That’s the question asked by Angelique S. Chengelis of the Detroit News regarding a potential Michael Hart Heisman candidacy.

Here’s why.

He leads the nation’s second-best team in rushing with 1,032 yards on 214 carries, the most carries by any back.

He has scored eight touchdowns.

He has gained 100 yards or more in seven of eight games and is ranked seventh nationally among running backs.

And lest we forget, Hart, who lacks great breakaway speed but is a tough-nosed grinder, has had 639 straight carries without losing a fumble.

So why not Hart?

After all, he’s been one of the best players in the country for going on three years. While the trend these days is for backs to become specialists on offense, he is a throwback to an era when ball carriers lugged it 25 times a game or more. He is the engine that makes this surprising Michigan team go. I don’t doubt that he has a good chance to finish as high as third in the Heisman voting.

But the time for a Hart Heisman run may not come until next year. After a great freshman season, he was dinged up quite a bit as a sophomore and he came into 2006 as a little bit of a forgotten man among running backs.

To win the Heisman, you must have either superior name recognition and buzz heading into a season, or you must produce a season that itself is good enough to overcome that lack of recognition or buzz.

Playing for a traditional power like Michigan tends to provide a good jumping off point for either instance. But Hart might be hurt some by Michigan’s reluctance to push him as a candidate.

The other factor is that, as good as Hart is, he is not yet on track to produce Heisman-worthy numbers for a running back.

In a time when backs routinely rush for over six yards per carry–due in part to wide-open offenses where running the ball is a ‘surprise’–Hart has a 1970s-like 4.82 average. Currently, he is on pace for 1,548 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns by the time of the Heisman vote. Good numbers, yes, but probably not good enough to win a Heisman in 2006. However, his accomplishments this year could serve as the perfect set-up to a 2007 Heisman run.

It’s probably not going to happen, but what if Hart goes for 200 a game to close out the season and leads Michigan to a win over Ohio State, while Notre Dame loses to USC?

Then, I suppose we just might see a Heisman upset of epic proportions.

Hart has a long way to go to have a shot at the Heisman

Heismanpundit.com continues its series on looking back at past winners. This week we look back at the winner of the 1946 Heisman:

1946 Heisman- Army’s Glenn Davis

By Chip Haunss, Special To Heismanpundit.com

It is 1946 and Harry Truman is President. The United States has just come out of the end of World War II. The Nuremberg trials follow the end of Nazi Germany, where 12 Nazi leaders are sentenced to hang, seven are imprisoned and three are acquitted.

The United States establishes the Atomic Energy Commission and the country is facing the worst work stoppages since 1919. The cost of a first class stamp is three cents and the unemployment rate is 3.9%.

The St. Louis Cardinals win the World Series, the Montreal Canadiens win the Stanley Cup and the Chicago Bears win the NFL Championship. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Army Black Knights split the NCAA National Championship and the Black Knights’ own Glenn Davis is awarded the 1946 Heisman Trophy.

Davis is one of the most accomplished players in the history of college football, having put up some incredible numbers while at West Point. “Mr. Outside,” as he was known, was such a great player that prior to winning the Heisman in 1946, Davis, as a sophomore, was the runner up in 1944 to Ohio State’s Les Horvath and again as a junior in 1945 to teammate Felix “Doc” Blanchard.

Long before he arrived at West Point, Davis was a phenomenal athlete, earning 13 letters in four sports in high school. During his senior season at Bonita High School in LaVerne, California, he scored an amazing 256 points.

This prompted the Los Angles Times to call him “the best athlete ever developed in Southern California.”

Davis left such a legacy in Southern California that the annual award for the area’s high school football player of the year is given in Davis’ name.

Davis entered the United States Military Academy in the summer of 1943 and despite attaining one of the highest scores on the freshman physical fitness test, he struggled in the classroom. Davis failed a freshman math class and was dismissed from West Point. After he enrolled and passed a summer school math class in California he was readmitted to the Academy in the fall of 1944.

