One of the knocks on the Heisman is that the winners don’t always pan out in the pros.  Of course, the Trophy has never claimed to be a predictor of future football success, only a recognition of current college excellence.

But if you want to see at a list that has, over time, consistently failed to predict future fortunes, look no further than USA Today’s annual All-American team (H/T Bruce Feldman).   You can see 20 years of USA Today All-Americans here.

Just look at the quarterbacks on the list.  John Paye.  Vince Sutton.  Todd Ellis.  Mickey Joseph.  It’s not exactly a who’s who of NFL, much less college, talent.

Point being, even those who are paid to predict have a hard time of it.

I just wanted to reserve (ahead of time) my right to be the first to apply the title of the recent Oscar winning film to Washington quarterback Jake Locker, in the event that he should ever get hurt again.

Thank you.

On a note totally unrelated to the Heisman and college football, I’d like to welcome a new addition to my nascent blog network, Pundit Net.

For those of you prefer to look at government, culture and politics from a progressive point of view, be sure to check out Contrarian Pundit.  It is headed by David Johnson, who also writes for San Francisco Magazine.  This nifty blog has just started out, but the content being built there is refreshing and interesting, with a keen eye toward exposing corruption.  Even if you don’t agree with his overall outlook, you are sure to learn a thing or two.

So be sure to check out Contrarian Pundit (bookmarked on my links sidebar to the lower right) as he rails against the age.

When it comes to the Heisman race, it’s hard for a player to do much to help his cause in the spring.

But, there are plenty of things a player can do to hurt his cause.

To illustrate, it looks like a pair of Oregon Ducks might have suffered mortal blows to their Heisman hopes.  Even if they end up not being suspended for significant portions of the season, it is highly unlikely that Heisman voters will forgive the kind of thuggery (allegedly) committed by Jeremiah Masoli and (admittedly) commited by LaMichael James.

Heismandment No. 10 still stands–you can’t be a known jerk or social deviant and still win the Heisman.