Every September, the sports media jumps the gun a little bit by anointing a player as the Heisman front runner while ignoring that candidate’s obvious shortcomings over the long haul.
Through no fault of his own, the player who wins the “September Heisman” is almost always doomed to fizzle, usually as soon as October rolls around.
In 2002, it was Seneca Wallace. Remember his amazing reverse field run that left breathless commentators racing to put him atop their Heisman lists?
In 2003, it was Chris Perry. He had three big games to start off the season and was the leader in most Heisman watches. His candidacy died at Autzen Stadium in game four.
In 2004, it was Kyle Orton. Purdue blazed to a 5-0 mark, including a smashing of Notre Dame. Taylor Stubblefield was striking Heisman poses on the sideline and Orton’s numbers through four games were amazing (17 TDs, no interceptions). By game six, though, he was kaput.
In 2005, it was Matt Leinart. Because most commentators still don’t understand that there will never be another two-time winner, he was tabbed as the Heisman front runner. By October, he had been superseded as a candidate by his teammate, Reggie Bush.
This year’s winner of the September Heisman is Troy Smith.
Unlike some of the names on this list, there’s no reason to eliminate him from Heisman contention at this point, but one has to wonder if this honor could potentially be the kiss of death.
Is Smith that formidable a candidate to lead wire-to-wire?
I don’t like his odds.
There he is, your September Heisman winner, 2006
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