Podcast for 11.2.10

Hey everyone. To those who didn’t join us live on the show today. Here’s the link to the Podcast. We did a special election night debate for the Heisman trophy as well as gave Adam props for having the best hair of everyone who works for Section 26 Sports. (Stay tuned past the final music, you’ll understand.)

We also wrap up the NCAA FB Top 25, get everyone ready for the Arkansas-Carolina game, and lament the lost season of the Clemson.

Section 26 Sports Podcast for 11.2.10

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Is It Already Time to Talk Heisman?

Heading into the heart of the 2009 College Football Season, most prognosticators are beginning to look ahead.

As we reach the halfway point, it is hard to believe that many websites are already starting their Heisman Watch and Bowl Predictions.  By the way, no team has become bowl eligible yet, but that should change this weekend.

Therefore, following suit as other sports websites have done, it is time to look at the mid-season predictions for the 2009 Heisman Trophy.

Here are my top five picks to win this year’s Heisman:

1a.  Colt McCoy (Quarterback – Texas).  There are two main reasons why I rank him at the top.  First of all, of the three ‘big name’ quarterbacks entering the season – Florida’s Tim Tebow, Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford, and McCoy – he is the only one to not win a Heisman Trophy (Tebow won in 2007, Bradford in 2008).  Second, he is the only of the three pre-season favorites to not get hurt this season.  Bradford lost his chances at a second Heisman Trophy when he left the game against BYU with a shoulder injury, and not playing since then.  Tebow’s candidacy could end on Saturday if he is unable to go against LSU after a concussion he suffered against Kentucky.

1b.  Tim Tebow (Quarterback – Florida).  He is the guy I think is in the lead of winning the 2009 Heisman Trophy.  The only problem:  he might not play against LSU.  In my mind, you must play all the games your team plays if you want to win college football’s top prize.  If he comes out and has a masterful performance against LSU, the trophy is easily his.  If he is a no-go in the Top-5 match-up, the first repeat winner since Archie Griffin will have to wait.

3.  Jacory Harris (Quarterback – Miami (FL)).  People wondered why the Hurricanes urged last season’s starter Robert Marve out the door.  Harris this season has shown them exactly why.  After several seasons of mediocrity, Harris has led the once prominent program back into the Top-10.  Besides Tebow, Harris might be the most exciting quarterback in college football.  The miserable game against Virginia Tech will probably be his undoing in winning the award.  He has no worries though, he has a great chance of winning the Heisman at some point in his career.

4.  Tony Pike (Quarterback – Cincinnati).  Pike is the guy nobody knows about whatsoever.  He is leading Cincinnati on a rampage through the weak Big East, and is putting up huge numbers in the process.  Pike, a sixth-year senior, has the experience and the wisdom to be a great quarterback.  He will never be flashy, but he will give you a consistent arm.  If he does manage to win the Heisman Trophy, it would be much like the rest of his career…an upset.

5.  Noel Devine (Running Back – West Virginia).  It is hard to believe that someone would put two Big East players in the Heisman consideration, but I wanted to go with a true long-shot on my number five pick.  Devine might be having the best season of his career in his junior season.  I have always been a fan of this kid since his days backing up Steve Slaton.  I always felt Devine was the better all-around running back than Slaton, and he is certainly showing it.  He probably has no shot at winning the Heisman, but I at least wanted to give him some of the respect he is not getting.

Honorable Mentions:
Case Keenum (Quarterback – Houston)
Tate Forcier (Quarterback – Michigan)
Todd Reesing (Quarterback – Kansas)

There you have it, my picks for the Heisman Trophy.  A lot will be decided this week with Tebow’s uncertain status against LSU.

The bottom-line, assuming everybody plays the remainder of the games, Tim Tebow will be the first repeat winner of the Heisman since running back Archie Griffin.

McCoy Leads Heisman Race Early, Keenum Still In

The Heisman Trophy is the award for the most valuable player in collegiate football.  Current contenders include two previous winners – Florida quarterback Tim Tebow (2007) and quarterback Sam Bradford (2008) – as well as the second runner-up in last year’s competition – Texas quarterback Colt McCoy.

The Heisman Trophy typically goes to an offensive player.  Whether this is because the offensive players have more opportunities to score, and therefore typically have more touchdowns, or because they have more flair and stronger leadership roles, it is what it is.

