This Saturday, a new Heisman Trophy winner will be crowned. Last year, I was disappointed because the media selected a candidate based on his team’s performance rather than Troy Smith’s individual play. This year, I will be disappointed because the media will decide to give the title to the most impressive player in the BCS.

In 2006, Smith won the award with paltry numbers, leading Ohio State to an undefeated regular season. He finished the year with 30 touchdowns and six interceptions for 2,542 passing yards. In the five statistical categories that mean the most to quarterbacks (passing efficiency, total offense, passing, passing yards and passing yards per game), Smith ranked 4th, 32nd, 37th, 33rd and 34th respectively.

On the other hand, Hawaii finished the 2006 regular season 10-3 and Colt Brennan was snubbed despite throwing 58 touchdown passes. Brennan also led in almost every statistical category, including passing efficiency.

The media seemed to make it quite clear, where your team stood in the national championship landscape mattered more than your numbers and performance on the field.

But hold on.

This year, it seemed the media is singing a different tune, mainly because their “golden boy” comes from a 9-3 BCS team. Although I believe Tim Tebow deserves serious consideration for the Heisman due to his all-around performance, it would be nice to know how voters come to make their selection.

If we are to follow last year’s model, it seems the award this year should go to someone who is ranked in the BCS top ten. Sam Bradford or Colt Brennan seem logical choices. Both have been catalysts for their teams in competing in the national championship scene. Both have put up impressive numbers. And both have won big games this year.

Florida has lost three games this year, finished third in the SEC EAST and did not make a BCS game. Yet we are supposed to nod are heads in agreement that this selection makes sense because he is the most deserving player and throw out wins and losses.

It is just as befuddling to me the thought process going into the Heisman Trophy selection as it is for the BCS. But for some reason we accept controversy in college football and give the powers that be a free pass to pick and choose to their liking with out explaining anything. The media picks a favorite half way through the season and sticks with him regardless of logic.

So what are we supposed to tell college athletes? Break numerous records like Brennan did last year, only to get shut out because Smith led his team to an undefeated regular season record. Lead your team to unprecedented heights and lose to a player who had a record-breaking year? It’s dizzying, but instead of those in the think tank sitting down, we are left with no real rhyme or reason.

For this week’s 7 in ’07, we list the seven most deserving Heisman candidates with rhyme and reason.

7) Glen Dorsey - Defensive players do not win Heismans. In the 72-year history of the Heisman trophy, only Michigan's Charles Woodson (1997) and Ohio State's Vic Janowicz (1950) won the award as a defensive player. Both did more than just play defense; Woodson was a triple threat who played receiver and returned punts and kicks on top of his cornerback duties for a national championship team, while Janowicz played everything from halfback to punter for the Buckeyes.

Dorsey did everything for the Tigers defense. The 6’2” 300 pound senior was ground zero for LSU’s third ranked defense. Dorsey racked up 11 ½ tackles for loss and the Bronco Nagursky Trophy, given to the game’s best defensive player.

When Dorsey went down in the Auburn game, the Tigers defense faltered as well. Before Dorsey’s injury, the Tigers allowed just 13 points per game. After the cheap shot, the Bayou Bengals gave up 26 points per game.

The guys in the trenches don’t get enough respect, and this hog might end up being the first player taken in the NFL Draft.

6)  Darren McFadden – What was so special about McFadden’s year? I have the Arkansas running back ranked 6th in my final Heisman Ballot.

The junior running back finished with 1,725 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns. McFadden finished the regular season as the fourth best rusher in the nation behind Rutger’s Ray Rice, Tulane’s Matt Forte and UCF’s Kevin Smith. His 15 touchdowns do not even place him in the top 15 in rushing scores.

In the month of October, against Tennessee-Chattanooga, Auburn, Mississippi and Florida International, McFadden rushed for 122, 43, 110 and 61 yards. If McFadden didn’t rush for 321 yards against South Carolina, he wouldn’t even be in the discussion. Therefore, he is not in the discussion here.

5) Sam Bradford – The Oklahoma redshirt freshman was not even supposed to be the starter this year, but Sooner fans are very happy with the outcome. Bradford has led the Sooners to a BCS Fiesta Bowl and a Big 12 Championship.

His numbers are just as impressive as his team’s performance on the field. Bradford leads the nation in pass efficiency, completing 70 percent of his passes, and throwing for 2,879 yards, 34 touchdowns with only seven interceptions.

