College Football

SportsRatings Opinion: Consider Jake Locker for Heisman

The Heisman race is fairly muddled right now, with no candidate having taken charge. While normally at this point there are three or four very solid leaders, I'm not sure that can be said at this point.

Several of the top candidates have suffered setbacks:

• Sam Bradford suffered an injury that caused him to miss several games, taking him out of the race.
• Tim Tebow's injury still could help his "story" but it likely hurt him in the all-important stats line.
• Jahvid Best of Cal was irreparably harmed by the two blowout losses Cal faced back-to-back
• Case Keenum's chances went down with the Cougars' loss to UTEP
• Dez Bryant's slim chances disappeared when he was declared ineligible

There isn't much excitement for the other candidates, either. Colt McCoy of Texas, one of the remaining front-runners with Tebow, has been doing well but not as well as last year, and beating Oklahoma won't be a big deal. Losing to them would hurt him a lot, though. Jacory Harris of Miami seems like a longshot even if Miami continues to do well, and Jimmy Clausen would be an unsatisfying winner unless he can guide the Irish to a win over Notre Dame.

So who does that leave? I think it's time to do something that hasn't been done in a long time: throw out stats and win-loss record and look for an exciting player who is really the most valuable to his team. That player is Jake Locker of Washington.

Look at the difference in Washington: 0-12 last year, 3-3 this season already. They're an improved team, sure, but the main improvement as that they have Locker back. Last season wasn't that bad when he was playing: they nearly beat BYU and Stanford in their first four games. Without Locker they were a disaster.

This year he's back and look what they've done: a narrow loss to LSU, followed by a win over Idaho (Idaho's only loss so far, remarkably), an amazing win over USC, a game they should have won against Notre Dame, and a miracle comeback against Arizona.

Throughout the season Locker has been keeping them in games, almost single-handedly at times. His stats aren't incredible: 57% completions, a 10:4 TD to interception ratio. But he's come up with big plays when they've needed them. The huge 3rd down play against USC put them in field goal range to win the game. Last night against Arizona his late TD pass drew the team within 5 points, and while it still looked like a longshot it's Locker's never-quit attitude that kept hope alive with the team. The defense came up with the miraculous interception TD that put them ahead, but Locker's leadership deserves as much credit.

If Washington has any more losses, Locker's already miniscule chances are probably gone. There hasn't been a Heisman winner from a 4-loss team (not counting bowl games, which are player after the award is presented) since 1969. And if they do worse? Only Paul Hornung has won the Heisman Trophy as a member of a losing team, when Notre Dame went 2-8 in 1956.

Locker can't really be compared to Hornung, one of the great players of all time (even if he already has three times as many TD passes). But for my money he's as deserving as any other player on the current "short list." 

I'll be rooting for him to pick up traction as the season progresses. But assuming he doesn't factor into this year's race, the Huskies might be good enough for him to start as a front-runner next season as a senior, when the race should be pretty much wide open. It would be nice, though, if the unspoken "Heisman criteria" were flexible enough to consider him this year, when the college game seems to need  an injection of excitement.

SportsRatings' Heisman pick is Colt McCoy

They both had great games on the last weekend—maybe enough for them to finish #1 and #2 in the actual vote—but neither Sam Bradford nor Tim Tebow surpasses Colt McCoy in my estimation as the deserved Heisman trophy winner when looking at the season as a whole.

Bradford's passing numbers are incredible, and Tebow's 28-to-2 TD to interception stat is amazing. Bradford even played better than McCoy against several common opponents. So why is McCoy my pick? It comes down to a lot of little reasons.

McCoy's passing numbers might not be close to Bradford's, but it seems to me he has a tougher job. Bradford sits in the pocket all day and chooses his receivers. Fair or not, Oklahoma's passing machine has produced many quarterbacks like Bradford over the years, and though he may be the best of the lot, his numbers are eerily similar to Jason White's. Not that that's a bad thing, but I think if Bradford and McCoy switched teams, they would probably switch passing stats, too—or Bradford's numbers would tank, as I will suggest below.

While Bradford has more yards and touchdowns, and Tebow fewer interceptions, McCoy's NCAA-record completion percentage is what really stands out to me: a full 10% higher than either of the others, it evens out the other numbers which are largely produced by what emphasis the offense has.

Most importantly, Colt McCoy has a dimension that Bradford doesn't: he can run the ball. Tebow can run, too, of course, but McCoy had more rushing yards than Tebow did. Not only that, but McCoy was his team's leading rusher in 2008.

The rushing issue is very important when evaluating the three head-to-head. A strong rushing attack takes pressure off the passing game, and this has been very important for Oklahoma's quarterbacks over the years. Look at Oklahoma's leading rushers for 2008:

Name            G      Rush     Yds     Y/G      Ave    Lng     TD    
Chris Brown     13     195     1110     85.4     5.7     39     20     
DeMarco Murray  12     179     1002     83.5     5.6     70     14     
Mossis Madu     12     111      463     38.6     4.2     37      6     
Sam Bradford    13      40       65      5.0     1.6     15      5     

Aside from not contributing to the rushing total much himself, it's clear that having TWO 1,000 yard rushers is quite a luxury for any quarterback.

What about Tebow? His team didn't have any 1,000 yard rushers, and he ran the ball well, too:

Name            G      Rush     Yds     Y/G      Ave    Lng     TD    
Chris Rainey    13      83      655     50.4     7.9     75      4     
Jeffery Demps   12      69      582     48.5     8.4     62      7     
Tim Tebow       13     154      564     43.4     3.7     26     12     
Percy Harvin    11      61      538     48.9     8.8     80      9     
Emmanuel Moody   9      57      417     46.3     7.3     40      1 

Tebow still had lots of players to take pressure off the pass: four teammates that averaged over 7 yards a carry! Though Tebow kept the ball a lot—rushing almost twice as much as the next guy—opposing defense had to prepare not only for Tebow, but for those he hands off to.

McCoy, however, was forced to do it all by himself; Texas' offense was not as stacked as Oklahoma's and Florida's:

Name            G      Rush     Yds     Y/G      Ave    Lng     TD    
Colt McCoy      12     128      576     48.0     4.5     35     10      
Vondrell McGee  12      88      376     31.3     4.3     21      4      
Cody Johnson    10      73      336     33.6     4.6     61     12      
Chris Ogbonnaya 11      63      331     30.1     5.3     62      4      

How impressive is it for a quarterback on a major team to lead his team in rushing when ostensibly he's not a "running quarterback?" In other words, if Tebow (or Pat White, etc) had led his team in rushing this year, no one would have found that unusual, but few expected McCoy to have to carry the rushing burden for his team this year. But he did that in addition to his passing duties.

Being his team's leading rusher and STILL being able to set an NCAA record for passing completion percentage is a phenomenal feat. Opposing defenses know that the Longhorns live and die by the pass. Without his running ability, they would have no yardage on those plays where the receivers were covered, and few options on plays that didn't develop. Put Tebow in McCoy's position and you have Florida from last year. Put Bradford in McCoy's position and Bradford's numbers would likely suffer greatly. Defense could focus on the pass alone, and without real running ability, it would be a different ballgame for Sam. He's a great athlete and could probably adapt, but he hasn't had to prove he could shine in such a different environment.

So at the end it's McCoy's value to his team as well as his stellar performance that elevates him to the level of deserved Heisman Trophy winner. To me Bradford and Tebow are essentially tied for 2nd place, both having great years; Tebow won the award last year and Bradford will probably win it this year.

1. (1) Colt McCoy, Texas
    24-29  83%  222yd  3TD 0int; 12rsh 103yd 8.6av  1TD 0fmb (FLAtl52-10)
    20-29  69%  282yd  4TD 1int;  5rsh   8yd 1.6av  0TD 0fmb (@UTEP42-13)
    19-23  83%  329yd  4TD 0int;  8rsh  83yd  10av  1TD 0fmb (Rice 52-10)
    17-19  90%  185yd  3TD 0int;  9rsh  84yd 9.3av  2TD 0fmb (Ark 52-10)
    23-30  77%  262yd  2TD 2int; 11rsh  39yd 3.5av  0TD 0fmb (@Col38-14)
    28-35  80%  277yd  1TD 0int; 14rsh  31yd 2.2av  0TD 0fmb (=OK 45-35)
    29-32  91%  337yd  2TD 0int; 11rsh  23yd 2.0av  2TD 0fmb (Mizz56-31)
    38-45  84%  391yd  2TD 1int; 10rsh  41yd 4.1av  1TD 1fmb (Okst28-24)
    20-34  59%  294yd  2TD 1int; 13rsh  16yd 1.2ab  0TD 0fmb (L@TT39-33)
    26-37  70%  300yd  5TD 2int;  8rsh  21yd 2.6av  0TD 0fmb (Bay 45-21)
    24-34  71%  255yd  2TD 0int; 16rsh  78yd 4.9av  1TD 1fmb (@KU 35-7)
    23-28  82%  311yd  2TD 0int; 11rsh  49yd 4.5av  2TD 0fmb (A&M 49-9)
   291-375 78% 3445yd 32TD 7int;128rsh 576yd 4.5av 10TD 2fmb
2. (2) Sam Bradford, Oklahoma
    17-22  77%  183yd  2TD 0int;  0rsh   0yd   0av 0TD 0fmb (Chatt 57-2)
    29-38  76%  395yd  5TD 2int;  3rsh   3yd   1av 0TD 0fmb (Cincy52-26)
    18-21  86%  304yd  5TD 0int;  1rsh   1yd   1av 1TD 0fmb (@Wash55-14)
    19-34  56%  411yd  4TD 0int;  4rsh -31yd  -8av 0TD 0fmb (TCU 35-10)
    23-31  74%  372yd  2TD 1int;  2rsh   4yd   2av 1TD 0fmb (@Bay 49-17)
    28-39  72%  387yd  5TD 2int;  8rsh  -5yd -.6av 0TD 0fmb (L=Tex45-35)
    36-53  68%  468yd  3TD 0int;  4rsh  14yd 3.5av 0TD 0fmb (KU 45-31)
    13-32  41%  255yd  3TD 0int;  1rsh   1yd 1.0av 1TD 0fmb (@KSt 58-35)
    19-27  70%  311yd  5TD 1int;  2rsh  14yd 7.0av 0TD 0fmb (Neb 62-28)
    22-33  67%  320yd  4TD 0int;  5rsh  23yd 4.6av 1TD 0fmb (TexAM66-28)
    14-19  74%  304yd  4TD 0int;  5rsh  18yd 3.6av 0TD 0fmb (TTech65-21)
    30-44  68%  370yd  4TD 0int;  4rsh  16yd 4.0av 1TD 0fmb (@OKst61-41)
    34-49  69%  384yd  2TD 0int;  1rsh   7yd 7.0av 0TD 0fmb (=Mizz61-21)
   302-442 68% 4464yd 48TD 6int; 40rsh  65yd 1.6av 5TD 0fmb
3. (3) Tim Tebow, Florida
     9-14  64%  137yd  1TD 0int;  9rsh  37yd 4.1av  0TD 0fmb (Haw56-10)
    21-35  60%  256yd  2TD 0int; 13rsh  55yd 4.2av  0TD 0fmb (Miami26-3)
     8-15  53%   96yd  2TD 0int; 12rsh  26yd 2.2av  0TD 0fmb (@Tenn30-6)
    24-38  63%  319yd  1TD 0int; 15rsh   7yd 0.5av  2TD 1fmb (LMis31-30)
    17-26  65%  217yd  2TD 1int; 12rsh  32yd 2.7av  0TD 0fmb (@Ark 38-7)
    14-21  67%  210yd  2TD 0int; 12rsh  22yd 1.8av  1TD 1fmb (LSU 51-21)
    11-15  73%  180yd  2TD 1int;  9rsh  48yd 5.3av  2TD 0fmb (KY 63-5)
    10-13  77%  154yd  2TD 0int; 12rsh  39yd 3.3av  3TD 0fmb (=GA 49-10)
    12-17  71%  171yd  3TD 0int; 11rsh  88yd 8.0av  2TD 0fmb (@Van42-14)
    13-20  65%  173yd  2TD 0int; 14rsh  39yd 2.8av  1TD 0fmb (SCaro56-6)
     9-11  82%  201yd  3TD 0int;  2rsh  34yd  17av  0TD 0fmb (Cit 70-19)
    12-21  57%  185yd  3TD 0int; 16rsh  80yd 5.0av  1TD 0fmb (@FSU45-15)
    14-22  64%  216yd  3TD 0int; 17rsh  57yd 3.7av  0TD 0fmb (=Ala31-20)
   174-268 65% 2515yd 28TD 2int;154rsh 564yd 3.7av 12TD 2fmb
4. (4) G. Harrell, Texas Tech
   Season: 406-568 71% 4747yd 41TD 7int; 35rsh -58yd -1.6av 6TD 3fmb
   
5. (5) Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech
   Season: 93rec 1135yd 18TD 1fmb; 2rsh 2yd 2.0av 0TD; 50 retYds
   
6. (7) Shonn Greene, Iowa
   Season: 278rsh 1729yd 6.2av 17TD 2fmb; 8rec 49yd 0TD
7. (6) Chase Daniel, Missouri
   Season: 358-484 74% 4135yd 37TD 15int; 60rsh 252yd 4.2av 1TD 2fmb
   
8. (8) Knowshon Moreno, Georgia
   Season: 227rsh 1338yd 5.9av 16TD 1fmb;27rec 329yd 1TD;30 retYd
   
9. (9) Javon Ringer, Michigan State
   Season: 370rsh 1590yd 4.3av 21TD 3fmb;25rec 160yd 0TD;224 rtYD
   
10. (10) Jeremy Maclin, MO
    season: 95rec 1221yd 12TD 2fmb; 35rsh 250yd 7.1av 2TD; 1175rtYd 1TD

Graham Harrell had a great year, but his stats and situation are similar to Bradford's, and Texas Tech lost big to Oklahoma. Mike Leach (and Tom Deinhart) complained about Harrell not going to New York, but if you look at the way the vote is shaping up, the top three are clearly wayyyyyyy out in front with Harrell a very distant fourth, so it's the voters making the choice, not some shady group that doesn't like Texas Tech. Harrell's pass to Michael Crabtree may have been the play of the year, but the Oklahoma game overruled that for both of them, so there are only three finalists this year instead of four or five.

Shonn Greene would be the representative running back, if there were room for any this year. He just deservingly won the Doak Walker award, and if he comes back will have a lot of early pre-season Heisman hype whereas this year he had none. Greene didn't play last year and as of the first game wasn't even pencilled in as Iowa's starter. Knowshon Moreno and Javon Ringer were on-time contenders who didn't show up in big games.

Chase Daniel was at one time the odds-on favorite to win the award. Then Missouri started losing and Daniel started throwing interceptions. Or was it the other way around? Teammate Jeremy Maclin was the nation's leader in all-purpose yards. His receiving numbers alone were similar to Crabtree's, so he deserves a top ten finish. 

Why Shonn Greene should win the Doak Walker award (and why Donald Brown should have been a finalist)

The three Doak Walker award finalists (for the nation's top running back) are Georgia's Knowshon Moreno, Michigan State's Javon Ringer, and Iowa's Shonn Greene. Here are the reasons I think Greene should win.

• Greene was 2nd in the nation in rushing and Ringer 3rd, with Moreno only 16th. That puts Moreno well behind the other two in this very basic statistic.

• Greene averaged 6.22 yards per carry; Moreno 5.89; and Ringer only 4.30. Ringer had 370 carries on the year, almost 100 more than Greene and nearly 150 more than Moreno. This is probably the 2nd most important stat to consider, and Ringer does not fare well.

• Moreno had more receiving yards than Ringer and Greene, 329 to 160 to 49. But you have to consider how well each team passes the ball. Moreno's Georgia is helmed by a future (so they say) NFL great, while Michigan State's Brian Hoyer and Iowa's Rick Stanzi weren't exactly fantastic. Still, if you count receiving yards as equal to rushing yards, the new totals are: Greene 1,778, Ringer 1,750 and Moreno 1,667. Greene still tops the list.

• Ringer led in return yards, 224 to 30 for Moreno and none for Greene. But return yards aren't part of the normal running back statistical equation; counting them is something you'd do for a Heisman candidate, not for the Doak Walker award.

• Touchdown totals don't change the equation much. Ringer led with 21, Greene had 17 and Moreno 16. If you look at touchdowns per carry, Ringer had a TD for every 17.6 carries, Greene one per 16.4, and Moreno one per 14.2, so by that aspect Moreno looks pretty good, especially if you add in his receiving TD.

• Fumbles weren't a problem for any of the backs: Ringer had three, Greene two, and Moreno one, hardly a deal-breaking difference.

Looking at all the numbers, Moreno and Ringer have arguments based on less important stats or areas where they are slightly ahead, but the most important numbers, total yards and yards-per-carry, only Greene fares well—topping the list—in both.

When you add in the intangibles, he's even more of a clear-cut winner. His consistency is nothing short of amazing. In every game of the season, Greene exceeded the 100 yard mark. In big games, small games, whatever, Greene did his job. Moreno fell short of the 100 yard mark in all three of Georgia's losses, including a 34-yard performance against Alabama. Ringer had some monster 200 yard games, but he also had under 100 in all three of MSU's losses, including 42 against Penn State. Greene rushed for 117 yards against that same Penn State team, and outgained Ringer 157 to 91 when Iowa and Michigan State met. 

Beyond his consistency, Greene was the most important of the three to his team. As good as Moreno is, they have a solid quarterback in Matt Stafford, and rank 16th in adjusted passing yards. And while Ringer was certainly the workhorse for his team, whose passing ranked 71st, Greene simply was the Iowa offense this year. The Hawkeyes—between original starter Jake Christiansen and replacement Stanzi, who was only marginally better—ranked 100th in the nation in adjusted passing yards. Without Greene, Iowa would have been a very sad team this year, at least on offense.

Now that I've given my reasons for choosing Greene, I'd like to put in my two cents worth as to who the finalists should have been in the first place. For Donald Brown of Connecticut, two of the areas I've mentioned above stand out: 1) He led the nation in rushing, period, and 2) UConn ranked 109th—worst even than Iowa—in adjusted passing yards. So Brown was even more needed by Connecticut than Greene was by Iowa!

That's not to say I'd choose him over Greene. Greene's 100-yards-every-game feat and yards-per-carry put him ahead of Brown (who narrowly missed 100 in just two games, and averaged 5.39 per carry). But I think Brown should have been a finalist. He was the only runner to average above 150 yards per game, and the only one to top 1,800 yards. His value to his team is unquestionable.

Moreno, on the other hand, didn't separate himself from the pack statistically. If 1,300+ yards and a good per-carry average is enough to become a Doak finalist, then Cal's Jahvid Best—1,394 yards on 174 carries, an 8.0 average—should be ahead of Moreno. As Georgia suffered three losses, Moreno shouldn't have been able to ride Georgia's pre-season hype to becoming a finalist. He didn't show up in the big games, and probably got a lot of consideration for what he did last year, not this year.

Perhaps Connecticut's five losses—and their late-season slide—turned attention away from Brown, and that is why he didn't become a finalist. Iowa, conversely, turned their season around behind Greene, and that is why he should win the award.

Heisman Top 15 - week 14 stats- Down to three finalists

One day left in the regular season, and there are three finalists for the Heisman trophy, all quarterbacks: Colt McCoy of Texas, Sam Bradford of Oklahoma, and Tim Tebow of Florida. Even after today it might be an extremely close vote depending on how events play out. Two of the three are in action today, as Florida takes on top-ranked Alabama this afternoon and Oklahoma faces Missouri.

By my estimation, Colt McCoy is still the top candidate. He beat Sam Bradford head-to-head and he even has more rushing yards than Tebow, plus an NCAA-record 78% completion rate. But he has far fewer TD passes than Bradford and far more interceptions than Tebow, so voters will be able to justify overlooking him for either of the other candidates. And the other two have their final performances to add to their numbers and their highlight reels, which is paramount at this stage. So while I think—currently—he is the most deserving, my opinion might change today, and the voters will be watching the other two today; he may need the others to stumble to actually win the hardware.

Sam Bradford is the current front-runner by most projections. He's been ranked high by everyone since the first few weeks, and even the loss to Texas didn't hurt him much, as he played well in that game. His 46 touchdowns—plus whatever he gets today—and over 4,000 yards give him amazing stats, and the highlight-reel touchdown leap against Oklahoma State didn't hurt. Despite being a sophomore, he was a star last year as a freshman so familiarity and name-recognition aren't a big problem, plus Tebow blazed that path last season. He has maybe two drawbacks: 1) lack of rushing yards compared to the other two; 2) the Jason White curse. Many believe that Oklahoma's "system" creates big yardage for marginal quarterbacks, and are wary of giving the trophy to another White. In some respects this is true; if you watch Oklahoma, you see how much time he has to throw, and he almost makes it look too easy. If the Sooners and Bradford struggle at all against Missouri, it will hurt him and remind viewers of White, particularly given Oklahoma's recent bowl record.

Tim Tebow can slip in and repeat as winner if he looks like Superman against Alabama and Bradford falters. He also needs a strong statistical game, since his stats from this year are down from last year. His completion rate pales next to McCoys, and his passing yards are dwarfed by Bradford, and as mentioned McCoy is currently ahead in rushing yards. His best statistical argument—apart from Florida's record and ranking—is his Total Touchdowns to Turnovers ratio. He has 37 total touchdowns (25 passing, 12 rushing) and only 4 turnovers (2 interceptions and 2 fumbles). Bradford's numbers are good, too (51 to 6) while McCoy's are lesser (42 to 9).

1. (1) Colt McCoy, Texas
    24-29  83%  222yd  3TD 0int; 12rsh 103yd 8.6av  1TD 0fmb (FLAtl52-10)
    20-29  69%  282yd  4TD 1int;  5rsh   8yd 1.6av  0TD 0fmb (@UTEP42-13)
    19-23  83%  329yd  4TD 0int;  8rsh  83yd  10av  1TD 0fmb (Rice 52-10)
    17-19  90%  185yd  3TD 0int;  9rsh  84yd 9.3av  2TD 0fmb (Ark 52-10)
    23-30  77%  262yd  2TD 2int; 11rsh  39yd 3.5av  0TD 0fmb (@Col38-14)
    28-35  80%  277yd  1TD 0int; 14rsh  31yd 2.2av  0TD 0fmb (=OK 45-35)
    29-32  91%  337yd  2TD 0int; 11rsh  23yd 2.0av  2TD 0fmb (Mizz56-31)
    38-45  84%  391yd  2TD 1int; 10rsh  41yd 4.1av  1TD 1fmb (Okst28-24)
    20-34  59%  294yd  2TD 1int; 13rsh  16yd 1.2ab  0TD 0fmb (L@TT39-33)
    26-37  70%  300yd  5TD 2int;  8rsh  21yd 2.6av  0TD 0fmb (Bay 45-21)
    24-34  71%  255yd  2TD 0int; 16rsh  78yd 4.9av  1TD 1fmb (@KU 35-7)
    23-28  82%  311yd  2TD 0int; 11rsh  49yd 4.5av  2TD 0fmb (A&M 49-9)
   291-375 78% 3445yd 32TD 7int;128rsh 576yd 4.5av 10TD 2fmb
2. (2) Sam Bradford, Oklahoma
    17-22  77%  183yd  2TD 0int;  0rsh   0yd   0av 0TD 0fmb (Chatt 57-2)
    29-38  76%  395yd  5TD 2int;  3rsh   3yd   1av 0TD 0fmb (Cincy52-26)
    18-21  86%  304yd  5TD 0int;  1rsh   1yd   1av 1TD 0fmb (@Wash55-14)
    19-34  56%  411yd  4TD 0int;  4rsh -31yd  -8av 0TD 0fmb (TCU 35-10)
    23-31  74%  372yd  2TD 1int;  2rsh   4yd   2av 1TD 0fmb (@Bay 49-17)
    28-39  72%  387yd  5TD 2int;  8rsh  -5yd -.6av 0TD 0fmb (L=Tex45-35)
    36-53  68%  468yd  3TD 0int;  4rsh  14yd 3.5av 0TD 0fmb (KU 45-31)
    13-32  41%  255yd  3TD 0int;  1rsh   1yd 1.0av 1TD 0fmb (@KSt 58-35)
    19-27  70%  311yd  5TD 1int;  2rsh  14yd 7.0av 0TD 0fmb (Neb 62-28)
    22-33  67%  320yd  4TD 0int;  5rsh  23yd 4.6av 1TD 0fmb (TexAM66-28)
    14-19  74%  304yd  4TD 0int;  5rsh  18yd 3.6av 0TD 0fmb (TTech65-21)
    30-44  68%  370yd  4TD 0int;  4rsh  16yd 4.0av 1TD 0fmb (@OKst61-41)
   268-393 68% 4080yd 46TD 6int; 39rsh  58yd 1.5av 5TD 0fmb
3. (4) Tim Tebow, Florida
     9-14  64%  137yd  1TD 0int;  9rsh  37yd 4.1av  0TD 0fmb (Haw56-10)
    21-35  60%  256yd  2TD 0int; 13rsh  55yd 4.2av  0TD 0fmb (Miami26-3)
     8-15  53%   96yd  2TD 0int; 12rsh  26yd 2.2av  0TD 0fmb (@Tenn30-6)
    24-38  63%  319yd  1TD 0int; 15rsh   7yd 0.5av  2TD 1fmb (LMis31-30)
    17-26  65%  217yd  2TD 1int; 12rsh  32yd 2.7av  0TD 0fmb (@Ark 38-7)
    14-21  67%  210yd  2TD 0int; 12rsh  22yd 1.8av  1TD 1fmb (LSU 51-21)
    11-15  73%  180yd  2TD 1int;  9rsh  48yd 5.3av  2TD 0fmb (KY 63-5)
    10-13  77%  154yd  2TD 0int; 12rsh  39yd 3.3av  3TD 0fmb (=GA 49-10)
    12-17  71%  171yd  3TD 0int; 11rsh  88yd 8.0av  2TD 0fmb (@Van42-14)
    13-20  65%  173yd  2TD 0int; 14rsh  39yd 2.8av  1TD 0fmb (SCaro56-6)
     9-11  82%  201yd  3TD 0int;  2rsh  34yd  17av  0TD 0fmb (Cit 70-19)
    12-21  57%  185yd  3TD 0int; 16rsh  80yd 5.0av  1TD 0fmb (@FSU45-15)
   160-246 65% 2299yd 25TD 2int;137rsh 507yd 3.7av 12TD 2fmb
4. (3) G. Harrell, Texas Tech - 41-50 82% 309yd 2TD 1int; 3rsh -15yd -5av 0TD 1fmb (Bay35-28)
   Season: 406-568 71% 4747yd 41TD 7int; 35rsh -58yd -1.6av 6TD 3fmb
   
5. (6) Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech - 9rec 63yd 0TD 0fmb;0 rsh 0yd (Bay 35-28)
   Season: 93rec 1135yd 18TD 1fmb; 2rsh 2yd 2.0av 0TD; 50 retYds
   
6. (5) C. Daniel, Missouri - 25-41 61% 288yd 4TD 2int; 9rsh 103yd 11.4av 0TD 1fmb (L KU40-37)
   Season: 331-441 75% 3880yd 34TD 13int; 50rsh 239yd 4.8av 1TD 1fmb
   
7. (8) Shonn Greene, Iowa: did not play last week
   Season: 278rsh 1729yd 6.2av 17TD 2fmb; 8rec 49yd 0TD
8. (7) K. Moreno, Georgia - 17rsh 94yd 5.5av 1TD 0fmb; 4rec 74yd 0TD; 0rtYds
   Season: 227rsh 1338yd 5.9av 16TD 1fmb;27rec 329yd 1TD;30 retYd
   
9. (9) Javon Ringer, Michigan State - did not play last week
   Season: 370rsh 1590yd 4.3av 21TD 3fmb;25rec 160yd 0TD;224 rtYD
   
10. (11) Jeremy Maclin, MO: 9rec 123yd 1TD 0fmb; 3rsh 32yd 10.7av 0TD; 86rtYd
    season: 88rec 1175yd 11TD 2fmb; 34rsh 261yd 7.7av 2TD; 1043rtYd 1TD
11. (10) M. Sanchez, USC: 195-298 65% 2525yd 28TD 9int; 41rsh -24yd -2.2av 2TD 3fmb
    
12. (12) Dez Bryant, OkSt: 74rec 1313yd 18TD 1fmb; 405rtYd 2TD
13. (13) Daryll Clark, Penn St: 171-285 60% 2319yd 17TD 4int;72rsh 265yd 3.7av 9TD 4fmb
14. (14) Donald Brown, UConn: 304rsh 1633yd 5.4av 16TD 2fmb; 21rec 125yd 0TD
15. (15) Pat White, WVA: 140-219 64% 1369yd 17TD 6int; 155rsh 879yd 5.7av 8TD 1fmb

Graham Harrell was bumped to fourth by Tebow, and from having a sub-par game throwing 2 touchdown passes with an interception and a fumble, though he led the Raiders back against pesky Baylor. He was slightly injured during the game, as was #5 Michael Crabtree, who played only the first half. So who will get invited to New York? At this point it looks like there might be only three players invited, though Harrell will probably still get the nod for an all-quarterback party. If there is a fifth, it will likely be Crabtree rather than a running back representative. Chase Daniel's shot at being the fifth player faded with a loss to Kansas, and now even an upset over Oklahoma probably won't be enough to put him back on the map. His interception woes continued against the Jayhawks, and he now has 13 on the year, as many as McCoy and Bradford combined.

Shonn Greene is now officially the top running back in the country, as Knowshon Moreno's argument for that title took a hit. Moreno's yardage wasn't as stellar as Greene's or Javon Ringer's, but his team had more national prominence, just two losses, and an argument for being in the top ten. But after the loss to Georgia Tech, the Bulldogs look no better than the Spartans or Hawkeyes. His average per attempt is still a lot higher than Ringer's. Meanwhile Greene's consistency is so great that he had been knocking on the door for a New York invite, but I don't see it happening. The Big Ten finished its year so soon that memories of Greene have already faded for many, and he was just really getting into the spotlight. He will pass Daniel if Missouri loses, but he's a very outside change for New York right now, though if any back gets there it will be him. #14 Donald Brown has a game left and needs 97 yards to hold on to his rushing title for the year. He was almost as consistent as Greene, but didn't have a marquee upset to hang his hat on like Iowa's Penn State win.

Jeremy Maclin rounds out the top ten with another good performance against Kansas. He can move up, getting into position for more votes, with a good game against Oklahoma, win or lose. He's really just adding to his legitimacy for next season. That's true, too, for Mark Sanchez of USC, who should be one of the early front-runners in 2009. Oklahoma State's Dez Bryant and Penn State's Daryll Clark may join that short list as well.

For Pat White, his college journey is over. This year was a mixed bag, as he started out as a front-runner but his team struggled, and though he had a good year overall the losses sunk his candidacy. He now heads to an uncertain NFL career where he's probably best suited to be a receiver, but you'd have to think there could be some interesting trick plays with him under center, as the pro league has been more open to "wildcat" formations lately. 

Heisman Top 15 - Week 13 Rankings and game-by-game stats

Graham Harrell didn't have a terrible game statistically against Oklahoma: 33 of 55, 361 yards, 3 TDs and 1 interception. And Sam Bradford's line—14 of 19, 301 yards, 4 touchdowns—was good but not spectacular. The result—Oklahoma 65, Texas Tech 21—is what moves Bradford ahead of Harrell going into the final two weeks.

Meanwhile Colt McCoy remains #1, both for Texas's head-to-head win over Oklahoma and for the dimension he provides that the other two don't: a running threat. How many people realize that McCoy has more rushing yards this season that Tim Tebow? Speaking of whom, Tebow has two more big games (FSU and Alabama) to impress voters. He's within striking distance but the other still must falter for him to score a come-from-behind win. Bradford, too, likely has two more big games (Oklahoma State and Missouri) to prove he belongs ahead of McCoy, while the Texas and Texas Tech quarterbacks most likely just have this Saturday, against lesser foes, on their schedule. This creates a lot of possibilities over the next two weekends.

Chase Daniel is part of the equation of one of the possibilities. The Missouri quarterback will play in the Big Twelve title game and an upset win there would put him back in the spotlight. Though he has too many interceptions—and too little attention—lately to actually win the award, he could still become the fifth quarterback invited to New York, and the fourth from the Big Twelve. He's vying for that fifth New York spot with Michael Crabtree, who could have booked his ticket with a big game against Oklahoma. Instead he had 6 receptions, 62 yards, and no touchdowns with his biggest gain getting called back. Crabtree went over 1,000 yards for the season but needs a strong game against Baylor to offset the possibility of Daniel having big games against Kansas and (probably) Oklahoma, though it's looking like there might only be four New York slots this season anyway.

