Ohio State's Troy Smith will likely win the Heisman Trophy on Saturday, but he won't have every first place vote. The fine people over at StiffArmTrophy.com try to tabulate every voter's ballot if said voter makes it public. When the voter makes it public, they add to the tally.
And thanks to Denver Post columnist Mark Kiszla, Notre Dame's Brady Quinn will have at least one first-place tally. Scroll about halfway down the page to find it. Or just keep checking the StiffArm, which has been accurate every year they've done it.
By the way, finalists for the award will officially be announced Wednesday, but a Heisman ad on ESPN showed the "Big 3" as Smith, Quinn and Arkansas running back Darren McFadden, so we'd be surprised if Quinn wasn't invited to New York.
-By Michael Rothstein of The Journal Gazette
yo the heisman goes to the best player, and not the player on the best team. Therefore, Quinn should get the Heisman. He won the Unitas Golden Arm award for the best quarterback, so he should also win the heisman. Go Irish
Posted by: anonymous | December 05, 2006 at 09:38 AM
Anon--
Even Charlie Weis admitted that Troy Smith will probably win the Heisman. The biggest problem is there are no real parameters as to what you're voting for with the Heisman (We'd like to acknowledge we don't have a ballot). For some, it is the best overall player. For others, the best player on the best team and yet for others, the player most vaulable to his team.
I think that is why you'll see Smith, Quinn and Darren McFadden in the Top 3. They are probably the three leaders in those different areas.
-Mike
Posted by: Michael Rothstein | December 05, 2006 at 11:33 AM
Troy Smith is a big-game quarterback thats why he will win. Don't get me wrong, Quinn will go down as the most prolific passer in ND history but when deciding the Heisman race, you only need to look at two games for each player:
Quinn vs. Michigan and SC
Troy Smith vs. Michigan and Texas
Compare those numbers and factor in that Smith is 2-0 in those games, Quinn is 0-2. There's your Heisman. Go Irish, beat Tigers.
Posted by: Schultz | December 05, 2006 at 02:12 PM
If Brady Quinn and Troy Smith were to play for Ohio State who would start. That's what I thought. Quinn for Heisman!!!
Posted by: Michelle | December 05, 2006 at 02:41 PM
Brady Quinn does not deserve the Heisman Trophy Award. Hey c'mon! I'm an IRISH fan too, but stop kidding yourselves. This is not a trophy for who will get drafted first or who would start over who at whatever school, blah blah blah! It's the simple fact that Troy Smith consistently played better especially in the BIG games, ie: the games that people remember!
Posted by: Gregg | December 05, 2006 at 04:55 PM
I guess numbers have nothing to do with the Heisman? Quinns are better than Smiths hands down. Look at the games in which Notre Dame and Ohio State have played the same opponent, Michigan State for example. Quinns are far better.
Everyone talks about Quinns numbers in big games, but he still passes for 250 yards and three touchdowns. What about how smith played against Illinois this year, but that never gets brought up. Smith is a good player on a great team. Quinn is a great player on a poor team. GO IRISH, BEAT TIGERS!
Posted by: Jim | December 05, 2006 at 07:22 PM
brady quinn is a great quarterback, and he also had a great supporting cast for example RHEMA MCKNIGHT WHO CAUGHT 15 TD PASSES, SAMARDZIJA WHO CAUGHT ABOUT 9, JOHN CARLSON WHO WAS A HUGE FACTOR IN THE OFFENSE, need i say more, if he wouldn't have had any of those guys he wouldn't be up for a heisman!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: anonymous | December 05, 2006 at 10:36 PM
I know that Brady won't win Saturday night, but all Irish fans will be proud when he is interviewed by the ESPN crew as opposed to Troy Smith. Smith will probably continue to boast about his prowess as he has in recent interviews. But when April rolls around, we'll see who "wins" in the draft. We love you, Brady! Make us proud!
Posted by: Cathy | December 05, 2006 at 10:38 PM
I'm getting sick and tired of this Brady Quinn is 0-2 in big Games and Troy Smith is 2-0 in big games crap, the fact is NOTRE DAME is 0-2, and OHIO STATE is 2-0, 22 players decide the outcome of a game not just one player's performance, If Notre Dame's defense had 1/2 of the talents Ohio Sate's has I belive the outcomes of the Michigan and SC games would be different
Posted by: anonymous | December 06, 2006 at 06:49 AM
It's not crap, its the facts. The Heisman award is an individual award that will and should be given to Troy Smith. No one is doubting Quinn's talant and ability and what he has done for ND Nation. IRISH fans need to remember we have the WR who is up for the Blitnekof award, two years in a row, not a guy by the name of Ted Ginn Jr, who is not being honored for that award...some IRISH fans must've forgot that one. So, saying we don't have talent is a cop-out. Stop making excuses and look at the real facts. We have talent, talent that didn't execute when we needed them too. Stop using the lack of talent as an excuse for Quinn not getting the trophy. GO IRISH!
Posted by: Gregg | December 06, 2006 at 04:19 PM
Read the NYPost/NYSun article from today. compares the two quite well. Quinn is the better player...Smith is on the better team. Smith is Jason White a few years later.
Posted by: anonnnn | December 06, 2006 at 09:37 PM
Yeah, that's what they said about Vince Young & Mike Vick too. I'll remember that one.
Posted by: Gregg | December 07, 2006 at 10:52 AM
hey give pitman the doak walker he won the big games.
Posted by: smittyndfan | December 08, 2006 at 06:18 PM