ESPN College Football

There has been lots of speculation headed into the NFL draft about where TCU quarterback Andy Dalton and Nevada quarterback Colin Kaepernick could land.

Well, there is a bit of news concerning Dalton. Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com reports the Jets worked out Dalton on Friday. The move may seem curious, considering the Jets have Mark Sanchez. But as Cimini writes:

Dalton is a fast-rising prospect who could slip into the bottom of the first round, according to scouts. The Jets own the 30th overall pick. While it makes no sense for them to invest another first-round pick in a quarterback, the Jets' interest in Dalton could be a way to entice quarterback-needy teams below them to trade up, increasing the value of the Jets' position.

Dalton's stock has been rising thanks to good performances during Senior Bowl week and the combine. The Vikings, Patriots, Colts and Titans, Browns and Bears have all reportedly worked Dalton out, too.

In his latest mock draft, Mel Kiper has Dalton going early in the second round, at No. 35 to the Bengals.

As for Kaepernick, his stock also has been rising. He has had workouts with at least eight teams: Oakland, Tennessee, Miami, Denver, Kansas City, Cleveland, San Francisco and Philadelphia. Scouts seem to love his arm strength (he used to be a baseball player), and he did very well on the Wonderlic with a 37, one of the highest scores of all prospects.

Kiper has him going in the third round, at No. 76 overall to San Francisco.

Among the other non-AQ players featured in Kiper's mock draft from earlier this month:

First round

Temple defensive tackle Muhammad Wilkerson, No. 16 to the Chargers.

Second round

Nevada linebacker Dontay Moch, No. 45 to San Francisco.

UCF offensive tackle Jah Reid, No. 51to Tampa Bay.

Boise State receiver Titus Young, No. 58 to Baltimore.

Troy receiver Jerrel Jernigan, No. 59 to Atlanta.

Third round

Fresno State linebacker Chris Carter, No. 72, New Orleans

Hawaii running back Alex Green, No. 78, St. Louis

TCU offensive tackle Marcus Cannon, No. 82, San Diego

Hawaii receiver Greg Salas, No. 86, Kansas City

Boise State receiver Austin Pettis, No. 95, Pittsburgh

It is time to get back to defense with a player who has been nothing but outstanding the past several seasons. With a new defensive coordinator this past season, he definitely played more of the hybrid defensive end/linebacker spot that suits him. The results were there not only for him, but for his team as well.

No. 16 Dontay Moch, DE, Nevada

Moch has been your prototypical hybrid player, but he played much more linebacker this season under first-year coordinator Andy Buh. That allowed him to use his eye-popping speed (his 4.18 in the 40 is not exaggerated) to continue to torment quarterbacks and running backs in 2010. Moch set a single-season school record with 22 tackles for loss and added 8.5 sacks. He ended his career as the school and WAC leader in those two categories, and also holds the single-season sack record of 11.5, set in 2007. Once again, Moch won All-WAC first-team honors and helped Nevada improve defensively -- going from the No. 96 defense in the country in 2009 to the No. 54 defense in 2010. The Wolf Pack ended up with a share of the WAC championship and a 13-1 record, the best in school history. Moch was a big reason why.

No. 17 Dwayne Harris, WR/KR, East Carolina

No. 18 Chad Spann, RB, Northern Illinois

No. 19 Reggie Rembert, CB, Air Force

No. 20 T.Y. Hilton, WR/KR, FIU

No. 21 Eric Page, WR/KR, Toledo

No. 22 Jake Kirkpatrick, C, TCU

No. 23 Muhammad Wilkerson, DT, Temple

No. 24 Bobby Rainey, RB, Western Kentucky

No. 25 Roosevelt Nix, DT, Kent State

Earlier this week, Mel Kiper updated his list of Top 5 players by position as we get closer to the NFL draft. He just so happened to update on national signing day, so forgive us for getting this to you a few days late.

