Hook 'em Horns
Texas will win: It's the curse of the Heisman Trophy
It was the great sports philosopher, Yogi Berra, who quipped, “It’s déjà vu all over again.” Longhorn fans can surely relate as their team prepares to battle for the BCS Championship tonight.
If you will, indulge me for a moment, and let’s take a trip in Mr. Peabody’s Wayback Machine. You might be surprised by how many similarities we'll uncover between this Thursdays game and the 2006 Rose Bowl.
That year, the second-ranked Longhorns faced the top-ranked USC Trojans. The Trojans entered that game with a 34-game winning streak and were led by the recently crowned Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush. The Horns were led by local hero Vince Young (who came in second in the Heisman ballot) and sported their own 19-game winning streak. The game came down to the final seconds when Young ran to college football immortality and led the Horns to a dramatic 41-38 upset victory.
Now let’s fast forward to 2010. The Alabama Crimson Tide is the top-ranked team in the nation, sporting the recently crowned Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram. The second-ranked Horns are lead by quarterback sensation Colt McCoy, who was a runner-up for the award, leaving football fans to wonder if the curse of the Heisman Trophy will happen yet again.
Consider that since the year 2000, Heisman winners lost seven of the nine games they played in immediately after winning the trophy. That list includes the likes of Sam Bradford of Oklahoma, Tim Tebow of Florida, Troy Smith of Ohio State and Reggie Bush of USC. So what does that mean for Alabama’s Mark Ingram? Running backs don’t seem to fair much better, losing seven out of 11 games they played in since 1980.
So if you’re the kind of person who believes in signs and omens, bet the house on the Horns upsetting the Crimson Tide this Thursday night.
After all, who can argue with a curse?