And the Award Goes to.....

Cam Newton is your 2010 Heisman Trophy Winner, congratulations on your success Cam!

Newton a Sure Lock For Heisman

Cam Newton looked positively un-Heisman-like early on against Alabama. He could do nothing with his legs. He could do nothing with his arm. Auburn had one three-and-out after another and trailed 24-0 in the second quarter. But what have we learned watching Newton and the Tigers this season? They are a second-half team. Sure enough, Newton proved his worth once again, leading the Tigers to their largest comeback win, 28-27. He did not need to use his scrambling ability, either, though he did score once on the ground. He won this one with his arm, going 13-of-20 for 216 yards and three touchdowns. Newton is the best player in the country, hands down, and, against the Tide, he proved it for the 12th time.  The Auburn Tigers are now in the National Title game come January.

LaMichael James is the best running back in the country, so it is an easy choice to have him second on the ballot. He has 1,548 yards and 19 touchdowns on the ground, but his yards per carry average is what is so impressive -- he gains 6.1 yards every time he touches the ball. James has one game left, but at this rate, Newton is sure to win the Heisman, it will be very difficult to catch.

Both players put up a tough fight this year and both will be rewarded.  Newton and James will both be attending the Heisman Presentation in New York City this Saturday.  Both players will be able to prove who the better player is come January, when the National Championship will be played.

Second Half Spark Could Very Well Win the Hesiman

The Heisman Trophy isn't just about stats. Yes, stats do matter and always have, but a Heisman Trophy winner is as much a leader as a stat-accumulator. We have all the evidence we need to establish Newton's incredible on-field leadership.  Newton put up some great numbers as he led his team to a comeback of the year.

Newton's three touchdown passes on Saturday give him 24 through 12 games. Put those up against just six interceptions and you have a ratio any coach would be happy with. But we know that Newton isn't leading this race because he can throw a football. He's leading it because of what he does with his legs. He has also run for 18 touchdowns this season, which gives him a total of 42.  He led Auburn to a win over Alabama after being down 24-0.  Newton's halftime speechparked his team to a historic comeback that I have never witnessed before, Newton should be a sure lockout for the award now.

LaMichael James had two fourth-quarter touchdowns were the icing on the cake during Oregon's second-half explosion in a 48-29 win over Arizona. He finished with 126 yards rushing and 20 yards receiving.  His hopes are pretty much over due to Auburn jumping Oregon in the standings.

With all of the changes that are going on in the BCS and Heisman race, you can expect many shakeups in the Conference Championship games are well as the voting for the awards handed out.

The Iron Bowl of 2010

The Iron Bowl is the name of the game played between Alabama and Auburn at the end of the season.  Both teams are at the top of the SEC and the National spotlight.  This game has been played between the two schools for the last seventy four years and Alabama leads the all time series 40-33-1.  Alabama won the meeting last year and that sealed the deal for them to compete for the National Title in 2009.  This year the tables have turned.  Auburn is number two in the nation right now and Alabama is just outside the top ten.  Everything is on the line for both teams, if Auburn were to lose, that would shake up everything and raise many questions.  Who would compete for the National Title? This question is asked every year because there have been many unbeaten teams left at the end of the year.  In many peoples eyes, a one loss SEC team should get in over other un beatens if they were left.

Boise State and TCU were snubbed last year and Bama and Texas played last year.  If Auburn were to lose, that means that Boise would most likely move up,and by tradition, they should play for the National Title.  I believe that number one and two should play every time.  Many say that neither Boise State nor TCU play a tough schedule, but they ask to play large schools and they deny to play them.  The schools are afraid of losing so that prove enough to those who vote on the National Title game that they are worthy enough to be there.

Newton or James?

Cameron Newton delivered big while he was under allegations about being at Auburn illegally.  He was speculated to be there and to have been recruited wrong.  There are rules that everyone has to follow so that everyone has the same chance of getting the best players.  He led Auburn to a win and to its first SEC Championship game since 2004.  The winner in the past years has been Alabama, Florida, or LSU.  This year it will be Aubrun and South Carolina duking it out.  Newton had a career high in passing yards and with the win secured a spot on the Heisman ballot this December.  If Newton pulls off a win against Alabama and they are in a position to win a National Title, he could very well be the 2010 Heisman winner.  Newton completed twelve passes for 148 yards, two touchdowns and one interception and carried the ball thirty times for an additional 151 yards and two scores Saturday as Auburn outplayed Georgia 49-31 at home.

LaMichael James had twenty nine carries for only ninety one yards on Saturday.  James left the game on crutches after the teams cleared.  He claimed he was fine and said that he would bounce back the next week.  I hope that James will come back strong because he was my hopeful to win the award.  Oregon has two games left, one against Arizona and the other is for the Pac-10 title.  James has two more games to make it known that he is still a contender in the Heisman running.  James has put up some freakish numbers this year for a running back, if he loses in the las two weeks, it will be sad.

James Leading the Way

LaMichael James is a game changer that has blazing speed.  It only took James seven games to reach the 1,000 yard mark this season.  He leads the nation with over 166 yards again and he averages about fourteen of his teams points a game.  The Oregon running back is also second in the nation in total yards a game.  James has 17 rushing touchdowns this season and there is no signs of him slowing up or deteriorating.  James is still my favorite to win the award because of Oregon State's position.  I think that James is worthy of the award because he had worked hard to get back to his form due to him missing the first game of the year.  If James doesn't win the award, I will be really shocked.

Cameron Newton has made a lot of buzz this passed week with the alleagations against him.  This puts a hold on his Heisman hopes in my eyes. If Newton is judged solely on what happens on the field and not the allegations that are shadowing him off of it, he could potentially win.  Newton did pass for a career-best 317 passing yards and four touchdowns at halftime. He also ran for a touchdown.  Keep this in mind though, Newton has to go up against the Crimson Tide defense potentially two more times.  The two teams have no met yet this year and the Tide might be able to expose Newton for what he really is.  If Newton can do good againt Bama, then he would have a shot at winning.

Top Two Teams Switch Rankings, So Do The Heisman Contenders

I unlike many people have LaMichael James as my number one now.  I personally watched Oregon play on ESPN the other night and James was relentless.  He went off and proved to much of the nation that he and Oregon are for real now.  He ran for about 250 yards in a win over Pac-10 rival USC.  James also scored three times en route to an all around perfect performance.  James threw off the USC defense with his balance on the field.  Runs up the middle and down both sides, that is what James did all night to them. If James keeps this up he will be on the top of many boards at the end of the year.  I am hoping that the analysts will come to their senses and recognize LaMichael.  With Oregon jumping Auburn in the BCS Standings, I had the Oregon candidate jump the Auburn candidate.

Cameron Newton led his Tigers to a win over Ole Miss.  It was not an impressive win, nor did Newton play up to my expectations.  I expected him to run all over the Ole Miss defense, he didn't.  Newton was held to less than 50 yards running but he did have that bad of a passing game.  Newton has racked up almost identical running and rushing statistics and he has twenty nine total touchdowns.  Auburn took a setback in the recent BCS Rankings and Newton took a backseat to James. 

At the end of the year it will be interesting to see if Auburn will play for a National Title and if Newton will take home the trophy.  It will be a tough decision to make if both Oregon and Auburn are one and two at the end of the year.  Where will the award go to?  Both players need to have nearly perfect games to finish out the season.

A Very Newton face

Cameron Newton rushed up the middle like a cannon, kept his balance when a tackler swatted for his ankles and avoided several other tacklers.  Newton has proved to be the best player in the country on a consistent basis, not only because he is averaging 305 yards of total offense a game!  While some question his pro quarterback skills, its clear that he is the player player there is right now.  Auburn has five wins this season by eight points or less, and the difference maker has been Newton.  That should be the cherry on top of the cake for him, he has led his team in some pretty epic wins.

LaMichael James is the second one on my ballot, taking a far backseat to Newton.  While Newton has been taking up the spotlight, James has been producing as well.  Averaging over 165 yards a game on the ground, he has led Oregon to the number two spot on the BCS Poll and the number one ranking in the AP Poll.  Without James on the field this year, Oregon might not be where they are now.  James now has eleven touchdowns on the year and he is a few yards shy of the 1,000 yard mark.

