College football season
is winding to an end, and in each week we
have taken a look back at the Pac-10’s
previous happenings. Now is the time to look
forward a little bit and see if we’ve
got a crystal ball for the big individual
end-of-season prize – the Heisman Trophy.
With conference championship
games and bowl games, it’s been a tough
award to give out in early December. Heck,
back in 1974, many of the ballots had been
received prior to USC’s Anthony Davis
running roughshod over Notre Dame; as such,
the spectacular Archie Griffin won his first
of two Heismans. Two Heismans would have paled
in comparison to the four that Beano Cook
predicted for Irish QB Ron Powlus, but that
is beside the point.
It’s 2005 now, and with
the advent of instant communication, Heisman
voters have the chance to watch players until
the last possible moment before they send
their ballots in. Last season, USC’s
Matt Leinart won the award, beating out a
solid cadre of runners-up, and was one of
the favorites for the award going into the
season.
While Leinart will still get
a trip to New York and a chance to show off
the latest in men’s fashion, he’s
not going to leave with the hardware. Right
now, it’s a two-horse race between Vince
Young of Texas and incomparable RB Reggie
Bush. Before Bush single-handedly demolished
Fresno State, I would have cast a ballot for
Young. Now, it’s hard to say beyond
a shadow of a doubt that the one they call
VY is the best in the country.
Going into this weekend’s
games, I’d say that Bush has the best
opportunity to make hay while the sun shines.
He plays for the reigning national champs,
in a rivalry game that has made Heisman winners
before. Back in 1968, O.J. Simpson ran a play
called Red-23 Blast for 64 yards and the game-deciding
touchdown over the Bruins. Bush has the same
opportunity now, although back in ’68
the Juice ran for the #2 team in the country
(the Bruins were, at the time, ranked first
overall). Look for the speedy Bush to have
a huge game over the Bruins and cement some
votes on national television.
Young plays against a Colorado
team that has been rotten down the stretch
and was hammered by a marginal Nebraska team.
The Buffaloes should be embarrassed at the
turkey they put on the field the Friday after
Thanksgiving, as Nebraska beat the stuffing
out of it. I don’t see Gary Barnett
finding a way to scheme against this multifaceted
Texas offense.
In a perfect college football
world, we’d have Texas and the Trojans
meeting on January 4 in a winner-take-all
battle for the BCS National Championship and
Heisman Trophy. Actually, a perfect world
would have a playoff system, but I digress.
In a perfect 2005 college football world,
that’s what we would have. Until then,
my vote is for the one they call the President:
Reggie Bush
