NCAA Football: The Heisman Race - who will win in 2009?

The finalists for the 2009 Heisman Trophy Award for the best individual performer in college football are in. They are as follows:

Tim Tebow, QB, Florida

Colt McCoy, QB, Texas

Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama

Toby Gerhart, RB, Stanford

Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska

Here's my form guide:



Tim Tebow, QB, Florida Gators



How Tebow is amongst the nominees this year is totally beyond me. There's too much Tebow love in college football, and his invite managed to squeak in despite his poor effort in the SEC Championship Game, where Alabama pounded and hounded him for 60 minutes. Things were so rough that he was in tears on the sideline at the end. His numbers this year are way down compared to last year - despite what SEC apologists and CBS announcers suggest - and it makes no sense that he's even talked about, let alone actually heading to New York for the ceremony.



Tim Tebow is not one of the best five individual college football performers in America this year. Case Keenum or Jimmy Clausen should have come in his place. Their numbers are much better. Tebow is there purely and simply because of past glories, and because the voters are clinging to their pre-season hopes of having Bradford, McCoy and Tebow on the stage in NY.



If Tebow wins, I lose all respect for the voters, and the Heisman Trophy loses all credibility as the single most important award for individual brilliance on the football field. Tebow has been good - okay at times - but not brilliant. Not by any stretch of the imagination.



Colt McCoy, QB, Texas Longhorns



As I have previously written, they got the wrong Longhorn. Jordan Shipley should have been here instead of his quarterback. Everyone talks about 'Heisman Moments', so I challenge you to find one for Colt McCoy. Beat-downs of Kansas and Colorado do not count. Texas A&M doesn't count either, as the game was a shoot-out and McCoy was playing against a pretty shaky D. The big tests against solid - or solid enough at the time - defenses were Oklahoma and Nebraska. The Sooner defense basically killed Colt McCoy, harassing into a woeful day at the Cotton Bowl, and in the Big 12 Title Game, Corn Husker Ndamukong Suh was in the Texas backfield as much as a few of the third-down Longhorn running backs. He, too, pounded McCoy to the tune of 4 1/2 sacks. You can't get sacked 4.5 times in the biggest game of the year and win the Heisman.



There's no great Heisman-worthy moment that I can see. McCoy is just making up the numbers. They should have sent Clausen or Keenum instead.



Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama Crimson Tide



Here is the guy who will probably win the Heisman, even though I don't agree. Sure, he ran well against some teams, but there were a couple of downer days, too - against Auburn in the Iron Bowl - where he was held to meagre rushing numbers. Still, his performance in the SEC Championship Game last start out will have people talking. He was an impossible force, exposing the Gators defense on the ground as much as McElroy did in the air. I wouldn't be surprised to see Ingram win. He's had a great season.



Toby Gerhart, RB, Stanford Cardinal



Gerhart is the exact opposite of Ingram above. My pick - and Brent Musburger's, too - for the Heisman, though he probably won't win. For mine, Gerhart has been the player of the season and he should be rewarded as such with both the Heisman and as a high NFL draft choice. Basically, Gerhart hasn't had a bad game. The problem for Gerhart is that he's been out of the mind of voters since the Stanford season wrapped up two weeks ago, whereas Ingram and others have had another week to put up impressive numbers. That might be his undoing.



Still, you can't deny what Gerhart does on the football field. He's run over the top of everyone he's played, racking up 100-yard rushing games like Tiger Woods is racking up mistresses. He's had three games where he's gone for 200 yards or more and 10 where he's carried for more than 100 yards. Add to that his 42 touchdowns and 1736 yards on the ground, 149 receiving and an 18 yard pass completion for a TD vs. Notre Dame in the last game of the Cardinal season.



These are Heisman-caliber numbers. If there's any justice in the world, Gerhart will be taking the Heisman back to Paolo Alto, CA.



Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska Corn Huskers



This man is a machine and could become the first defensive player to win the Heisman since Charles Woodson did it for Michigan a few years back. It's unusual that Suh has even been nominated as a finalist, as defensive players rarely get a nod like this. If you're in any doubt as to why this monster DT who moves at the speed of light and has the ability to blow plays up before they've even begun - he's had an NCAA-leading 9 throw bat-downs - has been invited to New York City, just ask Colt McCoy - or Blaine Gabbert, Todd Reesing, Tyler Hansen or any other QB in the Big 12.



Suh is scary good. He probably won't win the Heisman, though he would be a worthy recipient, because the voters seem fixated on QBs and RBs, but he sure as heck has made sure every college football fan in America knows who he is and what he does. This guy is going to be a HUGE success in the NFL.

NCAA Football: The Heisman Race -The Unlucky Ones

The finalists for the 2009 Heisman Trophy Award for the best individual performer in college football are in. They are as follows:

Tim Tebow, QB, Florida

Colt McCoy, QB, Texas

Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama

Toby Gerhart, RB, Stanford

Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska

Before my Heisman Trophy form guide, a word on a few players who didn't get an invite - but definitely deserved one.

