The Heisman Trophy is really interesting dynamic.  The trophy is usually set to go to the nations top player at any position, but to win the trophy, it takes a combination of circumstances, hype and performance.  Rarely does a player come from nowhere to win the trophy, but often a player comes from nowhere to compete for the trophy.

In the end, it is always a player which has enough recognition that walks away from the trophy.  Who can forget the year that Sam Bradford won the trophy.  Sitting in the front were the top three candidates, Bradford, Tim Tebow (a previous winner) and Colt McCoy.  All of those players were high profile quarterbacks for high profile schools.

So, with all that said, here are my top ten candidates to win the Heisman Trophy.

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TCU's Andy Dalton is a darkhorse according to Phil Steele

The “Sports Illustrated Heisman Tour Presented by Nissan” Brings 75 Years of the Heisman Trophy and the History of College Football to Fans Nationwide Starting September 5th

NEW YORK, July 23 /PRNewswire/ — Sports Illustrated and Nissan have teamed up to help fans celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Heisman Trophy and the great history of college football with the “Sports Illustrated Heisman Tour Presented by Nissan.” During the 2009 season, the tour will make 10 stops at some of the most anticipated match-ups of the year, showcasing college football’s most famous award, a rich collection of SI’s history covering the quintessential American sport, and Nissan’s dynamic line-up of cars and trucks.

For no charge, fans at each tour stop will have the opportunity to meet former Heisman winners and college football legends as well as pose for a SI cover shot with the Trophy itself. The highly interactive 100 x 100 foot experience also features one-on-one trivia challenges, SI.com kiosks and a look back at past Heisman recipients through SI’s renowned photography and story-telling. As the campaign’s presenting sponsor, Nissan will showcase the 290-horsepower 2010 Maxima premium performance sedan, the original “4-door sports car.”

Is Houston's Case Keenum a legitimate candidate?

“Exhilarating performance is at the heart of college football’s most prestigious award, the Heisman Trophy, and the same is true of Nissan’s flagship sedan, the 2010 Nissan Maxima,” said Christian Meunier, vice president, Nissan Marketing. “Partnering with Sports Illustrated is the perfect way to bring 75 years of college football history to life while offering fans a closer look at Nissan’s exciting vehicles.”

The Sports Illustrated Heisman Tour Presented by Nissan represents a continued partnership between two of the game’s most recognized brands. By working with Nissan — the official ambassador of the Heisman Trophy — Sports Illustrated augments its longstanding coverage of a true American pastime with a one-of-its-kind, multi-platform campaign that reaches out directly to tens of thousands of college football fans.

“Covering college football is part of the DNA at Sports Illustrated and there is no higher honor in the game than the coveted Heisman Trophy,” said Sports Illustrated Group Chief Marketing Officer Andrew Judelson. “We are thrilled to partner with Nissan for the third consecutive year. We consistently continue to innovate and evolve the tour and in 2009 thousands of college football fans will experience the Heisman Trophy and its rich legacy in a meaningful dynamic atmosphere.”

In addition to the coast-to-coast, 10-stop experiential tour, the campaign includes the release of a SI Presents custom publication dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the Heisman Trophy as well as several print and digital sponsorships surrounding college football content. For the first time, SI.com will feature a video based “Greatest Heisman Moments” bracket, and SI senior writer (and nationally-syndicated radio host) Dan Patrick will be making appearances at various tour stops. In conjunction with that, one lucky sweepstakes winner and three friends will win a trip to the BCS Championship Game with Dan and a Heisman legend.

