2008 Heisman Race

Sam Bradford took home the hardware in NYC this weekend. There is very little to argue with on this one. Bradford put up 48 touchdowns through the air and another five on the ground. He has nearly 4500-yards passing and an astronomical 186 QB rating. Sam certainly deserved the award statistically. McCoy and Tebow rounded out the top 3, in that order.

But as avid CFBN readers know, this site declares its own winner after the bowl games. I firmly believe that you evaluate players on more than stats though; you must evaluate them according to their impact on their team. This is why I still believe Tebow is the leading candidate for this site's award. However, Bradford and Tebow will have the perfect opportunity to prove who means more to their team in the National Championship game on Jan. 8.

At this point, CFBN has trimmed the list to three: Bradford, McCoy and Tebow.

Heading into bowl season, the trimmed Heisman list remains the same:

No.	Po.	Name	Team
1	QB	Tim Tebow	Florida
2	QB	Sam Bradford	Oklahoma
3	QB	Colt McCoy	Texas

Congrats, Tebow!

Sophomore quarterback Tim Tebow has been selected as CFBN's 2007 Heisman Winner. Tebow led the Florida Gators to a 9-4 record in the SEC after accumulating over 50 touchdowns in a single season (second only to Paul Smith of Tulsa). Despite the Gators' loss to Michigan in the Capital One Bowl, Tebow was simply the best player in the game this season.

Tebow will be returning as the starting quarterback for Florida in 2008. While Tebow is the current front runner for the award, no player has ever won the Heisman twice in CFBN history (Archie Griffin was awarded the Downtown Athletic Club's trophy twice during his time at Ohio State). For more coverage on the 2008 Heisman Race, see the link on the right-hand side of the page.

Tim Tebow Wins NCAA Heisman

Florida quarterback Tim Tebow became the first underclassman to win the Heisman in the trophy's illustrious history. The Gator sophomore barely edged out Arkansas halfback Darren McFadden, who finished number two for the second consecutive year. Tebow certainly had the resume to compete with the probable No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft. Tim was the first "20-20" player in NCAA Division I-A history, passing for 29 touchdowns and rushing for 22 more. Last season, he contributed to Florida's national championship victory over Ohio State.

CFBN will announce its Heisman winner following the bowl season, as the postseason is the truest measure of a player's worth (as seen by Troy Smith in 2006 and Reggie Bush in 2005). Nonetheless, CFBN congratulates Tim Tebow on an incredible record-breaking season.

Tebow and the Gators will be prepping for their bowl game against the coachless Michigan Wolverines.

2007 Heisman Race

After a disappointing bowl season for our Heisman contenders, Tim Tebow erked out as the 2007 CFBN Heisman Winner. Tebow, who struggled against Michigan, was still fairly strong in his last game of the season, while competitors Darren McFadden and Colt Brennan were humiliated in the bowls. Chase Daniel gets a tremendous boost in the bowls following his thumping of the Razorbacks, finishing second. Pat White reappeared in the top 5 with his win in the Fiesta Bowl.

Here are the final 2007 Heisman Standings:

Po.	Name	Team	Votes
1	Tim Tebow, QB	Florida	5
2	Chase Daniel, QB	Missouri	4
3	Darren McFadden, HB	Arkansas	3
4	Pat White, QB	West Virginia	2
5	Michael Crabtree, WR	Texas Tech	1

Congrats JaMarcus

Congratulations to JaMarcus Russell, winner of the 2007 CFBN Heisman Trophy. For more coverage, see the "2006 Heisman Race" link on the right.

Peterson, Wolfe Exit Heisman Race

Saturday was a bad day for halfback Heisman hopefuls.

Adrian Peterson of Oklahoma and Garrett Wolfe of Northern Illinois performed poorly yesterday, leaving a clear two-man race for the Heisman -- Ohio State's Troy Smith and Notre Dame's Brady Quinn.

Peterson rushed for 179 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but broke his collarbone and will miss the rest of the season. Peterson is no stranger to the disabled list, with season-ending injuries both of his previous years with the Sooners. Without Peterson, Oklahoma will have difficulty advancing through its Big XII South schedule unscathed.

