Quarterbacks

1. Jeremiah Masoli, Oregon — 46.46 pts (284 yds, 3 TDs, INT, 61 rush yds, 3 TDs)
2. B.J. Daniels, South Florida — 42.26 pts (304 yds, TD, 141 rush yds, 2 TDs)
3. Dan LeFevour, Central Michigan — 41.66 pts (344 yds, 4 TDs, 59 rush yds, TD)

Running Backs

1. Charles Clay, Tulsa — 44.2 pts (20 yds, 2 TDs, 8 rec, 142 yds, 2 TDs)
2. Toby Gerhart, Stanford — 41 pts (136 yds, 4 TDs, rec, 29 yds)
3. Shane Vereen, Cal — 38.8 pts (193 yds, 3 TDs, rec, 10 yds)

Wide Receivers

1. Freddie Barnes, Bowling Green — 39.2 pts (12 rec, 197 yds, 2 TDs)
2. Dwayne Harris, East Carolina — 32.8 pts (8 rec, 108 yds, 2 TDs, KR TD)
3. Demaris Johnson, Tulsa — 29.9 pts (17 rec, 196 yds)

Tight End

1. Dennis Morris, La. Tech — 34.6 pts (7 rec, 131 yds, 3 TDs)
2. Dennis Pitta, BYU — 27.6 pts (9 rec, 111 yds, 2 TDs)
3. Garrett Graham, Wisconsin — 24.8 pts (6 rec, 98 yds, 2 TDs)

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Week 12 Waiver Wire Report

At Last

Finally! College football fans had something great to watch this weekend. After a year of lackluster top-25 matchups, an injured reigning Heisman winner and weak non-conference schedules, Oregon and Arizona happily obliged the fans of college football and gave us one for the ages. Its fitting, seeing as how the Pac-10 is America's best conference in 2009.

There has been no shortage of fantasy gold to be mined from the Golden Coast either. The Oregon Ducks lead that charge with the conference's top quarterback in Jeremiah Masoli. The engineer of the mighty Duck offense started the season in miserable fashion: without a touchdown pass in his first three games. Since Week Four, Masoli has 14 touchdown passes against only two interceptions. He has added 12 rushing touchdowns to his resume this season as well — and he missed the UCLA game.

When it counted Saturday, Masoli was brilliant. He dodged and darted his way down the field on a game-tying fourth quarter drive that culminated with an Ed Dickson touchdown with only 6 seconds left. He then led his team to two overtime touchdowns and the win in what turned out to be by far the best game of the season. Masoli completed 9 of 13 passes for 77 yards and accounted for three touchdowns on the Ducks' final three possessions. He was masterful.

Masoli has been getting big time (fantasy) help from others around him too. Tailback LaMichael James broke the Pac-10 freshman rushing record this weekend and now has 1,310 yards rushing. He has six straight 100-yard efforts. All of this after losing starting tailback LeGarrette Blount in Week One. Tight end Ed Dickson is one of very few elite fantasy tight end options. He is the Pac-10's top fantasy tight end and is rated No. 5 nationally.

For good measure, kicker Morgan Flint is the conference's No. 3-rated fantasy kicker (11th nationally) and the Ducks' defense is the league's No. 1 rated fantasy DEF/ST. Wideout Jeff Maehl has caught 21 passes for 242 yards and four touchdowns over his last three games. Those are Pac-10-best fantasy numbers at wide receiver since Week 10.

To wrap it all up, Oregon became the league's third team to ever score at least 40 points in five straight games, and first year head coach Chip Kelly tied his boss' record for most wins by a first year coach with nine.

Now for the bad news. For those of you in championship games this weekend, the only high-flying poultry in your lineup will be sitting right between the mashed potatoes and stuffing. They, along with the fantasy studs in Corvallis, are on bye this weekend. It makes for a tremendous Pac-10 title game in the always brutal Civil War next Thursday, but fantasy owners everywhere will be searching for waiver wire help this weekend (I recommend Steven Lassan's article linked above).

The 'Best' Job in College Football

Many people refer to the backup quarterback as the best job in football. Stand around, carry a clipboard and play in the lowest pressure situations in each game. Sounds fun to me. But Jeff Tedford and the Cal Bears might be challenging this basic premise. Tailback Shane Vereen rushed for a nation's best 193 yards and three touchdowns this weekend. He has compiled 738 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground with 19 receptions for 199 yards and two more scores through the air. Much of this, obviously, coming as Jahvid Best's backup.