One of the newest additions to the list: Nevada quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Kiper now has him as the No. 5 quarterback available in the draft, following a good showing at the Senior Bowl last week. It is his first appearance in the top 5. Now, having said that, Kiper also throws in a caveat: "It's worth noting that Kaepernick is a tier below the top four. He's still very much a project at this point."

Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert is atop the list now, with Cam Newton, Ryan Mallett and Jake Locker behind him. Still, it speaks to the potential Kaepernick has to be included in the top 5 -- and ahead of TCU quarterback Andy Dalton, who also had a good week in Mobile, Ala.

So who could be the top non-AQ player off the board? Temple defensive tackle Muhammad Wilkerson, listed as the No. 23 tackle available, is No. 23 on the Big Board. Kiper writes that Wilkerson is "scheme-flexible, disruptive, strong penetrator, could work in 3-4 or 4-3." He also rates as a first-round prospect in the breakdown of players in the ESPN NFL Player draft rankings, coming in at No. 15.

Nevada outside linebacker Dontay Moch rates as the No. 4 player available at his position, while Charles Clay of Tulsa is listed as the No. 2 fullback and Kevin Kowalski of Toledo is rated the No. 4 center.

All these non-AQ players, except for Kowalski, have been invited to attend the NFL combine later this month. Here are the other non-AQ players invited to the combine:

Matt Asiata, RB, Utah

Nick Bellore, LB, Central Michigan

DeAndre Brown, WR, Southern Miss

Vincent Brown, WR, San Diego State

Brandon Burton, CB, Utah

Marcus Cannon, OL, TCU

Chris Carter, DE, Fresno State

Ryan Colburn, QB, Fresno State

Andy Dalton, QB, TCU

Wayne Daniels, DE, TCU

Nathan Enderle, QB, Idaho

Alex Green, RB, Hawaii

Virgil Green, TE, Nevada

Jamel Hamler, WR, Fresno State

Daniel Hardy, TE, Idaho

Dwayne Harris, WR, East Carolina

Davon House, DB, New Mexico State

Rob Housler, TE, FAU

Andrew Jackson, OL, Fresno State

Jaiquawn Jarrett, DB, Temple

Lestar Jean, WR, FAU

Jerrel Jernigan, WR, Troy

Jeron Johnson, DB, Boise State

Elijah "Peanut" Joseph, LB, Temple

Shiloh Keo, DB, Idaho

Jeremy Kerley, WR, TCU

Curtis Marsh, DB, Utah State

Bruce Miller, DE, UCF

Jamar Newsome, WR, UCF

Derek Newton, OL, Arkansas State

Cheta Ozougwu, DL, Rice

Austin Pettis, WR, Boise State

Kealoha Pilares, WR, Hawaii

Jah Reid, OL, UCF

Aldrick Robinson, WR, SMU

Greg Salas, WR, Hawaii

DeMarco Sampson, WR, San Diego State

Caleb Schlauderaff, OL, Utah

Sealver Siliga, DT, Utah

Lee Smith, TE, Marshall

Willie Smith, OL, East Carolina

Vai Taua, RB, Nevada

Zane Taylor, C, Utah

Josh Thomas, DB, Buffalo

Brandyn Thompson, CB, Boise State

Isaiah Thompson, OL, Houston

Jeff Van Camp, QB, FAU

Ryan Winterswyk, DE, Boise State

Jimmy Young, WR, TCU

Titus Young, WR, Boise State

One of the most intriguing players among the non-AQs headed into the NFL draft is Dontay Moch from Nevada. Moch was your typical hybrid defensive end/linebacker for the Wolf Pack, but is beginning to make the transition to linebacker to improve his chances of success on the next level.

Moch is practicing at strongside linebacker this week as he prepares for the East-West Shrine Game on Saturday in Orlando. There is no question he has the speed and the talent to make an impact in the NFL. The question is where he fits in to make the maximum impact.