The “Sports Illustrated Heisman Tour Presented by Nissan” will make the following game stops during the 2009 college football season:

– September 5, 2009: Georgia at Oklahoma State
– September 12, 2009: USC at Ohio State
– September 19, 2009: Texas Tech at Texas
– October 17, 2009: Cal at UCLA
– October 31, 2009: Florida vs. Georgia in Jacksonville
– November 7, 2009: Ohio State at Penn State
– November 14, 2009: Michigan at Wisconsin
– November 21, 2009: Cal at Stanford
– November 26, 2009: Texas at Texas A&M

– December 5, 2009: SEC Championship

Nissan will be the exclusive sponsor of the custom publication, which will feature an introduction by Dan Patrick on why the Heisman is the coolest award in sports; an interview with John M. Heisman, the grandnephew of the trophy’s namesake; a gatefold poster showcasing every Heisman winner as well as facts and figures about the award itself; and a decade-by-decade rundown of all the winners that includes vintage photos, their key statistics, their “Heisman moments” and odd facts. Plus reprints from SI Vault of classic feature stories on the following Heisman winners: Iowa’s Nile Kinnick (1939), Notre Dame’s Angelo Bertelli (’43), Texas A&M’s John David Crow (’57), UCLA’s Gary Beban (’67), Stanford’s Jim Plunkett (1970), Penn State’s John Cappelletti (’73), Georgia’s Herschel Walker (1982), Oklahoma State’s Barry Sanders (’88), Texas’s Ricky Williams (’98), Wisconsin’s Ron Dayne (’99), Ohio State’s Troy Smith (’06) and Florida’s Tim Tebow (’07).

Go ahead, admit it.  When you play a game on EA Sport’s NCAA Football, you run a high octane, pass happy kind of offense.  You employ a four, five receiver shot gun formation and sling the ball around a like a laser.  You probably don’t use a huddle.  You pretend your the “Mad Scientist” playing mind games with the opposing team’s coach.  And your final scores are 82-35.  It’s a rush.  Your QB probably passed for 650 yards, and you had two receivers with over 150 yards receiving.  Don’t you just love video games?

Well, the original “Mad Scientist” has arrived in Dallas, and he didn’t just bring his A-Game.  June Jones, the mastermind behind the University of Hawaii’s advance to the BCS Sugar Bowl was hired in January by SMU.  The Mustang alumni Ponied up the cash to hire Jones away from the Warriors.  And, Jones’ system is similar to playing a video game.  At least, that is what Mustang receiver Emmanuel Sanders thought.

June Jones played for “Mouse” Davis in the early 70′s, the coach who took the Run and Shoot offense and turned it into a offensive phenomenon.  Then Jones took the offense with him when he began coaching.  The Run and Shoot, which employs a spread the field type of formation, is an offense which uses a series of reads and “hot reads” to exploit the defenses weakness or tendencies.  The offense was used at the University of Houston in the 80′s where Andre Ware became a Heisman Trophy winner.  In short, the Run and Shoot is the type of offense we use when we play EA Sports’ NCAA Football.

In Dallas, Jones should have the ability to recruit better talent to play in his system, which is scary.  Jones doesn’t have to convince a young man, and even more, his mom, to come across the ocean to play football.  While in Hawaii, players only played on the mainland a few times a year.  In Dallas, players will be playing close to home almost every game.  And, Southwest Airlines, based in Dallas, has some good fares as Coach Mangino reminded us.

Furthermore,  Texas is a gold mine for college football talent.  Other teams already come to North Texas to recruit top notch talent.  With Jones in Dallas, players like Texas Tech’s Michael Crabtree might not leave to play football.  Crabtree was a stand out player for Dallas’ Carter High School.  Add to the mix that Jones has a BCS Bowl on his resume, and he should see his share of big time recruit signings.  Mike Leach, the coach of Texas’ only other Run and Shoot type of offense (Air Raid), does not have that BCS Bowl on his resume.  All of these variables, I think, should make for a success at SMU with Jones as the head Pony for the fist time since returning from the “death penalty.”

Don Yaeger and Jim Henry have put together the book which recounts the explosive allegations of the Reggie Bush scandal. Bush is the 2005 Heisman Trophy winning running back from The University of Southern California and first round draft pick of the New Orleans Saints.

