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Heisman Watch 2007-8, Week 7
October 17, 2007 | By Benjamin Miraski
43 Yards. That is what Darren McFadden's big chance to put the Heisman pack far back in the rear view mirror came to. Just 43 yards.
And so, here is the mess we figured was coming last week.
How do I resolve the mess? I put the guy I felt should probably have been #1 last week in that position. Mike Hart, welcome to the front of the chase. Although this means you will probably have a massive blowout in your ACL this week, at least you were #1 in something.
Now, save the emails (not that anyone sends them). I know you are going to say that I just replaced someone on a 3-3 team with more hype with someone on a 5-2 team who lost one of the biggest upsets in the history of college football.
Keep in mind that Michigan's two losses at the beginning of the year were not the results of Mike Hart's play. Hart still put up good numbers. His defense continued to let him down time and again. And neither of those losses will hurt him either in the long run. Why? Because they didn't come in the Big Ten.
Michigan, yes, that same Mountaineer-bruised Michigan, is in 1st place in the conference. Granted, the Big Ten is the 5th best conference this year according to the MRI, but they are still leading it, along with Ohio State. So, while it didn't look that way at the beginning of the season, the final week of the year could mean something after all. Win, and Michigan is in a BCS game, albeit, the Rose Bowl, and not the National Championship. Lose, and they still finished 2nd in the Big Ten... that is assuming that they win all of the rest of their games, something that is entirely possible
The biggest test, other than Ohio State, could come this week against Illinois. Michigan has struggled against the spread offense, and that could mean trouble against Ron Zook. Maybe they can hope for bad weather like last week to slow down the Illini.
So, now that you know who is #1, let's look at the rest of my list:
- Michael Hart (RB Michigan) - 1078 yds rush, 12 TD, 5.4 avg - Mike, do yourself a favor and make sure that ankle is all right. Then go out and run all over Illinois. You will cement this #1 spot...at least for one more week.
- Matt Ryan (QB Boston College) - 63.2%, 2148 yds, 17 TD, 6 INT - Matt Ryan has the worst passer rating of anyone in my Top 5. Yet, he keeps moving up the list by default. I don't like how he wasn't able to absolutely blow out Notre Dame. The schedule doesn't get any easier than the Irish, Matt. I expect some of the defenses left might actually scare you a little bit. I said a few weeks ago that I though his ship was sinking fast. Maybe it was a few weeks early, but numbers don't lie. Let's see a real defense take on Ryan and see if he is still our #1 arm.
- Andre Woodson (QB Kentucky) - 63.7%, 1786 yds, 21 TD, 4 INT - Woodson played himself into spot #3 because he did something that Tim Tebow couldn't do. He beat LSU. Sure, he had a little help from the rest of his team when they needed it, unlike Tebow, who seemed to be running a one man show, but these days, just winning is good enough to move up in the rankings, and the Heisman battle. Have fun with the Gators, Andre.
- Tim Tebow (QB Florida) - 65.5%, 1455 yds, 13 TD, 3 INT, 500 yds rush, 9 TD - I think Tebow has the legs to get into the top 3. The positioning of him and Woodson will depend on this weekend's game. Play well, and he may move all the way to #2, given the struggles of Matt Ryan now that his schedule is a little tougher than at the beginning of the year.
- Dennis Dixon (QB Oregon) - 70.2%, 1525 yds, 15 TD, 2 INT, 324 yds rush, 6 TD - Played himself back into contention with a big game against Washington State. It doesn't hurt that his team is a strong contender right now in the BCS poll. Unfortunately, his stats make him look like a poor man's Tim Tebow. Eyes will be watching to see what Dixon does each week. Eyes will also be looking for any reason to knock him out.
People with still a chance to make this list: Colt Brennan (You should not be in overtime against San Jose State), Brian Brohm (You should beat West Virginia in a few weeks. Then let's talk ), Chase Daniel (You should outpass Graham Harrell, or he takes your spot. Good luck)
People who will still get some hype, but should be done: Darren McFadden, DeSean Jackson, Pat White, Steve Slaton, Rashard Mendenhall
Posted October 17, 2007 4:40 PM
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