Heisman Hopefuls: Week 3

Week 3 has come and gone and most of my Heisman Hopefuls (same list since March) have at least 2 games under their belt so it is time to start eliminating names off of the list of Bronze Stiff Arm Candidates. As always you can refer to the Bronze Stiff Arm Link at the bottom of the article for the past few lists.

Todd Boeckman, QB - Ohio State
14/27 - 87 yds - 2 TDs/0 INTs - 81.22 QB Rating
Through 3 Games:
44/66 - 381 yds - 2 TDs/2 INTs - 119.1 QB Rating
With the loss against USC on Saturday Todd Boeckman looked a lot more like the Boeckman we saw against Ohio which started to worry Buckeye Faithful. There are clamors for Freshman Phenom Terrelle Pryor to step in, can't remember the last time a Heisman Candidate was being pressured by a True Freshman backup.

Sam Bradford, QB - Oklahoma
18/28 - 304 yds - 5 TDs/0 INTs - 285.88 QB Rating - 1 Rush - 1 yd - 1 TD

Jimmy Clausen, QB - Notre Dame
10/21 - 147 yds - 2 TDs/2 INTs - 118.8 QB Rating
Through 2 Games:
31/55 - 384 yds - 5 TDs/4 INTs - 130.47 QB Rating
Despite the win over Michigan Jimmy is out of the running. Though 2-0 with a weak schedule, Notre Dame will not be in the National Spotlight, beyond their typical overexposure, and his numbers aren't enough to garner National Award Recognition.

Michael Crabtree, WR - Texas Tech
8 Receptions - 164 yds - 3 TDs

Chase Daniel, QB - Missouri
23/28 - 405 yds - 4 TDs/0 INTs - 250.78 QB Rating - 1 Rush - 12 yds - 0 TDs

Noel Devine, RB - West Virginia
-OFF-

Graham Harrell, QB - Texas Tech
31/48 - 418 yds - 5 TDs/0 INTs - 172.11 QB Rating

P.J. Hill, RB - Wisconsin
26 Rushes - 112 yds - 0 TDs

Ian Johnson, RB - Boise State
13 Rushes - 97 yds - 2 TDs - 1 Reception - 10 yds - 0 TDs - 1 KR - 25 yds

Kellen Lewis, QB - Indiana
-OFF-

Jeremy Maclin, WR - Missouri
6 Receptions - 172 yds - 3 TDs - 4 PR - 23 yds - 2 KR - 39 yds

Ryan Mallet, QB - Michigan
NO LONGER AT MICHIGAN, AT ARKANSAS SITTING OUT 2008, NO LONGER 2008 BSA CANDIDATE

Colt McCoy, QB - Texas
-OFF-

LeSean "Shady" McCoy, RB - Pittsburgh
-OFF-

Joe McKnight, RB - Southern California
12 Rushes - 105 yds - 0 TDs

Knowshon Moreno, RB - Georgia
20 Rushes - 79 yds - 1 TD - 2 Receptions - 13 yds - 0 TDs - 1 PR - 32 yds

Ryan Perrilloux, QB - Lousiana State
NO LONGER AT LSU, AT D-1 FCS JACKSONVILLE STATE, NO LONGER IN BSA CONTENTION

Mark Sanchez, QB - Southern California
17/28 - 172 yds - 4 TDs/1 INT - 152.31 QB Rating

Matthew Stafford, QB - Georgia
15/25 - 146 yds - 0 TDs/0 INTs - 109.6 QB Rating - 8 Rushes - 15 yds - 0 TDs

Tim Tebow, QB - Florida
-OFF-

Mike Thomas, WR - Arizona
12 Receptions - 136 yds - 1 TD - 2 KR - 40 yds

Willie Tuitama, QB - Arizona
27/50 - 321 yds - 3 TDs/2 INTs - 119.73 QB Rating

Chris "Beanie" Wells, RB - Ohio State
-DNP (FOOT)-

Pat White, QB - West Virginia
-OFF-

Isiah "Juice" Williams, QB - Illinois
13/25 - 147 yds - 1 TD/1 INT - 106.59 QB Rating - 11 Rushes - 35 yds

If I were to give the Award today, based on 3 weeks, my recipients would be:

Week 3 Winner:
Sam Bradford, QB - Oklahoma
18/28 - 304 yds - 5 TDs/0 INTs - 285.88 QB Rating - 1 Rush - 1 yd - 1 TD

Winner after 3 weeks:
Sam Bradford, QB - Oklahoma
64/81 - 882 yds - 12 TDs/2 INTs - 214.43 QB Rating - 4 Rushes - 4 yds - 1 TD

As I mentioned before I am sticking with my original list of names so Jahvid Best, Javon Ringer, Max Hall, and the others who deserve to be on this list aren't. Look for 4 Real's Heisman Busters column where those fellas will be mentioned in detail.
More after the jump...

