Sunday Debate: A Look At the Heisman Race Beyond the Front-Runners

Welcome to the newest FANdemonium Sports segment. It is called Sunday Debates. Every Sunday, I will think of a hot topic subject in the world of sports. Today’s subject argues one thing. If not Tebow, Bradford, or McCoy... who has the best shot at stealing the Heisman Trophy this upcoming College Football season?

So I will show and analyze some of the players that are considered top candidates - outside of the "big three" - to win the Heisman Trophy.

If you want to view my take on any topic that is suitable for a Sunday Debate, let me know about it. Email me any suggestions (along with anything else you want) at StLDieHard24@gmail.com.

I made a “Sunday Debates” section on the right side of the page under the “It’s FANdemonium, baby!” portion. There you will be able to view all of the Sunday Debates. Let’s get started with the sixth Sunday Debate.

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Spring football is under way, the NFL Draft is finally over, and we now know who will be coming back to light up the 2009 College Football season.

The 2008 Heisman Race was certainly one to remember; it was the closest since 2001, when former-Cornhusker Eric Crouch won the most prestigious award in all of sport. In the end, when all of the votes were tallied, Sam Bradford of Oklahoma became the 74th winner of the Heisman Trophy. Following Bradford; Colt McCoy of Texas was the first runner up and, last year’s winner, Tim Tebow, got 3rd in total voting.

After all is through, this may very well be how we remember that 2008 campaign… the memorable and to-close-to-call Heisman Race featuring the nation’s elite. I think that is safe to say that if it was any other year, and there was only one of either of these guys, they would have blown away the competition. All three of these Quarterbacks are Heisman-winning material.

But wait, they are coming back? Believe it or not, the three top vote-getters are all going to make another run at it this season. Sam Bradford and Tim Tebow will make an attempt at their second Trophy, while McCoy will try to receive his first Heisman statue.

Knowing that, most would think one of those guys will win the award, no? I can’t hardly argue that considering how incredible these quarterbacks really are. But, how often do the front-runners going in actually win the thing? Hardly ever. Last year it was Tebow, McFadden was favored heavily in 2007, Brady Quinn was almost handed the Trophy before the ’06 season, and we can do this all night. Do you notice the trend? None of the guys won it that year. All had good seasons, but none of them won it and it's like that way nearly every single year.

While the main guys of yesteryear are stealing the show already, there is some serious talent out there beyond Austin, Norman, and Gainsville.

On that note, let’s take a quick look at who will take home that bronze statue when it’s all said and done… if it isn’t the big three.

Todd Reesing, Kansas Jayhawks
He does not have the hype, or the swagger that most of the contenders do. Reesing is flying undetected, below the radar so far and nobody really realizes him as a legitimate contender. Kansas is not known for producing big-name QBs, but Todd has the skill set to be worthy of mention. Not to forget, Dezmon Briscoe and Kerry Meier are both coming back for another year – bringing 2000 yards and 20 TDs with them from the 2008 season.

Jimmy Clausen, Notre Dame Fighting Irish
While Jimmy may not have near the hype that the last Heisman contender out of North Bend had, he does have some. Any QB at ND usually does. Clausen is nowhere near Quinn, but he’ll have the Notre Dame spotlight and the receiving corps to put up the numbers and the wins to be in the hunt for the big prize. He showed in the 22-of-26, 401-yard, five touchdown win over Hawaii in the Hawaii Bowl that the offense has the potential to blow up, but the only chance of being in the Heisman hunt will be to come up with big wins. That means a big day at Michigan, a home victory over Michigan State, and most importantly, a tremendous performance against USC on October 17... preferrably a win in all of those.

Zac Robinson, Oklahoma State Cowboys
After throwing together a breakout year last season, and finishing well into the top-25, the Cowboys and their star QB are looking forward to running that explosive offense yet again. I love this guy and I love this guy’s potential at the collegiate level. He has the Heisman type of play the voters crave, and should kill the opposition with Kendall Hunter and Dez Bryant right there with him. Robinson can launch it down the field with accuracy, but also run very well when need be. Visualize the white Vince Young.

