Heisman: Mass exposure pushes Bush to the forefront

I'm sure all of you know he won it... btw, an article in San Jose says that SF will not try to lose out, but win, forgetting Bush (just Google "Reggie Bush" to find the article)

Anyway,
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Mass exposure pushes Bush to the forefront
link

By DAVID BARRON
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle

NEW YORK - Regional loyalties aside, Reggie Bush's landslide victory in the 2005 Heisman Trophy voting was no surprise if you spent any time this season watching sports television.

Clark Haptonstall, an assistant professor and director of the sport management program at Rice University, wrote his doctoral dissertation at Florida State on Heisman balloting, specifically the 2003 voting won by Oklahoma quarterback Jason White. His interest in the subject dates from his days as a sports information director at Marshall, where he beat the Heisman drums for Randy Moss.

Haptonstall said Bush's margin of victory over Texas quarterback Vince Young reflects, among other factors, the massive media coverage the two-time national champion USC Trojans have received this season.

"This year's USC team has received as much coverage as any college team I can think of since the Fab Five at Michigan (in 1992-93)," Haptonstall said. "All of America was familiar because of television with USC. I wouldn't be surprised if (ESPN reporter) Shelley Smith didn't have a dorm room on campus after all the time she spent there."

Bush also got a boost, Haptonstall said, from an ESPN feature that compared his elusive running style to that of Gale Sayers. Sayers' complimentary words about Bush also may have helped, he said.

Haptonstall also thinks Young's candidacy took a hit when Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit chuckled at Lee Corso's support of Young during a College GameDay show at Reliant Stadium. Of course, Fowler and Herbstreit chuckle at Corso over a lot of things, but there's always a chance that the exchange could have influenced some voters.

Haptonstall rated 30 factors that influence Heisman voters, based on survey responses from 462 voters in 2003. No. 1 was personal observations from games seen on television, followed by a player's performance in marquee games. Statistics were fourth, observations from games seen in person ranked fifth, character and reputation was sixth, and a team's strength of schedule was seventh.

The average 2003 Heisman voter, by the way, according to the survey, attended 10 games in person, watched 38 on television and saw the candidate for whom they voted an average of 5.4 times either on TV or in person.

"Voters like to feel that they can relate to the people they're voting for, and with all the coverage, they felt very comfortable with USC (in 2005)," Haptonstall said. "Marquee games also are important, and I think that is where Reggie Bush stood out. When the lights were brightest, he was at his best."