Heisman Watch Update, Nov. 3: Contenders & Pretenders—See Who I Have Posing!

Wow, what a few weeks in College Football. Texas looked poised to run the gauntlet flawlessly but fell to Texas Tech. Penn State beat Ohio State in the Horseshoe for the first time since '93 and also stopped a nine-game losing streak vs. Michigan. The BCS produced another blunder, having Texas Tech jump an idle Penn State (I guess that's another story).

Back to the race for the Heisman. On a sad note, Michigan will not be sending anyone to New York to receive this prestigious award. On a good note, neither will Michigan State! So here we go!

Pretender Watch 101

3. Knowshon Moreno

I know he has great numbers in the “amazing” SEC, but this year is the year of the QB. Moreno has put up almost 1,000 yards, putting up 12 touchdowns on only 166 carries, which factors out to somewhere in the range of six yards per carry. Not bad—just not enough this year.

2. Tim Tebow

The wonder child, superman Tim Tebow, is fantastic and a game-changer, but the numbers are just off. I mean, throwing for just under 1,600 yards with 14 touchdowns is nice, and completing just below 65 percent is good. Rushing for eight touchdowns is great, but there a couple guys out there who have better stats.

1. Javon Ringer

What did I tell you? Just not Heisman material. I mean, he does have numbers: 1,427 yards and 18 touchdowns. I’ll admit, good not great. Some things to look at: All those yards come on 321 rushes, which averages out to about 4.4 yards per gain. He wears down at the end of the game, as shown in the Michigan game, where he was begging to come off the field.

To really put him in the mix for the Heisman, do some research and find Donald Brown (UConn). On 254 rushes, Brown has gained 1,406 yards and has 15 touchdowns. That’s about over a whole yard better per gain at 5.5. Also, look at the rush defenses each has played. On average, Brown has played the harder teams.

One more thing: Brown has been under 100 yards once this season, and Ringer four times. Case closed—thanks for playing the game.

Contenders

3. Sam Bradford

He’s on fire, a beast of sorts, but he's just not my number one. Bradford has thrown for over 3,000 yards, 68 percent completed, for 34 touches through the air and three on the ground. Bradford is a scary good quarterback.

2. Colt McCoy

A game-changer with commitment, and a leader—that is Colt. Throwing for 2,579 yards and completing a staggering 79 percent of his passes, McCoy has 23 touchdowns, along with over 400 rushing yards and seven rushing TDs. McCoy lost his Heisman for now, and also his National Title hopes, to Graham Harrell, the Texas Tech Red Raiders gunslinger.

1. Graham Harrell

Mr. Flair for the Dramatic has thrown for over 3,600 yards and 30 touchdowns, leading the high-flying Red Raiders offense through almost as tough a gauntlet as Texas has. Graham also has six rushing touchdowns. I don’t think the Red Raiders will finish undefeated, but with the numbers Harrell has, it would take huge efforts and big numbers to surpass this gunslinger.

Bonus Note

Chase Daniel, Donald Brown, and even Tulsa’s QB David Johnson could sneak into my top three. Check back for end of season reports, and maybe the picture will be crystal-clear—or maybe it will be a mess like the BCS.