As the end of the college football season nears, two questions arise every year: Which teams will earn BCS bowl bids, and who win will the Heisman Trophy?
Because of the plethora of upsets that have subsequently left the polls full of one-loss contending teams, and with more than a month of crucial conference games to be played, the BCS race is still wide open, making it impossible to discuss every possible scenario.
That said, the Heisman Trophy is also still very much up for grabs, as no real front-runner has emerged. Let’s take a look at the candidates:
Current Top Five
QB Matt Ryan, Boston College
Seeing that Ryan has led the Eagles from preseason unranked to No. 2 in the BCS standings, the Heisman Trophy is his to lose.
Ryan has thrown for 2,148 yards, 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Seven picks in seven games is rather high for a Heisman winner, but Ryan’s ability to win overshadows that statistic.
That said, Ryan has an extremely tough road ahead of him, starting with tonight’s matchup with Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. After that, Florida State, Maryland, Clemson and Miami remain on the Eagles’ schedule. If the Eagles run the table and earn a spot in the national title game, the Heisman should belong to Ryan.
Even if they lose just one game, Ryan will still have a legitimate claim to college football’s most prestigious honor. However, if the Eagles drop two games or more, Ryan’s high interception rate will keep him Heisman-less.
QB Tim Tebow, Florida
After coming in on numerous short yardage situations as a freshman last season, everyone knew Tebow could run the football; the question was, could he pass efficiently enough to lead the high-powered Gator offense in the SEC?
Tebow has silenced critics by filling in for four-year starter Chris Leak quite nicely — and then some.
Tebow has thrown for 1,711 yards, 17 touchdowns and only three interceptions while completing more than 66 percent of his passes. Not bad for a running quarterback (578 yards rushing, 10 touchdowns). The Gators’ two losses hurt Tebow’s Heisman chances a little bit, but with games against Georgia, South Carolina, Florida State and possibly an SEC Championship game remaining, Tebow has plenty of opportunities to woo voters some more.
QB Andre’ Woodson, Kentucky
Much like Ryan, Woodson has turned an unranked team into a BCS contender. No one gave Kentucky a chance to compete with the likes of Florida, LSU, Arkansas, Alabama, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee and Auburn in the SEC. Without Woodson, they wouldn’t. But the 6-foot-5 Washington state native has led UK over two top-10 opponents, including No. 1 LSU two weeks ago (the other was against No. 9 Louisville on Sept. 15).
Woodson has thrown for 2,201 yards, 26 touchdowns and just four interceptions. Needless to say, Woodson has exceeded expectations in Lexington, and because he has almost single-handedly put the Wildcats on the BCS map, he should get some Heisman bonus points come December.
QB Dennis Dixon, Oregon
Every year, a player nobody considered before the season for the Heisman emerges as a legitimate contender. This year, it’s Dixon.
Dixon has led the Ducks from unranked to No. 5 in the BCS standings, and if Boston College loses to Virginia Tech and Oregon holds off USC (both very big “ifs”), Dixon may just be your Heisman leader come next week.
What makes Dixon so difficult to defend is his ability to run the football. Oregon runs the increasingly popular spread offense, and when given the chance to run in the open field, Dixon takes it.
He has run for 423 yards and seven touchdowns to complement his 1,721 and 16 passing touchdowns with only three interceptions. The Heisman voters like winners, and the more wins the Ducks compile throughout the remainder of the season, the nicer Dixon’s résumébecomes.
RB Mike Hart, Michigan
A right ankle injury kept Hart out of last Saturday’s game at Illinois. Should he miss another game, his chances of landing the Heisman will go out the window. However, when healthy, Hart has been a true workhorse, carrying the ball 200 times for 1,078 yards and 12 touchdowns. After starting the season 0-2 — and dealing with quarterback Chad Henne’s injury-plagued season — Hart has carried the Wolverines on his back while rushing for over 100 yards in every game in which he’s played, getting Big Blue back into the Big Ten race for a possible Rose Bowl bid.
Outside, looking in:
RB Darren McFadden, Arkansas
Coming into the season, many analysts had McFadden as their Heisman favorite. He’s averaging 133 yards and a touchdown per game, but because voters value team wins, the Razorbacks’ struggles have unfortunately hurt his résumé. Plus, Hart and the four quarterbacks have just been that much more impressive.
QB Colt Brennan, Hawaii
Brennan has the numbers (2,395 yards and 20 touchdowns), but his 10 interceptions against weak WAC defenses are too many to consider him for the Heisman, especially considering what the previous four quarterbacks have done against infinitely tougher opponents. Plus, knowing that Brennan is averaging 47 pass attempts per game make his statistics seem that much less impressive.
QB Brian Brohm, Louisville
Brohm may have the best sheer numbers in the country (2,993 yards, 24 touchdowns, 68 percent completion rate), but the Cardinals have gone from national championship contenders to having four notches in their loss column. Enough said.