Kellen Moore of Boise State has been off of the ballots, but hopefully not for long.  He has Boise State at the number three spot, a very comfortable place to be this late in the season.  If they can run the table and make it to the National Title Game, he might come back into contention, but who knows?

Moore of a reason to watch on Saturday

Last week’s race was a tight one, and this week it is not much different.  All of the candidates that were there last week, are here again this week.  It was a tough week in college football, the last two number one teams in the BCS went down and made room for others to come in.  I thought for sure it would go to Boise State, then Oregon, and then Oklahoma.  I was wrong, that is why I am not a panelist for this.  Oklahoma took the top spot and Boise State and Oregon stayed put and two and three.

Kellen Moore had a big game last week.  Completing nearly 90% of his passes, the senior quarterback threw for 230 yards and two touchdowns.  He is improving is rankings in the Heisman race every single week.  He is going out there and doing exceptional, and on top of that he is barely making any mistakes.  Moore is going to be a tough one to pick, but he has Boise State at the number three spot and they could may well be at the number one ranking soon.

Terrelle Pryor, the man I have been high on all year, has hurt his ranking.  He had Ohio State at the number one spot this week, only to fall to Wisconsin.  He completed only half of his passes in the loss and accounted for less than 200 yards of offense.  He turned a lot of heads with this performance, but he is still number two in my books as of now.

LaMichael James did not hurt his position this week because he had an off week, we will see when they play UCLA.  James is leading the nation with 169 yards a game.

Cameron Newton is someone that I am not too high on, but he should get some recognition.  Newton lead Auburn to a win over SEC rival Arkansas.  The quarterback passed for 140 yards, but ran for 188 with four total touchdowns.  This kid has some talent, let’s see if he can keep it up when it comes to that LSU defense.

Kellen Moore is at the top of many leaderboards, including mine.  Moore has demonstrated what it takes to be a winner.  He has his Broncos currently unbeaten and ranked in the top five of the nation, according to the AP Poll.  In his last game Saturday, Moore completed over 70% of his passes for over 250 yards.  With the three touchdowns he threw, he now has fourteen for the season and only one interception. A fourteen to one ratio is impressive and in every game this year he has at least two passing touchdowns.

Terrelle Pryor has stumbled and fell down the rankings, but he has kept his statistics up.  He has a completion percentage 68% on the season.  He has fifteen touchdowns with three interceptions.  He has his team at a higher ranking right now, but that could all change.  Ultimately it will come down to who leads their team where and how.  Most Heisman winners have been on teams that have won or competed for a National Title.  Both quarterbacks have about the same passing yards and touchdowns, so it will depend on the surrounding crew that each player has.

The third man on the ballot this week is LaMichael James.  James missed the first game of the year due to an injury.  Now he is firing at all cylinders.  He has 850 rushing yards on the year and 100 receiving yards.  James has 10 touchdowns as well which is a big part in why Oregon is the number three team in the country,  His outstanding play and his role on the team has helped them get to where they are in the AP Poll.  James will have to keep playing well if he wants a shot at greatness.

Robinson robs the spotlight

Denard Robinson is now really the clear cut favorite to win the award.  I couldn’t think of a time where four games into the year that a quarterback had passed and rushed for 1,000 yards!  That is very unlikely to happen in the NFL, quiet the contraire in the NCAA as well.  On Saturday, he passed for 277 yards and ran for 217 yards.  It has been awhile since I can remember anyone playing at a consistent level like he is.  Robinson is on pace to rush and pass for over 3,000 yards, a feat that has never been accomplished.  Will he do it?

 

Three of Oklahoma’s five wins this season have come against ranked opponents.  This is why Landry Jones deserves some credit.  He is up to about 1,500 passing yards for the year and there are no signs of him tapering off.  Oklahoma is always in the national spotlight and he will keep them there.  I remember him coming in last year as a freshman for Sam Bradford.  Bradford, the previous winner, was taken out in the second game of the year because he had separated his shoulder. Jones will be given credit if he can lead the Sooners on a perfect season.

