Harrell not invited to New Yark!

[oumartin]

only Tebow, McCoy and the Heisman winner were invited.

[OUAlumni1990]

I like that, now thats confidence...

[Whet]

Harrell must have really dropped, resulting in a large gap between 3 and 4.

[aurorasooner]

I saw the announcement on ESPiN and thought it was classless for them not invite Harrell. ESPiN probably thought if they include him they would have to include highlights of Tech beating Texas which would pizz Mack off and would remind viewers that there was a 3 way Big 12 South tie and not their spin on a 2 way tie. Or perhaps ESPiN is cutting costs because of the economy. If it's he latter the least ESPiN could've done was to contact him or Tech 1st and just tell them "straight-up" the situation and see if he or Tech was willing to pay for his trip so he was included. Outside of OU/Tech game, he definitely had a Heisman-type season imo, and at least deserved a Heisman banquet invitation.

[oupride]

Although is currently 4th and far behind 3rd (McCoy), I agree Harrell should have been invited.

[SoonerLB]

They should have left "No numbers Tebow" completely off the ballot and put some players with accomplishments on it too, but noooooo............... they want little Timmy the media darling front and center. :(

[Soonerfan85]

That sucks.

I wouldn't want to be an Ole Miss defensive secondary player facing a pissed off TT offense that feels their QB got screwed! Wait, Ole Miss is in the SEC, and as such their defense should pitch a shut out against TT since they're from the weak Big XII. False alarm. :D

[MichiganSooner]

I agree that he deserves to go to New York. A fine player and all class.

[SbOrOiNaEnR]

ESPN has no say in who gets invited to New York for the Heisman ceremony. It's entirely up to The Heisman Trust. Here's an article about how the selection process works:

http://www.news-press.com/article/20081210/SPORTS/812100378/1075


"They basically call us and tell us anywhere from three to six individuals each year, traditionally," Henning said. We always call it the 'gap.' Every year, for whatever reason, there always seems to be anywhere from three to six individuals that get the majority of our votes. Then there's a gap before whatever that next number is."


So "the gap" this year exists between 3rd and 4th...after Bradford, McCoy, and Tebow there was a significant drop off. They invited 5 in 2004, 3 in 2005, 3 in 2006, and 4 in 2007. And as far as whether or not Harrell got snubbed, I agree with Chris Huston of HeismanPundit.com:


"This is the right decision. I had thought they might bring Graham Harrell, too, but these three guys are the only ones who can win and it makes no sense to pretend otherwise in such a close race."

[aurorasooner]

"This is the right decision. I had thought they might bring Graham Harrell, too, but these three guys are the only ones who can win and it makes no sense to pretend otherwise in such a close race." While it may make sense to them it makes a lot of common sense to invite a guy who supposedly has led the unofficial polls for a good part of the year. If not for anything else, that guy played the whole last half of his last game with a broken hand and pulled out a victory. Just my fan's opinion, but he deserved the respect of at least being invited.
Sam Harrell, father of Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell (seen at left), told the New York Times that he would rather college football avoid any form of playoff.

"Now I know people say how much it works for basketball, but I think football is different," the elder Harrell said. "Is it really better for kids to have a playoff ,or go to a bowl game and say, 'We won the Gator Bowl, the Cotton Bowl, whatever bowl'? You have USC and Penn State going to the Rose Bowl, whoever wins that game -- that’s something those kids can talk about the rest of their lives. They finished by winning something with a name, a tradition. They got to play in the Rose Bowl, not just the quarterfinals.

"People would have you believe, oh, the playoff would be perfect, ideal, but I think in about six years, people would say, 'Oh my God, what have we done? We’ve ruined a perfectly good season’s ending for a whole lot of teams for the benefit of one.' Is that really better for the kids

[RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!]

I saw the announcement on ESPiN and thought it was classless for them not invite Harrell. ESPiN probably thought if they include him they would have to include highlights of Tech beating Texas which would pizz Mack off and would remind viewers that there was a 3 way Big 12 South tie and not their spin on a 2 way tie. Or perhaps ESPiN is cutting costs because of the economy. If it's he latter the least ESPiN could've done was to contact him or Tech 1st and just tell them "straight-up" the situation and see if he or Tech was willing to pay for his trip so he was included. Outside of OU/Tech game, he definitely had a Heisman-type season imo, and at least deserved a Heisman banquet invitation.Good points, esp. about TESPN.

[KingDavid]

Too bad. I like Harrell and think he deserved the trip.

[batonrougesooner]

Throw the guy a bone. Give him a free trip to New York. He knows he's not going to win it but don't rub his nose in it after being a presumed finalist for most of the year including the last three weeks.

Spring for the airline ticket and hotel and let him enjoy his fifteen minutes.

[GottaHavePride]

Personally, if I found out they had invited me even though there was no real chance for me to win, I'd be pissed that they had wasted my time. The whole "hey, we feel sorry for him and he deserves a trip to New York" reasoning would hack me right the hell off.

[tommieharris91]

Throw the guy a bone. Give him a free trip to New York. He knows he's not going to win it but don't rub his nose in it after being a presumed finalist for most of the year including the last three weeks.

Spring for the airline ticket and hotel and let him enjoy his fifteen minutes.

:les: NCAA VIOLATION!!!