During the 1944 season Davis emerged as one of the best running backs in the country. He and Blanchard formed what would become one of the most prolific backfields in the history of college football. That season Blanchard moved to fullback and Davis move to halfback, earning their nicknames, as penned by New York Sun sportswriter George Trevor: “Mr. Inside” for Blanchard and “Mr. Outside” for Davis.

Davis and Blanchard were on the cover of Time Magazine in 1945

Davis ended the season with 667 yards rushing, and caught another 13 passes for 221 yards. Davis led the nation in scoring with 120 points (20 total touchdowns). The sophomore halfback led Army to an undefeated and untied season–its first since 1916–and the National Championship.

Davis won both the Maxwell Trophy and Walter Camp Trophy, but finished second to Ohio State’s Les Horvath in the Heisman voting.

Bob Carroll, founder of the Professional Football Researcher’s Association (PFRA) said after the 1944 season “[Davis] possessed a devastating change of pace, a powerful leg drive, and a strong stiff arm.”

In 1945, he put up even better numbers, rushing for 994 yards and averaging 11.5 yards per carry, tops in the nation. He scored 18 more touchdowns as the Black Knights produced another perfect season to win their second-straight National Championship. However, Blanchard, who led the nation in scoring, took home the Heisman in 1945.

Blanchard paid Davis the ultimate compliment when he accepted the award, telling the audience “I’d have voted for Glenn Davis.”

Davis and Blanchard were larger than life by 1946

Prior to the 1946 season the duo graced the cover of Life magazine and earned the nickname “Touchdown Twins.” The 1946 season got off to inauspicious start when Blanchard went down in the opener with a knee injury, opening the door for Davis to have the national spotlight all to himself. He didn’t disappoint.

Davis rushed for 712 yards, caught 20 passes for another 348 yards and finished the season with 13 touchdowns. No game that season would showcase his talents more than a 20-13 victory at Michigan. Davis rushed for 105 yards, caught seven passes for an additional 159 yards and threw for a touchdown. He also intercepted two Wolverine passes for good measure (remember that this was the one-platoon era where players participated on both sides of the ball).

After the game Army Coach Earl “Red” Blaik called Davis “the best player I have seen, anywhere, anytime.”

The Black Knights were headed to their third straight undefeated season and third straight National Championship when they met then No. 1 Notre Dame at Yankee Stadium on November 9. The teams played to a scoreless tie, ending Army’s winning streak at 25. Davis and Army would win its final two games and split the National Championship with Notre Dame.

At the end of the ’46 season Davis was awarded the Heisman at last, as well as the Maxwell Trophy and the Walter Camp Trophy. He was also was named the Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year.

With Davis and Blanchard winning back-to-back Heismans, the “Touchdown Twins” became the second set of teammates to win the award in consecutive seasons.

The Final Heisman Results from 1946 were as follows:

Place Name School Class Position Points
1 Glenn Davis Army Senior HB 792
2 Charlie Trippi Georgia Senior HB 435
3 John Lujack Notre Dame Junior QB 379
4 Felix Blanchard Army Senior FB 267
5 Arnie Tucker Army Senior QB 257
6 Herman Wedermeyer St. Mary’s Junior HB 101
7 Burr Baldwin UCLA Senior E 49
8 Bobby Layne Texas Junior QB 45

(Courtesy of Heisman.com)

Davis finished his career with 2,957 yards rushing and an NCAA record average of 8.26 yards per carry. Additionally, he threw for 855 yards and returned two punts for touchdowns. He ended his career with 4,129 yards rushing and receiving and 59 touchdowns, and from 1944-1946 Davis never lost a game, leading Army to a 27-0-1 record.

His 59 career touchdowns are still an Army record and his 2,957 yards rushing ranks him third all-time for the Black Knights.

He and Blanchard combined to score 97 touchdowns and 585 points, an NCAA record that stood for 60 years until it was broken by Southern California’s Reggie Bush and LenDale White last season.

Despite all of his accolades, Davis never was one to get caught up in reading his own clippings. In 1995 he told the Associated Press:

“I wasn’t the kind of guy who liked to pick the newspaper up to find out how I was doing. I just did my thing the best I could.”

