ESPN talking head Kirk Herbstreit has released his 2007 Herbies and there’s always some interesting stuff on this list, which makes its appearance for 7th year, and very few things that I think anyone can quibble with.

When you do what Herbstreit does, which is traveling from campus to campus for months during college football season, it allows him to gain a perspective that few others have. Every college town in America thinks they have the best greasy spoon, on-campus dive so to argue with Herbstreit on what college town has the best food is really an exercise in futility. It’s a matter of taste but it’s also a matter of experience, which Herbstreit has in spades. Ditto for best band, best Gameday locations, best students sections and prettiest coeds. When you travel around the country for two or three months, you get a pretty good feel for the best of the best in college football and perhaps more importantly, the culture of college football, which is what a show like Gameday is really all about. It’s the ultimate tailgate.

I take a little bit of offense to some of his picks as far as players and coaches are concerned. First there is the best running back, new wave, category where Herbstreit has Ohio State sophomore Beanie Wells listed number 1 in front of Oklahoma’s DeMarco Murray and USC freshman Joe McKnight, who has drawn comparisons across the board to Reggie Bush. Now I don’t often accuse Herbstreit, who is an Ohio State alum and co-hosts a sports talk radio show in Columbus on 1460 AM when not on assignment for the Worldwide Leader, of being a homer as I think he consciously goes out of his way to avoid those accusations. But come on. Yes, Wells looked good against Michigan last year but does he really have the potential to be better, which is what he’s done by ranking him higher than the others, than Noel Devine of West Virginia, Murray, McKnight? Flatly, is he a better running back than those three guys? No. He just isn’t.

Here’s something I just feel the need to say for the record. I’m not a believer in Anthony Morelli, Penn State’s senior quarterback who everyone, including our buddy Herbie, is expecting to have a breakout year in ’07. Last year, the only year he has put up stats of any import, the kid threw 11 TDs and 8 INTs while completing less than 55 percent of his passes. Those aren’t good numbers. Heck, those aren’t even decent numbers. In games against the Big Ten’s three best teams last year (Michigan, Ohio State, Wisconsin), Morelli threw a grand total of ZERO touchdowns and four interceptions. All of last season, he never had a game where he threw for more than 300 yards. My guess is that the Penn State staff isn’t as sold on Anthony Morelli as sportswriters in the country appear to be. And looking at his stats, I can’t say that I blame him. If Penn State fails to knock off Ohio State, Wisconsin or Michigan, Morelli will be a big part of the reason why. Count on it.

Since I’m sure you’re dying to know. Herbie picked Florida to win the East, LSU to win the west and the Bayou Bengals to take the conference championship.

Here’s the link.