2006 Heisman Discussion (merged all)

[osugrad21]

Link

Heisman poll, Oct. 31
STORY TOOLS




? The Rocky Mountain News Heisman poll is the longest-running weekly Heisman Trophy poll in the country, in its 20th year. The final poll in December correctly has predicted the Heisman winner 16 of the previous 19 seasons. There are 10 voters, two from each of five regions of the country. The tabulations are on a 5-4-3-2-1 basis. First-place votes in parentheses. This week's poll with statistics from last weekend:
Name, position School Statistics Points
Troy Smith, QB Ohio State 14-of-21, 183 yards, 1 TD 50 (10)
Steve Slaton, RB West Virginia Did not play 29
Brady Quinn, QB Notre Dame 18-of-25, 295 yards, 3 TDs 27
Michael Hart, RB Michigan 20 carries, 95 yards, 1 TD 8
Ray Rice, RB Rutgers 22 carries, 79 yards, 1 TD 8
Colt McCoy, QB Texas 21-of-31, 256 yards, 4 TDs 8
Marshawn Lynch, RB California 21 carries, 150 yards, 2 TDs 7
? Others: James Davis, RB, Clemson, 2; Calvin Johnson, WR, Georgia Tech, 3; Robert Meachem, WR, Tennessee, 2; LaMarr Woodley, DE, Michigan, 1; Colt Brennan, QB, Hawaii, 1; Chad Henne, QB, Michigan, 1; Pat White, QB, West Virginia, 1; James Hardy, WR, Indiana, 2. ? The votes: Kirk Bohls (Austin (Texas) American-Statesman); Scott Cain (Arkansas Democrat Gazette); Dennis Dodd (CBSSportsLine); Vahe Gregorian (St. Louis Post-Dispatch); Mike Griffith (Knoxville (Tenn.) News Sentinel); Randy Holtz (Rocky Mountain News); John Lindsay (Scripps Howard News Service); Michael Lewis (The Salt Lake Tribune); John Rohde (The Oklahoman); Michael Vega (The Boston Globe).

 

[osugrad21]

Link

Brady Quinn climbs back into Heisman Trophy contention


1. Troy Smith, QB, Ohio State - Up

By now there's not much more to say about Smith except that he'll have to be injured or fail to lead his team to an undefeated season to not win the Heisman. Even then, he'll still be in the running, although not the landslide winner he is right now. Besides his usual highlight-reel plays, Smith also ran for his first touchdown of the season Saturday.


2. Brady Quinn, QB, Notre Dame - Up

After Smith, there's absolutely no telling who's next. But following the loss of Adrian Peterson (who still wants to come back and play a bowl game), Brady Quinn is the next best as far as statistics and poise goes. He threw for three touchdowns and ran for another one last week, so there's little choice but to keep him at a still distant No. 2.


3. Steve Slaton, RB, West Virginia - Up

Slaton continues to be the most consistent running back in the race right now. His worst game was an 85-yard performance, which wasn't good. But against Garrett Wolfe's 22-yard debacle, it was good as gold. Slaton doesn't have the power or flash Peterson had, but he's still averaging 7 yards per carry and is worth Heisman consideration.


4. Mike Hart, RB, Michigan - Up

It's becoming more and more apparent that Michigan is, without a doubt, the second-best team in college football, so at least one of their stars needs some Heisman recognition. Hart has quietly averaged 4.8 yards per carry and is versatile enough to catch passes with regularity. He's not flashy, but Hart is one of the best backs in the country right now.


5. Pat White, QB, West Virginia - Up

Until now, Pat White seemed more like a running back who lined up under center. But now White is steadily looking more like a true quarterback. If he can develop his arm and stay a powerful runner, he could be the next big dual-threat quarterback. But right now he's a big work-in-progress, so teammate Slaton is still more likely to win the Heisman.

 

[osugrad21]

ESPN

ESPN Experts Poll


Each week, ESPN.com's panel of experts casts its votes for the top Heisman candidates. The panel consists of analysts, former players, former coaches and ESPN.com's college football staff.