1. (1) Colt McCoy, Texas - did not play last week
    24-29  83%  222yd  3TD 0int; 12rsh 103yd 8.6av 1TD 0fmb (FLAtl52-10)
    20-29  69%  282yd  4TD 1int;  5rsh   8yd 1.6av 0TD 0fmb (@UTEP42-13)
    19-23  83%  329yd  4TD 0int;  8rsh  83yd  10av 1TD 0fmb (Rice 52-10)
    17-19  90%  185yd  3TD 0int;  9rsh  84yd 9.3av 2TD 0fmb (Ark 52-10)
    23-30  77%  262yd  2TD 2int; 11rsh  39yd 3.5av 0TD 0fmb (@Colo38-14)
    28-35  80%  277yd  1TD 0int; 14rsh  31yd 2.2av 0TD 0fmb (=OK 45-35)
    29-32  91%  337yd  2TD 0int; 11rsh  23yd 2.0av 2TD 0fmb (Mizz56-31)
    38-45  84%  391yd  2TD 1int; 10rsh  41yd 4.1av 1TD 1fmb (Okst28-24)
    20-34  59%  294yd  2TD 1int; 13rsh  16yd 1.2ab 0TD 0fmb (L@TT39-33)
    26-37  70%  300yd  5TD 2int;  8rsh  21yd 2.6av 0TD 0fmb (Bayl 45-21)
    24-34  71%  255yd  2TD 0int; 16rsh  78yd 4.9av 1TD 1fmb (@KU 35-7)
   268-347 77% 3134yd 30TD 7int;117rsh 527yd 4.5av 8TD 2fmb
2. (3) Sam Bradford, Oklahoma
    17-22  77%  183yd  2TD 0int;  0rsh   0yd   0av 0TD 0fmb (Chatt 57-2)
    29-38  76%  395yd  5TD 2int;  3rsh   3yd   1av 0TD 0fmb (Cincy52-26)
    18-21  86%  304yd  5TD 0int;  1rsh   1yd   1av 1TD 0fmb (@Wash55-14)
    19-34  56%  411yd  4TD 0int;  4rsh -31yd  -8av 0TD 0fmb (TCU 35-10)
    23-31  74%  372yd  2TD 1int;  2rsh   4yd   2av 1TD 0fmb (@Bay 49-17)
    28-39  72%  387yd  5TD 2int;  8rsh  -5yd -.6av 0TD 0fmb (L=Tex45-35)
    36-53  68%  468yd  3TD 0int;  4rsh  14yd 3.5av 0TD 0fmb (KU 45-31)
    13-32  41%  255yd  3TD 0int;  1rsh   1yd 1.0av 1TD 0fmb (@KSt 58-35)
    19-27  70%  311yd  5TD 1int;  2rsh  14yd 7.0av 0TD 0fmb (Neb 62-28)
    22-33  67%  320yd  4TD 0int;  5rsh  23yd 4.6av 1TD 0fmb (TexAM66-28)
    14-19  74%  304yd  4TD 0int;  5rsh  18yd 3.6av 0TD 0fmb (TTech65-21)
   238-349 68% 3710yd 42TD 6int; 35rsh  42yd 1.2av 4TD 0fmb
3. (2) Graham Harrell, Texas Tech
    43-58  74%  536yd  2TD 1int;  2rsh   2yd 0.8av 1TD 0fmb (EWash49-24)
    19-46  41%  297yd  1TD 2int;  2rsh  -2yd  -1av 0TD 0fmb (@Nev 35-19)
    31-48  65%  418yd  5TD 0int;  3rsh  -7yd  -2av 0TD 0fmb (SMU 43-7)
    27-34  79%  322yd  4TD 0int;  1rsh   1yd 1.0av 0TD 0fmb (Mass 56-14)
    38-51  75%  454yd  6TD 0int;  1rsh   1yd 1.0av 1TD 0fmb (@KSt 58-28)
    20-25  80%  284yd  2TD 0int;  1rsh   1yd 1.0av 1TD 0fmb (Neb37-31ot)
    44-56  79%  450yd  3TD 2int;  3rsh   4yd 1.3av 2TD 0fmb (@TxAM43-25)
    34-42  81%  386yd  5TD 0int;  7rsh  14yd 2.0av 1TD 0fmb (@KU 63-21)
    36-53  68%  474yd  2TD 0int;  3rsh -17yd  -3av 0TD 0fmb (Tex 39-33)
    40-50  80%  456yd  6TD 0int;  5rsh  -2yd -.4av 0TD 1fmb (OKst 56-20)
    33-55  60%  361yd  3TD 1int;  4rsh -38yd  -9av 0TD 1fmb (L@OK 65-21)
   365-518 70% 4438yd 39TD 6int; 32rsh -43yd  -1av 6TD 2fmb
   
4. (4) Tim Tebow, Florida
     9-14  64%  137yd  1TD 0int;  9rsh  37yd 4.1av  0TD 0fmb (Haw56-10)
    21-35  60%  256yd  2TD 0int; 13rsh  55yd 4.2av  0TD 0fmb (Miami26-3)
     8-15  53%   96yd  2TD 0int; 12rsh  26yd 2.2av  0TD 0fmb (@Tenn30-6)
    24-38  63%  319yd  1TD 0int; 15rsh   7yd 0.5av  2TD 1fmb (LMis31-30)
    17-26  65%  217yd  2TD 1int; 12rsh  32yd 2.7av  0TD 0fmb (@Ark 38-7)
    14-21  67%  210yd  2TD 0int; 12rsh  22yd 1.8av  1TD 1fmb (LSU 51-21)
    11-15  73%  180yd  2TD 1int;  9rsh  48yd 5.3av  2TD 0fmb (KY 63-5)
    10-13  77%  154yd  2TD 0int; 12rsh  39yd 3.3av  3TD 0fmb (=GA 49-10)
    12-17  71%  171yd  3TD 0int; 11rsh  88yd 8.0av  2TD 0fmb (@Van42-14)
    13-20  65%  173yd  2TD 0int; 14rsh  39yd 2.8av  1TD 0fmb (SCaro56-6)
     9-11  82%  201yd  3TD 0int;  2rsh  34yd  17av  0TD 0fmb (Cit 70-19)
   148-225 66% 2114yd 22TD 2int;121rsh 427yd 3.5av 11TD 2fmb
   
5. (5) Chase Daniel, Missouri - did not play last week
    26-45  58%  359yd  3TD  1int; 9rsh  46yd 5.1av 0TD 0fmb (=ILL 52-42)
    16-17  94%  245yd  3TD  0int; 0rsh   0yd 0.0av 0TD 0fmb (SEMoSt 52-3)
    23-28  82%  405yd  4TD  0int; 1rsh  12yd 12 av 0TD 0fmb (Nev 69-17)
    36-43  84%  439yd  2TD  0int; 4rsh  16yd 4.0av 0TD 0fmb (Buff. 42-21)
    18-23  78%  253yd  3TD  0int; 1rsh   0yd 0.0av 0TD 0fmb (@Neb 52-17)
    39-52  75%  390yd  1TD  3int; 7rsh  46yd 6.6av 0TD 0fmb (L OKst28-23)
    31-41  76%  318yd  2TD  1int; 4rsh  -8yd  -2av 1TD 0fmb (L Tex 56-31)
    31-37  84%  302yd  5TD  1int; 5rsh  34yd 6.8av 0TD 0fmb (Colo 58-0)
    30-38  79%  318yd  3TD  2int; 5rsh  13yd 2.6av 0TD 0fmb (@Bay31-28)
    24-36  67%  271yd  2TD  2int; 4rsh -22yd-5.5av 0TD 0fmb (Kst 41-24)
    32-40  80%  328yd  2TD  1int; 1rsh  -1yd  -1av 0TD 0fmb (@ISU 52-20)
   306-400 77% 3592yd 30TD 11int;41rsh 136yd 3.3av 1TD 0fmb
6. (7) Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech - 6rec 62yd 0TD 0fmb;1 rsh -2yd (L@OK 65-21)
   season: 84rec 1072yd 18TD 1fmb; 2rsh 2yd 2.0av 0TD; 50 retYds
   
7. (6) Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - did not play last week
   Season: 210rsh 1244yd 5.9av 15TD 1fmb;23rec 255yd 1TD;30 retYd
   
8. (13) Shonn Greene, Iowa: 22rsh 144yd 6.5av 2TD 0fmb (@Minn 55-0)
   Season: 278rsh 1729yd 6.2av 17TD 2fmb; 8rec 49yd 0TD
9. (8) Javon Ringer, Michigan State - 17rsh 42yd 1TD 0fmb;4rec 27yd 0TDs (L@PennSt49-18)
   Season: 370rsh 1590yd 4.3av 21TD 3fmb;25rec 160yd 0TD;224 rtYD
   
10. (10) M. Sanchez, USC: did not play last week
    Season: 173-267 65% 2258yd 26TD 7int; 36rsh -26yd -0.6av 2TD 3fmb
    
11. (11) Jeremy Maclin, MO: 79rec 1052yd 10TD 2fmb; 31rsh 216yd 7.0av 2TD; 957rtYd 1TD
12. (12) Dez Bryant, OkSt: 68rec 1222yd 16TD 1fmb; 388rtYd 2TD
13. (15) Daryll Clark, Penn St: 171-285 60% 2319yd 17TD 4int;72rsh 265yd 3.7av 9TD 4fmb
14. (14) Donald Brown, UConn: 304rsh 1633yd 5.4av 16TD 2fmb; 21rec 125yd 0TD
15. (16) Pat White, WVA: 125-191 65% 1226yd 17TD 4int; 143rsh 786yd 5.5av 7TD 1fmb

Mark Sanchez and Knowshon Moreno didn't play, but the rest of the top 10 didn't fare very well. Last week's #8, Javon Ringer was held to 42 yards against Penn State. Max Hall, #9 last week, had an atrocious game against Utah, throwing 21 of 41 and no TD passes with five interceptions and fumbling once, giving him 20 turnovers (13 int, 7 fumbles) for the season. His performance in the biggest game of BYU's year was so poor he drops out of the rankings as the list slims to just 15 players.

Shonn Greene rushed for over 144 yards in Iowa's 55-0 stomping of Minnesota, putting him well past Ringer in yardage as both have completed their seasons, and second in yards-per-game to #14 Donald Brown, who had 98 in a loss to South Florida last Sunday. Brown has one more game to go in his attempt to capture the rushing title for 2008, but Greene has had no subpar games at all and will finish as the top back on the list unless Moreno has an excellent game against Georgia Tech.

Receivers and all-purpose threats Jeremy Maclin and Dez Bryant remain outside the top ten with a chance to slip in over the last two week due to big games. Bryant can stand out against Oklahoma, while Maclin has two big games. Neither played last week.

Penn State's Daryll Clark and West Virginia's Pat White both excelled last week. Clark threw four touchdown passes and ran for another in the Nittany Lions' win over Michigan State White rushed for 200 yards in West Virginia's win over Louisville. Like Clark he had 5 touchdowns, though three of his were via the ground. They now share identical 17:4 touchdown to interception ratios.

As we move to just 15 players to track, Max Hall and four other players miss the cut. David Johnson of Tulsa will have to be content with leading the nation in passing efficiency. Charles Scott of LSU had 10 yards on 10 carries in LSU's fourth loss. Kendall Hunter of Oklahoma State should be a strong candidate next year. And Chris "Beanie" Wells, one of the pre-season favorites, falls out too. Wells was slowed by injury in the first half of the season, limiting his production. He recovered nicely, and had some good games including 134 yards in last week's win over Michigan. He finished the year 7th in yards-per-game, but his overall yardage was just over 1,000.

The TTDTO (total TDs to total Turnovers) chart for the top ten candidates:

rnk Player           TDs  TOs  TRatio
 1. Michael Crabtree 18    1    9.00           
 2. Knowshon Moreno  16    1    8.00
 3. Sam Bradford     48    6    6.86
 4. Tim Tebow        33    4    6.60
 5. Shonn Greene     17    2    5.67
 6. Javon Ringer     21    3    5.25
 7. Graham Harrell   45    8    5.00
 8. Colt McCoy       38    9    3.80
 9. Chase Daniel     31   11    2.58
10. Mark Sanchez     28   10    2.55  

Two weeks left...

Heisman Top 20 - Week 12 Rankings and game-by-game stats

Just like the Top 25, almost no change in the Heisman standings this week.

The reason? Well, a lot of them didn't play: Graham Harrell, Sam Bradford, Michael Crabtree, Javon Ringer...all held steady after an idle week. Those that did play did about as expected in the top ten, doing nothing that really helped or hurt their cause. So like the Top 25, let's examine the race from the perspective of the weeks ahead.

Graham Harrell can move into the lead that most have already given him if he wins at Oklahoma. If the Sooners win, Colt McCoy will hold onto the lead with Sam Bradford a strong second place. Bradford could pass McCoy if Oklahoma goes on to the Big Twelve championship game and he is impressive there. Like the national title race, the Big Twelve title game complicates matters all around, but Bradford has a shot if he performs miracles against Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, and Missouri all in a rown.

Tim Tebow is really a last-ditch choice. If somehow all three Big Twelve quarterbacks screw up royally, he has a small chance of repeating. His stats are up from their rate in the first half of the year, but well down from last year. Playing The Citadel gives him a chance to pad them, but how much will he play in that game, and will there be criticism if he plays too long? His real moment to shine will be against Alabama in the SEC title game, giving voters one more chance to recall his exploits of last year. But the Gators also face Florida State, another game of high risk/reward for Tebow.

Chase Daniel is the wild card in the New York invite deck. At this point he's been mostly forgotten—and is suffering quite a few interceptions—but if Missouri is the big spoiler against Texas/Tech/Oklahoma, he could get a late push. Knowshon Moreno doesn't even have that to look forward too; from here, when Georgia ends their season against Georgia Tech in two weeks, Moreno likely can only slide.

The one player in the second five with major upside is Michael Crabtree, and his fortunes essentially mirror Harrell's. If Tech wins out, he will be in New York with his quarterback. I don't see him winning the trophy, though, for that same reason.

Javon Ringer and Max Hall each have one big game left, but they aren't at the top of voters' lists right now, or in position to advance much. The problem is that after this big game (Ringer vs. Penn State, Hall vs. Utah), their season is over. Meanwhile the major candidates have another week or two to stay on people's minds, so regardless of the gains they make their upside is perhaps a spot or two. Thus they've been removed from the game-by-game status as the official list of possible winners is reduced to seven.

1. (1) Colt McCoy, Texas
    24-29  83%  222yd  3TD 0int; 12rsh 103yd 8.6av 1TD 0fmb (FLAtl52-10)
    20-29  69%  282yd  4TD 1int;  5rsh   8yd 1.6av 0TD 0fmb (@UTEP42-13)
    19-23  83%  329yd  4TD 0int;  8rsh  83yd  10av 1TD 0fmb (Rice 52-10)
    17-19  90%  185yd  3TD 0int;  9rsh  84yd 9.3av 2TD 0fmb (Ark 52-10)
    23-30  77%  262yd  2TD 2int; 11rsh  39yd 3.5av 0TD 0fmb (@Colo38-14)
    28-35  80%  277yd  1TD 0int; 14rsh  31yd 2.2av 0TD 0fmb (=OK 45-35)
    29-32  91%  337yd  2TD 0int; 11rsh  23yd 2.0av 2TD 0fmb (Mizz56-31)
    38-45  84%  391yd  2TD 1int; 10rsh  41yd 4.1av 1TD 1fmb (Okst28-24)
    20-34  59%  294yd  2TD 1int; 13rsh  16yd 1.2ab 0TD 0fmb (L@TT39-33)
    26-37  70%  300yd  5TD 2int;  8rsh  21yd 2.6av 0TD 0fmb (Bayl 45-21)
    24-34  71%  255yd  2TD 0int; 16rsh  78yd 4.9av 1TD 1fmb (@KU 35-7)
   268-347 77% 3134yd 30TD 7int;117rsh 527yd 4.5av 8TD 2fmb
2. (2) Graham Harrell, Texas Tech - DNP last week
    43-58  74%  536yd  2TD 1int;  2rsh   2yd 0.8av 1TD 0fmb (EWash49-24)
    19-46  41%  297yd  1TD 2int;  2rsh  -2yd  -1av 0TD 0fmb (@Nev 35-19)
    31-48  65%  418yd  5TD 0int;  3rsh  -7yd  -2av 0TD 0fmb (SMU 43-7)
    27-34  79%  322yd  4TD 0int;  1rsh   1yd 1.0av 0TD 0fmb (Mass 56-14)
    38-51  75%  454yd  6TD 0int;  1rsh   1yd 1.0av 1TD 0fmb (@KSt 58-28)
    20-25  80%  284yd  2TD 0int;  1rsh   1yd 1.0av 1TD 0fmb (Neb37-31ot)
    44-56  79%  450yd  3TD 2int;  3rsh   4yd 1.3av 2TD 0fmb (@TxAM43-25)
    34-42  81%  386yd  5TD 0int;  7rsh  14yd 2.0av 1TD 0fmb (@KU 63-21)
    36-53  68%  474yd  2TD 0int;  3rsh -17yd  -3av 0TD 0fmb (Tex 39-33)
    40-50  80%  456yd  6TD 0int;  5rsh  -2yd -.4av 0TD 1fmb (OKst 56-20)
   332-463 72% 4077yd 36TD 5int; 28rsh  -5yd -.2av 6TD 1fmb
   
3. (3) Sam Bradford, Oklahoma - DNP last week
    17-22  77%  183yd  2TD 0int;  0rsh   0yd   0av 0TD 0fmb (Chatt 57-2)
    29-38  76%  395yd  5TD 2int;  3rsh   3yd   1av 0TD 0fmb (Cincy52-26)
    18-21  86%  304yd  5TD 0int;  1rsh   1yd   1av 1TD 0fmb (@Wash55-14)
    19-34  56%  411yd  4TD 0int;  4rsh -31yd  -8av 0TD 0fmb (TCU 35-10)
    23-31  74%  372yd  2TD 1int;  2rsh   4yd   2av 1TD 0fmb (@Bayl49-17)
    28-39  72%  387yd  5TD 2int;  8rsh  -5yd -.6av 0TD 0fmb (L=Tex45-35)
    36-53  68%  468yd  3TD 0int;  4rsh  14yd 3.5av 0TD 0fmb (KU 45-31)
    13-32  41%  255yd  3TD 0int;  1rsh   1yd 1.0av 1TD 0fmb (@KSt 58-35)
    19-27  70%  311yd  5TD 1int;  2rsh  14yd 7.0av 0TD 0fmb (Neb 62-28)
    22-33  67%  320yd  4TD 0int;  5rsh  23yd 4.6av 1TD 0fmb (TexAM66-28)
   224-330 69% 3406yd 38TD 6int; 30rsh  24yd 0.8av 4TD 0fmb
4. (4) Tim Tebow, Florida
     9-14  64%  137yd  1TD 0int;  9rsh  37yd 4.1av  0TD 0fmb (Haw56-10)
    21-35  60%  256yd  2TD 0int; 13rsh  55yd 4.2av  0TD 0fmb (Miami26-3)
     8-15  53%   96yd  2TD 0int; 12rsh  26yd 2.2av  0TD 0fmb (@Tenn30-6)
    24-38  63%  319yd  1TD 0int; 15rsh   7yd 0.5av  2TD 1fmb (LMis31-30)
    17-26  65%  217yd  2TD 1int; 12rsh  32yd 2.7av  0TD 0fmb (@Ark 38-7)
    14-21  67%  210yd  2TD 0int; 12rsh  22yd 1.8av  1TD 1fmb (LSU 51-21)
    11-15  73%  180yd  2TD 1int;  9rsh  48yd 5.3av  2TD 0fmb (KY 63-5)
    10-13  77%  154yd  2TD 0int; 12rsh  39yd 3.3av  3TD 0fmb (=GA 49-10)
    12-17  71%  171yd  3TD 0int; 11rsh  88yd 8.0av  2TD 0fmb (@Van42-14)
    13-20  65%  173yd  2TD 0int; 14rsh  39yd 2.8av  1TD 0fmb (SCaro56-6)
   139-214 65% 1913yd 19TD 2int;119rsh 393yd 3.3av 11TD 2fmb
   
5. (5) Chase Daniel, Missouri
    26-45  58%  359yd  3TD  1int; 9rsh  46yd 5.1av 0TD 0fmb (=ILL 52-42)
    16-17  94%  245yd  3TD  0int; 0rsh   0yd 0.0av 0TD 0fmb (SEMoSt 52-3)
    23-28  82%  405yd  4TD  0int; 1rsh  12yd 12 av 0TD 0fmb (Nev 69-17)
    36-43  84%  439yd  2TD  0int; 4rsh  16yd 4.0av 0TD 0fmb (Buff. 42-21)
    18-23  78%  253yd  3TD  0int; 1rsh   0yd 0.0av 0TD 0fmb (@Neb 52-17)
    39-52  75%  390yd  1TD  3int; 7rsh  46yd 6.6av 0TD 0fmb (L OKst28-23)
    31-41  76%  318yd  2TD  1int; 4rsh  -8yd  -2av 1TD 0fmb (L Tex 56-31)
    31-37  84%  302yd  5TD  1int; 5rsh  34yd 6.8av 0TD 0fmb (Colo 58-0)
    30-38  79%  318yd  3TD  2int; 5rsh  13yd 2.6av 0TD 0fmb (@Bay31-28)
    24-36  67%  271yd  2TD  2int; 4rsh -22yd-5.5av 0TD 0fmb (Kst 41-24)
    32-40  80%  328yd  2TD  1int; 1rsh  -1yd  -1av 0TD 0fmb (@ISU 52-20)
   306-400 77% 3592yd 30TD 11int;41rsh 136yd 3.3av 1TD 0fmb
6. (6) Knowshon Moreno, Georgia
     8rsh   59yd 7.4av  3TD 0fmb; 2rec  53yd 0TD; 0 rtYd (Ga.S 45-21)
    18rsh  168yd 9.3av  3TD 0fmb; 3rec  30yd 0TD; 0 rtYd (C Mich 56-17)
    20rsh   79yd 4.0av  1TD 0fmb; 2rec  13yd 0TD;32 rtYd (@SCaro 14-7)
    23rsh  149yd 6.5av  2TD 0fmb; 0rec   0yd 0TD;-2 rtYd (@ASU 27-10)
     9rsh   34yd 3.8av  1TD 0fmb; 3rec  14yd 0TD; 0 rtYd (L Ala41-30)
    27rsh  101yd 3.7av  0TD 0fmb; 1rec  14yd 0TD; 0 rtYd (Tenn 26-14)
    23rsh  172yd 7.5av  1TD 0fmb; 1rec  10yd 0TD; 0 rtYd (Vandy 24-14)
    21rsh  163yd 7.8av  1TD 0fmb; 2rec   9yd 0TD; 0 rtYd (@LSU52-38)
    17rsh   65yd 3.8av  0TD 1fmb; 2rec  14yd 0TD; 0 rtYd (L=FLA 49-10)
    22rsh  123yd 5.6av  3TD 0fmb; 3rec  40yd 0TD; 0 rtYd (@KY 42-38)
    22rsh  131yd 6.0av  0TD 0fmb; 4rec  58yd 1TD; 0 rtYd (@Aub 17-13)
   210rsh 1244yd 5.9av 15TD 1fmb;23rec 255yd 1TD;30 rtYd
7. (7) Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech - DNP last week
    9rec   73yd  1TD 0fmb; 0rsh 0yd 0.0av 0TD;  0 rtYD (EWash49-24)
    7rec  158yd  1TD 0fmb; 0rsh 0yd 0.0av 0TD;  0 rtYD (@Nev 35-19)
    8rec  164yd  3TD 0fmb; 1rsh 3yd 3.0av 0TD;  0 rtYD  (SMU 43-7)
    5rec   62yd  1TD 0fmb; 0rsh 0yd 0.0av 0TD;  0 rtYD  (Mass 56-14)
    9rec  107yd  2TD 0fmb; 0rsh 0yd 0.0av 0TD;  0 rtYD  (@KSt 58-28)
    5rec   89yd  2TD 0fmb; 0rsh 0yd 0.0av 0TD;    0 rtYD  (Neb 37-31ot)
    8rec   71yd  2TD 0fmb; 0rsh 0yd 0.0av 0TD; 50 rtYD  (@TexAM43-25)
    9rec   70yd  2TD 0fmb; 0rsh 0yd 0.0av 0TD;  0 rtYD  (@KU 63-21)
   10rec  127yd  1TD 1fmb; 0rsh 0yd 0.0av 0TD;  0 rtYD (Tex 39-33)
    8rec   89yd  3TD 0fmb; 0rsh 0yd 0.0av 0TD;  0 rtYD (OkSt 56-20) 
   78rec 1010yd 18TD 1fmb; 1rsh 3yd 3.0av 0TD; 50 rtYD  
   
8. (8) Javon Ringer, Michigan State - DNP last week
   Season: 353rsh 1548yd 4.4av 20TD 3fmb;21rec 133yd 0TD;224 rtYD
   
9. (9) Max Hall, BYU: 28-37 76% 354yd 2TD 1int; 7rsh -17yd -2.3av 0TD 1fmb (@AF 38-24)
   Season: 279-390 72% 3424yd 34TD 8int; 48rsh 57yd 1.2av 2TD 6fmb
   
10. (10) M. Sanchez, USC: 11-17 65% 136yd 2TD 0int; 4rsh -13yd -3.2av 0TD 0fmb (@Stan45-23)
    Season: 173-267 65% 2258yd 26TD 7int; 36rsh -26yd -0.6av 2TD 3fmb
    
11. (11) Jeremy Maclin, MO: 79rec 1052yd 10TD 2fmb; 31rsh 216yd 7.0av 2TD; 957rtYd 1TD
12. (13) Dez Bryant, OkSt: 68rec 1222yd 16TD 1fmb; 388rtYd 2TD
13. (16) Shonn Greene, Iowa: 256rsh 1585yd 6.2av 15TD 2fmb; 8rec 49yd 0TD
14. (15) Donald Brown, UConn: 276rsh 1537yd 5.6av 16TD 2fmb; 20rec 114yd 0TD
15. (12) Daryll Clark, Penn St: 155-259 60% 1978yd 13TD 4int;68rsh 261yd 3.8av 8TD 4fmb
16. (14) Pat White, WVA: 119-180 66% 1104yd 15TD 4int; 122rsh 586yd 5.3av 4TD 1fmb
17. (17) Chris Wells, Ohio State: 176rsh 957yd 5.4av 7TD 3fmb; 7rec 26yd 0TD
18. (20) Kendall Hunter, OkSt: 210rsh 1434yd 6.8av 14TD 3fmb; 15rec 140yd 0TD
19. (18) Charles Scott, LSU: 180rsh 1071yd 6.0av 14TD 1fmb; 7rec 55yd 0TD
20. (19) David Johnson, Tulsa: 190-287 66% 3254yd 37TD 11int;57rsh 107yd 1.9av 3TD 1fmb

Mark Sanchez and Jeremy Maclin round out the static top 11. Oklahoma State's Dez Bryant, who has more receiving yards than either Maclin or Crabtree, moves up to #12. While Sanchez is probably out of opportunities to garner more than a few votes (beating Notre Dame won't do it), Maclin and Bryant each have a big game left, so a top ten finish is possible for either.

#13 Shonn Greene rushed for over 200 yards against Purdue, his 2nd highest total of a very consistent (all games 100+ yards) year. He might not break into the top 10 though, since next week his season ends against Minnesota, so unless he's spectacular there, he'll be out of sight/mind. He does have more yards than any other back now, having passed Ringer in total yardage. #14 Donald Brown is still the per-game leader, though he's had 20 more carries than Greene.

Penn State's Daryll Clark and West Virginia's Pat White, two running-threat QBs, slide a few notches each. Clark had a so-so game against Indiana and White's candidacy never took off this year. That could also be said a dozen times over for Beanie Wells. Wells has a great per-game average, which would put him #10 in the nation if he were listed. The NCAA lists backs who played 75% of a team's games, which will allow Wells to qualify next week.

Finally Kendall Hunter, a prime candidate for next year, LSU's Charles Scott, and Tulsa's David Johnson (who has good stats but lost two games in a row), are the last in the Top 20.

The TTDTO (total TDs to total Turnovers) chart for the top ten candidates:

rnk Player           TDs  TOs  TRatio
 1. Michael Crabtree 18    1    9.00           
 2. Knowshon Moreno  16    1    8.00
 3t Graham Harrell   42    6    6.00
 3t Sam Bradford     42    6    6.00
 3t Tim Tebow        30    4    6.00
 6. Javon Ringer     20    3    5.00
 7. Colt McCoy       38    9    3.80
 8. Chase Daniel     31   11    2.58
 9. Mark Sanchez     28   10    2.55  
10. Max Hall         36   14    2.40

Till next time...

Heisman Top 20 - Week 11 Rankings and Statistics

Better late than never: the post-week-11 Heisman Top 20.

Graham Harrell moves ever closer to the top spot after throwing for six TDs against Oklahoma State. It comes down to the Oklahoma game now. Colt McCoy will have to finish strong to hold the top spot even if Harrell stumbles. Sam Bradford will probably have to settle for 2nd or 3rd, with Tim Tebow an almost-certain #4. He's been coming on lately, but that only solidifies his spot as a finalist, not any major chance of winning unless all the others have disastrous games. Chase Daniel is probably slipping out of a New York trip, but there's still the Big 12 title game to bump him back up.

Neither Knowshon Moreno nor Javon Ringer is likely to get to New York. If Daniel fades, and Michael Crabtree doesn't leap into the top five, there will just be four contenders rather than throw in a token running back. It's a QB party all the way.

Speaking of which, the first candidate to get cut from the final consideration list is USC's Mark Sanchez. Max Hall isn't much farther ahead, but at least he has a few opportunities to get some more attention. Sanchez has all the attention he needs, and most of it happens only when the Trojans' offense doesn't deliver. Next week we cut to seven, but really there are just a few that have a realistic chance at this point. Now it's just a contest to see who gets invited to New York among those who won't win.

