Tebow's legacy is already secure

In case you don't know, the Heisman Memorial Trophy will be giving out this weekend. The three finalists of course are: Sam Bradford of Oklahoma, Colt McCoy of Texas and Tim Tebow of Florida.

Of course, I would like to see Tebow take this thing home. In all honesty, I would not be heartbroken if he didn't win the trophy. In my opinion, Colt McCoy may actually be the most deserving of the three finalists. He has better numbers than Tebow and has beaten Sam Bradford head to head. However, it's not all about the numbers when it comes to this award.

The Heisman winner is usually defined by a few select Heisman defining moments. Do you think Desmond Howard would have won the award if he didn't strike the pose after scoring a touchdown? He might have, but it would have been harder. How about Reggie Bush? Would he have beat out teammate Matt Leinart if he didn't perform that sick behind the back maneuver while on his way to the house? Probably. But it would have been tougher.

While Tebow may lack the stats that Bradford and McCoy have put up in the pass happy Big XII. He has had his share of Heisman defining moments. Here are a few:

1. The Promise

This season will always be remembered as the year of the promise. After the Gators suffered a heart breaking loss to Ole Miss, a misty-eyed Tebow promised a room full of reporters and the entire Gator nation that from that moment on, the Gators were not going to let us down. Timmy T promised that no one in the nation would work harder than himself or push his team harder than he would. I have to say, so far he's kept up his end of the promise. It's amazing how a loss can be turned into such a great team for a football team.

2. War Paint in Tallahassee

If the promise is the most memorable soundbite of the season. The picture of Tebow leaving the field after his first half touchdown run against the Seminoles may be the image of the year. Tebow was angered by the local fans cheering as Florida wide out Percy Harvin rolled around on the ground in pain. Reportedly, Timmy walked up to head coach Urban Meyer and said something to the effect of, "Give me the damn ball! I wanna hit somebody!" Meyer did, and Tebow did. He dragged the entire pile almost five yards to score the touchdown. I don't care if the Gators were on their own 1 yard line, Mr. Tebow would have drug the pile 99 yards to score. There was just simply no stopping him. After the play, Timmy rose to his feet and took the sidelines. He could be seen pumping up the crown with the Seminoles end zone paint covering his entire face and body. Classic!

3. Come From Behind in the 'Chip

Most great quarterbacks are defined by what they do in crunch time. What happens when their team is down in the fourth quarter and they need a score. This same situation presented itself to Tebow in the SEC championship game against a very stout Alabama defense. Not only did Tebow lead his team back to victory, he made it look easy. The Crimson Tide had never looked so lost on the defensive side of the ball. The video of Tebow sprinting down the sideline and crashing into his teammates to inspire the kick-off team was more vintage Tebow.

The stats for Tebow are somewhat down this year. 564 rushing yards for 12 touchdowns. 2,515 passing yards for 28 touchdowns. However, these numbers do become a little more impressive when you take into account that Tebow has only turned the ball over twice. That's 40 touchdowns with only 2 turnovers!

A few more factors that might work into Tebow's favor on Saturday:

1. The Best Ever?

There has been increasing debate that Tim tebow may very well be the best college football player ever. This topic has hit several national sports talk outlets as well as countless local media outlets. I've heard more than a few Heisman voters say that they believe Tebow IS the best college football player ever. Not saying it's right, but I'm sure a few voters will feel like Tebow deserves another Heisman to solidify that title. Also, how many voters will see fit to vote for Tim in order to see an historic run a third Heisman award?

2. Bronko Nagurski at QB

We can thank Bobby Bowden for this one. After Tebow almost single-handedly thrashed his Seminoles for the second straight year, Bowden made the now famous comparison. This idea has caught on like wildfire. It's kind of cool to think of your QB as a Bronko Nagurski type. And that's exactly what he is.

I don't know if number 15 will win the Heisman on Saturday. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't. However,there is no denying the fact that Tim Tebow is the best college football player in America. Quite possibly ever.

Defense wins championships........And the Bronko Nagurski Award

If you thought preseason polls were bad, how about nominating a player for an award before he even plays a down. That's what the Charlotte Athletic Club did when the released the Bronko Nagurski preseason watch list. Two Gators did make the list. Brandon Spikes may be the only one of the two with a real shot of winning it.