In Tarnished Heisman: Did Reggie Bush Turn His Final College Season into a Six-Figure Job? Yaeger and Henry use investigative journalism to piece together what is arguably the biggest college football story in the past three years, dating back to the season in which Reggie Bush won his Heisman Trophy. Yaeger and Hill depend on court testimony, public documents, eye witness testimony, recorded conversations, as well as personal interviews. Personal Interviews were largely conducted with those who implicated Bush in the receiving of improper benefits during his third year at USC as those who could defend Bush did not return requests for interviews with the authors.

Although the authors use personal interviews from its main accuser, Lloyd Lake, they acknowledge the biases that are inherent. They state that every journalist wishes that their source had the character of Mother Teresa, but the reality is they do not. Lloyd is a convicted felon who has been characterized as a career criminal. To their credit, they piece together their evidence, as if they were creating a mosaic, to paint a picture of Reggie Bush and his parents as taking out a loan on Bush’s future success in the NFL during his Junior year at USC. I am not sure why, but some of the evidence that is extremely damning, like a lease agreement between Bush’s family and a businessman, are posted at the book’s website rather than featured in the book. They do offer some of the transcripts of tapes made by Lake when he had conversations with Bush and his step-father, LaMar Griffin.

Much of the story revolves around New Era Sports & Entertainment, a sports agency that was to use the signing of Reggie Bush for the 2006 NFL Draft as a cornerstone to market itself with other professional athletes. Lake, the founder of the agency, alleges that the Bush family was involved in the development of the agency. In fact, as the book points, it was even Reggie Bush’s idea as a way to recoup some of the fee money required by those who would represent him. As a part owner, some of the fees for representation would return to the family, thereby saving costs and receiving a return on Bush’s value.

The authors, probably understanding how difficult it can be to keep up with all of the characters, offer a Cast of Characters addition in the back of the book with names and descriptions of all who were involved in the story. Also included is a Timeline of Events in which the events of the story unfold including those that pertain to New Era Sports, the failed sports agency which tried to sign Reggie Bush for the 2006 NFL Draft. Finally, there is an addition to the end of the book entitled A New Era of Spending which outlines the alleged payments to Reggie Bush and his family beginning in December 2004.

The bigger picture involved in this story is the poverty of athletes. Some might call it a perceived poverty. For their work on the football field, whether they score a touchdown or not, scholarship athletes in football receive a free education and room and board. Many have called for athletes to be given stipends or some form of payment to help with living expenses as many are from very poor families and can not afford certain expenses. Some believe that athletes such as Bush generate even more revenue for the school than it normally would have gained. Therefore, why should athletes struggle financially while the network executives and school officials enjoy the fruit of the athlete’s labor? This is a debate for another post, however, one must remember that college athletics, even if the schools and TV networks are getting richer because of their performances, are an amateur sports. The athletes are allowed to work during the summers to save money for those expenses during the school year. Cool cars and expensive apartments off campus probably should not be considered necessary expenses.

You can buy a copy of the book at my bookstore. Under the browse by category click on My Picks.

I wrote in a previous post that I would reveal my top ten coaches list. Here is my list. Of course, I know it is a subjective exercise. Most will not agree with me. That’s fine. But I’ll give you my list, and I will also try to explain why. As before, this list is not in ascending or descending order.

1. Jim Tressel, Ohio State University–It’s hard to argue with Tressel’s success at Ohio State. However, he won four national titles in Division I-AA before jumping to Division I-A (now the Bowl Championship Division) to coach Ohio State. In 21 years as a head coach Tressel has 11 Ten Win seasons. Four titles in Division I-AA and one in Division I-A while at Ohio State. His accomplishments should not be diminished by the Buckeye losses in two straight national title games. The Buckeyes will be an early favorite to make a third straight appearance in 2009, and this time they might win the game. Tressel’s ability to lure prize recruit Terrelle Pryor may have been the advantage he needed to win the title.

