My current top five is Tebow, Ryan, Dixon, Hart and McFadden. Here’s a look at what Mike Hart has to do to win:
When Michigan dropped two games to start its season, including a shocking loss to Appalachian State, it seemed to be the death knell for Mike Hart’s Heisman hopes.
After all, how could a team that lost to A-State produce a Heisman winner?
Luckily for Hart’s Heisman hopes, there is now an understanding out there about just how goofy this season has been. That opening loss might have stuck with voters longer if it was any other year, but with Stanford beating USC, South Florida rising to No. 2 and LSU falling to Kentucky (among other seemingly wacky occurences) I think memories have gotten shorter.
Out of the wreckage of those first two games, Mike Hart declared that he was going to put the Wolverines on his back. That’s pretty much what he did, too.
He has rushed for at least 100 yards in each of his games and on the season has 1,078 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Unfortunately, just when Hart was gaining traction in the Heisman race, he suffered an ankle sprain and sat out the last two games, one a high-profile matchup against Illinois.
Now, there are three games left to make his case for the Heisman. There are road trips to Michigan State and Wisconsin and then a showdown at home with (potentially) No. 1 Ohio State.
Like McFadden, Hart needs to finish very strong to have a shot. I project that he needs to average 175 yards and two touchdowns per game from here on out. That would give him 1,603 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns, which are Heisman-worthy numbers in this climate.
More importantly, he will have played a great game to help bring down the No. 1 team and that’s always golden with Heisman voters.
It’s a tall order, but I wouldn’t put it past Mike Hart.
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