Jacquizz Rodgers, Oregon State Beavers
WOW. You don’t think so? Do you even know this guy lol? If you live on the east coast, you might not. For any of you people that think this kid shouldn’t be on this list, I will personally find you a tape of the USC/OreSt game of last fall. If a dude can straight up slither his way through THAT defense and make his way into the endzone twice with 190 yards, you are something special. He was a f-r-e-s-h-m-a-n this past season and was still the best playmaker in the Pac10. Before getting hurt he had 7 straight games of 100+ yard outputs, and totaled 1255 yards and 11 touchdowns… in seven games. I watched him during the USC game and immediately wrote his name down for two reasons: I knew he would be on this list and I knew I would forget how to spell his name.

Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State Buckeyes
He may be losing all of his sidekicks, but do not be fooled with this dude. Despite his main WRs and Chris “Beanie” Wells heading to Arizona, Pryor will have a massive season. He won’t have the talented Wells to hand off to but that should only mean he gets more chances to do more on his own. He’ll get more room to freelance, even for a Jim Tressel team, and he’ll get to run even more than he did in ‘08. Expect plenty of highlight moments and a barrage of face time on SportsCenter. But as it is with all Heisman candidates, it’s all about what he’ll do in the big moments. If he’s great against USC on September 12th and leads the way to a win, then it’s Heisman spotlight time. Remember me saying Zac Robinson is similar to the white Vince Young? Well Pryor IS Vince Young. He is the now the entire offense and the coaches will, while holding back in 2008, unleash him this year. He is a freak prodigy and now the nation’s newest superstar.

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Justin Hulsey

StLDieHard24@gmail.com

FANdemoniumSports.blogspot.com

If not the big three, then whom?

Too Early To Look at 2009's Heisman Race?

Midst a season in which the Big 12 South Champion had to be decided on the 5th tie breaker of a 3-way tie, I consider it very fitting for this year’s Heisman race to be the closest since 2001 when Nebraska’s Eric Crouch won the most prestigious award in all of sports.

In the end, when all of the votes were tallied, Sam Bradford of Oklahoma became the 74th winner of the Heisman Trophy. Following Bradford, Colt McCoy of Texas was the first runner up and, last year’s winner, Tim Tebow got 3rd.

When the final votes were counted on Saturday night, it was Florida's Tebow, the award's defending winner, taking home 309 of the 904 first-place votes; nine more than Bradford. But it was Bradford, the soft-spoken humble kid from Oklahoma City, hoisting the award in the end. The Sooners’ QB joins Paul Hornung and Billy Sims as the only players to win despite getting 2nd in first place votes.

With first place votes being worth three points, second place votes worth two, and third place being worth one, the system added Bradford – who finished #1 in the Northwest, Mid-Atlantic, Southwest, and Far West regions – to the illustrious company. McCoy, who took the crown in the Midwest and finished right behind Bradford in the Southwest and Far West portions, came in 122 votes short. Tebow finished 151 votes behind Bradford and 29 votes away from silver despite dominating the South and receiving second in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.

After all is through, this may very well be how we remember the 2008 campaign. The memorable and to-close-to-call Heisman Race featuring the nation’s elite. I think that is safe to say that if it was any other year, and there was only one of either of these guys, they would have blown away the competition. All three of these Quarterbacks are Heisman material.

What I think is kind of strange is the eerie pattern of everything going Oklahoma’s way. From Oklahoma getting the BCS rank they needed to jump Texas and compete in the National Championship on the 8th, to the freak 35-yard pass from Herrell to Crabtree to put Oklahoma back in the drivers’ seat, to McCoy beating Bradford out for the All-America team, to even McCoy schooling Bradford ON THE FIELD in the regular season matchup.. yet Colt is heading to Arizona to play the two-loss Buckeyes in the Fiesta bowl vs. Bradford who has a plane ticket to Miami and the Heisman Trophy as his carry-on to play for the BCS National Championship. See a common theme?

