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.