Michael Crabtree for Heisman!
October 9th, 2007 by Vince Mullins
I want to believe in a world where the conflict in Darfur wouldn’t exist. I want to believe in a world where partisan politics do not factor in to a discussion about the merits of war against terrorism.
And on a MUCH lighter note, I want to believe in a world where Texas Tech WR Michael Crabtree can win the 2007 Heisman Trophy.
Given the weight of the first two examples and the forum of our site, I will obviously focus on the Crabtree argument here. There are so many numbers to support his case, but so few historical precedents to suggest he even has a shot of getting an invite.
In the realm of statistics there is no greater college football player in relation to others at his position… Huge performances by Graham Harrell and Colt Brennan deserve your applause, but there are lots of other QBs with a solid body of work in 2007. Darren McFadden and Mike Hart amaze and delight their team”s fans, but statistically UCF’s Kevin Smith is right there with them.
And then there is Crabtree.
The freshman wideout just set the Big 12 season record for TDs in his first six games. He is projected to finish the year with ungodly stats…
In six games, he has 70 receptions (15 more than #2), 1074 yards (347 above #2) and 17 TDs (8 more than #2) so double those for the 12 game season.
What is truly amazing is the spread of his output over other wide receivers this year. Just looking at fantasy points scored (1 pt for 10 yards receiving and 6 pt for a TD), he is not only five times more productive than the #48 WR, he is TWICE as productive as the #2 receiver.
Given all that, he still has a relatively weak Big 12 schedule to feast upon for the remainder of this season – and his career. To quote Al Pacino in Scent of a Woman, “I am just gettin’ warmed up!”
Also, besides Mike Hart, who has really turned in a stellar performance this year? Colt Brennan has been hurt, John David Booty and his team just lost to Stanford, and Tim Tebow acts like someone put kryptonite in his oatmeal in the last two weeks.
But alas I refer back to the reality of the Heisman Trophy – the upperclassmen bias, the bias against pure receivers, and his playing for a team outside the national shadow will keep him from winning this year. No one puts it more succinctly than the Heisman Pundit in his Heismandments.
Read the link at your leisure, but here is how historical benchmarks eliminate Crabtree from contention.
- Freshman do not win
- Pure wide receivers do not win, they require kick return talent as well
- Texas Tech is not a traditional power, meaning not Notre Dame, USC, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Michigan, Texas, Nebraska, Miami and Florida State.
In fantasy land, Michael Crabtree reigns supreme above all other offensive players – if he keeps up this pace he is a shoe-in for our Player of the Year award. So despite the Heisman Trophy existing outside of his focus for 2007, it better be on the radar for both him and the voters before the end of the decade.
Feedback? Email me at vince AT fantasycollegeblitz DOT com
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