One thing I am starting to hate is hearing Longhorn fans bitchin’ and moanin’ over it all. Guess what guys? If your precious team would have taken care of the Red Raiders in Lubbock, McCoy would have had the Heisman and the game. And another thing, UT fans… Nobody can argue with the Bradford decision as Heisman. Oklahoma had the best offense in the history of the NCAA. He was the heart and soul of arguably the best college football offense to ever take the field. If you really look at it, Samuel may have had the best season EVER by a Quarterback in a BCS Conference.

Bradford, with the grace and confidence of a seasoned veteran, led the nation in touchdown passes (48) and passing efficiency (186.28). He didn't exactly do it against a soft schedule, either. When it mattered most — in three nationally televised games against Top 20-ranked opponents with a BCS title game berth on the line — Bradford soared to new heights. Consider these numbers in the Sooners' final three contests, each one in widely viewed primetime ABC/ESPN Saturday night affairs:

--14-for-19, 304 yards, four touchdowns in 65-21 win over No. 1 Texas Tech
--30-for-44, 370 yards, four touchdowns in 61-41 win over No. 12 Oklahoma State
--34-for-49, 384 yards, two touchdowns in Big 12 Championship Game win over No. 19 Missouri

His last seven games are the ones that set him away from the rest of the pack and earned my vote. In 257 attempts (remember that number), he threw 1 interception. Against teams that he played in those final seven games, only 1 INT in 257 attempts is straight up phenomenal. In those final seven freak games, the Sooners beat teams by a combined score of 419-205.

Really for me though, this year’s Heisman Race was set apart from every other one. It was about sometime more important that football statistics and records. These three men are very similar. I’m not talking about pass accuracy or throwing power, or touchdown passes. I’m talking about these guys as men. The crazy thing about the freak stats is that on the totem pole, they put themselves at about #4. For all of these men it is: Family, Teammates, and Faith in no particular order… then they worry about their self. During the entire presentation these three praised each other on how either of them could of received it and every one of them earned it. There was a very common theme, and that was mutual admiration. This year, there were a record number of votes submitted (904 of 926 ballots were processed). That’s because this year was different than all the others. I can only wish the best to all three of these men.

All of that, believe it or not, brings me to a question I asked myself on Sunday afternoon before I started writing all of this. Is it too early to start looking forward to 2009’s Heisman Race? Can it be even close to anything we had this year? Will any or all of these guys be back? Unfortunately that is very unlikely, but let’s take a look at what we, most likely, will have.

Most of the top players that would be Heisman candidates in 2009 will leave early, but that doesn't mean there aren't plenty of interesting prospects in the race. Here are the top 10 contenders for the 2009 Heisman chase among guys almost certain to stay in school.


10. Todd Reesing, QB Kansas
Todd Reesing deserves to be on this list. He may never win since he doesn`t go to a Heisman school but he`s every bit as good as any of the QB`s on this list and you could argue that he`s better because he has not had the supporting cast that any of these guys have had. With that said, Dezmon Briscoe and Kerry Meier combined for over 2000 yards and 20 touchdowns in 2008. Both are coming back… I will leave it at that.

9. Dan LeFevour, QB Central Michigan
In what seems like it will be his 7th year at Central Michigan, Dan will use his arm and his legs to score and try to lead his Chippewas to their third straight MAC title. He will need a Brennan-like season, meaning a perfect record and somewhere in the neighborhood of 55-60 total touchdowns, to compete for the award. As a junior in 2007, LeFevour passed for 20 touchdowns and added another 20 on foot so it isn’t out of the question.

8. Nate Davis, QB Ball State
Look for a monster year from Davis as Lewis and other RBs took away from his Heisman-potential season in 2008. His RBs are gone and he is the centerpiece. The coaches will expect and ask more out of him and they will get it. He'll put up the stats, the team will win, and he'll be the cause celebre for those looking to get a non-BCS player back into the mix.

