Heisman Race 2010: Cam Newton And The Top 5 Finalists After Week 11
After week 11, we saw Auburn struggle in the first three quarters against a weaker Georgia team. We saw Oregon take it down to the wire against a rather mediocre California team. We saw TCU win by only a slim margin of five points over a lame San Diego State team, and a Stanford win over ASU by only four points.
That being said, a win is a win. Anyone can question teams after struggling with any weak team, but when it is all said and done, the one team that wins every game is the true champion, whether it is by thirty points or one point.
The Heisman race is coming down to the wire, with Cam Newton being the real favorite out of five great athletes.
QB Andy Dalton, TCU
1 of 5
Andy Dalton of TCU is a real deserving candidate. He has delivered all year long for his team and has been off the radar for a while now.
The thing that impresses me most about Dalton, is that he has stepped up in the biggest games of the season. Look at these statistics against their strongest opponents.
TCU vs Baylor: 21-23 for 267 yards and two touchdowns. Zero interceptions.
TCU vs BYU: 24-36 for 273 yards and four touchdowns. Zero interceptions.
TCU at Utah: 21-26 for 355 yards and three touchdowns. Zero interceptions.
If you are not impressed by these stats, then I do not know what else you are looking for. The kid is a player, and he deserves to be up there with the best of them. As for winning the Heisman race, I believe it will have to take a loss or two for Auburn, and a loss to Oregon for Dalton to even have a chance. But, for now, he is doing his job the best he can, and the TCU fans should be proud of the way he has played and lead his team this year.
Heisman prediction: 3rd place
QB Andrew Luck, Stanford
2 of 5
In my opinion, Andrew Luck is the most talented quarterback in the nation. Between his mobility, his fundamentals, and how smart he is when he steps on that football field, Luck is a true competitor.
Luck has thrown for over 2500 yards this season with 22 touchdowns, and has ran for 373 yards and three more scores.
He is the definition of a quarterback, and in my mind, he has the biggest chance to succeed at the next level out of any quarterback in the nation. Before you SEC homers start to go crazy, you have to understand that although Luck has not put up the rushing yards that Newton has this year, he is a quarterback, and he has ran the ball as much as he has needed to for his team to succeed.
He has led his team to a #6 ranking in the BCS poll, and again, if Auburn loses, Newton becomes ineligible, or if Oregon loses, then Luck has a real shot to take the Heisman this year.
Heisman prediction: 5th place
QB Kellen Moore, Boise State
3 of 5
Kellen Moore has been solid all year long, as expected. But for me, I do not see him as the Heisman type and I will tell you why. Boise plays team football, and if you watch the role that Moore plays as their QB, I feel that if you put 10 other quarterbacks in his spot this year, they would all have the same or better stats.
If you put Kellen Moore in the SEC/Big Ten/Pac 10, he does not put up the same numbers as he does against Idaho, and Lousiana Tech, and weaker defenses.
Do not get me wrong, he is a great player. But I do not see him graduating to the next level and succeeding any time soon. Yes, the Heisman is about a team leader who has performed as one of the best in the country, but as Ingram showed last year, your team has to be one of the best. Boise is 4th right now in my mind. Unless two out of the three teams ahead of Boise right now lose, I do not see Moore winning the Heisman.
He has great numbers this year, possibly the best. But, like I said, to me, he is a role player on a great offensive team. You can compare him to Darron Thomas at Oregon in terms of how he plays the role of a great offense perfectly, and that is why he has the numbers that he does this year.
Heisman prediction: 4th place
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RB LaMichael James, Oregon
4 of 5
I will try to not be such a homer here, but anyone who has watched this mighty mouse play knows that he is something special. Sure, I do not see him succeeding at the next level unless he adds 25 pounds, but in college, and for the system that he is running out at Oregon, he fits in perfectly.
In 9 games this kid has put up 1500 yards rushing and 17 touchdowns, easily stating the case that he is the best running back in the country. He put up 250 yards rushing and three touchdowns on #6 Stanford, and 240 yards and three touchdowns on a young, but underrated USC defense. Those are some big numbers, for such a little man.
If Auburn or Newton ever falls, and Oregon continues to win, and Lamichael continues to put up 100 yard games, I see James taking the Heisman.
In my opinion, Newton is the clear favorite for the Heisman this year, and it is well deserved for he is a beast on the football field. As well as Newton being the clear favorite for 1st place, James is a clear favorite for 2nd place as of right now.
Heisman prediction: Runner-up
QB Cam Newton, Auburn
5 of 5
This kid can flat out play. He is not unstoppable, but he is the biggest reason why Auburn is undefeated right now and sits at #2 in the polls.
For how fast he is, how big he is, and how strong he is, you have to call him a freak of nature. Like I said before, he is the clear favorite, and if Auburn wins out, Newton will take the Heisman trophy home with him, as long as his suspicious old behavior does not catch up with him.
Now, I am quite picky about evaluating players, but I am not convinced that Newton contains a true passing game. Again, just my opinion, but if you throw him against a fast and small defense, I do not see him doing as well. Sure, he will probably run over 100 yards, seeing as he carries the ball 20 times a game, but I still do not see him performing well through the air against a team that knows the linebackers can stop him.
There is one thing that is for sure, and that is Cam Newton is one tough player to stop.
Heisman prediction: Winner
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
