Heisman Watch 2008 – 9, Week 6

Why should there be any confusion about why the Big XII is dominating almost every Heisman trophy list out there?

There shouldn’t be. The Big XII has shown itself to be the top conference so far this season. That early lead by the SEC in the chase for that honor, it’s gone.

When your conference is flying high, usually the signal callers get a great deal of publicity, and in the Big XII’s case it is definitely for good reason.

Half of the Big XII quarterbacks are in the top 12 rated passers in the country. Half! And they have two more in the top 20.

The conference’s passers dominant the highlight films on ESPN and those other sports networks.

The names of the game have become Colt, Chase and Sam, and they have fulfilled every expectation of them prior to and during this season.

The biggest test of two of them will come this weekend as Colt and Sam face over control of the Red River.

With their arms, this will be a Shootout, name changes in the rivalry notwithstanding.

And then there is Chase on the side, watching for how he can succeed against Texas a week from now, after he dispenses with Oklahoma State this week. If only the rotation was such that he would get to face the Sooners this year.

With all this air power, it begs the question: What happened to the running game in college football? Where are the dominant backs? You can’t honestly expect me to the believe that the departure of Darren McFadden, Steve Slaton and Felix Jones wiped out what legs there were in the nation.

Where is Ian Johnson this season? When is Knowshon Moreno going to dominate again like he did at the end of last season?

Why is Javon Ringer of all people the best looking back in the bunch? 

I don’t want to hear about the calls for Charles Scott…yet. Maybe in a couple of weeks, if he can keep battering defenses. And that is a big maybe. We have seen in the past how that can wear down a back very quickly.

And break a long run for a touchdown already!

Ok, enough complaining about the runners in this league. It’s time to glorify our quarterbacks with the rankings.

Here is how I would rank the candidates on my ballot after Week 6.

1. Chase Daniel (QB Missouri) – 76.3%, 1665 yds, 15 TD, 1 INT, 74 yds rush – Reversed a 16-year drought in Lincoln, Neb., for the Tigers. That is worth a lot more than any stats, even if his game performance was just as impressive as the results.
2. Sam Bradford (QB Oklahoma) – 72.6%, 1665 yds, 18 TD, 3 INT – The No. 2 rated quarterback in the country, Bradford is a force. He has yet to play against a defense that has been worthy of the challenge though. That changes this week against Texas.
3. Colt McCoy (QB Texas) – 79.2%, 1280 yds, 16 TD, 3 INT, 317 yds rush, 4 TD – Backed off a little from the huge games he had been having, but not enough to hurt him. Still, two interceptions against Colorado is not a good sign for continuing on this list. McCoy is in the same boat as Bradford this weekend.
4. Javon Ringer (RB Michigan St.) – 988 yds, 12 TD, 4.7 avg –Steady as she goes. No TDs this week, but Ringer is still the No. 2 yardage back in the country. I am not ready to give up on him yet, given that not many more are impressing.
5. Graham Harrell (QB Texas Tech) – 66.7%, 2027 yds, 18 TD, 3 INT – A ridiculous game against Kansas State moves Harrell from nowhere to top five. Texas Tech’s system is still suspect in elevating Harrell’s stats, but he still is the one throwing the ball, and he has to be accurate (his efficiency rating is starting to climb). One to keep an eye on.

People with still a chance to make this list: Max Hall (A lackluster performance given his other games, slips), Mark Sanchez (Bounced back well, can he keep it up? I am not yet sold.), Knowshon Moreno (Bye week. Good for regrouping), Charles Scott (The LSU back has four 100-yard games. I am not yet sold on impact though for the Tigers)

People who may get hype but are done: Tim Tebow (Falling much too far back at this point. Plus his impersonator Colt McCoy is a much better version), Juice Williams (Giant performance against Michigan, but is he too far back to ever recover?), Chris “Beanie” Wells (Still believe he is done, but you know people will continue talking)