2010 Heisman Trophy Rankings: Cam Newton in Control With 2 Games To Go
We'reย 12 weeks into the season, and it's time for theย latest edition of Bleacher Report's 2010 Heisman Trophy Rankings, presented by Heismanpundit.com.
The Heismanpundit.com Heisman poll is made up of 13 Heisman voters from across the country. They vote for three players each week. Tabulations are made on a 3-2-1 basis, with three points awarded for a first-place vote, two points for a second-place vote and one point for a third-place vote.
In the past two years, the Heismanpundit poll was the most accurate in the country, picking five of the top six finishers in the Heisman vote in 2008 and the top four in 2009.
Members of the panel include Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel, Teddy Greenstein and Brian Hamilton of the Chicago Tribune, Olin Buchanan and Tom Dienhart of Rivals.com, Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman, Bruce Feldman of ESPN.com, J.B. Morris of ESPN The Magazine, Austin Murphy, B.J. Schecter and Stewart Mandel of Sports Illustrated, plus Dick Weiss of the New York Daily News.
Chris Huston, owner of Heismanpundit.com and a Bleacher Report contributor, coordinates and also votes in the weekly poll.
The poll is featured here on Bleacher Report each Tuesday during the college football season.
Here are the top players in the poll heading into Week 13.
No. 6. Andy Dalton, QB, TCU: 1 Point
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TCU senior quarterback Andy Dalton checks in at No. 6 this week with one point.
Dalton is the leader of a team that is poised to go undefeated and could have an outside shot at a BCS title bid.ย Whatever happens, everyone acknowledges what a great career and season Dalton has had and this accounts for his presence on this list.ย
Dalton is fifth nationally in passing efficiency at 163.95, and he has 23 touchdowns and six interceptions to go with 2,482 passing yards and 415 rushing yards.
Don't look for Dalton to get to New York, but it's likely he'll end up in the top seven of the vote.
No. 5. Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State: 3 Points
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Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon is fifth this week with three points.
Blackmon is having the best season by a receiver in recent memory.ย That's saying a lot considering the fine crop of receivers playing this year and such recent luminaries as Michael Crabtree and Larry Fitzgerald.
In 10 games (he missed one due to suspension), he has 94 catches for 1,560 yards and 17 touchdowns.ย He is averaging 156 receiving yards per game, which is the most by any receiver in the last 10 years.ย
With three games left, he's on pace to finish with an astounding 121 catches for 2,010 yards and 23 touchdownsโand that could come despite having missed a game.
He'd be a shoo-in to get to New York in any other season, but he came into the year as an unknown and it's very difficult for pure receivers who don't also return punts and kicks to gain traction in the Heisman race.ย
However, he's got a chance to join Crabtree and Fitzgerald as a top five finisher in the final vote.
No. 4. Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford: 8 Points
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Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck continues to move up, totaling eight points this week to place fourth.
When we look back at the point where Luck made his move in the Heisman race, we'll see that it came during the first quarter of Stanford's game against Cal, when the Cardinal quarterback rumbled 58 yards and ran over a Cal defender along the way.ย It was a highlight that ran much of the day on the networks and gave Luck a boost of supportย among the Heisman electorate.
Not that this was his only season highlight.ย Luck has been outstanding for the Cardinal, leading them to their best season in school history and putting them on the verge of a possible BCS berth.
On the season, Luck has completed 70 percent of his passes for 2,740 yards with 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions.ย He's also rushed for 445 yards and three scores.ย Many are now touting him as a lock to be the first player taken in the next NFL draft.
There's a good shot he'll finish in the top three or four of the Heisman vote, too.
No. 3. LaMichael James, RB, Oregon: 15 Points
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Oregon's LaMichael James is third this week with 15 points, including one first-place vote.
