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Winner gets an email from HuskerBoard congratulating them on their championship and inviting them to the awards ceremony at a bar get-together (date/time TBD).

How's this for Kismet? Two college football legends, two guys who went on to play pro ball for the Detroit Lions. By now you know both guys, so no new blurbs about their playing days. Have fun voting!

Arguably the greatest college quarterback of all time vs. arguably the greatest college running back of all time. Fun choice.

Barry Sanders takes on Husker legend Dave Rimington. This is fluid speed vs. overwhelming power, which makes perfect sense as that embodies the philosophies of Oklahoma State and Nebraska throughout the 1980s when both players graced the gridiron. #1 seed Barry Sanders makes the Elite Eight having defeated: #64 Charles Rogers #32 Lawrence Taylor #17 Mike Rozier All told, Sander's opponents have earned a total of two votes - both going to Husker Heisman winner Mike Rozier. #24 Dave Rimington makes the Elite Eight having defeated: #41 Calvin Johnson #9 Earl Campbell #25 Bronko Nagurski Rimington's victories have been a little closer than Sanders' as his opponents have earned nine points through three rounds.

The second matchup featuring two Huskers will be much a more difficult decision, I'm thinking. In the first round, Rich Glover defeated Will Shields somewhat handily. I'm betting this vote is far closer. At #36, Ndamukong Suh is by far the highest seed left in the tournament. Suh made it to this round having defeated: #29 Ron Dayne #4 Jim Thorpe #20 Ricky Williams Suh's competition in the first three rounds earned a total of 7 points, with six of those going to #4 seed Jim Thorpe. #21 Eric Crouch made his way to the Elite Eight having defeated: #44 John Elway #12 Billy Simms #5 Red Grange Crouch's trip through the bracket has been far more rocky, as his opponents have earned 20 total votes; 6 for Elway, 9 for Simms and 5 for Grange.

Griffin is the second player in this round to face back-to-back Cornhuskers. Griffin defeated Rich Glover in the last round, but faces a much sterner test in Frazier. #2 seed Archie Griffin cruised his way to the Elite Eight having defeated: #63 Sterling Sharpe #34 George Gipp #47 Rich Glover Archie's opponents earned a grand total of five points through the tournament, with all five going to Glover in the last round. Touchdown Tommie Frazier fought his way to the Elite Eight after defeating: #55 John Hannah #23 Sammy Baugh #3 Jim Brown Tommie's opponents have earned a total of five votes - two for Hannah and three for Jim Brown.

Finally, a vote that doesn't feature a Husker (or two). Two storied running backs square off in this battle featuring very different styles. #3 seed Bo Jackson made his way to the Elite Eight having defeated: #62 Dan Hampton #35 Johnny Rodgers #14 Herschel Walker Jackson, for all his grace and power, had a difficult time of it through the bracket, barely defeating Rodgers in the second round 7-6, then eking by Walker in the sweet 16, 9-7. Gale Sayers would have been one of the all-time great Huskers had he stayed home and played for Nebraska, but the Huskers of Sayers' era weren't the Huskers we know today. Sayers (wisely) left Omaha and played college ball at Kansas, where he earned the nickname "The Kansas Comet." #11 seed Gale Sayers made his way to the Elite Eight having defeated: #54 James Street #22 Roger Staubach #6 Doak Walker Sayers' opponents have earned a total of eight votes; three went to Staubach and five to Walker.

One of the most difficult decisions yet in this contest. 17-seed Mike Rozier vs. #1-seed Barry Sanders. Two impeccable runners, two true pillars of college football running backs, and you have to choose between them. Interesting parallel between the two in that both backed up other great RBs early in their college career. When Rozier came to Nebraska he was second-string to Roger Craig, while Sanders played behind Thurman Thomas his first two years. Both won the Heisman, Sanders in 1988 and Rozier in 1983. Both only played three years in college - Sanders left after his Junior year to pursue a brilliant NFL career with the Detroit Lions, while Rozier came to Nebraska as a JUCO transfer after his Freshman season and only had three years of eligibility. Heisman seasons: Barry Sanders - 1988 Rushes - 373 Yards - 2,850 YPC - 7.6 Yards/Game - 237 TD - 37 Mike Rozier - 1983 Rushes - 275 Yards - 2,148 YPC - 7.8 Yards/Game - 165 TD - 29