Already, Todd McShay and his Scouts Inc. group had this to say about Moch following practice Tuesday:

"He's doing well with his hand up and playing in space. He's showing good lateral quickness and a very good closing burst. It'll be worth watching him to see if he keeps developing as he converts from DE to OLB."

Moch is happy to play linebacker in the NFL, saying he feels comfortable at the position. Perhaps realizing that is where his talents may be best suited, he said he played about 70 percent of this season at linebacker and 30 percent at defensive end. Either way, Moch had another outstanding season, setting a single-season school record with 22 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks. He ended his career as the school and WAC leader in those two categories.

"The outside linebacker position is where I feel comfortable, and that’s where I can contribute the most," Moch said. "I can also contribute as a third-down pass-rush defensive end. Either which way, I’m going to get the job done."

Of course, one of the most tantalizing aspects of Moch is his speed. Last year at junior day, he clocked a 4.08 and 4.18 in the 40-yard dash. Moch said he ran the 40 last month and clocked a 4.19. Even though his seemingly incredible speed has been much publicized, people still scratch their heads when they see the time on their stopwatches.

But Moch, a former high school track champion, says he consistently runs under a 4.2 every time he runs the 40. That is his goal headed into the NFL combine next month.

"I’m used to it because I’ve been running underneath a 4.3 since high school," Moch said. "It’s something I have to keep proving, just being consistent. I want to be that first guy at the combine to shoot under a 4.1 or a 4.2. My goal is to hit an electric 4.2 there or lower. I’m going to try to get the job done."

You saw the preview and prediction. Now here are three keys for Nevada going into the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl against Boston College on Sunday night.

1. Run it. Nevada runs the ball, no matter the opponent. Colin Kaepernick and Vai Taua are the two guys who make the Pistol offense work so well, so the way they play is going to be critical. Remember, Kaepernick and Taua set an NCAA record for most rushing yards and rushing touchdowns by two teammates. In the only loss Nevada had this season to Hawaii, Kaepernick had four turnovers. So he is going to have to take care of the football.

2. Get the pass game going. What is going to be a big key is getting completions early in the pass game. So watch for tight end Virgil Green and receiver Rishard Matthews, who have capabilities to have big games. Kaepernick is a much improved passer this season, and his passing made a huge difference in the upset over Boise State. If Nevada can get a few big pass plays early, that is going to keep the Boston College defense off kilter and open up better lanes in on the ground.

3. Let Dontay Moch loose. The Nevada defense has made tremendous strides under first-year coordinator Andy Buh. This is the perfect opportunity to show just how far the unit has come. Moch has been one of the best defenders in the WAC and is a master at tackling quarterbacks and running backs for a loss. He will have a great matchup with Boston College left tackle Anthony Castonzo, a towering presence at 6-foot-7 and 308 pounds. But Moch is one of the fastest defensive players in college football, and his speed allows him to get such a quick burst to the quarterback. He has 22 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks this season, and you can bet he will be trying to get after Chase Rettig.

The Senior Bowl has been announcing the players to be featured in its game over the last several weeks, with plenty more to come. Some of the top non-AQ players in the country will be represented in Mobile, Ala., for the showcase game on Jan. 29.

Here is a partial list:

Andy Dalton, QB, TCU

Jerrel Jernigan, WR/AP, Troy

Jeremy Kerley, WR/AP, TCU

Austin Pettis, WR, Boise State

Greg Salas, WR, Hawaii

Titus Young, WR, Boise State

Dalton joins a South roster that already features Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy and Florida State quarterback Christian Ponder. Dalton's draft status is one to watch, in my opinion. He may not be Andrew Luck but he has got the intangibles covered. It's hard to argue against a player who has won a school-record 42 games and definitely has the size at 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds to play in the NFL.

Mel Kiper ranks him as the No. 5 senior quarterback going into the draft in his current rankings. Others project him as a fourth- to fifth-round pick.

"I’m just going to go out and show [scouts] how I play, show them that I can play with a lot of these players," Dalton said in a statement announcing his participation. "Hopefully people will see my leadership abilities and all the different intangibles that I can bring to the game."

