There is a dearth of viable running back candidates out there, but Cal’s Jahvid Best might have the best shot of all at them at winning the Heisman.
His biggest drawback: He plays for Cal, which is not a traditional Heisman power and doesn’t always get a lot of respect nationally.
His biggest asset: He’s a phenom, a highlight-reel player who can change a game in the blink of an eye. He had 1,580 yards last season despite missing one whole game and parts of others with injuries (like a Ferrari, he is often in the shop). Oh, he also averaged 8 yards per carry. And he was just a true sophomore.
What does he have to do to have a serious chance to win?
My line of thinking goes like this:
Assuming Cal has a minimum 9-win season, and assuming he improves on his 1,580-yard sophomore showing, the main thing Best has to do is have a huge game in a win over USC. It is possible he can have a huge game against USC in a tough loss and still win the Heisman, providing it is part of an incredible season where he goes well over 2,000 yards and, hence, is seen as a kind of one-man gang who can’t be held to blame for his team’s shortcomings. But if he is in the 1,800 to 2,000-yard range by season’s end, it will all be considered a bit bogus if he doesn’t show it against the Trojans. Getting over the USC hurdle is the ultimate test out West.
If Cal wins the Pac-10–which assumes a win over USC–Best will have a good shot at the Heisman if he has over 1,800 yards and 15 touchdowns by the time of the Heisman vote. There can be no doubt that much of his yardage will come by long, highlight-reel runs and his yards-per-carry average will probably be outstanding. Most likely, he will be considered head and shoulders above any other running back, which could mean that he provides some clarity in a race sure to be dominated by quarterbacks named McCoy, Bradford and Tebow.
I think he’s a bit of a long shot–especially considering his injury history and the names coming back–but he’s got a shot. And just remember, the last running back to win the Heisman also had a four-letter name beginning with ‘B.’
Related Articles
Share
About Author
(12) Readers Comments
Leave a Reply
Recent HP media mentions: ESPN College Game Day (12/3) ... VS./NBC CFB Talk (12/5) ... SJ Mercury News (12/5) ... Seattle Times (12/5) ... Idaho Statesman (12/5) ... Associated Press (12/6) ... Huntsville Times (12/6)
Recent Radio and Podcast Appearances...
Interview with WJOX Birmingham (11/30)
Interview with ESPN Radio in Waco (12/2)
The Mandel Initiative (podcast), Stew Mandel, (Listen)
THE HP HEISMAN WATCH
Ed Newman
With all the crazy number potential at QB this season, Best has to be a super long shot. In the Big 12 alone there are at three candidates I see as better shots.
Cal will not get enough national exposure, and even a super season by Best won’t look any better than the numbers put up by the QBs this year.
If Adrian Peterson and Darren McFadden, who were both much better backs AND faced less stiff Heisman competition than Best, couldn’t get over the hump, I don’t think Best has much of a chance this year.
HP
But Peterson had Jason White, Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush and Alex Smith as competition–very strong.
McFadden was only a sophomore his first year and then the next year, Arkansas lost 5 games and Tebow had his monster year.
Ed Newman
Peterson wound up having strong competition in the end, but going into that season were any of those guys in the same class as this years competition? White was a Heisman winner but Leinart was just 6th in the previous vote and Bush and Smith were hardly known at all going into that season.
McFadden was the favorite and Tebow was some hyped guy who could throw a jump pass and score from the goal line going into that 2006 season.
Best has TWO Heisman trophy winners, a shoulda/coulda/woulda won the Heisman competitor, and a potential sophomore phenom with loads of hype all playing for traditional powers (I think you can now include UF in that group) that are also national championship contenders.
Heismanpundit
White, as you said, had the name recognition going in. Leinart was the front runner going in according to this site, coming off a big Rose Bowl and sophomore season and being a USC QB. Bush was a known quantity. Only Smith really came out of nowhere.
As for McFadden, he had an inconsistent year and his team wasn’t very good, which hurt his chances. Tebow threw and passed for 55 TDs. I don’t think that was an issue for him.
I agree Best doesn’t have a good shot, which is why I call him a long shot. But if a running back does win it, it could very well be him.
Ed Newman
I’m not saying that McFadden or AP deserved it. Actually AP did deserve it over Leinart but that wasn’t my point. They were both better runners than Best and for whatever reason they still didn’t win. I agree that if a RB wins he has the best shot, but a QB will win again, just like 8 of the last 9 years.
HP
Most likely a QB wins it, I agree. But look. If there are three or four really good QBs who split the vote up, then a RB who dominates could really break through. If Best puts up 2,100 yards and his team wins the Pac over USC, it will go a long way. He will win the West and perhaps make inroads elsewhere. This is not a West Coast grind it out kind of guy, but a flashy phenom who can make an impact in the ESPN highlight reel. Long way to go, but he’s the No. 1 running back, methinks.
AUman76
Not a chance in hell he wins a Heisman nor a Pac-1 title. Exactly who, outside of USC’s occassional defensive effort, plays defense on the west coast? The WAC and MWC play stronger D than the pac-1. His numbers are not impressive considering who they come against.
Dave
Best vs. USC in 2008: 13 carries, 30 yards.
TorBear
AUman76, if Pac 10 defenses are so bad, why is that the Pac 10 has a winning record vs. the SEC in this century? It it because SEC offenses are worse than Pac 10 defenses?
BearStage
@AUman76 – You need to learn some respect for the Pac-10. Which conference went undefeated in bowl games last year? Oh yeah – the Pac-10. And when it comes to USC, I hate to break it to you, but we “Pac-1″ teams are the only ones who can actually beat them. Let’s look at USC’s losses over the last 7 years:
2002 – Kansas State
2002 – Washington State
2003 – California
2005 – Texas
2006 – Oregon State
2006 – UCLA
2007 – Stanford
2007 – Oregon
2008 – Oregon State
Hmmm – in 7 years, only two OOC teams came to play… and who didn’t? Only Auburn, Colorado, Iowa, BYU, Hawaii, Michigan(twice), Virginia Tech, Colorado State, Oklahoma, Hawaii, Arkansas(twice), Fresno State, Nebraska(twice), Idaho, Illinois, Virginia, Ohio State, Penn State.
Before you start taking shots at about Pac-10 football, keep in mind that we’ve got more experience taking down the big dog than anyone else does – hell, apparently we’re the only ones who can. And I only wish I had time to school you in the strengths of Cal’s defense. Here’s the big question: is Cal behind the 8-ball against USC? Of course they are, of course they’ll be the underdog. But given the history, I like our chances better than just about anyone else’s.
Roby
Come on BearStage. They play more conference games than non-conference games. It’s simple math.
Every season:
9 conference games, 3 non-conference games. 75% of games are played in-conference
Losses in last 7 seasons:
7 conference losses, 2 non-conference losses
77% of losses are in-conference.
I guess you just have to speak with conviction, because you almost had me believing. Pick any team in all of college football, and you will find that it loses more often to teams within its own conference than to teams from other onferences. (Except maybe FSU in the 90′s, who was unbeatable in the ACC, but their two hardest 2 games of the year are/were both out-of-conference (Miami & UF)
Expobear
Best is the most exciting player in college football today. If he continues to progress as a player like he did in 2008, I might beg to differ that Peterson and McFadden are better running backs than Best. Here is an updated highlight reel just from 2008:
http://www.californiagoldenblogs.com/2009/1/7/711260/jahvid-best-2008-highlight