Wolfe exited the race due to inefficiency. Overhyped by ESPN, Wolfe carried for only 42 yards against conference foe Western Michigan. In order to stay a contender, Wolfe would have needed to step up every single weekend. A performance this poor by a player in a mid-major conference is the kiss of death to Heisman voters.

This exodus of running back talent leaves Steve Slaton (West Virginia), Mike Hart (Michigan), and Ian Johnson (Boise State) as the top backs in the country. But in all fairness, 2006 is now officially the year of the quarterback. Good luck to Troy and Brady on their campaigns.

Ian Johnson: The Boise State Manchild

If you had the opportunity to watch last night's Oregon State vs. Boise State match-up, you would have seen the most impressive performance by any player thus far this season. Sophomore tailback Ian Johnson was simply electric.

Some quick stats: 22 carries, 240 yards, 5 touchdowns.

Mark my words - Ian Johnson is a dark horse for the Heisman. Just look at Boise State's schedule and you will realize that they have a very good chance of going undefeated, by and large due to their ground game. Johnson also takes the pressure off of senior quarterback Jared Zabransky.

This team is lethal. Look for them on the BCS slate come January.

MVPs by Team

1 Program with 11 MVPs
Notre Dame:
George Gipp (1920), Elmer Layden (1924), Frank Carideo (1930), Angelo Bertelli (1943), Johnny Lujack (1947), Leon Hart (1949), John Lattner (1953), Paul Hornung (1956), Joe Theismann (1970), Tim Brown (1987), Raghib Ismail (1990)

1 Program with 9 MVPs
USC:
Morley Drury (1927), Erny Pinckert (1931), Mike Garrett (1965), O.J. Simpson (1968), Anthony Davis (1974), Charles White (1979), Marcus Allen (1981), Carson Palmer (2002), Matt Leinart (2004)

1 Program with 5 MVPs
Ohio State:
Les Horvath (1944), Vic Janowicz (1950), Howard Cassady (1955), Bob Ferguson (1961), Archie Griffin (1975)

2 Programs with 4 MVPs
Michigan:
Harry Kipke (1923), Harry Newman (1932), Tom Harmon (1940), Desmond Howard (1991)

Oklahoma:
Billy Vessels (1952), Kurt Burris (1954), Steve Owens (1969), Billy Sims (1978)

6 Program with 3 MVPs
Army:
Doc Blanchard (1945), Glenn Davis (1946), Pete Dawkins (1958)

Florida:
Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007, 2008)

LSU:
Billy Cannon (1959), Jerry Stovall (1962), JaMarcus Russell (2006)

Navy:
Tom Hamilton (1926), Joe Bellino (1960), Roger Staubach (1963)

Nebraska:
Sam Francis (1936), Johnny Rodgers (1972), Tommie Frazier (1995)

Texas:
Earl Campbell (1977), Ricky Williams (1998), Vince Young (2005)

8 Programs with 2 MVPs
Auburn:
Pat Sullivan (1971), Bo Jackson (1985)

Georgia:
Frank Sinkwich (1942), Herschel Walker (1980)

Illinois:
Red Grange (1925), Dick Butkus (1964)

Iowa:
Aubrey Devine (1921), Nile Kinnick (1939)

Miami:
Vinny Testaverde (1986), Ken Dorsey (2001)

Minnesota:
Pug Lund (1934), Bruce Smith (1941)

Pittsburgh:
Tony Dorsett (1976), Larry Fitzgerald (2003)

Tennessee:
Beattie Feathers (1933), Peyton Manning (1997)

23 Programs with 1 MVP
Arkansas:
Wear Schoonover (1929)

Boston College:
Doug Flutie (1984)

BYU:
Steve Young (1983)

California:
Sam Chapman (1937)

Chicago:
Jay Berwanger (1935)

Colorado:
Rashaan Salaam (1994)

Cornell:
Eddie Kaw (1922)

Florida State:
Charlie Ward (1993)

Houston:
Andre Ware (1989)

Michigan State:
Walt Kowalczyk (1957)

NYU:
Ken Strong (1928)

Oklahoma State:
Barry Sanders (1988)

Penn State:
John Cappelletti (1988)

Princeton:
Dick Kazmaier (1951)

Purdue:
Bob Griese (1966)

San Diego State:
Marshall Faulk (1992)