Kiper has Jernigan listed as his No. 4 senior wide receiver.

Several other top non-AQ players have committed to play in another all-star game, the East-West Shrine Game in Orlando on Jan. 22. Nevada quarterback Colin Kaepernick has been invited to play in both games. Here is a partial list of the East-West participants:

Vincent Brown, WR, San Diego State

Ricky Dobbs, QB, Navy

Lester Jean, WR, FAU

Jeron Johnson, S, Boise State

Shiloh Keo, S, Idaho

Brian Lainhart, S, Kent State

Josh McNary, DE, Army

Dontay Moch, DE/LB, Nevada

Justin Taplin-Ross, S, Utah

Coming up with the all non-AQ team is never easy, because there are so many good players across all five conferences, Army and Navy. Unfortunately, many talented players get left off this list because there isn't room for everybody.

I tried to pick the players who had the most outstanding seasons at their respective positions. The toughest positions for me to pick were defensive line, receiver and linebacker, where I had 10 worthy candidates to whittle down.

It was also tough selecting a quarterback, so I went with two: Heisman Trophy finalist Kellen Moore of Boise State and record-setting Colin Kaepernick of Nevada. Both had incredible seasons worthy of recognition. My lone Sun Belt selection had the best player in the conference -- Western Kentucky running back Bobby Rainey, who ran for 1,649 yards on an astounding 340 carries, with 15 touchdowns.

My lone MAC selection was KR Eric Page, who led the nation with three kickoff returns for touchdowns.

Here is the complete list. Feel free to debate in the comments section.

OFFENSE

QB – Kellen Moore, Boise State; Colin Kaepernick, Nevada

RB – Bobby Rainey, Jr., Western Kentucky

RB – Vai Taua, Sr., Nevada

AP – Damaris Johnson, Jr., Tulsa

WR – Greg Salas, Sr., Hawaii

WR – Titus Young, Sr., Boise State

TE – Virgil Green, Sr., Nevada

OL -- Matt Reynolds, Jr., BYU

OL – Marcus Cannon, Sr., TCU

OL – Nate Potter, Jr., Boise State

OL – Rob McGill, Sr., Louisiana Tech

C -- Zane Taylor, Sr., Utah

DEFENSE

DL -- Chris Carter, Sr., Fresno State

DL – Vinny Curry, Jr., Marshall

DL – Dontay Moch, Sr., Nevada

DL – Shea McClellin, Jr., Boise State

LB – Tank Carder, Jr., TCU

LB – Corey Paredes, Jr., Hawaii

LB -- Mario Harvey, Sr., Marshall

DB – Reggie Rembert, Sr., Air Force

DB – Mana Silva, Sr., Hawaii

DB – Tejay Johnson, Sr., TCU

DB – George Iloka, Boise State

SPECIAL TEAMS

K – Danny Hrapmann, Jr., Southern Miss

P – Kyle Martens, Jr., Rice

KR – Eric Page, So., Toledo

PR – Shaky Smithson, Sr., Utah

Nevada quarterback Colin Kaepernick and defensive end Dontay Moch will play in the East-West Shrine Game in Orlando on Jan. 22.

Additionally, Kaepernick has also been invited to compete in the Senior Bowl, which will be played on Jan. 29 in Mobile, Ala.

Kaepernick and Moch will be the first Nevada players to compete in the East-West Game since Marko Mitchell and Joshua Mauga played in it two years ago. Four years ago, quarterback Jeff Rowe was the Offensive MVP in the Shrine Game.

Kaepernick will be the first Nevada player to play in the Senior Bowl since John Dutton and Deshone Myles played in 1998. Boise State receivers Titus Young and Austin Pettis will also play in the Senior Bowl, the annual showcase that draws hundreds of scouts looking to evaluate NFL potential.

