The 2007 Heisman race was one of the most exciting in history. Fans can expect as much debate to carry over into the 2008 race, which figures to begin the year with a crowded field. As it stands now, as many as a dozen players appear to have a legitimate shot, with plenty of time for new faces to emerge. Here is an early look at the top 10 candidates for 2008 ...
The instant Tim Tebow's name was read as the winner of this year's Heisman Trophy award, fans everywhere began to debate the results.
Overhyped stats? System quarterback not unlike Colt Brennan? Not flashy enough? Not truly the best player in college football?
Blah, blah, blah ...
The other award results are in ... the four finalists are in New York ... the clock is winding down to the announcement ...
Funny. There are a number of fans and voters concerned about a number of mid-tier Heisman candidates. Colt Brennan fans are upset (and perhaps rightfully so) that the mid-major player is not receiving a fair shake, and Glenn Dorsey fans are irked by the idea that a lineman cannot win the award over a skill position player.
Perhaps the biggest tragedy amidst all of this is the fact that so few have come to the defense of UCF running back Kevin Smith.
As readers of this column are well aware, I try to tell it how it is -- not always how I see things, but how a majority of Heisman voters likely see things. Smith is guilty of the same crime that Brennan is (poor conference thus weak schedule). His name is not nearly as recognizable as Brennan's -- more on par with Tulane's Matt Forte. And yet Smith's numbers are more impressive than anyone else in America -- at any position, offense or defense.
A college running back with 2,400 yards is comparable to a 2,000-yard wide receiver or a 5,500-yard quarterback. Yet Smith is as anonymous as the college he plays for. Consider the following: he's carried 415 times to showcase his durability; he has scored 22 times to show his nose for the end zone; and he gained 173 total yards of offense against Texas to show he can hang with the big boys.
Still upset about how YOUR candidate is being unfairly evaluated by Heisman voters?
The race is now over. The winner has all but been announced. Congratulations, Tim Tebow of Florida, you're the winner of the 2007 Heisman Trophy ...
With one weekend of college football remaining, fans are asking what these final few games can possibly mean for the Heisman race. The answer is "a whole lot" depending on how things play out.
Readers are already asking what a broken hand could mean for Tim Tebow's Heisman campaign. Reportedly, the sophomore quarterback broke his right hand (non-throwing) in the second half of Florida's win over Florida State on Saturday. Team doctors took a look but allowed Tebow to keep playing.
The analysis: seeing that Tebow's regular season is done, the injury can only help his candidacy. Tebow is considered a tough, durable player by many. This only adds to his legend.
We'll admit, at first read it sounded like a well-dreamt PR stunt by the Florida sports information department. But, because it's Tebow, it's not so hard to fathom him guiding the Gators to two more scores after suffering the injury.
Check back tomorrow for more Heisman analysis ...
In between bites of crow pie we'll examine the most important weekend of the 2007 college season to date.
Can we finally now say that the Heisman picture is clear? Nope, it's cloudier than it has ever been ...
Well, let the Heisman debate begin. The 'believers' in Colt Brennan's campaign have pointed to this game as the make-or-break moment of his candidacy. We agree.
Another Saturday packed full of surprises, another week of wondering just who deserves this Trophy. Has there ever been another year in which this race was so undecided?
No.
We can argue that point because, even when three or four candidates headed to New York with a fair chance to win it, at least those players were deemed worthy recipients of the Heisman. A case could be made AGAINST virtually every remaining candidate, and it's difficult to make a case FOR any one of them.
On that note, try to excuse our skeptical tone in this week's recap ...
Cue Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust" ...
In a Heisman race that has hailed Darren McFadden, and Tim Tebow, and Andre Woodson, and Matt Ryan, and now Dennis Dixon, the only thing that has remained constant is the uncertainty surrounding it all. On Thursday, Dixon suffered a knee injury in the first quarter before his Oregon Ducks fell apart on national television to an under-matched Arizona squad. It was the same knee he hurt earlier this month, and it didn't look good as he slithered on the field in pain.
We hinted in our weekly Strike the Pose rankings that the game might be Dixon's last test before bowl play. That proved true. Now, Dixon will soon be out of the frontrunner's spot in this race, leaving the Trophy once again up for grabs.
Check back later today for our weekend Heisman preview ...
Does anyone want this award? Anyone? Darren McFadden was back on the fast-track last week after a huge performance. This week McFadden did well against Tennessee, but his Razorbacks failed to show much support. Assuming his team beats Mississippi State and loses to LSU, can we really justify voting for a back who had an up-and-down year for a 7-5 club?
So who will it be then? Well, read on ...
