1st week of ESPN's Heisman Watch: ESPN.com debuted their annual Heisman Watch last week, Oklahoma QB and defending Heisman trophy winner Sam Bradford ranked No. 3 in the preseason poll. The ESPN 'panel of experts' didn't give Bradford one 1st place vote! And to top it off, Bradford received fewer second place votes than Texas' QB Colt McCoy.
Here's a look at their poll.
Rank: Player - 1st place votes, 2nd, 3rd, (total points) 1. Tim Tebow - 11, 4, 0 (71) 2. Colt McCoy - 4, 8, 3 (61) 3. Sam Bradford - 0, 3, 12 (48)
Other notable players: Jahvid Best (15) Eric Berry (11) Dez Bryant (5)
Heisman scores big locally: ESPN's one-hour Heisman Trophy presentation show, which included the announcement that OU quarterback Sam Bradford had won the award, drew a huge 19.6 rating in the Oklahoma City television market. Nationally, it set an ESPN record with 3,058,000 households and tied the 3.1 rating of 2007. Sports events Dec. 9-16 1. Heisman Trophy Presentation, Saturday, ESPN, 19.6. 2. N.Y. Giants at Dallas, NFL, Sunday, KFOR-4, 15.5. (Ratings rundown at NewsOK.com)
Mack Brown considers giving up coaches vote: The Texas coach indicated Thursday that his opinion isn't just talk. He acknowledged that he might give up his vote in the USA Today coaches' poll next season. "I don't think coaches should vote," Brown said. "I'm going to have to do a lot of soul-searching to see if I continue to vote." (Dallas Morning News)
Venables visited Pelini to discuss Florida: Oklahoma defensive coordinator Brent Venables visited Saturday with Nebraska coach Bo Pelini, apparently to discuss strategy to stop Florida's offense. Pelini previously was defensive coordinator at LSU, and the Tigers were 2-1 against Florida in those three seasons. Florida never scored more than 24 points against Pelini's defenses. Pelini was defensive coordinator at Oklahoma in 2004. (Rivals.com)
Bradford edges McCoy, Tebow in Heisman vote:Sam Bradford was walking out of the Nokia Theatre following a rehearsal for the Heisman Trophy ceremony Saturday morning when he looked up at the portraits of the past winners from Oklahoma hanging from the ceiling. "When I looked up at all those Oklahoma guys, it really got to me," Bradford said. "I can't even imagine what it would be like to be up there." Bradford captured college football's most prestigious honor, edging Texas quarterback Colt McCoy and Florida quarterback Tim Tebow in one of the most anticipated votes in the 74-year history of the award.(AP/Houston Chronicle)
Total Votes Sam Bradford -1,726 points Colt McCoy - 1,604 points Tim Tebow - 1,575 points
Heisman advice: Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford received a text message this week from ex-Sooner QB Jason White, who won the Heisman in 2003. "He said, ‘Relax, have fun, there's nothing you can do now that will change the outcome,' " Bradford said of White's text. "Winning, that's probably the least important thing. "The most important thing is getting to meet all the past winners and enjoying the week." Florida QB Tim Tebow has also been talking with a past Heisman winner, ex-Ohio State running back Archie Griffin. Tonight, Tebow hopes to join Griffin as the only players to win the Heisman twice. "I had a chance to talk with him a few times," Tebow said. "He's a man who's really strong in his faith, too. So we have a lot in common. (The Oklahoman)
The Heisman Trophy presentation will be televised live on ESPN 8:00 ET/ 7:00 CT.
Gators hope for home-field advantage: Bob Stoops has recruited South Florida heavily before, although his current team has only one player from the Sunshine State. Meanwhile, Florida has 13 players from the greater Miami area alone, and Meyer said the same number were part of high school state championship victories at Dolphin Stadium, where the BCS title will be decided this year. "I hope it's a home-field advantage," Meyer said. "I'd be disappointed if it wasn't a tremendous showing, but I know Oklahoma has a great tradition of traveling fans as well. In the back of our minds, even in the front of some of our minds, this was our target to get to Miami -- because it's our home state, because of recruiting, because of all of the above."(Sun-Sentinel)
Leach unhappy Harrell didn't receive Heisman invite: Texas Tech coach Mike Leach had this to say.. "If Graham is not invited to the Heisman, they ought to quit giving out the award," Leach said in a statement released by the school. "It is a shameless example of politics ruling over performance. The other guys are deserving, but he has earned a place alongside them." (Dallas Morning News)
Sam Bradford receives NYC Heisman invitation: Tim Tebow will go for two against a pair of talented quarterbacks from the Big 12 when the Heisman Trophy is handed out Saturday night. Sam Bradford from Oklahoma and Colt McCoy from Texas joined Tebow as Heisman finalists announced Wednesday. The last time all the Heisman finalists were quarterbacks was 2001, when Nebraska's Eric Crouch won the award and QBs held the first six spots. Tebow's Gators will play Bradford and the Sooners in the BCS national championship game Jan. 8 in Miami. "It's a good thing I don't have a vote," Bradford said while attending an event with Tebow and McCoy in Orlando, Fla., where numerous college football awards will be handed out Thursday night. "I couldn't decide. It's just an honor to be one of the guys going up to New York." (Associated Press)
Bradford second in ESPN.com Heisman Watch: (1st place votes) total votes 1. Chase Daniel (11) 71 2. Sam Bradford (0) 40 3. Tim Tebow (2) 30 4. Mark Sanchez (1) 26 5. Max Hall (1) 17 Complete ranking at ESPN.com
Injury update: Sooners coach Bob Stoops said Sunday that no injury concerns emerged from the TCU game. "Don't have any reports of anything major," Stoops said. Reserve cornerback Jonathan Nelson was on crutches after the game, but that was due to a knee injury suffered during OU's off week. Stoops said he'd be out a "few weeks." (The Oklahoman)
Sooners #1 in CBS Sports Top 120: In the latest CBS Sports top 120, Oklahoma ranks No. 1, followed by Ohio State, and Georgia in the three. The CBS Sports poll takes into account strength of schedule ranking and votes from CBS Sports writers. (CBS Sports Top 120)
Also from CBS Sports... Heisman Watch '08: OU's Sam Bradford ranks #2 in CBS Sports Heisman watch only behind Georgia's Knowshon Moreno. (CBS Sports Heisman Watch)
1. Knowshon Moreno (41 points) 2. Sam Bradford (27 points) 3. Tim Tebow (21 points) 4. Chase Daniel (12 points) 5. Chris Wells/Jahvid Best (5 points)
Early 2008 Heisman odds, Tebow and Wells early favorites: Here are the early 2008 Hesiman odds courtesy of TheSpread.com, Oklahoma has DeMarco Murrary and Sam Bradford included in the early favorites. (Big 12 players highlighted too)
Tim Tebow (FL) 7/2 Chris Wells (Ohio St.) 6/1 Knowshon Moreno (UGA) 8/1 Chase Daniel (Missouri) 9/1 Pat White (WVU) 10/1 Michael Crabtree (TTech) 10/1 Matthew Stafford (UGA) 14/1 DeMarco Murray (Okla) 15/1 Graham Harrell (TTech) 15/1 Percy Harvin (FL) 15/1 Sam Bradford (Okla) 16/1 LeSean McCoy (Pitt) 22/1 P.J. Hill (Wisc) 22/1 Cullen Harper (Clem)25/1 Joe McKnight (USC) 25/1 Colt McCoy (Tex) 28/1 Todd Reesing (Kan) 30/1 Jeremy Maclin (Missouri) 40/1 Zac Robinson (Ok. State) 75/1