Prior to leaving for his military service, Davis and Blanchard went to Los Angeles to film The Spirit of West Point, a movie that was made about their Army careers. Ironically, Davis who was healthy throughout his West Point career, tore a knee ligament during filming of the movie, and was never the same.

“That was the end of me,” Davis said. “I never could cut on that knee again.”

After he finished the film, Davis completed his three-year military obligation, and joined the Los Angeles Rams in 1950. He played two seasons for the Rams. He led them to the 1950 Championship game, which they dropped to the Cleveland Browns, 30-28, and to the 1951 NFL Championship, where they defeated the Browns, 24-17. Davis’ knee deteriorated in 1951, forcing him to retire after that season.

Davis was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1961.

Davis’ post-football life was interesting to say the least. He was at one time engaged to Elizabeth Taylor, and later married actress Terry Moore. The oddest twist of all occurred in 1995, when Davis, a widower, was at the Heisman dinner. It was there he met Yvonne Ameeche, whose husband Alan won the 1954 Heisman Trophy, but died in 1988 during heart surgery. Davis and Yvonne fell in love and married a year later.

Glenn “Mr. Outside” Davis passed away on Mach 9, 2005 due to complications from prostate cancer. He was 80.

There are 46 days left until the Heisman Tropy is awarded in New York City.

Right now, the race is in a state of suspended animation, as nothing can change fact that there are only two players left who can win the Heisman. Those two candidates will spend the next few weeks building their stat resumes, then the race will hurtle toward its climactic finish in the last couple Saturdays in November.

1. Troy Smith, Ohio State–Smith has been a model of efficiency all season long. While the Buckeye quarterback isn’t really producing spectacular moments on a weekly basis, he has had even fewer mishaps to speak of.

And, sometimes, the player who ends up winning the Heisman is the one who screws up the least.

Last week, Smith had another brilliant day, throwing for 220 yards and four touchdowns on 15 of 23 passing.

For the season (eight games), Smith has 1,715 passing yards (completed at a 68 per cent clip), 21 touchdown passes and just 2 interceptions. His pass efficiency rating is a stellar 176.4. After lagging in the rushing yardage department for most of the year, he has picked up the pace the last few weeks and now has 126 net rushing yards.

He is on pace to have 2,572 yards, 33 touchdowns and 3 interceptions by the time the Heisman votes are tallied. While the yardage number is pretty low compared to recent quarterback winners, his touchdowns, low interception total and efficiency rating are phenomenal.

Smith has several key advantages in this race. First and foremost, he is a senior quarterback playing for the No. 1 team in the country. That team also happens to be a traditional power–and one with a remarkable Heisman history at that. His stats are very good–though perhaps lacking in a couple areas. He has played well in big games on TV (Texas, Iowa) and, while he has not yet developed a recognizable persona with his helmet off, he has built enough momentum and name recognition to win the Heisman if the vote were held today.

For all that he has going for him, Smith’s Heisman fate will come down to Ohio State’s huge showdown with Michigan on Nov. 18.

There are three things that can happen:

1. Ohio State wins and Smith cruises to an easy Heisman win.
2. Ohio State loses and Smith finishes second.
3. Ohio State loses and Smith limps across the finish line with a narrow Heisman win.

Situations 2 and 3 will depend almost entirely upon the actions of the quarterback for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

It’s simple: Beat Michigan, Win the Heisman

2. Brady Quinn, Notre Dame–Quinn was this site’s preseason pick to win the Heisman Trophy and, with a little luck, things could still go his way.

Last week, he threw for 304 yards on 27 of 45 passing with 2 touchdowns and no interceptions.

On the season (seven games), he has 1,938 passing yards, 18 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. His pass efficiency rating is 140.0.

He is on pace to have 3,322 passing yards, 31 touchdowns and 7 interceptions by the time the Heisman votes comes around.

