The college football season is drawing to a close, and in each week we’ve taken a look back at past Pac-10 happenings. Now it’s time to look ahead a bit and see if we have a crystal ball for the season-ending individual grand prize: the Heisman Trophy.
With conference championship games and bowl games, it’s been a tough prize to hand out in early December. Heck, in 1974, a lot of the ballots had been received before USC’s Anthony Davis ran over Notre Dame; as such, the spectacular Archie Griffin won the first of two Heismans. Two Heismans would have paled in comparison to the four Beano Cook predicted for Irish quarterback Ron Powlus, but that’s beside the point.
It’s now 2005, and with the advent of instant communication, Heisman voters have the opportunity to see the players up to the last possible moment before they cast their votes. Last season, USC’s Matt Leinart won the award, beating a solid field of runners-up, and was one of the favorites for the award heading into the season.
While Leinart will still have a trip to New York and a chance to show off the latest in menswear, he’s not walking away with the hardware. Right now, it’s a two-horse race between Texas’ Vince Young and the incomparable RB Reggie Bush. Before Bush single-handedly demolished Fresno State, he would have voted for Young. Now, it’s hard to say without 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 Bush has the best chance to make hay while the sun is shining. He plays for the reigning national champions, in a rivalry game that has made Heisman winners before. In 1968, OJ Simpson made a play called the Red-23 Blast for 64 yards and the deciding touchdown over the Bruins. Bush has the same opportunity now, though in 1968 the Juice competed for the No. 2 team in the country (the Bruins were, at the time, No. 1 overall). Look for the speedy Bush to have a big 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 beaten by a fringe Nebraska team. The Buffaloes should be ashamed of the turkey they put in the field the Friday after Thanksgiving, when Nebraska beat the stuffing out of it. I don’t see Gary Barnett finding a way to plot against this multifaceted Texas offense.
In a perfect college football world, Texas and the Trojans would meet on January 4 in a winner-takes-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’d have. Until then, my vote goes to the one they call President: Reggie Bush.