Week 2 Heisman Hopefuls

If you haven't figured it out by now, we love college football here we've done loads of Top 25, Game Analysis, Heisman Talk, Predictions, Pick 'Ems, etc. Face it we are YOUR College Football Home, and if we're not we damn well should be. So last week I gave you a follow up to my Heisman Hopefuls looking for the Bronze Stiff Arm. I've been working on it since January so as always you can Refer to Part 1 Part 2 and Week 1 for the past rankings and guesses. We're going to start knocking some names off of the list each week. We started with 25 in January, were at 23 by last time and after Saturday that list has remained the same. But only because 1 mediocre/subpar game isn't enough to get taken out of contention. Next week we should see at least 3 names come off the board.

Todd Boeckman, QB - Ohio State
16/26 - 110 yds - 0 TDs/0 INTs - 71 QB Rating - 8 Rushes - 26 yds
On the verge of being done in the race with more weeks sub 80 QB Ratings and no TDs.

Sam Bradford, QB - Oklahoma
29/38 - 395 yds - 5 TDs/2 INTs - 126.6 QB Rating
Staying true to the Sam Bradford we've watched almost every time he has taken a snap since he started as a True Freshman.

Jimmy Clausen, QB - Notre Dame
21/34 - 237 yds - 3 TDs/2 INTs - 87.5 QB Rating
San Diego State? Jimmy was almost taken off this week, I actually deleted the Strike Tags that were there eliminating him. 1 game isn't enough to make a judgment. But 1 more performance like Saturday and he won't be in contention any longer.

Michael Crabtree, WR - Texas Tech
7 Receptions - 158 yds - 1 TD
Slightly better performance than last week's, especially considering Harrell's struggles.

Chase Daniel, QB - Missouri
16/17 - 245 yds - 3 TDs/0 INTs - 158.3 QB Rating
Chase Daniel being Chase Daniel.

Noel Devine, RB - West Virginia
12 Rushes - 94 yds - 3 Receptions - 9 yds
He could be gone next week too. 2 games 0 TDs. Those aren't Heisman Numbers.

Graham Harrell, QB - Texas Tech
19/46 - 297 yds - 1 TD/2 INTs - 52.5 Rating
A sub 60 Rating in a Hi-Octane Spread? No more weeks like this if he wants any kind of chance at striking the pose.

P.J. Hill, RB - Wisconsin
18 Rushes - 57 yds - 2 TDs
Looking a lot like a Jerome Bettis line. Bettis was a great player but not a Heisman Winner.

Ian Johnson, RB - Boise State
-Off-

Kellen Lewis, QB - Indiana
15/21 - 170 yds - 0 TDs/0 INTs - 95.3 QB Rating
Slightly different than last week's performance, still good, but not the same QB.

Jeremy Maclin, WR - Missouri
2 Receptions - 20 yds - 1 TD - 1 Rush - 11 yds - 3 PR - 34 yds
Someone's got Maclin's Number he might not belong here too much longer. It's hard enough for a receiver not named Tim Brown.

Ryan Mallet, QB - Michigan
NO LONGER AT MICHIGAN, AT ARKANSAS SITTING OUT 2008, NO LONGER 2008 BSA CANDIDATE

Colt McCoy, QB - Texas
20/29 - 282 yds - 4 TDs/1 INT - 125.3 QB Rating
Last week's Week 1 Heisman Winner in my College Football Awards Column, McCoy is looking sharp.

LeSean "Shady" McCoy, RB - Pittsburgh
20 Rushes - 93 yds - 3 TDs - 1 Reception - 24 yds
3 TDs will keep you in contention, but I need to see a 100 yd game out of him. Especially against the Bowling Greens and Buffalos of the world.

