It is about that time of year again. November rolls its cold self around and the experts start the debating over the BCS formula, who should really be No. 1, and who is the frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy.??
The most cherished award of all college football has been won by such NFL stars as Bo Jackson, Barry Sanders, Tim Brown and Tony Dorsett, just to name a few.?? So winning the Heisman is guaranteed to bring you NFL success, right? Wrong.??
Check last year's winner in Nebraska quarterback Eric Crouch, who conveniently retired after spring training camp with the St. Louis Rams.??Former Florida State quarterback Chris Weinke won the award in 2000 and has already been replaced in Carolina by longtime journeyman Rodney Peete.??
While winning the coveted honor is not a free pass to stardom in the NFL, a promising group of college athletes head this year's list of Heisman hopefuls.
Miami's senior quarterback Ken Dorsey seems to have an advantage at this point in the season, as he is the senior leader of a Hurricane squad that has won 30 straight games. This season he has already passed for 2,020 yards and 20 touchdowns.??
While Miami's schedule is not the toughest in the nation, Dorsey has played exceptionally well against tougher opponents. Against Florida State Oct. 12, Dorsey threw for 362 yards and two touchdowns and lit up a solid West Virginia team for 422 yards on only 32 attempts. on Oct. 26. ??
Dorsey is not the only Hurricane who is in contention for the trophy. His backfield partner, sophomore running back Willis McGahee, has dominated the competition this year as well.
McGahee has run for 1,034 yards and 16 touchdowns to date, but the most impressive statistic might be his 6.5 yards per carry.?? He has also had three games in which he has had three or more touchdowns on the ground. His most notable effort this season could be the Sept. 7 game in Florida in which the Hurricanes beat the Gators on the legs of McGahee and his 204 yards on 24 carries.
Marshall's senior quarterback Byron Leftwich has amazed the nation with his ability to throw for phenomenal yardage game after game. Leftwich has amassed 2,995 yards and 19 touchdowns after only eight games with only 10 interceptions.??The knock on Leftwich though, is that his competition is weak. Playing in the Mid-American Conference, Leftwich does not get a lot of the same recognition as his competitors. However, as long as he wins and puts up big numbers, he will be hard to overlook.
On top of the same old guys getting the Heisman hype, there is a good handful of athletes making names for themselves with stellar statistics and team success.
Quentin Griffin, a senior running back for the Oklahoma Sooners, has quietly put up 950 yards in addition to six touchdowns. He has had two huge games against Tulsa Aug. 30 and Texas Oct. 12 where he put up 237 and 248 yards respectively. A three-yard on nine-carry performance against South Florida Sept. 28 may cost Griffin his chance at the trophy though. However, as the Sooners continue to win, look for Griffin to carry his team all the way to the national championship.
Colorado junior running back Chris Brown is having a tremendous season as well with 1,406 yards rushing.??A 309-yard, two-touchdown game against Kansas Oct. 12 catapulted Brown into the Heisman race. As his Colorado team continues to win in the Big 12 conference, look for Brown to receive a little more publicity.
Senior Jason Gesser has actually put up better numbers than Dorsey with 2,419 yards and only seven interceptions thus far this season. But the Washington State quarterback has had a few subpar games against weak teams that have pushed him behind Dorsey in the eyes of the experts. However, as Washington State's cinderella season continues and they continue to climb the BCS, Gesser will be the main reason.
Among this year's list of surprise players whom the selection committee can no longer ignore is USC's senior quarterback Carson Palmer, Iowa's senior quarterback Brad Banks and North Carolina State's junior quarterback Phillip Rivers. All three quarterbacks have led their teams to imposing records and a few more eye-catching games can toss any one of these into the mix of serious contenders.
Unlike past years there is no clear-cut leader at this point in the season. This could be attributed to the parody in college football, instead of a lack of decent players.??The remaining few weeks and the clutch performances of the players mentioned above will tell who will become the next Heisman Trophy winner.
