Name it, claim it: Hogs' McFadden won Heisman like other SEC teams claim titles

Don't think so? Just ask known Mississippi State homer and Barstool Sports voice Brandon Walker, he'll tell you McFadden was served an injustice of epic proportions not once but twice.

If Auburn gets to claim mythical National Championships like UCF, then McFadden can claim stake to a Heisman or have David Bazzell build him his own statue.

McFadden's snubs are still a touchy subject and his name still comes up as one of the greatest players to never win the Heisman Trophy. He is also one of four players to finish as runner up for the award in back-to-back seasons.

Why he didn't get in 2006?

Troy Smith is quite possibly one of the worst winners in Heisman history and passed for more than 200 yards just once during his senior season.

Compare that to Brady Quinn's nine extra touchdowns and 800 more yards, it makes no sense how Smith could have won the award.

The SEC stigma as college football's greatest conference was in its infancy with favoritism toward Midwestern American teams.

As a sophomore, McFadden had several Heisman moments at a position that can be one of the more challenging positions to play considering the style of offense Arkansas played.

The Little Rock native recorded 2,127 all-purpose yards and 19 touchdowns with Heisman moments against No. 2 Auburn and No. 13 Tennessee, completely dominated both opponents.

He produced seven 100-yard rushing performances along with becoming a superstar at quarterback, running back wide receiver and kick returner.

Smith's inconsistency as a quarterback with just one impressive outing against Michigan, considered the "Game of the Century", as he passed for 316 yards and four touchdowns to close the regular season.

The main reason McFadden wasn't named recipient of the Heisman was votes not wanting to award the trophy to a sophomore. Only for the excuse to become obsolete the very next December.

Why he didn't win in 2007?

Let's not sugarcoat things here, Tim Tebow was remarkable as a sophomore passing and throwing for 20 touchdowns in a single-season, which was a statistical milestone never achieved before.

Obviously, Tebow's performance was hard to ignore even with McFadden's 2,433 total yards and 21 touchdowns as a sophomore. The Razorbacks captain produced captivating moments nearly every week.

He was a workhorse against Alabama and Kentucky despite losing efforts with long, explosive runs that split safeties in the openfield.

McFadden's rushing ability left fans jaws on the floor, a symbol of how the game used to be played. The best game of the season came in his final game inside Razorback Stadium with a 321-yard explosion which included an 80-yard run that made South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier in shock.

To top it all off, McFadden led Arkansas to a 50-48 triple-overtime victory over No. 1 and eventual BSC National Champion LSU in Death Valley, recording 289 total yards and four touchdowns to put a cherry on top of the regular season.

The only reason that comes to mind for McFadden not winning the Heisman is due to his team's total body of work during the 2007 season. Arkansas went 8-4 during the regular season and wasn’t ranked in the AP Top 25 poll.

Comparatively, Florida was ranked as high as No. 3 during the regular season, but a 5-3 record to start the month of November halted progress and hopes of defending its title. Tebow and the Gators rebounded nicely with four consecutive victories although none were against ranked teams.

The history of Heisman voters often favored players from top-ranked programs with rich tradition showed as McFadden was ultimately snubbed a second time, with a longstanding rule that sophomores shouldn't win the award.

If the Heisman were purely voted on for individual football brilliance, then McFadden should have rightfully won twice. In reality, even with a November to remember, it still shows that Arkansas may never be a respected college football entity.

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