(OT) Heisman Trophy: Does Anyone Care Anymore?

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Posted By: hankron

I preface, that I am a fan of college football and it's history. I root for the Wisconsin Badgers, follow the polls and games, subscribe to and write for Girdiron Greats Quarterly and own photos of Frank Leahy and Alan Ameche and the Four Horseman.

Is it just me, or has the Heisman Trophy become irrelevant and stupid? It's not about who's going to be a good NFL player (that's fine), it's not about who's the best player in the nation, it's about who's the best quarterback(usually) on a top 5 team. The media has the first poll on who's the Heisman Trophy leader before the first game is played (?!?)

Does anyone (other than the school partisan, sportwriter who has to come up with a topic for the regular column and the television network) care anymore?

As a test, can anyone name the last four Heisman Trophy winners?

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Posted By: dennis

i could name the last one because i heard them mention he could win 2 in a row and be the 1st since archie griffin, to do this. his last name is white and i don't remember his first name.

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Posted By: Sean Coe

White, Palmer, Crouch and ....ummm, oh shoot times up!

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Posted By: hankron

Long ago Heisman Trophy Winners have included Doak Walker, Paul Hornung, Roger Staubach, OJ Simpson, Hershal Walker, Earl Campbell and Bo Jackson.

When the random person on the street is asked if he knows is who Eric Crouch (recent winner, naturally because he was the QB for the National Champs), the two most common answers are:

"Sorry, doesn't ring a bell."
and
"Sure, I know the Eric Crouch. He was cut two weeks before my sister's cousin was cut from the Packers. I think he's working at the Hardee's on Lexington."

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Posted By: jay behrens

I could care less because the award is totally meaningless now. It's all about how well a school can hype it candidate and then hopefully, the team does well too. It no longer has anything to do with who is actually the best player. A defensive player will never get a shot at the award under the current system. I think Hugh Green was the last defensive player that got serious consideration. Then again, college football is a joke in general.

Jay

The difference between genius and insanity is acceptance.

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Posted By: hankron

The BCS/National Championship is goofy & hyped & commercial, but at least they are dealing with the top teams. One can argue and have different takes whether Auburn or Oklahoma or Cal or Texas should be #2 or 3 or 4, but they are all top notch teams that could actually win a national championship game. The BCS isn't sneaking Notre Dame or Army or Princeton in there.

The essential problem with the Heisman Trophy is that winner often isn't even one of the 20 or 30 (or 50?) best players in the nation. In other words, the proverbial Princeton or Army player can and often does win the thing, when it should be proverbial USC, Oklahoma or even California player. And when the 20th or 30th best player wins the award "Best Player in the Nation" for the third or fourth time you start to say "Que?"

Unlike baseball's Most Valuable Player, the Heisman Trophy is supposed to be given to the 'best player' in college football (that's what the damn thing says) ... As Dan Patrick so eloquently put it, "How about giving it to the best player in college football?"

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Posted By: rhys

Actually, the baseball MVP award IS supposed to be the best player also. The baseball award only became the MVPPT award (PT=Playoff Team) is a fairly recent interpretation of the award. The baseball MVP award is a bigger joke.

Look at the stats last year of the 4 big New York Yankees who got votes, Matsui, Arod, Jeter, and Sheffield. The best of the three got the least amount of votes. Why should you expect anything different from Heisman voters when this has become a trend in ALL sports now. The best player only wins it if his team does well. The last I really cared was the last time the Heisman voters got it right; 1990 when Ty Detmer won it, and all he had to do was set 48 NCAA passing records.

Rhys

(GO ALEX SMITH, BETTER NUMBERS THAN WHITE AND LIENART)