One media voter out of 43 cast their ballot for Nevada in the WAC preseason media poll, drawing scorn and ridicule. Well, it turns out that voter was right. The Wolf Pack won a share of the WAC title with Boise State and Hawaii, capping the best season in school history with its first conference championship since 2005. The big highlight of course was the 34-31 overtime win over Boise State. But the signs were there early that this could be a special season. Go back to the 52-31 win over California in Week 3. The Wolf Pack had their way with the Bears, and won a game over a team from an automatic qualifying conference for the first time in seven tries. That set the stage for what was to come. Colin Kaepernick was better than advertised, and he and Vai Taua partnered to become the most prolific rushing duo in NCAA history. The vaunted Pistol offense began showing up in college football games throughout the country, and coach Chris Ault was named WAC coach of the Year. A defense that was in desperate need of improvement showed development under first-year coordinator Andy Buh. Dontay Moch was his usual disruptive self, and James-Michael Johnson was a revelation. The only setback came at Hawaii, a place where Nevada hasn’t won since 1948. Kaepernick had an uncharacteristic four turnovers, including a fumble as he was crossing the goal line that went out of the end zone. Who knows what might have been had he been able to score there. The reality is that Nevada is a champion.

Offensive MVP: QB Colin Kaepernick. You would run out of space on this page if you wanted to discuss all of his accolades this season. Kaepernick won WAC Co-Offensive Player of the Year honors this season for not only rushing but passing his way into the record books. He joined Cam Newton and Tim Tebow as the only players in NCAA history to run for 20 TDs and pass for 20 TDs in a season. That is just one highlight. The biggest area of improvement this season was his pass efficiency -- he completed a career-high 65.3 percent of his passes this season.

Defensive MVP: DE Dontay Moch. Though he didn’t win WAC Defensive Player of the Year honors, he still set the league record for tackles for loss. Moch ended up with 22 tackles for a loss on the year and 8.5 sacks.

Turning point: The win over Boise State was the first over a Top 5 team in program history, and set the stage for the team to share the WAC championship.

What’s next: Nevada plays Boston College in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl, then faces big-time rebuilding, losing Kaepernick, Taua and Moch.

The WAC and Sun Belt had a slate of games this past weekend, and each league selected their players of the week on Monday:

Sun Belt

Offense: Troy quarterback Corey Robinson. Went 25-of-34 for 324 yards and three touchdowns in a win against FAU.

Defense: Middle Tennessee defensive end Jamari Lattimore. Had seven tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, and a quarterback hurry in a 28-27 win against FIU. Lattimore’s sack gave him 11.5 for the year and tied him for the single-season record at Middle Tennessee.

Special Teams: Troy defensive back Sam Sellers. Had five tackles while helping to hold FAU to just 131 yards on nine kickoff and punt returns in the game.

WAC

Offense: Hawaii quarterback Bryant Moniz. Went 29-of-43 for 380 yards and four touchdowns and rushed five times for 29 yards and two more scores in a win against UNLV.

Defense: Nevada defensive end Dontay Moch. Made seven tackles, including two for a loss, in a 35-17 win at Louisiana Tech. After going into the locker room tied at 14, Moch helped lead a defense that held the Bulldogs to less than 100 yards of total offense in the second half, giving the Wolf Pack a share of the WAC title.

Special teams: Fresno State kicker Kevin Goessling. Made both of his field goal attempts in a 25-23 win against Illinois on Friday night. His 52-yard field goal in the second quarter was the longest by any WAC player this season. He also hit a 45-yarder late in the first quarter of the game.

More Thursday night football, with USF at West Virginia and Kansas State at Kansas.

UCF had another good day in front of a national television audience Wednesday night, this time beating Marshall. At 4-2, UCF is off to its best start since 1998.

More on the botched replay in the San Diego State-BYU game -- one of the three replay booth staffers was a BYU athletic department employee.

Fresno State running back Tracy Slocum will face former teammate Frank Padilla when New Mexico State plays the Bulldogs on Saturday.

The Lumbee Indian tribe senses a kindred spirit with the Boise State football team.

