Heisman Trophy Update

After rivalry week the Heisman campaigns of some received a major boost while some took a step back. Texas quarterback Colt McCoy, who exploded for 304 yards passing with 4 TDs and another 175 yards rushing in a hard-fought win over rival Texas A&M, saw his campaign roar back to life. He now stands as a serious contender when only a few weeks ago he was on the outside looking in. Clemson running back C.J. Spiller, who became the NCAA all-time leader in kickoff returns for touchdowns, accomplished little else in a 34-17 beatdown by the University of South Carolina. Spiller had a fumble, 18 yards rushing and 19 yards receiving. He did secure the kickoff returns record on an 88-yard return for a score in the first quarter but had little else go his way on Saturday. The same can be said for Alabama's Mark Ingram. He managed only 30 yards rushing on 16 attempts against Auburn as the Tide narrowly escaped the upset. Freshman running back Trent Richardson actually received the bulk of the work late in the game as the Tide clawed back to win the game.

Florida quarterback took advantage of the lowly Florida State defense in his last appearance at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, a.k.a. "The Swamp" in their 37-10 thwarting of the Seminoles. Tebow finished 17-21 for 221 yards passing and added 90 yards to go with 3 passing touchdowns and 2 rushing in the contest. Stanford tailback Toby Gerhart had a monster game to push the Cardinal past a pesky Notre Dame squad as well. Gerhart ran 29 times for 205 yards en route to finding the endzone three times.

After this past Saturday it's very long shot odds now for Spiller. He would have to come up huge in the conference championship game against Georgia Tech, who themselves were upset by rival Georgia. Even with a monster game against the Yellow Jackets, Spiller will still be on a 4 loss team in a mediocre conference. While no one questions his incredible ability and impact on the Tigers' success, few will give the award to a noteworthy player on just a "good" team. The same can be said for Tebow, in my opinion. While he plays on a great team he has only good numbers. He is projected to throw for only 18 touchdowns this year, which is certainly not a bad year but a far cry from a Heisman year. Nevertheless, when on an undefeated team a big performance in the SEC title game could put him back in the top 3. Especially since the winner of that game earns the right to play for the national title.

At this point my vote would go to Gerhart. He has put up huge numbers for a team that clearly would not be where they are without him. McCoy was also very impressive against the Aggies and can further add to his chances with a similar performance against fellow Heisman competitor Ndamukong Suh and Nebraska in the Big 12 Championship. If his undefeated squad wins, then they will face the SEC Champion for the BCS national championship. My order at this late juncture would be as follows:

1.) Toby Gerhart
2.) Colt McCoy
3.) Mark Ingram
4.) CJ Spiller
5.) Tim Tebow