A Mid-Major Heisman Winner? Never Again

Dan LeFevour was nearly in elite company last season. The Central Michigan quarterback was one rushing touchdown from joining Tim Tebow as the only players in NCAA history to run for at least 20 touchdowns and throw for 20 touchdowns in the same season. But that's where the comparisons to Florida's Heisman-winning quarterback should end. At some point in the coming months, you'll probably see CMU launch a "Catch The LeFevour" site or maybe even "LeFevour Fever" pimping the dual-threat QB as a Heisman candidate. It will even include a few writers saying some variation of "Dan LeFevour is not only the best quarterback in the MAC, he's one of the best in the nation." LeFevour is for real. He's a great player and probably the best MAC quarterback since Ben Roethlisberger. But he's not a Hesiman candidate and neither is New Mexico State's Chase Holbrook, Boise State's Ian Johnson or any other player who doesn't play for a power conference. It's simply reality. The best a mid-major player can hope for these days is an invite to New York for the Heisman ceremony. Just look at Colt Brennan. The Hawaii quarterback put together two of the most productive seasons in college football history and what did it get him? A trip to NYC and a third-place finish -- and he can thank the last two mid-major winners, Andre Ware and Ty Detmer, for that. Ware and won the Heisman in 1989 after shattering 26 NCAA records but a year later, David Klinger stepped into the starting role at Houston and put up even bigger numbers. BYU's Detmer won in '90 but a year later put up impressive stats again and wound up finishing third. After Ware and Detmer's wins, voters' eyes were opened and gaudy stats -- especially those in systems that produce big numbers no matter who's at the helm -- don't carry the same cache. It's the same stigma that has been placed on Texas Tech since Mike Leach's record-setting aerial assault came to Lubbock. But since War and Detmer, San Diego State's Marshall Faulk finishing runner-up to Gino Torretta in 1992 is the highest finish for a mid-major player in the voting and in the last decade, LaDainian Tomlinson finished fourth (2000), Roethlisberger was ninth (2003), DeAngelo Williams came in seventh (2005), Brennan and Johnson were sixth and eight, respectively in '06 and Kevin Smith came in eighth last year. Is it right? Remember, this is a sport that lets computers decide who's going to play for the national championship. The Heisman has become as untouchable for mid-majors as a national title and all they can hope for is the invite that Brennan received last season. But it's a reality that mid-majors refuse to acknowledge, so like Memphis, which sent out die-cast cars to get voters on board with Williams in '05, they continue to push their Small Wonders on voters. LeFevour, Holbrook, Johnson and the rest of the nation's mid-major stars can put up all the record-setting numbers they want, it doesn't matter, the Heisman is going to a player from a BCS school, just as it will for the foreseeable future. So CMU, save the money and forget about sending out those maroon- and gold-colored thermometers so voters can check their LeFevours. It's just not worth it.