The case for Quinn

Brady Quinn will not win the Heisman and it's a shame.

Allen Barra at the New York Sun makes the most compelling argument I've seen in print for why Brady Quinn should win the Heisman.

Here's the money quote:

The uncritical acceptance by so many writers and commentators of Troy
Smith's Heisman worthiness reflects an attitude that has become popular in
college football over the last couple of decades, namely that "the best player
on the best team" — or at least the player on the best team with the gaudiest
stats — is automatically the best player in the nation. This has resulted in
some relatively undistinguished quarterbacks winning the Heisman, most notably
Charlie Ward in '93, Florida's Danny Wuerffel in 1996, Florida State's Chris
Wenke in 2000, and Oklahoma's Jason White in 2003. All of them played for teams that were ranked at or near the top at the time they won the award.

A careful look at the record convinces me that Troy
Smith is destined to join their number. But whatever happens to Smith in the
NFL, Brady Quinn put up numbers this year that were at least the equal of Troy
Smith's, and he did it against tougher opposition and with far less help from
his teammates. By any objective yardstick, he deserves the nod over Troy Smith
as the outstanding college football player of the 2006 season.