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Monday, July 31, 2006

College Football Nation MVP Trophy

In this section of College Football Nation, we have taken on the project of selecting the MVP of each season, an award usually designated as the Heisman Trophy. This award will go to the player who most deserved the recognition as "the best" of that year. And while the Heisman is often given to a player deserving of high accolades, there are a few flaws in the system that we hope to resolve.

First, the Heisman Memorial Trophy has only been awarded since 1935, whereas we have decided to begin with 1920, which many see as the beginning of college football beyond the Ivy League. Many great players like "The Gipper" George Gipp, Red "The Galloping Ghost" Grange, and Morley "The Noblest Trojan of Them All" Drury were deserving of this accolade, but simply played before it existed.

For another thing, the Heisman is distributed before the bowl season, which means the player who wins the trophy has yet to perform on college football's grandest stage. Knowing which players thrive on the pressure of a big game and which ones crumble under it speaks volumes of the character and talent of that individual. For to be considered the best, one must beat the best.

Also, the Heisman is often given to the best player on the best team rather than the best player in the nation. While leading a team to a national championship is a noteworthy accomplishment and taken into consideration, it should not be overvalued in deciding the Heisman winner. We would rather search for the player that defined a program and truly carried them to a position that would have otherwise been unattainable.

Click here for Winners By Team

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