This should not be a surprise though. And it all started with a man named Echemandu. In 2003, Adimchinobe Echemandu rushed for 1,195 yards and 13 scores as the starting Cal tailback. Then backup, J.J. Arrington, posted 785 yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns that year. The following year, Arrington led the conference and was second in the nation in rushing (168 ypg). Then backup Marshawn Lynch compiled 775 total yards and 10 scores. In 2005, Lynch, now the starter, rushed for 1,246 yards and 10 touchdowns while backup Justin Forsett rushed for 999 yards and six touchdowns. Lynch actually returned in '06 and led the Pac-10 in rushing while Forsett was again productive from the backup spot (742 tot. yds, 5 TDs).

Still keeping up? In 2007, Forsett took over the starting job and finished second in the league in rushing with 1,543 yards and 15 touchdowns. In a woefully under-achieving season, the backup tailback (Jahvid Best) only posted 295 total yards and three touchdowns. However, Best bounced back for an outstanding second year with 1,580 yards rushing and 16 touchdowns. Vereen, as a freshman, posted 936 yards from scrimmage and scored five times as Best's backup.

With Best likely to leave for the NFL after this season, Vereen is quickly making a case for himself as an elite fantasy option next season. If the trends hold-up, he should be in store for 1,200-1,300 yards and 12-14 touchdowns.

By Committee Break Down

With one week left in the year, many running back situations are still wide open. In an effort to help clear the air, I convened with fantasy guru Steven Lassan and we picked which of the starting tailbacks we would play this week, if we had to play one these RBBC's:

Boise State: Jeremy Avery (161.7 pts) vs. Doug Martin (118.3 pts)
Avery has been the more consistent performer with at least 100 yards and a score in each of his last three. But Martin has more TDs and the big game: 121 yards, 4 TDs this week. Against Nevada, both should get plenty of looks. Verdict: Play both

Buffalo: Brandon Thermilus (93 pts) vs. Ike Nduka (108.9 pts)
These two have 96 and 95 carries, respectively, this season. Nduka looks to be the starter but is banged up and Thermilus took advantage to the tune of 155 yards and three scores this weekend. If Nduka can't go, plug in The Therminator. Verdict: Thermilus

UConn: Jordan Todman (206 pts) vs. Andre Dixon (154.1 pts)
This one has been back and forth every single week. This past week, they both got it done. Todman has scored in five straight games and has back-to-back 100-yard efforts. Dixon has two 3-TD games and had a great game against the Irish this weekend. Verdict: Play both

Georgia: Washaun Ealey (67.2 pts) vs. Caleb King (72.7 pts)
Both had solid games against Kentucky (19 carries vs. 18 carries) but Ealey seems to be getting more attention. Verdict: Ealey

Houston: Charlie Sims (184.5 pts) vs. Bryce Beall (157.6 pts)
Beall has 32 more carries but Sims has 23 more receptions. Beall has more touchdowns (9 to 8) but Sims has more yards (1,110 to 894). Beall has three total touches in his last two games though. Verdict: Sims

Miami: Javarris James (82.5 pts) vs. Graig Cooper (101.8 pts) vs. Damien Berry (104.6 pts)
Berry actually has been the best of the trio lately, scoring in seven straight games. He also led the team in attempts and yards this weekend with 16 carries for 76 yards. That being said, Cooper is the best player of the trio and is getting the most touches. Verdict: Cooper

Northern Illinois: Me'Co Brown (104.1 pts) vs. Chad Spann (212.1 pts)
Brown had a big start this season and has seen double-digit carries in his last four (he actually has five more carries this year than Spann).  But Spann is doing the scoring around the goal line (Nine TDs in his last five). Verdict: Spann

Oklahoma State: Keith Toston (224.6 pts) vs. Kendall Hunter (44.9 pts)
Hunter has been effective since returning to action three weeks ago (4.4 ypc) but has not eaten into Toston's numbers one bit. The latter has averaged 29.2 fantasy ppg since Hunter's return. Verdict: Toston

Southern Miss: Damion Fletcher (182.7 pts) vs. Tory Harrison (116.14 pts)
Fletcher is still the guy but Harrison has scored a touchdown in six straight games. Harrison only had four carries this weekend to Fletcher's 22. Verdict: Fletcher