Bradford has three things going against him however in this year’s Heisman campaign. First, he finished 51st in total offense. Second, Bradford is a redshirt freshman. Third, his name’s not Tim Tebow.

It has been proven in the past younger players will get slighted based on youth alone. Just ask Reggie Bush and Adrian Peterson.

4) Michael Crabtree – While most still don’t know who the 6’2” 222 pound wide receiver is, his numbers are hard to ignore.

Crabtree has 1,861 receiving yards, 260 yards more than second place. Texas Tech’s top wide receiver has 125 receptions and 21 touchdowns. In terms of wide receiver production, no one comes close. The next closest receiver in touchdown receptions has 16 and averages 22 yards per game less than the redshirt freshman. Crabtree broke the Big 12 season record for TDs in his first six games.

Skeptics will say he is a system player, benefiting from a pass-happy offense. If that were the case, why are no other spread or run-and-shoot wide receivers even close in production?

The Heisman is supposed to be based on the most outstanding player in college football. Crabtree is the best wide receiver in college football, and his numbers back that up. Luckily for the rest of the Heisman hopefuls there have only been three wide receivers chosen for the award and all three were multiple threats. Crabtree is a pure wide receiver, the best in college football.

3) Colt Brennan – Brennan is having another outstanding season, but yet the same criticism is coming to the forefront, disrupting what should be a joyous time in Hawaii. Brennan is the third most efficient passer in the nation. The UH senior has thrown for 4,174 yards at a 71 percent clip for 46 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Brennan is second in total offensive production, and fourth in total points responsible for. He holds almost every conceivable passing mark that college football records.

Yet compared to his 58 touchdowns last year, this season looks as a down term. What’s being forgotten in this whole mess is Hawaii is the only undefeated team in college football, and his numbers combined with that should lead to a top 3 finish for the Hawaii signal caller.

What prevents Brennan from making the top of the list here is his failure to play in two games due to injury and the five interception performance against Idaho.

2) Tim Tebow – While most have Tebow at the top of the list, he stands at number two here. Most will turn to his 51 combined touchdowns as the main indicator on why he should be this year’s Bronze-statue holder. Others will look at Tebow being responsible for the most points in the nation. The sophomore also is the second most efficient quarterback in America this year. He is the Gators leading rusher, passer and touchdown maker, but in Florida’s three biggest games, the Gators fell short, and those were his least productive games.

This has nothing to do with Tebow being a sophomore. He has had a great year, but one has been even better.

1) Kevin Smith – Look at what Central Florida’s Kevin Smith who has done it on the field. The running back has rushed for 2,448 yards and 30 touchdowns. The junior has a 300-yard game and five more with at least 200 yards. He has 11 100-yard games, including 149 yards and two TDs in September against Texas. The Miami native is the first player in 63 years to run for three TDs of at least 80 yards in he same season. Smith has also scored from 56, 44 and 41 yards.

In the history of college football, only two running backs finishing over 2,000 yards didn’t crack the top 5 in the Heisman race. Smith has out-rushed Marcus Allen, LaDanian Tomlinson, Mike Rozier, Ricky Williams and Rashaan Salaam, and is a mere 180 yards away from breaking Barry Sanders’ all-time Bowl Sub-Division record of 2,628. All have won the Heisman except for Tomlinson.

So why hasn’t Smith been up there with the the Tebows and the Brennans of the world as a front runner for the Heisman? Because as much as we trust the media, the people who vote for the Heisman are so set in their ways and focused on the power schools, attention is never paid to those deserving.

If the voters don’t select Smith, they will have to explain why. Of course they won’t, and we will continue to live in a society of prejudice that goes unnoticed. It’s irresponsible on the part of a profession that is supposed to be objective to continue to disrespect and treat so-called mid majors as mere after thoughts. Smith’s season should not go unnoticed.

It was alright for voters to slight players from lower conferences in the last century because there was a major difference in talent level back then. If this season has showed us anything, parity is alive and well in college football, and no conference and no team is far superior to another. In this day and age, every player in the Bowl Sub-Division and every team must be considered along the same lines as the traditional power houses.

Hopefully in time, we will look back at this era as the time when the public finally wised up and asked voters to be responsible and look at every player on every team for the best player in college football. Maybe then we will have a true national champion, and a true Heisman Winner.

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Questions or Comments.  Email Wai at wsallas@accuscore.com