Tommie Frazier is widely considered to be one of the best players in the history of college football despite being hampered by injuries for his entire career. Frazier led his team to consecutive national championships in 1994 and 1995, and is one of four quarterbacks to have done so since the 1950s. He was named Most Valuable Player of three consecutive bowl games played for the national championship title. Frazier was selected by Sports Illustrated in 1999 as a back-up quarterback in their "NCAA Football All-Century Team." CollegeFootballNews.com named Frazier in 2004 as the #33 player on their Top 100 Greatest College Football Players of All-Time list. In 2013, Frazier was elected to the college football hall of fame. Frazier finished second in the 1995 Heisman Trophy voting to winner Eddie George, who does not appear in this competition. As a sophomore at Syracuse University, Jim Brown was the second leading rusher on the team. As a junior, he rushed for 666 yards (5.2 per carry). In his senior year, Brown was a unanimous first-team All-American. He finished 5th in the Heisman Trophy voting, and set school records for highest rush average (6.2) and most rushing touchdowns (6). He ran for 986 yards—third most in the country despite Syracuse playing only eight games—and scored 14 touchdowns. In addition to his football accomplishments, Brown excelled in basketball, track, and especially lacrosse. As a sophomore, he was the second leading scorer for the basketball team (15 ppg), and earned a letter on the track team. His junior year, he averaged 11.3 points in basketball, and was named a second-team All-American in lacrosse. His senior year, he was named a first-team All-American in lacrosse (43 goals in 10 games to rank second in scoring nationally).

During his time playing for the Auburn Tigers football team, Bo Jackson ran for 4,303 career yards. Jackson finished his career with an average of 6.6 yards per carry, an SEC record. In 1983, as a sophomore, Jackson rushed for 1,213 yards on 158 carries, for an average of 7 yards per carry, which was the 2nd best single-season average in SEC history. In 1984, Jackson's junior year (most of which Jackson missed due to injury), he earned Most Valuable Player honors at the Liberty Bowl. In 1985, Jackson rushed for 1,786 yards which was the second best single-season performance in SEC history. That year, he averaged 6.4 yards per rush, which at the time was the best single-season average in SEC history. For his performance in 1985, Jackson was awarded the Heisman Trophy in what was considered the closest margin of victory ever in the history of the award, winning over University of Iowa quarterback Chuck Long. Herschel Walker played running back for the University of Georgia, where he was a three-time All-American and winner of the 1982 Heisman Trophy and Maxwell Award. He is the only player in NCAA history to finish in the top three in Heisman voting in all three of his collegiate seasons. He is the only NCAA player who played only three years to finish in the top ten in rushing yards. During his freshman season in 1980, Walker set the NCAA freshman rushing record and finished third in Heisman voting. Walker was the first "true freshman" to become a first-team All-American. He played a major role in helping Georgia avoid defeat that year and win the de facto national championship with a victory over Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl. He won the Heisman as a junior. In 1999, Walker was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame and is considered one of college football's greatest players.

During Gale Sayers' Jayhawk career, he rushed for 2,675 yards and gained 3,917 all-purpose yards. In 1963, he set an NCAA Division I record with a 99-yard run against Nebraska. In his senior year, he led the Jayhawks to a 15-14 upset victory over Oklahoma with a 96-yard kickoff return. Sayers is considered by many to have been the greatest open field runner in college football history. While being interviewed by Len Kasper and Bob Brenly during a broadcast of a Chicago Cubs game on September 8th, 2010, Sayers said he had originally intended to go to the University of Iowa. Sayers said that he decided against going to Iowa after the Iowa head coach, Jerry Burns, did not have time to meet Sayers during his on campus visit. Doak Walker attended Southern Methodist University (SMU), where he played running back, defensive back, and place kicker. He also threw and caught passes, punted, and returned kicks. He was a three time All-America, 1947, 1948 and 1949. In 1947, he won the Maxwell Award and in 1948 won the Heisman Trophy as the best college football player in the nation, as a junior. Walker's impact on SMU and football in the Dallas area led to the Cotton Bowl being referred to as "The House That Doak Built." Walker was also a member of Phi Delta Theta Fraternity, the men's honorary Cycen Fjodr and lettered on the SMU basketball and baseball teams. In 2007, he was ranked #4 on ESPN's list of the top 25 players In college football history.

