Sam Bradford Wins Heisman Trophy Over Tim Tebow and Colt McCoy

In one of the most hotly contested Heisman races ever, Sam Bradford of Oklahoma came away as the victor of the 74th Heisman Trophy.

He gave a very nice and heartfelt speech in which he thanked “everyone in his life.” He becomes the second straight sophomore to win the trophy, joining Tim Tebow from last season. They are the only two sophomores to ever win the Heisman Trophy.

Sam Bradford is a member of the Cherokee Indian tribe. I did not realize that until earlier today.

What do you think of Sam Bradford winning the Heisman Trophy?

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Okay, so here is how the voting broke down:

Sam Bradford – 1,726 votes

Colt McCoy – 1,604 votes

Tim Tebow – 1,575 votes

Graham Harrell, Michael Crabtree, Shonn Greene, and Pat White rounded out the top 7.

Interestingly, Tim Tebow received the most first place votes, but still finished in third place.

Here is the statistical breakdown from the 2008 season for Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford and his two closest competitors, Colt McCoy and Tim Tebow:

Sam Bradford, Oklahoma:

• QB Rating: 186.29
• Passing Yards: 4,464
• Passing Touchdowns: 48
• Completion: 68.3%
• Yards Per Attempt: 10.10
• Interceptions: 6
• Rushing Yards: 65
• Rushing TDs: 5

Colt McCoy, Texas:

• QB Rating: 179.2
• Passing Yards: 3,445
• Passing Touchdowns: 32
• Completion: 77.6%
• Yards Per Attempt: 9.19
• Interceptions: 7
• Rushing Yards: 576
• Rushing TDs: 10

Tim Tebow, Florida:

• QB Rating: 176.74
• Passing Yards: 2,515
• Passing Touchdowns: 28
• Completion: 64.9%
• Yards Per Attempt: 9.4
• Interceptions: 2
• Rushing Yards: 564
• Rushing TDs: 12

Interesting historical note: The only other time that the margin between the first and third place finisher was close was back in 2001. That season, Eric Crouch of Nebraska won the Heisman Trophy, while Rex Grossman of Florida and Ken Dorsey of Miami finished second and third, respectively.

Heisman Trophy Presentation – Preview and Prediction

Update: Sam Bradford has won the Heisman Trophy over Colt McCoy and Tim Tebow

Tonight, one college football player will have their name permanently etched alongside the all-time greats. For Sam Bradford or Colt McCoy, winning the Heisman Trophy forever place their name on the greatest individual list of players in the history of college football. For Tim Tebow, winning a second Heisman Trophy would place him in one of the most exclusive clubs in all of sports: 2-time Heisman Trophy winners. Currently, only Archie Griffin is a member. Tim Tebow could become the second.

In all of my years following college football and the Heisman Trophy, I can remember few that were this up in the air. Literally any of these three guys could be announced the winner and it would not surprise me in the slightest. I remember the 1989 race was pretty open. Andre Ware of Houston ended up beating out Anthony Thompson of Indiana, primarily because the Hoosiers choked against Purdue and finished 5-6. But this race has three legitimate candidates.

Let’s run through a quick 2008 Heisman Trophy Preview:

• Who: Sam Bradford, Oklahoma; Colt McCoy, Texas; Tim Tebow, Florida
• What: 2008 Heisman Trophy Presentation
• When: December 13 at 8:00 ET on ESPN
• Where: Downtown Athletic Club, New York
• Why: Because it’s presented every year, and it is the single most prestigious individual honor in sport.

A quick statistical comparison between the three candidates:

Sam Bradford, Oklahoma:

• QB Rating: 186.29
• Passing Yards: 4,464
• Passing Touchdowns: 48
• Completion: 68.3%
• Yards Per Attempt: 10.10
• Interceptions: 6
• Rushing Yards: 65
• Rushing TDs: 5

Colt McCoy, Texas:

• QB Rating: 179.2
• Passing Yards: 3,445
• Passing Touchdowns: 32
• Completion: 77.6%
• Yards Per Attempt: 9.19
• Interceptions: 7
• Rushing Yards: 576
• Rushing TDs: 10

Tim Tebow, Florida:

• QB Rating: 176.74
• Passing Yards: 2,515
• Passing Touchdowns: 28
• Completion: 64.9%
• Yards Per Attempt: 9.4
• Interceptions: 2
• Rushing Yards: 564
• Rushing TDs: 12

As you can see from comparing the stats, no one stands out so far above the pack that the decision is easy. Sure, Sam Bradford has plenty more yards and TDs, but he does not have the rushing that McCoy and Tebow bring to the table. And Colt McCoy broke Daunte Culpepper’s Division I record for completion percentage. You can stare at the stats all day long and I don’t think it makes the decision any more clear.

