The race for the 75th Heisman is just about underway. Here’s some items of note as we begin this year’s journey:
—Looks like Jeff Demps is going to start at tailback for Florida against Charleston Southern. I think he’s got a chance to break out this–What? Florida is playing who? Really, this is Exhibit A for why we need schedule reform. The Gators are a great team, but they basically do not play a 12-game schedule this year as a result of this. Troy and Florida International aren’t much to crow about, but at least they are FBS teams.
—For those who aren’t sure if UCLA is closing starting to get some talent: It is the only team in the Pac-10 with at least 5 players on either side of the ball who were offered scholarships by USC, mostly from the last two classes. Since the Trojans are an excellent measuring stick for judging talent levels, I think this is a good sign for the Bruins.
—Color me underwhelmed by Cal’s new starting receiving corp.
—ESPN’s Tim Griffin says this should be the greatest Heisman race ever. Could be. I sort of think last year’s race was pretty darn good myself.
—Cory McCartney lays out why this is the best Heisman class ever.
—Gene Menez has his preseason Heisman Watch out. Like HP, he has Colt McCoy as the fave.
—Andy Staples got stuck having to write the annual “Why a defensive player should win the award” column. I’m sorry, but until a stat emerges that quantifies the effectiveness of defensive tackles on every play, it just isn’t realistic.
—I know the loss of Darren Evans is seen as a crushing blow for Virginia Tech, but I was never impressed by the guy. If you are getting 4.4 yards per carry in this spread age (as Evans did last year), there is something wrong.
—The annual Herbies are out
Who cares if UF has Charleston Southern on the schedule? It doesn’t matter. Its strength of schedule. Not out of conference or in conference or any other way you slice it, but merely overall strength of schedule. In 2006 UF was near or at the top of just about everyone’s SOS list. 2007 and 2008 weren’t as bad, but they were still very tough. This is why SEC fans get irritated. We get hammered for something like having Charleston Southern on the schedule, yet we often have some of the toughest schedules in the nation. In the last 3 years has anyone played (much less beaten) as many good teams as UF? In 2009 UF has a RELATIVELY easy and maybe even well-deserved break in schedule strength. They still play LSU, Georgia, Tennessee, FSU and hopefully the SEC championship game. And hey, its not like UF knew Tenessee and FSU wouldn’t be in top form this year.