Joe McKnight, RB - Southern California
-Off-

Knowshon Moreno, RB - Georgia
18 Rushes - 168 yds - 3 TDs - 3 Receptions
Nearly Tripling his yardage Knowshon is back in the picture.

Ryan Perrilloux, QB - Lousiana State
NO LONGER AT LSU, AT D-1 FCS JACKSONVILLE STATE, NO LONGER IN BSA CONTENTION

Mark Sanchez, QB - Southern California
-Off-

Matthew Stafford, QB - Georgia
18/28 - 213 yds - 2 TDs/0 INTs - 111.2 QB Rating - 2 Rushes - 25 yds
Inflated numbers, we'll have to see if he can perform as well facing a little bit more pressure come SEC play.

Tim Tebow, QB - Florida
21/35 - 256 yds - 2 TDs/0 INT - 101.6 QB Rating - 13 Rushes - 55 yds
2nd straight week sans Rushing TD...Archie Griffin safe?

Mike Thomas, WR - Arizona
9 Receptions - 138 yds - 1 TD - 3 PR - 21 yds
After spending the entire 2nd half of Week 1's blowout on the bench, Thomas put up some serious numbers in Week 2.

Willie Tuitama, QB - Arizona
25/33 - 292 yds - 2 TDs/0 INTs - 170.08 QB Rating
Same as Thomas, he got more PT in the slightly closer game this week, but still stepped aside in the 4th Quarter to give Freshman Matt Scott some reps.

Chris "Beanie" Wells, RB - Ohio State
-DNP (FOOT)-

Pat White, QB - West Virginia
11/18 - 72 yds - 0 TDs/0 INTs - 69.7 QB Rating - 20 Rushes - 97 yds
A little different from the Week 1 (Bear Down College Football) Davey O'Brien Award Winning Quarterback White. The Mountaineers need their QB to have less than 20 rushes in a game and more than 0 TDs for him to stay in contention.

Isiah "Juice" Williams, QB - Illinois
16/25 - 124 yds - 1 TD/2 INTs - 56.1 QB Rating - 16 Rushes - 174 yds - 2 TDs
Juice saved his BSA Status with his feet Saturday rushing for 174 yds in the Illini win.

I would like to point out that I am fighting not adding more players to this list who have impressed thusfar. 4Real has posted some names that I badly want to add, but I'm staying true to my way too early predictions. I had no idea Nic Grigsby was going to rush for 304 yds in 2 games, especially when he rushed for 704 in 10 games last year. I also had no idea who Shun White was or his 476 yards through 2 games would be featured on this list right now.

If I were to give the Award today, based on 2 games, my recipient would be Texas QB Colt McCoy - 2 Games - 44/58 - 504 yds - 7 TDs/1 INT - 185.24 QB Rating - 17 Rushes - 111 yds - 1 TD

More after the jump...

Bronze Stiff Arm Candidates: Week 1

As with my Top 25 I'm also going to keep you updated on my list of BSA (Heisman) Candidates as the season goes on. The basis for these 23 candidates are from my Heisman Hopefulls column back in January (Refer to Part 1 and Part 2 for further breakdown and information on each player). Originally there were 25 but we've already dropped two going into the season and will likely drop more as the season goes on. Remember a good portion of these stats are inflated due to inferior opponents, also many of these numbers aren't as high as others because some coaches (Mike Stoops - Arizona, Bob Stoops - Oklahoma) were smart enough to take their starters out once the game was in hand, thus stats not inflated as others. So here they are, in alphabetical order your Top 23 Bronze Stiff Arm Watchlist members:

Todd Boeckman, QB - Ohio State
14/19 - 187 yards - 2 TDs/0 INTs - 191.09 QB Rating

Sam Bradford, QB - Oklahoma
17/22 - 183 yards - 2 TDs/0 INTs - 177.14 QB Rating

Jimmy Clausen, QB - Notre Dame
-OFF-

Michael Crabtree, WR - Texas Tech
9 Rec. - 47 yards - 1 TD

Chase Daniel, QB - Missouri
26/45 - 323 yards - 3 TDs/1 INT - 135.63 QB Rating - 9 Rush - 46 yards