Nevada defensive end Dontay Moch is known for his speed, but has impressed with his strength this season.

Utah's special teams have been special.

BYU running back JJ Di Luigi has proven to be a strong rusher.

The paths of Western Michigan coach Bill Cubit and Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly changed on one night.

Louisiana freshman Darryl Surgent made a huge first impression on special teams last week against Oklahoma State.

» Predictions: ACC | Big 12 | Big East | Big Ten | Pac-10 | SEC | Non-AQ

My picks in Week 6 were much improved at 8-2, thank you very much. Although I still have a BYU problem. Picking against the Cougars did not work, either. My upset special panned out, so at least there is that. With a 41-23 overall record, I am ready for Week 7.

On to the picks!

NC State 40, East Carolina 27. As much as I want to believe in the Pirates, I do not know if they have the defense to be able to slow down Russell Wilson. But I think I have a pretty good idea. I will give credit to them for one thing -- making all their games quite entertaining to watch. One area to note, East Carolina will be without safety Derek Blacknall, who has been suspended for a helmet-to-helmet hit he delivered last week against Southern Miss.

UPSET SPECIAL: Army 30, Rutgers 20. Army is coming off a big win at Tulane. Rutgers lost to Tulane earlier this year. That is not the reason I am picking the upset special. The Scarlet Knights have struggled all season, nearly losing to FIU, losing to an undermanned North Carolina, and losing to Tulane. Yes, Rutgers looked much better last week with Chas Dodd at quarterback, but Army has an experienced, opportunistic defense that will present him problems. Army leads the nation in turnover margin, and the Black Knights have scored 86 points off 16 takeaways while allowing only 10 points on four giveaways.

Ball State 24, Eastern Michigan 20. The Cardinals had one of their worst games under coach Stan Parrish last week in a loss to Western Michigan, and now they get winless Eastern Michigan to ease the suffering. This game is not going to be a walkover. The Eagles have come close in a few of their conference games this season, and will keep this one close, too.

Houston 31, Rice 24. The Cougars are not going to blow anybody out with a freshman playing quarterback. Will I regret those words? Maybe. David Piland did throw for 300 yards last week, but he had no help. The running game was totally stymied. I think Houston will have an easier time rushing the ball Saturday, but this one is going to be a fight until the end.

SMU 33, Navy 23. Call this upset special No. 2 since the Midshipmen are 1.5 point favorites to win the game. Though the Midshipmen are coming off a big win against Wake Forest and Ricky Dobbs looked more like himself, SMU is really looking solid on offense behind Kyle Padron. The defense has stepped up, too, behind Ja’Gared Davis, who will wreak Havoc for Dobbs.

No. 4 TCU 34, BYU 14. I know BYU is 2-4, but am still surprised the Cougars are 29-point underdogs. Perhaps they found a spark on defense now that Bronco Mendenhall is in charge, but this team is not anywhere near improved enough to win this game. TCU has too much talent on offense and defense. Andy Dalton is completing 82 percent of his passes at home this season, and the TCU defense will be able to slow down JJ Di Luigi and force true freshman Jake Heaps into mistakes.

No. 23 Air Force 24, San Diego State 20. The Aztecs have been on the losing end of two heartbreakers, and both games featured bad calls that cost them. They have a very real chance at upsetting the Falcons if they can get their run game going. Air Force coach Troy Calhoun has made it a point to stress to his defense it must improve against the run. In the end, Tim Jefferson and that triple offense are going to be too much for a defense that is still learning and improving.

No. 19 Nevada 45, Hawaii 44. A shootout, island style. Nevada has not beaten Hawaii in Honolulu since 1948, and it is a difficult task for any team to make the long trip out to the islands. But Nevada is playing well on offense, behind Colin Kaepernick and Vai Taua, and on defense, where Dontay Moch continues to bust through double teams and chip blocks for tackles behind the line. Moch will be able to pressure high-flying Bryant Moniz enough to rattle him and take him out of rhythm.

