|
EXCLUSIVE: Tony Barnhart's Heisman Picks
 Posted
12/11/2009 11:14:00 AM
The last thing I did before I went to bed last Saturday night was fill out my Heisman ballot and file it electronically. I haven’t revealed it to anyone—until now—in this exclusive to readers on 790thezone.com.
The Heisman ballot only goes three deep but I’m going to give you what my five deep would have been:
1—Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama: Ingram stepped up big on the grandest of stages. He went north of 100 yards rushing against the nation’s No. 1 defense (Florida). He also turned a screen pass into a 69-yard gain to set up a touchdown. He scored three rushing touchdowns which tied the record for an SEC championship game. In its long football history Alabama has never had a Heisman Trophy winner. I believe Ingram should be the first.
2—C.J. Spiller, RB/KR, Clemson: Spiller was the most dynamic play maker in college football this season. He returned four kickoffs for touchdowns. He was magnificent in the ACC championship game against Georgia Tech with 301 all-purpose yards. If Clemson had won the game, I believe he would have gotten a trip to New York for the Heisman award ceremony. He is going to be a great pro.
3—Tim Tebow, QB, Florida: He became the first sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy in 2007. After a loss to Ole Miss in September of 2008, he vowed that no one would ever play harder than he and his teammates. Then the Gators reeled off 22 straight wins and a national championship. It took one of the best performances I have ever seen by Alabama to derail Tebow from a shot at another national championship. Unlike any player I have ever covered, Tebow was really a force of Nature. He won’t win the Heisman, but I decided to honor his career with my No. 3 vote.
4—Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska: I saw Mack Brown in New York on Monday and asked him about the man who just dominated his offense in last Saturday night’s Big 12 championship game. “It got so bad that I just told Colt (McCoy, the Texas quarterback) to duck. He was throwing our offensive linemen into the backfield,” Brown said. “If he’s not the No. 1 choice in the draft then I’ll be shocked.” Earlier this year on College Football Today on CBS I said that if a defensive player had a shot at the Heisman, it was Suh. His performance against Texas was one of the best I’ve ever seen.
5—Colt McCoy, QB, Texas: I had a chance to sit down with Colt last Monday in New York. He is an impressive kid. I’m afraid his three interceptions and some shaky clock management against Nebraska will hurt his Heisman chances. But if the Heisman was a career achievement award, it would be his. He has won 45 games as a starting quarterback, the most in Division I-A history. He has quarterbacked four straight teams with 10 wins or more. No other quarterback has done that. Texas was 12-1 last season and came within a second of playing for the national championship. Now he is in the BCS championship game against Alabama. He could win the Heisman if a lot of votes were cast before Dec. 5.
Folks, I want to thank you for joining us on this 790thezone.com blog this season. I will leave you now and take my annual Christmas break. It has been a long season but a good season. Now if news events warrant, we’ll come back and have some more fun. Have a Merry Christmas!
Tony B.
|
|
Tony Barnhart
|
|
|
|
At least you're smart enough not to have McCoy in the top 3, since he's not even the best QB in the state of Texas or the Big 12 (stats and the eyeball test could tell you that) and not the best player on his own team...see the defensive secondary. This award has become about as credible as electing the prom queen. Who is the most outstanding 'football player'? If your answer isn't Suh, you're watching the wrong sport.
|
|
Posted By
DWR1980
On
12/11/2009 1:08:43 PM
|
|
You're an idiot.
|
|
Posted By
DWR1980
On
12/11/2009 1:02:42 PM
|
|
Tony:
I enjoy reading your work, but you have not followed the edict of the Heisman Trophy ballot by placing Tebow third. Heck, you even contradict yourself in your explanation of why you have McCoy fifth. The Heisman Trophy is NOT a career award...you can't "honor" Tebow's career because you are dismissing another player's SEASON, which IS the basis for the Heisman Trophy.
|
|
Posted By
Shawn Oliver
On
12/11/2009 11:25:37 AM
|
|
|
|