How the Heisman was Lost

Cam Newton will not be this season’s Heisman Trophy winner.  It may seem hard to believe given that he is widely considered to be the frontrunner for College Football’s most prestigious award.  Unfortunately for Newton, he must overcome two very difficult obstacles to win the Heisman: he must carry Auburn to an undefeated season, and more importantly, he must be acquitted in the court of public opinion of all wrongdoings during his recruitment from Junior College.

Despite being ranked in both pre-season polls (#22 AP, #23 Coaches) there is no denying that Auburn has been the surprise team of the season, few outside the plains thought they would rise to the verge of a National Championship bid.  There is also little doubt that Cam Newton is responsible for Auburn’s success this year, he means more to his team than any other one player means to his team, the very definition of Most Valuable Player. 

Newton is currently projected well ahead of Boise State’s Kellen Moore and Oregon’s LaMichael James, both of whom are merely considered to be the best players on otherwise still very good teams, in the Heisman race.  Moore, and James to a certain extent, have something Newton doesn’t, and that is victories over their best regular season opponents.  Even though Auburn boasts victories over very good Arkansas and South Carolina teams, their biggest game remains the season-ending Iron Bowl in Tuscaloosa.  With today’s prisoner-of-the-moment sports media, it is almost impossible for a player to lose late in the season and still get the votes needed to win the Heisman.  It is not impossible for Auburn to go through the season undefeated, but their most difficult test looms, and off the field distractions will make Auburn’s remaining games significantly more difficult.

Undefeated or not, Newton’s biggest obstacle in the Heisman race will be the allegation that his father sought payment from Mississippi State to get him to commit to the Bulldogs.  Unfortunately the right of ‘Innocent Until Proven Guilty’ is not one that Cam Newton will benefit from, not just because of the recent Reggie Bush incident, but just as importantly because of his own actions.  Newton’s arrest and criminal charges for possession of a stolen laptop while at Florida hurt his personal character.  Allegations of academic cheating during his time as a Gator don’t help either.  Whether it is fair or not, Newton’s previous troubles will make Heisman voters, and the public at large, hesitant to believe Newton’s innocence in any wrongdoings. 

During the 11/11/10 episode of College Football Live on ESPN, the host mentioned that 80% of Heisman voters in the company still plan to vote for Newton.  John Tamanaha of NBC Sports argues that rumors should be left off the Heisman equation when considering Newton.  Both are very noble sentiments, and the right thing to say, however when it comes to player eligibility, a requirement to win the Heisman, allegations and rumors are extremely relevant and deserve consideration, especially when the NCAA and even the FBI have launched investigations.  I wouldn’t be surprised if the Heisman Trust refuses to accept votes for Newton to avoid a future Bush-like embarrassment.

It is a shame because in terms of on-field performance Cam Newton is the best Heisman candidate.  Kellen Moore will likely win the Heisman.  Moore’s Broncos are all but guaranteed another undefeated season, however TCU is next-in-line should Auburn or Oregon lose.  Boise State will likely not be invited to play for the National Championship and the sports media will give the Heisman to Moore as consolation.  In the case they do end up playing for the National Championship, the sports media will blitz them with awards, including a Heisman Trophy for Moore.  LaMichael James, for all his amazing talent, will continue to be perceived as a cog in the very powerful machine that is Oregon’s offense.  Fortunately for James nothing cures a Heisman snub like a National Championship.

College Football Predictions - Week 11

Pro Football Predictions - Week 10

NBA Predictions - Week 4 (Lines Not Available)

Boxing Prediction

-Kanan

College Football Mid-Season Review

I am the only Texas fan I know who wasn’t outraged at the release of the initial BCS standings, which placed oklahoma at #1.  It is a gut reaction, of course, you never want to see your rival succeed and be ahead of you.  The reason I wasn’t surprised was because I’ve seen this movie before, in fact, the sooners have been ranked #1 in the BCS more weeks than any other school, yet they have only won one National Championship in four tries.  The story goes like this: ou beats Texas in the Red River Shootout, Texas then goes on to finish the season in stellar fashion, boosting the sooners’ rankings, so weirdly enough ou being ranked #1 is a compliment to Texas.

The other reason I’m not upset about oklahoma being ranked #1 is this: Have you seen the Oregon Ducks lately?  Oregon simply looks better than any team in College Football, period.  The Ducks are not just doing it on offense, they are also playing very good defense, and while Stanford is their only ‘major win,’ they still have to face very good teams in Arizona and USC, as well as Oregon State, who pollsters insist is a top team.  Even an undefeated oklahoma will have trouble holding rank over an undefeated Oregon.