UAB 30, UTEP 27. I got some e-mail into the mailbag yelling at me for not noticing UTEP, which is off to a 5-1 start. I have noticed all right. It has played just one team with a winning record. The other FBS teams it has beaten have a combined three victories. That includes a last-second win over Memphis. So I am not quite ready to declare UTEP for real, though I will say Trevor Vittatoe is a joy to watch. UAB is coming off an embarrassing loss to UCF, but this as close to a must-win as you can get. The Blazers find a way to pull it out.

North Texas 28, FIU 27. This has been a disastrous season for the Mean Green as injuries have taken a serious toll throughout the team. They are down to their fourth quarterback in Chase Baine, but having Lance Dunbar in the backfield gives them a chance. They have lost their two conference games by a combined six points. FIU is improved, but the Panthers have had problems against the run. Dunbar is in line for a big game.

Nevada Wolf Pack

Record: 6-0 (1-0, WAC)

With Colin Kaepernick and Vai Taua returning to the offense, there was no question the Wolf Pack would be able to put up some serious yards in the Pistol offense. After all, they helped set an NCAA record last season, along with Luke Lippincott -- all three had 1,000 yards rushing. The big question was whether the defense would show improvement under new coordinator Andy Buh. The answer has been a resounding yes midway through the season. Kaepernick has been even better than last season, thanks to improved accuracy and efficiency, and the defense has stepped up. Nevada is off to its best start since joining FBS in 1992 and is ranked in both polls for the first time since 1948. The big win came over California (52-31), a game in which Kaepernick had 329 total yards and five touchdowns. The Wolf Pack have yet to trail in a game this season. Meanwhile, Dontay Moch and James-Michael Johnson have led an improved defense, and Nevada looks like a serious threat to Boise State midway through the season.

Offensive MVP, QB Colin Kaepernick. What more can you say about the senior from Turlock, Calif.? Kaepernick ranks No. 6 in the country in total offense with 1,960 yards. He also has 19 touchdowns. But what has made the difference this year is the way he is throwing the ball. Kaepernick is completing a career-high 71 percent of his passes, and only has three interceptions on the season.

Defensive MVP, DE Dontay Moch, LB James-Michael Johnson. We are going to pick two here. Moch has come up huge, especially in the past two games. Last week he set the school and WAC record for tackles for loss (52) in a career. He has 11 so far on the season and three sacks. Johnson, meanwhile, has emerged, leading the team in tackles with 41. He also has 2.5 sacks.

Let's take a look at the good and the bad for the non-AQs in Week 6.

The good: The elite non-AQ teams have done their jobs midway through the season. TCU put together an impressive 45-0 win. Quarterback Andy Dalton, who has been up and down this season, was 14-of-17 for 270 yards with three touchdowns. In three home games this season, Dalton is 50-of-61 (82 percent) for 719 yards with six touchdowns and no interceptions. … Utah trailed Iowa State 14-10, but then the second quarter started. The Utes outscored the Cyclones 31-0 and have now outscored opponents an eye-popping 101-7 in the second quarter this season. … Bryant Moniz continues his incredible rise. He came to Hawaii as a walk-on last season, and now is leading the country with 2,245 passing yards – the only quarterback with more than 2,000 yards so far this season. Hawaii has the top ranked passing offense in the country. Greg Salas leads the country in receiving yards, and teammate Kealoha Pilares ranks third. … UTEP quarterback Trevor Vittatoe set new school career records for touchdown throws (89), passing yards (11,260) and total offensive yards (11,117).

The bad: Ball State coach Stan Parrish said his team played one of the worst games since he became head coach, in a 45-16 loss to Western Michigan. His team fumbled the opening kickoff, then had an interception returned for a touchdown on the second series. It was downhill from there, with three more turnovers erasing any chance to win. … Utah State had one of its best wins a week ago against BYU, beating its in-state rival 31-16. But the Aggies had their worst game of the season on Saturday in a 24-6 loss to Louisiana Tech. They had just 73 yards passing and 195 total yards of offense, a week after racking up 434 yards of total offense against the Cougars. Coach Gary Andersen said his team is much better at handling adversity than success.

