The Heisman. The Outland. The Lombardi. They're all such old-school honors. It's time to step into the 21st Century, so we proudly offer up the first annual ESPNMAG.com All-America team. Never heard of it? Okay, truth is, neither did I till yesterday. But I think it's time to do some stumping for a few guys on not-so-great teams who have gotten overshadowed and a few others who we all overlooked at the start of the year. Check out my picks, and then take your best shot.

OFFENSE

QB: Josh Heupel, Oklahoma This has nothing to do with age. Heupel's got bull-rider-type bravery in the pocket and makes almost all the right decisions. More importantly, he played better in OU's big games, while Chris Weinke had some costly INTs at Miami and Drew Brees lost his shot on the road. The lefty QB also has a chance to become the first JC guy to win the Heisman since Mike Rozier.

RB: LaDainian Tomlinson, TCU He will lead the country again in rushing. He has been the nation's most-hyped Heisman candidate, thanks to his school's ultra-aggressive campaign. And L.T. hasn't let them down -- although his Heisman bid crumbled when his school lost to San Jose State on national TV. He is still the best back.

RB: Damien Anderson, Northwestern Shifty and smooth, he makes Randy Walker's spread offense sizzle. Four 200-yard running games push D.A. ahead of Michigan's Anthony Thomas.

WR: Antonio Bryant, Pittsburgh Bryant's ability to dart in and out of cuts makes him virtually unstoppable. He could've locked up Big East Offensive MVP honors if he hadn't have dropped four passes against Miami. Oh well, we said he's great. We're not saying he's Jerry Rice.

WR: Freddie Mitchell, UCLA He's the Pac-10's top play-maker, and he brings the Bruins some much-needed attitude. He'd be leading the nation in receiving if he wasn't the team's top passer.

TE: Tim Stratton, Purdue Big Ten coaches know the 6-5, 250-pound junior is Drew Brees' security blanket, and yet Stratton still finds a way to get open. He's no Kellen Winslow, or even Tony Gonzalez, but it's not a great year for TEs. I'm going with Stratton over UTEP's Brian Natkin because, honestly, I've never seen Natkin play. I have, however, seen the napkin the school is using to tout their guy for the Mackey Award. Now, if UTEP was sending out the Natkin TV or Natkin MP3 player...

OT: Leonard Davis, Texas The Dancing Bear, all 360 pounds of him, is the main reason why little Hodges Mitchell rushed for consecutive 200-yard games in late November.

OG: Steve Hutchinson, Michigan He's started 42 consecutive games, and the 6-5, 298-pound LG is simply the best lineman on the nation's best O-line.

C: Dominic Raiola, Nebraska Long-time Husker line coach Milt Tenopir says Raiola is the most intense guy he's ever coached. Considering he's coached six Outland Trophy winners, that's enough for me.

OG: Matt Lehr, Virginia Tech A real technician, Lehr has bulked himself up to 285 and has been as solid and consistent as any blocker around. He has not allowed a sack all season.

OT: Bryant McKinnie, Miami A "graceful" 6-9, 330-pounder, 'Cane coaches say he'll be the best offensive lineman to ever come out of Miami. A former drummer in the high school band, Big Mac made his rep when he shut down FSU pass-rushing ace Jamal Reynolds.

DEFENSE

DE: Andre Carter, Cal The best D-lineman in the country. Kills the run. Kills QBs. Team player. Deserves better than a bowl-less career.

DT: John Henderson, Tennessee He's the biggest dominator at UT since Reggie White. Henderson has learned to use his hands better to avoid getting cut.

DT: Larry Tripplett, Washington Despite double- and triple-teaming, Tripplett still battled his way for two or three momentum-swinging plays every game. Without Tripplett, U-Dub is 7-4 at best.

DE: Julius Peppers, UNC The next Courtney Brown. He fell one sack shy of Lawrence Taylor's school sack record of 16, but the 6-6, 272-pound soph was still impressive in last weekend's rout of Duke. Peppers had two first-half sacks and picked off a pass and ran it back for a TD.

OLB: Lavar Fisher, NC State Chuck Amato moved him over to the WILL so the Wildman could fly to the ball, and the results have been awesome for the Pack. Fisher ended up leading the nation in tackles.

MLB: Dan Morgan, Miami An old-fashioned tough guy. He set the Big East tackle mark last week against Syracuse. The 6-3, 238-pound senior is more than just a run-stuffer; he also excels in space and in covering backs out of the backfield. His sub-4.5 speed is legit.

OLB: Keith Adams, Clemson Reckless and fast, he is like a shorter and slightly more disciplined version of Fisher.

CB: Lito Sheppard, Florida Lucky Lito probably isn't as polished right now as Mississippi State's Fred Smoot, but he makes more plays and was the best thing UF had going in 2000.

S: J.T. Thatcher, Oklahoma The 5-11, 217-pound senior was dynamite in Big 12 play, picking off five passes in seven games. He teamed with enforcer Roy Williams to give OU a lethal secondary.

S: Cory Bird, Virginia Tech A Blaine Bishop clone. Inch-for-inch, Bird might be the toughest guy in college football. The 5-10, 218-pound rover even was unbeaten as a heavyweight wrestler for the Hokies, and he brings that type of intensity with him to their young active defense.

CB: Tay Cody, FSU Not as flashy or slick as Seminole corners of years past, but the 5-11, 190-pounder is gritty and an outstanding technician. He leads the ACC in passes broken up and is as close as there is to a shut-down corner in a league loaded with great wideouts.

E-mail Bruce Feldman at bruce.feldman@espnmag.com.