SMU:
Doak Walker (1948)

Stanford:
John Elway (1982)

TCU:
Davey O'Brien (1938)

UCLA:
Gary Beban (1967)

Virginia Tech:
Michael Vick (2000)

Wisconsin:
Ron Dayne (1999)

Click here for 1920-1929

MVP Winners: 1930-1939

1930: Frank Carideo, Notre Dame

1931: Erny Pinckert, USC

1932: Harry Newman, Michigan

1933: Beattie Feathers, Tennessee

1934: Pug Lund, Minnesota

1935: Jay Berwanger, Chicago
Heisman Winner: Jay Berwanger, Chicago

1936: Sam Francis, Nebraska
Heisman Winner: Larry Kelley, Yale

1937: Sam Chapman, California
Heisman Winner: Clint Frank, Yale

1938: Davey O'Brien, TCU
Heisman Winner: Davey O'Brien, TCU

1939: Nile Kinnick, Iowa
Heisman Winner: Nile Kinnick, Iowa

Click here for 1940-1949

MVP Winners: 1920-1929

1920: George Gipp, Notre Dame

1921: Aubrey Devine, Iowa

1922: Eddie Kaw, Cornell

1923: Harry Kipke, Michigan

1924: Elmer Layden, Notre Dame

1925: Red Grange, Illinois

1926: Tom Hamilton, Navy

1927: Morley Drury, USC

1928: Ken Strong, NYU

1929: Wear Schoonover, Arkansas

Click here for 1930-1939

MVP Winners: 1950-1959

1950: Vic Janowicz, Ohio State
Heisman Winner: Vic Janowicz, Ohio State

1951: Dick Kazmaier, Princeton
Heisman Winner: Dick Kazmaier, Princeton

1952: Billy Vessels, Oklahoma
Heisman Winner: Billy Vessels, Oklahoma

1953: John Lattner, Notre Dame
Heisman Winner: John Lattner, Notre Dame

1954: Kurt Burris, Oklahoma
Heisman Winner: Alan Ameche, Wisconsin

1955: Howard Cassady, Ohio State
Heisman Winner: Howard Cassady, Ohio State

1956: Paul Hornung, Notre Dame
Heisman Winner: Paul Hornung, Notre Dame

1957: Walt Kowalczyk, Michigan State
Heisman Winner: John David Crow, Texas A&M

1958: Pete Dawkins, Army
Heisman Winner: Pete Dawkins, Army

1959: Billy Cannon, LSU
Heisman Winner: Billy Cannon, LSU

Click here for 1960-1969

MVP Winners: 1940-1949

1940: Tom Harmon, Michigan
Heisman Winner: Tom Harmon, Michigan

1941: Bruce Smith, Minnesota
Heisman Winner: Bruce Smith, Minnesota

1942: Frank Sinkwich, Georgia
Heisman Winner: Frank Sinkwich, Georgia

1943: Angelo Bertelli, Notre Dame
Heisman Winner: Angelo Bertelli, Notre Dame

1944: Les Horvath, Ohio State
Heisman Winner: Les Horvath, Ohio State

1945: Doc Blanchard, Army
Heisman Winner: Doc Blanchard, Army

1946: Glenn Davis, Army
Heisman Winner: Glenn Davis, Army

1947: Johnny Lujack, Notre Dame
Heisman Winner: Johnny Lujack, Notre Dame

1948: Doak Walker, SMU
Heisman Winner: Doak Walker, SMU

1949: Leon Hart, Notre Dame
Heisman Winner: Leon Hart, Notre Dame

Click here for 1950-1959

MVP Winners: 1960-1969

1960: Joe Bellino, Navy
Heisman Winner: Joe Bellino, Navy

1961: Bob Ferguson, Ohio State
Heisman Winner: Ernie Davis, Syracuse

1962: Jerry Stovall, LSU
Heisman Winner: Terry Baker, Oregon State

1963: Roger Staubach, Navy
Heisman Winner: Roger Staubach, Navy

1964: Dick Butkus, Illinois
Heisman Winner: John Huarte, Notre Dame

1965: Mike Garrett, USC
Heisman Winner: Mike Garrett, USC

1966: Bob Griese, Purdue
Heisman Winner: Steve Spurrier, Florida

1967: Gary Beban, UCLA
Heisman Winner: Gary Beban, UCLA