Case Keenum, QB, Houston

That Keenum is not getting on a plane to New York is an absolute travesty. What I think and what I have said on numerous occasions is that the Heisman is an individual award, for individual brillance, no matter what goes on around you. At least, that is what it is supposed to be. It should not matter if your team is losing.

Besides, it's not like Keenum laid eggs in the losses Houston had. It was all down to his defense being crappy. As Bruce Willis said in The Last Boy Scout, they couldn't protect a warm cup of piss! If Keenum is still putting up the numbers, which he has done all season long at eye-popping pace, it should not matter if the Cougars are losng - IF it is truly an award for the best individual player. He wins it hands down based on that, if you ask me. The Heisman has become a National Title popularity contest.

Jordan Shipley, WR, Texas

If you ask me, they got the wrong Longhorn. Colt McCoy should give his spot at the awards to his team-mate and room-mate Jordan Shipley. After all, it's the talented Wide Receiver who has made McCoy look better than he actually has played this year. Shipley has been one of the stand-out receivers in the country consistently all season long, and puts up good, solid numbers even when the rest of the team isn't playing well. That Red River Rivalry game vs. Oklahoma is a perfect example. Plus, he's a duel threat on punt and kick returns. How he didn't get invited is beyond me!

CJ Spiller, RB, Clemson

Here's another guy entitled to feel pretty stiff. He's list up the college football world in recent weeks as Clemson made it all the way to the ACC Championship Game. Spiller is as credible and dangerous a duel threat as anyone in the country. When you string together all-purpose games of 200+ yards I happen to think that you deserve an invite to the Heisman Trophy awards. As with Case Keenum, even when his team was playing badly - against South Carolina, for one - he was still putting up big numbers. There's no rhyme or reason to this.

Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame

As with Case Keenum, his team didn't win enough - as we all know, Notre Dame finished 6-6 - and apparently that precludes you from getting an invite to NY. At least Clausen and the Irish didn't lose to UCF! I'm not much of a Notre Dame fan, but I certainly recognise JC as being one of, if not the very best, quarterbacks in the nation. His numbers back this up. Again, it's the theme of the voters apparently forgetting that where your team finishes on the year should have no bearing on your Heisman chances. If you put up the numbers, you should get an invite.


It really irks me that some of the standout players in the nation have missed out on an invite to New York City for the Heisman Trophy awards. Instead, the voters have turned this year's awards into what they always wanted it to be, a love fest for two QBs - Tebow and McCoy - who were nowhere near as good as last year. They followed the script that we all thought would play out this year, but didn't. Where are the really deserving nominees? Kicked to the kerb is where! Sheesh, it's a wonder they haven't given Sam Bradford an invite, just to round out the pre-season Heisman Holy Trinity.

NCAA Football: Championship Weekend Preview

Rivalry Weekend over Thanksgiving was great. Championship Weekend on the first weekend of December is going to be even better. Here's my preview:

PAC-10 Civil War: #13 Oregon State vs. #7 Oregon

Wow, this is a heck of a game to open the weekend. While it's not a championship game per se, it may as well be. The winner's going to smell the roses in Pasadena on New Year's Day, vs. Ohio State. Whoever wins this game, you'd back in to beat the Buckeyes and continue a New Year's Day tradition begun by USC a few years back: not camping out along the Rose Parade route, but being a PAC-10o team and pounding on a Big Ten opponent. Ask Penn State or Michigan or Illinois what it's like.

As for this game, it's probably going to come down to which defense comes up with a key stop late in the game. These two teams can - and are - going to blast up and down the field and score a lot of points. That's how the Ducks and Beavers do things. As much as the game will be about scoring, the end result comes down to who can make a stop late. Either that, or it'll be one of those "last team with the ball wins" affairs. This is almost too close to call. I'm tempted to pick the Beavers to return the favour and dump Oregon out of the Rose Bowl as Oregon dumped Oregon State out a year ago. But Autzen Stadium will push the Ducks across the line - just. It's going to be a cracker of a game. Ducks by 7.

MAC Championship Game: Central Michigan vs. Ohio

There's a superstar QB in the Mid-American Conference. His name is Dan LeFevour (257/362 for 2788 yards, 25 TD throws 5 INTs & 650 rushing yards and 14 TDs on 157 carries) and he's the guy who basically accounts for 70% of the CMU Chippewas offense. He runs and throws. He's got a nice set of wheels and a strong arm. Add to that two wonderful wide receivers in Bryan Anderson and Antonio Brown (who also leads the NCAA in kick- and punt-return yards and TD) and a classy running back in Bryan Schroeder.

The Ohio defense will be hard pressed to stop this offense. Even if they stack the box against the run, LeFevour can beat you with his arm, and with targets like Anderson and Brown breaking loose down the sideline, it might be a long night for the Bobcat defense. Ohio QB Theo Scott isn't a slouch when it comes to getting the football down the field, but he'll find himself under immense pressure from a talented Chippewa front line, and a core group of fast linebackers led by outstanding senior Nick Bellore, who's looked like a one-man team during some games this year. If Ohio can't establish the run, they're gone. The Chips should get it done in what is basically a home game at Ford Field in Detroit, MI. Chippewas by 14.

