Maxwell's Silver Medal | by Jay

It wasn't the Heisman, but Thursday Brady Quinn won the prestigious Maxwell Award as the top college player of the year. Big congrats to BQ.

Tonight they hand out the Heisman, and Brady isn't going to get it. Allan Barra of the New York Sun makes a compelling, last-ditch plea to 'Vote Quinn', but since the ND-Michigan game, it's been all Troy Smith for as far as the media can see. As Barra elucidates, the Buckeyes were a much stronger squad this season and Smith was surrounded by a superior running game and defense than Quinn was with the Irish. Congrats to Smith for running his team to an undefeated season, and he deserves the award. But a Heisman for BQ wouldn't have been out of the question, either.

Quinn is ND's 5th winner of the Maxwell Award, joining Leon Hart ('49), John Lattner ('52,'53), Jim Lynch ('66), and Ross Browner ('77).