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 ...
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Thoughts on Paul Johnson

Posted 12/7/2009 10:00:00 AM
When Paul Johnson was hired as Georgia Tech’s football coach two years ago this month, I had a number of people call me in the media. They knew I had followed Johnson during his time at Georgia Southern and that I frequently talked to him when he was at Navy.

They wanted to know if Paul Johnson’s option could be successful at the ACC level. It was one thing, they said, to run that offense at Georgia Southern and Navy. Wouldn’t it struggle against the speed and caliber of athletes found in the ACC?

“You don’t understand,” I told them. “It doesn’t matter what offense he runs. Paul Johnson is a ball coach. He knows how to win.”

So in just two seasons and less than two full recruiting classes for Johnson, Georgia Tech has won its first ACC championship since 1990, when Bobby Ross led the Yellow Jackets to ...
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Some final thoughts as we get ready for Championship Saturday

Posted 12/4/2009 10:14:00 AM
Paul Johnson was hired to win an ACC championship at Georgia Tech and to make the Yellow Jackets competitive with Georgia again. If Tech can beat Clemson Saturday night in Tampa, he will have accomplished both goals in just two years. Understand this about Johnson. He sees the big picture. And the big picture is this: While the fans at Georgia Tech may obsess about Georgia, the head coach can’t. The No. 1 goal must always be to win the conference championship and to stay competitive with Georgia in recruiting and on the field.

If I’m Mark Richt, I’m going to wait until the SEC championship game is over. But shortly after that I’m placing a call to Kirby Smart and telling him that he needs to come home to Georgia as defensive coordinator. Richt must also tell his athletics director, Damon Evans, that Georgia will have to open up ...
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