1. (1) Colt McCoy, Texas
    24-29  83%  222yd  3TD 0int; 12rsh 103yd 8.6av 1TD 0fmb (FLAtl52-10)
    20-29  69%  282yd  4TD 1int;  5rsh   8yd 1.6av 0TD 0fmb (@UTEP42-13)
    19-23  83%  329yd  4TD 0int;  8rsh  83yd  10av 1TD 0fmb (Rice 52-10)
    17-19  90%  185yd  3TD 0int;  9rsh  84yd 9.3av 2TD 0fmb (Ark 52-10)
    23-30  77%  262yd  2TD 2int; 11rsh  39yd 3.5av 0TD 0fmb (@Colo38-14)
    28-35  80%  277yd  1TD 0int; 14rsh  31yd 2.2av 0TD 0fmb (=OK 45-35)
    29-32  91%  337yd  2TD 0int; 11rsh  23yd 2.0av 2TD 0fmb (Mizz56-31)
    38-45  84%  391yd  2TD 1int; 10rsh  41yd 4.1av 1TD 1fmb (Okst28-24)
    20-34  59%  294yd  2TD 1int; 13rsh  16yd 1.2ab 0TD 0fmb (L@TT39-33)
    26-37  70%  300yd  5TD 2int;  8rsh  21yd 2.6av 0TD 0fmb (Bayl 45-21)
   244-313 78% 2879yd 28TD 7int;101rsh 449yd 4.6av 7TD 1fmb
2. (3) Graham Harrell, Texas Tech
    43-58  74%  536yd  2TD 1int;  2rsh   2yd 0.8av 1TD 0fmb (EWash49-24)
    19-46  41%  297yd  1TD 2int;  2rsh  -2yd  -1av 0TD 0fmb (@Nev 35-19)
    31-48  65%  418yd  5TD 0int;  3rsh  -7yd  -2av 0TD 0fmb (SMU 43-7)
    27-34  79%  322yd  4TD 0int;  1rsh   1yd 1.0av 0TD 0fmb (Mass 56-14)
    38-51  75%  454yd  6TD 0int;  1rsh   1yd 1.0av 1TD 0fmb (@KSt 58-28)
    20-25  80%  284yd  2TD 0int;  1rsh   1yd 1.0av 1TD 0fmb (Neb37-31ot)
    44-56  79%  450yd  3TD 2int;  3rsh   4yd 1.3av 2TD 0fmb (@TxAM43-25)
    34-42  81%  386yd  5TD 0int;  7rsh  14yd 2.0av 1TD 0fmb (@KU 63-21)
    36-53  68%  474yd  2TD 0int;  3rsh -17yd  -3av 0TD 0fmb (Tex 39-33)
    40-50  80%  456yd  6TD 0int;  5rsh  -2yd -.4av 0TD 1fmb (OKst 56-20)
   332-463 72% 4077yd 36TD 5int; 28rsh  -5yd -.2av 6TD 1fmb
   
3. (2) Sam Bradford, Oklahoma
    17-22  77%  183yd  2TD 0int;  0rsh   0yd   0av 0TD 0fmb (Chatt 57-2)
    29-38  76%  395yd  5TD 2int;  3rsh   3yd   1av 0TD 0fmb (Cincy52-26)
    18-21  86%  304yd  5TD 0int;  1rsh   1yd   1av 1TD 0fmb (@Wash55-14)
    19-34  56%  411yd  4TD 0int;  4rsh -31yd  -8av 0TD 0fmb (TCU 35-10)
    23-31  74%  372yd  2TD 1int;  2rsh   4yd   2av 1TD 0fmb (@Bayl49-17)
    28-39  72%  387yd  5TD 2int;  8rsh  -5yd -.6av 0TD 0fmb (L=Tex45-35)
    36-53  68%  468yd  3TD 0int;  4rsh  14yd 3.5av 0TD 0fmb (KU 45-31)
    13-32  41%  255yd  3TD 0int;  1rsh   1yd 1.0av 1TD 0fmb (@KSt 58-35)
    19-27  70%  311yd  5TD 1int;  2rsh  14yd 7.0av 0TD 0fmb (Neb 62-28)
    22-33  67%  320yd  4TD 0int;  5rsh  23yd 4.6av 1TD 0fmb (TexAM66-28)
   224-330 69% 3406yd 38TD 6int; 30rsh  24yd 0.8av 4TD 0fmb
4. (4) Tim Tebow, Florida
     9-14  64%  137yd  1TD 0int;  9rsh  37yd 4.1av  0TD 0fmb (Haw56-10)
    21-35  60%  256yd  2TD 0int; 13rsh  55yd 4.2av  0TD 0fmb (Miami26-3)
     8-15  53%   96yd  2TD 0int; 12rsh  26yd 2.2av  0TD 0fmb (@Tenn30-6)
    24-38  63%  319yd  1TD 0int; 15rsh   7yd 0.5av  2TD 1fmb (LMis31-30)
    17-26  65%  217yd  2TD 1int; 12rsh  32yd 2.7av  0TD 0fmb (@Ark 38-7)
    14-21  67%  210yd  2TD 0int; 12rsh  22yd 1.8av  1TD 1fmb (LSU 51-21)
    11-15  73%  180yd  2TD 1int;  9rsh  48yd 5.3av  2TD 0fmb (KY 63-5)
    10-13  77%  154yd  2TD 0int; 12rsh  39yd 3.3av  3TD 0fmb (=GA 49-10)
    12-17  71%  171yd  3TD 0int; 11rsh  88yd 8.0av  2TD 0fmb (@Van42-14)
   126-194 65% 1740yd 17TD 2int;105rsh 354yd 3.4av 10TD 2fmb
   
5. (5) Chase Daniel, Missouri
    26-45  58%  359yd  3TD  1int; 9rsh  46yd 5.1av 0TD 0fmb (=ILL 52-42)
    16-17  94%  245yd  3TD  0int; 0rsh   0yd 0.0av 0TD 0fmb (SEMoSt 52-3)
    23-28  82%  405yd  4TD  0int; 1rsh  12yd 12 av 0TD 0fmb (Nev 69-17)
    36-43  84%  439yd  2TD  0int; 4rsh  16yd 4.0av 0TD 0fmb (Buff. 42-21)
    18-23  78%  253yd  3TD  0int; 1rsh   0yd 0.0av 0TD 0fmb (@Neb 52-17)
    39-52  75%  390yd  1TD  3int; 7rsh  46yd 6.6av 0TD 0fmb (L OKst28-23)
    31-41  76%  318yd  2TD  1int; 4rsh  -8yd  -2av 1TD 0fmb (L Tex 56-31)
    31-37  84%  302yd  5TD  1int; 5rsh  34yd 6.8av 0TD 0fmb (Colo 58-0)
    30-38  79%  318yd  3TD  2int; 5rsh  13yd 2.6av 0TD 0fmb (@Bay31-28)
    24-36  67%  271yd  2TD  2int; 4rsh -22yd-5.5av 0TD 0fmb (Kst 41-24)
   274-360 76% 3264yd 28TD 10int;40rsh 137yd 3.4av 1TD 0fmb
6. (6) Knowshon Moreno, Georgia
     8rsh   59yd 7.4av  3TD 0fmb; 2rec  53yd 0TD; 0 rtYd (Ga.S 45-21)
    18rsh  168yd 9.3av  3TD 0fmb; 3rec  30yd 0TD; 0 rtYd (C Mich 56-17)
    20rsh   79yd 4.0av  1TD 0fmb; 2rec  13yd 0TD;32 rtYd (@SCaro 14-7)
    23rsh  149yd 6.5av  2TD 0fmb; 0rec   0yd 0TD;-2 rtYd (@ASU 27-10)
     9rsh   34yd 3.8av  1TD 0fmb; 3rec  14yd 0TD; 0 rtYd (L Ala41-30)
    27rsh  101yd 3.7av  0TD 0fmb; 1rec  14yd 0TD; 0 rtYd (Tenn 26-14)
    23rsh  172yd 7.5av  1TD 0fmb; 1rec  10yd 0TD; 0 rtYd (Vandy 24-14)
    21rsh  163yd 7.8av  1TD 0fmb; 2rec   9yd 0TD; 0 rtYd (@LSU52-38)
    17rsh   65yd 3.8av  0TD 1fmb; 2rec  14yd 0TD; 0 rtYd (L=FLA 49-10)
    22rsh  123yd 5.6av  3TD 0fmb; 3rec  40yd 0TD; 0 rtYd (@KY 42-38)
   188rsh 1113yd 5.9av 15TD 1fmb;19rec 197yd 0TD;30 rtYd
7. (10) Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech
    9rec   73yd  1TD 0fmb; 0rsh 0yd 0.0av 0TD;  0 rtYD (EWash49-24)
    7rec  158yd  1TD 0fmb; 0rsh 0yd 0.0av 0TD;  0 rtYD (@Nev 35-19)
    8rec  164yd  3TD 0fmb; 1rsh 3yd 3.0av 0TD;  0 rtYD  (SMU 43-7)
    5rec   62yd  1TD 0fmb; 0rsh 0yd 0.0av 0TD;  0 rtYD  (Mass 56-14)
    9rec  107yd  2TD 0fmb; 0rsh 0yd 0.0av 0TD;  0 rtYD  (@KSt 58-28)
    5rec   89yd  2TD 0fmb; 0rsh 0yd 0.0av 0TD;    0 rtYD  (Neb 37-31ot)
    8rec   71yd  2TD 0fmb; 0rsh 0yd 0.0av 0TD; 50 rtYD  (@TexAM43-25)
    9rec   70yd  2TD 0fmb; 0rsh 0yd 0.0av 0TD;  0 rtYD  (@KU 63-21)
   10rec  127yd  1TD 1fmb; 0rsh 0yd 0.0av 0TD;  0 rtYD (Tex 39-33)
    8rec   89yd  3TD 0fmb; 0rsh 0yd 0.0av 0TD;  0 rtYD (OkSt 56-20) 
   78rec 1010yd 18TD 1fmb; 1rsh 3yd 3.0av 0TD; 50 rtYD  
   
8. (8) Javon Ringer, Michigan State
    27rsh   81yd 3.0av  2TD 0fmb; 1rec  17yd 0TD;102 rtYd (L@Cal 38-31)
    34rsh  135yd 4.0av  5TD 1fmb; 1rec   8yd 0TD; 62 rtYd (EMich 42-10)
     43rsh  282yd 6.6av  2TD 0fmb; 1rec  12yd 0TD; 14 rtYd (FLAtl 17-0)
     39rsh  201yd 5.2av  2TD 1fmb; 1rec   0yd 0TD; 22 rtYd (ND 23-7)
     44rsh  198yd 4.5av  1TD 0fmb; 2rec  20yd 0TD; 24 rtYd (@Ind 42-29)
     25rsh   91yd 3.6av  0TD 0fmb; 1rec   3yd 0TD;  0 rtYd (Iowa 16-13)
     35rsh  124yd 3.5av  2TD 0fmb; 2rec  16yd 0TD;  0 rtYd (@NWes 37-20)
     16rsh   67yd 4.2av  0TD 0fmb; 6rec  19yd 0TD;  0 rtYd (L OSU 45-7)
    37rsh  194yd 5.2av  2TD 0fmb; 2rec  25yd 0TD;  0 rtYd (@Mich 35-21)
    21rsh   54yd 2.6av  2TD 0fmb; 3rec  10yd 0TD;  0 rtYd (Wisc 25-24)
     32rsh  121yd 3.8av  2TD 1fmb; 1rec   3yd 0TD;  0 rtYd (Purd 21-7)
   353rsh 1548yd 4.4av 20TD 3fmb;21rec 133yd 0TD;224 rtYd
9. (9) Max Hall, BYU
    34-41  83%  486yd  2TD 0int; 3rsh  4yd 0.8av 1TD 2fmb (UNI 41-17)
    30-41  73%  338yd  3TD 1int; 0rsh  0yd 0.0av 0TD 0fmb (@Wash 28-27)
    27-35  77%  271yd  7TD 1int; 3rsh 12yd 4.0av 0TD 0fmb (UCLA 59-0)
    16-27  59%  189yd  3TD 0int; 0rsh  0yd 0.0av 0TD 0fmb (Wy 44-0)
    23-37  62%  303yd  2TD 2int; 4rsh  1yd 0.3av 0TD 0fmb (@UTst 34-14)
    22-34  65%  258yd  3TD 0int; 4rsh 14yd 5.0av 0TD 0fmb (NNex 21-3)
    22-42  52%  274yd  0TD 2int;10rsh-24yd  -2av 1TD 2fmb (L@TCU 32-7)
    24-31  77%  245yd  4TD 0int; 3rsh 29yd 9.7av 0TD 0fmb (UNLV 42-35)
    28-35  80%  389yd  5TD 1int; 6rsh 15yd 2.5av 0TD 1fmb (@ColSt45-42)
    25-30  83%  317yd  3TD 0int; 9rsh 22yd 2.4av 0TD 0fmb (SDSU 41-12)
   251-353 71% 3070yd 32TD 7int;41rsh 74yd 1.8av 2TD 5fmb
10. (7) M. Sanchez, USC: 18-29 62.15 328yd 2TD 0int; 4rsh -21yd -5.2av 0TD 0fmb (@Cal17-3)
    Season: 162-250 65% 2122yd 24TD 7int; 32rsh -13yd -0.3av 2TD 3fmb
    
11. (14) Jeremy Maclin, MO: 71rec 949yd 9TD 1fmb; 27rsh 190yd 7.0av 2TD; 846rtYd 1TD
12. (11) Daryll Clark, Penn St: 135-223 61% 1738yd 11TD 3int;60rsh 235yd 3.9av 8TD 2fmb
13. (13) Dez Bryant, OkSt: 64rec 1140yd 15TD 1fmb; 371rtYd 2TD
14. (12) Pat White, WVA: 119-180 66% 1104yd 15TD 4int; 122rsh 586yd 5.3av 4TD 1fmb
15. (15) Donald Brown, UConn: 254rsh 1406yd 5.5av 15TD 2fmb; 19rec 113yd 0TD
16. (20) Shonn Greene, Iowa: 226rsh 1374yd 6.1av 13TD 2fmb; 8rec 49yd 0TD
17. (16) Chris Wells, Ohio State: 152rsh 814yd 5.4av 6TD 2fmb; 7rec 26yd 0TD
18. (18) Charles Scott, LSU: 156rsh 981yd 6.3av 13TD 1fmb; 6rec 51yd 0TD
19. (19) David Johnson, Tulsa: 172-258 67% 2983yd 33TD 10int;51rsh 90yd 1.8av 3TD 0fmb
20. (21) Kendall Hunter, OkSt: 199rsh 1332yd 6.7av 13TD 3fmb; 12rec 110yd 0TD

Daryll Clark drops after the loss to Iowa, which also sends Shonn Greene up four spots. If he returns he'll be a prime candidate at the beginning of 2009. Jeremy Maclin, who has been just outside the top 10 for months, jumps to 11 while Dez Bryant stalls after the Texas Tech loss and Pat White drops after losing to Cincinnati.

Donald Brown was idle, Charles Scott was decent against Alabama, and Chris Wells drops despite a good game against Northwestern. Wells is actually averaging more yards per game played than Moreno and Scott. David Johnson holds at 19 and Kendall Hunter moves up one spot.

As expected, Percy Harvin, Juice Williams, Jahvid Best, and James Laurinaitis get dropped as the list goes to just 20. Zac Robinson of Oklahoma State joins them, as two Cowboys in the top 20 is enough.

The TTDTO chart for the top ten candidates:

rnk Player           TDs  TOs   Ratio
 1. Michael Crabtree 18    1    9.00           
 2. Knowshon Moreno  15    1    7.50
 3t Graham Harrell   42    6    6.00
 3t Sam Bradford     42    6    6.00
 4. Tim Tebow        27    4    5.40
 6. Javon Ringer     20    3    5.00
 7. Colt McCoy       35    8    3.89
 8. Chase Daniel     29   10    2.64
 9. Max Hall         34   12    2.62
10. Mark Sanchez     26   10    2.36 

Till next time...

Heisman Top 25 - week 10: Not so fast, Graham Harrell

One game later, nearly everyone is putting Graham Harrell at the top of their Heisman lists. After all, he beat Colt McCoy head-to-head, didn't he? But look a bit further and it's easy to question whether A) he deserves to be ahead of McCoy and B) whether he can be considered the favorite at the moment.

Harrell's stats are impressive, even when compared to McCoy's. McCoy still has a far better completion percentage, but Harrell has more touchdowns and yards. But who are most of those touchdowns are yards against? Harrell has had far fewer games against strong competition than McCoy; McCoy has already run the gauntlet that Harrell is going to have to face. Will Harrell still be the people's choice if Tech loses a game? And while McCoy had a subpar game against Texas Tech, he did lead his team back from a 22-3 deficit on the road and almost win. Harrell had a poor game against Nevada, which is less excuseable than McCoy's last outing. Right now Harrell is coasting from the buzz of one big play, but I'm going to wait and see if he can handle Oklahoma State and Oklahoma before putting him at the top of my list.

For now it's still McCoy at #1. Everyone will have at least one "strike" against them by the end of the season, I believe, and I'm betting McCoy's will be the least harmful. The other quarterbacks in the top five are of course Sam Bradford, then Harrell. Tim Tebow holds at his entrenched #4 position as Florida starts to roll, and Chase Daniel slips to #5 as Missouri is behind the scenes at the moment. He's still a favorite, I believe, to make it to New York with the other quarterbacks; his completion percentage approaches McCoy's, and the Big Twelve Championship game will be one of the most-watched games of the year. If he's in it, and wins it, there's no question he's in the top five.

Stuck at #6 is Knowshon Moreno, showing how wide of a gap there is between the top five and everyone else, as well as between the quarterbacks and running backs in the contest. Moreno had 65 yards and #8 Javon Ringer even less last week. Meanwhile Mark Sanchez and Max Hall had good games against poor teams which won't impress anyone at this stage. The final entrant in the top 10, and probably the only one in the second five with a chance of getting to New York, is Michael Crabtree. "The catch" is what did it for him, even as his stats are lower than last season's. If Tech wins out, which I doubt, Crabtree will be in the top five, but his teammate Harrell will be the likely winner.

1. (1) Colt McCoy, Texas
    24-29  83%  222yd  3TD 0int;12rsh 103yd 8.6av 1TD 0fmb (FLAtl 52-10)
    20-29  69%  282yd  4TD 1int; 5rsh   8yd 1.6av 0TD 0fmb (@UTEP 42-13)
    19-23  83%  329yd  4TD 0int; 8rsh  83yd  10av 1TD 0fmb (Rice 52-10)
    17-19  90%  185yd  3TD 0int; 9rsh  84yd 9.3av 2TD 0fmb (Ark 52-10)
    23-30  77%  262yd  2TD 2int;11rsh  39yd 3.5av 0TD 0fmb (@Colo 38-14)
    28-35  80%  277yd  1TD 0int;14rsh  31yd 2.2av 0TD 0fmb (=OK 45-35)
    29-32  91%  337yd  2TD 0int;11rsh  23yd 2.0av 2TD 0fmb (Mizzou56-31)
    38-45  84%  391yd  2TD 1int;10rsh  41yd 4.1av 1TD 1fmb (Okst28-24)
    20-34  59%  294yd  2TD 1int;13rsh  16yd 1.2av 0TD 0fmb (L@TT39-33)
   218-276 79% 2579yd 23TD 5int;93rsh 428yd 4.6av 7TD 1fmb
2. (2) Sam Bradford, Oklahoma
    17-22  77%  183yd  2TD 0int; 0rsh   0yd   0av 0TD 0fmb (Chatt 57-2)
    29-38  76%  395yd  5TD 2int; 3rsh   3yd   1av 0TD 0fmb (Cincy 52-26)
    18-21  86%  304yd  5TD 0int; 1rsh   1yd   1av 1TD 0fmb (@Wash 55-14)
    19-34  56%  411yd  4TD 0int; 4rsh -31yd  -8av 0TD 0fmb (TCU 35-10)
    23-31  74%  372yd  2TD 1int; 2rsh   4yd   2av 1TD 0fmb (@Bayl 49-17)
    28-39  72%  387yd  5TD 2int; 8rsh  -5yd -.6av 0TD 0fmb (L=Tex 45-35)
    36-53  68%  468yd  3TD 0int; 4tsh  14yd 3.5av 0TD 0fmb (KU 45-31)
    13-32  41%  255yd  3TD 0int; 1rsh   1yd 1.0av 1TD 0fmb (@KSt 58-35)
    19-27  70%  311yd  5TD 1int; 2rsh  14yd 7.0av 0TD 0fmb (Neb 62-28)
   202-297 68% 3086yd 34TD 6int;25rsh   1yd .04av 3TD 0fmb
3. (5) Graham Harrell, Texas Tech
    43-58  74%  536yd  2TD 1int; 2rsh  2yd 0.8av 1TD 0fmb (EWash49-24)
    19-46  41%  297yd  1TD 2int; 2rsh -2yd  -1av 0TD 0fmb (@Nev 35-19)
    31-48  65%  418yd  5TD 0int; 3rsh -7yd  -2av 0TD 0fmb (SMU 43-7)
    27-34  79%  322yd  4TD 0int; 1rsh  1yd 1.0av 0TD 0fmb (Mass 56-14)
    38-51  75%  454yd  6TD 0int; 1rsh  1yd 1.0av 1TD 0fmb (@KSt 58-28)
    20-25  80%  284yd  2TD 0int; 1rsh  1yd 1.0av 1TD 0fmb (Neb 37-31ot)
    44-56  79%  450yd  3TD 2int; 3rsh  4yd 1.3av 2TD 0fmb (@TexAM43-25)
    34-42  81%  386yd  5TD 0int; 7rsh 14yd 2.0av 1TD 0fmb (@KU 63-21)
    36-53  68%  474yd  2TD 0int; 3rsh-17yd  -3av 0TD 0fmb (Tex 39-33)
   292-413 71% 3621yd 30TD 5int;23rsh -3yd -.1av 6TD 0fmb 
4. (4) Tim Tebow, Florida
     9-14  64%  137yd  1TD 0int; 9rsh  37yd 4.1av 0TD 0fmb (Haw 56-10)
    21-35  60%  256yd  2TD 0int;13rsh  55yd 4.2av 0TD 0fmb (Miami 26-3)
     8-15  53%   96yd  2TD 0int;12rsh  26yd 2.2av 0TD 0fmb (@Tenn 30-6)
    24-38  63%  319yd  1TD 0int;15rsh   7yd 0.5av 2TD 1fmb (L Miss31-30)
    17-26  65%  217yd  2TD 1int;12rsh  32yd 2.7av 0TD 0fmb (@Ark 38-7)
    14-21  67%  210yd  2TD 0int;12rsh  22yd 1.8av 1TD 1fmb (LSU 51-21)
    11-15  73%  180yd  2TD 1int; 9rsh  48yd 5.3av 2TD 0fmb (KY 63-5)
    10-13  77%  154yd  2TD 0int;12rsh  39yd 3.3av 3TD 0fmb (=GA 49-10)
   114-177 64% 1569yd 14TD 2int;94rsh 266yd 2.8av 8TD 2fmb
   
5. (3) Chase Daniel, Missouri
    26-45  58%  359yd  3TD 1int; 9rsh  46yd 5.1av 0TD 0fmb (=ILL 52-42)
    16-17  94%  245yd  3TD 0int; 0rsh   0yd 0.0av 0TD 0fmb (SEMoSt 52-3)
    23-28  82%  405yd  4TD 0int; 1rsh  12yd 12 av 0TD 0fmb (Nev 69-17)
    36-43  84%  439yd  2TD 0int; 4rsh  16yd 4.0av 0TD 0fmb (Buff. 42-21)
    18-23  78%  253yd  3TD 0int; 1rsh   0yd 0.0av 0TD 0fmb (@Neb 52-17)
    39-52  75%  390yd  1TD 3int; 7rsh  46yd 6.6av 0TD 0fmb (L OKst28-23)
    31-41  76%  318yd  2TD 1int; 4rsh  -8yd  -2av 1TD 0fmb (L Tex 56-31)
    31-37  84%  302yd  5TD 1int; 5rsh  34yd 6.8av 0TD 0fmb (Colo 58-0)
    30-38  79%  318yd  3TD 2int; 5rsh  13yd 2.6av 0TD 0fmb (@Bay31-28)
   250-324 77% 2993yd 26TD 8int;36rsh 159yd 4.4av 1TD 0fmb
6. (6) Knowshon Moreno, Georgia
     8rsh  59yd 7.4av  3TD 0fmb; 2rec  53yd 0TD; 0 rtYd (Ga.S 45-21)
    18rsh 168yd 9.3av  3TD 0fmb; 3rec  30yd 0TD; 0 rtYd (C Mich 56-17)
    20rsh  79yd 4.0av  1TD 0fmb; 2rec  13yd 0TD;32 rtYd (@SCaro 14-7)
    23rsh 149yd 6.5av  2TD 0fmb; 0rec   0yd 0TD;-2 rtYd (@ASU 27-10)
     9rsh  34yd 3.8av  1TD 0fmb; 3rec  14yd 0TD; 0 rtYd (L Ala41-30)
    27rsh 101yd 3.7av  0TD 0fmb; 1rec  14yd 0TD; 0 rtYd (Tenn 26-14)
    23rsh 172yd 7.5av  1TD 0fmb; 1rec  10yd 0TD; 0 rtYd (Vandy 24-14)
    21rsh 163yd 7.8av  1TD 0fmb; 2rec   9yd 0TD; 0 rtYd (@LSU52-38)
    17rsh  65yd 3.8av  0TD 1fmb; 2rec  14yd 0TD; 0 rtYd (L=FLA 49-10)
   166rsh 990yd 6.0av 12TD 1fmb;16rec 157yd 0TD;30 rtYd
7. (7) Mark Sanchez, USC
    26-35  74%  338yd  3TD 1int; 1rsh   6yd 6.0av 0TD 0fmb (@VA 52-7)
    17-28  61%  172yd  4TD 1int; 2rsh -10yd -10av 0TD 0fmb (OSU 35-3)
    18-29  62%  227yd  3TD 1int; 4rsh   7yd 1.8av 0TD 0fmb (L@OreSt27-21)
    19-28  68%  332yd  3TD 0int; 4rsh  -4yd  -1av 0TD 1fmb (Ore 44-10)
    13-26  50%  179yd  1TD 3int; 5rsh  -4yd -.8av 1TD 1fmb (@ASU 28-0)
    15-20  75%  253yd  5TD 0int; 1rsh   3yd 3.0av 0TD 0fmb (@WashSt 69-0)
    21-36  58%  216yd  1TD 1int; 7rsh   3yd 2.3av 0TD 1fmb (@Ariz 17-10)
    15-19  79%  167yd  2TD 0int; 4rsh  15yd 3.8av 1TD 0fmb (Wash 56-0)
   144-221 65% 1884yd 22TD 7int;28rsh   8yd 0.3av 2TD 3fmb
8. (8) Javon Ringer, Michigan State
    27rsh   81yd 3.0av  2TD 0fmb; 1rec  17yd 0TD;102 rtYd (L@Cal 38-31)
    34rsh  135yd 4.0av  5TD 1fmb; 1rec   8yd 0TD; 62 rtYd (EMich 42-10)
     43rsh  282yd 6.6av  2TD 0fmb; 1rec  12yd 0TD; 14 rtYd (FLAtl 17-0)
     39rsh  201yd 5.2av  2TD 1fmb; 1rec   0yd 0TD; 22 rtYd (ND 23-7)
     44rsh  198yd 4.5av  1TD 0fmb; 2rec  20yd 0TD; 24 rtYd (@Ind 42-29)
     25rsh   91yd 3.6av  0TD 0fmb; 1rec   3yd 0TD;  0 rtYd (Iowa 16-13)
     35rsh  124yd 3.5av  2TD 0fmb; 2rec  16yd 0TD;  0 rtYd (@NWes 37-20)
     16rsh   67yd 4.2av  0TD 0fmb; 6rec  19yd 0TD;  0 rtYd (L OSU 45-7)
    37rsh  194yd 5.2av  2TD 0fmb; 2rec  25yd 0TD;  0 rtYd (@Mich 35-21)
     21rsh   54yd 2.6av  2TD 0fmb; 3rec  10yd 0TD;  0 rtYd (Wisc 25-24)
   321rsh 1427yd 4.4av 18TD 2fmb;20rec 130yd 0TD;224 rtYd
9. (9) Max Hall, BYU
    34-41  83%  486yd  2TD 0int; 3rsh  4yd 0.8av 1TD 2fmb (UNI 41-17)
    30-41  73%  338yd  3TD 1int; 0rsh  0yd 0.0av 0TD 0fmb (@Wash 28-27)
    27-35  77%  271yd  7TD 1int; 3rsh 12yd 4.0av 0TD 0fmb (UCLA 59-0)
    16-27  59%  189yd  3TD 0int; 0rsh  0yd 0.0av 0TD 0fmb (Wy 44-0)
    23-37  62%  303yd  2TD 2int; 4rsh  1yd 0.3av 0TD 0fmb (@UTst 34-14)
    22-34  65%  258yd  3TD 0int; 4rsh 14yd 5.0av 0TD 0fmb (NNex 21-3)
    22-42  52%  274yd  0TD 2int;10rsh-24yd  -2av 1TD 2fmb (L@TCU 32-7)
    24-31  77%  245yd  4TD 0int; 3rsh 29yd 9.7av 0TD 0fmb (UNLV 42-35)
    28-35  80%  389yd  5TD 1int; 6rsh 15yd 2.5av 0TD 1fmb (@ColSt45-42)
   226-323 70% 2753yd 29TD 7int;32rsh 52yd 1.6av 2TD 5fmb
10. (11) Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech
     9rec  73yd  1TD 0fmb; 0rsh 0yd 0.0av 0TD;  0 rtYD (EWash49-24)
     7rec 158yd  1TD 0fmb; 0rsh 0yd 0.0av 0TD;  0 rtYD (@Nev 35-19)
     8rec 164yd  3TD 0fmb; 1rsh 3yd 3.0av 0TD;  0 rtYD  (SMU 43-7)
     5rec  62yd  1TD 0fmb; 0rsh 0yd 0.0av 0TD;  0 rtYD  (Mass 56-14)
     9rec 107yd  2TD 0fmb; 0rsh 0yd 0.0av 0TD;  0 rtYD  (@KSt 58-28)
     5rec  89yd  2TD 0fmb; 0rsh 0yd 0.0av 0TD;    0 rtYD  (Neb 37-31ot)
     8rec  71yd  2TD 0fmb; 0rsh 0yd 0.0av 0TD; 50 rtYD  (@TexAM43-25)
     9rec  70yd  2TD 0fmb; 0rsh 0yd 0.0av 0TD;  0 rtYD  (@KU 63-21)
    10rec 127yd  1TD 1fmb; 0rsh 0yd 0.0av 0TD;  0 rtYD (Tex 39-33) 
    70rec 921yd 15TD 1fmb; 1rsh 3yd 3.0av 0TD; 50 rtYD  
11. (10) Daryll Clark, Penn St: 126-200 63% 1799yd 11TD 2int;55rsh 229yd 4.2av 8TD 2fmb
12. (12) Pat White, WVA: 99-142 70% 885yd 13TD 3int; 102rsh 545yd 5.3av 4TD 1fmb
13. (16) Dez Bryant, OkSt: 60rec 1054yd 15TD 1fmb; 371rtYd 2TD
14. (13) Jeremy Maclin, MO: 63rec 831yd 7TD 1fmb; 23rsh 106yd 4.6av 1TD; 770rtYd 1TD
15. (14) Donald Brown, UConn: 254rsh 1406yd 5.5av 15TD 2fmb; 19rec 113yd 0TD
16. (15) Chris Wells, Ohio State: 124rsh 674yd 5.4av 4TD 2fmb; 7rec 26yd 0TD
17. (19) Zac Robinson, OkSt: 129-187 69% 2082yd 20TD 5int;92rsh 341yd 3.7 ave 5TD 3fmb
18. (18) Charles Scott, LSU: 132rsh 889yd 6.7av 11TD 1fmb; 6rec 51yd 0TD
19. (17) David Johnson, Tulsa: 172-258 67% 2983yd 33TD 10int;51rsh 90yd 1.8av 3TD 0fmb
20. (20) Shonn Greene, Iowa: 198rsh 1257yd 6.4av 11TD 2fmb; 7rec 43yd 0TD
21. (21) Kendall Hunter, OkSt: 182rsh 1220yd 6.7av 11TD 3fmb; 8rec 103yd 0TD
22. (24) Percy Harvin, Florida: 35rsh 249yd 7.1av 4TD 1fmb; 29rec 481yd 7TD
23. (22) Juice Williams, Ill: 162-274 59% 2441yd 19TD 12int;129rsh 509yd 3.9ave 5TD 2fmb 
24. (23) Jahvid Best, Cal: 108rsh 736yd 6.8av 6TD 3fmb; 21rec 196yd 0TD; 284 rtYd
25. (25) James Laurinaitis, Ohio State: 90 tackles (35 solo), 4 for loss (3 sacks); 1 INT

Daryll Clark was idle last week and watched Crabtree pass him. Clark's numbers aren't that incredible, but unlike #12 Pat White his team is undefeated. White had one of his better games of the year as West Virginia starts to surge. But the real surge this week was by Dez Bryant, who caught four touchdown passes last week and has a showdown against Crabtree this weekend. He's up to #13 at the expense of fading Jeremy Maclin, Donald Brown (had his first sub-100 yard game), and Beanie Wells. Bryant's teammate Zac Robinson threw all those TD passes to him, and one more for good measure, but he's well behind so many other QB's it's hard to imagine him moving up too far even if the Cowboys beat the Red Raiders. David Johnson's Tulsa lost their first game, and with it, any hope of Johnson making a real Heisman stir.

Three more unfortunate running backs have stalled, too, stuck in the Year of the Quarterback. Charles Scott's LSU is a disappointment, while nearly-identical-statted Shonn Greene and Kendall Hunter will have to wait for next year to really compete. But all three have one last chance this weekend to truly have a breakthrough game: Scott against undefeated Alabama; Hunter against undefeated Texas Tech; and Greene against undefeated Penn State.

At the bottom of the list, Percy Harvin, Juice Williams, Jahvid Best, and James Laurinaitis wait to get chopped when the list dwindles to 20 players next week. Best might be able to save himself with a Cal upset of USC.

Now that the final ten true candidates have been selected (and really only five of those have any realistic chance), I'm going to break out the TTDTO chart again. That is, Total Touchdowns-to-Turnovers. Simply add all a player's TDs (running and passing), and divide by turnovers +1 (interceptions and fumbles). For the top ten players it looks like this:

rnk Player           TDs  TOs   Ratio
 1. Michael Crabtree 15    1    7.50           
 2t Graham Harrell   36    5    6.00
 2t Javon Ringer     18    2    6.00
 2t Knowshon Moreno  12    1    6.00
 5. Sam Bradford     37    6    5.29
 6. Tim Tebow        22    4    4.40
 7. Colt McCoy       30    6    4.29
 8. Chase Daniel     27    8    3.00
 9. Max Hall         31   12    2.38
10. Mark Sanchez     24   10    2.18 

The receivers and running backs have a bit of an advantage in this stat, but Harrell is right up there with the best. If he can keep that up against his next two foes, then I'll have him at the top of the list.

Heisman Top 25 - week 9: Putting McCoy's 'mistakes' into perspective

Though Texas prevailed 28-24 and Colt McCoy played a nearly flawless game for three quarters, in the immediate aftermath of the Longhorns' win over Oklahoma State, there was some who questioned whether McCoy's late interception and fumble could have cost them the game, and if that would leave the Heisman door open for someone else. The answer is pretty much no. Looking at his stats and Texas' wins, he hasn't even left it open a crack. Perhaps there is any area not sealed by duct tape, but barring an unlikely late-season collapse, McCoy's hold on the trophy is secure. Even a loss to Graham Harrell's Texas Tech wouldn't unseat him as the most likely to win the award, as the Red Raiders are just getting into the tough part of their season as Texas leaves theirs.

