One of the greatest games in college football history was played in the 2007 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, when the Boise State Broncos sent shockwaves through the nation by defeating Big 12 Champion Oklahoma in overtime, 43-42. After Boise State quarterback Jared Zabransky gift wrapped an interception that was returned 33 yards for a touchdown late in the game, things looked bleak for the Broncos. The WAC champs had just blown an 18 point lead and they trailed the Sooners 35-28 with just 1:07 left in the game. The Boise State offense then pulled off the unthinkable. They used a hook-and-ladder play to pitch the ball to a streaking Jerard Rabb, who raced down the sideline into the end zone with 7 seconds to play to send the contest into overtime. After the Sooners answered first with an Adrian Peterson touchdown run, Boise State struck back with a toss pass on fourth down to find themselves down by one point. Needing only an extra point to send it to another overtime, Boise State’s coaches went with what will be remembered as one of the most audacious play-calls of the 2007 college football season and decided to go for the two point conversion.

Quarterback Jared Zabransky took the snap in the shotgun, stared at the right side of the field, acted like he was going to throw it with his right hand but calmly placed the ball in his left hand. He then fully extended his left arm backward, handing the ball off to running back Ian Johnson, who breezed into the left side of the end zone for the improbable and magical victory. The victory wasn’t so big simply because Boise State was an underdog, but the fact they won it with so much chicanery and trickerration is what made the game so truly special.

When EA Sports recently announced who was going to grace the cover of NCAA Football 2008, they called a statue-of-liberty play of their own and fooled everybody on February 28th, 2007. Avid NCAA Football gamers everywhere were stunned when quarterback Jared Zabransky of Boise State was chosen as the cover boy for the Heisman Trophy of sports video game covers. He edged out three other quarterbacks, JaMarcus Russell, Brady Quinn, and Troy Smith to earn the prestigious honor.

Wait? Did I just hear that right? Let’s back the car up about twenty feet, Jared Zabransky on the Heisman trophy of sports video game covers? This is the same quarterback who gift wrapped the game for Oklahoma before overtime people, throwing one of the most blatantly bad interceptions during the 2007 bowl season! You have got to be kidding me?! This is the same quarterback in 2006 that tossed an interception late in the MPC Computers Bowl that cost his team the game. Jared f***ing Zabransky. Wow.

I was outraged when I first heard the news and still am. I’m not the only one surprised by the choice, just check out the different groups created on Facebook! There is more than one group on the site devoted to questioning how Zabransky could have landed on the cover. The largest group has 194 people and I’m sure there are many others out there, they are just too lazy to voice their opinion. The title of the group, “Why in the hell is Jared Zabransky on the cover of ’08?” My thoughts exactly.

Listen, hats off to Zabransky, Ian Johnson, and the Boise State Broncos for having a remarkable season and an even more remarkable finish against Oklahoma in their bowl win. The statue-of-liberty play-call was the call of the entire college football season, because of the elements of surprise and the beautiful creativity from the Broncos’ coaching staff. Going undefeated anywhere in Division 1 college football is an impressive accomplishment, even if the Broncos never really played anybody. I’m sorry Broncos fans, but a 23-20 escape on the road against San Jose State, just doesn’t cut it for me.

Let’s take a look at the list of former NCAA FOOTBALL cover athletes, shall we.

• 1997: Tommie Frazier - Nebraska QB-Heisman trophy runner-up (when it was named College Football USA)
• 1998: Danny Wuerffel - Florida QB(first year in NCAA FOOTBALL series)-Heisman Trophy winner
• 1999: Charles Woodson - Michigan CB-Heisman Trophy winner
• 2000: Ricky Williams - Texas RB-Heisman Trophy winner
• 2001: Shaun Alexander - Alabama RB-holds Alabama career rushing record-3,565 yards in four seasons
• 2002: Chris Weinke - Florida State QB-Heisman Trophy winner
• 2003: Joey Harrington - University of Oregon QB-named first-team All-American in 2001, also earned Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year honors in 2001. Finished fourth in Heisman voting that same season.
• 2004: Carson Palmer - Southern California QB-Heisman Trophy winner
• 2005: Larry Fitzgerald - Pittsburgh WR-Heisman trophy runner up-2003 Walter Camp Player of the Year.
• 2006: Desmond Howard - Michigan WR-Heisman trophy winner
• 2007: Reggie Bush - Southern Cal RB-Heisman trophy winner
• 2008: Jared Zabransky - Boise State QB-2007 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl Offensive Player of the Game

It was a remarkable season for Zabransky and the Broncos, but that doesn’t give their signal-caller a free pass to the most coveted video game cover in all of sports! This isn’t just any video game folks, it has been one of the most popular-selling video games of all-time since it was known as “Bill Walsh College Football” in 1993. Year after year, video game analysts crown NCAA Football as one of the best sports games of the year, right up there with the Madden franchise.

If you read off the list of NCAA Football cover boys, it is like a modern-day college football Hall-of-Fame. USC’s Reggie Bush provided us with jaw-dropping speed and ankle breaking agility, former Trojan Carson Palmer cemented his legacy as one of the best college quarterbacks of all-time in helping Pete Carroll lift the USC program back to prominence, and Danny Wuerffel of Florida, who is still regarded by many as the best quarterback in Florida’s prestigious history. No college football fan will ever forget the image of the legendary Wuerffel tossing a touchdown pass, then clasping his hands together and praying. I bet you can guess what all three of these legends have in common? Yes, they all three have hoisted the most coveted trophy in all of college football, the Heisman Trophy. In all, seven players that have won the Heisman Trophy have graced the cover of NCAA FOOTBALL and two runners-up. Jared Zabransky might have been invited to the Heisman ceremony this season, if twenty other players were hit by MACK trucks.

All of the players on this list meet at least one of two qualifications:

A) Best player in the nation regardless of position  or B) Best player on their team regardless of position.

Zabransky fails to meet both of those requirements. As a matter of fact, the Boise State signal-caller wasn’t even the best player on his own team, running back Ian Johnson deserves that honor. Zabransky can forget about being the best quarterback in his own conference because Colt Brennan is in the WAC. Zabransky didn’t even land on a single All-American list this season. Guess how many players in the Western Athletic Conference landed on an All-American team this season? Nine! Nine other players in his own conference were named to an All-American list, and Jared Zabransky was nowhere to be found on any of those, yet somehow he winds up on one of the most prestigious football video game covers ever? I think EA Sports took the fairy tale ending of Boise State’s victory a little too far, because clearly they are living in a fantasy world. If they think Zabransky is worthy of the NCAA Football cover, then I better get the pumpkin carriage ready.