Week 7 Heisman Poll: Hoosier Daddy

College football has undergone significant evolution over the last five years. NIL and the Transfer Portal have narrowed the talent gap between teams. Look no further than our Week 7 Heroes, the Indiana Hoosiers’ big win over Oregon in Eugene. That doesn’t happen in 2020, let alone 2010. The Hoosiers’ win impacted our Week 7 Heisman poll, but before we get to our rankings, we have to ask a question. Does the Heisman need to evolve with college football?

If you are still reading this, it means our editor didn’t cut out our question. As stated on the Heisman Trust website, the Heisman Trophy is awarded annually to the “outstanding college football player in the United States whose performance epitomizes great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard work.” The award is now given in early December. Before the College Football Playoff commenced. This week, Miami Hurricane Head Coach Mario Cristobal called for another change, this time to the Heisman Trophy.

Cristobal feels that the “whole award before the postseason games are played is absolutely bizarre.” We couldn’t agree more. Nowhere in the Heisman trust does it say the best player in the REGULAR season. We are examining the entire body of work. We get it, the award was created when Bowl Games were good excuses for cold-weather teams to escape to warmer climates. But with the College Football Playoff going into the end of January, it’s time for the Heisman to evolve. Sure, it might leave out that feel-good G6 story. But let’s be honest, they weren’t winning anyway. Now to our poll!

Was Jeremiah Smith born on 3rd Base? His production has been less than eye-popping this year, yet he has shown up in every one of our polls. We get that he is probably being double and triple-teamed, but come on, you are the best receiver in the country. Put up the numbers to prove it. Smith and the Buckeyes continued their undefeated ways by taking care of Illinois. Smith finished the game with five receptions for 42 yards and one touchdown. He also had a single rushing attempt for 0 yards. Hardly Heisman worthy…

Oh no, Dante Moore and the Oregon Ducks took the biggest stumble in Week 7. Unless you count Auburn’s loss against the SEC officials, we mean Georgia. Moore and the Ducks apparently didn’t Google Curt Cignetti and Indiana—because if they had, they’d know the Hoosiers are pretty good. Moore had his toughest day as a Duck on Saturday, finishing with 186 passing yards on 21-of-34 attempts, one touchdown, and two interceptions. Moore was under constant duress, being sacked six times in the afternoon. Success is never final, and disaster is never fatal. There is still plenty of time for Moore and the Ducks to get back on track.

Don’t look now, but the Tide is coming. Alabama went into a classic trap game in CoMo this weekend. An 11 am kick, on the road, against an “inferior opponent.” This had all the makings of an upset. One only has to look back to the Tide’s losses in Nashville or Norman to see what could have happened. Instead, the Tide came to play and held off a pesky Mizzou squad to keep them atop the SEC Standings. Like Moore, Simpson was under constant distress most of the late morning. Mizzou ended up with four sacks on the day. What was different about Simpson from Moore was that he avoided the self-inflicted mistakes. Simpson completed 23 of 31 passes for 200 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Tide are the early leaders in the clubhouse, but it is far from a slam dunk.

The Hurricanes were off last week, but will have a big opponent on Friday night in Coral Gables. The Louisville Cardinals will come in at 4-1 to take on the Florida State Champion and undefeated Hurricanes. The Cardinals have a high-powered offense, and it is expected that Beck and the Cardinals will not only keep up but also surpass their counterparts from Louisville.

Indiana hasn’t had a Hoosier Daddy that strikes fear into opponents since Bobby Knight was roaming the courts at Assembly Hall. Fernando Mendoza and Cignetti are the new Hoosier Daddies, and the Big Ten and the rest of college football need to pay attention. The path to a HOME College Football Playoff game is before them. Imagine that we may get a home playoff game in Bloomington, Indiana, before we see one in Tuscaloosa or Baton Rouge. Mendoza showed plenty of poise in the upset win over the Ducks. After throwing a pick-six that let Oregon tie it in the fourth, he didn’t flinch. Instead, he bounced right back — leading a 12-play, 75-yard drive and finishing it with an 8-yard strike to Elijah Sarratt for the go-ahead score. Mendoza finished the day 20-of-31 for 215 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Hoosier Daddy! <clap, clap, clap> Hoosier Daddy!

Main Photo: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports