Hokies Week 8 Blog – Tebow already awarded Heisman?

With the Hokies off this week, I thought I would take the opportunity to go through the players I think deserve the Heisman. Plus I don’t really want to get into how GT outcoached, outplayed, outpayed the refs, and demoralized us.

The Heisman trophy is awarded to “the most outstanding player in collegiate football.” I assume when they originally decided on giving out this award they meant outstanding as in “standing out among others of its kind,” “prominent,” and “superior.” But with the hype so far this season for the same old faces of McCoy, Tebow, and Bradford (not as much anymore with the shoulder injury), maybe they mean outstanding as in “still in existence” or “unresolved.” How about the voters forget the hype of preseason and performances of last year and pick from the players that are setting themselves apart this year! Where is the mention of Dion Lewis, Mark Ingram, the amazing Ryan Williams, Ryan Matthews, or A.J. Green? Or any defenders like Ndemkong Suh, Relondo McClain, Gerald McCoy, Jerry Hughes, Adrian Clayborn, or Tyler Sash? Actually where is the mention of any non-SEC/Big12 QB? When did this become the best QB in college football award? And the way things are going why not just hand it out preseason?

Oh wait. They did? They already handed it out? Don't they know there's 6 weeks to play? Ladies and gentlemen, everyone congratulate the 2009 Heisman winner, Tim "the Second Coming" Tebow! Don't worry that's not blasphemous, because it's his second Heisman. That's what I was going for... They said the same about Archie Griffin I'm pretty sure.


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If I were a voter, I would actually evaluate each player and breakdown why they should be awarded this most prestigious of awards. To do this, I would look at each player from three angles:

1) Is this player replaceable? – To be the most outstanding player you have to be one of a kind. How would his team do without him? For example, I think Colt McCoy is a great QB, but so far this season I think Texas is still undefeated without him. Texas is winning on defense this year and just getting it done on offense. Maybe Sergio Kindle, Sam Acho, and Earl Thomas should get more love from the Heisman voters as they have been just as important as McCoy in Texas’ success so far.
2) Are the stats impressive? – While they can be misleading, stats are still a good way to help gauge a player’s outstandingness. The likes of Colt Brennan and any Texas Tech quarterback in recent history have put up outstanding statistics, but a lot of that is the team’s scheme. Also, do the big games come in garbage games? Some stats are more impressive than others.
3) Would I want this player at the next level? – This question I would weigh less than the other two, but to put it frankly would I want the Tennessee Titans to take this player #1 overall next year? (If you saw the game against the Patriots where the two Titans QBs put up a performance of 2/14 for -7 yards, 3 INTs, and 3 fumbles in a 59-0 blowout, you’d agree they’ll pick at least in the top 3). And you do have to take this with a grain of salt since the NFL values raw and physical talent, but still would you say Troy Smith is more outstanding than Darren McFadden, Steve Slaton, Ray Rice, or Calvin Johnson? Because he won the Heisman by a landslide.

So with these three questions in mind who would I vote for? Heisman voters get three votes, but I need way more than that. But keep in mind, my ballot would only list my top 3. But for your reading pleasure I’ve listed the top 10 most outstanding players in the country.

1) Jimmy Clausen (Notre Dame) – I really hate to say anything good about Notre Dame, but Clausen meets all my criteria. He is absolutely irreplaceable. ND probably wouldn’t even make a bowl game without him, and they could win 10 games and go to a BCS game this year. He is statistically the best QB I’m considering with 1804 yards, 65% completion, 14 TD, and only 2 INT with a QB rating of 166.4. And I think he could play well at the next level. Plus, he’s doing this against decent teams.

