Will Ingram's Heisman Help Texas?

We've seen it too often now to just dismiss it as coincidence. The Heisman jinx is too real to be ignored.

How many times have we seen this already? The team who's guy wins the Heisman gets beat in the Bowl game. Let's count.

2008 Sam Bradford: Many thought Tim Tebow should have won. In fact Tebow had the most first place votes. He was curiously left off several ballots entirely. Tebow admitted that on top of playing Bradford and Oklahoma for a BCS Title, the Heisman vote gave him just a little added incentive. Result? Florida 24 OU 14.

2007 Tim Tebow: Michigan already had a lot to play for. It was Lloyd Carr's last game. It was against Florida who got the nod over Michigan the previous year to play for the BCS Title. And they were going against the Heisman winner. Result? Michigan wins the Cap One Bowl over UF.

2006 Troy Smith: "Florida shouldn't even be in this game," they said. "Troy Smith will carve them up like a Holiday turkey," they said. "Michigan would give them a better game," they said. Result? Florida stuffs OSU's offense and wins the BCS in a rout.

2005 Reggie Bush: USC boasted the past two Heisman Winners in the same backfield. The game was not supposed to be close. Texas however had an answer. His name was Vince Young. Result? Texas beats USC for the title.

Seeing a trend here yet? All too often Heisman Winners have been on the favored teams in big bowl games. All too often they've lost. Why?

One theory is the Heisman Winner is busy doing TV shows and radio shows to focus fully on the game. Another is the opponent is so sick and tired of hearing for a month about how great the other team is with their Heisman winner that they come in to the stadium in a real bad mood.

I think it's a combination of the two. I also think that the long layoff negates a lot of the momentum an Alabama takes into the game. Plus all the pressure is now on 'Bama. They are the favorite. Their guy won the Heisman. Texas can go in a bit more relaxed. Nobody is picking them. Nobody will blame them for losing.

In fairness, we must mention some years where the Heisman jinx was not a factor. Matt Leinart won the Heisman and also the National Title in '04. Also Charles Woodson won in '97 for a Michigan team that claimed a split title with Nebraska. Danny Wuerffel in '96 and Charlie Ward in '93 also come to mind as Heisman Winners who also won the title. So it's not a slam dunk.

But also added to the last four in a row to have laid an egg in the Bowl we also must add Jason White ('03), Eric Crouch ('01), Chris Weinke ('00), Gino Torretta ('92), Vinny Testaverde ('86), and Herschel Walker ('82). All of these players played for the National Title after winning the trophy. All of them lost.

This has to give you a bit of an uneasy feeling if you are a Tide supporter. And a little spring in your step if you are a 'Horn.