Gregg Doyel over at CBS Sportsline is talking Matt Leinart, Heisman, East Coast bias, and how it might actually HELP USC’s QB to get some recognition from

the Hesiman voters:

Leinart was 27-for-35 for 280 yards and three touchdowns.  Those

are great numbers. Heisman numbers.

They’ll look awfully pretty in the Sunday newspaper, which is the only way

most Heisman voters will be able to view them. The Trojans game ended Saturday at about 10:45 p.m. local time — well past midnight for most Heisman

voters.

Of course, in a theme we’ve become all-too-accustomed to as West Coast football fans, naturally Doyel wastes no time before revealing the full extent of

his backhanded compliment:

For Leinart’s Heisman hopes, ignorance could be bliss — and please, USC

fans, read a few more sentences before firing off an angry e-mail. Leinart’s a great player, he really is, but he’s playing in a situation that is kinder to

a quarterback than anything we’ve seen since mid-1980s Miami.

I’m not going to waste my time digging through Doyel’s archives,

but I trust he wrote the same article about Oklahoma’s Heisman chokemaster Jason White last year, when he was benefitting from that rich surplus of talent

around him.

Oh wait….he plays on the East Coast, so he didn’t have to endure media scrutiny.  Just a relentless cascade of hype and praise, followed by a

barrage of spin to cover for the missed mark after the 2-game collapse by the Sooners at the end of last year.  Must be nice. 

Leinart has certainly made his case for the Heisman, all over the Trojans’ opponents, leading a group of incredibly-talented, yet entirely unseasoned,

inexperienced players to wins in both blowouts, and close games.   Sure, they’re making No. 11 look good; but he’s doing a pretty damn fine job of

returning the favor, as any true Heisman does.

USC’s Leinart surrounded by trophy talent [CBS Sportsline.com]