Bleacher Report - Articles by Dennis Right

Who Wants a Heisman Trophy, Anyway?

Dennis Right — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 15:59:37 -0400

The Trophy began in 1935. John Heisman, an underrated player at 5'8" and 158 pounds, played offensive line. He attended college at Brown for two years and then transferred to Penn. After college, he became a coach at Oberlin College. He coached a couple other teams, but had an amazing 33-game winning streak at Georgia Tech.

The award was started by the Downtown Athletic Club in Manhattan. The key of the operation was to award college football's most outstanding player, the MVP of college football. The statue is 14" long, 13.5" high, and weighs 25 pounds, so you have to lift some weights to at least hold the trophy up.

These are just some notable things about the most prestigious trophy in college football, but it is really that great to claim? Let's look at some of the past trophy winners. What did they do after winning the trophy?

Some may not know players such as Jay Berwanger, the first winner of the award; he never played in the NFL because he decided to follow his dreams in sportswriting. Tom Harmon, the sixth winner of the award, decided to skip the NFL and go into acting. Felix "Doc" Blanchard, the 11th Heisman winner, played on defense, offense, and special teams. He had a great season, won the trophy, then chose his career with the Air Force was more important.

Maybe you don't know some of these. How about some of our lastest stars, like Ty Detmer? Not his fault he ended up backing Brett Farve and Steve Young. Hey, he holds many college records. Ron Dayne, Heisman running back for Wisconsin, holds the record for most rushing yards in a career. He helped the Giants and went to a Super Bowl blocking for Tiki Barber, but who gets that spotlight? You can ask any linemen that question.

What about Ricky Williams, or is he still trying to live free? Troy Smith looked good in his couple of preseason starts, and we could never forget about Jason White. I don't see how someone in Oklahoma could be so white! This kid couldn't get a tan and you think he played in the NFL? No! Or Chris Weinke, who, when drafted, was about the third-oldest player on the Carolina Panthers team. They went 1-15 that year. Last, but not least, Archie Griffin. Two-time winner himself. In seven NFL seasons, he rushed for 2,808 yards and seven touchdowns, and caught 192 passes for 1,607 yards and six touchdowns. Enough said.

But wait! Not all of them tripped in the NFL. Barry Sanders, Charles Woodson, and Eddie George had pretty good careers. I'm sure there are a couple others. Reggie Bush did well his first season. Not so great his second. Have to see what he does this year. And Tim Tebow has hope, as long as he doesn't get hurt in college. Even Superman has a weakness.

So, do you really want this trophy?

College Football Week One Starts Soon: Are Any Upsets in the Cards?

Dennis Right — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 16:31:01 -0400

Of course, Week One is always the time big schools beat on little schools (unless you're Michigan). Still, I want to touch on some of the key games in Week One. I don't see many upsets. But, again, who thought Appalachian State would beat Michigan, in Michigan?

North Carolina State at South Carolina

Everyone talks about having their turn-around season. I feel the winner of this game will turn it around and the other will be thinking about its turn-around season next year. I see SC winning this game because of big defensive stops. SC has a good defense. Even with Mike Glennon, the talented quarterback out of Westfield High school, more than likely starting, the Wolf Pack do not have much of anything else.

—South Carolina 24, NC State 13

Hawaii at Florida

Redemption? After a blowout at the hands of Georgia, you'd think they'd have learned. So let's scrimmage the second-best team in the land. Hopefully, Florida doesn't run the score.

—Florida 52, Hawaii 6

Utah at Michigan

Upset last year by App. State, Michigan is tired of hearing about it. The Wolverines will beat Utah. I'm sure it will be closer than it'd be with a normal championship-caliber Michigan team, but only because of the new coach and young players.

Do not celebrate this victory long, though, Michigan fans. Notre Dame awaits two games later in Indy, and then there are home games vs. Wisconsin and Illinois.

—Michigan 28, Utah 10

Alabama at Clemson

Why do you say this game is important? Nobody thinks that 'Bama can win. Alabama fans do not count. The Tigers are good at one thing: running the ball. 'Bama has some good linebackers. They are going to bring six or seven, and maybe eight, every time. Who's starting at quarterback for Clemson. Cullen Harper? His O-line allowed 32 sacks last year (cough, cough). Bring the heat.

I do not think it will be a blowout because James Davis and CJ Spiller are good and find ways to score, plus a likely touchdown from wide receiver Aaron Kelly, but not enough to take out Nick Saban and The Tide.

