Weekend Watching: It's all about the Heisman

Dave Thurman (6:16 pm)

Buckeye fans don't have a lot at stake this weekend in regard to the conference championship games.  When Oregon outlasted Oregon State, the final question was answered.  Ohio State knows where it will play and who its opponent will be.  So why watch this weekend's games?  Besides the fact that there might be some pretty compelling football played, there is still one thing for OSU fans to ponder: Will Archie remain the only two-time Heisman winner in history? 

The way I see it there are four candidates left in the running for college football's most coveted individual award.  Three of them play on Saturday. Here's my list and my prediction:

Toby Gerhart - The powerful Stanford tailback came out of nowhere to earn a sure invitation to New York.  His final game was huge, with over 200 yards rushing, although it was against Charlie Weis' non-existent Notre Dame defense.  Gerhart did wind up with over 1700 yards on the ground this season and an amazing 26 touchdowns.  However, because he plays on the west coast for someone other than USC one wonders how many voters noticed.  He also does not have the opportunity to make a final statement on Saturday.  So unless the other three candidates all perform poorly I doubt he has much chance of winning.

Mark Ingram - A force for Alabama all season he picked a bad time to have a down game last week.  In addition he enters the SEC Championship Game injured and it is doubtful he will carry it as much as usual.  Gerhart has better stats as Ingram has 1400 yards and 12 TDs. Ingram's only chance is to post big numbers that lead to an Alabama victory.  That just might get him over the top.

Colt McCoy - Throughout the season Colt has led Texas to victories without putting up monster numbers.  All that changed last week against Texas A&M, when he threw for over 300 yards and four touchdowns, and ran for 175 and another score.  He is peaking at the right time, and most experts list him as the leader at this point, although I'm not so sure I buy it.  However if he can have a big and victorious day against Nebraska he just might carry home the hardware.

Tim Tebow - Say what you will about him, this guy is a winner. Yes, the media has canonized him, but you can't argue with his work ethic, his success on the field, or his consistency through the years.  Like McCoy he is coming off his best game, and while his passing yardage isn't enormous, he does complete 66 percent of his passes, rarely throws an interception, and is all  but unstoppable running the ball.  Despite what the prognosticators say, I believe that he will win his second Heisman if Florida defeats Alabama.

Final Word: I think it is really a two man race.  If both Texas and Florida win it will be interesting.  Some might feel Colt deserves it since he has been the odd man out the past couple of years, with Tebow and Bradford taking the top prize.  However, the media loves Tebow and his face time the past week has been almost unparalleled.  I have the utmost respect for Tebow but am cheering for an Alabama victory for two reasons: I am sick and tired of Florida and the Urban Legend; and, I would like to see Colt McCoy have his name called in New York.  Still when pressed, I have a sick feeling it will be none other than his highness Tim Tebow!