Noel Devine, RB - West Virginia
9 Rush - 47 yards - 6 Rec. - 37 yards

Graham Harrell, QB - Texas Tech
43/58 - 536 yards - 2 TDs/1 INT - 159.69 QB Rating

P.J. Hill, RB - Wisconsin
26 Rush - 210 yards - 2 TDs

Ian Johnson, RB - Boise State
14 Rush - 87 yards - 1 TD

Kellen Lewis, QB - Indiana
17/27 - 144 yards - 2 TDs/1 INT - 124.8 QB Rating - 9 Rush - 185 yards - 2 TDs

Jeremy Maclin, WR - Missouri
4 Rec. - 31 yards - 3 K Ret. - 145 yards - 1 TD - 4 P Ret. - 56 yards

Ryan Mallet, QB - Michigan
NO LONGER AT MICHIGAN, AT ARKANSAS SITTING OUT 2008, NO LONGER 2008 BSA CANDIDATE

Colt McCoy, QB - Texas
24/29 - 222 yards - 3 TDs/0 INTs - 181.2 QB Rating - 12 Rush - 103 yards - 1 TD

LeSean "Shady" McCoy, RB - Pittsburgh
23 Rush - 71 yards - 1 TD - 5 Rec. - 45 yards

Joe McKnight, RB - Southern California
6 Rush - 60 yards - 4 Rec. - 24 yards - 1 TD

Knowshon Moreno, RB - Georgia
8 Rush - 59 yards - 3 TDs - 2 Rec. - 53 yards

Ryan Perrilloux, QB - Lousiana State
NO LONGER AT LSU, AT D-1 FCS JACKSONVILLE STATE, NO LONGER IN BSA CONTENTION

Mark Sanchez, QB - Southern California
26/35 - 338 yards - 3 TDs/1 INT - 177.98 QB Rating

Matthew Stafford, QB - Georgia
13/21 - 275 yards - 2 TDs/0 INTs - 203.33 QB Rating

Tim Tebow, QB - Florida
9/14 - 137 yards - 1 TD/0 INTs - 170.06 QB Rating - 9 Rush - 37 yards

Mike Thomas, WR - Arizona
5 Rec. - 28 yards - 1 TD

Willie Tuitama, QB - Arizona
17/21 - 179 yards - 3 TDs/0 INTs - 199.7 QB Rating

Chris "Beanie" Wells, RB - Ohio State
13 Rush - 111 yards - 1 TD - 3 Rec. - 10 yards

Pat White, QB - West Virginia
25/33 - 208 yards - 5 TDs/1 INT - 172.64 QB Rating - 9 Rush - 63 yards

Isiah "Juice" Williams, QB - Illinois
26/42 - 451 yards - 5 TDs/2 INTs - 181.87 QB Rating

As the weeks go on I will begin eliminating players from this list when I think they are no longer in contention to strike the Reverse Desmond with the Hesiman Trophy at the New York Athletic Club.

More after the jump...

2008 - 2009 Heiman Candidates Part 2

If you haven't red the top half here is the first 13 of my preseason 2008-2009 Heisman Candidates. But I'll quickly recap for you. The list is alphabetical at the moment.

Todd Boeckman, QB - Ohio State
Sam Bradford, QB - Oklahoma
Jimmy Clausen, QB - Notre Dame
Michael Crabtree, WR - Texas Tech
Chase Daniel, QB - Missouri
Noel Devine, RB - West Virginia
Graham Harrell, QB - Texas Tech
P.J. Hill, RB - Wisconsin
Ian Johnson, RB - Boise State
Kellen Lewis, QB - Indiana
Jeremy Maclin, WR - Missouri
Ryan Mallet, QB - Michigan
Colt McCoy, QB - Texas

LeSean McCoy, RB - Pitt
Why: Carried the load as a True Freshman last year, Dual Threat capabilities
2007: 276 Att, 1328 yds, 4.8 avg, 14 TD
Why Not: Plays at Pitt, Will get the same attention as Rutgers Ray Rice, not enough

Joe McKnight, RB - Southern California
Why: Flashes during his brief appearances. Featured in 2nd half of Rose Bowl 125 yds on 10 carries, will be featured in 2008, Reggie Bush Capabilities, RB at USC
2007: 94 Att, 540 yds, 5.7 avg, 3 TD
Why Not: Sophomore, Sophomore Slump? Increased workload?

