Heisman and BCS Thoughts

Sooooo the NCAA Football regular season is all over, with the exception of Army vs Navy on Saturday. I have some thoughts about the BCS Bowl games, and the Heisman Trophy finalists.

- The BCS Title game is... boring. I am sorry. There is nothing sexy about the game. LSU-Bama already happened, and it was AWFUL! 9-6? That isn't a testament to great defense. It was 4 missed field goals, no offensive players that caught my eye, and robbed America of 4 hours. OK State deserves a shot at LSU. You know why? Because they won their conference. Outright. Alabama didn't win its division. New rule time! You must win your conference to be eligible to play in the BCS title game. Simple. Then we don't end up with rematches that people don't want to see.

- Virginia Tech didn't win its conference, but got an at-large bid. They didn't deserve it. They were destroyed in the ACC title game (their second loss to Clemson), barely beat Duke this year, and are in there over teams with real quality wins. Boise State only has one loss and beat Georgia in Georgia. TCU beat Boise. KSU only lost to OK State and Oklahoma. I don't buy Tech, and predict that Michigan is going to run all over them.

- The Orange Bowl, Clemson vs WVU, might be the most fun of the BCS games, though Stanford vs OK State has the chance to be a classic.

- The speed of Oregon against the size of Wisconsin will be great to see. LaMichael James against Montee Ball? Yes please.



So, the Heisman finalists were announced today. Montee Ball, Robert Griffin III, Andrew Luck, Tyrann Mathieu and Trent Richardson will be in NY on Saturday. I wish Case Keenum was there, but he isn't. Matt Barkley was snubbed as well. Not that it matters, but if I had a ballot, this is how I would vote:

1. Robert Griffin III
2. Montee Ball
3. Andrew Luck
4. Tyrann Mathieu
5. Trent Richardson

RG3 has been the single best player I have seen this season. He is insane. He carried a team with minimal talent (compared to the other powerhouses represented) to a 9-3 season, including wins over Oklahoma, Texas and TCU. He is my pick easily. Ball is the country's leading rusher, and Luck is the heart and soul of Stanford. They could be tied at 2. The others... well... Here is the thing.

Mathieu is an amazing player. He is a ball-hawk CB. He is a great return man. He has a great nickname (Honey Badger). But he missed a game, and in a 13 game season for LSU, that means something. It is only that he has been so outstanding in the other games that I am ok with him being a finalist. And then there is Trent. In the biggest game of the year, he was shut down. He did nothing against LSU. 23 rushes for 89 yards and no TD with the spotlight on you is not a Heisman performance, especially when 24 of those yards came on one rush. I would have Keenum and Barkley ahead of Richardson.

I am hoping that Mathieu and Richardson split the SEC votes. Luck will get most of the West, Ball the North and Griffin Big XII country. If it comes down to the Northeast, expect Luck or Griffin to be hoisting that trophy come Saturday. Ball isn't as well known, and the voters tend to go with QBs. I am hoping that RG3 takes it home, because he has shown me the most.

I could be wrong... but I don't think I am.