News > Heisman trophy simulated outcomes
December 4, 2006
Content taken from 1UP.com:
Every NCAA season has an indispensable player, a visage of leadership, performance and outstanding play. This season that man is Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith. While his coronation at this weekend's Heisman ceremony is pretty much a foregone conclusion, we turned to EA's NCAA Football 2007 to see if an upset might be in the works. We were right: the 360 gave us wildly different results through 10 seasons of simulation. Sure, Troy won a couple, but the sim engine also spit out a few surprises. With that in mind, here's our breakdown of this year's Top 10 candidates.
1. QB #10, Ohio State (Troy Smith)
His mind-boggling real-world stats of 30 TDs and 5 INTs mean he's pretty much locked up the 2006 Heisman Trophy. In NCAA, though, his stats were even better (though he only copped the award once). His passing yardage topped 3,000 yards regularly, and he finished with as many as 42 total touchdowns.
2. QB #10, Notre Dame (Brady Quinn)
A preseason favorite by many pundits, Quinn has had a solid, if not spectacular season. EA was clearly a fan of the Irish QB, as he posted 3 wins and regular top five finishes in the balloting. His best passing yardage was 3,600 yards and he routinely threw 35+ touchdown passes -- not far off his real-world numbers of the past two years.
3. RB #10, West Virginia (Steve Slaton)
While EA gave Slaton the speed to kill, his simmed out numbers never approached the gaudy stats he's put up on the field this year. His best yards per carry in the game averaged 5.5, while he's closer to 7 YPC in real life. He didn't ever win the award and only made one top 5 finish.
4. RB #20, Michigan (Mike Hart)
Underappreciated by many Heisman watchers, Hart has quietly made himself a finalist. His 142 yards and three scores in a losing effort at Ohio State cast him in a heroic light, but EA's game didn't cast favor on the diminutive Hart. His best rushing total was just over 1,000 yards (he's got 1,500 in real action) and he only finished in the top five once.
5. RB #5, Arkansas (Darren McFadden)
A late bloomer on the national scene, McFadden has been the engine that's made the Hogs go from also-ran to national power. NCAA Football 07 falls a little short in its use of McFadden, though, as in real-life he's a threat to return a kick, punt, run for a TD and throw for a TD. He never popped into our simmed races.
6. QB #15, Hawaii (Colt Brennan)
Through week seven, another Colt -- Texas' QB #10, Colt McCoy -- was more likely to take this spot. But Brennan has risen thanks to over 50 "tuddies" versus just 9 INTs (wow). Still, even his best season (where he hit 40 touchdowns), wasn't enough to propel him to Heisman hopeful.
7. QB #5, West Virginia (Patrick White)
A lethal mix of speed and elusiveness, White may be the fastest player on the field. But NCAA Football 07 doesn't replicate West Va.'s deadly precision option attack that well, and White's numbers suffer because of it. Averaging nearly nine yards a carry in real games this year, White was more of a passing threat in EA's game as he routinely hit 20 TD passes. His best finish in 10 seasons of simulation? Third. Look for the sophomore to dominate in NCAA 08.
8. RB #27, Rutgers (Ray Rice)
He might lead the country in alliteration, but his stats and easy Big East schedule don't merit serious consideration. The game puts a lot of the Rutgers attack on FB Brian Leonard's shoulders, so Rice never popped into the sim. Still, with 1,400 yards rushing and 16 TDs, it's a safe bet that he'll be represented in 08.
9. WR #21, Georgia Tech (Calvin Johnson)
Easily one of the best three or four players in all of college football, Johnson's stats have been hampered by average quarterback play. Cyber Reggie Ball is a better passer, though, and Johnson snagged 83 balls for 1,400 yards and 16 touchdowns in one of our sim campaigns. That was enough to win him one Heisman.
10. WR #7, Ohio State (Ted Ginn)
We put Ginn here because he still got a lot of talk going into the Michigan game and represented himself quite well with 8 grabs for 104 yards and a touchdown. EA liked the OSU wideout too, as he landed in the top five several times and consistently topped 1,000 yards receiving.
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