Archie Griffin introduced himself to Ohio State fans in his second game as a freshman by setting a school single-game rushing record of 239 yards in the second game of the 1972 season, against North Carolina, breaking a team record that had stood for 27 seasons. Coincidentally, his only carry in his first game had resulted in a fumble. He broke his own record as a sophomore with 246 rushing yards in a game against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Over his four-year collegiate career, Griffin rushed for at least 100 yards in 34 games, including an NCAA record 31 consecutive games. Griffin is, of course, the only two-time winner of the Heisman Trophy (1974 & 1975). Rich Glover played college football at Nebraska under head coach Bob Devaney. In his senior season for the Huskers in 1972, he won the Outland Trophy and the Lombardi Award. As the middle guard, he was a key member of the Blackshirts as an underclassman on the 1970 and 1971 undefeated Nebraska teams that won consecutive national championships. Rich Glover was the second straight winner of the Outland Trophy from Nebraska, his New York Giant teammate Larry Jacobson won in 1971. Glover also finished third in the 1972 Heisman Trophy voting, won by teammate Johnny Rodgers; he was the only defensive player in the top ten.

Eric Crouch holds the record for the longest touchdown run in school history - a 95-yard run against Missouri in 2001 on a pass play in which Crouch took the snap, took his drop into the end zone, found no open receivers and broke free of the oncoming Tigger pass rush, then jumbled, juked and jived to the open field where he outran everyone. The total yardage on the play was far greater than 95 yards. Crouch also made one of the most famous touchdowns in Husker history on a play known as the Black 41 Flash Reverse Pass, in which he scored a 63-yard touchdown against bitter rival Oklahoma, en route to a 20-10 Nebraska victory. Crouch won the 2001 Heisman Trophy in the closest balloting since 1985, edging out Florida's Rex Grossman and Miami's Ken Dorsey. Red Grange scored three touchdowns in his first college game, a 24-7 victory over visiting Nebraska. Grange scored a touchdown in every single college game he played except one - a 1925 loss to Nebraska, in which Illinois was shut out, 14-0. Grange played in an era without a bevy of awards, but in 1978 Chris Berman was interviewing George Halas, the famed owner of the Chicago Bears, and asked Halas who was the greatest running back he had ever seen. Halas replied: 'That would be Red Grange.' And I asked him if Grange was playing today, how many yards do you think he'd gain. And he said, 'About 750, maybe 800 yards.' And I said, 'Well, 800 yards is just okay.' He sat up in his chair and he said, 'Son, you must remember one thing. Red Grange is 75 years old.'

Ndamukong Suh was the first player in NCAA history to be named the AP Player of the Year (2009) playing solely on defense. Suh owns the record for the Colt McCoy QB Toss at five yards. Suh's 2009 season was one of the most dominant statistical performances in NCAA history, as he amassed 85 total tackles, 52 solo tackles, 24 tackles for loss, 12 sacks, 10 passes defensed, an INT, a forced fumble, and three blocked PATs. By way of comparison, a stat line of 72 total tackles, 35 solo tackles, 17 TFL, 3 sacks, 0 passes defensed and 0 forced fumbles was generated by Alabama's entire defensive line (Deadrick, Washington & Cody) in 2009, in one of their recent championship seasons. Ricky Williams rushed for 200 or more yards 12 times in his career, finishing with 6,592 total yards, breaking Tony Dorsett's 22-year-old career rushing record on the day after Thanksgiving, 1998. Williams was often at his best in big games, rushing for 150 yards in a 1998 victory over Nebraska and 166 against bitter rival Oklahoma. Not bad for a kid drafted out of high school in the eighth round of the 1995 Major League Baseball draft. The "Texas Tornado" won the Heisman Trophy in his senior season, rushing for 2,327 yards and 29 TDs, including two separate games where he rushed for more than 300 yards (Rice & Iowa State). Williams amassed 11 TDs in those two games alone.

