Heisman Trophy 2008 Top Four Contenders: Who Will Win?

The buzz puts the four gifted quarterbacks at the top of the competition as of yesterday Dec. 6, 2008.

The two front runners are Tim Tebow with the Florida win over Alabama and Sam Bradford with his poise under pressure and latest stats in the OU-Missouri game. It's tough to make a call between these two.

Then there's Colt McCoy and Graham Harrell in the running for top contenders. Texas is undefeated except for one loss to Texas Tech. Texas Tech is undefeated except for one loss to OU. The stats are ever changing so you can Google these players for the latest numbers. My guess after the games that were played yesterday is that we are looking at a duel between Tebow and Bradford.

Will Tebow follow Archie Griffin, the only player to ever win the Heisman twice? Here's a little info on Griffin:

1974 & 1975 - 40th & 41st Awards

Archie Griffin

Ohio State Back

As a junior at Ohio State Archie was named to every All-American team and was called "the greatest football player I've ever coached" by Woody Hayes. Combining power, speed and an uncanny ability to break four or five tackles on a single play, he smashed the all-time record for running backs in the Big Ten, amassing 4,064 yards. As a senior Archie extended his record of consecutive 100-yards plus games to 31, his overall yardage to 5,176 and became the only player ever to win the Heisman twice.

To read more about Griffin go to http://www.heisman.com/winners/a-griffin74.html

It's close to impossible to win the award twice. It hasn't been done in 33 years so I'm not convinced it will happen this year. But Tebow was a real eye catcher yesterday as he carried Florida on his back for a 31-20 win over the #1 Crimson Tide.

Two considerations are in Tebow's favor for a second Heisman win. First, he makes a significant contribution to his team, meaning that Florida wouldn't be in a top spot without him. Second, the Heisman has historically been won by a Senior yet Tebow won as a sophomore, the first sophomore ever to win it, so he has two more years to be the one to join Archie Griffin. This year could be it.

Colt McCoy is my personal favorite probably because I'm a Texan who cheered on the Longhorns all year. I think he'll receive the nomination but I don't think he'll get the win. I wish he would but don't think he will. When it's time to vote I think the quarterback who put up the best stats and made the biggest splash will be the winner.

However, an aspect that may affect the voting is the character of the contenders. Tim Tebow is often praised for his contributions in other areas off the football field. His parents are missionaries; Tebow spent the last three summers before enrolling at the University of Florida in the Philippines, assisting with his father's orphanage and missionary work. An outstand bio on Tim Tebow including all his awards is at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Tebow

Graham Harrell and Colt McCoy are also noted as fine young men with much in common. Their fathers met at Abilene Christian University where they were teammates, friends and as kids Colt and Graham played together. See article on Harrells and McCoys, a cute takeoff on the legendary feud between the Hatfields and McCoys. The link is http://www.christianchronicle.org/article2158590~No_football_feud:_Harrells_and_McCoys_on_friendly_terms_

Then there's Sam Bradford! The sportscasters can't say enough about his coolness, his leadership, his consistency. ESPN said, referring to the Sooners 61-41 triumph over Oklahoma State: The fact that he (Bradford) did it with torn ligaments in his non-throwing hand is even more remarkable. And his somersaulting run for the end zone has provided him with a signature moment the rest of the contenders are lacking. Bradford has passed for 4,080 yards and a national-best 46 touchdowns against only six interceptions. He has thrown for 23 touchdowns against only one interception since the Texas game. And most importantly, he has a chance to add a conference championship Saturday night that would be an important final piece of a potential Heisman résumé. The ESPN link is http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/heisman/index

So who's the winner? My husband thinks Tebow but I think Bradford has gotten the attention in these last days before the vote. Our consensus is it's too close to call.