As you can see, Quinn’s numbers–assuming he can keep it up–would be comparable to Smith’s after 12 games. Smith’s touchdown-to-interception ratio would be more impressive, but Quinn’s yardage would be considerably higher. Whatever the case, neither candidate looks like he will have a signficant stat advantage that the voters can use as a wedge to separate the two. Going into the season, Smith had his talents as a rusher to give him an extra boost, but that advantage is now gone.

Like Smith, Quinn is the quarterback for a traditional Heisman power–some would say the traditional Heisman power. While Smith currently trumps Quinn by playing for the No. 1 team, the Irish quarterback’s candidacy is undergirded by all the heft and majesty of playing for America’s most storied program.

One other thing going for Quinn–he’s got some magic to him. He was valiant in a comeback effort against USC last season, (in what turned out to be his Heisman debutante ball). He saved the Irish season by overcoming a fourth-quarter deficit to win against Michigan State and, most recently, he calmly rallied Notre Dame to a last-minute win over UCLA.

While he entered the race as the mighty front runner, he is now the Comeback Kid, the leader of a gutty Irish team that won’t quit.

So, what will it all come down to?

For Quinn to win, Ohio State needs to lose to Michigan. But that’s not all. One week later, Quinn must lead Notre Dame to a win over a (preferably) undefeated USC squad.

If those two events happen, then Quinn will surge to the Heisman.

There is one other scenario in which I could envision a very close race between these two. If Smith performs well in a close loss to Michigan and Quinn performs well in a win over a USC team that has already lost big to Cal, then neither candidate will have a clear cut mandate from the voters.

One advantage for Quinn in this case is that he gets the last chance to impress the voters.

He’s got the magic, but he needs Michigan to come through

How The Vote Would Go If It Were Held Today

1. Troy Smith
2. Brady Quinn
3. Steve Slaton
4. Michael Hart
5. Chris Leak
6. Marshawn Lynch
7. Erik Ainge
8. Calvin Johnson
9. Ray Rice
10. Colt Brennan

Here are my top 10 teams for the week of Oct. 23. This is a power ranking based on how well the teams are playing right now and it is not a reflection on where they will end up.

Ohio State is the closest thing to a great team right now in college football, but I don’t think the Buckeyes can be considered dominant just yet. There are several other good teams out there, but it doesn’t seem like any of them are unbeatable at this point. This makes these rankings very difficult and subject to some swings depending on the week.

1. Ohio State (8-0)–The Buckeyes hit the 40-point mark for the first time this season, beating Indiana 44-3. The next three weeks should be a breeze. Minnesota is next.

2. Michigan (8-0)–Defeated Iowa, 20-6. Barring a catastrophic upset, the Wolverines will play the Buckeyes in the Game of the Century. Northwestern is next.

3. USC (6-0)–Did not play. At Oregon State this weekend.

4. West Virginia (7-0)–Beat Connecticut, 37-11. The Mountaineers now will have two weeks to prepare for Louisville.

5. Texas (7-1)–Cranked out a gritty win in the snow at Nebraska, 22-20. Need some help to get back in the BCS title game. Texas Tech is up next.

6. Tennessee (6-1)–Beat Alabama, 16-13. The Tide usually plays to the level of its opponent, so this is a solid, though not impressive, win for the Vols. Next at South Carolina.

7. Cal (7-1)–The Bears struggled this week and were taken to overtime by an improved Washington team. Such is life in the Pac-10, where on any given Saturday (fill in cliche usually reserved for SEC). Bye week now for Cal.

8. Clemson (7-1)–If not for a double-overtime loss at Boston College, the Tigers could be in the thick of the national title hunt. They killed Georgia Tech, 31-7, on Saturday. Va. Tech is next on Thursday.

9. Florida (6-1)–The Gators were off last week and will play Georgia this Saturday.

10. Notre Dame (6-1)–There’s some magic in this Notre Dame team. The Irish beat UCLA in the final minute, 20-17. Navy is next.

On the cusp: Louisville, Wisconsin, Missouri, Auburn

Another week in the books, another week closer to the Heisman Trophy ceremony….

Some random thoughts going into the weekend…

Wisconsin Coach Bret Bielema thinks that Badger left tackle Joe Thomas should be a Heisman candidate.