Knowshon Moreno, RB - Georgia
Why: 6 - 100+ rushing games last season as True Freshman
2007: 248 Att, 1334 yds, 14 TD 0 Fumbles
Why Not: Sophomore, Sophomore Slump? People know he's a threat now

Ryan Perrilloux, QB - Louisiana State
Why: Played well splitting time with Matt Flynn, Esp. in the SEC Champ. game
2007: 51/75 for 695 yds, 8 TD 2 INT
Why Not: The pressure will be on, defending champs, Early Doucet gone

QB - Southern California
Why: QB at Southern California
2007: (Sanchez) - 69/114, 695 yds, 7 TD, 5 INT/ (Mustain) 2007 - DNP (Transfer) 2006: 69/132 894 yds 10 TD 9 INT
Why Not: 5 to 7 ratio for Sanchez, can he be a leader? Mustain could be rusty, Big play state of mind high TD #s and High INT #s

Matthew Stafford, QB - Georgia
Why: Starting QB on College Football's top team in '08, improved big between 2006 and 2007
2007: 194/348, 2523 yds, 19 TD , 10 INT
Why Not: Pressure, Pocket Passer, doesn't create with his feet, Leading WR is gone.

Tim Tebow, QB - Florida
Why: Definition of Dual Threat, The White Mike Vick, minus the dogfighting with actual passing accuracy, Only one who can vote for himself
2007: The only number that matters, 1. Amount of Heisman's won last season.
Why Not: Matt Leinart Factor. Being deserving does not guarantee a 2nd Heisman. Voters aren't big fans of dual winners

Mike Thomas, WR - Arizona
Why: Arizona will be entering into year 2 of the pass happy spread. Thomas will be #1 target, Gronkowski as another target and improved running game will help open up the passing game.
2007: 83 Rec, 1038 yds, 11 TD
Why Not: Teams know he's Willie's favorite target, Gronkowski will improve and steal some of his catches, plays at Arizona

Willie Tuitama, QB - Arizona
Why: Year 2 of the pass happy spread, Injury free most of last season, 2006 LSU game in the past, has Thomas and improved Gronkowski
2007: 327/524 3683 yds, 28 TD, 12 INT
Why Not: Injury and Mistake prone, plays at Arizona

Chris Wells, RB - Ohio State
Why: Impressed us last year carrying the load, Ohio State return most of line-up could be a top tier team
2007: 247 Att, 1609 yds, 15 TD, 0 Fumbles in 2 years
Why Not: Ohio State's offense doesn't draw the attention to Columbus, if Boeckman can't get it done, it's on Beanie.

Pat White, QB - West Virginia
Why: Has improved each year, has Devine in the running game, Spread offense, good TD:INT ratio
2007: 144/216, 1724 yds, 14 TD 4 INT
Why Not: Lot's of questions, new coach, added pressure

Juice Williams, QB - Illinois
Why: Can make a play when it counts, especially with his feet
2007: 153/267, 1743 yds, 13 TD, 12 INT, 7 Rushing TD
Why Not: 12 INT, lost Mendenhall, Sophomore Eddie McGee will be putting added pressure on Juice
More after the jump...

2008 - 2009 Heisman Candidates

With the list of those entering the NFL Draft in a few months finalized we can now sit back and look at the possible/probable Heisman Candidates for the 2008-2009 season. For a Background here is my first foray into the field of likely Bronze Stiff Arm Finalists on their quest to strike the Reverse Desmond. (In case you wonder why I call it the "Reverse Desmond, it has to do with the fact that Howard sticks he Left arm out and Left leg forward, while the Bronze Stiff Arm is the Right arm out and Right leg forward. It's the details people. Anyway due to my expansive knowledge of College Football as well as Heisman Voting Procedures I can tell you all why my Top 25 could be the next, and why they most likely won't. Since it helps me get through the day (and since I go home in 15 minutes) I'm going to break this up similarly to how I broke up the NFL Draft columns. Without further adieu my Top 25 2008 Heisman Hopefulls (In Alphabetical order)

Todd Boeckman, QB - Ohio State
Why: Led Ohio State to the BCS Championship
2007: 191/299 2379 yds, 25 TD 14 INT.
Why Not: Needs Brian Hartline to really step up and be a serious down-field threat.

