Heisman Update

It's getting to be that time of year and a remarkable year it is. Can you go back and think of a time that going into the last weekend of October, there wasn't a Heisman favorite or a solid cast to pick from? I mean, in the '99 season everyone was trying to find someone to give the award to that didn't accept clothes for a discount and Dillard's. We all knew it was either Weinke or Heupel...but anyone who has ever looked at Josh Heupel knows he couldn't win.

Eric Crouch, Carson Palmer, Leinart and Bush were all guys that we knew that were at the top of their classes. Along with Willis McGahee, Brad Banks and VY were all there with somewhat of a shot at winning, but we knew that they would get the invites. Who's going to be in New York? We can't even put together a solid list of people who are going to need plane tickets.

So who is the favorite today? Are we ready for a sophomore? Tim Tebow is seemingly everyones favorite today. He's not mine, I don't think Roger Staubach, Archie Griffin, or, Andre Ware want someone who cries after losing to join their "fraternity." His stats are solid and his team is in the running...but if you can't give the award to Graham Harrell because of his system, you can't give the award to Tebow. I don't care what anyone says. It's a quarterback system and Tebow flourishes, just as Harrell and Brennan do in theirs. Keep this in mind, if Tebow should win the award, he very well could be the first Heisman winner ever to lose his job. Cameron Newton, when asked why he would go to UF with Tebow there said something along the lines of, "Who says Tim Tebow is better than me?" Newton is bigger, faster, and more athletic than Tebow. Oh, and he has a great system to play in.

I don't like Matt Ryan for the award. Maybe he is the next career backup out of BC to enter the NFL, but he doesn't do anything that stands out. If BC wins out and plays for a National Title (somehow) he could win by the Troy Smith factor. What have quarterbacks done in National Title games in the recent future? Well, ask Weinke, Crouch, and Smith. In my opinion, Ryan isn't in the class of any of those guys, maybe Smith, as a college quarterback.

There is no question, in my opinion, that Ray Rice is the best running back in the country. After what he did to South Florida last Thursday, he catapulted himself back to where everyone expected to be in the Heisman race after a slow start. McFadden is more explosive, but right now, he might not be the best back on his own team. The Heisman could be won for Rice this weekend if Rutgers beats West Virginia...it could also put the dynamic tandem from WV back in the race.

I still like Dennis Dixon. If I had a vote, that's who I'd vote for. Dixon, then Glen Dorsey, then Rice. He's just more fun to watch than anyone else and the value he brings can't be overlooked. He is beating teams with his arm and legs and making people miss in the open field. I may change my mind as Oregon has some big games awaiting them, but if they beat USC and UCLA they will take the Pac-10 and give him a decent shot.

Here's the other thing. Dixon is really the only guy in the West. In the Northeast, you have Ryan and Rice going head to head. In the south/southeast you have Tebow, Woodson, McFadden and Glen Dorsey who is going to get votes as a DT with such a weak field. Mike Hart may carry the Midwest but I don't think he really should be there, especially after not playing last week. If Dixon plays well enough, he could benefit from no one from USC being in the hunt. If the vote was tomorrow, I have no idea who would win but neither does anyone else. It's a good thing that we still have time to iron this whole thing out.