The heartache: FAU fought back from a 12-0 deficit to take a 20-17 lead against ULM. But a fumbled snap gave ULM the ball at its own 45 with 4:51 remaining. Kolton Browning led the team down the field, and Jyruss Edwards ran for a 5-yard touchdown with 2:43 remaining, handing the Owls their fourth straight loss. … New Mexico clung to a 14-13 lead over in-state rival New Mexico State, but Stump Godfrey fumbled late, setting up Tyler Stamper’s 22-yard field goal to win it for the Aggies. New Mexico turned the ball over four times, and leads the nation with 20 turnovers this season. … San Jose State might have lost 35-13 to Nevada, but it was the first game all season where the Spartans didn’t lose a player to a season-ending injury. Those injuries have taken a toll, but so has the brutal start to the season, with games at Alabama, Wisconsin, Utah and Nevada.

A few more helmet stickers: Nevada defensive end Dontay Moch and running back Vai Taua have had excellent back-to-back games. Moch has a combined 18 tackles, eight tackles for loss, one sack and one forced fumble in the past two games, and Taua has 35 carries for 382 yards and eight total touchdowns (seven rushing, one receiving). … Air Force cornerback Reggie Rembert had a season-high seven tackles, an interception, three pass breakups and a fumble recovery in a 49-27 win against Colorado State. … In his first college game, North Texas kicker Zach Olen was perfect on all five of his kicks against Arkansas State, making 4-0f-4 field goals and his only extra-point attempt.

A few injury items to note: Toledo quarterback Austin Dantin is questionable after being carted off the field in a loss to Boise State last week. Dantin took a hard hit following a run in the fourth quarter and was motionless on the field, but coach Tim Beckman said his quarterback was coherent and he was put on a stretcher as a precautionary measure. Terrance Owens would get the nod if Dantin can’t play. … Temple offensive lineman Steve Caputo (leg) is out for the season. Ohio has lost its two best players -- receiver LaVon Brazill (leg) is out for the season, and linebacker Noah Keller (foot) is doubtful to return this season. North Texas quarterback Riley Dodge (wrist) will have a pin inserted in his broken wrist, and the team is hoping he can return as early as Oct. 30 against Western Kentucky.

Week 7 look ahead: There are some really interesting games in the Mountain West and WAC. Nevada is at Hawaii in a matchup of contrasting offenses. The Wolf Pack love to run, the Warriors love to pass. This is going to be a very big test for Nevada, no question. Air Force plays at San Diego State to start a brutal four-game stretch. Following that game, the Falcons are at TCU, home to Utah then at Army. BYU is at TCU, and there might not be any love lost here. TCU coach Gary Patterson was critical of the Cougars’ move to go independent before the season started.

There are no non-AQ players on Mel Kiper's latest big board, released today. Though you will need an ESPN Insider account to look at it, there are some among his top five seniors at each position.

At quarterback, TCU's Andy Dalton moves into the No. 4 position thanks to his strong start to the season. He is completing 75 percent of his passes, with four touchdowns and two interceptions, and also has 113 yards rushing and three touchdowns on the ground. Nathan Enderle of Idaho is off the list, thanks in part to his five interception performance against Nebraska a few weeks ago.

Others to watch:

No. 3 FB Charles Clay, Tulsa.

No. 5 WR Jerrel Jernigan, Troy.

No. 4 OG Andrew Jackson, Fresno State.

No. 5 OG Marcus Cannon, TCU.

No. 5 C Kevin Kowalski, Toledo.

No. 3 OLB Dontay Moch, Nevada.

No. 5 S Shiloh Keo, Idaho.

No. 4 K Matt Szymanski, SMU.

There aren't as many non-AQ players on the non-seniors list. You'll have to check that one out for yourselves.