Currently: #104)
2. Damion Fletcher, Southern Miss (#10)
3. Ian Johnson, Boise State (#74)
4. Knowshon Moreno, Georgia (#7)
5. LeSean McCoy, Pitt (#16)

Current Top-5 Fantasy WR’s:

	Name	School	Rank*	Rec.	Rec Yds	Rec TD	Misc
1	Jarett Dillard	Rice	#5	46	674	11	--
2	Dez Bryant	Okla. St	#21	27	550	9	2 Ret. TD
3	Eric Decker	Minn.	#14	50	696	4	79 rush yds, TD
4	Aldrick Robinson	SMU	#59	35	656	7	--
5	Michael Crabtree	Tex. Tech	#1	38	564	8	--

* - Preseason rank

Top-5 Preseason WR’s:
1. Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech (Currently: #5)
2. Chris Williams, New Mexico State (#81)
3. Jeremy Maclin, Missouri (#9)
4. Percy Harvin, Florida (#25)
5. Jarett Dillard, Rice (#1)

Current Top-5 Fantasy TE’s:

	Name	School	Rank*	Rec	Rec Yds	Rec TD	Misc
1	James Casey	Rice	#4	54	639	2	99 rush yds, 2 TD**
2	Eddie Williams	Idaho	#17	36	500	5	56 rush yds
3	Mark Hafner	Houston	#21	36	362	8	--
4	Dennis Pitta	BYU	#7	35	502	3	--
5	Chase Coffman	Mizzou	#2	33	450	3	--

* - Preseason Rank
** - Also has a passing touchdown as well

Top-5 Preseason TE’s:
1. Darius Hill, Ball State (Currently: #9)
2. Chase Coffman, Missouri (#5)
3. Travis Beckum, Wisconsin (#78)
4. James Casey, Rice (#1)
5. Jermaine Gresham, Oklahoma (#8)

2008's Biggest Steal: CUSA Quarterbacks   
David Johnson, Case Keenum, Joe Webb (UAB), Austin Davis (USM) and Chase Clement all have turned into fantasy starters. With the exception of Clement, most of these guys went very late in drafts if at all. If any of these studs are on the wavier wire, grab them now, because they are all heading into CUSA play where the numbers could get astronomical. In keeper leagues, SMU's Bo Levi Mitchell is also a must add.

Steven Lassan’s Milk Carton Special:
While this would be easy to give to guys like Beanie Wells, Bryan Anderson or Travis Beckum, the injury factor gives them a pass. So those guys get a break. Here are the “Biggest Bust” awards for each position thus far:

QB: Curtis Painter, Purdue (Honorable Mention: Rusty Smith)
The Boiler quarterback has not made Joe Tiller’s final season an enjoyable one. The 5:4 touchdown to interception ratio has been a huge surprise to all. In fact, Painter got pulled late in the game this weekend against Penn State.

RB: Arian Foster, Tennessee (HM: Justin Anderson)
Foster alone cannot be blamed as the offensive line has been terrible for the Vols. The quarterback position has been shaky at best and the play-calling has been uninspiring. All of these factors add up to fantasy bust-dom.

WR: Aaron Kelly, Clemson (HM: Trae Johnson)
Kelly could still end up as the ACC’s all-time leading receiver. He just won’t be doing it on many fantasy rosters. Kelly has yet to score a touchdown in 2008 causing most owners to move in a different direction.

TE: Bear Pascoe, Fresno State (HM: none)
This was very difficult and truthfully, Pascoe has not really been a bust. There just haven't been any busts from the top tight ends. At least one that did not include a serious injury (Beckum, Jason Harmon, Cornelius Ingram).

Fantasy Juggernaut: Missouri Tigers (current fantasy ranking by position)
This team has had 48 drives so far in 2008. They have scored 33 times, punted only five and have not had a three and out yet. They also are one of only two teams with a top-15 player at each of the four positions. Chase Daniel (#14), Derrick Washington (#5), Jeremy Maclin (#9) and Chase Coffman (#5) are all elite options at their position.

Honorable Mention:

BYU Cougars
Max Hall (#15), Harvey Unga (#11), Austin Collie (#8) and Dennis Pitta (#4) would carry any fantasy team to the title.

Rice Owls
I would be remiss if I did not mention the team that currently claims the top quarterback, wide receiver and tight end. If any of the three Rice running backs showed up in the top-300, they would be the top juggernaut. C.J. Ugokwe is the top fantasy runner for the Owls. He has 199 yards rushing and no scores. Does David Bailey know that the running back normally runs the ball?

Ball State Cardinals
These guys would also have a case for the top juggernaut if wideout Dante Love's career had not ended so abruptly and unfortunately. Nate Davis (#21), MiQuale Lewis (#3) and Darius Hill (#9) are all top flight fantasy stars.

Oklahoma Sooners
Sam Bradford (#12), Manuel Johnson (#22), Juaquin Iglesias (#30) and Jermaine Gresham (#8) all have become every week starters in the fantasy world. If each running back wasn't stealing carries from the other (DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown) then OU would have a strong case for top juggernaut.

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