If They Awarded The Heisman After Bowl Games
Published January 11, 2007
In Mystery Science Theater 3000's revue of Pod People, we wondered what compelled people to wander into the gates of Hell (Cue it up to the 2:08 mark).
Today we wonder what compels Heisman Trophy winners to fold like rusty card tables in national championship games. Teams whose superstars just recently acquired a bronze likeness of a stiff-armed Gentile are 1-5 in BCS title games since 2000.
So here's just a wacky idea. Why not hand out the Heisman Trophy after the season's over?
Suppose we took Adam Hoff's list of Heisman finalists and see just how poorly they played in December and January. Nah, let's not suppose. Let's just do it:
1. Troy Smith, QB, Ohio State: 4-14, 35 yards, 1 INT; team lost to Florida 41-14 in the BCS Championship.
2. Brady Quinn, QB, Notre Dame: 15-35, 148 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT; team lost to LSU in the Sugar Bowl 41-14.
3. Mike Hart, RB, Michigan: 17 carries, 47 yards; team lost to USC 32-18 in the Rose Bowl.
4. Ray Rice, RB, Rutgers: 24 carries, 170 yards, 1 TD; team beat Kansas State 37-10 in the Texas Bowl.
5. Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas: 14 carries, 150 yards; team lost to Wisconsin 17-14 in the Capital One Bowl.
6. Steve Slaton, RB, West Virginia: 3 carries, 11 yards; 2 catches, 20 yards; team beat Georgia Tech 38-35 in the Gator Bowl.
7. Colt Brennan, QB, Hawaii: 33-42, 559 yards, 5 TD, 1 INT; team beat Arizona State 41-24 in the Hawaii Bowl.
8. Ian Johnson, RB, Boise State: 23 carries, 101 yards, 1 TD; team beat Boise State 43-42 in overtime in the Fiesta Bowl.
9. Marshawn Lynch, RB, Cal: 20 carries, 111 yards, 2 TD; team beat Texas A&M 45-10 in the Holiday Bowl.
T-10. JaMarcus Russell, QB, LSU: 21-34, 332 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT; rush TD; team beat Notre Dame 41-14 in the Sugar Bowl.
T-10. P.J. Hill, RB, Wisconsin: 19 carries, 36 yards; team beat Arkansas 17-14 in the Capital One Bowl.
So it's quite a hexed list. Of these 11 fine young men, the four that lost were among Adam's top five. The bowl heroes appear at the tail end of the list.
Standing out — not just because of his size — is LSU's JaMarcus Russell. Now that he and Troy Smith have both lost to Florida, one has to wonder if Russell could leapfrog out of 10th into the top five or even the top three. Their TD/INT numbers are very similar (Smith: 30/6, Russell: 28/8) as are completion percentages and QB ratings. Neither fellow runs very often, and both signal-callers' worst games of the year came against — you guessed it — Florida.
Furthermore, both are entering the NFL Draft this year. You have to think Russell, standing 6'6", will remind scouts of Ben Roethlisberger, while Troy Smith could evoke thoughts of Gino Torretta.
So perhaps bowl games like the Sugar Bowl and quarterbacks like Russell act as reasons why the Heisman is given out after the regular season. (Well, that, and because of Smuckers Raspberry Preserves. It's almost like real fruit!) That last game influences the mind too much, while the voters turn ADD for a day. Otherwise, another man's Heisman poll might look like this:
1 Troy Smith
2. JaMarcus Russell
3. Ray Rice
4. Ian Johnson
5. Brady Quinn
6. Darren McFadden
7. Colt Brennan
8. Steve Slaton
9. Mike Hart
10. Marshawn Lynch
Matt Sussman is the sports editor of BC Magazine and also writes for Deadspin, SPORTSbyBROOKS, The Futon Report, and the Toledo Free Press. Catch him Mondays and Fridays at 8 p.m. ET with asst. sports editor Tuffy on Treehouse Fort, the official show of BC Sports. E-mail sports-related inquiries (or inquiry-related sports, such as full-contact Twenty Questions) to matt.sussman@blogcritics.org.
- If They Awarded The Heisman After Bowl Games
- Published: January 11, 2007
- Type: Opinion
- Section: Sports
- Filed Under: Sports: College, Sports: Football (American)
- Writer: Matthew T. Sussman
- Matthew T. Sussman's BC Writer page
- Matthew T. Sussman's personal site
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Not fair! Kidding, of course. I thought the same thing as I watched the bowl games. Other than maybe Rice or Brennan, what legit Heisman contender would have vaulted over the floundering Smith after the bowl games? In hindsight, I feel lucky that I even put Russell on the list.
I feel pretty certain though that Smith would not have won the Heisman if they did it after the bowl games. It is has always been an award that kills those who suck big and suck late. A stinker like that, on that stage, would have ruined him. Quinn too would have been toast. I think Brennan would probably have taken it down in the Klingler/Ware/Detmer tradition, but it is also possible that Russell could have ridden a late wave to the trophy. Other than that, it would have come down to a flashy sophomore running back (McFadden) versus a steady sophomore running back from a Cinderella team (Ray Rice). Hell, throw Ian Johnson into that mix.
Troy Smith won the award by a historic margin, yet if it was given out after the bowls, we probably would have been looking at the wildest, most wide-open race in recent memory. What does that say about the nature of the award? For that matter, what does that tell us about Troy Smith and how truly bad his performance was? Interesting stuff.