1968: O.J. Simpson, USC
Heisman Winner: O.J. Simpson, USC

1969: Steve Owens, Oklahoma
Heisman Winner: Steve Owens, Oklahoma

Click here for 1970-1979

MVP Winners: 1980-1989

1980: Herschel Walker, Georgia
Heisman Winner: George Rogers, South Carolina

1981: Marcus Allen, USC
Heisman Winner: Marcus Allen, USC

1982: John Elway, Stanford
Heisman Winner: Herschel Walker, Georgia

1983: Steve Young, BYU
Heisman Winner: Mike Rozier, Nebraska

1984: Doug Flutie, Boston College
Heisman Winner: Doug Flutie, Boston College

1985: Bo Jackson, Auburn
Heisman Winner: Bo Jackson, Auburn

1986: Vinny Testaverde, Miami
Heisman Winner: Vinny Testaverde, Miami

1987: Tim Brown, Notre Dame
Heisman Winner: Tim Brown, Notre Dame

1988: Barry Sanders, Oklahoma State
Heisman Winner: Barry Sanders, Oklahoma State

1989: Andre Ware, Houston
Heisman Winner: Andre Ware, Houston

Click here for 1990-1999

MVP Winners: 1970-1979

1970: Joe Theismann, Notre Dame
Heisman Winner: Jim Plunkett, Stanford

1971: Pat Sullivan, Auburn
Heisman Winner: Pat Sullivan, Auburn

1972: Johnny Rodgers, Nebraska
Heisman Winner: Johnny Rodgers, Nebraska

1973: John Cappelletti, Penn State
Heisman Winner: John Cappelletti, Penn State

1974: Anthony Davis, USC
Heisman Winner: Archie Griffin, Ohio State

1975: Archie Griffin, Ohio State
Heisman Winner: Archie Griffin, Ohio State

1976: Tony Dorsett, Pittsburgh
Heisman Winner: Tony Dorsett, Pittsburgh

1977: Earl Campbell, Texas
Heisman Winner: Earl Campbell, Texas

1978: Billy Sims, Oklahoma
Heisman Winner: Billy Sims, Oklahoma

1979: Charles White, USC
Heisman Winner: Charles White, USC

Click here for 1980-1989

MVP Winners: 1990-1999

1990: Raghib Ismail, Notre Dame
Heisman Winner: Ty Detmer, BYU

1991: Desmond Howard, Michigan
Heisman Winner: Desmond Howard, Michigan

1992: Marshall Faulk, San Diego State
Heisman Winner: Gino Torretta, Miami

1993: Charlie Ward, Florida State
Heisman Winner: Charlie Ward, Florida State

1994: Rashaan Salaam, Colorado
Heisman Winner: Rashaan Salaam, Colorado

1995: Tommie Frazier, Nebraska
Heisman Winner: Eddie George, Ohio State

1996: Danny Wuerffel, Florida
Heisman Winner: Danny Wuerffel, Florida

1997: Peyton Manning, Tennessee
Heisman Winner: Charles Woodson, Michigan

1998: Ricky Williams, Texas
Heisman Winner: Ricky Williams, Texas

1999: Ron Dayne, Wisconsin
Heisman Winner: Ron Dayne, Wisconsin

Click here for 2000-2005

MVP Winners: 2000-2009

2000: Michael Vick, Virginia Tech
Heisman Winner: Chris Weinke, Florida State

2001: Ken Dorsey, Miami
Heisman Winner: Eric Crouch, Nebraska

2002: Carson Palmer, USC
Heisman Winner: Carson Palmer, USC

2003: Larry Fitzgerald, Pittsburgh
Heisman Winner: Jason White, Oklahoma

2004: Matt Leinart, USC
Heisman Winner: Matt Leinart, USC

2005: Vince Young, Texas
Heisman Winner: Reggie Bush, USC

2006: JaMarcus Russell, LSU
Heisman Winner: Troy Smith, Ohio State

2007: Tim Tebow, Florida
Heisman Winner: Tim Tebow, Florida

2008: Tim Tebow, Florida
Heisman Winner: Sam Bradford, Oklahoma

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