Heisman

What a Saturday! Upsets and thrillers if you are able to look away from the handful of teams that get all the press. Although the press coverage tries to make college football like the NBA and focus on the big names from the big schools, there are many players that rise up each season to claim glory. Unfortunately, the Heisman trophy is becoming irrelevant due to the discrimination against players that are not from top schools. ESPN has a nice page on the Heisman watch. Compare the stat lines of the quarterbacks. Keenum leaves them all in the dust. McCoy and Tebow do not even lead their conference. Keenum is putting up big numbers every week and has led a number of comebacks.

McCoy, Tebow, and Ingram are good players but they play on great teams. It is hard to determine how great they are when they are surrounded by first round draft picks. Think back to Vince Young playing for Texas. The guy was throwing to Roy Williams and Limus Sweed and several other nfl players on offense and defense. When the guy through a pass it was to a wide open player. It still amazes me that the guy makes it to the pros and no one realizes he can't throw a spiral. This is the epitome of why the Heisman has fallen from such an achievement to a popularity award. Maybe ESPN can throw in an ESPY as a bonus. The Heisman should go to the player that is not only one of the best but also has changed the games he has played.

I realize that UH, Boise State, or TCU does not have the national following of Florida, Michigan, Notre Dame, or other BCS giants. But the Heisman is an individual award and should not depend upon the team or conference but the deeds of the athlete. Another knock against Keenum or Moore is that they do not play against big time competition. I think both have played well against the BCS teams that they have faced. Regardless, the Heisman can take back its legacy and bring more interest to the award or they can just decide who among the four or five teams can have it each season.

4th and 10 Heisman watch list

1. Case Keenum - UH - Ungodly numbers, come from behind wins, and win over Okie State. UH is not in first place without him.
2. CJ Spiller - Clemson - Big time win over Miami and probably one of the most exciting players to watch. Unfortunately, plays on an underachieving Clemson team.
3. Jordan Shipley - Texas - Why Cart gets the press. Stephen McGee's high school buddy and hunting partner, big time scoring machine that puts points on the board in the big games.
4. Toby Gerhart - Stanford - 220 yards and three scores in a win over Oregon. 3 big games left against the Trojans, Golden Bears, and the Irish give Gerhart the chance to make a big splash. Who had this Indian Cardinal running back on their radar screen?
5. Tyler Sheehan, Jimmy Clausen, and Jerrod Johnson - Big number guys who make their teams work. I have seen all three and each is amazing in their own way. Each has had a bad game but their teams would be no where without them.