Kellen Moore is in my top players yet again.  He deserves this spot and nothing should be taken away from him.  Moore has a tad over 1,000 passing yards for the year and he has led Boise State to a number four ranking in the AP Poll this week.  They were jumped by Oregon, but Oregon has a much tougher schedule than them.  Moore has eleven touchdowns on the year and maybe this year will be the year he leads Boise State to a National Championship game.

Did somebody ask for Terrelle?

Terrelle Pryor is again at the top of my leader boards.  He put up decent numbers against a very weak team, but still consistently is key if you want to win that trophy.  He passed for 200 yards and ran for over 100, a 2-1 ratio, which I like to see from a quarterback.  Pryor passed for four touchdowns and ran for one.  He sat out the end of the third into the fourth quarter since it was a sure win.  Pryor is starting to heat up, let’s see if he can get hot enough to lead Ohio State into the number one spot.

Kellen Moore from Boise State has made it known that he wants to be considered come December.  The senior quarterback was just shy of 300 yards passing on Saturday, but he is closing in on 1,000 passing yards for the year.  He has led the Broncos to two wins against ranked opponents in the last three games.  Kellen is a special quarterback that isn’t too flashy, but he will give you the stats.  With 8 touchdowns on the year to 1 interception, it is easy to see why I consider him worthy of the award.

Matt Barkley, who I mentioned a few weeks ago, has made noise again in a good way.  He led the Trojans to a win when he passed for 300 yards and three touchdowns.  Barkley needs to put up better numbers against these schools.  I know this is only his second year starting, but if he and USC want to go far, he needs to punish these other schools that they play.  He has four interceptions on the year as well, those need to come way down and he should finish with less than 10 for the season.

Sen10rs taking the spotlight in 2010

After a very difficult week to get big wins, some players stood out from the pack in big ways.  Now I know Oklahoma State isn’t exactly my favorite to win the national title, but they will sure make a Bowl Game.  Oklahoma State’s quarterback Brandon Weeden passed for over 400 yards and passed for six touchdowns.  I don’t ever recall someone passing for 6 touchdowns in one game. Impossible? I think not, he has put himself up on a high level with some other standouts.  He is a few yards shy of the 1,000 yard mark and it’s only been three games!  With State being 3-0, it will be likely that you will hear his name a few more times come December.

My boy again, it’s been three weeks in a row that Terrelle Pryor has made my cut.  The stud quarterback from the Ohio State passed for over 200 yards with two touchdowns.  They aren’t spectacular numbers, but they have been good enough to keep Ohio State undefeated.  The Buckeyes are currently ranked second behind the Crimson Tide for the third straight week.  Pryor is showing his leadership by leading his team onto the road to the National Championship with his positive attitude and suburb numbers.  It will take a very bad game from Terrelle for his to not be counted in for the Heisman.

Kellen Moore had an early bye week that kept him from being mentioned last week.  He passed for over 350 yards against a week team, but statistics are what they are.  His Broncos will face another tough task when they take on Oregon State this upcoming week.  Boise State already has one win against an AP ranked team, so this shouldn’t be new to them.  Look for Moore to shine in a good game between the two schools.

A newcomer to the boards is the running back from Oregon, LaMicheal James.  James carried the ball only 14 times and rushed for over 225 yards! Only three other players since 2004 have accomplished a feat like that, Reggie Bush from USC and Jahvid Best from Cal.  Both backs have already made names for themselves in the NFL so let’s see if James can make a name for himself while he is still at Oregon

New names you might not have heard...

Terrelle Pryor is yet again proving that he is worthy of the Heisman Trophy. Pryor passed for over 200 yards and ran for over 100 yards. This skilled quarterback plays in the Big Ten which would help is argument that he could win the Heisman. It seems like Pryor has not missed a beat since last season, leading his Buckeyes to a AP number two ranking. He has passed for 490 yards on the season and rushed for 480 with five total touchdowns. When a quarterback can make that much of an impact by splitting the passing and rushing yards, it makes a lot of heads turn.

Denard Robinson from the University of Michigan has been very impressive and unrecognized in his first two games as a full time starter this season. Could the sophomore quarterback be the fourth straight sophomore to take home the prize? After passing for 430 yards and rushing for 455 yards with five total touchdowns against two quality teams in UConn and Notre Dame, there could be an argument. The Wolverines have cracked the top 25 in the AP Poll, this week they are number 20. We we will see later on in the season if it will come down to who wins the Big Ten, they might also win the Heisman Trophy.