Sam Bradford, QB - Oklahoma
Why: Oklahoma 11-2 in games he finished as True Freshman
2007: 237/341 3121 yds, 36 TD 8 INT
Why Not: Missed Time, injuries, Sophomore

Jimmy Clausen, QB - Notre Dame
Why: Plays for Notre Dame (Tim Brown Factor)
2007: 67/104 636 yds 6 TD 1 INT (In last 3 games)
Why Not: Those games were against Air Force, Duke, Stanford. Didn't start 6 of the team's games, Sophomore

Michael Crabtree, WR - Texas Tech
Why: Insane Numbers
2007: Seriously, insane Numbers, 134 Rec.1962 yds, 22 TD, Clutch
Why Not: He's a WR, He's a Sophomore, He plays for Texas Tech.

Chase Daniel, QB - Missouri
Why: Led Mizzou to a #1 ranking last season, Still has Jeremy Maclin
2007: 384/563 4306 yds, 33 TD 11 INT
Why Not: Losing Tony Temple, Team's leading receiver

Noel Devine, RB - West Virginia
Why: BearDown Fan Favorite, According to the last post, Performed well backing up Steve Slaton.
2007: 73 Att, 627 yds, 8.5 avg, 6 TD as a back-up
Why Not: Late in the game carries, yards, defeated teams, we'll see what he can do as #1

Graham Harrell, QB - Texas Tech
Why: Insane Numbers throwing to Crabtree, passing offense, has all the tools.
2007: 512/713 5705 yds, 48 TD 14 INT
Why Not: Texas TECH, spread offense, inflated numbers, Colt Brennan Factor

P.J. Hill, RB - Wisconsin
Why: North/South Runner, last year was a DOWN year for him
2007: 233 Att, 1212 yds, 5.2 avg, 14 TD, 0 Fumbles
Why Not: Wisconsin won't garner enough attention for him, Soph slump could be more.

Ian Johnson, RB - Boise State
Why: PR Factor, people know who he is
2007: 207 Att, 1041 yds, 5.0 avg, 16 TD, 0 Fumbles
Why Not: Boise State, WAC, Numbers down, a lot, last year, Whipped (proposed to his GF post GW Fiesta Bowl TD

Kellen Lewis, QB - Indiana
Why: Numbers have been increasing steadily, Indiana is improving
2007: 265/442, 3043 yds, 28 TD, 10 INT
Why Not: Indiana, Lost James Hardy, Still Indiana

Jeremy Maclin, WR - Missouri
Why: Solid Freshman Numbers, Should be # 1 Target for Daniel
2007: 80 rec, 1055 yds, 9 TD, Plus 4 Rushing TDs and 375 yds on 375 Att.
Why Not: WR, Sophomore Slump?, being the #1 receiver

Ryan Mallet, QB - Michigan
Why: Performed well as a True Freshman thrust into the spotlight on a Michigan team constantly in the spotlight (repetition intentional)
2007: 61/141, 892 yds, 7 TD, 5 INT
Why Not: Rich Rodriguez spread? Terrell Pryor? 5 INT to only 7 TD

UPDATE: Refer to the bottom of part 2 where 4Real points out that I'm an idiot. Rather than try to cover it up, I admit my mistake and cross it off without altering it in any other way, narrowing the field to 24. As I have said before, I am an idiot, please do not forget this.

Colt McCoy, QB - Texas
Why: Texas QB, his name is Colt McCoy for heaven's sake.
2007: 276/424 3,303 yds, 22 TD, 18 INT
Why Not: 18 INT, Hasn't impressed a lot.

Well That's it for now, I'll give you more brief overviews of the next 12 guys sometime Friday. Here are the next 12 (remember alphabetical order)

LeSean McCoy, RB - Pitt
Joe McKnight, RB - USC
Knowshon Moreno, RB - Georgia
Ryan Perrilloux, QB - Lousiana State
QB - University of Southern California (Whichever one starts between Sanchez and Mustain)
Matthew Stafford, QB - Georgia
Tim Tebow, QB - Florida
Mike Thomas, WR - Arizona
Willie Tuitama, QB - Arizona
Chris "Beanie" Wells, RB - Ohio State
Pat White, QB - West Virginia
Juice Williams, QB - Illinois

Check out Part 2 here
More after the jump...