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Let The Campaigns For Heisman Begin

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By ANDY STAPLES, The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 15, 2007

Updated: 11/15/2007 12:13 am

GAINESVILLE - James Carville knows he could design a campaign to win the Heisman Trophy for University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow. He could do the same for Oregon quarterback Dennis Dixon, for that matter. Carville is that good.

After all, the Rajin' Cajun did lead the campaign that convinced voters to put a relatively unknown Arkansas governor into the White House in 1992. And Heisman voters, Carville said this week, aren't that different from regular voters. Just maybe not as smart.

"People who vote for the Heisman use information the way a drunk uses a lamppost - for support," said Carville, a CNN political talk-show regular who also co-hosts "60/20 Sports" on XM Radio Channel 144 each Friday at 9 a.m. "They don't want to be illuminated."

Carville, an avid college football fan who holds two degrees from LSU, understands the Heisman race can be as political as the presidential race. He also understands many voters - Heisman or presidential - will respond best to a campaign that reinforces what they already believe. Changing minds is the hard part.

And while Americans will begin heading to the polls in January to pick the next president, the 925 ballots for the Heisman went into the mail Wednesday. The remaining candidates will have to run near-flawless campaigns for the next few weeks.

For a while, it appeared this season's Heisman vote would resemble an early party primary, with voters trying to pick from four or five candidates and no clear favorite. But as the season has progressed, most candidates either suffered early season losses (getting smashed in Iowa and New Hampshire) or their stats fell below Heisman levels (running out of money). Now, the Heisman campaign more resembles the general election, with two big-party candidates (Tebow and Dixon) and a few third-party stragglers (Arkansas tailback Darren McFadden, Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel, Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan).

And while ESPN and its stable of talking heads supply the punditry politicos would expect from CNN and Fox News in a presidential race, the Heisman campaign has its own uniquely qualified analyst. His name is Chris Huston, and when he isn't handling public relations accounts or working as a Web developer, he breaks down the race on HeismanPundit.com.

Huston, a former sports information staffer at Southern Cal who worked on the Heisman campaigns of quarterbacks Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart, polls Heisman voters every week. He also devised the 10 Heismandments, the criteria a player must meet (e.g. No. 3: The winner must put up good numbers in big games on TV) to truly have a chance to win the Heisman. But change a few words in the Heismandments, and Huston could easily see them applying to a presidential hopeful.

"You have to have a bit of the political sense," Huston said.

Huston said Dixon and Tebow don't fit any traditional political archetype, but he sees some parallels. Like Republican nominees Ronald Reagan (1980, 1984), George H.W. Bush (1988, 1992) and Bob Dole (1996), Dixon is a good soldier who waited his turn.

Meanwhile, Florida's sophomore signal-caller and Democratic hopeful Barack Obama could suffer a similar fate - losing the nomination because people assume they'll win it the next time. Like Republican Rudy Giuliani, Tebow comes from a "key state" with a huge population and massive media coverage. But like Mitt Romney and Hillary Rodham Clinton, Dixon is backed by deep pockets. How deep? Oregon's most prominent booster is Nike founder Phil Knight.

To overcome their perceived flaws, the candidates will need professional help. Carville, who personally believes McFadden is the nation's best player, would design drastically different campaigns for the front-runners.

For Tebow, Carville would create a video showing Tebow's best 10 plays and Dixon's best 10 plays. That, he said, would completely convince voters.

For Dixon, Carville would "go negative on Tebow" and design a campaign that would barrage voters with the word "senior" and focus on Dixon's leadership in helping the Ducks contend for the national title while emphasizing Florida's three losses.

"I wouldn't let anybody look at any tapes, though," Carville said.

Would the GOP handle the Heisman campaign differently? Mac Stipanovich, a Tallahassee attorney and Republican campaign strategist, briefly set aside his allegiance to his alma mater and to Tebow - he has a bachelor's and a law degree from Florida - to design a campaign for Dixon that, like Carville's, would pump up Dixon while attacking Tebow.

"Dixon is a victim of the fact that he plays on the West Coast and he has less exposure to the Heisman voters east of the Mississippi," Stipanovich said. "He's also a victim of not being a hot dog and hogging the ball like Tebow."

If hired by the Tebow campaign, Stipanovich would ignore Dixon while making "sweeping statements that brook no contradiction" about Tebow. He also would focus on the 42 touchdowns Tebow has accounted for as well as the fact that Florida's losses are the fault not of Tebow but of a young defense. He would ask voters to consider how many games the Gators would have lost if not for Tebow.

As for the stickiest issue - no sophomore has won the Heisman - Stipanovich the Tebow strategist would contend that voting against Tebow because of his age isn't only wrong, it's un-American.

"We live in America. This is a meritocracy," Stipanovich said. "Being a senior doesn't make you a better football player. ... It just makes you older."

The polls open today when voters begin receiving their ballots. They close Dec. 4. Dec. 8, we'll all learn whether Tebow or Dixon ran the better campaign.

Dennis Dixon Party Platform

1. He's a senior.
2. He is such a great leader that he has put his team in a position to play for the national title.
3. You don't understand his greatness because you haven't seen him on television every week.
4. He embodies the spirit of the award, coming back from a benching as a junior to become the heart of his team as a senior.
5. He's a senior.
Unpaid political ad furnished by Ducks For Dixon.

Tim Tebow Party Platform

1. Look at the numbers. The guy has accounted for 42 touchdowns in 10 games.
2. His team might not be competing for a national title, but imagine how many games the Gators would have lost if not for Tebow.
3. You've seen him almost every week on national television. His play speaks for itself.
4. His age has nothing to do with whether he is the best player. Besides, just because he is this good as a sophomore doesn't mean he'll be as good as a junior.
5. Look at the numbers.
Unpaid political ad furnished by the Tebow for HE15MAN Committee.

Andy Staples

Reporter Andy Staples can be reached at (352) 262-3719 or astaples@tampatrib.com.

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