Heisman vs. Heisman

National title game features different strokes at quarterback

By Mike Kern | Philadelphia Daily News • Published January 08, 2009

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MIAMI – So, whatever became of Rhett Bomar anyway?

Surely, you remember the name. He was everybody's All-America, Oklahoma's next big-time quarterback.

Meanwhile, when Sam Bradford was coming out of Oklahoma City's Putnam City North High School, he wasn't even the most-recruited QB in his state.

Funny how thinga can work out sometimes.

Just before the 2006 season, Bomar, a redshirt sophomore, became an ex-Sooner after it was revealed he'd been paid by a car dealership for work he didn't do. He moved on to Division I-AA Sam Houston State, where he just completed his career by throwing 27 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in 10 games.

We'll never know what might have been. Not that it really matters. Bradford, in case you hadn't heard, is on top of the college-football world.

"I grew up an OU fan," he said. "And if I ever had the opportunity to go to OU, that's something I wanted.

"I didn't get as much attention as some of the other guys. But once they saw me and what I could do, I got my shot."

His biggest shot yet will come tonight at Dolphin Stadium, when the Sooners (12-1) finally meet Tim Tebow and Florida (12-1) in the BCS championship game.

Last month, Bradford became the second sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy. Florida QB Tim Tebow, last year's winner, wasn't happy he finished third this time. If he can help the Gators get their second ring in three years, it'll probably make him feel better.

"We're here for one reason," he insisted. "We know it's a business trip."

Heisman winners, of course, have not fared well in bowl games this century. Ask Tebow, whose team lost to Michigan in last season's Capital One Bowl. Oklahoma has lost four consecutive BCS bowls since winning the final game in 2000. Two were BCS finals, including in 2003, with Heisman-winning QB Jason White.

"Obviously, the Heisman experience was something really special," said Bradford, whose father Kent was an offensive lineman for OU in the late 1970s. "But I think as soon as I got back to Norman, I got back to trying to be as normal as possible.