In my book, Sam's the man. He should win the Heisman Trophy barring a monumental collapse in production. Oklahoma University quarterback Sam Bradford seems to be currently under the radar in the Heisman trophy hunt due to the focus on University of Texas and Texas Tech University, but that's just silly. If I were a private equity firm, I would be looking to gain a stake in Bradford's career (corporate recruiting is obviously taking its toll on my frame of mind).
Let's look at this rationally now, comparing and contrasting Bradford to the other main Heisman candidates: Texas Tech's Graham Harrell and Texas's Colt McCoy.
First, McCoy. Let's be reasonable here. The primary (and only) reason McCoy was in the Heisman conversation with the likes of Bradford and Harrell was the fact that Colt used to lead the number-one team in the land. Thanks to Harrell's Red Raiders, that is no longer the case, and McCoy joins the ranks of quarterbacks with one loss this season (like Bradford).
Now is the perfect time for a direct statistical comparison with Bradford. McCoy has accumulated 2,579 passing yards thus far. Bradford has aired out 3,086. McCoy has thrown 23 touchdowns. Bradford's thrown 34. McCoy has a quarterback rating of 181.35. Bradford's rating is 189.04. Is there really any argument here? Sure, Bradford has thrown all of one more interception than McCoy (six compared to five) and has completed 11 percent fewer passes, but do those statistics matter when compared to the big three statistical advantages I just listed? I think not. Bradford clearly has the advantage here.
Bradford over Harrell is a tougher sell. Statistically, the two QBs are about equal. Sure, Harrell has thrown for nearly 600 more yards (3,621 compared to 3,086), but he has attempted 100 more passes than Bradford (thanks to Texas Tech's crazy pass-first offense). Also noteworthy is the fact that Bradford has thrown four more touchdown passes than Harrell and has a rating nearly 25 points higher than Harrell's 165.9. All these statistics show is that neither quarterback has a dominant statistical advantage.
The key difference at this point in the season is overall record, and Harrell obviously has the advantage with his undefeated record compared to Bradford's one loss. Before you go on and crown Schmidley the winner, however, recognize that Harrell's record may not remain undefeated. No. 2 Texas Tech's upcoming schedule is brutal, hosting No. 9 Oklahoma State University next week before traveling to current No. 4 Oklahoma.
The winner of the Texas Tech-Oklahoma game could be key in the Heisman debate, perhaps even the decisive moment in this trophy race. Both players will have much more than Heisman hopes on the line as they try to position their teams for a national championship game berth. Pressure will be paramount, and the quarterback who best rises to the challenge could get voter nods in the Heisman race.
But that is a couple of weeks away. In the meantime, you can probably expect Harrell to pass for 400-some yards (as he always seems to do) and Bradford to throw five touchdowns (as he always seems to do). Whichever is more important in your eyes is who you are going to favor in the race. I favor touchdowns, Schmidley favors yards (on way more pass attempts, mind you).
Now on to a bit of a tangent, mainly because it bothers me, and I want you to know about it. The college football polls are incredibly frustrating. I'm not sure what will happen with the BCS rankings, but there are rumors flying around that Texas Tech could leapfrog a whole bunch of teams to take over the coveted No. 2 spot instead of Penn State. I wouldn't like this at all.
The USA Today poll did the right thing by elevating Pennsylvania State University to No. 2 behind Alabama and placing Texas Tech at No. 3, but as I am writing this (no joke), a friend pointed out to me that the Associated Press poll was just released and placed Texas Tech at No. 2 over Penn State. This is blasphemous. Penn State has patiently waited at No. 3 for a top-two team to fall, and that's exactly what happened. There is no reason why they shouldn't be rewarded by moving up a spot. But once again, the Big Ten's lack of strength hurt Penn State's chances for playing in the national championship. I do not know whether the BCS standings will look like the AP or USA Today polls, but I am guessing Texas Tech will be No. 2. It's a shame. If Texas Tech wins out (which I don't foresee it doing) then let them play in the national championship. But don't penalize Penn State for dominating its conference foes.