What a Tech win would do is give new, but slim, hope to the guys behind Harrell. #2 Sam Bradford's Oklahoma Sooners would have renewed hope of making the Big 12 title game, and by beating Texas Tech could put him in contention, but the "tie" would still go to McCoy. Bradford by the way quietly had his worst game of the season Saturday; all you heard about was Oklahoma's offensive surge in the 2nd quarter. #3 Chase Daniel had a monster game against Colorado, showing that he shouldn't have been counted out; remember, Missouri will likely play the best team from the Big 12 South in December. Tim Tebow, counted out over a month ago by some, has like I predicted, worked his way back into consideration just by being Tim Tebow. He'll probably finish fourth; if Harrell passes him, one of the others will drop below. And speaking of Graham Harrell, the Kansas game really woke a lot of people up. It also put his stats at Heisman level. Of course this coming weekend will make or break his chances for the trophy, but for now he's filled the fifth New York slot.

Should Harrell falter, Knowshon Moreno, another player dismissed long ago off the sportswriters' lists, is making a resurgence and could advance his agenda if he demolishes Florida this weekend like he did last year. It's likely that New York will be an all-quarterback party, and Moreno might have to make the top four to get an invite, as his raw stats aren't that superlative. Meanwhile Mark Sanchez will not be going to New York. He had an outside chance until last week's dud of a game against Arizona. #8 Javon Ringer is the only back other than Moreno situated to make the top five, and like he's done all year, he only makes Heisman progress when he has over 190 yards in a game. Three more of those (a win over Penn State would help) and he'll be the party-crashing running back instead of Moreno.

1. (1) Colt McCoy, Texas
    24-29  83%  222yd  3TD 0int;12rsh 103yd 8.6av 1TD 0fmb (FLAtl 52-10)
    20-29  69%  282yd  4TD 1int; 5rsh   8yd 1.6av 0TD 0fmb (@UTEP 42-13)
    19-23  83%  329yd  4TD 0int; 8rsh  83yd  10av 1TD 0fmb (Rice 52-10)
    17-19  90%  185yd  3TD 0int; 9rsh  84yd 9.3av 2TD 0fmb (Ark 52-10)
    23-30  77%  262yd  2TD 2int;11rsh  39yd 3.5av 0TD 0fmb (@Colo 38-14)
    28-35  80%  277yd  1TD 0int;14rsh  31yd 2.2av 0TD 0fmb (=OK 45-35)
    29-32  91%  337yd  2TD 0int;11rsh  23yd 2.0av 2TD 0fmb (Mizzou56-31)
    38-45  84%  391yd  2TD 1int;10rsh  41yd 4.1av 1TD 1fmb (OKst28-24)
   198-242 82% 2285yd 21TD 4int;80rsh 412yd 5.2av 7TD 1fmb
2. (2) Sam Bradford, Oklahoma
    17-22  77%  183yd  2TD 0int; 0rsh   0yd   0av 0TD 0fmb (Chatt 57-2)
    29-38  76%  395yd  5TD 2int; 3rsh   3yd   1av 0TD 0fmb (Cincy 52-26)
    18-21  86%  304yd  5TD 0int; 1rsh   1yd   1av 1TD 0fmb (@Wash 55-14)
    19-34  56%  411yd  4TD 0int; 4rsh -31yd  -8av 0TD 0fmb (TCU 35-10)
    23-31  74%  372yd  2TD 1int; 2rsh   4yd   2av 1TD 0fmb (@Bayl 49-17)
    28-39  72%  387yd  5TD 2int; 8rsh  -5yd -.6av 0TD 0fmb (L=Tex 45-35)
    36-53  68%  468yd  3TD 0int; 4tsh  14yd 3.5av 0TD 0fmb (wKU 45-31)
    13-32  41%  255yd  3TD 0int; 1rsh   1yd 1.0av 1TD 0fmb (wKSt 58-35)
   183-270 68% 2775yd 29TD 5int;23rsh -13yd -.5av 3TD 0fmb
3. (3) Chase Daniel, Missouri
    26-45  58%  359yd  3TD 1int; 9rsh  46yd 5.1av 0TD 0fmb (=ILL 52-42)
    16-17  94%  245yd  3TD 0int; 0rsh   0yd 0.0av 0TD 0fmb (SEMoSt 52-3)
    23-28  82%  405yd  4TD 0int; 1rsh  12yd 12 av 0TD 0fmb (Nev 69-17)
    36-43  84%  439yd  2TD 0int; 4rsh  16yd 4.0av 0TD 0fmb (Buff. 42-21)
    18-23  78%  253yd  3TD 0int; 1rsh   0yd 0.0av 0TD 0fmb (@Neb 52-17)
    39-52  75%  390yd  1TD 3int; 7rsh  46yd 6.6av 0TD 0fmb (L OKst28-23)
    31-41  76%  318yd  2TD 1int; 4rsh  -8yd  -2av 1TD 0fmb (L Tex 56-31)
    31-37  84%  302yd  5TD 1int; 5rsh  34yd 6.8av 0TD 0fmb (Colo 58-0)
   220-286 77% 2675yd 23TD 6int;31rsh 146yd 4.7av 1TD 0fmb
4. (4) Tim Tebow, Florida
     9-14  64%  137yd  1TD 0int; 9rsh  37yd 4.1av 0TD 0fmb (Haw 56-10)
    21-35  60%  256yd  2TD 0int;13rsh  55yd 4.2av 0TD 0fmb (Miami 26-3)
     8-15  53%   96yd  2TD 0int;12rsh  26yd 2.2av 0TD 0fmb (@Tenn 30-6)
    24-38  63%  319yd  1TD 0int;15rsh   7yd 0.5av 2TD 1fmb (L Miss31-30)
    17-26  65%  217yd  2TD 1int;12rsh  32yd 2.7av 0TD 0fmb (@Ark 38-7)
    14-21  67%  210yd  2TD 0int;12rsh  22yd 1.8av 1TD 1fmb (LSU 51-21)
    11-15  73%  180yd  2TD 1int; 9rsh  48yd 5.3av 2TD 0fmb (KY 63-5)
   104-164 63% 1415yd 12TD 2int;82rsh 227yd 2.8av 5TD 2fmb
   
5. (8) Graham Harrell, T. Tech
    43-58  74%  536yd  2TD 1int; 2rsh  2yd 0.8av 1TD 0fmb (EWash49-24)
    19-46  41%  297yd  1TD 2int; 2rsh -2yd  -1av 0TD 0fmb (@Nev 35-19)
    31-48  65%  418yd  5TD 0int; 3rsh -7yd  -2av 0TD 0fmb (SMU 43-7)
    27-34  79%  322yd  4TD 0int; 1rsh  1yd 1.0av 0TD 0fmb (Mass 56-14)
    38-51  75%  454yd  6TD 0int; 1rsh  1yd 1.0av 1TD 0fmb (@KSt 58-28)
    20-25  80%  284yd  2TD 0int; 1rsh  1yd 1.0av 1TD 0fmb (Neb 37-31ot)
    44-56  79%  450yd  3TD 2int; 3rsh  4yd 1.3av 2TD 0fmb (@TexAM43-25)
    34-42  81%  386yd  5TD 0int; 7rsh 14yd 2.0av 1TD 0fmb (@KU 63-21)
   256-360 71% 3147yd 28TD 5int;20rsh 14yd 0.7av 6TD 0fmb
   
6. (6) Knowshon Moreno, Georgia
     8rsh  59yd 7.4av  3TD 0fmb; 2rec  53yd 0TD; 0 rtYd (Ga.S 45-21)
    18rsh 168yd 9.3av  3TD 0fmb; 3rec  30yd 0TD; 0 rtYd (C Mich 56-17)
    20rsh  79yd 4.0av  1TD 0fmb; 2rec  13yd 0TD;32 rtYd (@SCaro 14-7)
    23rsh 149yd 6.5av  2TD 0fmb; 0rec   0yd 0TD;-2 rtYd (@ASU 27-10)
     9rsh  34yd 3.8av  1TD 0fmb; 3rec  14yd 0TD; 0 rtYd (L Ala41-30)
    27rsh 101yd 3.7av  0TD 0fmb; 1rec  14yd 0TD; 0 rtYd (Tenn 26-14)
    23rsh 172yd 7.5av  1TD 0fmb; 1rec  10yd 0TD; 0 rtYd (Vandy 24-14)
    21rsh 163yd 7.8av  1TD 0fmb; 2rec   9yd 0TD; 0 rtYd (@LSU52-38)
   149rsh 961yd 6.4av 12TD 0fmb;14rec 143yd 0TD;30 rtYd
7. (5) Mark Sanchez, USC
    26-35  74%  338yd  3TD 1int; 1rsh   6yd 6.0av 0TD 0fmb (@VA 52-7)
    17-28  61%  172yd  4TD 1int; 2rsh -10yd -10av 0TD 0fmb (OSU 35-3)
    18-29  62%  227yd  3TD 1int; 4rsh   7yd 1.8av 0TD 0fmb (L@OreSt27-21)
    19-28  68%  332yd  3TD 0int; 4rsh  -4yd  -1av 0TD 1fmb (Ore 44-10)
    13-26  50%  179yd  1TD 3int; 5rsh  -4yd -.8av 1TD 1fmb (@ASU 28-0)
    15-20  75%  253yd  5TD 0int; 1rsh   3yd 3.0av 0TD 0fmb (@WashSt 69-0)
    21-36  58%  216yd  1TD 1int; 7rsh   3yd 2.3av 0TD 1fmb (@Ariz 17-10)
   129-202 64% 1717yd 20TD 7int;24rsh  -7yd -.3av 1TD 3fmb
8. (9) Javon Ringer, Michigan State
    27rsh   81yd 3.0av  2TD 0fmb; 1rec  17yd 0TD;102 rtYd (L@Cal 38-31)
    34rsh  135yd 4.0av  5TD 1fmb; 1rec   8yd 0TD; 62 rtYd (EMich 42-10)
     43rsh  282yd 6.6av  2TD 0fmb; 1rec  12yd 0TD; 14 rtYd (FLAtl 17-0)
     39rsh  201yd 5.2av  2TD 1fmb; 1rec   0yd 0TD; 22 rtYd (ND 23-7)
     44rsh  198yd 4.5av  1TD 0fmb; 2rec  20yd 0TD; 24 rtYd (@Ind 42-29)
     25rsh   91yd 3.6av  0TD 0fmb; 1rec   3yd 0TD;  0 rtYd (Iowa 16-13)
     35rsh  124yd 3.5av  2TD 0fmb; 2rec  16yd 0TD;  0 rtYd (@NWes 37-20)
     16rsh   67yd 4.2av  0TD 0fmb; 6rec  19yd 0TD;  0 rtYd (L OSU 45-7)
     37rsh  194yd 5.2av  2TD 0fmb; 2rec  25yd 0TD;  0 rtYd (@Mich 35-21)
   300rsh 1373yd 4.6av 16TD 2fmb;17rec 120yd 0TD;224 rtYd
9. (7) Max Hall, BYU
    34-41  83%  486yd  2TD 0int; 3rsh  4yd 0.8av 1TD 2fmb (UNI 41-17)
    30-41  73%  338yd  3TD 1int; 0rsh  0yd 0.0av 0TD 0fmb (@Wash 28-27)
    27-35  77%  271yd  7TD 1int; 3rsh 12yd 4.0av 0TD 0fmb (UCLA 59-0)
    16-27  59%  189yd  3TD 0int; 0rsh  0yd 0.0av 0TD 0fmb (Wy 44-0)
    23-37  62%  303yd  2TD 2int; 4rsh  1yd 0.3av 0TD 0fmb (@UTst 34-14)
    22-34  65%  258yd  3TD 0int; 4rsh 14yd 5.0av 0TD 0fmb (NNex 21-3)
    22-42  52%  274yd  0TD 2int;10rsh-24yd  -2av 1TD 2fmb (L@TCU 32-7)
    24-31  77%  245yd  4TD 0int; 3rsh 29yd 9.7av 0TD 0fmb (UNLV 42-35)
   198-288 69% 2364yd 24TD 6int;26rsh 37yd 1.4av 2TD 4fmb
10. (12) Daryll Clark, Penn St: 12-20 60% 121yd 0TD 0int; 8rsh 39yd 4.9av 0TD (@OSU 13-6)
    season: 126-200 63% 1799yd 11TD 2int;55rsh 229yd 4.2av 8TD 2fmb
11. (13) M. Crabtree, T. Tech: 60rec 794yd 14TD 0fmb; 1rsh 3yd 3.0av 0TD; 50 rtYD
12. (11) Pat White, WVA: 88-124 71% 764yd 12TD 3int; 81rsh 436yd 5.4av 2TD 1fmb
13. (14) Jeremy Maclin, MO: 58rec 800yd 7TD 1fmb; 18rsh 80yd 4.4av 1TD; 666rtYd 1TD
14. (15) Donald Brown, UConn: 235rsh 1324yd 5.6av 14TD 1fmb; 18rec 112yd 0TD
15. (10) Chris Wells, Ohio State: 124rsh 674yd 5.4av 4TD 2fmb; 7rec 26yd 0TD
16. (16) Dez Bryant, OkSt: 51rec 883yd 11TD 1fmb; 372rtYd 2TD
17. (20) David Johnson, Tulsa: 155-227 68% 2661yd 32TD 9int;45rsh 98yd 2.4av 3TD 0fmb
18. (18) Charles Scott, LSU: 120rsh 775yd 6.5av 10TD 1fmb; 6rec 51yd 0TD
19. (19) Zac Robinson, OkSt: 111-160 69% 1687yd 15TD 4int;86rsh 275yd 3.2 ave 5TD 3fmb
20. (21) Shonn Greene, Iowa: 177rsh 1154yd 6.5av 10TD 2fmb; 6rec 20yd 0TD
21. (new) Kendall Hunter, OkSt: 169rsh 1116yd 6.6av 10TD 2fmb; 8rec 103yd 0TD
22. (17) Juice Williams, Ill: 140-237 59% 2169yd 18TD 10int;117rsh 479yd 4.1ave 5TD 2fmb 
23. (23) Jahvid Best, Cal: 92rsh 643yd 7.0av 6TD 1fmb; 19rec 194yd 0TD; 284 rtYd
24. (24) Percy Harvin, Florida: 31rsh 212yd 6.8av 3TD 1fmb; 26rec 429yd 6TD
25. (25) James Laurinaitis, Ohio State: 90 tackles (35 solo), 4 for loss (3 sacks); 1 INT

out: (22) P.J. Hill, Wisconsin: 134rsh 613yds 4.6av 5TD 1fmb; 3rec 38yd 0TD

Falling to #9 despite having his best game in a month, Max Hall is actually solidly in the top ten, given his opportunity game against undefeated Utah. Win that and he gets some votes. But he's out of luck for the top five spot that looked promising just a few weeks ago.

The big question is who will fill the final 10th spot next week of the featured ten candidates. Normally at this point there are ten players who have some conceivable shot at winning the trophy; last year it was more like 15. This year, it may be down to the current top five, and a few of those need all sorts of help.

Right now it looks like Daryll Clark, who watched from the bench with a head injury in the 4th quarter as his team beat Ohio State. Not exactly a Heisman moment. Or #11 Michael Crabtree could finally have the huge game against Texas that puts him in the vote-garnering range. Even #12 Pat White could reverse his fortune. Or some of the others lower on the list could have a big game that legitimizes them as a player that, at least for the next week, has a chance of winning the trophy.

While Pat White has played well since falling from among the pre-season favorites, Ohio State's Beanie Wells hasn't quite gotten on track. He almost had, until the Penn State game where he was stuffed for just 55 yards and may not reach 1,000 this season. That pretty much guarantees that no one will be pencilling him in anywhere on their ballots. Jeremy Maclin and Donald Brown move up a spot as Wells slides.

#16 Dez Bryant had a dud of a game against Texas, stopping his momentum, while teammate Zac Robinson fought valiantly but couldn't secure the win. Charles Scott had a good game against Georgia but LSU got rocked. Amidst all this, David Johnson of Tulsa kept his team winning and moves up three spots to #17.

A third Oklahoma State candidate, Kendall Hunter, debuts at #21 after netting 161 yards against the Longhorns, making him the Heisman flavor of the week. Last week's flavor, #20 Shonn Greene of Iowa, was idle and the buzz about him faded considerably. The two have remarkably similar stats; while Hunter's team is doing better this year, Greene is carrying his team's offense on his shoulders alone.

The last four candidates are just hanging on, especially Juice Williams who falls five spots after the Illini lost their fourth game. Though Wisconsin beat them, P.J. Hill falls off the list after gaining just nine yards Saturday, and losing his starting job. Jahvid Best and Percy Harvin both are playing well enough to look good, but not well enough to advance, and defensive token James Laurinaitis has decent enough stats.

Next week will be the last Top 25; after that it will be just a Top 20, so the lower players had better step it up!

Heisman Top 25 - week 8: Colt McCoy in driver's seat

As far ahead as Chase Daniel was just a few short weeks ago, that's how far ahead Colt McCoy is now, and more. The fact that McCoy has head-to-head wins against the #2 and #3 candidates basically gives him a "cushion" to hold the lead even if Texas loses a game. His performance last week against Missouri was simply astonishing: 29 of 32 passing. Let's stop there, because that's all you need to see. To have over 90% completions against a top 25 team when throwing more than 30 attempts is phenomenal. As is having an 81% completion rate past the mid-season mark. Even Tim Tebow has endorsed Colt McCoy's candidacy, which is as significant as Colin Powell endorsing Barack Obama.

The next three guys are playing for second place. Sam Bradford has great numbers and it's questionable whether his sophomore status hurts him much, but he looks like a solid #2 right now—anyone who deposes McCoy somehow will draft right past Bradford in all likelihood. And clearly Chase Daniel has two "strikes" against him now, referring to last week's baseball analogy, but like Bradford, the loss to McCoy's team makes it hard to pass him under normal circumstances. Many are counting Daniel out completely, but the Heisman crowd is fickle like that. Even in the two losses he threw 75% completions and over 300 yards. I'm certain you'll see Daniel in New York barring a collapse by the Tigers. Add Tim Tebow, and this week's top four may be the entire New York lineup. If he finishes strong as expected, Tebow will be in the top five, and not inviting him to the ceremony would be unthinkable. However strong he does finish, he won't win it again. He's currently on track to have about half as many touchdowns as he did last season.

Normally five players are invited to New York, sometimes four, give or take, but assuming it's five then we're at a loss right now as to who else currently belongs. #5 Mark Sanchez and #6 Knowshon Moreno move up a spot each to fill the void left by Max Hall's stumble. Not that Sanchez and Moreno didn't play great games last week: Sanchez threw five touchdown passes (against Washington State, okay) and Moreno rushed for 172 yards. But neither has been consistent, and while one of them could end up in the top five it's not likely without a spectacular finish.

Max Hall, as mentioned, falls from #5 to #7. After being just on the verge of joining the big boys' club, Hall's BYU lost, which shattered his candidacy. Throwing zero touchdowns and 2 interceptions on barely 50% completions didn't help his case. His odds of winning fell to near zero, and to get back in good graces he would need to load up on the stats the next few weeks, then lead his team to an upset of undefeated Utah in the final game. Short of that, he likely slides out of the top ten.

1. (4) Colt McCoy, Texas
    24-29  83%  222yd  3TD 0int;12rsh 103yd 8.6av 1TD 0fmb (FLAtl 52-10)
    20-29  69%  282yd  4TD 1int; 5rsh   8yd 1.6av 0TD 0fmb (@UTEP 42-13)
    19-23  83%  329yd  4TD 0int; 8rsh  83yd  10av 1TD 0fmb (Rice 52-10)
    17-19  90%  185yd  3TD 0int; 9rsh  84yd 9.3av 2TD 0fmb (Ark 52-10)
    23-30  77%  262yd  2TD 2int;11rsh  39yd 3.5av 0TD 0fmb (@Colo 38-14)
    28-35  80%  277yd  1TD 0int;14rsh  31yd 2.2av 0TD 0fmb (=OK 45-35)
    29-32  91%  337yd  2TD 0int;11rsh  23yd 2.0av 2TD 0fmb (Mizzou56-31)
   160-197 81% 1894yd 19TD 3int;70rsh 371yd 5.3av 6TD 0fmb
2. (2) Sam Bradford, Oklahoma
    17-22  77%  183yd  2TD 0int; 0rsh   0yd   0av 0TD 0fmb (Chatt 57-2)
    29-38  76%  395yd  5TD 2int; 3rsh   3yd   1av 0TD 0fmb (Cincy 52-26)
    18-21  86%  304yd  5TD 0int; 1rsh   1yd   1av 1TD 0fmb (@Wash 55-14)
    19-34  56%  411yd  4TD 0int; 4rsh -31yd  -8av 0TD 0fmb (TCU 35-10)
    23-31  74%  372yd  2TD 1int; 2rsh   4yd   2av 1TD 0fmb (@Bayl 49-17)
    28-39  72%  387yd  5TD 2int; 8rsh  -5yd -.6av 0TD 0fmb (L=Tex 45-35)
    36-53  68%  468yd  3TD 0int; 4rsh  14yd 3.5av 0TD 0fmb (wKU 45-31)
   170-238 71% 2520yd 26TD 5int;22rsh -14yd -.6av 2TD 0fmb
3. (1) Chase Daniel, Missouri
    26-45  58%  359yd  3TD 1int; 9rsh  46yd 5.1av 0TD 0fmb (=ILL 52-42)
    16-17  94%  245yd  3TD 0int; 0rsh   0yd 0.0av 0TD 0fmb (SEMoSt 52-3)
    23-28  82%  405yd  4TD 0int; 1rsh  12yd 12 av 0TD 0fmb (Nev 69-17)
    36-43  84%  439yd  2TD 0int; 4rsh  16yd 4.0av 0TD 0fmb (Buff. 42-21)
    18-23  78%  253yd  3TD 0int; 1rsh   0yd 0.0av 0TD 0fmb (@Neb 52-17)
    39-52  75%  390yd  1TD 3int; 7rsh  46yd 6.6av 0TD 0fmb (L OKst28-23)
    31-41  76%  318yd  2TD 1int; 4rsh  -8yd  -2av 1TD 0fmb (L Tex 56-31)
   189-249 76% 2373yd 18TD 5int;26rsh 112yd 4.3av 1TD 0fmb
4. (3) Tim Tebow, Florida - idle last week
     9-14  64%  137yd  1TD 0int; 9rsh  37yd 4.1av 0TD 0fmb (Haw 56-10)
    21-35  60%  256yd  2TD 0int;13rsh  55yd 4.2av 0TD 0fmb (Miami 26-3)
     8-15  53%   96yd  2TD 0int;12rsh  26yd 2.2av 0TD 0fmb (@Tenn 30-6)
    24-38  63%  319yd  1TD 0int;15rsh   7yd 0.5av 2TD 1fmb (L Miss31-30)
    17-26  65%  217yd  2TD 1int;12rsh  32yd 2.7av 0TD 0fmb (@Ark 38-7)
    14-21  67%  210yd  2TD 0int;12rsh  22yd 1.8av 1TD 1fmb (LSU 51-31)
    93-149 62% 1235yd 10TD 1int;73rsg 179yd 2.5av 3TD 2fmb
   
5. (6) Mark Sanchez, USC
    26-35  74%  338yd  3TD 1int; 1rsh   6yd 6.0av 0TD 0fmb (@VA 52-7)
    17-28  61%  172yd  4TD 1int; 2rsh -10yd -10av 0TD 0fmb (OSU 35-3)
    18-29  62%  227yd  3TD 1int; 4rsh   7yd 1.8av 0TD 0fmb (L@OreSt27-21)
    19-28  68%  332yd  3TD 0int; 4rsh  -4yd  -1av 0TD 1fmb (Ore 44-10)
    13-26  50%  179yd  1TD 3int; 5rsh  -4yd -.8av 1TD 1fmb (@ASU 28-0)
    15-20  75%  253yd  5TD 0int; 1rsh   3yd 3.0av 0TD 0fmb (@WashSt 69-0)
   108-166 65% 1501yd 19TD 6int;17rsh -10yd -.6av 1TD 2fmb
6. (7) Knowshon Moreno, Georgia
     8rsh  59yd 7.4av  3TD 0fmb; 2rec  53yd 0TD; 0 rtYd (Ga.S 45-21)
    18rsh 168yd 9.3av  3TD 0fmb; 3rec  30yd 0TD; 0 rtYd (C Mich 56-17)
    20rsh  79yd 4.0av  1TD 0fmb; 2rec  13yd 0TD;32 rtYd (@SCaro 14-7)
    23rsh 149yd 6.5av  2TD 0fmb; 0rec   0yd 0TD;-2 rtYd (@ASU 27-10)
     9rsh  34yd 3.8av  1TD 0fmb; 3rec  14yd 0TD; 0 rtYd (L Ala41-30)
    27rsh 101yd 3.7av  0TD 0fmb; 1rec  14yd 0TD; 0 rtYd (Tenn 26-14)
    23rsh 172yd 7.5av  1TD 0fmb; 1rec  10yd 0TD; 0 rtYd (Vandy 24-14)
   128rsh 762yd 6.0av 11TD 0fmb;12rec 134yd 0TD;30 rtYd
7. (5) Max Hall, BYU
    34-41  83%  486yd  2TD 0int; 3rsh  4yd 0.8av 1TD 2fmb (UNI 41-17)
    30-41  73%  338yd  3TD 1int; 0rsh  0yd 0.0av 0TD 0fmb (@Wash 28-27)
    27-35  77%  271yd  7TD 1int; 3rsh 12yd 4.0av 0TD 0fmb (UCLA 59-0)
    16-27  59%  189yd  3TD 0int; 0rsh  0yd 0.0av 0TD 0fmb (Wy 44-0)
    23-37  62%  303yd  2TD 2int; 4rsh  1yd 0.3av 0TD 0fmb (@UTst 34-14)
    22-34  65%  258yd  3TD 0int; 4rsh 14yd 5.0av 0TD 0fmb (NNex 21-3)
    22-42  52%  274yd  0TD 2int;10rsh-24yd  -2av 1TD 2fmb (L@TCU 32-7)
   174-257 68% 2119yd 20TD 6int;23rsh  8yd 0.3av 2TD 4fmb
8. (10) Graham Harrell, T. Tech
    43-58  74%  536yd  2TD 1int; 2rsh  2yd 0.8av 1TD 0fmb (EWash49-24)
    19-46  41%  297yd  1TD 2int; 2rsh -2yd  -1av 0TD 0fmb (@Nev 35-19)
    31-48  65%  418yd  5TD 0int; 3rsh -7yd  -2av 0TD 0fmb (SMU 43-7)
    27-34  79%  322yd  4TD 0int; 1rsh  1yd 1.0av 0TD 0fmb (Mass 56-14)
    38-51  75%  454yd  6TD 0int; 1rsh  1yd 1.0av 1TD 0fmb (@KSt 58-28)
    20-25  80%  284yd  2TD 0int; 1rsh  1yd 1.0av 1TD 0fmb (Neb 37-31ot)
    44-56  79%  450yd  3TD 2int; 3rsh  4yd 1.3av 2TD 0fmb (@TexAM43-25)
   222-318 70% 2761yd 23TD 5int;13rsh  0yd 0.0av 5TD 0fmb
   
9. (8) Javon Ringer, MichSt: 16rsh 67yd 4.2ave 0TD 0fmb; 6rec 19yd 0TD (L OSU 45-7)
   season: 263rsh 1179yd 4.5av 14TD 2fmb; 15rec 95yd 0TD;224 rtYd
10. (9) Chris Wells, Ohio State: 31rsh 140yd 4.5av 2TD 0fmb; 0rec 0yd 0TD (Mich St. 45-7)
    season: 102rsh 638yd 6.3av 4TD 2fmb; 6rec 13yd 0TD
11. (11) Pat White, WVA: 75-103 73% 590yd 9TD 1int; 70rsh 428yd 6.1av 2TD 1fmb
12. (14) Daryll Clark, Penn St: 114-180 63% 1531yd 11TD 2int;47rsh 190yd 4.0av 8TD 2fmb
13. (13) M. Crabtree, T. Tech: 51rec 724yd 12TD 0fmb; 1rsh 3yd 3.0av 0TD; 50 rtYD
14. (12) Jeremy Maclin, MO: 47rec 666yd 5TD 1fmb; 15rsh 63yd 4.2av 1TD; 625rtYd 1TD
15. (15) Donald Brown, UConn: 179rsh 1067yd 6.0av 12TD 1fmb; 9rec 50yd 0TD
16. (24) Dez Bryant, OkSt: 45rec 809yd 11TD 1fmb; 372rtYd 2TD
17. (17) Juice Williams, Ill: 123-205 60% 1948yd 16TD 7int; 109rsh 475yd 4.4ave 5TD 2fmb 
18. (16) Charles Scott, LSU: 99rsh 631yd 6.3av 8TD 1fmb; 5rec 45yd 0TD
19. (19) Zac Robinson, OkSt: 94-134 70% 1488yd 14TD 4int;73rsh 249yd 5TD 3fmb
20. (25) David Johnson, Tulsa: 138-200 69% 2487yd 31TD 8int;38rsh 90yd 2.4av 1TD 0fmb
21. (new) Shonn Greene, Iowa: 177rsh 1154yd 6.5av 10TD 2fmb; 6rec 20yd 0TD
22. (18) P.J. Hill, Wisconsin: 131rsh 604yds 4.6av 5TD 1fmb; 3rec 38yd 0TD
23. (20) Jahvid Best, Cal: 75rsh 528yd 7.0av 5TD 1fmb; 18rec 190yd 0TD; 284 rtYd
24. (21) Percy Harvin, Florida: 27rsh 177yd 6.6av 2TD 1fmb; 19rec 284yd 3TD
25. (22) James Laurinaitis, Ohio State: 78 tackles (33 solo, 2 for loss, 2 sacks); 1 INT

Others: Kendall Hunter, Oklahoma State; MiQuale Lewis, Ball State; Nate Davis, Ball State; John Parker Wilson, Alabama, LeShon McCoy, Pitt.

out: (23) Matt Stafford, Georgia: 124-203 61% 1697yd 10TD 5int; 29rsh 54yd 1.9av 0TD 0fmb

The player with the most upside potential may be Graham Harrell, who has quietly been hanging on in the top ten waiting for the big games to come. He's got his stats whipped into shape, and could be one of the few players able to unseat Colt McCoy. Doing so would probably require going undefeated and beating Texas, of course. Harrell had five touchdowns (3 passing, 2 rushing) against Tech's last marginal foe before the minefield they have to run the next month: Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma. Come out of that unscathed and Harrell is probably on top.

He'd certainly be in the top five, which is where Javon Ringer hoped he'd be this week. Instead, Ringer falls a spot after having a dismal game in Michigan State's loss to Ohio State. On the verge of becoming far and away the #1 back in the hunt, now it's a toss-up as to whether he can catch Knowshon Moreno for even that consolation prize. He's well ahead of #10 Chris Wells (who missed several games), with nearly twice as many yards, but Wells outplayed him on Saturday.

#12 Daryll Clark shined against Michigan and has a big opportunity to jump into the big leagues if Penn State can beat Ohio State Saturday. His passing stats aren't up to Harrell's, but his eight rushing TDs are an edge as the two will vie to possibly become McCoy's main challenger. Harrell's prime receiver Michael Crabtree holds at #13; lacking a breakthrough performance that wakes people up, he'll remain there. So, too, #14 Jeremy Maclin, whose highlight reel shut down in Missouri's losses. The nation's leading rusher, ever-consistent Donald Brown of UConn, is also stalled. He had his seventh straight 100 yard game, but the Huskies had their 2nd loss.

Dez Bryant leaps to #16 after a strong multi-TD performance against Baylor. For a receiver to get strong consideration, he needs double-digit catches, triple-digit yardage, and two touchdowns per game. To win, returning kicks for touchdowns is almost a requirement, and Bryant has two of those so far. If Oklahoma State keeps winning, though, quarterback Zac Robinson (currently #19) will start to get more attention. Between the two are Juice Williams, who was solid against Indiana but whose overall stats don't overcome Illinois' three losses; and LSU's Charles Scott, who is fading and has one more chance against Georgia to turn that around.

Tulsa's David Johnson jumps back up to #20 this week, as he now has over 30 touchdown passes to go with his #1 efficiency rating. He's pretty much this year's Colt Brennan: massive yardage, lots of TD passes, a few too many interceptions, leading an undefeated team in a non-major conference against a light schedule, with suggestions that his success is due to the system he plays in. All of this means Johnson could potentially reach the top five as others falter, but he can't win the trophy.