7. Zac Robinson, QB Oklahoma State
I love this guy and I love this guy’s potential at the collegiate level and, if I could I would easily put him higher. He will, no-doubt-about it, be in the mix. He has RB Kendall Hunter and star WR Dez Bryant coming back so expect an even more explosive offense this coming year. With most of the BCS-Conference QB stars moving to the next teir, it is time for Zac Robinson to step in and take the heat.

6. Mark Sanchez, QB USC
It is hard to put any Trojan QB any lower than this considering the history and what they have done in the past. He should be higher, but he can blame the bust season that USC’s offense put together. The Men of Troy had to rely on their defense and, although it worked to an extent, it wasn’t good enough. He has stars coming back (ie Joel McKnight) and we will see if his natural talent turns into numbers.

5. Jacquizz Rodgers, RB Oregon State
For any of you people that think this kid shouldn’t be on this list, I will personally find you a tape of the USC/OreSt game of a couple months ago. If a dude can straight up slither his way through THAT defense and make his way into the endzone twice with 190 yards, you are something special. He was a f-r-e-s-h-m-a-n this year and was still the best playmaker in the Pac10. Before getting hurt he had 7 straight games of 100+ yard outputs, and totaled 1255 yards and 11 touchdowns… in seven games. I watched him during the USC game and immediately wrote his name down for two reasons: I knew he would be on this list and I knew I would forget how to spell his name.

4. Max Hall, QB BYU
Do I have him too far on the list? Well if I do then comment below but I would think not. This guy was a Heisman finalist if he and his team didn’t have huge meltdowns against TCU and Utah on their way to a perfect season and BCS buster. He had 3500+ yards in his junior year to go with 35 touchdowns. Let’s not forget that his main man and the nation’s leading WR, Austin Collie, are both coming back for another shot at perfection. Don’t tell anybody but next year… Max is spelled S-A-M.

3. Terrell Pryor, QB Ohio State
No matter what happens this upcoming year, Pryor will get the Heisman at some point. Why not 2009? He would be the Tim Tebow duplicate, winning it in his sophomore year. Not to mention, his game is pretty much exactly like Tebow’s. Beanie Wells is, most likely, heading to the NFL and it is now Pryor’s time to shine. He is the now the entire offense and the coaches will, while holding back in 2008, unleash him in ’09. He is a freak prodigy and now the nation’s newest super-star.

2. Colt McCoy, QB Texas
Colt SAYS that he is coming back but, come on, we know exactly how that stuff goes. It really all depends on what other QBs like Sam Bradford and Matt Stafford decide to do (both are heavily predicted to hit up the big leagues with Lions and Chiefs, YIKES!). If he does come back for his senior year, it would set up a wild ride from start to finish that featured two of the best we have seen in a while… Tebow vs. McCoy. Which could almost be titled “the most anticipated Heisman Race ever.”

1. Timothy Tebow, QB Florida
Who could have, in a million years, guessed this one? Timmy will be out for one goal in his senior season. That is showing that he is a becoming a better NFL passer and actually has potential after college. He is football’s version of Tim Hansbourgh. Tebow will, however, have pretty good passing numbers as he tries to prove himself to scouts. Another thing he will have to overcome is the media. I will say right now that he will not win it unless he matches the off-the-chart attention that the media gives him going into his super-year. Bottom line is that his career may just be too good to not be a two-time winner.

Time can only tell what next year brings. We are kidding ourselves if we think that these are the only people in the running. This is just a rough estimate, what do I know? We can only sit back and enjoy the show. It promises to be another good Race to the finish.

Please tell me what you think in the comment section below. Thanks!

Justin Hulsey

StLDieHard24@gmail.com

www.thejaystick.blogspot.com

www.collegesports-fans.com Mizzou/SLU Correspondent