[batonrougesooner]

:les: NCAA VIOLATION!!!

You got me :rolleyes:

Seriously though, I think he deserves the recognition and the perks that go with it. He beat Texas after all.:texan:

[aurorasooner]

Personally, if I found out they had invited me even though there was no real chance for me to win, I'd be pissed that they had wasted my time. The whole "hey, we feel sorry for him and he deserves a trip to New York" reasoning would hack me right the hell off. I disagree about being invited to the ceremony even if I had no chance to win, as GH's dad said about going to a Rose Bowl or a Cotton Bowl, he could tell his kids that he was a Heisman finalist. Same thing for Crabtree although I don't think he's been much of a factor in the race (except by Mike Mayotte-sp?). I still think I'd be more angry if I was considered the front-runner for a good part of the year, and then 3 days before the award was told "Sorry" you're not invited. In any event, the kid had a helluva year and deserved "the bone", imo.

[olevetonahill]

I can tell My kids I was the King of France . Does that count ?
:rolleyes:

[8timechamps]

He should have been invited.

That said, it's good news for Sam. A lot of the Harrell vote (assuming there were many) may go to Sammy. Or, it could go the other way to "the one who can't be named".

[GottaHavePride]

He should have been invited.

That said, it's good news for Sam. A lot of the Harrell vote (assuming there were many) may go to Sammy. Or, it could go the other way to "the one who can't be named".

Um, I'm pretty sure any Harrell votes went to Harrell. The ballots don't have names pre-printed on them. If a Heisman voter wanted to, they could write in Loadholt.

[olevetonahill]

Um, I'm pretty sure any Harrell votes went to Harrell. The ballots don't have names pre-printed on them. If a Heisman voter wanted to, they could write in Loadholt.

Some times Folk just aint to smart .

[Crucifax Autumn]

Loadholt won't fit on a ballot. He won't even fit in a voting booth.

[aurorasooner]

I just saw where GH got the Johnny U. award, so he's not coming up empty. Congrats to him. Also I didn't know Sammy wasn't a Maxwell awards finalist which seems strange. Surprised that J. Cooper isn't up or didn't make the final cut for the Rimmington Award as well, but I don't understand how anyone besides the NFL scouts can be qualified to vote on the CFB OL awards.
Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford has won the Sammy Baugh Award, and Texas Tech’s Graham Harrell has taken the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.

Bradford, McCoy and Florida’s Tim Tebow have been announced as the finalists for the Heisman ceremony in New York on Saturday.

McCoy, Tebow and Harrell are finalists for the Maxwell Award, which, like the Heisman, goes to the nation’s most outstanding player.

Last year, Tebow won the Maxwell and the Heisman, but it marked the first time since 1999 the same player won both.

The Heisman and Maxwell are the oldest individual awards, with both originating in the mid-1930s.http://www.kansascity.com/sports/story/931862.html

[Crucifax Autumn]

Surprised that J. Cooper isn't up or didn't make the final cut for the Rimmington Award

On a positive note though our conference is well represented by Colt's appearance in the final cut against Zac Robinson for the rimjob award due to their fantastic efforts on their coaches.

[sendbaht]

As long as they have Billy Sims yelling BOOMER BOOMER as loud as he can that's all I care about, and of course OUr boy SAM winning.

[Crucifax Autumn]

I'll take that, but all I really want is #8 and a bunch of texasses whining it shoulda been them.

[OUinFLA]

Harrell got "ducked"

The man is a great passer and deserved to at least been invited.
It's not like they announce......"and only receiving enough votes to be #4"...
Harrell was hyped every week on all the media. Now he's been...... well, "ducked".

[SOONERxWife73]

just couldn't allow three big 12 quarterbacks vs. one sec. you see, that would be a gang bang. sorry for harrell, he should have been invited imo.

[8timechamps]

Um, I'm pretty sure any Harrell votes went to Harrell. The ballots don't have names pre-printed on them. If a Heisman voter wanted to, they could write in Loadholt.

I woke up this morning thinking about this. I don't know what kind of drug I was on last night. Obviously the votes were all submitted.

However, I do like the Loadholt vote.

[8timechamps]

Some times Folk just aint to smart .

You're assuming I was ever smart.

Bad assumption.

[Knippz]

only Tebow, McCoy and the Heisman winner were invited.

WTF?!! They didn't invite the Heisman winner?!!?

I haven't watched any football in 19 days, so I don't really know what's going on. Isn't Harrell the leading candidate? :rolleyes:

[Knippz]

And why wasn't Chase Daniel invited?!!!!!!!?? :mad:

[SoonersEnFuego]

Why don't we just not keep score so everyone can feel good about themselves...
Give me a break Mr. Harrell.

[oumartin]

Mike Leach expressed his displeasure about Harrell being snubbed too..

It is kinda sad for a kid that was considered the front runner up to the OU game.

[Sooner Suzie]

The Gap is the point. Harrell is a worthy candidate. But once the actual voting is published after award is made, it will be evident why only three were invited this year. Otherwise, the 5th place could complain about the 4th place finisher going, but they were snubbed.

The Gap has always been a consistant part of the Heisman visits to New York. This year will be no different. Whether or not the 4th, 5th or 6th place finishers were worthy of the award is not the issue. Next week it will become all too apparent why only three were invited this year.