Could it be? Is Darren McFadden back in the Heisman hunt? On Saturday, McFadden rumbled to 321 yards in a win over a ranked South Carolina squad. Originally McFadden was given 323 yards, which would have been a SEC record, but later two yards were taken away to give him a tie with Frank Mordica of Vanderbilt (1978). Whatever the total, the effort grabbed the attention of Heisman voters in search of a candidate to hang their hat on come December. McFadden was the frontrunner throughout the off-months and early into the season, but he fell off fast when the Razorbacks began to lose. If he finishes the year with a couple more blistering performances, he just might get enough hype to climb back into the race.
One note: teammate Felix Jones also had a big night against the Gamecocks. He gained 166 yards on 13 carries, and his 12.8-yard average was a full three yards better than McFadden's average. For Heisman voters willing to look deep into the numbers this stat matters; Jones has performed as well, if not better, than McFadden in most of this year's contests.
In his 'Brutally Honest Heisman Breakdown' column this week, College Football News writer Pete Fiutak lists Tulane's Matt Forte in the category of 'No current chance to win it, but deserves to be in the discussion.'
Says Fiutak of Forte, "His team is awful, but the numbers are becoming too ridiculous to ignore. "
In his weekly Heisman ranking for SportsIllustrated.com, Gene Menez has both Dennis Dixon (No. 3) and Jonathan Stewart (No. 5) ranked.
Of Stewart, Menez writes "I'm still sticking to the theory that Dixon, not Stewart, makes the Ducks offense run as smoothly as it does, but after Saturday's 103-yard, two-touchdown effort, Im starting to come around to Stewart's side."
Wait a minute. You can't have it both ways. In the past, teams have sent more than one player to New York. But in the case of Oregon, it will be one or the other, not both.
Give the Heisman Pundit credit for having the guts to pick Oregon as its top ranked team in the country. We admire any site willing to go against the grain. But in this week's ranking, the Pundit kept Tim Tebow listed as its top candidate. Uh-uh, can't agree there. How could Tebow stay No. 1 when Matt Ryan won a bigger game and is playing for an undefeated squad? Another interesting pick -- Darren McFadden at No. 5. No way.
In its weekly ranking, MSNBC has Matt Ryan in the top spot (who doesn't?) but behind him the site prefers Dennis Dixon of Oregon. That's a bit of a surprise to us, considering how well running back Jonathan Stewart has played as of late. Many believe that for Oregon to get back Arizona State this week, the Ducks will need a big game out of Dixon. We agree. But until that happens, Dixon is not a top three candidate.
Well, one could argue that Tim Tebow's gutty performance on Saturday in the loss to Georgia was Heisman-worthy. Playing with an aggravated right shoulder, Tebow stuck his body in harm's way, leading with the shoulder to pursue a poor snap (the Bulldogs recovered to end the contest). Still, as much as we must respect Tebow's talent and all he does for his club, fact is his Gators have now lost three games and until Boston College loses a game we don't see him overtaking Matt Ryan in any poll.
Andre' Woodson had the better numbers, but the Heisman race is about winning games as much as it is about numbers and Woodson's Wildcats did not have enough to out-do Tim Tebow's Gators. Woodson completed 70 percent of his throws for 415 yards and five touchdowns. He converted on fourth down throws and never allowed his team to fall out of the contest. But Tebow was equally impressive. He threw four touchdowns, rushed for another, and got the Gators back into contention in the SEC. Fans will remember the jump pass from this game; we'll remember one short run where Tebow get pushing the pile despite a number of Wildcat defenders joining in on the tackle.
Gene Menez believes Tim Tebow's week away from action served him well. Tebow has climbed back out front in the SI.com ranking. That's a pick we can understand, but no Andre' Woodson in the top 10!? C'mon Gene, get real! Click here for the complete top 10 ...
If the Heisman race were held this week, Arkansas running back Darren McFadden would still be the winner says the Heisman Pundit. We couldn't disagree more. Sure, we understand that McFadden's name is the easiest to remember, but voters are well aware of his three losses already. And by the time the season's through, we suspect McFadden will have a few more of losses tied to his name.
Fans are already asking what Hawaii's come-from-behind win over San Jose State will do for Colt Brennan's campaign. The short answer: not much. Now for the long answer .. for one, this was San Jose State, not LSU. If anything, the game should serve as a reminder that Hawaii faces a weak schedule and that Brennan would never pass for 545 yards against Auburn or Ohio State or, heck, even Notre Dame. Brennan is good against not-so-good teams, and his performance on Friday, while heroic, loses value when put in perspective.