2. Urban Meyer, University of Florida– Coach Meyer has been head coaching for 7 years, and 3 of those seasons were Ten Win seasons. Remarkably, Meyer has not finished a year as a head coach with less than 8 wins. Meyer is the hot new young coach for most. His Gators expect to be a major contender both in the SEC and nationally during the 2008-09 season behind returning QB and Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow.

3. Pete Carroll, University of Southern California– Few could argue with Carroll’s inclusion on a Top Ten Coaches list. USC had an astounding 10 players taken in the 2008 NFL draft. Carroll was 6-6 in his first season at USC, but then he won at least 11 games in each of his next six seasons. Carroll led USC to 2 BCS National title game appearances, 2 AP and 1 BCS National Championships, and six straight top 4 finishes. Carroll’s Trojans have either won or tied for the Pac 10 Championship for six straight seasons. In the last three years, USC has been an early season favorite to play in the BCS National Championship Game. Carroll’s resume is impressive.

4. Dennis Erickson, Arizona State University–In 21 seasons as head coach, Erickson has 7 10 win seasons and 2 National Championships. Erickson has coached six different college football teams and is prone to jumping around a bit. Nevertheless, when Erickson takes over a program, he usually makes it a winner. His first year at Arizona State, Erickson led the Devils to 10-3 record and a share of the Pac 10 Championship. Erickson is leading a Devil Storm in the Desert.

5. Bob Stoops, University of Oklahoma–Stoops had a fast start in Norman. In just his second year, the Sooners won the National Championship. Rarely does Stoops lose the annual Red River Rivalry against Texas. Stoops has seven 11 win seasons in 9 years as the head Sooner coach. Stoops’ teams have reached a BCS Bowl 6 different times, winning the first 2.

6. Mac Brown, University of Texas–Brown’s resume was punctuated by a National Championship in 2005 with a thrilling win over USC in one of the greatest 1 vs. 2 and National Championship Games ever. Led by QB Vince Young, Brown’s Longhorns answered every challenge during the year by several teams to make it to the Rose Bowl for the National Title. USC did not have answer for UT’s Young as he scrambled and passed his way to a second consecutive Rose Bowl title and the BCS National Championship. Brown has ten 10 win seasons in 20 years of coaching.

7. Phillip Fulmer, University of Tennessee–Fulmer has nine 10 win seasons in 16 years as head coach of the Volunteers. Fulmer has six SEC East Division Titles (1 shared) and 2 SEC Championships. Fulmer’s Vols have been to two BCS Bowl games and won one National title. Fulmer has a 76.6% winning percentage. All he has done at Tennessee is win. In Knoxville, there are 109,000 screaming fans singing Rocky Talk.

8. Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech University–Beamer has been a head coach for 27 years, yet he still produces good teams. Beamer has nine 10 win seasons including four straight. Bearmer’s teams are usually among the best in special teams, and players regularly compete for a lunch pail.

9. Mark Richt, University of Georgia–Richt has five 10 win seasons in 7 years as a head coach, all at Georgia. Richt’s teams have been to three BCS Bowls and has two SEC Championships. Richt’s ‘Dawgs are many people’s pre-season favorite to win the 2008-2009 BCS National Championship. Georgia rallied last year after two early season losses to finish number 2 in the final polls. The Bulldogs were widely considered the hottest team at the end of the 2007-2008 season.

10. Gary Patterson, Texas Christian University–Patterson’s Horned Frogs have four 10 win seasons in his 7 years as head Frog. Patterson’s teams have finished ranked four times. The Frogs have accomplished all of this during the Patterson era while competing in three different conferences and knocking off teams from BCS conferences. Twice in the Patterson era TCU knocked at the BCS Bowl party door. The Frogs under Patterson have upsets against Texas Tech, Oklahoma, and Iowa State. The Frogs recently knocked off Stanford in 2007 the week after the Cardinals upset USC at the Coliseum. The Frogs return a lot of talent to make another run at the Mountain West Conference Title.