Four weeks into the season, a lot of things are becoming clear in college football. Notre Dame is finally feeling the pain of being the most overrated program in the nation for the past few years. USC is scary good. Louisville can score a lot, but so can their opponents. Ohio State reloads instead of rebuilding.
We’re also beginning to get a clearer picture of the Heisman race. The past four weeks have given players time to show whether they belong. I fear that the best player in college football, Darren McFadden, may be penalized by the Arkansas Razorbacks’ end results.
Will voters give more credit to players on better teams? This hasn’t happened in the recent past, because the best players came from the best teams. Last year, Troy Smith was clearly the best player in college and he played on the best team. Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart headed top-ranked USC the years that they won the trophy. Although McFadden currently leads the race according to ESPN’s Experts’ Poll, teams in the BCS race are helping the cases for their top players.
Florida quarterback Tim Tebow seems to be McFadden’s closest competition. The Gator’s stats are ridiculous, highlighted by 10 passing touchdowns to go along with seven on the ground. But his greatest asset may be the uniform he wears, as Florida is off to a 4-0 start and set to meet with USC at the end of the year to prove that last year’s performance against Ohio State was no fluke.
Another dynamic quarterback, André Woodson, has rocketed himself into the thick of the race thanks to the 4-0 record of his Kentucky Wildcats. Woodson’s numbers (1,008 passing yards, 11 TDs, 2 rushing) are impressive, but he and Kentucky will be hard pressed to keep pace with Tebow and Florida.
West Virginia’s one-two punch might also dwarf McFadden in the stats and team performance categories at the end of the season. Quarterback Pat White has found the endzone six times, both through the air and with his feet. Running back Steve Slayton has rushed for 500 yards and nine touchdowns, plus one receiving TD.
How does McFadden measure up compared to this fierce competition? His stats fall short. He’s run for only 18 more yards than Slayton and has scored only four touchdowns. He’s also passed for a touchdown. Arkansas’ 1-2 record does not stand up against his opponents’ undefeated ones, and the Razorbacks still have a tough road ahead.
Although McFadden’s numbers might fall well short of the myriad touchdowns guys like Tebow, Woodson and Slayton will put on the board this year, he will still be the best running back in college football. He’s on pace to rush for over 2,000 yards this year. The most remarkable fact about McFadden’s numbers is that he’s doing it while teammate Felix Jones, another one of the best backs in college, is on pace to rack up almost 1,500 yards of his own, robbing some of McFadden’s touches. No matter what his team does, he is the most physically talented player in college football. Enough said.
