Cam Newton Tries To Stop Heisman Hangover Trend in BCS Title Game

There is almost nothing that Auburn junior quarterback Cam Newton hasn't done this season.  He's led his team to a 12-0 record, an SEC championship, and a spot in the BCS National Championship game.  He's also won the Heisman trophy, and despite playing in a spread offense, there are many who believe if he declared for the NFL draft today he would be a top 10 pick.

With everything Newton has accomplished on the field, and all the accolades he has garnered off the field, there is no way Auburn can lose the BCS title game, is there?

Well, not exactly.  There is the mystique of the 'Heisman Hangover,' an albatross that looms large over Newton and the entire University of Auburn football program.

For those of you who don't know, the 'Heisman Hangover' is the belief that any quarterback who wins the Heisman Memorial Trophy in a given season, should he make it to the BCS title/National Championship game, he will be unsuccessful in his bid to win a national title for his school. The last quarterback to win the Heisman, former Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford, would fall short in his quest for a BCS National Championship as well, with the Sooners losing to the Florida Gators 24-14.

As a matter of fact, since, 2000, only one quarterback has been able to win both the Heisman and the BCS National title, and that was in 2004 when Matt Leinart led the USC Trojans to their 11th title.  Of the last three quarterbacks to win the Heisman, Bradford came the closest to winning the BCS title game.  The other two were Tim Tebow (his Florida Gators didn't even make it to the BCS Title game that year) and Troy Smith (his Ohio State Buckeyes were blown out 41-14 in the title game a year earlier by Tebow's Gators).

So, the question then remains, can Cam Newton successfully avoid the 'Heisman Hangover', and lead the Auburn Tigers to their first BCS National Championship?

The way Newton was able to rally the troop in the second half of the regular season finale against arch rival Alabama certainly proves he has the moxie to pull it off.  And after their blowout win against South Carolina in the SEC championship game, they should enter the BCS National Championship game as huge favorites.

But, as everyone well knows, on any given Sunday (or in this case, Monday) anything can happen.