Dave Rimington could snap the ball and get off his stance so quickly that he was frequently called for false-start penalties, despite the ball being in the QB's hands as he made his block. Rimington is the only player in Big 8 history to be named Offensive Player of the Year as a Lineman, and is the only player in NCAA history to win the Outland Trophy twice. Rimington finished fifth on the 1982 Heisman trophy ballot. Rimington is one of four Huskers, and one of only 13 players overall, to win both the Outland and Lombardi Awards. Bronko Nagurski played both Defensive Tackle and Fullback for Minnesota, and made All-American at both positions in the same year in different publications. On his first day of practice Head Coach Fats Spears decided to test Nagurski in the "Nutcracker" drill, where a defensive player had to take on two blockers and try to tackle a following ballcarrier. On the first drill two All-Big Ten linemen and a 6 foot two, 220 pound fullback nicknamed the "Owatonna Thunder" charged at Bronko, who promptly split the blockers and drove the big fullback into a blocking dummy. Spears sent in three more players, blew his whistle and watched Bronko produce the same explosive results and after a third try with the same conclusion realized what a super player he had recruited.

Dick Butkus finished sixth in the Heisman trophy voting in 1963 and fourth in 1964. Not bad for a linebacker. Jim Brown rushed for 197 yards, scored six touchdowns and kicked seven extra points for 43 points in his final regular-season college football game. In the Cotton Bowl, he rushed for 132 yards, scored three touchdowns and kicked three extra points.

Bo Jackson's home in Chicago, built after he was signed by the White Sox in 1991, was built on what was once my great-grandfather's pig sty. Not joking. Johnny Rodgers was described by College Football News as "the greatest kick returner in college football history." Rodgers returned seven punts for TDs and one kickoff for a touchdown over his three-year career.

Rich Glover finished third in the 1972 Heisman trophy voting. Teammate Johnny Rodgers won the Heisman that year. Eric Dickerson finished third in the 1982 Heisman trophy voting. He was half of the famous "Pony Express" running back duo from SMU (with Craig James).

Gale Sayers was born in Omaha, NE and would have attended the University of Iowa, except Jerry Burns, Iowa's head coach, didn't have time to meet with him on his recruiting visit. Sayers went to Kansas, and earned the nickname "The Kansas Comet." Roger Staubach is the last player of any military academy to win the Heisman Trophy (1963). Staubach led the Navy Midshipmen to the National Championship game in his Junior year. Staubach volunteered for duty in Vietnam after college, delaying his professional career until 1969, when he was a 29-year-old rookie.

Marcus Allen was the first player in NCAA history to rush for 2,000 yards in a single season. Allen won the Heisman, Maxwell Award and the Walter Camp Award. Allen rushed for 200 yards in a single game 12 times (NCAA record). Doak Walker won the Heisman and Maxwell Awards (probably would have won more, but they didn't exist in the 1940s). Walker so impacted SMU football that the Cotton Bowl is often referred to as "The House that Doak Built."

Orlando Pace won the Outland Trophy in 1996 and is, to this day, the only two-time winner of the Lombardi Award, given to the best college lineman or linebacker (1995 & 1996). Herschel Walker was a three-time All-American and winner of the 1982 Heisman Trophy and Maxwell Award. He is the only player in NCAA history to finish in the top three in Heisman voting in all three of his collegiate seasons. Imagine having to tackle Herschel Walker, with Orlando Pace blocking for him. Nightmares.

Tommie Frazier is the only player in Division 1A history to earn MVP honors in three consecutive National Championship bowl games (1993, 1994 & 1995). Sammy Baugh was the winning QB in the first-ever Cotton Bowl, and later that year (1936) he led the College All-Stars to a 6-0 victory over the Green Bay Packers.

Archie Griffin is the only man to ever win two Heisman trophies. George Gipp is perhaps most famous for dying tragically during his senior season, giving us the phrase, "Win one for the Gipper."

You love Suh and you want to vote for him. But can you really put him ahead of a pillar of college football like Jim Thorpe? This is a disgustingly difficult poll.

Billy Sims was 2-1 vs. Nebraska in his college career. Eric Crouch never beat Nebraska in his college career. Think about it.