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2) Mark Ingram (Alabama) – With McElroy being relatively quiet in Alabama’s big games, Mark Ingram has carried the load. In games against VT and SEC opponents, Ingram has rushed for more than 140 yards and at least 1 TD in every game except the win over Arkansas. He was held in check that game but still found the end zone twice. He is currently 3rd in rush yards with 906, is averaging 6.7 yards per carry and has 8 TDs. While the defense for the Tide is carrying the team, without Ingram they could be a two loss team.
3) Ndamukong Suh (Nebraska) – There are a couple reasons I’m putting Suh here: I don’t like how the Heisman is never a defensive player, Suh is a one man wrecking ball, and I don’t want Tebow in my top 3. Nebraska isn’t nearly the defense it is without Suh. He stops the run up the middle (36 tackles, 7.5 for a loss), gets after the QB (3 sacks, 5 hurries), and bats the ball down (7 pass deflections and 1 INT). And all from the nose tackle! Bottom line, there isn’t a single other player like Suh, he is truly one of a kind.
4) Tim Tebow (Florida) – Tebow is a really good college football player and will probably win the Heisman if Florida goes undefeated. Like Suh he is one of a kind. Without Percy Harvin and Louis Murphy, the offense is solely on Tebow. And so far he has produced. By produced I mean squeaked by Tennessee, Arkansas, and LSU. Since when has just getting the job done been so outstanding? But, he has completed 65.6% of his passes, has 8 passing TDs, only 2 INTs, and a QB rating of 164.6. He also has 63 yards per game rushing with 5 TD. But I think if Florida goes undefeated, it will be because of their #1 defense in the country. Slow dual threat QBs don’t typically do well at the next level either. Just ask the Hefty Lefty Jared Lorenzen.

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5) Ryan Williams (Virginia Tech) – When Darren Evans went down, everyone thought that VT’s running game was in trouble. Not me! I knew Ryan Williams would be a stud. Through 7 games, Williams has 999 total yards and is averaging 6 yards per carry. He also has 11 TDs and has opened up the passing game for Tyrod Taylor, something Evans couldn’t do last year.
6) Ryan Matthews (Fresno St) – With 974 rushing yards, Ryan Matthews is leading the country, and he hasn’t been held below 100 yards yet. Take him out of the offense and Fresno State isn’t competing with the likes of Boise State, Wisconsisn, and Cincinnati. Matthews is averaging a ridiculous 7.4 yards per carry, and ran for 234 yards and 3 TD with an average of 12.3 per rush against the same Boise State team that held LeGarrette Blount to -5 yards.
7) Tony Pike (Cincinnati) – Cincinnati has come out firing, and is surprisingly undefeated. Tony Pike has carried his team on his back with victories over Rutgers, Oregon State, Fresno State, and South Florida. Pike has completed 64.3% of his passes for 1633 yards, 15 TDs, and only 3 INT. He has a passer rating of 155.1, but his value to his team could be revealed in the next few games if his wrist doesn’t heal in a hurry.
8) Case Keenum (Houston) – Keenum is leading the country in yards (2462) and TDs (19) by a decent margin. He is also leading Houston to a great season with wins over Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, and Mississippi State. Even in Houston’s lone loss to UTEP, Keenum threw for 536 yards and 5 TD. He’s likely to throw for over 5000 yards and 40 TDs again this season, but the competition just isn’t there.
9) Dion Lewis (Pitt) – Freshman running back Dion Lewis has already racked up 918 yards this season (2nd in the country). He also has 10 TDs and has carried Pitt to a 6-1 start. The running could get a little tougher with USF, WVU, and Cincinnati still to come.
10) Jacory Harris (Miami) – Jacory Harris has led Miami to the Top 10 for the first time in a long time. Without him, Miami is probably 2-4. The reason he isn’t higher than 10 is that his stats aren’t overly flashy: 1518 yards, 11 TD, 7 INTs, with a rating of 157.3. But with the remaining schedule for Miami, Harris has the best chance to put up good numbers and climb up the Heisman rankings.

Runners up: Tyler Sash or Adrian Clayborn (Iowa, DB or DE), A.J. Green (Georgia, WR), Toby Gerhart (Stanford, RB), Ryan Mallet (Arkansas, QB), Jerry Hughes (TCU, DL). No, Colt McCoy isn’t in my top 15…