Chizik set to coach Auburn

Iowa State football coach Gene Chizik waits to walk onto the field with players, including Ben Barkema, left, and Todd Blythe, right, before a game against Kent State, Thursday, Aug. 30, 2007, in Ames, Iowa. Chizik is in his first year as Iowa State coach. (AP)

Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard said in a statement that head coach Gene Chizik has been hired to replace Tommy Tubberville at Auburn.

“Gene [Chizik] confirmed for me today that he is accepting the head coaching position at Auburn,” Pollard said. “I’m disappointed for our Iowa State fans and student-athletes that he has chosen to leave our program after only two seasons.

“I understand that it [Auburn] is a dream job for him, but the timing and the way it played out has been hurtful and disappointing. Although this is a significant set back, we will get through the challenge because the Iowa State University athletics program is far greater than one person.”

With that in mind this hiring has to raise some eyebrows — I know it raised mine.

Is Gene Chizik really the best fit for the Auburn job? How can anyone at this point in time justify Chizik to lead a program to prominence? What has he shown to make anyone confident that he can do the job?

I’m sorry, and I don’t really mean to attack Chizik personally, but the job he’s done at Iowa State was poor — at best. He took over for a team that was on a high and quickly brought them back down to Earth.

And the Heisman goes to…

Heisman finalists Sam Bradford, left, of Oklahoma, Colt McCoy, center, of Texas, and Tim Tebow, of Florida, pose for a photo after The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards ceremony in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., Thursday, Dec. 11, 2008. (AP)

Today marks the biggest day of individual achievement in college football, the presentation of the Heisman Trophy.

This year brings with it an interesting fight for this coveted statue, including maybe the three most compelling arguments for the award I’ve seen in a long time. However, that isn’t the only storyline that has lead up to tonight’s award ceremony. No, there has also been plenty of controversy.

It all started with the controversy of the BCS and the Big 12 Championship. With the extra game, Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford showed himself well against a slumping defense and lead the Sooners to their fifth straight 60-point game. But did Oklahoma deserve the extra game over Colt McCoy and Texas? It’s debatable.

Then there is the invitations sent out by the Downtown Athletic Club of New York , and how Texas Tech’s Graham Harrell wasn’t even invited. Instead, there were only three invitations sent out … to Oklahoma’s Bradford, Texas’ McCoy and Florida’s Tim Tebow.

Although there was controversy about the invitations, there is no controversy about whether one of these three would win the award. With that in mind, here’s a look at each one of these three candidates.