The list of candidates is dwindling. Front runner Jahvid Best of Cal was held to just 55 yards by Oregon this past weekend and Jacory Harris of Miami showed that the "U" and his chances of winning the Heisman are not quite there yet.
Before we get into who I believe are the front runners will look at some statistics of the hopefuls.
TIM TEBOW (Florida) - 44 for 68 passing. 643 yards by air. 8 tds against 1 pick. On the ground 55 carries for 271 yards and 5 tds. Marquee win so far was against Tennessee. Teams record 4-0 ranked #1 in the polls. Knock against him is he is a product of the system and that he already has a Heisman on his mantle. What he has going for him is that he's Tim Tebow playing on a the #1 team in the country.
COLT MCCOY (Texas) - 103 for 145 PASSING. 1,135 yards by air. 9 tds against 5 picks. Not rushing for as much as he did last year only 68 yards on the ground. Marquee win so far was against Texas Tech. Knock against McCoy this year as been that he hasn't put up the big numbers and hasn't had that standout game. What he has going for him is a big game against Oklahoma and a program that gets a lot of press.
CASE KEENUM (Houston) - 93-134 passing. 1,160 yards by air. 8 touchdown passes verse 2 interceptions. Marquee win was against a ranked Oklahoma State team. Knock against Keenum is, "WHO". Not a lot of national attention. Could work in his favor some if Houston becomes a BCS bowl buster. Lots of ground to make up.
TONY PIKE (Cincinnati) - 93-132 passing. 1,223 yards by air. 11 tds only 2 int's. Just like Keenum of Houston not many are familiar with the Bearcats. Marquee win was against Oregon State. Prior to this season not many could have told you that the Bearcats played in the Big East. What he has going for him is that Cincy may be the only team in this BCS conference that is making some national noise.
Jimmy Clausen (Notre Dame) - 77-117 passing. 1,122 yards by air. 10 td's throwing and only 2 picks. The good and the bad is that he plays for Notre Dame. The Golden Domer's schedule is not the toughest in the land. Marquee game was a loss to Michigan even though statistically was his best game of season. Will have a chance to redeem himself against USC. Notre Dame will have to finish very strong for any chance for him to be in New York.
JAHVID BEST (CAL) - Only running back on the list. 69 rushing attempts for 467 yards. 6.8 average. 8 touchdowns. Also has 79 receiving yards and a touchdown. Marquee win was against Minnesota when he scored 5 tds. The very next week was held to just 55 yards as the Bears got throttled by Oregon.
In my mind there are your top six. Out of those top six I think it is now a two horse race between Tebow and McCoy.
For Tebow to get the hardware he will have to keep doing what he's doing. Lead the Gators as the heart and soul of the Gator Nation. He will have a lot of chances to impress voters with games against #4 LSU on the road, #18 Georgia, South Carolina on the road and will cap off his season and career in a rivalry game against FSU.
McCoy has a tough road ahead of him to catch Tebow and then pass him for the Heisman votes he needs. It can be done though. The Longhorns have big games coming up against some ranked teams #8 Oklahoma, #14 Oklahoma State and #18 Kansas. Also throw in a game against a very good Missouri team on the road and you have the makings of a strong Heisman run.
The others listed above are just hoping for a trip to the Downtown Athletic Club so they can watch the festivities.
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another comment sent to my e-mail:
ReplyDelete"Fred - another great article.
But i wish everyone would quit saying he is a product of the system. So is Colt McCoy, Jahvid Best, Case Keenum and Sam Braford. So where Charlie Ward, Charles White, Archie Griffin and Matt Leinart. As were Ron Dayne, Danny Wuerffel and Vinny Testaverde.
If these players were not in a system that played to their skills, they would have been after thoughts.
Would Archie Griffin been a two time winner if he had played for the Gators? Would Vinny Testaverde have won his playing for Wisconsin? Would Sam Bradford had won his playing for Ohio State?
All players have to been in the "Right System" to show their real talent.
Fred - you asked for comments...I'll keep giving you mine.
He is a product of the system as were all the others. I was pointing out that voters will use that rational against him as well as already having a Heisman already. Tebow will be hard to beat though if the Gators win out the regular season unless Colt McCoy just overwhelms in his final games against some tough teams.
ReplyDeleteTebow is a product of the system. He is a tool for Urban Meyer. Put any quarterback in that system and the results are the same. Florida just has that much talent.
ReplyDeletetoo bad bradford got hurt. Would have made the Heisman thing a lot more fun with three involved instead of just tebow and mccoy
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