Who Gets The Heisman?

Once Upon A Time...

...the Heisman Trophy was presented to the "best" college football player in America. Not the winningest, not the one with the biggest media machine. But the best football player.

Maybe that's why, in 1956, Paul Hornung of Notre Dame won the Heisman -- despite a 2-8 record!

You read that right. As a senior, Hornung's Fighting Irish won just two games. Yet the versatile Hornung, the 'Golden Boy" who would go on to a Hall of Fame career with the Green Bay Packers, was named the best college football player in the country.

He completed 49 of 111 passes for 917 yards with three touchdowns and 13 interceptions; he ran 94 times for 420 yards (a 4.5 average) and six touchdowns; he caught three passes for 26 yards. Hornung was responsible for 45.86% of Notre Dame's offense that season.

Sadly, those days are done. College football has evolved. Today, the Heisman seems to go to the best QUARTERBACK in the college world, usually the one who has won a national title or put up amazing numbers. Of the last 19 Heisman's, 16 have gone to quarterbacks.

So that means that Wisconsin's junior running back, Jonathan Taylor (who in two years totaled 4,171 yards and 29 touchdowns, including 2,194 yards and 16 TDs last season) is probably a long-shot to win the Heisman. The odds are also pretty good that Taylor will declare for the NFL draft after his junior season.