OU QB Sam Bradford wins Heisman trophy

Last season Florida QB Tim Tebow became the first sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy.  On Saturday, Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford became the second as he bested Tebow and Texas QB Colt McCoy in a relatively close three way battle.  Bradford finished with 1,726 ballot points to 1,604 for McCoy and 1,575 points.

Tebow was attempting to become only the second two time winner in history, equaling Archie Griffin’s 1974-75 achievement.  Interestingly, Tebow drew the most first place votes among the candidates—he finished with 309 first place votes to 300 for Bradford and 266 for McCoy.  Were Tebow not such a classy and gracious individual, he’d have a case to incite a “voting controversy” worthy of Bush v. Gore as what this seems to suggest is that some voters “sandbagged” Tebow to undermine his chances and increase the chances of other players.  He became the first player to gain the most first place votes and finish third since Oklahoma’s Tommy McDonald accomplished the dubious feat in 1956.

If Tebow is harboring any latent desires for payback he’ll get his opportunity quickly and in the most effective way possible—Florida and Oklahoma will meet on January 8th to determine the National Champion.  Tebow is very likely the best pro prospect of the three finalists as well—think Michael Vick’s athleticism combined with character, leadership and an ability to hit the open receiver.  Tebow handled his loss with characteristic class, but his comments suggested that his third place finish rankled him somewhat.  Asked if receiving the most first place votes was some consolation, Tebow wryly commented:

"Not really."You lose, you lose. We still get to play in January and decide something a little bit bigger."

He’s the rare sort of player who can say that the team’s goals are more important and actually mean it. 

For his part, Bradford seemed somewhat surprised to have bested the higher profile candidates McCoy and Tebow but insisted that he’s keeping the “big picture” in focus:

"I was definitely surprised and I think it's everything I imagine. I think it will take a couple weeks to set in. We're ready to get back to work to get ready for the 8th. When we started this season, winning the national championship was the first goal we put down as a team."

 The Florida-Oklahoma matchup will be only the second time in history when Heisman Trophy winners will play against each other for the National Title.  It previously happened in the 2005 Orange Bowl when 2004 Heisman winner Matt Leinart and USC defeated 2003 winner Jason White and Oklahoma for the championship.