This page will be updated each Monday.

Name Position School Year 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th Total
Troy Smith QB Ohio State Sr. 15 0 0 0 0 75
Brady Quinn QB Notre Dame Sr. 0 11 3 0 0 53
Steve Slaton RB West Virginia So. 0 2 5 2 2 29
Ray Rice RB Rutgers So. 0 0 1 4 4 15
Mike Hart RB Michigan Jr. 0 0 0 6 2 14
Pat White QB West Virginia So. 0 1 2 0 1 11
Ted Ginn Jr. WR Ohio State Jr. 0 0 1 1 1 6
Colt Brennan QB Hawaii Jr. 0 0 0 1 2 4
Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech Jr. 0 1 0 0 0 4
Erik Ainge QB Tennessee Jr. 0 0 1 0 0 3
Chad Henne QB Michigan Jr. 0 0 1 0 0 3
Ian Johnson RB Boise State So. 0 0 0 1 1 3
Marshawn Lynch RB Cal Jr. 0 0 1 0 0 3
P.J. Hill RB Wisconsin Fr. 0 0 0 0 1 1
John Beck QB BYU Sr. 0 0 0 0 1 1



ESPN's Take


by Lauren Reynolds, ESPN.com Each week, ESPN.com asks one of its Heisman Watch voters to explain his (or her) picks.
No. 1 -- Troy Smith
Each week, Smith puts more room between himself and the competition. As long as Ohio State keeps winning, Smith will remain the top pick on most voters' ballots. His decision making and big-play ability can't be overstated, and he continues to make the highlight-reel plays Heisman voters crave.
No. 2 -- Brady Quinn
After Smith, the Heisman race is as clear as mud. Quinn got my second-place vote because he continues to put up big numbers and make big plays. He's the reason the Irish keep winning and proved Saturday that Notre Dame can put an opponent away.
No. 3 -- Pat White
Teammate Steve Slaton gets the majority of the headlines, but White is proving he's more than one of the best running quarterbacks in the game. He displayed some of his passing ability against UConn on Oct. 20, and expect the Mountaineers to rely on White's arm against Louisville on Thursday (ESPN, 7:30 p.m. ET).
No. 4 -- Mike Hart
Michigan has improved on all fronts, but the biggest reason for the Wolverines' meteoric rise from middling last season to No. 2 this season is Hart. His running game has taken the pressure off sometimes inconsistent quarterback Chad Henne and created matchup problems for nearly every opponent.
No. 5 -- Steve Slaton
West Virginia dethroned Navy as the nation's top rushing offense, and much of the credit for that deservedly goes to Slaton. He is averaging 7.0 yards per carry and has nine touchdowns on the year. He has a great chance to persuade voters to send him to Manhattan against with a strong performance against Louisville.
Like most voters, my ballot has changed dramatically during the first half of the season. Whether it's because of injury (Adrian Peterson, Brian Brohm, Michael Bush) or inconsistent play (Kenny Irons, Marshawn Lynch, Calvin Johnson, Erik Ainge), a number of candidates have dropped off the ballot. There are a few others who just missed the cut -- in particular, Rutgers' Ray Rice. UConn held him to under 100 yards rushing on 22 carries, but he has another chance to put up a big game against Louisville on Nov. 9 in front of a national audience.

 

[Cornerback6]

How Slaton fell behind Quinn befuddles me. Of course the media loves the Domers, but still...even with Brady's big game against the vicious UCLA Bruins, I don't think he has earned a spot ahead of Slaton who has done it week in and week out, AND plays for the #3 team (that I hope loses Thursday night :)).

 

[BB73]

usatoday.heisman

Poll still unanimous for Ohio State's Smith

Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith continued his dominance in the latest USA TODAY Heisman Trophy poll.
Smith, who has thrown almost 1,900 yards and 22 touchdowns for the top-ranked Buckeyes, received all 10 of the first-place votes for a maximum of 50 points.

