He'd be a no-brainer over Leinart.

He probably should've finished ahead of Leinart as it is, anyway. Throw in the game-winning score over Leinart, the anticipation of ND appearing in the Rose Bowl for the national championship, and his only loss coming in a 487-yard 5 TD effort, and he'd have a shot at the trophy. Voters love Heisman moments, and his TD run in the last minutes may have become the most watched clip of the year in November. (Also possible that Zibby's return TD would've been the most watched clip.) We never talk about Quinn's TD much anymore, but that was an inspirational effort to shrug off an All-American linebacker and future first rounder and stretch for the goalline. Though Bush's TD soar over Fresno State still would've been wowing people.

However, his two chief competitors still (1) also led his team to the title game with similar passing numbers and 1,000 yards rushing and (2) ranked third in the country with 8.7 yards per carry with ~2,200 yards and 19 all-purpose TDs. He'd have a shot though. Especially when voters viewed him as a real student-athlete. (Though it may have been a couple years before both Young and Bush to take PR hits.)