Pete Fiutak of College Football News and Fox Sports has been around the college game for a long time. When he speaks others listen, which is why his selection of Mike Hart as the current leader in the Heisman race is so powerful. There have been whispers about Hart breaking back into the leaderboard ever since Michigan scored its first victory over Notre Dame. But Hart already back to the top of the Heisman standings. Hmm, we respect the courage of the pick, Pete.
It's truly touching just how long MSNBC has hung on to West Virginia quarterback in its top 10 ranking. But this week's No. 5 ranking is a bit much. White, like Hawaii's Colt Brennan, has missed too much action to be a serious consideration, and his Mountaineers are still in recovery mode from a bitter loss to South Florida.
We like White, just no longer as a Heisman contender.
Click here for a full list of Mike Woods' Oct. 9 rankings on MSNBC ...
Apparently, ESPN.com's Rod Gilmore disagrees with SI.com's Gene Menez. Gilmore has DeSean Jackson ranked atop his Oct. 9 ballot (Jackson ranked third in the ESPN weekly expert poll). We were a little surprised by Gilmore's No. 3 selection, however: Colt Brennan of Hawaii. Is he still Heisman eligible? Brennan has spent too much time on the sideline and not enough time picking apart the nation's worst secondaries to earn a top 5 vote.
In his latest Heisman column, SportsIllustrated.com's Gene Menez rattles off the top 10 mid-season candidates for the Heisman. His top four aren't much of a surprise, outside of the order they are arranged, but at the bottom of the list I found a peculiar entry: Kansas State receiver Jordy Nelson.
C'mon.
Writes Menez, "I know I'm going to take some heat for including Nelson, but there hasn't been a more dangerous receiver/punt returner in the nation this season. And that includes DeSean Jackson." While we agree Jackson has been awesome at times, absent at others, Nelson cannot compete with Cal's versatile threat (ranked No. 10 by Menez this week).
As we head into mid-October, the Heisman race is entering that period when things usually start to heat up. As we witnessed this weekend, however, this year the race gets colder with each passing Saturday. Who wants the Trophy? No one, apparently.
Another frontrunner, another quick death. It was a night to forget for Kentucky's Andre Woodson, who just this week jumped to the top of the Strike the Pose top 20 and the CSTV.com Heisman Watch. But, against South Carolina, Woodson was responsible for a turnover-filled loss on a national stage. Woodson played his worst football of the year -- perhaps of his career -- and the loss will send No. 8 ranked Kentucky plummeting down the polls, we're sure. Here's a recap of Woodson's blunders: a first quarter fumble recovered in the end zone, a costly red zone interception, a lateral returned for a score -- the sad part of it was that Kentucky wasn't blown out of the game, Woodson single-handily took his team out of this game.
It raises the question: what the #@*! is going on in this Heisman race!? There is no clear frontrunner because (a) too many quality candidates are playing on losing teams (ie Darren McFadden and Mike Hart) and (b) too many candidates have had that one embarrassing performance in front of a large audience (ie Woodson and John David Booty).
Some suggest the only possible savior is Florida's Tim Tebow. If he beats LSU this week, the Trophy is all but his. If his Gators lose for a second straight week ... well, the rest of this race will be fun to watch.
What is it with the folks at MSNBC? This week they still have Tim Tebow ranked ahead of Andre Woodson, and have West Virginia's Pat White at No. 4. Ahh, yeah, that's believable. Even worse, where is Wisconsin running back P.J. Hill? He's not ranked, but Colt Brennan is No. 6. Yikes!
It was a whacky weekend for college football ... and for the Heisman race. Five weeks into the 2007 season, this Heisman race is as wide open as any year in recent memory. The nation's top team, USC, was not-so-impressive against Washington and for its performance it should lose the No. 1 ranking (in my opinion, anyhow). The Trojans quarterback, John David Booty, was partially to blame for USC's woes and for it WILL lose his No. 1 ranking when the Strike the Pose top 20 is released this Tuesday.
SI.com writer Gene Menez has a new No. 1 in this week's ranking. Menez also has a soft spot for Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell. He ranks Harrell ahead of other quarterbacks, like Colt Brennan, Brian Brohm and Dennis Dixon. We can't argue with the first two, but picking the 'system' quarterback over Dixon at this point is ridiculous. Oregon has done more, and Dixon is the more dynamic player. My kid could post 400 yards passing in the Red Raiders' attack. Harrell is good, but not special.
What do losses mean to Heisman campaigns? They're not good, even if the candidate posts monster numbers. Read on ...
The path to 2007 has been long and unkind to Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan. After seeing a few snaps in 2004, Ryan has guided the Eagles to much success with little national praise. In fact, 2005, Virginia Tech is the only ACC team with more total wins than Ryan's Eagles (22).