The closest contender to Smith is Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn. The senior threw for three touchdowns and ran for another score as the Irish rolled past Navy. Quinn has 29 points with six second-place votes.

A pair of Big East running backs, West Virginia's Steve Slaton and Rutgers' Ray Rice, occupy third and fourth place, respectively. Slaton, who is fourth in the nation in rushing at 151 yards per game, will have a chance to improve on his 20 points this Thursday as the No. 3 Mountaineers face No. 5 Louisville. Rice has 15 points.

Michigan running back Michael Hart rounds out the top five with 12 points. Hart was held below 100 yard for just the second time this season against Northwestern last Saturday.

Seven other players also received votes with California's Marshawn Lynch and Georgia Tech's Calvin Johnson holding down sixth and seventh. Tennessee quarterback Erik Ainge and West Virginia signal caller Pat White are tied for eighth.

Voting is done by a panel of writers and editors from USA TODAY and USA TODAY.com. Points are tabulated on 5-4-3-2-1 basis.

01...Troy Smith................10..0...0.....50
02...Brady Quinn................0...6...1.....29
03...Steve Slaton...............0...3...2.....20
04...Ray Rice.....................0...0...0.....15
05...Mike Hart...................0...1...2.....12
06...Marshawn Lynch..........0...0...1......6
07...Calvin Johnson............0...0...0.......5
08...Eric Ainge...................0...0...0......4
08...Pat White...................0...0...0......4
10...Ian Johnson................0...0...0.....3
11...Colt Brennan...............0...0...0.....1
12...James Davis...............0...0...0.....1

 

[BB73]

Pete Fiutak's vote this week, at CFBNews.

Note that this thread is for Heisman discussion only, not other parts of that article.

cfn

My Heisman ballot this week would be ?

1. Troy Smith, QB Ohio State,
2. Mike Hart, RB Michigan,
3. Colt Brennan, QB Hawaii,
4. Brady Quinn, QB Notre Dame,
5. Pat White, QB West Virginia

 

[Magua]

Im just curious here, but, how would everyone feel if say...in the 4th quarter against Michigan if we are up by a good amount and the game is without a doubt going to be a win...troy smith strikes a Heisman pose if given the opportunity(he scores a touchdown with his feet).

I am not sure how i'd feel. I think if we are up by a good amount and he just pulls off one sick run for a TD, I dont think i'd care if he does it.

Yeah yeah I know shitbrick from Michigan did it first(to us no less) and that we like to see Troy & co. keep their composure and show some class. I dont know if i'd be upset considering we'd be killing all hopes and dreams of this Wolverine Uprising Lllloyd Carr is striving for.

Whats everyone think?

 

[Hubbard]

Im just curious here, but, how would everyone feel if say...in the 4th quarter against Michigan if we are up by a good amount and the game is without a doubt going to be a win...troy smith strikes a Heisman pose if given the opportunity(he scores a touchdown with his feet).

I am not sure how i'd feel. I think if we are up by a good amount and he just pulls off one sick run for a TD, I dont think i'd care if he does it.

Yeah yeah I know shitbrick from Michigan did it first(to us no less) and that we like to see Troy & co. keep their composure and show some class. I dont know if i'd be upset considering we'd be killing all hopes and dreams of this Wolverine Uprising Lllloyd Carr is striving for.

Whats everyone think?

I probably will be in the minority here, but I would LOVE to see him do this and I was going to post something like as well. Will Troy ever do this? Hell no! He's too much Tresselesque. You see that clip from the "shitbrick" all the time, everytime OSU plays scUM and even on the NCAA Football cover and it would be nice to see an OSU pose IMO. Yes, yes, I know, class and dignity, etc.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

