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As football season hurtles toward an uncertain completion, it might be a good time to have a little quiz. You can call it trivia, but some of these statistics are fascinating. All deal with college football, based on some interesting facts I learned while perusing some college football record books. The correct record number follows each question. You get to guess who was responsible.

What quarterback holds the all-time record for completed passes in a college career? (1,546.)
What quarterback threw for the most passing yards in a college career? (19,217.)
Who passed for the most touchdowns in a college football career? (155.)
Who had the most games with 300-plus passing yards in a college season? (14.)
What quarterback had the most over-300-yard passing games in his college career? (39.)
What quarterback had the most over-500-yard passing games in one season? (3.)
Who holds the career record for most total yards, rushing and passing? (20,114.)
Who holds the record for most career touchdown passes? (178.)

The envelope, please...Here are the correct answers:  1. Case Keenum. 2. Case Keenum. 3. Case Keenum. 4. Case Keenum. 5. Case Keenum. 6. Case Keenum. 7. Case Keenum. 8. Case Keenum.

Surprised? Yes, it’s true. Out of all the thousands of quarterbacks who have played in college, which is all of them, Keenum had a spectacular career playing for the University of Houston Cougars from 2006 through 2011. He got a medical redshirt for 2010 after tearing up his knee in the third game, but in his senior season he and the Cougars were giant killers.

Keenum threw 9 touchdown passes in a blowout victory over Rice. And at the end of a one-loss season they were invited to play in a bowl game against mighty Penn State. Houston won 30-14 and Keenum threw three touchdown passes and gained 532 yards passing.

He went undrafted, which seems incredible, and signed with the Houston Texans. He spent most of his time as a reserve or taxi squad member, but was in demand enough to spend two terms with both the Texans and the Rams before being obtained by the Vikings this season. Keenum was hired as insurance for Sam Bradford, while we all await the healing knee of Teddy Bridgewater. But when Bradford’s knee gave out, Keenum was forced into duty.

It is unbelievable how much criticism there has been for Keenum, who had a couple of mediocre games, and a couple of good-to-excellent performances, including last Sunday’s 4-touchdown performance to beat Washington. That came right after grousing media types in the Twin Cities ripped on Keenum as being incapable of being a consistent winner.

I have always been a Teddy Bridgewater supporter, when the media lions were ripping him. And I thought Sam Bradshaw did a great job as a hasty replacement. But what I’ve noticed with Case Keenum is that there seems to be a positive vibe, and a rhythm to the Vikings offense when Keenum is the quarterback. If you needed convincing, his first half against the Redskins was more than enough evidence of his value.

Nevertheless, this week the raging speculation has been that coach Mike Zimmer wants to replace Keenum with Bridgewater, the sooner the better. It’s his call. To me it was a non-controversy. As someone who has coached athletes of all ages in baseball, hockey, soccer, and basketball (briefly), I always tried to find the available chemistry in players working together for the common good, and I believe the Vikings have it with Case Keenum calling the signals. He can throw long, he can throw short, he can run when he has to, and he even makes a colossal mistake once in a while, as with his first interception in the second half Sunday. But with him at quarterback, Adam Thielan might end up in the Hall of Fame this season!

If you think Case Keenum isn’t up to the lofty standards Vikings fans have established for him, go back and take that little quiz again, and tell me which of those amazing records Bridgewater or Bradford owns. Case Keenum is worth a championship. Here’s one more idea. If the Vikings treat Case Keenum as a discard, how about offering him to the Green Bay Packers? He could win the Central Division for the Vikings, and he certainly could rally the Packers back into contention. 

College Playoff Picture

The Division II football picture is now in full focus, and UMD fans are seriously upset that the Bulldogs got left out of the seven-team Super-Region. They were eighth, and the top seven from all four Super-Regions advance to the NCAA competition. The problem facing UMD was the simple one of the annual power shift that sees the South half of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference considered much stronger than the North half, where only UMD stands out.

As it is, if you combine the North and South into one huged conference, No. 1 would be Minnesota State-Mankato, No. 2 was Winona State, No. 3 was Sioux Falls, and No. 4 was UMD. Hard to dispute that. UMD lost its first game to Minnesota State-Mankato, and its third game to Sioux Falls, both from the South, and then the Bulldogs roared to eight straight victories and claimed their 10th consecutive North Division championship.

The committee spread their picks around, and apparently didn’t want to pick four teams from the NSIC, so they picked three. In the process, they picked three teams from the South and didn’t pick the champion nor anyone else from the North. Maybe it’s time to realign the divisions to make them resemble parity. From a purely selfish standpoint, it feels hollow that we won’t get to see any of that talented crop of UMD seniors play again at Malosky Stadium. We can find a way to see them play Central Misouri State in the Mineral Water Bowl on Dec. 2 at Excelsior Springs, Mo.

With Central Washington given the No. 1 seed and a bye, Mankato was demoted to No. 2 seed in the region, even though they ranked No. 1 in the country most of the season. The Mavericks will face No. 7 Colorado State-Pueblo on Saturday; No. 3 Midwest State faces No. 6 Sioux Falls; and No. 4 Winona State meets No. 5 Texas A&M Commerce.