America's Next Top Football Player 

Well folks, it's that time of year again. Time for the nine hundred twenty-five voters across the country to buckle down and make one important decision (maybe 926, depending on if old O.J. still gets a vote from the slammer). You've probably been thinking about who you would vote for; I know I have. And I've come across some interesting thoughts in the process. Let's think about some of the most likely candidates- Tim Tebow (barf), Sam Bradford, Colt McCoy. They all play on good teams. Outstanding teams. All three had serious championship potential throughout the year. I can't help but wonder… 

When did the Heisman become a popularity contest? 

This year's winner will most likely be one of the starting quarterbacks in the National Championship game on January 8^th. Last year, the Heisman went to a player who had won the championship the year before (let's spare ourselves the details). 2006, Troy Smith. 2005 & 2004, USC players (Bush and Leinart, respectively). All of these teams have been recent contenders as well as recent winners of the BCS Championship. It seems that these days, the Heisman goes to the best player on the best team. Shouldn't the award go to the best player, period?  

I realize there is another side to the story. An outstanding player can take a team from good to great. But players do not win games single-handedly, even outstanding players. Seems like the voters need to take a good look into their souls, remember they are not high-school juniors voting for Prom Queen, and make the right decision (Michael Crabtree, if you ask this girl). 

Alright, now that I've spoken my beef, let's get down to business. As Tyra Banks would say, "I only have one picture left in my hands; the players that I do not call must immediately pack their bags and go." 

Shonn Greene: Perfect example of the above discussion. We all saw Iowa play this year. Granted, they pulled it off against Penn State, but come on. They weren't very good. Regardless, Greene put up over 1,700 rushing yards, 17 touchdowns, and 6.2 yards per carry. Not too shabby. But clearly, he won't win the popularity contest. I like him alright, but not enough. Next! 

Graham Harrell: Tech had a decent season; a rough loss to Oklahoma but a victory over the Longhorns. Harrell passed for over 4,700 yards, scored 41 touchdowns, and completed 71.5% of his passes. Even less shabby. I think Harrell is full of talent, and deserves more consideration than he's currently getting. These stats are especially impressive to me after I reviewed Troy Smith's stats- career passing yardage of 5,720 and 51 career TDs. But, again, he's not going to get the votes he needs to be crowned. Moving on. 

Tim Tebow: Sigh. It hurts my fingers to type his name. This year, Tebow put up 2,515 passing yards, 28 touchdowns, and had a 66% pass completion rate. But, we all have our personal reasons of why we don't want Tebow to win. None of us want to see Archie Griffin's record get shattered by a guy we all dislike. I think he's got an outside chance, but I don't see it happening for him this year (or ever). 

Colt McCoy: a.k.a Frankie Muniz (Google it). He's not the boss of me now (Google it), but he is the boss of the Longhorns. McCoy had 3,445 yards on the season, 32 TDs, and completed 77.5% of his passes (pretty awesome, actually). I don't mind Colt McCoy. I'm not 100% looking forward to seeing him in Glendale, but that's for another day. I think he's got a good shot at winning. A really good shot. Which brings us to the final candidate… 

Sam Bradford: Living in Tulsa, I hear a lot about Bradford. A lot more than I ever cared to. Man, Sooner fans are annoying. Anyways, Bradford put up 4,463 passing yards, 48 touchdowns, and pass completion of 68.3%. Additionally, the Sooners looked really good toward the end of the season, which most likely gained Bradford some extra popularity points. I think it pretty much comes down to McCoy vs. Bradford. 

That wraps it up. Too bad Crabtree's not on the list. He's still officially in the running, but come candidate announcements Wednesday night, I'm pretty sure he'll be the ugly duckling of the Junior Class Prom. On Saturday night, the winner will be announced, and Prom Queen will claim his throne. What it all boils down to is this: come January 5^th, Laurinitis, Jenkins, and Abdallah may get a first hand look at the Heisman winner. I hope they're ready!