link

SPOTLIGHT ON...HEISMAN TROPHY

With only a month to go in the season, it's looking more and more like a one-man Heisman Trophy race. But you never know what might happen between now and early December, when the ballots have to be returned. Given that, here's another periodic glance at which players at least might make it to the final stage in New York.
Troy Smith, Sr. QB, Ohio State (2-1): He might not be Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush or even Vince Young, but he remains the most high-profile guy on the No. 1 team in a season where nobody else has really emerged. Unless he plays badly in a loss to Michigan he'll be hard to beat. The only other Buckeyes QB to win this award was Les Horvath in 1944.
Brady Quinn, Sr. QB, Notre Dame (5-1): I know, he's a creation of Charlie Weis, but numbers are numbers. And ND is ND. A big game at USC wouldn't hurt. The last Irish QB to win was John Huarte in 1964.
Steve Slaton, So. RB, West Virginia (10-1): As long as the Mountaineers remain unbeaten... A highlight effort tonight at Louisville would surely help. The fact that he plays in the same backfield as Pat White might work against him. Only WVU player to finish in the top three was Major Harris in 1989.
Michael Hart, Jr. RB, Michigan (15-1): Folks who see a lot more of the Wolverines than I do swear he's the one who makes them go. That's good enough for me.
Ray Rice, So. RB, Rutgers (15-1): The second-leading rusher in the land plays for an 8-0 team, in case you hadn't noticed. And since the Scarlet Knights can't throw, that says a bunch. If he played for another program, he'd be, well, Marshawn Lynch. No slights intended.
Five others to ponder: Colt McCoy, Fr. QB, Texas; Marshawn Lynch, Jr. RB, Cal; Calvin Johnson, Jr. WR, Georgia Tech; Pat White, So. QB, West Virginia; P.J. Hill, Fr. RB, Wisconsin.

 

[osugrad21]

Link

November 02. 2006 6:59AM
Heisman race all about the politics


JEFF CARROLL
Tribune Staff Writer

In the political realm, one campaign misstep can derail an otherwise smooth run for office.

That is something, for example, former Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean found out after his primal scream at an Iowa campaign stop was replayed hundreds of times on cable and network television in 2004.

The stakes are quite different, of course, but many of the dynamics of the Heisman Trophy race are similar to those that steer races for government offices.


And that is why, as the run for the award enters its final stages, Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn's performance against Michigan still clings to him like a scarlet letter.

Quinn threw three interceptions in the 47-21 loss, fumbled away another ball that was returned for a late Wolverines touchdown, and generally acquitted himself so poorly -- with the help of a porous offensive line -- that a lowlight reel for the game, set to the theme music from the "Benny Hill Show," became an instant smash hit on youtube.com.

Quinn's afternoon befuddled the vast network of Heisman voters and analysts, who had him pegged as a reliable candidate for the long haul entering this season.

"I didn't want to doom him to the scrap pile at that point because he is Brady Quinn," says College Football News.com's Richard Cirminiello, who writes a weekly "Handicapping the Heisman" column. "He plays at Notre Dame and we all know the exposure that ND gets exceeds probably every other school combined. I didn't want to do it."

That was probably a good idea -- after nearly dropping out of the running entirely, Quinn has since positioned himself for a potential November run at the Heisman.

Like white flakes settling across the bottom of a shaken-up snow globe, the Heisman Trophy scramble has sorted itself out of earlier chaos and into a battle in which three key remaining games should decide the outcome.

The first of those comes tonight, with undefeated West Virginia and sophomore running back Steve Slaton traveling to fellow unbeaten Louisville (ESPN, 7:30 p.m., ET).

But barring a bounce for Slaton or even Mountaineers quarterback Pat White coming out of tonight's showdown, the current race is between Quinn and Ohio State's Troy Smith, the consensus current front-runner.

Smith will face Michigan on Nov. 18 with a likely national title game berth on the line. Quinn will go to USC the following Saturday with an opportunity to exorcise four straight losses by the Irish to the nation's current glamour program, which also happens to be their No. 1 traditional rival.

After last Saturday's 38-14 victory over Navy, Quinn was asked for his thoughts on Ohio State's Smith, a sure sign that the Heisman buzz is heating up.

"I like to watch him," Quinn said. "He's an unbelievable player. ... (But) we're two different quarterbacks in two different systems."

