There is still a lot of college football to be played, and there are a lot of quality Heisman candidates. But don't tell me that Florida quarterback Rex Grossman, a redshirt sophomore, is out of contention because he's too young.

	Florida QB Rex Grossman leads the country in passing efficiency, but will Heisman voters hold his youth against him?

Let's at least examine the criteria necessary to become a Heisman Trophy winner. How about giving it to the best player in college football regardless of age or position?

Currently, the Heisman goes to the best skill player on the best team in the country (see: 1992 winner Gino Torretta, the Miami quarterback who wasn't even the best player on his own team and still won).

Top contenders this year include quarterbacks Eric Crouch of No. 1 Nebraska, Ken Dorsey of Miami and Joey Harrington of Oregon. Are they better than Grossman? Or just older ...

Grossman has better numbers. He's leading the nation in both passing efficiency and passing yards per game and is second only to Fresno State's David Carr in touchdown passes with 32. So, statistically speaking, Grossman is the best quarterback right now. He has one regular-season game left to make his case for the trophy (at home Dec. 1 vs. Tennessee).

There are no Heisman rules dictating age parameters, yet we've gone from complaining that ex-Florida State quarterback Chris Weinke (last year's winner) was too old to saying that Grossman is too young. The way I see it, you're either the best player in the nation or you're not.

If Grossman is out of the running because of age discrimination, it should be stated somewhere in the rules that you have to be a junior or senior. Because if that's the case, it may at least give him incentive to stick around for next year. If Grossman's only drawback is that he's an underclassman, it's unfair.

History has proven that even juniors have had a tough time winning -- players like Archie Griffin and Roger Staubach are the exception. Since its inception, 53 of 66 Heisman Trophy winners were seniors, 23 were quarterbacks and only one has been a defensive player.

In 1980, I watched as freshman Herschel Walker dominated the game (and Georgia won the national championship). Clearly, he was the best player in college football, but he was too young to win the Heisman. Walker had to wait until his junior year to get his hardware.

The best skill player on the best team is not necessarily the right choice for the Heisman.

I loved 1997, when voters showed some ingenuity by voting Michigan cornerback Charles Woodson. But if he didn't return kicks, would he have won? Being a great defensive back alone may not have been enough.

In college football, you can't leave for the NFL until your junior year. Technically, Grossman is NFL-eligible -- and if a guy is NFL-eligible he should be eligible for the Heisman Trophy.

I do know that Grossman will get at least one vote. Titans running back and former Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George told me Monday that he believes Grossman is the best player in the country and age won't be a factor in his vote.

The best skill player on the best team is not necessarily the right choice for the Heisman. Last year, I had no problem giving it to Weinke, and this year I would have no problem giving it to Grossman. Even better, maybe one day it'll go to a center or an offensive lineman -- then and only then will I agree that the Heisman goes to the best player in college football.