Theย byproduct of all the hype over the Cam Newton allegations, as well asย the focus of Boise Stateโs upstart BCSย aspirations, is that not many people are talking up James for the Heisman right now.ย
He still leads the nation in rushing at 158 yards per game and heโs likely to finish in that spot, but he hasnโt been that impressive in his last two games, averaging just 106 rushing yards and 3.9 yards per carry.ย On the season, he has 1,422 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns.ย However, there is still some time to make a late surge.ย
The Ducks take on a ranked Arizona team on Friday, with theirย matchup coming not long after the Alabama-Auburn game concludes.ย It will be a great opportunity for Heisman voters to compare the candidates side by side, with all the performances still fresh in their minds.ย
If Newton lays an egg against Bama, James can really make up a lot of ground in the race byย going offย against the Wildcats shortly after.ย I think that James needs to crack theย 200-yard barrier one more time this season to have a shot at winning, and thereโs no better time to do it than against Arizona.ย
No. 2. Kellen Moore, QB, Boise State: 18 Points
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Kellen Moore of Boise State is second this week with 18 points, including one first-place vote.
I donโt think Mooreโs candidacy could have gone much better than it has.ย He opened the seasonย with a dramatic game-winning drive over Virginia Tech.ย His teamย tore through its schedule with easeโjust as it was supposed to.ย Moore leads the nation in passing efficiency and has excellent numbers.ย He has completed at least 70 percent of his passesย in eightย straight games.ย ย Heโs been showcased on national television almost every week, and his Broncos are undefeated and still have a shot at a BCS title game berth.ย Oh, and theย seemingly unbeatable front runner has NCAA issues that could yet fester and sink his candidacy.ย All in all, things are going swimmingly.ย ย ย
This past week, Moore continued his impressive play byย hitting 27 of 38 passesย for 333 yards and four touchdowns with one interception.ย On the season, he has 2,921 yards, 28 touchdowns and just five picks.
But the ultimate dream scenario has a chance to come about on Friday.ย Thatโs because the nation will be treated to a back-to-back-to-back smorgasbord of Heisman candidates.ย After Alabama-Auburn comes Oregon-Arizona, and then Boise State vs. a ranked Nevada team.ย What ifย either Auburn or Oregon go down, leaving the door open for Boiseย State to possibly move intoย positionย for a BCS title game berth with an impressive win over the Wolfpack?ย ย
The whole college football world will stay up to watchย and that could give Moore the stage he needs to show heโs the best pick for the Heisman (especially if Auburn loses).ย
I have a feeling it will be a momentous day, regardless of the outcome.
No. 1. Cameron Newton, QB, Auburn: 33 Points
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Cameron Newton again leads the Heisman Poll with 33 points, including 11 first-place votes.
It was a good week for Newton, even though he didnโt play.ย Thatโs because the previous weekโs dinย over the allegations against him seemed to die down a bit.ย The whiff of scandal still exists, but itโs not dominating the coverage as it was before.ย
Some votersโmaybe as much as 20 percentโhave dropped him from their ballots, butย the vast majorityย appear to be giving him the benefit of the doubt.ย Now, he has two games leftย in which to leave an impression.ย
The big tilt against Alabamaย on Thanksgiving Friday will be watched by much of the country.ย Obviously, a poor performance in a loss to the Tide would complicate things.ย It might give those voters whoย were reluctantly behindย Newton enough cover to pick another candidate.ย Butย if Auburn wins,ย Newton will remain the favorite regardless of how he plays.ย
At this point, voters already know heโs an exceptional playerโremember, he's the first 2,000/1,000 player in SEC historyโand if he can merely lead his team to a winโwhich would, after all, give Auburn an undefeated regular seasonโheโll get a lot of the credit.ย
Should heย muster an amazing performance against Alabama, we should be able toย pretty much declare this race for Newton.ย Barring any action by Auburn or the NCAA, or a disastrous game against the Tide, heย appears to be a shoo-in for the Heisman.ย ย
Full Poll Results, 11-23-2010
first-place votes in parentheses
1. Cameron Newton, QB, Auburnโ33 (11)
2. Kellen Moore, QB, Boise Stateโ18 (1)
3. LaMichael James, RB, Oregonโ15 (1)
4. Andrew Luck, QB, Stanfordโ8
5. Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma Stateโ3
6. Andy Dalton, QB, TCUโ1ย
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