No. 1 vs. No. 2, Part II: Title Game Featuring Top Heisman Candidates?

   Tim Tebow did nothing to hurt his Heisman Trophy redux chances at the Georgia Dome. Without Percy Harvin, he shouldered a larger burden than normal and generated 31 points for Florida against a mighty defense. He completed three third-down passes for touchdowns and scored the other himself.

   I suspect he moved up in the Heisman race . . . to No. 2. I think it still goes to Oklahoma's Sam Bradford, who completed a masterful season himself with a 61-point avalanche against Missouri, all with a broken non-throwing hand that was operated on Sunday.

   Which one would get your vote? Or do you like Graham Harrell or Colt McKoy?

   Too bad the ballots are due before the BCS championship. Otherwise, the Heisman could be settled on the field, head-to-head, same as the national team title.

   Still, Tebow vs. Bradford provides a juicy angle to the game that is chock-ful of them.

   Should bowl games be played before Heisman votes are due?

   

Ten Observations From The Georgia Dome

   1. Did you anticipate a blowout after the first possession by each team? Three-and-out for Alabama, an eye-blink touchdown drive by Florida.

   2. What was more unlikely than a long, two-play scoring march by plodding Alabama?

   3. What on earth was the Bama special teams coach thinking on the fake field goal without its real kicker on the field?

   4. Was there ever a more crucial bonehead play than Javier Arenas catching the kickoff and stepping out at the four-yard line, which allowed the Gators to break a tie before halftime?

   5. Why did Urban Meyer go to the locker room with three timeouts in his pocket? Couldn't the quick-strike Gators have gotten into field-goal range?

   6. How many shifts of momentum did you count? At least six, right?

   7. Did those who gamble on Alabama (plus 10 points) kiss Meyer on the TV screen when his sideline infraction could have turned the last Gator touchdown drive into a field goal, which would have put Florida up by seven instead of 11?

   8. Can you now appreciate the value of Percy Harvin to Florida -- by his absence, seeing as how the Gators offense got little out of their running backs?

   9. Are Florida's reliable receivers the most underappreciated part of the team?

   10. Did you notice how the scouting report on John Parker Wilson proved true: Put him in passing situations and he cannot beat you.

   And this bonus observation:

   10. Didn't this game achieve the impossible by nearly living up to its billing?  

  

Will the 'Dog Have Its Day?

   As Percy Harvin's chances of playing Saturday rise and fall daily like the Dow Jones average, here is more on the eye-opening 10-point favoritism bestowed by oddsmakers on Florida against Alabama.

   There is recent precedent for a No. 1 team to enter a game as a double-digit underdog. In the 2001 Orange Bowl, top-ranked Oklahoma was a 10-point 'dog to No. 2 Florida State. In a good omen for Bama, the Sooners triumphed 13-2.

   A story in the Palm Beach Post quoted one oddsmaker as saying he and four colleagues agreed Sunday that the Gators deserved the status of 10-point faves. This doesn't mean they believe Florida is superior by that amount, only that equal amounts of money will be wagered at that number on each team.

   If you were a betting man, who would you side with?

   As far Harvin, I wouldn't put it past Urban Meyer to be playing games with the media on his condition. Any crafty coach would do the same.

   Harvin, indeed, is the X factor -- with the game itself and for those who bet on it.

   Do you believe Harvin will play? And, if so, be effective?

Percy-vering: Florida's Harvins Muddling Heisman Race?

Florida's offensive numbers with Tim Tebow at the helm have been so mind-boggling that 512 yards -- in the first half -- Saturday barely turned heads. Of course, the fall guy was The Citadel. The Gators' 70 points moved the needle hardly at all for Tebow in the Heisman Trophy chase.
The Texas Tech-Oklahoma game was widely viewed as a winner-take-all Heisman duel between Graham Harrell and Sam Bradford. If so, give the hardware to the Sooners' Bradford.
That's a short-sighted way to evaluate a season-long process. Here's hoping voters factor in other elements.
Does one of the Big 12 boys deserve the trophy?
Also wondering, with so much made of Midwesters splitting their votes among the Big 12 quarterbacks (also Colt McCoy of Texas), would southeast ballots have enough Percy Harvins on them to cut into Tebow's chances? After all, Harvin is the nation's premier multi-purpose player, leading a team in line for a national title shot in rushing AND receiving.
Which of the two Gators would get your vote?