Out west we have Jermaine Kearse for Washington and Michael Thomas from Stanford who took home the honor of Pac-10 Players of the Week. Kearse caught a total nine passes for 179 yards and three touchdowns, both career highs. Michael Thomas had five tackles with two forced fumbles, one he returned for a touchdown. It should not go unrecognized that these two players have made statements in a tough division like the Pac-10.

My personal favorite is Trent Richardson from Alabama, the number one team in the nation. He has made an impact in place of Mark Ingram. Ingram, out with a knee injury, could very well be in the way of Trent’s Heisman hopes. Once Ingram comes back, Trent will go back to the number two role, which means less carries. He has about 200 yards rushing with about 100 receiving yards, so he would not be able to “beef” up his stats in order to make him worthy of the Heisman.

Heisman candidates from week 1

Some players stood out compared to others, but not many surprised me except Matt Barkley from USC. Sure they played Hawaii, but Barkley was consistent and completed all but five passes. When you throw for five touchdowns in the season opener, you create some buzz. Barkley also did only pass for 257 yards, but the five touchdowns does make up for it. Let’s see if this kid can fill the shoes of Mark Sanchez.

Jake Locker, the quarterback out of Washington put up some good numbers against a highly ranked BYU defense. He passed for over 250 yards and a touchdown. BYU is no joke this season and they are the real deal. Washington and Locker went up against a tough team in BYU and lost, but Locker is not the one to blame.

With all of the hype going around about the investigation, it was hard to remember that North Carolina played LSU. With all of the allegations against legal issues and the players receiving illegal benefits, that sure didn’t stop North Carolina QB TJ Yates. He passed for over 400 yards in the touch out of conference loss, but he played with some guys that didn’t even expect to start that game. With three touchdowns to go along with all of the passing yards, do not over look TJ. NC still has many games that they can win in conference, but they will have to do a lot so that Yates will still be in the talks come December.

Kellen Moore from Boise State is at the top of many analysts’ leader boards for the Heisman nod. He led his team on a game winning drive to beat #10 Virginia Tech on Monday night. Moore passed for 215 yards and three big touchdowns in the Broncos win over the Hookies. Moore should not be overlooked, he and his team could be going to the BCS Title game in January if they play their cards right.  This is my number one candidate on my list.

Terrelle Pryor has also created some buzz dating back to last season. In a win over Marshall he completed 17 passes for 247 yards with three touchdowns. With his team in the national spotlight this year, his name will be mentioned a lot. He also has great young receivers to throw to, look out for Pryor to be in the discussion he is worthy.

Once the season gets going, a few more names will be tossed up; Mark Ingram from Alabama, Ryan Mallet from Arkansas, and Christian Ponder from Florida State.

Heisman preview for 2010

All college football players dream of playing for a championship winning team. Although winning games and going to BCS bowls is nice, there is one more thing that measures a true college football player. The best player in the country stands out when he wins college football’s most prized trophy, the Heisman Trophy. The players are given votes at the end of the year based on their personal play and statistics and their team’s position. Most players who win the trophy stand out the most and have personal statistics that help their team’s position to win a National Title. The previous three years, sophomores have run the table and have taken home the trophy.

Sam Bradford from the University of Oklahoma took home the trophy three years ago as a sophomore. He was sidelined the following season, which left the door open for someone to take it the upcoming year.

Tim Tebow from the University of Florida took home that prize two years ago, also his sophomore year.  Tebow was denied his second Heisman Trophy when another SEC player won it the following year.

Last year’s winner, Mark Ingram, has yet to see the field this season entering week two due to a knee injury.  No one has counted out Ingram yet, he is just going to be a lot of ground to pick up

So seeing a back-to-back Heisman winner will be unlikely this year. This season there is no clear cut winner, a few names have been thrown around and no one has really had a standout performance yet. Will it be a running back? A receiver? Or how about a defensive player? It is anyone’s game this year and it will be interesting to see who gets the nod come December.