Of course, the idea of a lineman–or any other non-skill player–winning the Heisman is absurd. But to me this brings to light a whole other issue.

Bielema says Thomas is the best left tackle in the country. And he may well be. In fact, he is likely to be the first offensive lineman taken in the next NFL draft.

Despite his knee injury in last year’s bowl, Joe Thomas will be a high draft pick next spring

But there are 595 starting offensive linemen in Division One football. Does Bielema–or anyone–really know who is playing the best right out of that group right now?

There are 119 starting quarterbacks and 119 starting running backs. There are 238 starting wide receivers. These positions produce stats that make it easier for us to sort out who is performing the best.

Not only are there more offensive linemen than any other position, most people have no idea exactly what the big uglies are supposed to be doing on a given play. We see a quarterback completing a pass, or a running back bursting to daylight and we know that a play was successfully executed.

Most people who watch football follow the ball. They are not checking to see if the left guard got his shoulder inside the right hip of the nose guard in time for the play to work.

Nonetheless, each year All-American teams are produced that ostensibly choose the best offensive linemen in the land. Just recently, the Lombardi Award released its 12 finalists. Included in that group was Thomas, along with Justin Blalock of Texas and Dan Mozes of West Virginia.

Is it a coincidence that these same names were near the top of most of the lists in the preseason magazines? In other words, they are supposed to be good, so they get the glory.

Houston Nutt says that Darren McFadden is also a Heisman candidate. Apparently, the Hogs are going to do some kind of promotion for the sophomore running back.

Now, honestly, McFadden probably has very little shot at cracking the top 10 this season, unless he goes on a tear to close out the schedule. So this campaign is pretty much pointless…for 2006. Where it will make an impact is on the 2007 race, which has already begun.

When you play for a school like Arkansas, you need all the support you can get. Generating publicity for a guy like McFadden takes a long time. Starting it up now is a smart idea. By next year, some Heisman voters might actually have a clue who he is.

Get this man ready for ’07, pronto!

Just a thought: If Brady Quinn is going to make a late-season push for the Heisman, this game Saturday against UCLA is pretty important. While the Bruins aren’t exactly a national power, the matchup is a bit odd (since the two haven’t played since 1964) and should draw a fair amount of interest around the college football world. I’m sure some people will tune in just because they liked watching the two schools play during the heyday of their basketball rivalry. Whatever the case, it’s another chance for Quinn to impress West Coast media.

Quinn needs to have a big day against the Bruins

Another thought: It’s possible that Troy Smith could be the first quarterback in a long, long time to not have a 300-yard passing game during his Heisman-winning season (I know, Erich Crouch didn’t, but he was primarily a running quarterback). The last quarterback not to do so was Pat Sullivan in 1971. Maybe Smith will get his first against Indiana this week.

Smith is a little low on the passing yards right now

The 2007 Heisman list is shaping up. Here’s the pool of legitimate candidates from what I can tell at this point. There are a couple strong contenders, but no sure-fire front runners just yet. It could be a wide-open race:

Steve Slaton, West Virginia
Michael Hart, Michigan
Chad Henne, Michigan
JD Booty, USC
DeSean Jackson, Cal
Jamaal Charles, Texas
Sam Keller, Nebraska
Darren McFadden, Arkansas
Erik Ainge, Tennessee
Jonathan Stewart, Oregon
Brian Brohm, Louisville

I think that Steve Slaton is the likely preseason favorite. But the two candidates that intrigue me the most are DeSean Jackson and Sam Keller. I can see Jackson making a Desmond Howard-like run for the Heisman (he’s that good), while Keller has suddenly re-emerged at a school that actually has some Heisman tradition, giving his chances for the trophy an extra boost.

Could he be the next Desmond?

So far this season, HP is a stellar 51-36-2 (.586) picking games against the spread. Here are my picks for selected matchups from this week:

Michigan State (-7.5) at Northwestern: The Spartans are reeling after four-straight losses, but Northwestern should cure what ails them. The Wildcats just might go winless in the Big Ten this season. Unless John L. Smith channels Rick Venturi, the Spartans win handily. Michigan State 35, Northwestern 17.

