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Did VY hurt his Heisman candidacy?

By Peter Bean

Heisman Pundit weighs in on an interesting question:

One of the reasons why I thought voters chose Matt Leinart last season was that they thought he was going to go pro and wanted to reward him with a Heisman before he left. I also thought that the reason more people didn't choose Adrian Peterson was that they knew he had more years left and he could get his later.

But Leinart came back anyway. Now, Vince Young says he, too, will return for his senior season. Reggie Bush, so far, is keeping his options open, but the word is that he is probably going to head to the draft.

Question: How many voters will hold off on giving Young a first place vote with the knowledge that they can always vote for him again next year? Conversely, how many will give Bush a first place vote because they think it's their last chance to do so? Will either scenario even be a factor at all?

This is admittedly getting in the minutia of Heisman voting psychology, but it's worth considering. I doubt such factors weigh too heavily in these things, but HP is right to point out that the unquantifiable factors play a significant role in Heisman voting.
--PB--

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