Here are the names to be "watched"



2008 BRONKO NAGURSKI TROPHY PRESEASON WATCH LIST
Geno Atkins, DT, Georgia
Malcom Jenkins, DB, Ohio State
Antonio Baker, DB, Louisiana Tech
Peria Jerry, DT, Ole Miss
Darry Beckwith, MLB, LSU
Rashad Johnson, DB, Alabama
Ted Bentler, DL, Army
Arthur Jones, DT, Syracuse
Eric Berry, DB, Tennessee
Jan Jorgensen, DL, BYU
Dirayl Briggs, DE, Bowling Green
Frantz Joseph, LB, Florida Atlantic
Everette Brown,DL, Florida State
Mitch King, DT, Iowa
David Bruton, FS Notre Dame
James Laurinaitis, LB, Ohio State
Joe Burnett, DB, UCF
Trevard Lindley, CB, Kentucky
Terrill Byrd, DT, Cincinnati
Sen'Derrick Marks, DT, Auburn
Ian Campbell, DE, Kansas State
Rey Maualuga, LB, USC
Reggie Carter, LB UCLA
Taylor Mays, S, USC
Jamar Chaney, LB Mississippi State
Albert McClellan, DE, Marshall
Patrick Chung, DB, Oregon
Scott McKillop, LB, Pittsburgh
Barry Church, S, Toledo
Gerald McRath, LB, Southern Miss
Antonio Coleman, DE Auburn
Mike Mickens, CB, Cincinnati
Emanuel Cook, SS, South Carolina
Greg Middleton, DE, Indiana
Maurice Crum, LB, Notre Dame
Fili Moala, DT, USC
Jermaine Cunningham, DL, Florida
William Moore, S, Missouri
Aaron Curry, LB, Wake Forest
DJ Moore, CB, Vanderbilt
Brian Cushing, LB, USC
Joe Mortensen, LB, Kansas
Dexter Davis, DE, Arizona State
Clayton Mullins, LB, Miami (Ohio)
Vontae Davis, DB, Illinois
Captain Munnerlyn, DB, South Carolina
Wil Dunbar, FS, UAB
Andre Neblett, DT, Temple
Solomin Elimimian, LB, Hawaii
Troy Nolan, DB, Arizona State
Dannell Ellerbe, LB, Georgia
Eric Norwood, DE, South Carolina
Kevin Ellison, DB, USC
Vince Oghobaase, DT, Duke
Auston English, DE, Oklahoma
Jeff Owens, DT, Georgia
Larry English, DE, Northern Illinois
Derek Pegues, DB, Mississippi State
Maurice Evans, DE, Penn State
Dave Philistin, LB, Maryland
Zack Follett, LB, California
Nick Reed, DE, Oregon
Marcus Freeman, LB, Ohio State
Myron Rolle, DB, Florida State
Londen Fryar, DB, Western Michigan
George Selvie, DE, South Florida
John Gill, DT, Northwestern
Matt Shaughnessy, DE, Wisconsin
DeMarcus Granger, DT, Oklahoma
Clint Sintim, LB, Virginia
Courtney Greene, S, Rutgers
Alphonso Smith, DB, Wake Forest
Michael Hamlin, DB, Clemson
D'Anthony Smith, DT, Louisiana Tech
Greg Hardy, DE, Mississippi
Clinton Snyder, LB, Stanford
Nic Harris, DB, Oklahoma
Brandon Spikes, LB, Florida
Victor Harris, DB, Virginia Tech
Terrance Taylor, DT, Michigan
Daniel Holtzclaw, LB, Eastern Michigan
Brian Toal, LB, Boston College
Phillip Hunt, DE, Houston
Sean Weatherspoon, LB, Missouri
George Hypolite, DT, Colorado
Kyle Wilson, CB, Boise State
Tyson Jackson, DE, LSU
DeAndre Wright, DB, New Mexico
Players may be added or deleted from the list before or during the season

Good Luck to all! (except Tyson Jackson, Greg Hardy, Myron Rolle, Jeff Owens, Eric Norwood, Dannell Ellerbee, Solomin Elimimian, Captain Munnerlyn, DJ Moore, Emanuel Cook, Trevard Lindley, Everette Brown, Eric Berry, Darry Beckwith, Peria Jerry and Geno Atkins)