Itching for a fight to the finish.(College Football)

Jason White basked in his Heisman Trophy win last week--months after he'd quietly accepted the award in a nationally televised ceremony--hoisting his prize at halftime of Oklahoma's spring game, signing autographs and taking a ride to the locker room on the Sooner Schooner. It was one of the few times the senior quarterback has allowed himself to enjoy Heisman mania.

The trophy sits in his parents' home in Tuttle, Okla., and White hasn't spent a lot of time on the rubber-chicken circuit. Nor has he spoken much to the media about being the first Heisman winner since Ty Detmer in 1991 with the chance to repeat.

"All of the individual awards ... are great," White says, "but everybody would give them back for a national championship. The way last season ended left a bad taste in our mouths, especially the last two games. I think everybody realized we can get better. We know what it takes--we just have to finish it."

And that is the issue White and the Sooners face this season--the big finish.

Some skeptics have suggested that White backed his way into the Heisman. They say he piled up his stats late in the season against defensive lightweights Texas A&M, Baylor and Texas Tech, then was exposed in the the Big 12 championship game and Sugar Bowl--throwing a total of four interceptions and zero touch downs. There even is talk on Oklahoma radio stations that the Sooners should try to mix in junior Paul Thompson as a change of pace because of his mobility.

White's team hasn't gotten a pass from skepticism, either. The Sooners' invitation to the Sugar Bowl following a 35-7 loss to Kansas State in the Big 12 title game caused great debate about their worthiness. Were they national championship material?

Once again, the fortunes of White and Oklahoma are inextricably bound. If White can mirror his performance from last season, when he threw 40 touchdowns and only six interceptions in the first 11 games, the Sooners should be fine. Oklahoma is loaded with 17 starters returning. White's biggest challenge is building on last season while trying to stay healthy.