The Man, The Trophy, The Game and other musings

Well, I finally found some time to write a little about college football. Of course, it's the end of the season, so what I have to say might mean very little at this point.

Most of what I have to say revolves around the Mythical National Championship game and its participants. As you probably know, the game will feature Oklahoma and Florida. I will be rooting for the Sooners. I know, as an SEC man, I should pull for the gators, but it ain't happening. I don't like Florida and I don't like Urban Meyer, so for all I care, they can get stomped. The last thing I need is for Florida to win another MNC to boost their profile even more. Quite frankly, the only good things that could come out of a Florida win are:
1) Notre Dame fans blowing the lid off the crazy scale and giving Meyer a 7 year, $42 million contract with a $2 million signing bonus.
2) Tim Tebow, Percy Harvin and Brandon Spikes decide there is nothing left to accomplish and all bolt for big paydays in the NFL.
3) Charlie Strong finally finds a school that isn't bothered by his interracial marriage and hires him to be a head coach.

So... back to OU beating Florida. I think both teams finished the season as the two best teams. USC, Texas and Texas Tech may have their arguments, but I think the BCS managed to get this game right. I also think it is funny and ironic that Spurrier was helping his ex-colleague, Stoops, gameplan against his ex, Florida.

Obviously, one of the big stories is that the game features the past two Heisman winners, who were the first two sophomores to win the award. As you know "The Greatest Player Of Our Era" is pouting and smarting because he didn't win. He might even be crying a bit about it.

And so, Superman, has vowed to use his anger to beat Sam Bradford and the Sooners in the big game.

Now, some of Tebow's antics do get on my nerves, but overall I am a fan. Not just 'coz OMG!!11!!!1!! he's the Best. Most. Beautifullest. Player. EVER!

(seen here being consoled about losing the Heisman), but rather because he is a truly amazing player and maybe a decent person. He had an insane year last year and if he would have been healthy to play Strong Safety for the gators as well as, being their top passer and most consistent rushing threat, the gators might not have lost four games last year.

But how does Tebow compare to his peers?

Well, thankfully for Bradford, the Heisman voters seem to vote bases on stats rather than looks, cause he would have gotten his clock clean by Tebow in that competition. Is is just me or is Bradford the dorkiest looking QB of national prominence in college football? Seriously.

So taking a look at Bradford's strengths, we see he is a statistical juggernaut.

Add to that 4464 yards and 48 TDs and you have an impressive resume. However, I don't think I would have voted for Bradford for the Heisman. Before I explain my reasoning, let me just preface this with the fact that I am dabbling in hypocrisy and lunacy because I think debating an award which there is no clear definition of its meaning or purpose is pretty stupid.

Bradford or Harrell would probably have been my top choices for Davey O'Brien Award. But I was watching one of Bradford's highlight reels before the Heisman was awarded and I have to say I wasn't that impressed... with Bradford. What I saw was a darn good offensive line that gave him all the time he needed to pass; a good field commander who distributed the ball to the real play-makers; and a flurry of not-that-difficult passes. Don't get me wrong, I don't think Bradford is a bad or even an average player, but I didn't feel he was spectacular. He made the correct reads and then make an average pass to a skilled WR or RB who then made great moves or exploded down field for TDs or big gains. I feel he benefits greatly from the talent around him.

Now, to be sure, Tebow has a lot of talented players around him also, but I have seen Tebow take over games single-handedly and show grit and desire to get the job done no matter the cost. Tebow's overall numbers might not be as awesome as Bradford's:
2515 yards, 28 TDs, 564 yards rushing, 12 TDs rushing;
but I think he is a better overall player and probably was this year.

Yet, my vote wouldn't have gone to Tebow this year. It would have gone to yet another Big 12 QB that looks like he is still in the throws of puberty.

Okay, so I am just talking about facial features.

I don't think the talent around Colt was quite as good as Bradford or Tebow's casts, yet, he still managed to put up comparable or better numbers that both of them:
3445 yards passing - sitting nicely between the other two
32 TDs passing - a few more than Tebow, but not nearly as many as Bradford
77.6% completion - uh, that is just SICK!
576 yards rushing - better than Tebow
4.5 yrds/carry - better than Tebow
10 TDs - double Bradford and close to Tebow
Plus, I saw Colt, like Tebow, put his team on his back, or Horns, and carry them to victory. So IMO, Colt McCoy should be toting the Heisman this year.


(Bradford photo - Kelly Kline/AP)
(Heisman QB stats - Matt Hinton/Dr. Saturday Blog)