I’ve already called the race for Troy Smith. The only thing in question now is his margin of victory.
Don’t think that there isn’t any drama left in the race, however. There is a real dog fight going on for the third-place spot and, with it, a possible trip to New York for the Heisman ceremony. Whoever ends up in third will also become the automatic front runner for 2007.
1. Troy Smith, Ohio State–Against Michigan, Smith threw for 316 yards on 29 of 41 passing, with four touchdowns and an interception. He did everything required of him in the biggest game of the year and, by doing so, wrapped up the 2006 Heisman Trophy.
On the season, Smith has 2,507 passing yards, a 67 per cent completion rate, a 167.9 efficiency mark, 30 touchdown passes, five interceptions, plus another 233 rushing yards and one TD on the ground.
While his passing yardage will be the lowest by a Heisman-winning passing quarterback in over 20 seasons, his other statistical attributes are definitely Heisman worthy.
He is a senior quarterback on a traditional power, one that also happens to be the No. 1 team in the country. He has played magnificently in big games when the whole country was watching. He didn’t have the name recognition of Brady Quinn coming into the season, but he quickly made himself known to the Heisman electorate thanks to his outstanding play on the field. In this calendar year, he has led Ohio State to wins over Notre Dame, Texas and Michigan.
This was his season. In 18 days, he’ll pick up his Heisman.
The rest of the field is now jockeying for position. Quinn is almost guaranteed to capture the runner-up spot, making him the first Notre Dame player to finish as high as second in the Heisman vote since Rocket Ismail in 1990.
Quinn has had a magnificent year in his own right. But when the Irish lost to Michigan, it left the door open for Smith to take control of the race. Once Smith took the top spot, he never wavered and Quinn couldn’t catch up. Going into the season, it was going to take an almost perfect season to top Quinn.
And that’s just what happened.
Now, I think Quinn could break Joe Theismann’s Irish record of 526 yards passing against USC and still fall short of Smith in the vote.
Who, then, will take the third spot? Right now, it looks like Darren McFadden of Arkansas has the best chance at it. He is the sole candidate from the South, so he should appear on a lot of ballots from that region. He has two high-profile games to make his case, so quite a few voters will be watching.
If it’s not McFadden, it will be West Virginia’s Steve Slaton, who is making a bid at 2,000 yards and the national rushing title. He’s also got a couple games to go, including a prime matchup against Rutgers. Slaton did a good job of getting his name out there this season and now he is set up nicely for 2007.
How the Vote Would Go If Held Today
1. Troy Smith
2. Brady Quinn
3. Darren McFadden
4. Steve Slaton
5. Michael Hart
6. Colt Brennan
7. Calvin Johnson
8. Colt McCoy
9. Marshawn Lynch
10. Ray Rice
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