Boise State is quickly becoming a victim of their weak schedule, at least in the poll that matters.  The press is going to have a heck of a time justifying ranking a 1-loss Nevada team just so the Broncos have another ranked victory, but they will nonetheless try.

Why is Boise State ranked ahead of TCU?  Right, because they beat them last year, but this is a new season and TCU has played better teams in the Mountain West.  That will change if they beat Utah, who isn’t getting any press love because they sold out and are moving on to the Pac 12.  It’s no surprise TCU is considering a move to the Big East, which makes about as much geographic sense as them being in the Mountain West.  My guess is, if the Big 12 survives, they’ll join the Big 12, but my guess is also that the Big 12 has about 3 more years of life.

I still very much believe Michigan is on the right track and will upset Ohio State this year.  Even in their losses their offense has been amazing, people calling for Rich Rod’s job clearly aren’t remembering what his West Virginia teams were about.  The Big Ten is surprisingly deep this year, but the way Iowa is playing, they will run the table.

Auburn is the biggest surprise in the SEC, well maybe second biggest after what’s happened to the Gators.  Cam Newton is a tremendously talented player, unfortunately, it often seems like he’s the Tigers’ only offensive weapon, his Heisman stock hinges on him being able to keep Auburn undefeated.  Alabama is still the best team in that conference, it will come down to the Iron Bowl to determine the champion.  Thankfully the computers will vault a 1-loss Bama team over Boise, TCU, or Utah.

The ACC and Big East remain nationally irrelevant, which isn’t very surprising.  Florida State looks good one week and lousy the next, but they’re still on track to reclaim the ACC, and boost ou’s ranking while at it.

College Football Predictions – Week 8

• #7 Michigan State -6 at Northwestern – Spartans could be caught looking ahead to Iowa next week, but I doubt it.
• #4 Auburn -6 over #6 LSU – Auburn has proven a tough place to play, and LSU is a team that should have 2 losses.
• #15 Iowa -6 over #13 Wisconsin – The Badgers played great against the Ohio State, but I expect them to be hung over and lose big to Iowa.
• Texas Tech -3 at Colorado – I expect the Red Raiders to give a nice farewell gift to Colorado and win big.
• #11 Missouri +3 over #1 oklahoma – ou’s defense, despite their shutout of Iowa State, isn’t great, I expect Mizzou’s balanced offense to give them trouble.
• #16 Nebraska -6 at #14 Oklahoma State – Nebraska’s defense will contain the Cowboys, and Martinez will bounce back and have a big game.
• Miami -6.5 over North Carolina – UNC’s off field issues will finally catch up to them and the ‘Canes will win big.
• Georgia -4 over Kentucky – The Wildcats beat South Carolina, but Georgia is much improved with AJ Green back, they should cruise on this one.
• Notre Dame -7 at Navy – The Irish are not losing again this season, Navy is not as good as it has been the past couple of years.
• Penn State -9.5 at Minnesota – Minnesota just fired their coach, that usually leads to a big loss.

Pro Football Predictions – Week 7

• Steelers -3 over Dolphins – Pittsburgh is just too good.
• 49ers -3 over Panthers – San Francisco finally got their win, and Carolina will have to wait for theirs.
• Seahawks -6 over Cardinals – Seattle looks better than expected and plays much better at home.
• Bears -3 over Redskins – Cutler will be back in form and Chicago will begin winning again.
• Cowboys -3.5 over Giants – Desperate times call for desperate measures.

UFC 121 Prediction

• Brock Lesnar over Cain Velasquez – He may have survived Carwin, but he will dominate Velasquez.

NBA Predictions – Week 1 (lines not available)

• 10/26 Miami over Boston – No way the Heat start with a loss.
• 10/26 Portland over Phoenix – Trailblazers will be in rare, full health mode, and the Suns begin life after Stoudemire.
• 10/27 Dallas over Charlotte – Homer pick
• 10/27 Denver over Utah – I’m not expecting much out of the Jazz without Boozer.
• 10/28 Orlando over Washington – The Magic will keep up with the Heat until their first matchup… the next day.
• 10/29 Dallas over Memphis – Dirk’s first 40 point game of the season, bank on it!

-Kanan