Iowa's Shonn Greene is the only debut at #21. Greene has been racking up the 100+ yard games since the beginning of the year, but the Hawks dropped three straight which kept attention off them. With Iowa on a two-game blowout streak, Greene's 217 yards against Wisconsin put him on the map. He's now the #3 rusher in America. The problem is that he'll need to repeat the 200+ yard performances to keep the spotlight on him, and if he dips below 100 just once, the "buzz" about him dims considerably. There's no doubt he outplayed P.J. Hill, whose season is slipping away along with Wisconsin's. Jahvid Best, Percy Harvin, and James Laurinaitis hang on to the last slots. Best's best performances may be behind him, Harvin never quite got going consistently, and Laurinaitis has good stats but no one is saying the cliché "if they'd just consider a defensive player for the Heisman, he would win it!" about him. Maybe he can impress during the Penn State game.

Matt Stafford finally drops from the list altogether. In the pre-season he was hyped as "the best pro-style quarterback" in the country despite not playing all that impressively last season. This year was more of the same: 10 touchdowns and five interceptions? His bland completion stats look exactly like Juice Williams', but he doesn't have the rushing touchdowns and yardage to complement them. Now watch him have a great game against LSU and have everyone raving about him...

Heisman Top 25 - week 7: 'Strike one' for Chase Daniel

The Heisman race is a lot like batting in baseball; you have three strikes before you're out. A lot of Heisman watchers tend to treat a miss-step as a pop-fly the puts you out of the race, but usually you get a few freebies that can be forgiven. A really bad game, or for quarterbacks, a loss, is one strike; both Chase Daniel and Sam Bradford got one this week. Being a sophomore has been strike against as well. Last year Tim Tebow had four strikes against him and the year was wild enough that he still won! If everyone else has even more strikes, suddenly you're up to bat again.

That's why Chase Daniel remains #1 despite Missouri's loss. He didn't play all that well either, throwing three interceptions. This is a perfect definition of a 'strike.' But later in the year, when everyone else has a strike or two, Daniel's mistake won't be considered worse than theirs. So while his huge lead is a thing of the past, he's still positioned well. Sam Bradford falls as well, but he played very well in his loss, throwing five touchdown passes. His sophomore status may be another strike; it's too early to tell whether Tim Tebow broke that taboo, or just softened it. Speaking of Tebow, Florida's win over LSU stopped his downward slide in the race and all but assured him of a trip to New York if he plays well and Florida keeps winning. His odds of taking the Heisman a 2nd time didn't increase any, as his stats will be much lower than last year's and people don't like to see that.

Colt McCoy jumped from #8 to #4 and is on the verge of taking command of the Heisman race. Most people put him #1 right now, but I do want to see if people forget about him, like the others, if Texas loses to Missouri. A win in that game would give McCoy wins over the top two QBs in the race. He definitely controls his destiny as far as the Heisman is concerned, but then, so did Daniel a week ago.

The #5 spot represents the last player I think will get invited to New York. I think the top four are settled, and right now Max Hall is a tenuous #5. He was already tenuous before BYU's loss on Thursday night, which wasn't considered at the time of these rankings; as his candidacy depended on BYU going undefeated, his chances of winning fall to virtually nil and odds are he doesn't finish in the top 5. Mark Sanchez and Knowshon Moreno have already dropped to less-than-likely New York invitees, even assuming they finish strong.

1. (1) Chase Daniel, Missouri
    26-45  58%  359yd  3TD 1int; 9rsh  46yd 5.1av 0TD 0fmb (=ILL 52-42)
    16-17  94%  245yd  3TD 0int; 0rsh   0yd 0.0av 0TD 0fmb (SEMoSt 52-3)
    23-28  82%  405yd  4TD 0int; 1rsh  12yd 12 av 0TD 0fmb (Nev 69-17)
    36-43  84%  439yd  2TD 0int; 4rsh  16yd 4.0av 0TD 0fmb (Buff. 42-21)
    18-23  78%  253yd  3TD 0int; 1rsh   0yd 0.0av 0TD 0fmb (@Neb 52-17)
    39-52  75%  390yd  1TD 3int; 7rsh  46yd 6.6av 0TD 0fmb (L OKst28-23)
   158-208 76% 2055yd 16TD 4int;22rsh 120yd 5.5av 0TD 0fmb
2. (2) Sam Bradford, Oklahoma
    17-22  77%  183yd  2TD 0int; 0rsh   0yd   0av 0TD 0fmb (Chatt 57-2)
    29-38  76%  395yd  5TD 2int; 3rsh   3yd   1av 0TD 0fmb (Cincy 52-26)
    18-21  86%  304yd  5TD 0int; 1rsh   1yd   1av 1TD 0fmb (@Wash 55-14)
    19-34  56%  411yd  4TD 0int; 4rsh -31yd  -8av 0TD 0fmb (TCU 35-10)
    23-31  74%  372yd  2TD 1int; 2rsh   4yd   2av 1TD 0fmb (@Bayl 49-17)
    28-39  72%  387yd  5TD 2int; 8rsh  -5yd -.6av 0TD 0fmb (L=Tex 45-35)
   134-185 72% 2052yd 23TD 5int;18rsh -28yd-1.6av 2TD 0fmb
3. (3) Tim Tebow, Florida
     9-14  64%  137yd  1TD 0int; 9rsh  37yd 4.1av 0TD 0fmb (Haw 56-10)
    21-35  60%  256yd  2TD 0int;13rsh  55yd 4.2av 0TD 0fmb (Miami 26-3)
     8-15  53%   96yd  2TD 0int;12rsh  26yd 2.2av 0TD 0fmb (@Tenn 30-6)
    24-38  63%  319yd  1TD 0int;15rsh   7yd 0.5av 2TD 1fmb (L Miss31-30)
    17-26  65%  217yd  2TD 1int;12rsh  32yd 2.7av 0TD 0fmb (@Ark 38-7)
    14-21  67%  210yd  2TD 0int;12rsh  22yd 1.8av 1TD 1fmb (LSU 51-31)
    93-149 62% 1235yd 10TD 1int;73rsg 179yd 2.5av 3TD 2fmb
   
4. (8) Colt McCoy, Texas
    24-29  83%  222yd  3TD 0int;12rsh 103yd 8.6av 1TD 0fmb (FLAtl 52-10)
    20-29  69%  282yd  4TD 1int; 5rsh   8yd 1.6av 0TD 0fmb (@UTEP 42-13)
    19-23  83%  329yd  4TD 0int; 8rsh  83yd  10av 1TD 0fmb (Rice 52-10)
    17-19  90%  185yd  3TD 0int; 9rsh  84yd 9.3av 2TD 0fmb (Ark 52-10)
    23-30  77%  262yd  2TD 2int;11rsh  39yd 3.5av 0TD 0fmb (@Colo 38-14)
    28-35  80%  277yd  1TD 0int;14rsh  31yd 2.2av 0TD 0fmb (=OK 45-35)
   131-165 79% 1557yd 17TD 3int;59rsh 348yd 5.9av 4TD 0fmb
5. (6) Max Hall, BYU
    34-41  83%  486yd  2TD 0int; 3rsh  4yd 0.8av 1TD 2fmb (UNI 41-17)
    30-41  73%  338yd  3TD 1int; 0rsh  0yd 0.0av 0TD 0fmb (@Wash 28-27)
    27-35  77%  271yd  7TD 1int; 3rsh 12yd 4.0av 0TD 0fmb (UCLA 59-0)
    16-27  59%  189yd  3TD 0int; 0rsh  0yd 0.0av 0TD 0fmb (Wy 44-0)
    23-37  62%  303yd  2TD 2int; 4rsh  1yd 0.3av 0TD 0fmb (@UTst 34-14)
    22-34  65%  258yd  3TD 0int; 3rsh 15yd 5.0av 0TD 0fmb (NMex 21-3)
   152-215 71% 1845yd 20TD 4int;13rsh 32yd 2.5av 1TD 2fmb
6. (4) Mark Sanchez, USC
    26-35  74%  338yd  3TD 1int; 1rsh   6yd 6.0av 0TD 0fmb (@VA 52-7)
    17-28  61%  172yd  4TD 1int; 2rsh -10yd -10av 0TD 0fmb (OSU 35-3)
    18-29  62%  227yd  3TD 1int; 4rsh   7yd 1.8av 0TD 0fmb (L@OreSt27-21)
    19-28  68%  332yd  3TD 0int; 4rsh  -4yd  -1av 0TD 1fmb (Ore 44-10)
    13-26  50%  179yd  1TD 3int; 5rsh  -4yd -.8av 1TD 1fmb (@ASU 28-0)
    93-146 64% 1248yd 14TD 6int;16rsh -13yd -.8av 1TD 2fmb
7. (5) Knowshon Moreno, Georgia
     8rsh  59yd 7.4av  3TD 0fmb; 2rec  53yd 0TD; 0 rtYd (Ga.S 45-21)
    18rsh 168yd 9.3av  3TD 0fmb; 3rec  30yd 0TD; 0 rtYd (C Mich 56-17)
    20rsh  79yd 4.0av  1TD 0fmb; 2rec  13yd 0TD;32 rtYd (@SCaro 14-7)
    23rsh 149yd 6.5av  2TD 0fmb; 0rec   0yd 0TD;-2 rtYd (@ASU 27-10)
     9rsh  34yd 3.8av  1TD 0fmb; 3rec  14yd 0TD; 0 rtYd (L Ala41-30)
    27rsh 101yd 3.7av  0TD 0fmb; 1rec  14yd 0TD; 0 rtYd (Tenn 25-14)
   105rsh 590yd 5.6av 10TD 0fmb;11rec 124yd 0TD;30 rtYd
8. (11) Javon Ringer, MichSt: 35rsh 124yd 3.5av 2TD 0fmb; 2rec 16yd 0TD (@Nw 37-20)
   season: 247rsh 1112yd 4.5av 14TD 2fmb; 9rec 76yd 0TD;224 rtYd
9. (7) Chris Wells, Ohio State: 22rsh 94yd 4.3av 0TD 0fmb; 2rec 3yd 0TD (Purdue 16-3)
   season: 71rsh 479yd 6.7av 2TD 2fmb; 6rec 13yd 0TD
10. (10) G. Harrell, T. Tech: 20-25 80% 284yd 2TD 0int; 1rsh 1yd 1.0av 1TD (Neb 37-31ot)
    season: 178-262 68% 20TD 3int; 10rsh -4yd -0.4av 3TD 0fmb
11. (9) Pat White, WVA: 75-103 73% 590yd 9TD 1int; 70rsh 428yd 6.1av 2TD 1fmb
12. (12) Jeremy Maclin, MO: 39rec 600yd 5TD 1fmb; 13rsh 64yd 4.9av 1TD; 493rtYd 1TD
13. (13) Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech: 43rec 653yd 10TD; 1rsh 3yd 3.0av 0TD 0fmb
14. (18) Daryll Clark, Penn St: 96-149 64% 1360yd 10TD 2int;38rsh 145yd 3.8av 6TD 1fmb
15. (15) Donald Brown, UConn: 179rsh 1067yd 6.0av 12TD 1fmb; 9rec 50yd 0TD
16. (14) Charles Scott, LSU: 83rsh 577yd 7.0av 6TD 1fmb; 5rec 45yd 0TD
17. (16) Juice Williams, Ill: 107-183 58% 1677yd 13TD 7int; 101rsh 445yd 4.4ave 4TD 2fmb 
18. (17) P.J. Hill, Wisconsin: 123rsh 570yds 4.6av 5TD 1fmb; 3rec 38yd 0TD
19. (new) Zac Robinson, OkSt: 81-114 71% 1250yd 12TD 4int;59rsh 192yd 5TD 3fmb
20. (20) Jahvid Best, Cal: 59rsh 421yd 7.1av 4TD 1fmb; 14rec 157yd 0TD; 284 rtYd
21. (25) Percy Harvin, Florida: 27rsh 177yd 6.6av 2TD 1fmb; 19rec 284yd 3TD
22. (22) James Laurinaitis, Ohio State: 67 tackles (29 solo, 1 for loss); 1 INT
23. (19) Matt Stafford, Georgia: 111-180 62% 1503yd 8TD 3int; 27rsh 48yd 1.8av 0TD 0fmb
24. (new) Dez Bryant, OkSt: 34rec 597yd 9TD 1fmb; 348rtYD 2TD
25. (21) David Johnson, Tulsa: 117-173 68% 1963yd 26TD 7int;31rsh 69yd 2.2av 1TD 0fmb

Others: Kendall Hunter, Oklahoma State; MiQuale Lewis, Ball State; Nate Davis, Ball State; Glen Coffee, Alabama, John Parker Wilson, Alabama.

Javon Ringer recovered from his first stumble in the limelight with 124 yards and 2 touchdowns against Northwester; more important, he's still #2 in the nation in rushing and has 14 TDs already. With a few weaker candidates ahead of him he jumps to #8 and could make the top five after this weekend. He's clearly ahead of Chris Wells at this point; the latter doesn't have enough chances to make up the yardage needed to be a consideration. For Ringer the bar was set a bit higher from the start, and he's still very unlikely to win. The two face each other this week.

Texas Tech's Graham Harrell holds at #10 yet again. He avoided getting a 'strike' by leading his team past Nebraska in overtime. His overall stats are looking very good these days, leaving him in position to advance when the Red Raiders start playing tougher teams...which isn't this week: they face Texas A&M next, then Kansas and Texas. He'll be a latecomer to the top five if they win all those. #11 Pat White falls another two spots and it's looking like he won't get a single vote now, after starting the year as one of the leaders. If the Mountaineers win out and he excels he could slip back into the top ten, but they're done with the softish middle part of their schedule. Jeremy Maclin and Michael Crabtree's Heisman runs have stalled, too; they remain on the radar in case they do something spectacular, but both are overshadowed by their QBs.

#14 Daryll Clark still has momentum and a lot of upside potential as he moves from #18 for undefeated Penn State. Watch for him to make a big move if the Lions beat Ohio State in two weeks. His outside chance of winning the trophy depends on Penn State going undefeated. He jumps past two running backs, idle Donald Brown of UConn and LSU's Charles Scott (who had a dismal outing in the Tigers' dismal effort against Florida), as well as two Big Ten contenders, Illinois' Juice Williams and Wisconsin's P.J. Hill. Both of the latter teams lost their third game last week, leaving these players on the edge of irrelevance, especially Hill who had another lackluster game statistically.

Following Oklahoma State's big upset of #1 Missouri, two Cowboy players make their way into the rankings. Zac Robinson is 19th and set to rise as long as they can keep winning, while #24 Dez Bryant as a receiver needs to keep returning punts for touchdowns to even stay remotely on the radar. Robinson could potentially make the top five, but mostly he's setting himself up for a possible run next year. They replace Louis Sakoda, who is still doing very well but is a kicker for gosh's sake, and Rey Maualuga, a linebacker who isn't tackling as many people as expected.

Ohio State's James Laurinaitis hangs on, however, as the token defensive player at #22, while Percy Harvin actually jumps four spots to #25 after being declared dead last week. His touchdowns last week still don't put his stats equal to #20 Jahvid Best's, though, and realistically neither has much chance of making a big move. That is also true of Matt Stafford, who falls from #19 to #23, and Tulsa's David Johnson, who also drops four spots from #21 to #25. Both hang on just due to the possibility that they get back in the limelight, Stafford if Georgia wins big the next few weeks, and Johnson if Tulsa starts looking impressive. He's still the nation's top rated passer (according to the overrated "efficiency" figures).

A third Oklahoma State player, running back Kendall Hunter, along with two Ball State players and two Alabama teammates, are waiting for their breakthrough. All are on undefeated teams and need to do something big to get noticed, though the longer their teams keep the "0" in the "L" column the better.

Heisman Top 25 - week 6: Big 12 QB showdowns to determine race?

Chase Daniel has a commanding lead on top of the SportsRatings Heisman Top 25 this week, but slipping into #2 behind him is Big 12 brethren Sam Bradford. And that's not all; working his way up to #8 is none other than Texas' Colt McCoy, and rounding out the top 10 is a fourth Big Twelve quarterback, Texas Tech's Graham Harrell. So it's no surprise that as the Big 12 race heats up, so do the consequences for the top Heisman candidates.

The Missouri Tigers crushed Nebraska in Lincoln and Chase Daniel led the way. He now has a spectacular 15-to-1 TD-to-INT ratio and a proven ability to run the ball if needed. Helping his cause is the fact that Missouri probably has the easiest path of any of the top Big 12 teams. In short, there's nothing stopping Daniel at this moment from his clear path to the Heisman.

Sam Bradford remains a far distant second; as a sophomore, he loses any "tiebreaker" with Daniel. Bradford also has to overcome the notion that Daniel is responsible for Missouri's new-found success while Bradford, while valuable, is another in a Bob Stoops tradition (Heupel, Hybl, White) of productive QBs. The two teams won't meet unless it's in the conference championship game.

Colt McCoy didn't have his best game against Colorado but he's the hot item right now, and he powers up from #12 to #8. His great play of the first several weeks is finally getting noticed, and the fact that he's the team's leading rusher is becoming common knowledge. This weekend is Big Opportunity #1—the game against Oklahoma—and the following week is Big Opportunity #2, a matchup against Daniel's Tigers. These opportunities come with risks. Texas has the toughest schedule of any of the top teams in the conference, and any losses hurt the quarterback's chances quite a bit. Only if Texas wins most of the big games does McCoy continue to advance this rapidly.

#10 Graham Harrell was on the verge of dropping out of the top ten when he responded with his best game of the season: seven touchdowns (six passing, one rushing) and 454 yards on 75% completions against the Red Raiders' toughest competition so far. After many had written Harrell off since he didn't have any explosive games against the Raiders' weakest foes, he's now back on the radar and he needs to strike while the iron is hot. Tech's stronger defense and improved—but still not great—running game will help Harrell because the more the team wins, the greater his chances. He's still dogged by the "system quarterback" rap though.

1. (1) Chase Daniel, Missouri
    26-45  58%  359yd  3TD 1int; 9rsh 46yd 5.1av 0TD 0fmb (=ILL 52-42)
    16-17  94%  245yd  3TD 0int; 0rsh  0yd 0.0av 0TD 0fmb (SEMoSt 52-3)
    23-28  82%  405yd  4TD 0int; 1rsh 12yd 12 av 0TD 0fmb (Nev 69-17)
    36-43  84%  439yd  2TD 0int; 4rsh 16yd 4.0av 0TD 0fmb (Buff. 42-21)
    18-23  78%  253yd  3TD 0int; 1rsh  0yd 0.0av 0TD 0fmb (@Neb 52-17)
   119-156 76% 1739yd 15TD 1int;15rsh 74yd 4.9av 0TD 0fmb
2. (3) Sam Bradford, Oklahoma
    17-22  77%  183yd  2TD 0int; 0rsh   0yd  0av 0TD 0fmb (Chatt 57-2)
    29-38  76%  395yd  5TD 2int; 3rsh   3yd  1av 0TD 0fmb (Cincy 52-26)
    18-21  86%  304yd  5TD 0int; 1rsh   1yd  1av 1TD 0fmb (@Wash 55-14)
    19-34  56%  411yd  4TD 0int; 4rsh -31yd -8av 0TD 0fmb (TCU 35-10)
    23-31  74%  372yd  2TD 1int; 2rsh   4yd  2av 1TD 0fmb (@Baylor49-17)
   106-146 73% 1665yd 18TD 3int;10rsh -23yd -2av 2TD 0fmb
3. (2) Tim Tebow, Florida
    9-14  64%  137yd 1TD 0int;  9rsh  37yd 4.1av 0TD 0fmb (Hawaii 56-10)
   21-35  60%  256yd 2TD 0int; 13rsh  55yd 4.2av 0TD 0fmb (Miami 26-3)
    8-15  53%   96yd 2TD 0int; 12rsh  26yd 2.2av 0TD 0fmb (@Tenn 30-6)
   24-38  63%  319yd 1TD 0int; 15rsh   7yd 0.5av 2TD 1fmb (L Miss31-30)
   17-26  65%  217yd 2TD 1int; 12rsh  32yd 2.7av 0TD 0fmb (@Ark 38-7)
   79-128 62% 1025yd 8TD 1int; 61rsh 157yd 2.6av 2TD 1fmb
   
4. (5) Mark Sanchez, USC
   26-35  74%  338yd  3TD 1int; 1rsh   6yd 6.0av 0TD 0fmb (@VA 52-7)
   17-28  61%  172yd  4TD 1int; 2rsh -10yd -10av 0TD 0fmb (OSU 35-3)
   18-29  62%  227yd  3TD 1int; 4rsh   7yd 1.8av 0TD 0fmb (L@OreSt27-21)
   19-28  68%  332yd  3TD 0int; 4rsh  -4yd  -1av 0TD 1fmb (Ore 44-10)
   80-120 67% 1069yd 13TD 3int;11rsh  -1yd -.1av 0TD 1fmb
5. (4) Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - idle this week
    8rsh  59yd 7.4av  3TD 0fmb; 2rec  53yd 0TD; 0 rtYd (Ga.S 45-21)
   18rsh 168yd 9.3av  3TD 0fmb; 3rec  30yd 0TD; 0 rtYd (C Mich 56-17)
   20rsh  79yd 4.0av  1TD 0fmb; 2rec  13yd 0TD;32 rtYd (@SCaro 14-7)
   23rsh 149yd 6.5av  2TD 0fmb; 0rec   0yd 0TD;-2 rtYd (@ASU 27-10)
    9rsh  34yd 3.8av  1TD 0fmb; 3rec  14yd 0TD; 0 rtYd (L Ala41-30)
   78rsh 489yd 6.3av 10TD 0fmb;10rec 110yd 0TD;30 rtYd
6. (9) Max Hall, BYU
    34-41  83%  486yd  2TD 0int; 3rsh  4yd 0.8av 1TD 2fmb (UNI 41-17)
    30-41  73%  338yd  3TD 1int; 0rsh  0yd 0.0av 0TD 0fmb (@Wash 28-27)
    27-35  77%  271yd  7TD 1int; 3rsh 12yd 4.0av 0TD 0fmb (UCLA 59-0)
    16-27  59%  189yd  3TD 0int; 0rsh  0yd 0.0av 0TD 0fmb (Wy 44-0)
    23-37  62%  303yd  2TD 2int; 4rsh  1yd 0.3av 0TD 0fmb (@UtahSt34-14)
   130-181 72% 1587yd 17TD 4int;10rsh 17yd 1.7av 1TD 2fmb
7. (6) Chris Wells, Ohio State: 22rsh 168yd 7.6av 1TD 0fmb; 1rec 0yd 0TD (@Wisc 20-17)
   season: 49rsh 395yd 7.9av 2TD 2fmb; 4rec 10yd 0TD
   
8. (12) Colt McCoy, Texas: 23-30 77% 262yd 2TD 2int;11 rsh 39yd 3.5av 0TD (@Colo 38-14)
   season: 103-130 79% 1280yd 16TD 3int; 45rsh 317yd 7.0av 4TD 0fmb
9. (7) Pat White, WVA: 12-17 71% 137yd 2TD 0int; 11rsh 59yd 5.4av 0TD 0fmb (Marsh 27-3)
   season: 75-103 73% 590yd 9TD 1int; 70rsh 428yd 6.1av 2TD 1fmb
10. (10) G. Harrell, T. Tech: 38-51 75% 454yd 6TD 0int; 1rsh 1yd 1.0av 1TD 0fmb (@KSt58-28)
    season: 158-237 67% 2027yd 18TD 3int; 9rsh -5yd -.6av 2TD 0fmb
11. (11) Javon Ringer, MichSt: 212rsh 988yd 4.7av 12TD 2fmb; 7rec 60yd 0TD;224 rtYd
12. (8) Jeremy Maclin, MO: 5 rec 89yd 1TD; 3rsh 15yd 5.0av 0TD 0fmb; 56rtYd 0TD (@Neb52-17)
    season: 31rec 480yd 5TD 1fmb; 11rsh 58yd 5.3av 1TD; 396rtYd 1TD
13. (13) Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech: 38rec 564yd 8TD; 1rsh 3yd 3.0av 0TD 0fmb
14. (14) Charles Scott, LSU: 71rsh 535yd 7.5av 6TD 0fmb; 4rec 37yd 0TD
15. (23) Donald Brown, UConn: 179rsh 1067yd 6.0av 12TD 1fmb; 9rec 50yd 0TD
16. (16) Juice Williams, Illinois: 81-142 57% 1215yd 11TD 6int; 83rsh 404yd 4.9ave 4TD 1fmb 
17. (15) P.J. Hill, Wisconsin: 108rsh 512yds 4.7av 5TD 1fmb; 3rec 38yd 0TD
18. (19) Daryll Clark, Penn St: 80-124 65% 1116yd 9TD 1int;32rsh 133yd 4.2av 4TD 1fmb
19. (17) Matt Stafford, Georgia: 86-144 60% 1193yd 7TD 1int; 22rsh 33yd 1.5av 0TD 0fmb
20. (18) Jahvid Best, Cal: 59rsh 421yd 7.1av 4TD 1fmb; 14rec 157yd 0TD; 284 rtYd
21. (25) David Johnson, Tulsa: 100-143 70% 1682yd 23TD 5int;24rsh 43yd 1.8av 1TD 0fmb
22. (22) James Laurinaitis, Ohio State: 57 tackles (24 solo, 1 for loss); 1 INT
23. (21) Rey Maualuga, USC: 19 tackles (9 solo); 1 INT 1 TD
24. (24) Louie Sakoda, Utah: 13 of 15 FGs; 22 of 23 PATs; 20 punts, 44.9av; 1-1 pass 9yd
25. (20) Percy Harvin, Florida: 27rsh 177yd 6.6av 2TD 1fmb; 19rec 284yd 3TD

Others: Zac Robinson, Oklahoma State; Dez Bryant, Oklahoma State; MiQuale Lewis, Ball State; Nate Davis, Ball State; Glen Coffee, Alabama.

The rest of the top ten is treading water or losing ground. #3 Tim Tebow slips a spot, as it's becoming clear that he's not having the same kind of year as he did last season, and that Florida's offense isn't the same either. He's still Superman, and this week's game at LSU is one of several chances to turn his fortunes around, but he'd better start soon. #4 Mark Sanchez had a great game in USC's blowout of Oregon, and there should be much more winning to come in the piss-poor Pac-10, but he advances a spot mainly because Knowshon Moreno is fading in people's minds after his poor performance against Alabama. Moreno was idle this week and needs to turn it up or have no chance to finish in the top five.

BYU's Max Hall kept his team undefeated but his last two games have been less than stellar. He leaps from #9 to #6, which looks like a power move but is mostly the result of players ahead of him falling by the wayside. Players such as #7 Beanie Wells, #9 Pat White, and #12 Jeremy Maclin. Though Wells thinks he still has a shot at the Heisman and had his best game of the year, rushing for 168 yards against Wisconsin, he could do that the rest of the season and would not finish in the top five. With six games left he'd need to average 200 yards/game to get an invite to New York, and even more than that to have any shot at winning. White led his team to another uninspiring win, but his stats aren't huge and the two losses still hurt him; the Big East's decline has left him with few opportunities to get back in even if he were having big games. Maclin suffers from the worst problem of all: his teammate is as far out in front of the race as Secretariat. He falls from 8th to 12th.

Juggernaut Javon Ringer was stopped by Iowa last week; instead of 200 yards, he failed to get to 100, stalling him at #11. #13 Michael Crabtree didn't have nearly as amazing of a game as his QB did last week. #14 Charles Scott was idle and holds at that spot, while Donald Brown of Connecticut leaps to #15 despite his team being unceremoniously knocked from the ranks of the unbeaten. Losing doesn't hurt running backs nearly as much as quarterbacks, especially when you're the nation's leading rusher, but if UConn had been 6-0 Brown would be passing Scott for sure. As it is he'll need to maintain his national lead, while Scott's chances are more linked to LSU winning.

Three more Big Ten stars follow. Juice Williams' stats aren't all that great, but he had a fantastic game against Michigan both running and passing so he doesn't drop from #16; Wisconsin's P.J. Hill does fall 2 spots to #17 after having a 2nd poor game in a row, in another loss. Penn State's Daryll Clark inches up a spot to #18; if Penn State runs the table he'll big in the top ten at least.

Matt Stafford was idle and Cal's Jahvid Best missed a game due to injury, causing both of their meager hopes to slide that much more. David Johnson moves up #21 as the undefeated Tulsa QB remained #1 in passing efficiency. Ohio State's James Laurinaitis is back as the top defensive player on the list, while Rey Maualuga's injury kept him out of the Oregon game. Laurinaitis has 57 tackles to Maualuga's 19. Louie Sakoda kicked the winning last-second field goal for Utah last week.

#25 Percy Harvin's time in the top 25 is coming to an end soon, no doubt. Some of the players that might replace him include QB Zac Robinson or receiver Dez Bryant of undefeated Oklahoma State; QB Nate Davis or running back MiQuale Lewis of undefeated Ball State; or maybe Glen Coffee of Alabama, yet another undefeated team lacking a representative in the rankings.

Heisman top 25 - week 5: Bradford advances; McCoy, Ringer serve notice

Sam Bradford made a big move from #6 to #3 in the SportsRatings Heisman Top 25. The sophomore is still far behind #2 Tim Tebow in our estimation, and Tebow is even farther behind Missouri's Chase Daniel after the Mississippi Debacle. While Daniel was idle and Bradford had another personal-record outing, Tebow's Gators lost to the Rebels when Superman couldn't rush for 1 yard on 4th down. Overall his numbers weren't bad, though they haven't been all that great any time this year. So why does he remain #2? Simply because he still has the ability to come back and win it, and barring that, he'll likely still be a top finisher in the end. Note his words after the game:

You have never seen any player in the entire country play as hard as I will play the rest of this season and you'll never see someone push the rest of the team as hard as I will push everybody the rest of this season, and you'll never see a team play harder than we will the rest of this season.

I believe him, and think he'll stay in the race. If Daniel collapses, he's back in it. Bradford's Sooners have to be perfect for the soph to have a chance but he can finish 2nd easily.

Bradford's leap was assisted by the poor play and/or fading hopes of the players from #4 to #7. Knowshon Moreno had but 34 yards in Georgia's loss to Alabama while Mark Sanchez's Trojans fell victim to a major upset in Corvallis; both players slide a notch, but Moreno will impress people again, and USC will come back, and both players will remain at least marginally in the hunt. Beanie Wells played for the first time in a month and fumbled on his first carry, finishing with just over 100 yards. Pat White was solid against Marshall as West Virginia evened their record. Wells and White may recover to have great years but have little chance to advance; they don't descend yet as the three players below them were idle this week.

