DiCesare: Heisman hopefuls exposed
The Heisman Trophy rarely is about identifying the best player in college football. It's predominantly about recognizing the best quarterback, so long as that quarterback plays for a BCS school and finds himself on television on a regular basis.
Eight of the last nine Heisman winners have been quarterbacks. No defensive player has won the award since 1997, when Michigan cornerback Charles Woodson edged out the likes of Peyton Manning and Randy Moss. BYU QB Ty Detmer was the last non-BCS conference player to win the award. That was in 1990. Before him? Navy QB Roger Staubach in 1963.
Doubtless there's a bias against players in the lesser conferences. Cornell running back Ed Marinaro was the dominant offensive player in 1971. He ran for more than 200 yards in a game for more than two-thirds of his career. But a good number of voters dismissed him, rationalizing that a number of backs in the country could put up similar numbers running against Harvard and Yale. Few looked at it the other way: What might Marinaro's stats have been had he played behind, say, the offensive lines of Michigan or Ohio State? Marinaro finished second in the balloting to Auburn QB Pat Sullivan.
Perhaps non-BSC players are doomed to relative obscurity simply by their lack of exposure. For instance, nationwide awareness of Central Michigan quarterback Dan LeFevour is minuscule. Only those who follow the Mid-American Conference have any real insight into his abilities along with his value to the Chippewas. Few realize that he's accounted for 19.71 points per game, which puts him third in the country, 25 spots ahead of one of the acknowledged Heisman favorites, Florida QB Tim Tebow. Similarly, Bowling Green wideout Freddie Barnes might not even receive a vote even though his 85 receptions happen to be 31 more than any other player.
Barring injury or upset, and accounting for established trends, this year's Heisman race will come down to two players: Alabama running back Mark Ingram and Tebow, the 2007 winner. But there are others to consider.
Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen has support in the early polls, but Notre Dame's wins have come against teams a combined three games under .500. He's riding the Notre Dame mystique.
Houston quarterback Case Keenum has numbers and then some. He leads the nation in total offense with more than an 80 yards-per-game advantage over his closest pursuer. Nineteen TD passes against four interceptions says a lot since the Cougars almost always have the ball in the air. Keenum's downfall: a loss to UTEP.
An injury that will sideline him this week undermines the candidacy of Cincinnati QB Tony Pike. Texas QB Colt McCoy, a finalist last year, has been unspectacular. And that brings us back to Ingram and Tebow.
Ingram has run for 558 yards in the last three games and averages 129 yards each time out with a 6.7 per-carry average. Tebow's been ordinary in SEC games against LSU and Arkansas, although he's being celebrated for leading the Gators' drive to a last-minute winning field goal against the Razorbacks. Florida and Alabama are on course to meet in the SEC title game, a matchup that undoubtedly will sway many votes if it comes to pass. As of the moment, Ingram warrants the edge.
What we do know about the Heisman is that it's no indication of NFL success. Rarely do the winners emerge as pro stars. Consider the 2000 vote, where Florida State QB Chris Weinke defeated Oklahoma QB Josh Heupel by one of the narrowest margins. The players who finished third and fourth that year? Purdue QB Drew Brees and TCU running back LaDanian Tomlinson.
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