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Heisman Watch 2007-8, Week 8
October 24, 2007 | By Benjamin Miraski
In case you missed it, Michael Hart sat out of Michigan's game with Illinois, and Michigan needed Illinois to totally collapse in order to win the game. That sort of shows how important Hart is to the Michigan team. However, just being missed isn't enough to keep Hart in the top spot in the Heisman race.
And so you have to look at the biggest game from the weekend. Well, at least the biggest game in a league that matters. Tim Tebow and Andre Woodson had a massive shootout in the game between Florida and Kentucky, with Tebow barely coming out on top. The loss does give Kentucky two defeats now, and one of those was totally on Woodson because of turnovers. This one was not. While two losses is normally the end of a Heisman campaign, this season seems to be proving the opposite as most of the contenders will have two losses on their resume.
And resume is what has Tim Tebow in the top spot. Another brilliant game from the sophomore (oh, you didn't remember that? He might just make history here, especially when Florida is suddenly looking at a chance to be in Atlanta for the SEC Championship). In no way can you pin any of Florida's losses on Tebow's play (as with Hart, but Tebow is yet to miss a game). And most of their success is all on his back as it appears they still can't get a running back to consistently produce as well as him.
So, Tim Tebow, welcome to the lead dog spot. Too bad that most of the previous holders of this spot just want to go back to seeing the scenery never change.
Here is how I have the main contenders going into this week's games:
- Tim Tebow (QB Florida) - 66.1%, 1711 yds, 17 TD, 3 INT, 578 yds rush, 10 TD - Brilliant effort against Kentucky has Tebow defying the odds, but in a year like this, everything is defying the odds.
- Andre Woodson (QB Kentucky) - 64.7%, 2200 yds, 26 TD, 4 INT - Can't fault him for a second loss by Kentucky. Woodson did everything he could in the game, but Florida was just the better team. His biggest issue will be getting through the next 3 weeks and staying on the radar for when he plays Georgia and Tennessee. Continuing to win against Mississippi State and Vandy will do wonders for that.
- Michael Hart (RB Michigan) - 1078 yds rush, 12 TD, 5.4 avg - There used to be a saying that you can't lose your starting job to injury. I would imagine that should apply to the Heisman, especially when you are coming back. Unfortunately for Hart, he really needed a big game against Illinois to compete against what the other front runners were doing. So, he drops this week, but stays squarely in the hunt.
- Matt Ryan (QB Boston College) - 63.2%, 2148 yds, 17 TD, 6 INT - A week off should recharge Ryan, but he faces his toughest test on Thursday night against Virginia Tech. Now, the bad news is that no one in Boston will be watching to rave about this performance the next day, assuming it is worth writing about. The even worse news is that if he is not good, well, everyone will definitely hear about it. Good luck.
- Dennis Dixon (QB Oregon) - 69.3%, 1728 yds, 16 TD, 3 INT, 416 yds rush, 7 TD - Dennis Dixon didn't have a great game passing the ball, which could come back to hurt him here. A down week doesn't mean much this season though. Look for this upcoming game against USC to be huge for Dixon and anything else he wants to accomplish this season.
People with still a chance to make this list: Colt Brennan (You should not be in overtime against San Jose State)
People who will still get some hype, but should be done: Darren McFadden, Pat White, Brian Brohm, Chase Daniel, DeSean Jackson, Steve Slaton, Rashard Mendenhall
Posted October 24, 2007 4:20 PM
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