1. (1) Chase Daniel, Missouri (idle this week)
    26-45  58%  359yd  3TD 1int; 9rsh 46yd 5.1av 0TD 0fmb (=ILL 52-42)
    16-17  94%  245yd  3TD 0int; 0rsh  0yd 0.0av 0TD 0fmb (SEMoSt 52-3)
    23-28  82%  405yd  4TD 0int; 1rsh 12yd 12 av 0TD 0fmb (Nev 69-17)
    36-43  84%  439yd  2TD 0int; 4rsh 16yd 4.0av 0TD 0fmb (Buff. 42-21)
   101-133 76% 1412yd 12TD 1int;14rsh 74yd 5.3av 0TD 0fmb
2. (2) Tim Tebow, Florida
    9-14  64% 137yd 1TD 0int; 9rsh  37yd 4.1av 0TD 0fmb (Hawaii 56-10)
   21-35  60% 256yd 2TD 0int;13rsh  55yd 4.2av 0TD 0fmb (Miami 26-3)
    8-15  53%  96yd 2TD 0int;12rsh  26yd 2.2av 0TD 0fmb (@Tenn 30-6)
   24-38  63% 319yd 1TD 0int;15rsh   7yd 0.5av 2TD 1fmb (L Miss31-30)
   62-102 61% 808yd 6TD 0int;49rsh 125yd 2.6av 2TD 1fmb
   
3. (6) Sam Bradford, Oklahoma
   17-22  77%  183yd  2TD 0int; 0rsh   0yd  0av 0TD 0fmb (Chatt 57-2)
   29-38  76%  395yd  5TD 2int; 3rsh   3yd  1av 0TD 0fmb (Cincy 52-26)
   18-21  86%  304yd  5TD 0int; 1rsh   1yd  1av 1TD 0fmb (@Wash 55-14)
   19-34  56%  411yd  4TD 0int; 4rsh -31yd -8av 0TD 0fmb (TCU 35-10)
   83-115 72% 1293yd 16TD 2int; 8rsh -27yd -3av 1TD 0fmb
4. (3) Knowshon Moreno, Georgia
    8rsh  59yd 7.4av  3TD 0fmb; 2rec  53yd 0TD; 0 rtYd (Ga.S 45-21)
   18rsh 168yd 9.3av  3TD 0fmb; 3rec  30yd 0TD; 0 rtYd (C Mich 56-17)
   20rsh  79yd 4.0av  1TD 0fmb; 2rec  13yd 0TD;32 rtYd (@SCaro 14-7)
   23rsh 149yd 6.5av  2TD 0fmb; 0rec   0yd 0TD;-2 rtYd (@ASU 27-10)
    9rsh  34yd 3.8av  1TD 0fmb; 3rec  14yd 0TD; 0 rtYd (L Ala41-30)
   78rsh 489yd 6.3av 10TD 0fmb;10rec 110yd 0TD;30 rtYd
5. (4) Mark Sanchez, USC
   26-35 74% 338yd  3TD 1int; 1rsh  6yd 6.0av 0TD 0fmb (@VA 52-7)
   17-28 61% 172yd  4TD 1int; 2rsh-10yd -10av 0TD 0fmb (OSU 35-3)
   18-29 62% 227yd  3TD 1int; 4rsh  7yd 1.8av 0TD 0fmb (L@OreSt27-21)
   61-92 66% 737yd 10TD 3int; 7rsh  3yd 0.4av 0TD 0fmb
6. (5) Chris Wells, Ohio State: 14rsh 106yd 7.6av 0TD 1fmb; 0rec 0yd 0TD (Minn 34-21)
   season: 27rsh 217yd 8.0av 1TD 2fmb; 3rec 10yd 0TD
   
7. (7) Pat White, WVA: 17-21 81% 130yd 2TD 0int; 11rsh 61yd 5.5av 0fmb (Marsh 27-3)
   season: 63-86 73% 453yd 7TD 1int; 59rsh 369yd 6.3av 2TD 1fmb
8. (8) Jeremy Maclin, MO: idle last week
   season: 26rec 391yd 4TD 1fmb; 8rsh 43yd 5.4av 1TD; 340 rtYd 1TD
9. (9) Max Hall, BYU: idle last week
   season: 107-144 74% 1284yd 15TD 2int; 6rsh 16yd 2.7ave 1TD 2fmb
10. (10) G. Harrell, T. Tech: idle last week
    season: 120-186 65% 1573yd 12TD 3int; 8rsh -6yd -.8av 1TD 0fmb
11. (13) Javon Ringer, MichSt: 187rsh 897yd 4.8av 12TD 2fmb; 6rec 57yd 0TD;224 rtYd
12. (14) Colt McCoy, Texas: 80-100 80% 1018yd 14TD 1int; 34rsh 278yd 8.2av 4TD 0fmb
13. (11) Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech: 29rec 457yd 6TD; 1rsh 3yd 3.0av 0TD 0fmb
14. (23) Charles Scott, LSU: 71rsh 535yd 7.5av 6TD 0fmb; 4rec 37yd 0TD
15. (12) P.J. Hill, Wisconsin: 92rsh 449yds 4.9av 4TD 1fmb; 3rec 38yd 0TD
16. (16) Juice Williams, Illinois: 68-116 59% 905yd 9TD 6int; 64rsh 283yd 4.4ave 2TD 1fmb 
17. (15) Matt Stafford, Georgia: 86-144 60% 1193yd 7TD 1int; 22rsh 33yd 1.5av 0TD 0fmb
18. (18) Jahvid Best, Cal: 59rsh 421yd 7.1av 4TD 1fmb; 14rec 157yd 0TD; 284 rtYd
19. (new) Daryll Clark, Penn St: 62-98 63% 896yd 9TD 1int;23rsh 131yd 5.0av 3TD 1fmb
20. (20) Percy Harvin, Florida: 21rsh 140yd 6.7av 2TD 1fmb; 16rec 247yd 2TD
21. (21) Rey Maualuga, USC: 19 tackles (9 solo); 1 INT 1 TD
22. (22) James Laurinaitis, Ohio State: 47 tackles (18 solo); 1 INT
23. (new) Donald Brown, UConn: 146rsh 906yd 6.2av 11TD 1fmb; 9rec 50yd 0TD
24. (24) Louie Sakoda, Utah: 10 of 12 FGs; 22 of 23 PATs; 14 punts, 45.1av; 1-1 pass 9yd
25. (new) David Johnson, Tulsa: 87-118 74% 1505yd 19TD 4int;19rsh 7yd 0.4av 1TD 0fmb

Others: Derrick Williams, Penn State; Patrick Pinkney, E. Carolina; Shun White, Navy; Todd Reesing, Kansas; Dan LeFevour, Central Michigan.

The other big performers this week were #11 Javon Ringer and #12 Colt McCoy, and each moves up two spots. Ringer's getting a lot of notice for his monster numbers—he was 2 yards shy of his third consecutive 200 yard game. He's also carrying the ball a LOT, which is either a good thing ("he's a workhorse!") or a bad thing ("what if the other guys had 40 carries a game?") but rushing total is what gets attention in the end. If he can keep this up, he's headed to the top five. McCoy had another flawless performance and finally some people are paying attention. But this leads me to believe that if he stumbles at all he'll be dumped and forgotten again. So now I'm behind the curve in leaving him out of the top ten until he plays a decent team.

Running back Charles Scott of LSU continues his reliably strong output, and has to be moved ahead of P.J. Hill as his numbers are better across the board. Juice Williams treads water at #16 after his loss while Matt Stafford falls to #17; Stafford needed Georgia to be undefeated to have any hope of capturing the nation's imagination, while I still see Williams as having the potential to do so, though his marquee opportunities are running out. Another Big Ten QB, Daryll Clark of Penn State, outdueled Williams Saturday evening and is the high debut of the week at #19. Like Stafford, though, he needs to keep his team undefeated to keep upward momentum.

Multi-purpose runners Jahvid Best and Percy Harvin remain stuck; the former hasn't had any highlight reels lately while Harvin had his best game in Florida's loss along with a costly fumble. Linebackers Rey Maulaluga and James Laurinaitis both had strong games last week in their duel for top defensive player in the vote. Maualuga was injured in USC's loss and may miss a game or two, and if his tackling stats fall far enough below Laurinaitis', the head-to-head victory and Maualuga's TD interception return advantages could be negated. Louis Sakoda remains top special teams consideration and is now Utah's all-time leading scorer.

I switched out a running back and quarterback for a better performing pair near the bottom of the list. It's time that Donald Brown crack the top 25, and he replaces Shun White of Navy whose numbers have declined each week from 348 yards in week one to just 20 yards last week. Brown is still getting no respect despite being the nation's leading rusher; there are even articles that refer to Ringer as the national leader. Maybe it's the name—how many great running backs are named Donald? And Brown is all-too-common, and/or hard to live up to. David Johnson (there's another electrifying name) is the national leader in passing efficiency and replaces Patrick Pinkney of East Carolina after the Pirates' second loss.

Brown and Johnson enter at #23 and #25. It's really unfortunate that they have to compete for attention with Javon Ringer and Colt McCoy, two of the spiffiest names in college football.

USC loss shakes up national title picture, Heisman race, Rose Bowl?

Southern Cal's stunning 27-21 loss the Oregon State clearly puts the national title up for grabs. Now any team that goes undefeated—and many that have one loss—will be ahead of the Trojans in line.

Because they lost to Oregon State, who already had 2 losses, this will hurt USC a lot. But it's early in the year, which gives them a lot of time to come back; if the Beavers do well from this point forward, the loss won't look as bad; and USC won't fall any lower than Ohio State (currently #13 USA), so they have a built-in cushion. Ohio State fans can't be too happy about how this makes their squad look.

Still, many teams are rejoicing tonight as their national title hopes took a big leap. Either Oklahoma or Georgia, depending on how they do in their tough games, will take over at #1, and the Floridas, Missouris, and others from the SEC and Big Twelve now control their own destiny with USC out of the way. BCS-busters like BYU and Utah have more hope that an undefeated season might translate into the Big Game rather than "just" a BCS bowl berth.

Other Pac-10 teams should be celebrating too, because now even the Rose Bowl is up for grabs with USC in a 0-1 hole. Realistically, though, the Pac-10 is pretty bad this year, so USC is still the odds-on favorite to win the league. And if they win out and don't make the BCS title game, they'll play in the Rose Bowl...and if Ohio State wins the Big Ten? We'll see the rematch that no one wants to see, in nearly the same locale!

Another race impacted is the Heisman race. Mark Sanchez had quickly been elevated to the top of some people's Heisman lists. I've been a Sanchez promoter since last season when he showed great talent, but after the first two wins this year people were getting ahead of themselves. He still makes mistakes. I think he'll be a top contender next year, and he's not yet out of it this season, but he will lose a lot of momentum with this game.

Heisman Top 25 - week 4

The Switcheroo: Several players swap places in another uneventful Heisman week. The big change is at the top spot, where Chase Daniel's consistent performance—against consistently drab competition—has earned him the front-runner status. Daniel had his 3rd straight 80%+ completion rate, hitting 20 passes in a row against Buffalo. He dislodges Tim Tebow, who had another pedestrian outing even as Florida cruised past Tennessee. Despite his uninspiring numbers, Tebow is still a solid #2; he'll perform well in the big games and if Florida goes undefeated he will be in New York regardless of his numbers. Daniel is a strong #1 but will have to keep it up in the Big Twelve, though Missouri has a relatively easy schedule for that conference. #3 Knowshon Moreno played well against ASU, garnering almost 150 yards and a highlight-reel Superman flight TD, but so far he's alternated between good games and average ones. As a sophomore there's still a higher standard so he'll need more games like his latest even to stay in third place.

The second switch is #4 Mark Sanchez and #5 Beanie Wells. Sanchez was idle last week, so it's fairer to say Wells drops a spot for missing yet another game. At this point Wells' chances of winning the trophy are nil barring a Barry Sanders-esque finish. Like Michigan's Mike Hart last year, he's missed too many games to get his stats high enough, but with a great comeback he could still get a trip to New York if some of the other contenders falter. Sanchez plays Thursday night against Oregon State and could have a good stats-padder, but anything other than a great performance will raise doubts in voters' minds as to whether he's driving his team or simply hitched his wagon.

Another switch trades #6 Sam Bradford and #7 Patrick White. Again, as Bradford was idle, it's White moving down a notch after West Virginia's 2nd loss of the season. White's passing game was almost completely missing, just 43 yards, though he rushed for nearly 150 and 2 TDs. White needs to get going or he has no chance of even being a finalist; the two losses already have doomed his candidacy.

Jeremy Maclin, Missouri's 2nd candidate, had another strong receiving day with 168 yards and moves from #9 to #8, but he could peak there as his advancement depends on big plays such as kick return touchdowns, and with Daniel at #1 Maclin looks at best like Reggie Bush to Daniel's Matt Leinart (2004, not 2005). Max Hall of BYU engineered BYU's 2nd dominant win in a row and breaks the top ten at #9. Hall has a lot of upside potential as his name is just getting well-known and the Cougars' schedule is a good combination of soft games for stats and bigger games (TCU, Utah) for headlines in the Mountain West. Graham Harrell greatly improved his stats in just one game and now has a 65% completion rate with a 15:3 TD/Int ratio and over 1,500 passing yards in just four games; still he holds at #10 because he's done about as expected against the competition. He needs to have these kind of games in the Big Twelve and then he can move up. At #11 teammate Michael Crabtree had just 62 receiving yards and is well behind last year's pace for yardage and TDs, which can only mean: wait until next year, Mike.

1. (2) Chase Daniel, Missouri
    26-45  58%  359yd  3TD 1int; 9rsh 46yd 5.1av 0TD 0fmb (=ILL 52-42)
    16-17  94%  245yd  3TD 0int; 0rsh  0yd 0.0av 0TD 0fmb (SEMoSt 52-3)
    23-28  82%  405yd  4TD 0int; 1rsh 12yd 12 av 0TD 0fmb (Nev 69-17)
    36-43  84%  439yd  2TD 0int; 4rsh 16yd 4.0av 0TD 0fmb (Buff. 42-21)
   101-133 76% 1412yd 12TD 1int;14rsh 74yd 5.3av 0TD 0fmb
2. (1) Tim Tebow, Florida
    9-14 64% 137yd 1TD 0int; 9rsh  37yd 4.1av 0TD 0fmb (Hawaii 56-10)
   21-35 60% 256yd 2TD 0int;13rsh  55yd 4.2av 0TD 0fmb (Miami 26-3)
    8-15 53%  96yd 2TD 0int;12rsh  26yd 2.2av 0TD 0fmb (@Tenn 30-6)
   38-64 59% 489yd 5TD 0int;34rsh 118yd 3.5av 0TD 0fmb
   
3. (3) Knowshon Moreno, Georgia
    8rsh  59yd 7.4av 3TD 0fmb; 2rec 53yd 0TD; 0 rtYd (Ga.S 45-21)
   18rsh 168yd 9.3av 3TD 0fmb; 3rec 30yd 0TD; 0 rtYd (C Mich 56-17)
   20rsh  79yd 4.0av 1TD 0fmb; 2rec 13yd 0TD;32 rtYd (@SCaro 14-7)
   23rsh 149yd 6.5av 2TD 0fmb; 0rec  0yd 0TD;-2 rtYd (@ASU 27-10)
   69rsh 455yd 6.6av 9TD 0fmb; 7rec 96yd 0TD;30 rtYd
   
4. (5) Mark Sanchez, USC: idle last weekend
   26-35 74% 338yd 3TD 1int; 1rsh  6yd 6.0av 0TD 0fmb (@VA 52-7)
   17-28 61% 172yd 4TD 1int; 2rsh-10yd -10av 0TD 0fmb (OSU 35-3)
   43-63 68% 510yd 7TD 2int; 3rsh -4yd -1 av 0TD 0fmb
5. (4) Chris Wells, Ohio State: did not play (Troy 28-10)
   season: 13rsh 111yd 8.5av 1TD 1fmb; 3rec 10yd
   
6. (7) Sam Bradford, Oklahoma: idle last weekend
   season: 64-81 79% 882yd 12TD 2int; 4rsh 4yd 1.0av 1TD 0fmb
7. (6) Patrick White, WVA: 10-14 71% 43yd 0TD 0int;19rsh 148yd 2TD 0fmb
   season: 46-65 71% 323yd 5TD 1int; 48rsh 308yd 6.4ave 2TD 1fmb
8. (9) Jeremy Maclin, MO: 14rec 168yd 0TD 1fmb; 2rsh 25yd 12.5av 1TD; 43rtYd (Buff 42-21)
   season: 26rec 391yd 4TD 1fmb; 8rsh 43yd 5.4av 1TD; 340 rtYd 1TD
9. (11) Max Hall, BYU: 16-27 59% 189yd 3TD 0int; 0rsh 0yd 0.0av 0TD 0fmb (Wyoming 44-0)
   season: 107-144 74% 1284yd 15TD 2int; 6rsh 16yd 2.7ave 1TD 2fmb
10. (10) G. Harrell, T. Tech: 27-34 79% 334yd 4TD 0int; 1rsh 0yd 0.0av 0TD 0fmb (Mass 56-14)
    season: 120-186 65% 1573yd 12TD 3int; 8rsh -6yd -.8av 1TD 0fmb
11. (8) Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech: 29rec 457yd 6TD; 1rsh 3yd 3.0av 0TD 0fmb
12. (12) P.J. Hill, Wisconsin: 70rsh 379yds 5.4ave 4TD 1fmb
13. (24) Javon Ringer, Mich. St: 143rsh 699yd 4.9av 11TD 2fmb; 4rec 37yd 0TD;200 rtYd
14. (14) Colt McCoy, Texas: 63-81 78% 833yd 11TD 1int; 25rsh 194yd 7.8ave 2TD 0fmb
15. (13) Matt Stafford, Georgia: 62-102 61% 919yd 5TD 0int; 16rsh 22yd 1.4av 0TD 0fmb
16. (15) Juice Williams, Illinois: 55-92 60% 575yd 7TD 5int; 46rsh 219yd 4.8ave 2TD 1fmb 
17. (16) Shun White, Navy: 63rsh 673yd 10.7ave 4TD 0fmb; 2rec 36yd 0TD
18. (18) Jahvid Best, Cal: 48rsh 336yd 7.0av 4TD 0fmb; 11rec 130yd 0TD; 238 rtYd
19. (17) Patrick Pinkney, E. Carolina: 82-115 71% 917yd 5TD 2int; 35rsh 72yd 2.1av 1TD 2fmb
20. (20) Percy Harvin, Florida: 11rsh 58yd 1TD 0fmb; 3rec 61yd 1TD
21. (21) Rey Maualuga, USC: 7 tackles (4 solo); 1 INT 1 TD
22. (22) James Laurinaitis, Ohio State: 35 tackles (14 solo); 1 INT
23. (new) Charles Scott, LSU: 44rsh 394yd 9.0av 4TD 0fmb; 4rec 37yd 0TD
24. (19) Louie Sakoda, Utah: 7 of 9 FGs; 18 of 19 PATs; 12 punts, 47.1av; 1-1 pass 9yd
25. (new) Dante Love, Ball State: 28rec 460yd 3TD; 14rsh 64yd 2TD

Others: Donald Brown, Connecticut; David Johnson, Tulsa; Brandon Tate, North Carolina; Todd Reesing, Kansas; Dan LeFevour, Central Michigan.

P.J. Hill and Javon Ringer are two great Big Ten running backs; Hill was idle and remains 12th, while Ringer racked up his third straight 200 yard game against Notre Dame and jumps from 24th to 13th. Note that Hill has half as many carries. Can Ringer continue to handle the workload he's taken on for the Spartans? If so, he'll jump quickly past Hill and probably contend for top running back on the list.

Colt McCoy holds at #14 despite another fantastic performance. It seems no one is talking about McCoy and the Heisman in the same breath. Why not? Heisman Pundit correctly notes that McCoy's chance to shine comes later, in big games against Oklahoma, et al. But that doesn't explain why his great numbers—19 of 23 and 4TD this week, #3 in the nation in pass efficiency—are being ignored so far. He even had a highlight-reel-worthy touchdown run against Rice, bulling head-first on a second effort to score. I did move him ahead of the overrated Matt Stafford, who played well against ASU but is clearly not Heisman material as he pales next to Moreno. Illinois' Juice Williams slides down a notch as well to #16.

#17 Shun White of Navy helped in the upset of Rutgers, but his rushing yardage has gone down each week. Cal's Jahvid Best holds at #18 on an idle week, while Patrick Pinkney of East Carolina slides to #19 due to the Pirates' loss and Pinkney's 2 turnovers that contributed to it. #20 Percy Harvin has been even more uninspiring than Tim Tebow for the Gators so far. Where is Florida's offense coming from, with Tebow and Harvin doing the bare minimum? Are they becoming dependent on Brandon James' return yardage?

Rey Maualuga and James Laurinaitis hold at 21 and 22; the latter had 12 tackles against Troy, but the former still leads due to that interception TD in the race for The Defensive Player Who Invariably Finishes Ninth. And while we're covering the token players, punter/kicker Louie Sakoda floats down five spots for his first two missed field goals this season. He's averaging an amazing 47.1 yards per punt, though.

Clemson's Cullen Harper threw 2 interceptions against South Carolina State and Appalachian State lost their second game, so Harper and Armanti Edwards drop off the list. LSU's Charles Scott moves in at #23 after keying the Tigers' win over Auburn; he's averaging a stellar 9 yards a carry, and if LSU can navigate their killer schedule unblemished he'll likely work his way into the top five at least. At #25 is Dante Love of Ball State, #2 in the nation in receiving yards per game. Love won't be on the list next week, as he suffered a terrible injury that required emergency surgery and will never play football again. He deserves recognition for the year—and pro career—that could have been.

Others of note: Donald Brown of Connecticut continued his string of great performances and is the nation's leading rusher. Clearly he'll have to keep that up for anyone to notice. Tulsa's David Johnson had another 6 TD performance; UNC's Brandon Tate is #1 in all-purpose yards; Todd Reesing continues to fuel Kansas' offense; and Central Michigan's Dan LeFevour nearly pulled off an upset of Purdue on Saturday.

Heisman Top 25 - week 3

Not a lot happened this week in the Heisman race, mostly because many of the top contestants didn't play. Tim Tebow seems like he's disappeared from the college football world, but he'll be back. Maybe not fast enough to hold off Chase Daniel, who had another stellar game against a less-than-stellar defense. Daniel is most people's leader at this time, and he's certainly closing in on becoming my favorite. Knowshon Moreno moves up a spot, but that's really just Beanie Wells falling a notch. Wells didn't play against USC, and it showed; his only saving grace is that if he comes back strong—and the Buckeyes with him—it will create a big impression of how important he is to them. Probably not enough of an impression for him to win the award, though. On the flip side, Mark Sanchez had a good game with 4 TD passes and moves from #6 to #5, but he has the opposite problem: people think USC is so good that Sanchez is just one of 22 cogs that makes them run seamlessly. He'll continue to move up but can he pass Daniel and Tebow, both of whom are thought to be their team's engine?

Sliding down one is Pat White, another idle candidate. People are counting him out completely already, but he will have his Heisman moments. Sam Bradford had many such moments against Washington but will have a tough time surpassing all of the upperclassman QBs. Michael Crabtree's stats are finally looking Crabtree-esque, but so are Jeremy Maclin's, and he returns kicks as well. Likewise Graham Harrell finally had a Harrell-esque game, but his overall stats are not that great for the competition he's faced. The real breakthrough performance this week was by Max Hall, who leaps from #17 to #11 after a 7 TD effort against UCLA. The question is can he maintain his level of play. The easy answer is: yes, because the competition will get easier against conference foes. But is the Mountain West really easier than the two Pac-10 teams BYU just beat?

1. (1) Tim Tebow, Florida - idle last weekend
    9-14 64% 137yd 1TD 0int; 9rsh 37yd 4.1av 0fmb (Hawaii 56-10)
   21-35 60% 256yd 2TD 0int;13rsh 55yd 4.2av 0fmb (Miami 26-3)
   30-49 61% 393yd 3TD 0int;22rsh 92yd 4.2av 0fmb
   
2. (2) Chase Daniel, Missouri
   26-45 58% 359yd  3TD 1int; 9rsh 46yd 5.1av 0TD 0fmb (=ILL 52-42)
   16-17 94% 245yd  3TD 0int; 0rsh  0yd 0.0av 0TD 0fmb (SE MoSt 52-3)
   23-28 82% 405yd  4TD 0int; 1rsh 12yd 12 av 0TD 0fmb (Nevada 69-17)
   65-90 72% 973yd 10TD 1int;10rsh 58yd 5.8av 0TD 0fmb
   
3. (4) Knowshon Moreno, Georgia
    8rsh  59yd 7.4av 3TD 0fmb; 2rec 53yd 0TD; 0 rtYd (Ga.S 45-21)
   18rsh 168yd 9.3av 3TD 0fmb; 3rec 30yd 0TD; 0 rtYd (C Mich 56-17)
   20rsh  79yd 4.0av 1TD 0fmb; 2rec 13yd 0TD;32 rtYd (@SCaro 14-7)
   46rsh 306yd 6.7av 7TD 0fmb; 7rec 96yd 0TD;32 rtYd
   
4. (3) Chris Wells, Ohio State: did not play (L to USC 35-3)
   season: 13rsh 111yd 8.5av 1TD 1fmb; 3rec 10yd
   
5. (6) Mark Sanchez, USC: 17-28 61% 4TD 1int; 2rsh -10yd -5av 0TD 0fmb (OSU 35-3)
   season: 43-63 68% 510yds 7TD 2 int; 3rsh -4yd -1.3av 0TD 0fmb
6. (5) Patrick White, WVA: idle last weekend
   season: 36-51 71% 280yd 5TD 1int; 29rsh 160yd 5.5 ave 0TD 1fmb
7. (7) Sam Bradford, Oklahoma: 18-21 83% 304yd 5TD 0int; 1rsh 1yd 1TD 0fmb (@Wash 55-14)
   season: 64-81 79% 882yd 12TD 2int; 4rsh 4yd 1.0av 1TD 0fmb
   
8. (8) Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech: 8rec 164yd 3TD; 1rsh 3yd 0TD 0fmb (SMU 43-7)
   season: 24rec 395yd 5TD; 1rsh 1yd 1.0av 0TD 0fmb
9. (10) Jeremy Maclin, MO: 6rec 172yd 3TD; 2rsh 5yd 2.5av 0TD 0fmb; 62 rtYd (Nevada 69-17)
   season: 12rec 223yd 4TD; 6rsh 18yd 3.0av 0TD 0fmb; 297 rtYd 1TD
10. (9) Graham Harrell, T. Tech: 31-48 65% 418yd 5TD 0int; 3rsh -7yd -2.3av 1fmb (SMU 43-7)
    season: 93-152 61% 1251yd 8TD 3int; 7rsh -7yd -1av 1TD 1fmb
11. (17) Max Hall, BYU: 91-117 78% 1095yd 12TD 2int; 6rsh 16yd 2.7ave 2fmb
12. (12) P.J. Hill, Wisconsin: 70rsh 379yds 5.4ave 4TD 1fmb
13. (13) Matt Stafford, Georgia: 46-74 62% 488yd 4TD 0 int; 13rsh 40yd 3.1av 0TD 0fmb
14. (14) Colt McCoy, Texas: 44-58 76% 504yd 7TD 1int; 17rsh 111yd 6.5ave 1TD 0fmb
15. (15) Juice Williams, Illinois: 55-92 60% 575yd 7TD 5int; 46rsh 219yd 4.8ave 2TD 1fmb 
16. (16) Shun White, Navy: 47rsh 588yds 12.5ave 4TD 0fmb; 2rec 36yd 0TD
17. (22) Patrick Pinkney, E. Carolina: 63-83 76% 707yd 4TD 1int; 26rsh 34yd 1.3av 1TD 1fmb
18. (19) Jahvid Best, Cal: 48rsh 336yd 7.0av 4TD 0fmb; 11rec 130yd 0TD; 238 rtYd
19. (25) Louie Sakoda, Utah: 7 of 7 FGs; 14 of 15 PATs; 10 punts, 46.9av; 1-1 pass 9yd
20. (20) Percy Harvin, Florida: 5rsh 27yd 1TD 0fmb; 1rec 12yd 0TD
21. (new) Rey Maualuga, USC: 7 tackles (4 solo); 1 INT 1 TD
22. (11) James Laurinaitis, Ohio State: 23 tackles (10 solo); 1 INT
23. (23) Cullen Harper, Clemson: 54-80 68% 642yd 3TD 2int; 8rsh 5yd 0.6av 0TD 1fmb
24. (new) Javon Ringer, Mich. St: 104rsh 498yd 4.8av 9TD 1fmb; 3rec 37yd 0TD;178 rtYd
25. (24) Armanti Edwards, App. St: 16-39 41% 200yd 1TD 1int; 20rsh 100yd 5.0ave

Others: Donald Brown, Connecticut; Brandon Tate, North Carolina; Dante Love, Ball State; Matt Grothe, USF; Todd Reesing, Kansas; David Johnson, Tulsa; Rudy Carpenter, ASU.

P.J. Hill had a decent outing and Wisconsin stayed unbeaten, so he holds at #12. Matt Stafford didn't do all that well against South Carolina, and really his stats are inferior to Colt McCoy's, but McCoy's game was postponed so he missed a chance to get some traction. Like Juice Williams, who had a bland performance last week, I left them at the same spot until they break one way or another.

Navy's Shun White had another 100+ yard game, and while the luster is off his 348 yard opener, he still is averaging double figures per carry. Patrick Pinkney helped save the day for East Carolina and leaps to #17. Jahvid Best had a mixed outing: only 25 yards rushing, but 65 receiving yards and 135 return yards in Cal's loss; this certainly keeps him ahead of fellow all-purpose threat Percy Harvin, who claims Florida is ready to "unleash" him after an idle week.

Louie Sakoda has been my token special teams player, and almost fell out last week. But this week the Utah kicker made 3 of 3 field goals, 7 of 7 extra points, and even converted a 9 yard pass on a fake punt. He moves up to #19 and should remain my token special teams player for at least a few more weeks.

Entering the top 25 is USC linebacker Rey Maualuga. He only has 7 tackles so far, but that interception return, coupled with USC's domination of Ohio State, moves him ahead of James Laurinaitis for token defensive player on the list. Javon Ringer enters at #24 after his 282 yard spree vs. Florida Atlantic. Cullen Harper had a dull game against one of the easier teams on Clemson's schedule and really should fall off the list soon. Armanti Edwards didn't play this week, but unless he improves his stats he won't even be included as the token I-AA player.

Others waiting to get on the list, or get back in, include Donald Brown of Connecticut, who is just waiting to be recognized by someone as the best back in college football. He's certainly the most consistent so far of the top rushers. Brandon Tate had another good all-purpose performance, and Dante Love is now #1 in receiving yards per game. Matt Grothe was probably outdueled by Todd Reesing, but Grothe got the win and Reesing suffered the interception that led to his team's loss and falls out of the top 25 for now. Rudy Carpenter also played well but his heavily-favored team lost to UNLV.

Heisman Top 25 - week 2

Tim Tebow did just enough in beating Miami to stay ahead of the pack, with aptly-named Chase Daniel closing in. Daniel's near-perfect performance last week was against SE Missouri State, though, a good stat-padder at best. Daniel may be the first to depose Tebow but several others have big opportunities coming up. Beanie Wells loses ground for not playing, but holds at #3 since his marquee game is coming up. If he does well, he stays near the top; if he or his team does poorly, Knowshon Moreno could become the top back in the race. Moreno put himself in that position with 168 yards against Central Michigan, passing Patrick White, whose chances took a big hit with West Virginia's loss to East Carolina. Two quarterbacks rise two spots each: Mark Sanchez didn't play last week but has a great chance to leap forward against Ohio State, while #7 Sam Bradford got the nation to pay attention with his performance against Cincinnati. On the downside, Texas Tech is looking less than impressive these days and its two candidates, Michael Crabtree and Graham Harrell, both fall two spots; the former had a good game while the latter laid an egg. Missouri's Jeremy Maclin, slowed by injury, treaded water at #10 this week.

1. (1) Tim Tebow, Florida
    9-14 64% 137yd 1TD 0int; 9rsh 37yd 4.1av 0fmb (Hawaii 56-10)
   21-35 60% 256yd 2TD 0int;13rsh 55yd 4.2av 0fmb (Miami 26-3)
   30-49 61% 393yd 3TD 0int;22rsh 92yd 4.2av 0fmb
   
2. (2) Chase Daniel, Missouri
   26-45 58% 359yd 3TD 1int; 9rsh 46yd 5.1av 0fmb (=ILL 52-42)
   16-17 94% 245yd 3TD 0int; 0rsh  0yd 0.0av 0fmb (SE MoSt 52-3)
   42-62 68% 568yd 6TD 0int; 9rsh 46yd 5.1av 0fmb
   
3. (3) Chris Wells, Ohio State: did not play (Ohio 26-14)
   season: 13rsh 111yd 8.5av 1TD 1fmb; 3rec 10yd
   
4. (5) Knowshon Moreno, Georgia: 18rsh 168yd 9.3av 3TD 0fmb (C Mich 56-17)
   season: 26rsh 227yd 8.7av 6TD 0fmb
5. (4) Patrick White, WVA: 11-18 61% 72yd 0TD 0int; 20rsh 97yd 4.9av 1fmb (ECar 3-24)
   season: 36-51 71% 280yd 5TD 1int; 29rsh 160yd 5.5 ave 0TD 1fmb
6. (8) Mark Sanchez, USC: no game last week
   season: 26-35 74% 338yds 3TD 1 int; 1rsh 6yd 6.0ave 0fmb (@Virginia 52-7)
7. (9) Sam Bradford, Oklahoma: 29-38 76% 395yd 5TD 2int; 3rsh 3yd 1.0av 0fmb (Cincy 52-26)
   season: 46-60 77% 578yd 7TD 2int; 3rsh 3yd 1.0av 0TD 0fmb
   
8. (6) Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech: 7rec 158yd 1TD 0fmb (Nev 35-19)
   season: 16rec 231yd 2TD 0fmb
9. (7) Graham Harrell, T. Tech: 19-46 41% 297yd 1TD 2int; 2rsh -2yd -1av 0TD 0fmb (Nev 35-19)
   season: 62-104 60% 833yd 3TD 3int; 4rsh 2yd 0.5av 1TD 0fmb
10. (10) Jeremy Maclin, MO: 2rec 20yd 1TD; 1rsh 11yds 0TD 0fmb; 34 rtYds (SE MoSt 52-42)
    season: 6rec 51yd 1TD; 4rsh 13yd 3.3av 0TD 0fmb; 235 rtYds 1TD
11. (11) James Laurinaitis, Ohio State: 14 tackles (5 solo); 1 INT
12. (12) P.J. Hill, Wisconsin: 44rsh 267yds 6.1ave 4TD 1fmb
13. (13) Matt Stafford, Georgia: 31-49 63% 488yd 4TD 0 int; 5rsh 25yd 5.0av 0TD 0fmb
14. (14) Colt McCoy, Texas: 44-58 76% 504yd 7TD 1int; 17rsh 111yd 6.5ave 1TD 0fmb
15. (20) Juice Williams, Illinois: 42-67 63% 575yd 6TD 4int; 35rsh 184yd 5.3ave 2TD 1fmb 
16. (16) Shun White, Navy: 32rsh 476yds 14.9ave 3TD 0fmb
17. (17) Max Hall, BYU: 64-82 78% 824yd 5TD 1int; 3rsh 4yd 1.3ave 2fmb
18. (18) Todd Reesing, Kansas: 69-90 77% 668yd 6TD 1int; 13rsh 18yd 1.4ave 0fmb
19. (new) Jahvid Best, Cal: 38rsh 311yd 8.2av 4TD 0fmb; 6rec 65yd 0TD; 103 rtYds
20. (15) Percy Harvin, Florida: 5rsh 27yd 1TD 0fmb; 1rec 12yd 0TD
21. (19) Rudy Carpenter, ASU: 49-64 77% 733yd 4TD 1int; 8rsh 32yd 4.0av 1fmb
22. (new) Patrick Pinkney, E. Carolina: 41-51 80% 447yd 2TD 0int; 36rsh 23yd 0.6av 1TD 0fmb
23. (21) Cullen Harper, Clemson: 34-52 65% 380yd 1TD 1int; 6rsh -14yd -2.3av 0TD 0fmb
24. (22) Armanti Edwards, App. St: 16-39 41% 200yd 1TD 1int; 20rsh 100yd 5.0ave
25. (25) Louie Sakoda, Utah: 4 of 4 FGs; 7 of 8 PATs; 10 punts, 46.9ave

Others: Kellen Lewis, Indiana; Brandon Tate, North Carolina; David Johnson, Tulsa; Dante Love, Ball State; Donald Brown, Connecticut.