Entering 2007, Ryan was a borderline Heisman candidate. He didn't have the high-profile-program advantage of John David Booty, or the projected numbers of Colt Brennan. He's not the dual threat that Tim Tebow is, nor was he as recognizable to voters as Brian Brohm.
After collecting 2,942 yards and 15 touchdowns as a junior, Ryan was an underdog playing for one of the country's biggest underdog programs.
But three games into this season things have changed.
We love Sports Illustrated's Gene Menez, but we have to question two of his picks in this week's top 10 Heisman ranking: Michigan's Mike Hart (No. 10) and Louisville's Brian Brohm (No. 3). How can Hart exist in any Heisman ranking, let alone a top 10? The Wolverines are done, and no voter is going to applaud Hart even if Michigan wins out and gets a respectable bowl bid. As for Brohm ... top 10, sure. Top 3? No way!
CSTV.com's weekly Heisman poll is out. Arkansas running back Darren McFadden is No. 1. The second-ranked player may surprise some you (surprise to me) ...
It was a wild week. One big-name Heisman candidate took a tumble, another arrived on primetime -- and the Wolverines won a game. Read on to find out which Heisman candidates did well this weekend ...
Thursday's game pitting West Virginia and Maryland was close through two quarters -- much closer than expected. But then West Virginia took flight (or, a more appropriate cliche, the running game picked up steam). Soon, this contest could be considered the game that separated West Virginia's dynamic pair of Heisman candidates, quarterback Pat White and running back Steve Slaton. It was also the game that a Heisman star of tomorrow got his first taste of the spotlight ...
Continue reading "Slaton steps in front; a freshman arrives" »
We took a closer look at Pat White's campaign last week, in part because the talented West Virginia QB has been overlooked for so long. He jumped in our rankings yesterday, but not as much as he did in another ranking. The Heisman Pundit moved White into its No. 4 slot, three spots ahead of teammate Steve Slaton. While we're not sure White deserves to be ranked that high yet (he's two spots lower in our ranking), it's good to see other sites are taking notice. We suspect voters are, too. To view the rest of Pundit's rankings, click here.
At this point in the season, it's difficult to set odds for Heisman hopefuls, but Cleveland Plain Dealer reporter Doug Lesmerises gives it a shot this week in his Heisman watch. Atop the list is quarterback Brian Brohm of Louisville at 9:2. Other candidates odds of interest ... in fourth, Rutgers running back Ray Rice (10:1) and Dennis Dixon of Oregon in seventh (50:1) To read the complete list of odds, click here
During a week when a few games were much closer than they should have been, several candidates turned up the juice. Case in point: Rutgers running back Ray Rice, who, despite facing a defense that had kept him out of the end zone last year, rolled up some huge numbers.
When Friday morning arrives some will argue that the Louisville Cardinals had no business being in a tight ball game against an under-matched Middle Tennessee State squad. And, they're right. But with regard to Louisville's outstanding quarterback Brian Brohm ... well, let's just say that without him, the Cardinals' head coach, Steve Kragthorpe, would be calling Lloyd Carr this weekend asking for damage control advice.
Each week during the reguklar season we'll put one Heisman candidate under the microscope and discuss why he deserves the award (and why he doesn't). This week it's West Virginia quarterback Pat White, who threw two touchdowns and rushed for two more in the Mountaineers' win over Western Michigan last Saturday.
The latest ESPN.com Heisman poll has few surprises. Arkansas running back Darren McFadden has a commanding lead. His 67 points are more than double the total of No. 2 ranked Brian Brohm. And of the 15 votes cast, only two first place votes went to someone other than McFadden (one to John David Booty, the other to Pat White). The newest addition to ESPN.com's Heisman Watch? Try Appalachian State quarterback Armanti Edwards, who completed 73.9 percent of his passes and tossed three touchdowns in the upset win over Michigan. We appreciate the kind gesture on the part of the voter who listed Edwards fifth on his ballot, but the Joe Dudek's of the world just don't get respect come voting time.
If the season ended today, SportsIllustrated.com's Gene Menez likes Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm to win the Heisman. Think he's crazy!? We don't.
In its latest ranking, the Heisman Pundit has Nebraska running back Marlon Lucky and quarterback Sam Keller listed in the top 10 -- Nos. 9 and 10, respectively. Not sure about you, but we're not buying.
Michigan's embarrassing loss to Appalachian State this afternoon could end the Heisman dreams of Wolverine stars Mike Hart, Mario Manningham and Chad Henne. Hart gained 188 yards and scored three times, but with Michigan's national title hopes now dimmed, even those numbers won't be enough to keep Hart in the minds of Heisman voters. Guess we'll see when the first straw poll is released next week.
