Few of us would have guessed at the beginning of the season that he’d be the winner. It was called “The Year of the Quarterback,” yet we’ve mainly been let down by the talent that returned for another year of college football. Last year’s Heisman winner, Sam Bradford, had a tragic season marred by injury, so he wasn’t even a contender. Colt McCoy of Texas finished third, and Tim Tebow finished fifth in the voting. I’m not saying that they aren’t great players, but neither of them has blown me away this season.

Mark Ingram and head coach Nick Saban hold the Heisman Trophy together. Image: Newcom

The race for the Heisman this year was a close one, and I think that’s because no player truly stood out on the field. My vote would have went to Ingram as well, so I think he deserves the honor, but looking over the season, it wasn’t filled with superstars. Here’s the breakdown of the voting:

• Mark Ingram, Alabama: 1304 points
• Toby Gerhart, Standford: 1276 points
• Colt McCoy, Texas: 1145 points

Three things are really interesting with this year’s voting:

1. It was the closest race in the history of the Heisman, with Ingram winning by just 28 points.
2. This is Alabama’s very first Heisman, even though the Alabama is third in the BCS with National Championship wins.
3. Ndamukong Suh, a defensive player from Nebraska, finished fourth.

Although the Heisman is an award for the best player overall, defensive players usually aren’t seriously considered as top contenders. They simply don’t have as much room to shine. This year, a number of experts and fans were calling fro Suh to win the Heisman, saying that no offensive player has done enough to stand out and be the winner.

Whether you think that’s true or not, Ingram has been the backbone of the Alabama program, rushing for a Crimson Tide record of 1,542 yards so far this year and scoring 18 touchdowns. Against Florida in the SEC Championship game, he ran all over their top-ranked defense, adding three touchdowns and over 100 yards to his total.

Mark Ingram, in the SEC Championship game, Image: Newscom

Since he’s just a sophomore, people are already starting to ask: could he be a repeat Heisman winner? Could Alabama be a driving force in the SEC again next year, with Ingram leading the way? Time will tell – for now, they have a championship on their minds, and it’s going to be quite a battle against Texas next month.

Post from: EveryJoe

Mark Ingram wins the Heisman

One player who is in the mix, though, is Case Keenum, Houston’s quarterback, and I do think that it makes sense we talk about him. The problem? Houston hasn’t had a very hard schedule, according to some critics.

That cracks me up, since the same people are talking about Tim Tebow deserving the Heisman. I’m not saying that Tebow isn’t a great player, but really, what has he done this season that’s so spectacular? Florida didn’t have a harder season than Houston, but Keenum’s stats against Tebow’s blow him out of the water. Coming into this weekend, Houston’s star had only five interceptions in over 450 pass attempts, and he led his non-BCS team to victory against Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, and Mississippi State.

And then this weekend happened. Today, Houston lost to Central Florida. Yes, you read that correctly. Central Florida. Now, I’m not saying that UCF is a horrible team, at least not on the level that a team like Western Kentucky is horrible. But with a record of 5 – 4 coming into today’s game, it was certainly surprising that they even held their own against the 8 – 1 #15 Houston, let alone had a chance to win. And the problem wasn’t necessarily that Keenum or the rest of the Houston team played badly. It was just that Central Florida shut them down.

Case Keenum, Image: Newscom

Does that mean that Keenum should be out of the Heisman mix? In my opinion, no. Even though the UCF defense kept him from making big players, Keenum threw for three touchdowns today, which pushed him to be the all-time leader in touchdowns in Houston’s history.

I think that a lot rides on how other players do over the next few weeks. Houston has Memphis and Rice on their schedule to finish out the season, and those teams are so laughably bad that I’m not sure Keenum will really be able to shine in games against them. Unless you have a really tough opponent, it’s hard to prove that you’re the best.

Post from: EveryJoe

Houston Loses: What This Means for Keenum

Apparently, that guy is Billy Sims. A former Heisman Trophy winner himself, he got excited for the winner. I’m not sure who the winner was because of all the Boomering so you’ll have to forgive me.

Boomer!

So yeah, some guy walks to the stage to pick up the Heisman Trophy. Meanwhile, and more importantly, we get to hear the word Boomer repeated. Here is the Billy Sims video of him at the Heisman Trophy presentation:

Post from: EveryJoe

Boomer! Boomer! Billy Sims Heisman Video

10. Wisconsin @ Fresno State 9/13. Only two scenarios happen here. Wisconsin wins: They just beat a team they should’ve beaten. Wisconsin loses: The Big Ten looks worse and worse by the minute. No pressure.

9.  Missouri vs. Illinois 8/30. This game is more interesting this year. Missouri is a favorite to win the Big 12 and could possibly play in the National Championship. If Illinois wins than last year wasn’t a fluke and Illinois will have truly arrived and get some respect in the win column for the Big Ten.

8.  USF @ WVU 12/6. The game that could decide who wins the Big East. That is if neither of them stumble. If so, remove this game, move the ones behind it up and insert whatever you like.

7.  Kansas @ Oklahoma 10/18. Kansas didn’t really play anyone until they played and lost to Missouri last year. But they did beat VA Tech in the bowl game. This year they have to play Oklahoma on the road. Will they be able to handle it?

6.  Ohio State @ Wisconsin 10/4. If the Buckeyes get past USC, many think that they would be on cruise control to play for the national championship. Don’t take an away game at Wisconsin at a 8 pm start time too lightly. Camp Randall is no joke.

5.  Georgia @ Arizona State 9/20. Georgia and their crazy schedule. An away game out west could help determine how their season goes.

4.  LSU @ Florida 10/11. Did anyone miss this game last year? Well, I did…at least some of it. The Buckeyes were on. But they were playing Minnesota so I didn’t miss much. A must see SEC game here. Some think Florida will win the SEC this year. And maybe even make it back to the championship game?

3.  Georgia @ LSU 10/25. Another huge test for the Bulldogs. They get no rest this year. Can they seriously go through the SEC undefeated?

2.  Ohio State @ USC 9/13. This game #2? I know I was surprised myself. Obviously the biggest game early on in the season and a statement game for the Buckeyes. Theirs as well as the Big Tens rep is at stake here. Winner could decide who plays for the national championship. If they don’t slip up that is.

1.  Georgia vs. Florida 11/1. Why this game #1? The game should decide who will win the SEC East. And it’s the biggest cocktail party. And the Bulldogs danced in the end zone last year. And if Georgia and Florida are really as good as people think they and they make it through their schedule with no more than one loss, this game will most likely decide who will play for the national championship.

Post from: EveryJoe

Top 10 Games To Watch This College Football Season

Sorry, about the title. I was thinking about about UT Can, because he’s at the University of Texas. Anyways, it’s nice to see that Senator Barack Obama would do the same thing any of us would do if we encountered the Heisman Trophy. Pose! I also enjoy that he’s holding the Heisman Trophy while doing the Heisman pose — very meta. Again, sorry about the title.

Post from: EveryJoe

I Tried Very Hard But Could Not Come Up With a Pun to Go With This Picture of Senator Barack Obama Striking the Heisman Pose