Meanwhile, Smith is pestered on a weekly basis about his thoughts on winning the award.

"First off, I try not to think about it," he said in a recent moment of unusual candor. "(But) I'd be lying if I told you I don't sit at home and think about taking that trip to those award places and being announced as the winner of some of them."

***

Smith's passing yardage lags well behind many of the recent quarterback winners like USC's Matt Leinart and Carson Palmer and Florida State's Chris Weinke. The Buckeyes quarterback has passed for just 210.9 yards per game, 30th in the country, and 1,898 yards overall, 41st in the nation.

Other than Nebraska's Eric Crouch, an option quarterback who captured the award in 2001, Smith's yardage total would probably be the least by a Heisman quarterback since Miami's Vinny Testaverde threw for less than 3,000 in 1986.

Quinn, meanwhile, is eighth in both total passing yardage with 2,233 yards and yards per game with 279.1 per outing. And Quinn is still considered far and away the better pro prospect of the two.

"That height (6-foot-1) is going to keep (Smith) back," said Scott Wright, operator of the Web site NFL Draft Countdown.com. "I think it's going to limit him to being a second-round pick.

"College production doesn't always equal pro potential and I think that's the case with Troy Smith. He's obviously running away with the Heisman race, but he's definitely not in the same class with Quinn as a pro prospect."

Where Smith holds an edge over Quinn this season, other than the win column, is passer efficiency -- he's fifth in the nation with a 174.3 rating while Quinn is 22nd, though gaining, at 145.8.

And, of course, Smith doesn't have the blight on his r?sum? that Quinn received in the Michigan contest, though the presence of the Wolverines looms over the rest of Ohio State's schedule like the last level of a quest-oriented video game.

Michigan, ranked No. 4 in both total and scoring defense this season, is one of four top-40 defenses Quinn has faced this season. When Smith and the Buckeyes battle Illinois this Saturday, the Illini will be the third top-40 defense they have faced in 2006, none ranked higher than 27th.

All sorts of such parsing of the numbers is bound to go on when it comes to a Heisman derby, part of what makes it fun. A favored parlor trick of numbers-savvy Notre Dame fans, for example, is to compare Quinn and Smith's performances against like opponents Penn State and Michigan State (Quinn has the edge).

Ultimately, though, only one common opponent will matter. And the formula is rather simple -- if the Buckeyes win, the votes will pour in for Smith, probably in record numbers. If they lose, Quinn will likely step onto the field at the L.A. Coliseum a week later with a last-minute chance to seize Notre Dame's eighth Heisman Trophy.

"I'd say it's a two-horse race with Quinn closing fast," said Chris Huston, operator of the Web site HeismanPundit.com and a former member of the sports information staff at USC who worked on the campaigns of Palmer and Leinart.

"I think people want to vote for a Notre Dame quarterback and I still don't think people know who Smith would be if he took his helmet off in a crowd.

"There hasn't been much sizzle in this Heisman race, but it could get interesting in the end."

 

[BuckeyeTillIDie]

wow.. they are really really trying to pimp Quinn out just to make the Heisman race seem interesting

 

[BuckeyeNation27]

wow.. they are really really trying to pimp Quinn out just to make the Heisman race seem interesting

No they aren't....NDC said so.

 

[BB73]

No they aren't....NDC said so.

He was only talking about the local folks. It's not like the 'Tribune' that guy writes for is the "South Bend Tribune".

What's that - it is the South Bend Tribune? - oops, never mind. :tongue2:

 

[wells]

Quinn's afternoon befuddled the vast network of Heisman voters and analysts, who had him pegged as a reliable candidate for the long haul entering this season.

I would love for the collective South Bend populace to stop using this word entirely, thank you.

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

Im just curious here, but, how would everyone feel if say...in the 4th quarter against Michigan if we are up by a good amount and the game is without a doubt going to be a win...troy smith strikes a Heisman pose if given the opportunity(he scores a touchdown with his feet).

This was discussed before. That would be tacky and classless...just like Howard's pose was.