Big East Decider: #5 Cincinnati vs. #14 Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh will be looking to rebound after a disappointing loss to their hated rivals Pittsburgh in last week's Backyard Brawl game, but they'll be running into a tough #5 Cincinnati team, with star QB Tony Pike back under centre and back to the form he had before his mid-season injury. Whoever wins this game is Big East Champion and will likely fill an Orange Bowl berth down at Land Shark Stadium in Miami. Make no mistake, these are the two best teams in the Big East and it seems fitting that they meet on the last Saturday of the regular season. Momentum is with the Bearcats. They'll finish off what's been an awesome season - maybe their last with current head coach, if the Brian Kelly to Notre Dame rumours become fact. Cincy goes into Heinz Field and wins by 14.

C-USA Championship Game: East Carolina vs. #18 Houston

We know the story of Houston. It's a little like Hawaii of 2007. They have a gun QB in Case Keenum whose numbers are eye-popping to say the very least, but their defense sucks. I am positive that Keenum (412/584 for 4922 yards & 38 TDs) would be further into the Heisman race if his D didn't let him down in bad places. You can't lose to UCF and expect to get much love in New York City when it's Heisman time. Sad but true. Anyway, here the Cougars are up against the East Carolina Pirates who aren't ranked but might cause problems for Houston and Case Keenum. I don't think Skip Holtz (yes, son of Lou) and his team can completely shut down Keenum, so if the Cougar defense can get a couple of stops to at least partially help Keenum go about winning the football game, it'll be another day of astronomical numbers for a man who should get a better look-in for the Heisman next year. Cougars by 14.

SEC Championship Game: #1 Florida vs. #2 Alabama

This is what it's all about. Some say this is the best conference in the country, other's say it sucks. I'm saying that while the SEC is massively over hyped - aside from these two teams and occasionally LSU - it's been a dreary year for SEC football. That said, it's pretty damn good when the two top teams in the nation play off against one another for the conference title. Obviously, the National Championship implications here are huge. Win and you're going to Pasadena. Lose and it's probably the Sugar Bowl and TCU - remember what happened to Alabama after losing the SEC Championship Game last year...they played another MWC opponent (Utah) and got pounded.

This should be a game for the ages and it was looking very much like that a week ago, before Alabama almost got shocked by Auburn in the Iron Bowl. If the same 'Bama team turns up to Atlanta, Florida will romp home. If the team that's steamrolled everyone behind stud RB Mark Ingram shows up, it'll be an epic. The Florida defense, minus star DE Carlos Dunlap who was arrested this week is better than it was last year. The absence of Dunlap will be welcome news for Alabama QB Greg McElroy. Whatever else happens, McElroy and Ingram are going to have to have the games of their lives to beat Florida. That Gator pass rush is intense and will remain that way, because Urban Meyer has good players three deep.

Tim Tebow might have had a quiet year, but he has a history of getting up for the big games. Make no mistake, this is the biggest of them all. He will be big, and Florida will move the ball against the Crimson Tide D. The key question is how well will 'Bama move the ball against a brilliant Gator defense. The offensive success of Alabama decides who wins the game. If the Gators can get on top early and force turnovers, they'll be headed for Pasadena, no problems. Gators by 7 in an epic.

Big Twelve Championship Game: #3 Texas vs. #21 Nebraska

The game between the Longhorns and Texas A&M on Thanksgiving night was a cracker. UT eventually got up 49-39, but there was very little defense played and Aggies QB provided Nebraska (as well as Florida and Alabama) with a pretty good roadmap on how to beat Colt McCoy and the Longhorns.

The question is, does Nebraska have the talent on the field to pull off the upset? Possibly. It all starts up front with first-rounded - Top Ten - draft pick Ndamukong Suh. If the big fella with speed like you wouldn't believe can get pressure on McCoy and make life difficult in the pocket for him, weapons like Jordan Shipley will go unused. This game hinges on defense. if Nebraska can slow Texas down, and convert their own opportunities when they get the ball back, they could pull an upset. Remember, the Longhorns have been less than impressive a few times this year and Bo Pelini sure as heck knows how to coach defense. Still, I think the 'Horns eek it out and head to Pasadena to face Tebow and Florida - just the National Championship match-up everyone seems to have wanted since the spring. Texas by 10.

ACC Championship Game: #25 Clemson vs. #12 Georgia Tech

Honestly, it's damned hard to get excited about this game. Both teams were extremely underwhelming last week, losing to teams that they should never have lost to. I watched Clemson get killed by South Carolina (despite the best efforts of Heisman hopeful CJ Spiller) and thought, Wow, Tech's going to kill them next week. Then Tech loses to Georgia, who are horrible this year...and it's like, who really cares now? The winner is likely going to get blown out by Cincy or Pitt. And if not, it'll be as dreary as last year's ACC/Big East Orange Bowl game was. I think CJ Spiller's offensive fireworks will push Clemson over the edge. Tigers by 3.