Oklahoma college grants

Look, we're not that naive. This isn't the award Jason White wants. But whether he's being named the SPORTING NEWS Player of the Year or winning the Heisman Trophy in New York on Saturday his reaction won't be much different than it is after most of the Sooners' games.

"I'm successful," White says, "because we're successful."

Forget that. Even with a suspect running game, Oklahoma won its first 12 games and scored the most points in the nation because White played nearly flawlessly. And he could do it again next season.

White might petition the NCAA for a sixth year of eligibility because he missed a majority of 2001 and '02 with knee injuries. Staying in Norman will depend on his draft prospects, which aren't high because of his history of injuries. So Oklahoma, which won't lose much on offense for 2004, could be even better next season if the NCAA grants White another year.

But how could White top this season? Despite those two surgically repaired knees, White rewrote the Oklahoma record book--while finishing less than one-third of the Sooners' frequently lopsided games--and helped transform the team's offense from the dink-and dunk spread to a lethal downfield passing attack.

Consider this: white has just 17 career starts. Who knows how much better he can be? "If he comes back, it could be a long season for everyone involved" says Baylor coach Guy Morriss.

How would that be any different from this season?