Clarion Content

As the Clarion Content watched the Big 12's Oklahoma go down to defeat last night against Florida, we couldn't help but be reminded of this year's skewed Heisman trophy balloting. Florida quarterback Tim Tebow looked as good or better as Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford last night. The Clarion Content did not have a strong preference for one or the other of them as the Heisman winner. (We were more disappointed that Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree weren't even invited to New York as finalists.)

However, last night's more or less equal performances from the two top vote getters in the Heisman race highlighted just how illegitimate that voting was. Florida quarterback Tim Tebow received the most first place votes, 750+. We felt it fair to vote Bradford, Tebow, Colt McCoy of Texas or Graham Harrell of Texas Tech number one. What was ridiculous was that Tebow left off of 154 ballots, almost all of the from them southwest region. What you didn't think Tebow was even in the top three best players in the country? Really? Or was it (more likely) that you were just trying to fix the outcome for your favorite son? Didn't work last night! Florida handled the Oklahoma offense, which had been lighting up the scoreboard on the Big 12's little sisters of the poor defenses. Last night Bradford & co. ran into a buzz saw. 14 points? What happened to 60 a game?

Well, at least the rest of the conference held up there end of the bargain, right? What's that you say, Texas barely got by Big 10 runner-up Ohio State with help of a very questionable final drive spot? Oklahoma State got thumped by the 3rd place PAC-10 team? And the conference finished with only the 6th best record of BCS conferences in bowl games?

Yeah, Big 12 honks, you may have fixed the Heisman voting, but you got exposed on the field. Say what's Jason White up to these days anyway? Whatever it is, we see Sam Bradford working along side of him soon.

Making Heisman voters ballots public would help solve this problem.

Labels: college football, Ethically questionable, NCAA, sports