TCU: Joe Turner (137.5 pts) vs. Edward Wesley (124.1 pts) vs. Matthew Tucker (111.1 pts)
Turner is still getting the goal-line carries. Wesley is the best pass catcher (8 rec, 170 yds, 3 TDs) and has scored in five of the last six. Tucker seems to be getting the bulk now though and has scored five times in the last three. Verdict: Turner (but against New Mexico Wesley and Tucker could be options)

Texas: Cody Johnson (112.8 pts) vs. Tre' Newton (76.8 pts)
Johnson was separating himself (seven TDs in his last four) but Newton has stepped up in his last two, including a 15-touch, 102-yard game this weekend. Verdict: Play both

Texas A&M: Christine Michael (129.7 pts) vs. Cyrus Gray (154.2 pts)
Michael has scored in four of his last five and has 10 more carries than Gray (41 to 31) over the last three combined. Verdict: Micheal

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thursday is by far my favorite day of the year and I expect to enjoy it even though I failed to reach the playoffs. It also doesn't mean I can't give thanks to those who nearly salvaged my season. So thanks to Ricky Dobbs and his 22 rushing touchdowns. Thanks to Josh Nesbitt and Paul Johnson for making the option fun to watch. Thanks to Keith Smith and his Big Ten-leading 91 receptions. And special thanks to the South Florida, UConn, South Carolina, Rutgers and Kentucky defenses for all starting at least once for me. Every one of whom I picked up off the waiver wire at one point or another this season. The moral of this little tale of gratitude is that the waiver wire might still be the No. 1 way to win at college fantasy football. So as you finagle bye weeks to win a championship, make sure you are still combing the wire for value.

And most importantly, please be sure to take some time — maybe during the second half of the Texas-Texas A&M blowout Thursday night — to step back and be genuinely thankful that we all have the ability to play college fantasy football every year. Can you imagine a country in which we could not pit Donald Buckram against Lance Dunbar in a head-to-head Lone Star battle of fictitious statistics? I know I can't. 

By The Numbers

14: Receptions Freddie Barnes needs to break the single season NCAA record (142).

39: Consecutive games in which LSU's Brandon LaFell has caught at least one pass.

97: Christine Michael scored on the longest play from scrimmage in Texas A&M history — 97 yards.

2,875: Jerrod Johnson's passing yards this season. A new Aggie single season record.

1-8: The combined TD-INT ratio in the North Carolina-Boston College game.

2,066: C.J. Spiller topped UVa's Thomas Jones (2,059) for the ACC's single-season all-purpose yardage mark. Clemson still has three games left this season.

1,355: Ryan Williams set the Virginia Tech single season rushing mark this weekend with his 8th 100-yard game. He has played 11 career games.

12: The Hokies have won at least eight games in 12 straight seasons.

9,678: Thaddeus Lewis' career passing yards. He is now Duke's all-time leading passer.

0: Oklahoma State's passing yards in the first half against Colorado. They finished with 168 and the win.

43-7: Colt McCoy's win-loss record as a starter. He is now the NCAA's winningest quarterback.

83: Texas Tech's win total under Mike Leach. He passed Spike Dykes as the winningest coach in school history.

1,411 and 2,408: Missouri's Danario Alexander's season and career receiving yardage totals. Both broke Jeremy Maclin's school records.

8-1: Jim Tressel's won-loss record against rival Michigan, including a school record sixth straight win this past weekend.

225: Ohio State has rushed for over 225 yards in five straight games.

67-0: Iowa has blanked Minnesota two years in a row, outscoring them by 67 points.

17: Combined punts in the Iowa-Minnesota contest. They scored a combined 12 points.

23 and 42: Daryll Clark's single season and career touchdown passes. Both are Penn State records.

54: Tim Tebow's career touchdowns. He broke the SEC record of 53 held by LSU's Kevin Faulk.

73: Alabama's Mark Ingram needs 73 yards to break Bobby Humphrey's single season mark of 1,471 yards in 1986.

7: Javier Arenas set an SEC career record with his seventh punt return touchdown for Alabama this weekend.

1,923: Vanderbilt's Warren Norman's SEC freshman record for all-purpose yards. 

10: Ryan Mallett's touchdown passes in his last two games.

9: Syracuse's school record sack total in its upset win over Rutgers this weekend.