—Bama 27, Clemson 24

Illinois at Mizzou

This will probably be the second-most-watched game, second to 'Bama and Clemson. Two-time Heisman hopeful Chase Daniels looks to roll past Mizzouri's defeats from Oklahoma twice. Mizzou will not be in the position it was in last year. I see it being an upset because of the leadership of Illinois quarterback Juice Williams. He helped them beat OSU last year, so look forward to the upset vs. Mizzou.

—Illinois 31, Mizzou 21

Tennessee at UCLA

Looking to get revenge on UCLA from its 45-31 loss to the Golden Bears last year, Tennessee looks good. Everyone keeps downing the Volunteers. They are not as good as they say. Well, think about this, they play play in the SEC, which is the toughest conference in college football.

Let's break it down: They went 10-4 last year, with loses to Cal, Florida, 'Bama, and LSU, three of which are in the SEC, two of which are the past champs. Keys wins, though, for Tenn were against Georgia, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Wisconsin. Wisconsin was the Vols' bowl-game opponent, and Kentucky and Arkansas both beat the national champs.

Tenn will not slide though this game. UCLA can beat them, but if Tenn plays its game it will win.

—Tennessee 38, UCLA 17

Other key games to watch:

Michigan State at California

JMU at Duke (JMU can beat Duke)

Wake Forest at Baylor

Win or Go Home: Who Can Get Through Season Unscathed to Hit BCS Championship?

Dennis Right — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 11:49:41 -0400

"Win or go home" seems to be the theme or this year's champion. I'm 99.9 percent sure that the two top contenders in this year's National Championship will be undefeated.

We have many possible outcomes, but look at the top 10: We have Georgia at No. 1. If Georgia goes undefeated, it deserves, more than anyone, to go to the title. Half of Georgia's opponents are ranked, including three in the preseason top 10 in LSU, Florida, and Auburn. I do not feel Georgia should worry until the Florida game. I'm hoping the Bulldogs win because I'm a 'Dawg fan, but, if you read between the lines, these two teams are pretty even. Last year, the 'Dawgs had an advantage at running back with Thomas Brown and Knowshon Moreno, but the Gators have some talent at the running back position this year.

Now to No. 2, OSU. There's not much to say here. Favorites the past two years and losers to an SEC team the past two years. They are going to get a surprise from Wisconsin or Penn State.

Ranked third is Southern Cal. The Trojans have to keep quarterback Mark Sanchez healthy. I do think they will lose to OSU Sept. 13, and that will be very costly. Otherwise, if they do come out on top, they don't play anyone that good. Maybe they should concentrate more on recruiting than taking South Carolina to court over the SC logo.

Oklahoma sits at No. 4. The Sooners are very talented, but not good enough to have an undefeated season in the Big 12.

Fifth is Florida. I don't have much to say other than I think the winner of the UGA-Florida game will go to and win the National Title.

Missouri checks in at No. 6. They can't beat Oklahoma.

No. 7 is LSU. The Tigers will suffer two loses. Last year they got lucky with Pitt beating West Virginia. That will not happen again.

Speaking of West Virginia, the Mountaineers are ranked eighth. They play in the Big East, and the Big East is not that great. They were sub-par even when Miami, Virginia Tech, and Boston College were there; go figure why they tried so hard to get into the ACC. The Big East is weak. I see them losing two games, if not three, this year. You can't run on them much. Their defense is good. Yeah, they gave up a lot of points last year, but that's what happens when your team is scoring a lot and the opponent has T.O.P. almost twice as much as you. I see them losing to Louisville, UConn, Cincinnati, and/or Auburn.

No. 9 Clemson and No. 10, Auburn are good, but they are not end-of-season top 15 material.

These are my championship predictions. My season surprises are 'Bama, FSU, VT, Michigan, and South Carolina. I do not think any of these teams will be championship material, but they all have the chance of being a two- or three-loss team. Maybe South Carolina with four losses. Once the Gamecocks get rolling, watch out.

Also, Michigan will beat some teams this year. Nothing great; even though the Wolverines are young, Rich Rodriguez is a great coach and loves to run the pigskin, and the Wolverines have had many good running backs. Look for Brandon Minor to step up.

The main team I consider overrated is Oregon. The Ducks were good until losing Dennis Dixon. Ranked 20th? Whats that about? They will be lucky to win seven games.