As if having three undefeated football teams in the state weren’t enough fun, we find ourselves front and center in the Heisman Trophy chase, too.
Sam Bradford is a dark horse no more. The Oklahoma quarterback continues to impress. Continues to climb the Heisman straw polls, too. He moved to No. 2 on my ballot in the HeismanPundit.com/Orlando Sentinel poll, the same spot he held after all the pollsters voters were tallied.
Slingin’ Sam trails Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel by the slimmest of margins, 46 points to 44, six first-place votes to four.
These two guys have the inside track to the little bronze statue. That’s because both of their teams have a chance to run the table, going undefeated in the regular season and setting up a showdown between their teams in the Big 12 title game. Heisman voters like great quarterbacks who lead successful teams, and Daniel and Bradford definitely both fit that mold.
Truth be told, these next few weeks could determine who wins the Heisman. After going to Baylor, Oklahoma faces Texas in Dallas. That same week, Missouri hosts Oklahoma State, then faces Texas the following week. We’ll have a chance to stack up how these two quarterbacks perform against the same team in consecutive weeks. That will be a great indicator in the Heisman race.
And then there’s this — if Texas would somehow manage to pull a pair of major upsets, Longhorn quarterback Colt McCoy could skyrocket to the top of the Heisman heap.
What if the Heisman ceremony is an all-Big 12 affair?
It could happen.
Here’s a look at my ballot for the HeismanPundit.com/Orlando Sentinel poll this week:
1. Daniel: Missouri was off last week, but he was almost flawless in non-conference play.
2. Bradford: Four TDs and 400-plus yards against TCU. Slingin’ Sam is makin’ this look easy.
3. Tim Tebow, Florida: Gator quarterback had his best game of the year against Mississippi, throwing for 319 yards and accounting for three touchdowns. If only he could kick extra points, too.
4. Max Hall, BYU: Cougar quarterback also had the week off, but he needed it to cool off his smokin’ arm. He’s thrown for 15 TDs and almost 1,300 yards already.
5. Jeremy Maclin, Missouri: Will the Tiger utility player take Heisman votes from Daniel? Doubtful, but with the likes of Mark Sanchez, Knowshon Moreno and others dropping like flies, Maclin might still get a trip to New York as a nice consolation prize. That could set him up nicely for a run at the 2009 Heisman.
October 1st, 2008 at 10:50 am
Of course Sam is making it look easy. That is why they call him “The Big Easy!”
October 2nd, 2008 at 1:59 pm
If I were a player these days I wouldn’t even want the Heisman. It is so overrated. You can’t win games by yourself and without really good players around you. Period.. I would get up there and take it for the team or I would leave it where it stands! BOOMER SOONER!!!