Ole Miss (+20.5) at Arkansas: The Razorbacks seem over-valued to me. Outside of the upset win at Auburn, the Hogs have struggled with some rather pedestrian SEC opponents. This one may be at the Nutthouse, but it is about time for Arkie to lay an egg. The Rebs have played much better the last three weeks and I think they will make a game of this one. In fact, I think they will win outright and give Ed Orgeron his biggest win since he’s been in Oxford. Ole Miss 23, Arkansas 21.

Notre Dame (-13) vs. UCLA: Barbara Streisand on a visit to Mecca seems more natural than the idea of the Bruin football team playing in South Bend. Damien Thorne in a church seems less out of wack. Point being, UCLA is not exactly in its element here. I expect Brady Quinn to be at the top of his game and for the refs to give the Bruins a warm Notre Dame welcome (read: screwjob). Darius Walker may not be able to outrun the Pope on a good day, but he’ll be effective against UCLA. All you Bruin fans making the trip should be sure to drop by Geno’s East Pizza in Chicago. Notre Dame 31, UCLA 10.

Cal (-23) vs. Washington: The Huskies have lost quarterback Isaiah Stanback for the season and should have a hard time getting their offense going against a solid Bear defense. I don’t think you will see Ty Willingham be his usual giddy self after this one. Cal 45, Washington 16.

ASU (-22.5) vs. Stanford: It is as hard to go winless as it is to go undefeated in college football, but Stanford looks like it is on its way to achieving a goose egg in the victory column. I think most of the Cardinal players are too busy inventing the next Yahoo! to care. I hope they consider hiring me one day, even after making this pick. ASU 52, Stanford 17.

San Jose State (+13) at Nevada: This line seems downright batty. The Spartans are 4-1 while the Wolfpack are 3-3. Nevada may win, but I don’t think it covers against a solid team like SJSU. San Jose State has been good to me so far this season. Nevada 34, San Jose State 27.

UTEP at Houston (61.5): I like the OVER in this game, which promises to be quite a duel between future NFL quarterbacks Jordan Palmer and Kevin Kolb.

LSU (-32.5) vs. Fresno State: Fresno prides itself on playing anyone, anywhere, at any time. Well, the Bulldogs have lost to everyone, everywhere almost every time this season. LSU hasn’t actually beaten a good team all year, but it has smashed all of its cupcakes–like a team of its caliber should. This game will be no different. LSU 45, Fresno 7.

Boston College (+6) at Florida State: I almost couldn’t believe this line when I saw it. No matter how well it plays, Boston College just gets no respect. What, was FSU’s crushing of Duke last week supposed to mean something? Has Jeff Bowden suddenly figured things out? Uh, sure. I think BC will not only cover, but win this one outright. BC 27, FSU 14.

Air Force (-13.5) at San Diego State: Chuck Long is a destroyer of programs. Really. His destructive power is surpassed only by that of Gozer the Gozerian. Anyway, I expect his team to be roasted in the depths of a giant Sloar come Saturday. Air Force 38, SDSU 17.

Louisville at Syracuse (54.5): I like the OVER in this one.

Iowa (+12.5) at Michigan: I like this Michigan team, but it is due for a challenge. Iowa should bounce back after a poor outing last week. Michigan survives, but Iowa gives the Wolverines all they can handle. I also predict that Chad Henne will be mistaken for Doug Henning at least once during the telecast. Michigan 31, Iowa 26.

Mississippi State (+18) at Georgia: I know MSU is garbage, but 18 points just seems too much for this Georgia team to cover. Mississippi State has a solid SEC defense and I think it will keep things relatively close. One thing’s for sure: The Bulldogs win! Georgia 24, Mississippi State 9.

Colorado (+14) at Oklahoma: The Buffs got their first win last week against Texas Tech and with things all amok at Oklahoma, I think they will make this a game. Not quite ready to call the upset, but I wouldn’t be surprised. Oklahoma 24, Colorado 20.