Let’s take a quick rundown and see how the “experts” are picking:

Ivan Maisel, ESPN: Sam Bradford, Oklahoma

Pat Forde, ESPN: Colt McCoy, Texas

Mark Schlabach, ESPN: Tim Tebow, Florida

Beano Cook, ESPN: Tim Tebow, Florida

Mel Kiper, Jr., ESPN: Colt McCoy, Texas

Stewart Mandel, SI.com: Tim Tebow, Florida

(Update: Just caught this on SI.com. They actually reveal the official Heisman ballots of the voters who write for SI. Pretty interesting. Based on this tiny sample, looks like it’s a two-man race between Tim Tebow and Colt McCoy.)

I just realized there is really no point in doing this. These guys don’t know any more than you or I do about who will win, or who deserves it to win. This year’s Heisman Trophy will come down to how each individual voter defines “most outstanding”.

For me, I give the slight edge to Colt McCoy. He does not have the superstar talent around him that Sam Bradford and Tim Tebow have, and has been forced to do more on his own. He set the NCAA record for completion percentage, and if Texas had finished undefeated McCoy would be a shoe-in. Well, it was only a dropped INT by a Texas DB that prevented them from beating Texas Tech. Colt McCoy did everything he could in that game. And in the head-to-head matchup between McCoy and Bradford, McCoy lifted his team to victory.

So my vote goes to Colt McCoy. Who does your vote go to?

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Use the comments to defend your selection and argue for you candidate. And for the record, I think it stinks that Graham Harrell didn’t get an invite to New York. Whether he had a legit chance to win or not, he should have been there. His team had one loss in the same conference as McCoy and Bradford and his stats were incredible. He got jobbed.

2008 Hesiman Trophy Candidates

Well December is here, which means that the Heisman Trophy winner will be announced soon. Personally I’m predicting a Big 12 winner, but that is as far as I can go because both Sam Bradford of OU and Colt McCoy of Texas have had excellent seasons and presented excellent cases as candidates. I am leaning towards Sam Bradford, but either one could win the Heisman Trophy, and be more than justified.

Sam Bradford has thrown for 4468 yards and 48 touchdowns in an extremely tough Big 12 conference. In the last 5 games, Oklahoma has hung at least 60 points on their opponent. These opponents include the second ranked Texas Tech and the twelfth ranked Oklahoma State. This impressive season could mean that Sam Bradford will be the Heisman Trophy winner.

Colt McCoy has also put his name in the hat for the Heisman Trophy this season, throwing for 3445 yards and 32 touchdowns while rushing for 10 more on his own. He has truly been the MVP for the Longhorns, who were kept out of the National Championship game by the flawed BCS, but that’s another story.

Other candidates include Florida’s Tim Tebow, Texas Tech’s Graham Harrell, and Iowa’s Shonn Greene.

Last years Heisman Trophy winner, Tim Tebow, has also had a great season with 25 passing touchdowns and 12 rushing touchdowns to boot. This is more impressive considering the utter class that is the SEC, however his 2515 passing yards combined with his TD rate simply cannot compare to either Sam Bradford or McCoy.

Graham Harrell, who leads the always impressive Texas Tech offense, is a candidate who also had a good year. With 4747 passing yards and 41 touchdown passes, Harrell is no slouch, but his team’s crushing loss to Oklahoma definitely hurt his chances for the Heisman Trophy.

Finally the NCAA’s leading rusher for the season, Shonn Greene definitely deserves to be considered a candidate. Greene rushed for at least 100 yards every game this season. With 1729 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns, Greene is certainly no slouch, but 2008 was the year of the quarterback, and Greene does not have a chance at this year’s Heisman Trophy.

The Heisman Trophy winner will be announced on December 15, 2008 in New York.

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Purdue: Curtis Painter for Heisman?

by Jerod Morris

This morning while sitting on the throne and taking care of business (I ate a huge meal at Chili’s last night…fyi) I read something in the Sporting News that made me want grab the plunger and plunge the wooden handle into my eye socket: Curtis Painter, senior quarterback at Purdue, has an official Heisman Trophy campaign.

What? Really?

The only reason I tell you that I was near a toilet while reading this story is that my first reaction should have been to dump the entire magazine into the crapper and flush immediately. Unfortunately, as if passing a car wreck on the side of the road, I simply could not resist the urge to read on.

Apparently, Purdue has invested money in creating DVDs and calendars entitled “Painting a Masterpiece” that promote Curtis Painter’s storied career at Purdue University. It includes all of his big game performances, clutch TD passes against top-ranked teams, and the leadership qualities he has displayed in leading Purdue to Big Ten titles and BCS appearances.

If you did not get smacked in the face with the sarcasm of that last statement, you’re a moron. If that were actually true, Purdue promoting Painter’s big game performances, it would be a pretty short DVD. The only one “painting a masterpiece” in this story is me while I was taking the Browns to the Super Bowl as I was reading. … Continue Reading