Pete
Fiutak
Q: Your Heisman top
three is ...
A:
I can be sold on any of my top three choices. To me, the Heisman
should go to the signature player of a season, a combination of MVP and
MOP. At the immediate moment, and with a paper-thin margin between them
...
1. Colt McCoy, Texas - He doesn't have the weapons around him
that Tebow and Bradford have. In the lousy SEC this year, Florida would
still be in the spot it's in now without Tebow. The same goes for
Oklahoma if it didn't have Bradford. Any quarterback who can hit a
receiver in stride would go ballistic playing behind the Sooner line.
McCoy has carried Texas at times, and he beat Bradford in the
head-to-head game. You can't dog him for the loss; his late drive
would've sealed the Heisman if Harrell-to-Crabtree didn't become the
season's signature moment.
2. Tim Tebow, Florida - I'm starting to believe more and more
that he might deserve it. The way he was able to own up to the Ole Miss
loss, call out his team, and become the ring leader and lightening rod
did wonders, while his stats have matched the leadership over the second
half of the season.
3. Sam Bradford, Oklahoma - There's absolutely no question that
he's a top pro prospect, unlike Jason White or Josh Heupel, but he's
also functioning in a tremendous system. Deadly accurate, he's making
the machine go, but he's not carrying his team like McCoy and Tebow are.
With that said, I'm still auditioning him for my vote. He can win it
over the next two weeks ... maybe.
Richard
Cirminiello
Q: Your Heisman top
three is ...
A: 3. Texas Tech QB Graham Harrell – Saturday’s
game at Oklahoma was a Heisman semifinal with the Sooners’ Sam Bradford.
While Harrell’s numbers looked fine on paper, they hardly told the
entire story of what took place in Norman. Still, he’s got the stats and
the Heisman moment at the end of the Texas game to bump Colt McCoy out
of the top 3.
2. Florida QB Tim Tebow – No, the numbers aren’t as gaudy, but in
some respects, Tebow’s been more of a Heisman contender this season than
a year ago. He’s helped make everyone around him better, and unlike
2007, the Gators are in the national championship discussion with two
weeks remaining in the regular season.
1. Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford – There’s not much to dislike about
Bradford’s candidacy. The second-rated passer in the country, he’s
accounted for 46 touchdowns and more than 4,000 yards, while throwing
just six interceptions. Plus, his team is closing strong and leading the
country in scoring at 52 points a game. Thanks to Tebow breaking down
barriers last year, the number of voters who’ll shy away because he’s a
sophomore has declined dramatically.
Matthew
Zemek
Q: Your Heisman top
three is ...
A: 3-
Graham Harrell. On the medal
stand, but as is the case in the Big 12 South's likely three-way
contest, the Techster will have to settle for bronze.
2- Sam Bradford. Awesome, brilliant,
stupendous. (Or should we say, Stoop-endous?) But much like
Jason White relative to Larry Fitzgerald in 2003, a Sooner
quarterback is--in my mind--the second most outstanding
collegiate football player in the United States of America.
1- Colt McCoy. OU fans, I don't wear burnt
orange glasses, trust me. McCoy simply has a better case, for
one very simple reason. No, it's not the win over Bradford in
Dallas. The reason why the Texas quarterback leads the race for
the Heisman--with games still left to be played--is that while
Bradford has barely been breathed on in 2008, McCoy managed to
will his Longhorn teammates to a last-minute lead at Texas Tech,
on a night when he got pounded into the Lubbock turf. McCoy
could take a beating and still deliver the goods. His one loss
gives Kid Colt that extra measure of gridiron gallantry that
Bradford--through absolutely no fault of his own--just can't
offer.
I'll say this much, though, to placate Sooner backers:
If Bradford were to get chosen as the winner, I wouldn't have a
real beef. White over Fitzgerald in 2003 was a crime
(though I also maintained that White deserved the 2004 Heisman
over Matt Leinart), but Bradford over McCoy would be a perfectly
legitimate and valid decision.
It's Texas and Oklahoma, splitting the thinnest threads in all
major aspects of this college football season. Once again, it's
Bevo by a nose hair. It's just the way the stars have aligned in
2008.
Steve Silverman
Q: Your Heisman top
three is ...
A: 1. Sam Bradford, Oklahoma
-- I know he's a sophomore but his
42-6 TD-interception ratio speaks to
me. That and the fact that he leads
an offense that will shove it down
your throat every step of the way.
2. Colt McCoy, Texas -- A running
man (527 yards) and a throwing man
(3,134 yards, 30 TDs and 7
interceptions). Hungry and great
leader.
3. Tim Tebow, Florida --
Unstoppable when the game is on the
line 22 TDs and just 2
interceptions. He can run over
linebackers and throw over
double-coverage.