James Laurinaitus had 10 tackles and an interception against Ohio; if he did that every game he might finish in the top ten. P.J. Hill of Wisconsin had only 57 yards, but 2 scores. Matt Stafford had an okay game but Moreno was more important, while Colt McCoy of Texas did well and will make his move in the Longhorns' big games. Juice Williams, who had 451 passing yards last week, showed why he's a major double-threat QB with 174 rushing yards, and jumps five spots to #15.

Navy's Shun White had only 128 yards this week after his 348-yard explosion last weekend, but still averages 238 a game. Max Hall (BYU) and Todd Reesing (Kansas) have both played with exceptional efficiency but will have to excel against stronger competition to make headway; for Reesing this Friday's game against USF is such an opportunity.

The top newcomer in the top 25 is #19 Jahvid Best, who I almost added for week one when he had 274 all-purpose yards. Last weekend he rushed for 200 yards against Washington State. Another multi-threat runner, Percy Harvin, missed week one and had a tepid debut against Miami, dropping to #20. ASU quarterback Rudy Carpenter has done well but had two turnovers against Stanford, and slips two spots. Like many others, his chance will come in bigger conference games, and also when ASU plays Georgia a week from Saturday.

Patrick Pinkney of East Carolina, this year's Cinderall team, debuts at #22. His yardage and TD numbers aren't staggering, but he was 19-23 and 22-28 against two AP top 25 teams, and if the Pirates keep winning, he will be in the running. Cullen Harper and Armanti Edwards did not put up impressive numbers even in week two, after both losing big in week one. Louis Sakoda stays on as the token special teams rep this week; he's #5 in punting average and in the top ten in field goals made. After one week of recognition I dropped Kellen Lewis and Brandon Tate (UNC did not play); they'll have to play their way back in. Also just outside the top 25 are David Johnson of Tulsa, who leads the country in passing efficiency; Dante Love of Ball State, #2 in receiving yards per game; and Donald Brown of UConn, #2 nationally in rushing yards.

Heisman Top 25 - week 1

There were few breakout performances this week. Almost all the key players had good, but not extraordinary stats and performances. Leader Tim Tebow is a good example; if he keeps up these numbers, he'll be...headed down the list soon. And that's with Percy Harvin—the guy who was supposed to take the trophy away from Tebow—out for the game. Chase Daniel and Missouri beat Illinois, and that's good enough for 2nd place this week, but not good enough for him to topple Tebow yet. His completion percentage was on the low side and that interception TD hurts. He dislodges Beanie Wells, who drops a spot to #3 after his goal-line fumble and injury which may put him out of action. But I'll wait and see if he plays, not arbitrarily dump him due to possible inactivity. Other than that he had a decent day. #4 Pat White had a great passing performance, which is exactly what he needs to do. Knowshon Moreno and Michael Crabtree both underperformed, but get a pass for week one. #7 Graham Harrell had over 500 yards, and 74% completions, but just 2:1 on TDs and INTs.

The big move is by Mark Sanchez of USC who jumps from #23 to #8. I'd pegged him as a front-runner for 2009, but it looks like he's easily in the mix for '08, the Ohio State game being the big one early on of course. Jeremy Maclin also jumps into the top ten, moving up 10 spots; compared to Chase Daniel, Maclin was equally or moreso the reason Missouri won. Sam Bradford treads water at #9, playing a good game but sitting out a lot, too.

1. (1) Tim Tebow, Florida: 9-14 64% 137 yds 1TD 0 int; 9rsh 53yd 5.9ave (Hawaii 56-10)
   
2. (3) Chase Daniel, Missouri: 26-45 58% 359 yds 3TD 1 int; 9rsh 54yd 6.0ave (=Illinois 52-42)
3. (2) Chris Wells, Ohio State: 13rsh 111yd 8.5ave 1TD 1 fmb; 3rec 10yd (Youngst 43-0)
4. (4) Patrick White, West Virginia: 25-33 76% 208yd 5TD 1 int; 9rsh 63yd 7.0ave (Vill 48-21)
5. (5) Knowshon Moreno, Georgia: 8rsh 59yds 7.4ave 3TD 0fmb (GA Southern 45-21)
6. (6) Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech: 9rec 73yds 1TD 0fmb (E Wash 49-24)
7. (7) Graham Harrell, Tex. Tech: 43-58 74% 536yd 2TD 1 int; 2rsh 2yd 1.0 ave (E Wash 49-24)
8. (23) Mark Sanchez, USC: 26-35 74% 338yds 3TD 1 int; 1rsh 6yd 6.0ave (@Virginia 52-7)
9. (9) Sam Bradford, Oklahoma: 17-22 77% 183yd 2TD 0 int; 0rsh 0yd 0.0 ave (Chatt 57-2)
10. (20) Jeremy Maclin, MO: 3rsh 2yds 0.7ave 0fmb; 4rec 31yd 0TD; 201 retYds 1TD (=Ill 52-42)
11. (11) James Laurinaitis, Ohio State: 5 tackles (Youngst. 43-0)
12. (new) P.J. Hill, Wisconsin: 26rsh 210yds 8.1ave 2TD 1fmb (Akron 38-17)
13. (13) Matt Stafford, Georgia: 13-21 62% 275yd 2TD 0 int; 3rsh 2yd 0.7ave (GA Southern 45-21)
14. (14) Colt McCoy, Texas: 24-29 83% 222yds 3TD 0int; 12rsh 103yd 8.6ave 1TD (FAU 52-10)
15. (10) Percy Harvin, Florida: missed game
16. (new) Shun White, Navy: 19rsh 348yds 18.3ave 3TD 0fmb (Towson 41-13)
17. (15) Max Hall, BYU: 34-41 83% 486yds 2TD 0int; 3rsh 4yd 1.3ave 2 fmb (UNI 41-17)
18. (16) Todd Reesing, Kansas: 37-52 71% 256yds 3TD 1int; 9rsh 15yd 1.7ave 0fmb (FIU 40-10)
19. (18) Rudy Carpenter, ASU: 22-28 79% 388yd 1TD 0int; 5rsh 43yd 8.6av 0fmb (N Az 30-13)
20. (21) Juice Williams, Illinois: 26-42 62% 451yds 5TD 2int; 19rsh 47yd 2.5ave (L=MO 52-42) 
21. (8) Cullen Harper, Clemson: 20-34 59% 188yd 0TD 1 int; 3rsh 0yd 0.0ave (L=Alabama 34-10)
22. (12) Armanti Edwards, App. St: 13-31 42% 155yd 1TD 0int; 12rsh 32yd 2.7ave (L@LSU 41-13)
23. (new) Kellen Lewis, Indiana: 17-27 63% 144yd 2TD 1int; 9rsh 185yd 20.6ave 2TD (WKy 31-13)
24. (new) Brandon Tate, UNC: 3rsh 106 yds 35.3ave; 4rec 93yd 1TD; 198 rtYd 1TD (McNeese 35-27)
25. (new) Louie Sakoda, Utah: 4 of 4 FGs; 1 of 2 PATs; 6 punts, 47.7ave (@Michigan 25-23)

Others: Todd Boeckman, Ohio State; Matt Grothe, USF; Brian Johnson, Utah; Dan LeFevour, C. Michigan; Jahvid Best, Cal

The rest of the crew consists of token defensive player James Laurinaitis, who had just 5 tackle assists on Saturday. He'll tread water until the USC game, his only chance to stay on the list. P.J. Hill, who I'd overlooked, I overlook no more; his 200+ yards bode well for the Badgers. #13 Matt Stafford did okay, and #14 Colt McCoy had a fantastic game, running for over 100 yards and scoring 4 total TDs. He will be back in it once people start to notice he's back.

Navy's Shun White had the amazing performance of the week, even if it was just against Towson: 348 yards on 19 rushes. It will be interesting to watch him try to maintain an average even close to that (or half of it). Max Hall, Todd Reesing, and Rudy Carpenter all slip despite generally solid play, while Juice Williams moves up a notch despite losing a game. His stats were good, and he showed he can pass too. But a loss is a loss, and while this one won't haunt him, a few more will. Cullen Harper's loss was bad enough that it overshadows his fairly decent stats, while Armanti Edwards lost perhaps the only chance he had to get himself on track for the award. Now anything he does in I-AA will be footnoted with "couldn't do anything against a I-A team" and while that's unfair, it's the way it is. I'll see how he does in I-AA but if other I-A players impress, he'll have to make room.

Three more newcomers round out the final spots. Kellen Lewis of Indiana rushed for 185 yards, a Vince-Young-like performance for a QB. And Brandon Tate went on a tear, rushing and receiving 100 yards each while returning punts and kicks for another 200. He's in just for that great game. Louie Sakoda is the token special teams player. He won the Michigan game by hitting 4 field goals, and he doubles as punter and averaged 47 yards. But even that performance wasn't perfect, as he missed a PAT that could have been critical, and had a punt blocked that was critical.

Several players fell out, but they and others will have a chance to get back in it. Todd Boeckman did well, but if he's going to make it he'll get a chance at USC to make an impression. Matt Grothe only attempted 8 passes in USF's win (2 were TDs). Brian Johnson was sacked six times against Michigan, but if Utah stays undefeated he'll get consideration. Dan LeFevour has an opportunity against Georgia this weekend. And Jake Locker just had a poor game last weekend. Cal's Jahvid Best had a multi-skilled performance against Michigan State and could have been included instead of Tate.

Pre-season 2008 Top 25 Heisman Candidates

The 2008 Heisman Trophy winner will be either 2007 winner Tim Tebow, or someone else. It's more likely to be someone other than Tebow, but there isn't anyone more likely to win it than Tebow. Wrap your head around that, and here is the pre-season Top 25 for the Heisman Trophy, and why each of them probably won't win it.

1. Tim Tebow, Jr. QB, Florida - The first Heisman winner who returns without a lot of "buyer's remorse" in recent memory, which means he has a real chance to repeat, especially since Florida should be in the national title hunt. He starts on top until someone else emerges to take the lead. What sinks him: He'll be held to a higher standard as a potential two-time winner, and he probably can't match last year's stats, especially the 50+ TDs.
2. Chris "Beanie" Wells, RB, Ohio State - He has the talent, the nickname, and a probably the nation's best team to support him. He'll have a great chance to shine in the marquee game of the year against USC. What sinks him: Anti-Buckeye bias. Lose to USC and no one will care about OSU during the rest of the season.
3. Chase Daniel, Sr. QB, Missouri - He finished 4th last year, coming on strong late. Missouri has a good chance of going undefeated for most of the year and Daniel's numbers will be tough to beat. What sinks him: At some point the "system" rap has to be applied to Daniel. Is he really that good, or is he on a great team in a great system?
4. Patrick White, Sr. QB, West Virginia - Sixth in last year's vote, White rushed for well over 1,000 yards last season, and the Mountaineers are expected to be among the elite in '08; White is my favorite to win the trophy in '08. What sinks him: Meager passing yards and a propensity for injury.
5. Knowshon Moreno, So. RB, Georgia - Moreno exploded onto the scene in the 2nd half of the season. Now he's starting from game one on the #1 team. What sinks him: A tough schedule, plus the fact that he's a sophomore, which still holds weight and puts him behind Wells among backs if it's close.
6. Michael Crabtree, So. WR, Texas Tech - He had almost 2,000 receiving yards last season; if Tech has a big year, and if he breaks 2K he'll be in New York. What sinks him: Can he really match last season's numbers? Plus he's a sophomore, though 2,000 yards would offset a lot of that.
7. Graham Harrell, Sr. QB, Texas Tech - After 5 bazillion yards last season, he might have even more this year. What sinks him: The "system" rap; any questionable stats (interceptions, etc.) will be scrutinized; has to compete with Crabtree
8. Cullen Harper, Sr. QB, Clemson - Great TD/INT ratio and efficiency, if Clemson runs the table he'll get looks. What sinks him: Any losses by Clemson, as he's not as well-known at this point, lost amidst the glut of quarterbacks.
9. Sam Bradford, So. QB, Oklahoma - Incredible freshman debut last year, and the Sooners will be in the heart of the national battle. What sinks him: Sophomore. The sophomore slump, plus being a sophomore he'll be behind other QBs if it's close.
10. Percy Harvin, Jr. WR/RB, Florida - He's supposed to see more action as the offense protect Tebow more. What sinks him: All-purpose runners need highlight reel, and missing the first game won't help his stats.
11. James Laurinaitis, Sr. LB, Ohio State - The token defensive player on the list, he can stay on the list if Ohio State beats USC. What sinks him: He plays defense.
12. Armanti Edwards, Sr. QB, Appalachian State - He runs, he passes, he leads a national championship contender. But he's not Tim Tebow, he's Armanti Edwards, who needs to do well against LSU to have a prayer. What sinks him: Division I-AA.
13. Matthew Stafford, Jr. QB, Georgia - He didn't have amazing stats last year, and his popularity as a candidate seems to be based completely on his NFL potential and Georgia's ranking. What sinks him: Pedestrian stats, Knowshon Moreno, and any losses by the Bulldogs.
14. Colt McCoy, Jr. QB, Texas - Almost forgotten in the Heisman discussion, McCoy should bounce back and have a great year again for the Longhorns. What sinks him: The Big Twelve is tough, and Texas will probably have its share of losses.
15. Max Hall, Jr. QB, BYU - If BYU has the BCS-bound season many expect, Hall could get in the race. What sinks him: Quarterback glut.
16. Todd Reesing, Jr. QB, Kansas - Incredible TD/INT numbers last year; if KU and Reesing have the same kind of year as last season, he'll be among the finalists. What sinks him: With the Jayhawks' schedule this year, that's going to be tough.
17. Matt Grothe, Jr. QB, South Florida - South Florida is going to be tough this year, and Grothe is another QB who led his team in rushing. What sinks him: Any loss by USF; interceptions need to come down.
18. Rudy Carpenter, Sr. QB, Arizona State - It seems like he's been around forever, doesn't it? If ASU makes a Pac-10 run, Carpenter will be the reason. What sinks him: USC, Oregon, maybe even Arizona. The Sun Devils need to be undefeated if he has a chance.
19. Todd Boeckman, Ohio State - Had good stats last year and should be even better this season, for a team that could win it all. What sinks him: USC, possibly; Chris Wells; and has to avoid mistakes.
20. Jeremy Maclin, So. WR, Missouri - The Tigers' triple threat, he'll need some kickoff/punt returns for TDs to stay in the running. What sinks him: Needs a steady stream of highlight reel, and is a sophomore competing with senior QB Daniel.
21. Juice Williams, Jr. QB, Illinois - Williams improved greatly over the course of last season, and is a true double threat now. Nickname's always a plus. What sinks him: Illinois will be hard-pressed to repeat last season, and really they need to exceed it for him to win.
22. Brian Johnson, Sr. QB, Utah - If he's on top of his game he's one of the best, and Utah could make a BCS run this season. What sinks him: Injuries, losing to Michigan or BYU, or anywhere in-between.
23. Mark Sanchez, Jr. QB, USC - Showed great promise last season, with a few mistakes. If USC is in the running, he is, but he needs a big game against Ohio State early on. What sinks him: Knee problem, losing any games, pretty much.
24. Jake Locker, So. QB, Washington - Forget Tim Tebow, Locker is the most exciting player in the country. Too bad he's on Washington, who might have a winning record. What sinks him: Washington, sophomore, erratic play.
25. Dan LeFevour, Jr. QB, Central Michigan - Another Tebow type, he rushed for more yards and passed for more yards than Florida's QB, and had 46 TDs. What sinks him: He plays in the MAC.

Others receiving "votes": Curtis Painter, Purdue; LeSean Jackson, Pittsburgh; DeMarco Murray, Oklahoma; Ian Johnson, Boise State; Stafon Johnson, USC; Noel Devine, West Virginia; Marlon Lucky, Nebraska; Joe McKnight, USC; Ray Maualuga, USC; Zac Robinson, Oklahoma State.

Tim Tebow's TDs

Tim Tebow had 51 touchdowns this season, 29 passing and 22 rushing, which was a big reason he won the Heisman trophy. During the voting window, many pro-Tebow arguments centered on these numbers, while  the anti-Tebow factions claimed the rushing total was inflated by many short TD runs.

The video below, showing all 51 of his passing and running touchdowns, shows there's some truth to this. A lot of his TD runs are short gains. But these aren't the type of runs you normally see a quarterback attempting; they look more like the short yardage plays a fullback takes on. He has to fight hard for a lot of them, and a few (such as the scramble against Florida State) are remarkable. His passes aren't too shabby, either, for the most part.

So here are all of Tebow's TDs this season, set to the beat of a pretty catchy ripoff of Edgar Winter's Frankenstein:

Refer to the key below to keep track of what part of the season they're in.

 
Tim Tebow's TDs (2007 season)
Opponent       Rush  Pass  Total  Result
W. Kentucky      3     1     4     Win
Troy             3     2     5     Win
Tennessee        2     2     4     Win
Mississippi      2     2     4     Win
Auburn           1     1     2     Loss
Louisiana St.    2     1     3     Loss
Kentucky         4     1     5     Win
Georgia          1     2     3     Loss
Vanderbilt       3     2     5     Win
South Carolina   2     5     7     Win
Florida Atl.     3     1     4     Win
Florida State    3     2     5     Win
Total           29    22    51     9-3

What's interesting about this chart is the games Florida lost. It seems that, to beat Florida, you have to hold Tebow to fewer than four touchdowns. When he scores four, the Gators are 9-0. Three or less, and they're 0-3. Some advice for Michigan on Jan.1: try to hold Tebow to as few touchdowns as possible.

You're welcome. The new coach (whoever he his) can pay me later for that valuable advice.

Barry Sanders' 1988 game-by-game rushing stats

I've been getting a lot of hits from people searching for Barry Sanders' stats from his 1988 Heisman year with Oklahoma State. With UCF's Kevin Smith breathing down the neck of his record-setting year (or at least, the pre-bowl portion of it), there seems to be a renewed interest in these stats, which have been surprisingly hard to find on the Web.

Last year I did what I figured would be a 2-minute search for his game-by-game rushing totals, and only after 2 hours had I pieced together 10 of the 12 games from several different sources: the NCAA record book (he holds the record for total yards in 5 consecutive games), an account of the Nebraska game from that year, and an old Rick Reilly article touting Sanders for the Heisman after the Colorado game.

When I did the search again recently I was able to fill in all the rushing blanks pretty easily, and even some details beyond the raw yardage. Still, I'd like to know a few things like: where does 215 yards against Oklahoma rate on the Sooners' all-time list?

1988 Regular-season stats

Rushing: 344 rushes, 2,628 yards (7.6 ave), 37 TDs
Receiving: 19 receptions, 106 yards, 0 TDs
Returns: 21 Kick returns, 421 yards, 1TD; 10 punt returns, 94 yards, 1TD

Overall 1988 stats
as above, except:
Rushing: 373 rushes, 2,850 yards (7.6 ave), 42 TDs
Passing: 1 of 2 for 17 yards

Barry Sanders' 1988 Game-by-Game Rushing Stats

Date	Opponent	Result	Att.	Yards	Notes
Sept. 10	Miami, Ohio	W 52-20	18	178	Returned opening kickoff 100 yards for TD. 2 TDs rushing, including an 89-yarder
Sept. 24	Texas A&M	W 52-15	20	157	2 TDs rushing, including a 58 yard score. Also had 61-yard punt return for TD
Oct. 1	Tulsa	W 56-35	33	304	5 TDs; broke school record for yardage for the 1st of three times in '88 season
Oct. 8	at Colorado	W 41-21	24	174	4 TDs including 65-yard TD run
Oct. 15	at Nebraska	L 63-42	34	189	4 TDs; at the time, the 4th-most rushing yards against any Nebraska team.
Oct. 22	Missouri	W 49-21	25	154	2 TDs including 45-yard score
Oct. 29	at Kansas State	W 45-27	37	320	3 TDs; the 2nd best rushing tally in Big Eight history at the time.
Nov. 5	Oklahoma	L 31-28	39	215	2 TDs; Mike Gaddis gained 213 yards for the Sooners.
Nov. 12	Kansas	W 63-24	37	312	5 TDs; broke single-season TD record with 31 for the season at this point.
Nov. 19	at Iowa State	W 49-28	32	293	4 TDs including an 80-yard TD run; broke Big 8 season rushing record with this game
Dec. 3	vs. Texas Tech (in Tokyo)	W 45-42	44	332	4 TDs. Heisman was awarded at 8am Tokyo time the day of the game.
Regular season total:			344*	2,628	238.9 yards/game average
Dec. 30	vs. Wyoming (in San Diego)	W 62-14	29	222	5 TDs, a Holiday Bowl record. Also completed 1 of 2 passes for 17 yards.
Overall season total:			373	2,850	plus 106 receiving yds and 515 return yards

* I'm missing one rushing attempt somewhere in this column.

Records

In addition to total rushing yards, Sanders set 33 other NCAA records in 1988, including:

• Most TDs (39) and most rushing TDs (37)
• Most points scored (234)
• Most 300+ yard games in a season/career (4)
• Most all-purpose yards in a season (3,249) and per-game (295.5; this record was 50 years old, held by Byron "Whizzer" White) 

Sanders also helped get two of his friends into the record book. The first was teammate Gerald Hudson. Sanders had so many yards in 1988 that he and Hudson broke the record for most yards by two teammates in one season, with 2,997. We see who did the heavy lifting there! This record was broken by USC's Reggie Bush and LenDale White in 2005 when they combined for 3,042 yards. This is one of Sanders' records that needed to broken, even if it was only because their Rose Bowl yards counted and Sanders' didn't. Arkansas' Darren McFadden and Felix Jones need 201 more yards to break it this season.

The other friend that Sanders helped was his brother, Byron, with whom he still holds the record for most yards in a season for two siblings. Byron did his part on this one, though, rushing for 1,062 yards for Northwestern that year.

Finally, here's a quick video with some highlights. Can someone tell me just what the hell he does at 0:22?

The Heisman should go to: Tim Tebow of Florida

At the beginning of the season, I looked at the consensus Heisman favorites and noted one omission: there was no support at all for Tim Tebow of Florida. I figured that a player like him, a quarterback who could genuinely run like a running back, would be certain to be in the race, deservedly or not. He would just attract attention and hype, especially playing for the defending national champions. I wrote:

Tebow could be a factor if Florida is great this year, and his passing is on par with his running.

Not that he was my favorite candidate; after all, I have been very much against the idea of an underclassman winning the award. My reasoning was that since a sophomore has never won the award in the past, to win in the future a soph would need to have the best season that any sophomore has ever had. Better than Hershel Walker in 1981, or anyone else you can thing of.

Well, Tebow had that season. But did he have a better season than Darren McFadden? That's what the Heisman race came down to.

On my weekly Heisman watch, McFadden began the year the favorite and started strong, but when Arkansas lost a couple of games, Colt Brennan of Hawaii surged into a tie at the top. Brennan faded after a few 4+ interception games and an injury slowed him, and once Hawaii's opponents were majority Division I-A his numbers weren't quite as gaudy. This put McFadden as the default number one again.

Meanwhile, Tim Tebow was having great games, but losing 3 of 4 in a stretch stalled his Heisman progress. Dennis Dixon, however, was winning along with his great performances and eventually made his way to the top after big wins over Arizona State and USC—only to fall to a season-ending injury. Darren McFadden had his biggest game of the year, rushing for 321 yards against South Carolina, and was once again on top.

But like before, a few more subpar games from McFadden opened the door. Tebow was closing in. Todd Reesing and Chase Daniel became serious, though longshot, contenders right at the end. Brennan still loomed in the background. Reesing's loss to Daniel took away his shot, and made Daniel a more serious prospect. But then Daniel's poor game against Oklahoma ended his threat as well.

All the while Tebow was tearing up the field both passing and running. He looked unstopable in his effort to become the first sophomore Heisman winner, running and passing for 20+ touchdowns each. Then, Darren McFadden made one last statement: over 200 yards and 3 TDs rushing and a touchdown pass against #1 LSU, on the road, in a dramatic Arkansas victory.

Colt Brennan's last two games were also his best: a win over Boise State, and a comeback thriller over Washington. But it would be too late for Brennan, June Jones' comments notwithstanding. It was McFadden vs. Tebow at the end.

For me it was a tossup. But Tebow had proved himself. He'd had the best year ever for a sophomore, so he was deserving. With that caveat out of the way, it was down to performance. And as I showed, when comparing results vs. common opponents, Tebow wins the competion.

The 2007 Heisman Trophy should be awarded to Tim Tebow of Florida.

A very close second: Darren McFadden of Arkansas.

Third place vote goes to: Dennis Dixon of Oregon.

Dixon would have been neck-and-neck in a three-way near-dead heat if he'd been healthy, and may have won it. Therefore, he deserves the "bronze medal," despite not playing in the last few games. He accomplished more than enough on the field in 3/4 of a season.

Colt Brennan was great, especially at the end, but lack of schedule strength makes it hard for me to give him credit for his team going undefeated. Pat White just didn't have the incredible numbers the other candidates had. Chase Daniel was like Brennan, a product of a pass-happy system; and like White, he lost his chance when he didn't lead his team to the title game.

The Heisman Final Two: McFadden and Tebow's common opponents

Darren McFadden. Tim Tebow. These are my final two choices for the Heisman. The final two choices, it seems, for most people. How do you compare the two? Here are their final stats for the season:

D. McFadden    304rsh 1725yd 5.7av 15TD 5fmb;21rec 164yd 1TD;283ret;4TD pass

Tim Tebow      217-317 68% 3132yd 29TD 6INT;194rsh 838yd 4.3av 22TD 1fmb

Tebow is the best quarterback in the country, and runs well, too—though not as well as McFadden, of course, who is the best back in the country. McFadden also has over 20 receptions and 250 return yards, and can pass, as he has done for four touchdowns this season, though that doesn't compare to Tebow's 29 TD passes. Again, how can we compare the two, who play different positions for different teams against different opponents?

The answer is at the end of the last sentence. Because the two play in the same conference, they actually share a large part of their schedules. Seven, to be exact, of their 12 games were against common opponents. These are: Mississippi, Kentucky, Tennessee, South Carolina, Troy, Louisiana State, and Auburn.

Here are their stats against just these common opponents:

D. McFadden     180rsh 1121yd 6.2av  6TD 1fmb;11rec  76yd 0TD;213ret; 3TD pass

Tim Tebow       124-189 66% 1715yd 16TD 4INT; 143rsh  660yd 4.6av 14TD 0fmb

Again, that doesn't tell us anything that the overall season stats didn't. So instead, I broke down the individual game statistics, and compared them, to determine who did better in each one. I scored it like a 7-round boxing match. Here are my conclusions, listing the common opponents by quality of defense, worst to best.

vs. Mississippi (Defense: #82 Total Yards; #60 Pass; #87 Rush)
D. McFadden      22rsh  110yd 5.0av  0TD 0fmb; 2rec  10yd 0TD;  0ret;         Win
Tim Tebow        27rsh  166yd 6.1av  2TD 0fmb; 20-34  59%  261yd  2TD 0INT    Win
Round One: Tebow 10-8

Pretty straightforward—Tebow rushed for over 50 more yards than McFadden. Add in two TD passes and he takes this one convincingly.

vs. Kentucky    (Defense: #65 Total Yards; #37 Pass; #77 Rush)
D. McFadden      29rsh  173yd 6.0av  1TD 0fmb; 2rec  10yd 0TD; 25ret;         Loss
Tim Tebow        20rsh   78yd 3.9av  1TD 0fmb;18-26  69%  256yd  4TD 0INT     Win
Round Two: Tebow 10-9; Tebow leads 20-17

This one is pretty close; McFadden's 173 yards is impressive, but Tebow's 4 TD passes, 73 rushing yards and a touchdown, and most importantly, the win, tilt the scales in his favor.

vs. Tennessee  (Defense: #64 Total Yards;#103 Pass; #31 Rush)
D. McFadden      22rsh  117yd 5.3av  0TD 0fmb; 3rec  17yd 0TD; 39ret;         Loss
Tim Tebow        18rsh   61yd 3.4av  2TD 0fmb; 14-19  74%  299yd  2TD 1INT    Win
Round Three: Tebow 10-9; Tebow leads 30-26

This one is like the Kentucky game, only McFadden had fewer yards, Florida won more convincingly, and Arkansas didn't keep the game close.

vs. S. Carolina (Defense: #54 Total Yards; #18 Pass; #83 Rush)
D. McFadden      34rsh  321yd 9.4av  1TD 0fmb; 1rec   4yd 0TD; 30ret; TD pass Win
Tim Tebow        26rsh  120yd 4.6av  5TD 0fmb;22-32  69%  304yd  2TD 1INT     Win
Round Four: Tie 10-10; Tebow leads 40-36

Both played exceptional games in wins against South Carolina. It's hard to compete with McFadden's 321 yards, but Tebow's own 120 yards and 5 TDs, plus 300 yards passing and 2 TDs, matches it. The Gamecocks didn't have fun against either one of these guys.

vs. Troy       (Defense: #52 Total Yards; #36 Pass; #71 Rush)
D. McFadden      24rsh  151yd 6.3av  1TD 0fmb; 2rec  30yd 0TD; 19ret; TD pass Win
Tim Tebow        17rsh   93yd 5.5av  2TD 0fmb;18-25  72%  236yd  3TD 0INT     Win
Round Five: Tie, 10-10; Tebow leads 50-46

If the South Carolina comparison might have been called for McFadden, then this one might have been called for Tebow, as he ran for almost 100 yards and had five total touchdowns. But McFadden had over 150 yards and threw a touchdown pass in Arkansas' win. Both did what they needed to do to win.

vs. LSU        (Defense:  #7 Total Yards; #14 Pass; #15 Rush)
D. McFadden      32rsh  206yd 6.4av  3TD 1fmb; 0rec   0yd 0TD; 49ret; TD pass Win
Tim Tebow        16rsh   67yd 4.2av  1TD 0fmb; 12-26  46%  158yd  2TD 1INT    Loss
Round Six: McFadden 10-8; Tebow leads 58-56

This was McFadden's best moment. Over 200 yards against the #1 team, on the road, 3 touchdowns, and a touchdown pass. Tebow couldn't pull out the win, nor pass particularly effectively, against the Tigers.

With only one game left, McFadden needs a strong round to tie, a knockout to win...

vs. Auburn     (Defense:  #4 Total Yards;  #4 pass; #12 Rush)
D. McFadden      17rsh   43yd 2.5av  0TD 0fmb; 1rec   5yd 0TD; 29ret;        Loss
Tim Tebow        19rsh   75yd 3.9av  1TD 0fmb; 20-27  74%  201yd  1TD 1INT   Loss
Round Seven: Tebow 10-9; Tebow unanimous decision 68-65

...but he doesn't get it. Instead he has his worst game of the year, against Auburn's tough rushing defense. Tebow actually ran much better against these Tigers, and passed well for the most part. Neither could manage a win at home, though.

From these comparisons, Tim Tebow definitely played better against common opponents over the course of the year. With more than half their schedules in common, I think this is the best way to compare the two against each other.

Who should have won the Doak Walker award?

Was the Doak Walker award an injustice? Who should have won, and just as importantly, whom should have been the three finalists?

The award goes annually to the player judged the best running back in football. The three finalists were Darren McFadden, Ray Rice, and Michael Hart. All play for BCS conference schools. On the other hand, the two leading rushers in Division I-A were Central Florida's Kevin Smith and Tulane's Matt Forte. Let's compare the five and see what we get.