The 2007 winner, Tim Tebow has put up great numbers so far this season.  The problem with his candidacy stems from his recent concussion, suffered in Florida’s game against Kentucky.  He lost playing time in the Kentucky game, although he already had already accumulated 103 yards passing and 123 rushing yards, and scored three touchdowns, two of which were on the ground.

Unfortunately for Sam Bradford, his shoulder injury in the third quarter of Oklahoma’s opening game against Brigham Young has kept him off the field ever since, in effect erasing his name from contention for the Heisman Trophy.

Although I believe that the Heisman Trophy should be an award for the “most valuable” player in collegiate football without a voting bias towards offensive players, my list is comprised of five quarterbacks.

1. Colt McCoy (Quarterback, Texas):  Colt McCoy has led Texas to four wins in their first four games of the 2009 season.  So far this season, McCoy has passed for 1145 yards and nine touchdowns, with five interceptions.  His passer rating through the first four games is 151.0 and throwing with a 71% completion rate.  He has also rushed for sixty-one yards and a touchdown.  What hurts McCoy, however, is the weak schedule Texas has played so far this season.  The only BCS team they have played is Texas Tech, and that was a home game for Texas.  However, considering his consistent numbers and unprecedented leadership, as well as his performance during last year’s Heisman Trophy race, Colt McCoy is atop my leader board.
2. Jimmy Clausen (Quarterback, Notre Dame):  Notre Dame has been criticized heavily for the past few years.  They have performed terribly, by their own standards, and have been playing at this level even with a favorable schedule many years.  However, Jimmy Clausen seems to be changing that for the Fighting Irish.  He has played against a schedule that has proven to be more formidable than originally assumed and put up ridiculous numbers, including 1493 passing yards, with thirteen touchdowns to only three interceptions.  Clausen is the leader in the nation in quarterback rating at 179.3 and is completing 67.6% of his passes.  If he wants to stay this high in the race, he needs to continue this remarkable numbers, because as a whole, Notre Dame’s strength of schedule will not do him many favors.
3. Tim Tebow, quarterback (Florida):  Many would have Tim Tebow at the top of their lists.  However, I put him down at third.  The one thing that always keeps him in the discussion is the fact that he just knows how to win.  Even when Tebow has a less-than-stellar game, he finds a way to return to form and lead Florida to another victory.  His stats are not as flashy as those of many other quarterbacks, but he is still a winning force in college football.  In the first four games of the season, Florida is undefeated, Tebow has thrown for 643 yards and six touchdowns, and he has rushed for 271 yards and five more touchdowns.  The key factor in Tim Tebow winning his second Heisman Trophy and leading Florida to their third BCS National Championship in four years is his health.  If he fully recovers from the impact of his concussion, comes back for the game against LSU and plays the rest of the year like we all know he can, the Heisman Trophy is all but his.
4. Tony Pike (Quarterback, Cincinnati):  Cincinnati is undefeated through the first five games of the year.  To most people’s surprise, they aren’t just winning these games; they’re demolishing any opponent that gets in their way.  Cincinnati is averaging forty-two points per game, and Tony Pike is the primary reason.  So far, he has thrown for 1493 yards and thirteen touchdowns.  Much like Tim Tebow, Pike just keeps on winning.  If Pike continues to play at this level, Cincinnati could very well be back in the BCS, and perhaps even the BCS National Championship game.
5. Case Keenum (Quarterback, Houston):  Many experts have dropped Case Keenum from their Heisman contenders list because of Houston’s loss to UTEP last week.  However, he stays on my list, even in my top five because that loss was completely not his fault.  He did all he could, but Houston’s defense could not keep anyone out of the end zone, allowing the UTEP offense to score 58 points.  Keenum completed an astounding fifty-one of his seventy-six attempts for an impressive 536 yards and five touchdowns in the loss last week.  In only four games, he has already thrown for 1696 yards and thirteen touchdowns, while only throwing two interceptions.  On top of those remarkable stats, he has played against two teams well above the skill level of his Houston Cougars, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech.  Keenum protects the ball, puts up crazy yards and lights up the scoreboard in Houston’s favor.  He will need a lot to fall into place to get Houston into the BCS, which is seemingly the only way he can win this illustrious trophy.  Whether that happens or not, Keenum should still be invited to the ceremony and finish in the top five in voting if his performance continues at this level.

Honorable mentions:  Jacory Harris (Quarterback, Miami), Eric Norwood (Linebacker, South Carolina), Ryan Matthews (Running Back, Fresno State), Tony Gerhart (Running Back, Stanford)