D McFadden     304rsh 1725yd 5.7av 15TD;21rec 164yd 1TD;283 ret yds;4TD pass

Ray Rice       345rsh 1732yd 5.0av 20TD;23rec 224yd 1TD;  0 ret yds;0TD pass

Michael Hart   233rsh 1232yd 5.3av 12TD; 7rec  43yd 0TD;  0 ret yds;0TD pass

Kevin Smith    415rsh 2448yd 5.9av 29TD;21rec 230yd 1TD;  0 ret yds;0TD pass

Matt Forte     361rsh 2127yd 5.9av 23TD;32rec 282yd 0TD; 11 ret yds;0TD pass

Right away it appears that Kevin Smith fans have a point: Michael Hart missed several games, and therefore didn't have the raw yardage the others did. In fact, Smith very nearly had twice as many yards as Hart! Hart's best stat was having 0 fumbles on the season. Though he put together a good string of 100+ yard games, he fizzled in the key Ohio State game after missing 3 of the 4 previous games, and he had the fewest receiving yards of all of them. It was pretty clear he wasn't going to win the Doak, so having him as one of the three finalists seemed to be more of a reward for a good career than a reflection of accomplishment for this season.

But Matt Forte also had a 2000+ yard season, and in 12 games to Smith's 13. Perhaps his schedule was more difficult than Smith's, and he is a better choice for the third finalist? Or both are better than Ray Rice or Darren McFadden?

Using their team's adjusted rushing yardage vs. unadjusted yardage gives an idea of how tough their team's opponents were in terms of rushing defense. For example, say a team averages 200 rushing yards a game. But after adjusting for their opposition, they average 250 yards a game. This shows that they had opponents with strong rushing defense. I multiplied each player's rushing yards, and average per carry, by this factor (adj. rushing yardage average/unadjusted rushing yardage average)

player         raw yds  raw ave  adj yds  adj ave
Kevin Smith     2,448    5.9      2,123    5.1
D McFadden      1,725    5.7      1,751    5.8 
Matt Forte      2,127    5.9      1,710    4.7
Ray Rice        1,732    5.0      1,664    4.8
Michael Hart    1,232    5.3      1,297    5.6
 

From this we see a few things. McFadden and Hart's numbers go up, while Rice falls slightly, Smith drops quite a bit, and Forte falls dramatically. Hart still has too few yards to be considered a finalist, while Forte's average becomes the lowest of the group. So the three fair finalists are probably McFadden, Rice, and Smith. Arguably Forte could replace Rice

Rice finishes fourth in average and yards, though, so he shouldn't be the winner. McFadden's average is the highest, while Smith's yardage is still best, so one of these two should win the honor.

While looking at the team averages gives a rough idea of opponents' rushing defense in aggregate, it's better to correct game-by-game and see what the effect is. In this case, we adjust each game for the opponent's rushing defense.

Kevin Smith 2007
Opponent yds  adj yds
@NC St   217   183.7
Texas    149   220.4
Memphis  124    84.0
La-Lafay 223   146.0
@E Caro  147   164.0
@USF      55    80.0
Tulsa    170   131.9
@S Miss  175   176.8
Marsh    188   156.1
@UAB     320   194.1
@SMU     177   134.7
UTEP     219   147.5
Tulsa    284   220.3
total:  2448  2039.5 (156.9 yds/game)

Smith's adjusted totals add up to 2,040 yards, considerably less than his actual numbers but still very impressive. This reflects some of the weak rushing defenses found in opponents such as Memphis, Louisiana-Lafayette, UAB, SMU, and UTEP. But he also faced some tough run defenses, like South Florida and Texas.

Darren McFadden 2007
Opponent yds  adj yds
Troy     151   138.6
@Alabama 195   313.9
Kentucky 173   149.2
N Texas  138   109.9
Chatt*   122    61.0
Auburn    43    65.3
@Miss    110    97.5
FL Int    61    51.0
S Carol  321   270.8
@Tenn    117   158.2
Miss St   88    96.1
@LSU     206   340.3
total:  1725  1851.8 (154.3 yds/game)
*non-Div I-A

McFadden's numbers become very similar to Smith's after adjusting for competition, and his per-game average is almost identical. Smith has no efforts that match McFadden's performances at Alabama and LSU, and McFadden's 321 against South Carolina is far more impressive than Smith's 320 vs. Alabama-Birmingham after adjusting for the defense they faced.

Still, they aren't very far apart. People who complain that Smith's output is due to a weaker conference can't explain away all of his yards. Particularly his performance against stingy Texas showed that he can run with the best. He would excel in any backfield, and there's no back that can seriously claim he'd have surpassed Smith's 2,448 total in his place.

In terms of their ground game it's a virtual dead heat. Add in McFadden's four TD passes as a tiebreaker and I feel he justly received the award. So while the winner should still be Darren McFadden, Kevin Smith certainly deserved to be a finalist.

Quarterback of the Year: Tim Tebow

Taking a look at the stats of the most prominent quarterbacks of 2007 in college football, it's clear that Florida's Tim Tebow is Quarterback of the Year.  There was no better player at quarterback this season if all aspects of the game are counted; and even if only passing is considered, in many measures he still comes up 1st.

I compiled a list of ten of the best quarterbacks to get a statistical range; here in reverse alphabetical order:

Andre Woodson (295 of 468 [63.0%] 3,351 yards; 36 TD 10 INT; -167 rush yds, 3 TD)
Pat White (134 of 197 [68.0%] 1,548 yards; 12 TD 4 INT; 1,185 rush yds, 14 TD)
Tim Tebow (217 of 317 [68.5%] 3,132 yards; 29 TD 6 INT; 838 rush yds, 22 TD)
Matt Ryan (366 of 607 [60.3%] 4,258 yards; 28 TD 18 INT; 26 rush yds, 2 TD)
Todd Reesing (256 of 409 [62.6%] 3,259 yards; 32 TD 6 INT; 203 rush yds, 2 TD)
Graham Harrell (468 of 644 [72.7%] 5,298 yards; 45 TD 14 INT; 12 rush yds, 4 TD)
Dennis Dixon (172 of 254 [67.7%] 2,136 yards; 20TD 4 INT; 583 rush yds, 9 TD)
Chase Daniel (372 of 534 [69.7%] 4,170 yards; 33 TD 10 INT; 284 rush yds, 4 TD)
Colt Brennan (337 of 472 [71.4%] 4,174 yards; 38 TD 14 INT; 65 rush yds, 8 TD)
Sam Bradford (216 of 308 [70.1%] 2,879 yards; 34 TD 7 INT; 8 rush yds, 0 TD)

One-by-one, here are the contenders, contrasted with Tebow:

Andre Woodson (295 of 468 [63.0%] 3,351 yards; 36 TD 10 INT; -167 rush yds, 3 TD)

Woodson was considered the Heisman front-runner at one time, and he had Kentucky winning games in the 1st half of the season. But his ending numbers aren't staggering, with only 219 more passing yards than Tebow on 151 extra attempts. Part of the reason for his inefficiency may be lack of running ability: Woodson is the only one of the ten to have negative yardage. With so many great running quarterbacks out there these days, a non-running QB has to have huge passing numbers to be viable.

Pat White (134 of 197 [68.0%] 1,548 yards; 12 TD 4 INT; 1,185 rush yds, 14 TD)

Speaking of running quarterbacks, White is the only QB better at rushing that Tebow, with over 1,000 yards for the season and 14 TDs. White's passing numbers, however, are slight, less than 1/2 of Tebow's total yardage.

Matt Ryan (366 of 607 [60.3%] 4,258 yards; 28 TD 18 INT; 26 rush yds, 2 TD)

Ryan might be the most overrated quarterback of the year. He found ways to win, which was why he was another of the one-week leaders in the Heisman race, but as a QB his numbers didn't refect any above-the-norm talent. Only 57th in passing efficiency, Ryan had 18 interceptions on the year, and completed barely over 60% of his passes.

Todd Reesing (256 of 409 [62.6%] 3,259 yards; 32 TD 6 INT; 203 rush yds, 2 TD)

Reesing, meanwhile, might be the most overlooked, at least until the last few weeks of the season. His TD/INT ratio is one of the few better than Tebow's. Their yardages are roughly the same. Reesing's completion percentage was a lot lower, and the competition he faced was not as strong overall as Tebow's. As a passer he's close, arguable even, with Tebow, but his 2 rushing TD's compared to Tebow's 22 decisively breaks any tie.

Graham Harrell (468 of 644 [72.7%] 5,298 yards; 45 TD 14 INT; 12 rush yds, 4 TD)

Graham Harrell passed for a whole mile of yards, literally. He had the most TD passes of anyone in the nation, as well. But he accomplished this in 644 attempts. What if his attempts, and those of the other quarterbacks, were normalized? How would they stack up?

The QBs on the list averaged 421 attempt, so I multiplied yards by 421/attempts and this was the result:

     player        old rank  #att     raw yds   adj. yards

1. Tebow, Tim       7       317      3132      4159.5
2. Bradford, Sam    8       308      2879      3935.3
3. Brennan, Colt    3       472      4174      3723.0
4. Dixon, Dennis    9       254      2136      3540.4
5. Harrell, Graham  1       644      5298      3463.4
6. Reesing, Todd    6       409      3259      3354.6
7. White, Pat      10       197      1548      3308.2
8. Daniel, Chase    4       534      4170      3287.6
9. Woodson, Andre   5       468      3351      3014.5
10. Ryan, Matt       2       607      4258      2953.2
   

Harrell ranks in the middle of the pack after accounting for Texas Tech's pass-happy offense. Tebow, on the other hand, rises to the top. Sam Bradford and Dennis Dixon also fare well, while Andre Woodson, Chase Daniel and Matt Ryan fall. Interestingly, Colt Brennan remains #3.

Of course this type of correction isn't indicative of exactly what would happen if these players had more or fewer attempts, as there are too many factors involved to simply scale up/down in this manner. But it's undeniable that some QBs get their stats from sheer volume of attempts, and from every indication, Graham Harrell fits the bill. His completion percentage is admirable for throwing so many passes, and he's definitely one of the best this year, but it's hard to argue that he is *the* best by pointing to his yardage stats.

Dennis Dixon (172 of 254 [67.7%] 2,136 yards; 20TD 4 INT; 583 rush yds, 9 TD)

Dixon, I've already stated, is who I consider the year's MVP. If he hadn't been hurt, he would have won the Heisman trophy. But I don't think he was the best overall quarterback.

He and Tebow were very close in quality during the season, but Tebow finishes just in front of Dixon, all things considered. Dixon threw only 4 interceptions to Tebow's 6, but Tebow threw 12 more TDs. Dixon ran for 583 yards and 9 TDs, Tebow 838 and 22. Tebow passed for almost 1,000 yards more than Dixon. In each stat area, Tebow is slightly or greatly ahead. Part of this was because Dixon got hurt; but that must be considered. If a player plays only 3 games, or 6, he's not likely to win awards, so every absence has to be factored in.

Chase Daniel (372 of 534 [69.7%] 4,170 yards; 33 TD 10 INT; 284 rush yds, 4 TD)

Daniel was one of the year's top quarterbacks, and most people rank him at the top or very close of their first-string list. He may be a better pure passer than Tebow, but he required over 200 extra attempts to achieve an additional 1,000 yards. He had 4 more touchdowns, but also 4 additional interceptions. Add in Tebow's rushing and it isn't a contest.

Colt Brennan (337 of 472 [71.4%] 4,174 yards; 38 TD 14 INT; 65 rush yds, 8 TD)

Brennan, like Daniel, is a great passer who took many more throws than Tebow. It can be argued that, had Tebow passed as much, his efficiency might have suffered. But certainly if Brennan threw less, his numbers would have been smaller. Mainly, though, Brennan's problem this year was consistency. He had two games with 4 or more interceptions; against better teams, those would have been losses, and Hawaii wouldn't be close to a BCS bowl.

Sam Bradford (216 of 308 [70.1%] 2,879 yards; 34 TD 7 INT; 8 rush yds, 0 TD)

The freshman Bradford was one of the few quarterbacks with numbers as good as the sophomore Tebow. He had 34 TDs against only 7 INTs; his yards per pass were comparable to Tebow's; and he was the only quarterback in the nation to rate higher in passing efficiency than Tebow. All in all, in terms of passing, he was basically Tebow's equal. His other contributions, or lack thereof, show up in his rushing yards: 8. Tebow had over 100x that amount. If you had to pick between these two quarterbacks, even if you didn't run an option offense that needed a running quarterback, wouldn't you take the one that was almost guaranteed to sneak for a couple of yards when necessary, all other things basically equal?

In addition to the ten quarterbacks I listed, there are others that could be considered, but they all would have one or more drawbacks similar to the players above.

The winner: QB  of the year

Tim Tebow (217 of 317 [68.5%] 3,132 yards; 29 TD 6 INT; 838 rush yds, 22 TD)

Tebow's TD numbers are astounding. His remarkable passing efficiency and rushing ability at the same time is comparable to Dennis Dixon's, but his scoring productivity is what makes him amazing. Everyone knows he's the first to both pass and run for 20 TDs, but to do so with only 6 interception and 1 fumble (0 according to "official" stats) is really remarkable. Last year when Colt Brennan had a record 63 total touchdowns, he had 12 turnovers in interceptions alone.

Tebow's passing numbers are either solid (completion percentage, total TDs, yardage), excellent (interceptions) or fantastic (efficiency, yards-per-attempt). His passing alone would make him a candidate for the best player at his position, and his great running stats and monster rushing TD total makes him the clear winner for Quarterback of the Year.

Heisman Trophy: New York Invitees

The Heisman Trust normally invites 4 or 5 players to New York for the award ceremony at the Downtown Athletic Club. The last two seasons there were only three invitees, but this year I'm sure there will be five if not six.

I have yet to compare my two top finalists enough to determine a winner, but after last week's action I have decided firmly on my top five: Darren McFadden, Tim Tebow, Colt Brennan, Dennis Dixon, and Pat White.

Last week, Pat White and Chase Daniel had poor games while losing, dropping White out of the top three and Daniel out of my top five. Colt Brennan had perhaps his best game of the year, and Hawaii remained undefeated, moving him into third place. Dixon moves up to fourth.
 

Top 5 Candidates:

1. D. McFadden  24rsh  151yd 6.3av  1TD 0fmb; 2rec  30yd 0TD; 19ret; TD pass (W Troy)
1-1-1-1-2-1-1-  33rsh  195yd 5.9av  2TD 1fmb; 3rec  16yd 0TD; 27ret;         (L@Alab)
1-1-2-2-2-1-1-? 29rsh  173yd 6.0av  1TD 0fmb; 2rec  10yd 0TD; 25ret;         (L Ky)
                19rsh  138yd 7.3av  2TD 0fmb; 0rec   0yd 0TD;  0ret;         (W NTex)
                25rsh  122yd 4.9av  1TD 2fmb; 0rec   0yd 0TD;  0ret;         (W Chat)
                17rsh   43yd 2.5av  0TD 0fmb; 1rec   5yd 0TD; 29ret;         (L Aub)
                22rsh  110yd 5.0av  0TD 0fmb; 2rec  10yd 0TD;  0ret;         (W@Miss)
                19rsh   61yd 3.2av  4TD 1fmb; 3rec  22yd 0TD; 19ret;         (W FIU)
                34rsh  321yd 9.4av  1TD 0fmb; 1rec   4yd 0TD; 30ret; TD pass (W SCar)
                22rsh  117yd 5.3av  0TD 0fmb; 3rec  17yd 0TD; 39ret;         (L@Tenn)
                28rsh   88yd 3.1av  0TD 0fmb; 4rec  50yd 1TD; 24ret; TD pass (W MsSt)
                32rsh  206yd 6.4av  3TD 1fmb; 0rec   0yd 0TD; 49ret; TD pass (W@LSU)
               304rsh 1725yd 5.7av 15TD 5fmb;21rec 164yd 1TD;283ret;4TD pass

1. Tim Tebow     13-17  76%  300yd  3TD 0INT;  8rsh  38yd 4.8av  1TD 0fmb (W WKy)
x-x-10-9-8-8-8-  18-25  72%  236yd  3TD 0INT; 17rsh  93yd 5.5av  2TD 0fmb (W Troy)
10-8-8-7-5-3-1-? 14-19  74%  299yd  2TD 1INT; 18rsh  61yd 3.4av  2TD 0fmb (W Tenn)
                 20-34  59%  261yd  2TD 0INT; 27rsh 166yd 6.1av  2TD 0fmb (W@Miss)
                 20-27  74%  201yd  1TD 1INT; 19rsh  75yd 3.9av  1TD 0fmb (L Aub)
                 12-26  46%  158yd  2TD 1INT; 16rsh  67yd 4.2av  1TD 0fmb (L@LSU)
                 18-26  69%  256yd  4TD 0INT; 20rsh  78yd 3.9av  1TD 0fmb (W@KY)
                 14-22  64%  236yd  1TD 0INT; 13rsh -15yd  -1av  2TD 1fmb (L GA)
                 22-27  81%  281yd  3TD 1INT;  6rsh  35yd 5.8av  2TD 0fmb (W Vand)
                 22-32  69%  304yd  2TD 1INT; 26rsh 120yd 4.6av  5TD 0fmb (W@SCar)
                 25-34  74%  338yd  3TD 1INT; 11rsh  31yd 2.8av  1TD 0fmb (W FAU)
                 19-28  68%  262yd  3TD 0INT; 13rsh  89yd 6.8yd  2TD 0fmb (W FSU)
                217-317 68% 3132yd 29TD 6INT;194rsh 838yd 4.3av 22TD 1fmb

3. C. Brennan   34-40  85%  416yd  6TD  0INT; 3rsh 23yd 7.7av 0TD 0fmb (W NColorado)
5-2-2-1-1-2-2-  43-61  70%  548yd  4TD  1INT;11rsh -8yd -.7av 1TD 2fmb (W@LA Tech)
4-4-3-3-3-4-4-3 26-32  81%  298yd  2TD  0INT; 9rsh 19yd 2.1av 3TD 0fmb (W@UNLV)
                 ---   ---  ---    ---   ---   ---  ---  ---  ---  --- (W CharSo) DNP
                30-49  61%  369yd  3TD  5INT; 5rsh -2yd -.4av 1TD 0fmb (W@Idaho)
                19-25  76%  219yd  1TD  0INT; 3rsh  7yd 2.3av 0TD 0fmb (W UtahSt)
                44-75  59%  545yd  4TD  4INT;15rsh -1yd -.1av 1TD 0fmb (W@SJst)
                29-46  63%  425yd  6TD  1INT; 4rsh 13yd 3.3av 0TD 1fmb (W NMexSt)
                28-39  72%  396yd  2TD  1INT; 6rsh  5yd 0.8av 1TD 1fmb (W Fresno)
                 2-2  100%   21yd  0TD  0INT; 0rsh  0yd   0av 0TD 0fmb (W@Nevada)
                40-53  75%  495yd  5TD  2INT; 9rsh 18yd 2.0av 1TD 0fmb (W BoiseSt)
                42-50  84%  442yd  5TD  0INT; 8rsh -9yd  -1av 0TD 1fmb (W Wash)
               337-472 71% 4174yd 38TD 14INT;73rsh 65yd 0.9av 8TD 5fmb

4. D. Dixon      9-15  60%  134yd  2TD 0INT; 15rsh 141yd 9.4av 1TD 0fmb (W Houston)
x-x-9-8-4-4-3-  16-25  64%  292yd  3TD 0INT; 16rsh  76yd 4.8av 1TD 0fmb (W@Mich)
2-2-1-1-1-2-6-4 14-20  70%  139yd  2TD 0INT;  8rsh  59yd 7.4av 1TD 0fmb (W Fresno)
                28-37  76%  374yd  4TD 0INT;  9rsh   8yd 0.9av 1TD 1fmb (W@Stanford)
                31-44  70%  306yd  1TD 2INT;  8rsh  17yd 2.1av 1TD 0fmb (L Cal)
                21-28  75%  287yd  3TD 0INT;  7rsh  16yd 2.3av 1TD 0fmb (W WashSt)
                19-30  63%  196yd  1TD 1INT; 12rsh  99yd 8.3av 1TD 0fmb (W@Wash)
                16-25  64%  157yd  0TD 0INT; 17rsh  76yd 4.5av 1TD 0fmb (W USC)
                13-22  59%  189yd  4TD 0INT; 11rsh  57yd 5.2av 0TD 1fmb (W ASU)
                 5-8   63%   62yd  0TD 1INT;  2rsh  34yd  17av 1TD 0fmb (L@Ariz)
                 ---   ---  ---    ---  ---    ---  ---  ---   ---  --- (L@UCLA) DNP
                 ---   ---  ---    ---  ---    ---  ---  ---   ---  --- (L OreSt)DNP
               172-254 68% 2136yd 20TD 4INT;105rsh 583yd 5.6av 9TD 2fmb

5. Pat White     10-18  58%  192yd  2TD 0INT;  9rsh   97yd 10.8av  2TD 0fmb (W WKy)
10-8-7-7-7-9-7-  13-18  72%  149yd  2TD 0INT; 17rsh  125yd  7.4av  1TD 0fmb (W@Marsh)
9-9-9-9-7-5-3     8-13  62%   95yd  0TD 0INT; 11rsh   22yd  2.0av  1TD 1fmb (W@Mary)
                 18-20  90%  181yd  2TD 0INT;  9rsh   42yd  4.7av  2TD 0fmb (W ECar)
                 12-18  67%  100yd  0TD 1INT;  9rsh   36yd  4.0av  0TD 0fmb (L SoFLA)
                 12-15  80%  148yd  1TD 0INT; 14rsh   89yd  6.4av  1TD 0fmb (W@Syr)
                  8-12  67%   61yd  2TD 1INT;  5rsh   89yd 17.8av  1TD 0fmb (W MsSt)
                 10-16  63%  144yd  0TD 0INT; 22rsh  156yd  7.1av  1TD 0fmb (W@Rut)
                 16-25  64%  181yd  2TD 0INT; 24rsh  147yd  6.1av  1TD 2fmb (W@Lou)
                 13-19  68%  140yd  0TD 1INT; 27rsh  155yd  5.7av  2TD 2fmb (W@Cin)
                  9-13  69%  107yd  1TD 1INT; 16rsh  186yd 11.6av  2TD 0fmb (W Conn)
                  5-10  50%   50yd  0TD 0INT; 14rsh   41yd  2.9av  0TD 1fmb (L Pitt)
                134-197 68% 1548yd 12TD 4INT;177rsh 1185yd  6.7av 14TD 6fmb


The players in my top three are set; the only thing left is deciding on a winner. There will be enough about that later. Colt Brennan was at his best Saturday, completing 84% of his passes. True, it was only against Washington, but look at who else played Washington and how they did: Dixon had only 1 TD pass and 1 interception against the Huskies; USC's John David Booty had 1 TD pass and 2 interceptions. And going undefeated this year is a unique accomplishment; only two other teams even finished with a single loss. Brennan's stats are even more impressive for basically being accomplished in 10 games.

Dennis Dixon deserves a spot in the top five. Healthy, he probably would have won it, and I have already declared him the Most Valuable Player. Pat White's loss to Pittsburgh pushed him out of the top three, but he still had a great season, rushing for over 1,000 yards.

I never warmed up to Chase Daniel as a Heisman candidate. If he had led his team to the national title game, he'd be in the top 5, probably even the top 3, but he had a poor game reminiscent of the first time Missouri lost to Oklahoma this year, only with fewer completions and yards. Attempting more passes than anyone this side of Graham Harrell, it's hard to see him as more than a system quarterback like so many others are derided for. In the four games leading up to Oklahoma he was magnificent, however.

C. Daniel       37-54  69%  359yd  3TD  0INT; 11rsh  -6yd -.5av 0TD 1fmb (W@Ill)
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-  31-42  74%  330yd  5TD  0INT; 11rsh  55yd 5.0av 0TD 0fmb (W@Miss)
x-x-x-x-9-7-5-x 27-46  59%  328yd  2TD  2INT;  5rsh  60yd  12av 1TD 0fmb (W WMich)
                21-34  62%  294yd  3TD  2INT;  1rsh   7yd 7.0av 0TD 0fmb (W IllSt)
                33-47  70%  401yd  2TD  0INT; 11rsh  72yd 6.5av 2TD 0fmb (W Neb)
                37-47  79%  361yd  1TD  2INT; 13rsh  -1yd -.1av 0TD 1fmb (L@Okla)
                14-19  74%  210yd  1TD  1INT;  7rsh  11yd 1.6av 0TD 0fmb (W TTech)
                28-37  76%  250yd  1TD  1INT;  4rsh  11yd 2.8av 0TD 0fmb (W ISU)
                26-44  59%  421yd  5TD  1INT;  6rsh  24yd 6.0av 0TD 0fmb (W@Colo)
                27-35  77%  352yd  3TD  0INT; 10rsh  15yd 1.5av 0TD 1fmb (W TexAM)
                28-41  68%  284yd  4TD  0INT;  7rsh   4yd 0.6av 0TD 0fmb (W@KSt)
                40-49  82%  361yd  3TD  0INT;  7rsh   6yd 0.9av 0TD 0fmb (W=KU)
                23-39  59%  219yd  0TD  1INT; 11rsh  26yd 2.4av 1TD 0fmb (L=Okla)
               372-534 70% 4170yd 33TD 10INT;104rsh 284yd 2.7av 4TD 3fmb

Soon, I will figure out who my 2007 Heisman winner is, and therefore the 1st, 2nd and 3rd places votes that I would cast. Soon.

Freshman of the Year: Sam Bradford, QB Oklahoma

Sam Bradford is the SportsRatings Freshman of the Year and Freshman Quarterback of the Year after an exceptional year where he guided the Sooners to a 11-2 record and a win in the Big Twelve Championship game.

Oklahoma was projected to be a good team, but the real question was at quarterback. Could a freshman lead a top ten team? The hope was that he wouldn't make too many mistakes; no one really expected him to be the team leader. That would be expecting too much.

Instead, not only did Bradford perform adequately, he exceeded all expectations, ultimately leading the nation in passing efficiency, completing 70% of his passes while throwing 32 touchdown passes with only 7 interceptions.

Sam Bradford, QB, 2007* Stats: 198 of 282 (70.2%) for 2,670 yds. 32 TDs, 7 INT
* pre-Big 12 championship game

Oklahoma lost only one game with Bradford at the helm, which further shows his value to the team. In their second loss, Bradford took only a few snaps before leaving with the aftereffects of a concussion he'd received a week earlier. Without him, Oklahoma couldn't capitalize on many scoring opportunities and lost to Texas Tech, 34-27.

Bradford narrowly beats out a Tech player, Michael Crabtree, who finishes 2nd and is the Freshman Receiver of the Year. Crabtree's crazy stats line includes 125 receptions and 21 touchdowns.

Michael Crabtree, WR, 2007 Stats: 125 receptions, 1,861 yards; 21 touchdowns; 155 rec. yards/game

With a bowl game to go, he could surpass 2,000 yards for the season. Bradford gets the overall edge because, for all his great runs after the catch, Crabtree benefits from the pass-happy system led by Graham Harrell. Bradford had to lead a top ten squad as a freshman, and became their MVP.

Finally, Georgia's Knowshon Moreno is Freshman Running Back of the Year. Moreno led Georgia's resurgence during the 2nd half of the season.

Knowshon Moreno, RB, 2007 Stats: 239 rushes, 1,273 yards (5.3 average); 12 TDs

Dennis Dixon, MVP

He won't win the Heisman Trophy, and he may or may not be the very best player, but Oregon's Dennis Dixon is clearly the Most Valuable Player in college football this season, if MVP is defined as the player most responsible for his team's success on the field.

While this was apparent during the year, unfortunately the point was driven home by Dixon's injury and Oregon's subsequent collapse. Without him, the Ducks have struggled, losing to two teams that a Dixon-led Oregon would have demolished, with their former #1 offense getting shut out by UCLA.

At mid-season, when Dixon was climbing Heisman charts on his way to briefly being the frontrunner, there was some talk that the key to the Oregon offense was running back Jonathan Stewart. Especially after his 251-yard performance at Washington, the "knowledgeable" crowd tried to tell us that it was Stewart's running that was enabling Dixon's own running and passing to succeed. But the truth was the opposite; Dixon's multi-threat talent was such a defensive focus that it gave Stewart space that he could take advantage of. After Dixon was lost, Stewart did well against Arizona but without Dixon couldn't lead them to victory, nor could he manage over 33 yards against UCLA. He, too, had injury problems in those games and is undeniably a great talent himself, but these contests made it clear that he wasn't the key to Oregon's success.

The rest of the team felt Dixon's absense as a leader as well. The entire offense ground to a halt against UCLA. The difference between the before and after could not be greater. Through Oregon's first nine games, their scoring offense was 2nd in the country; for their last two games, they rate 117th—essentially going from 2nd best to 3rd or 4th worst. While two games is a small sample, and clearly losing their 2nd string QB did great harm as well, it's obvious that without Dixon the offense is above-average at best, and with him, they are perhaps the very best.

There are many other players who clearly meant a lot to their teams this season, but either their impact was not as great, or their team would have fared reasonably without him.

• Darren McFadden may be the best player in college ball, and he's still tied at the top of my Heisman list, but he's not the MVP. While he may be the best thing the Razorbacks have ever had, he still could not put them over the hump in several key games. Without him, Arkansas' losses would have been by bigger margins, and their wins would have been closer, but their overall record would likely be the same. Plus they have future superstar Felix Jones, who could have taken over with a minimal drop in productivity if he'd had to. Dixon on the other hand had Oregon in position for the national championship before his injury, and was irreplaceable.

• Pat White of West Virginia is another MVP candidate, and he has his team in line for the championship that Oregon is missing out on. But watching West Virginia is a different experience than seeing Oregon. The Mountaineers have a seemingly endless stream of backs, and backup quarterbacks too, who can run for big gains. In other words, as great as White is, the offense as a whole is the machine that's fueling their championship run. In addition to Steve Slaton, Noel Devine emerged as a threat earlier in the season, and against Connecticut five players rushed for over 50 yards. White's stats are a tame imitation of Dixon's, and though without him the team wouldn't be as great, they'd still be very good.

• Chase Daniel also has his team in national title contention and is a Heisman finalist. But given Missouri's constant passing attack, is it safe to say that the role he plays could have been filled by any number of competent passers? And that his receivers may be as responsible for the team's success? It's a tough question, but I don't see anything unique about his ability, and had Missouri recruited a different, unheralded quarterback in Daniel's place, they'd be doing fine. Not playing for the championship, most likely, but doing well nonetheless.
  
  
• The same goes for Colt Brennan at Hawaii, who has bailed them out of trouble in several close games that his interceptions got them into. His backups have had similar yardage and success, showing that on teams with overwhleming and nearly exclusive passing attacks and a large, talented receiver corps, the quarterback tends to have less importance than the national hype attributes to him.


• And then, of course, there's Tim Tebow, who may very well win the Heisman, and he will be a deserving winner if that happens. But again, like McFadden, can we imagine Florida having more than three losses anyway, even if Tebow had never existed? Florida's talent level is great enough that Urban Meyer would have simply adjusted his offensive focus and found wins. If Tebow had the Gators undefeated, or in line to repeat as champions, he probably would deserve MVP designation, but that's not the case. Florida without Tebow would be a very different team—perhaps the most different of any team minus a single player—but they wouldn't necessarily have a worse record.

There are several other players who are crucial to their teams but didn't reach the heights that Dixon led Oregon to, and other team leaders who are great but can't match Dixon's greatness. Last year Dixon was criticized for inconsistency, but his final stats line show that this year that wasn't an issue:

D. Dixon         9-15  60%  134yd  2TD 0INT; 15rsh 141yd 9.4av 1TD 0fmb (W Houston)
                16-25  64%  292yd  3TD 0INT; 16rsh  76yd 4.8av 1TD 0fmb (W@Mich)
                14-20  70%  139yd  2TD 0INT;  8rsh  59yd 7.4av 1TD 0fmb (W Fresno)
                28-37  76%  374yd  4TD 0INT;  9rsh   8yd 0.9av 1TD 1fmb (W@Stanford)
                31-44  70%  306yd  1TD 2INT;  8rsh  17yd 2.1av 1TD 0fmb (L Cal)
                21-28  75%  287yd  3TD 0INT;  7rsh  16yd 2.3av 1TD 0fmb (W WashSt)
                19-30  63%  196yd  1TD 1INT; 12rsh  99yd 8.3av 1TD 0fmb (W@Wash)
                16-25  64%  157yd  0TD 0INT; 17rsh  76yd 4.5av 1TD 0fmb (W USC)
                13-22  59%  189yd  4TD 0INT; 11rsh  57yd 5.2av 0TD 1fmb (W ASU)
                 5-8   63%   62yd  0TD 1INT;  2rsh  34yd  17av 1TD 0fmb (L@Ariz)
                 ---   ---  ---    ---  ---    ---  ---  ---   ---  --- (L@UCLA) DNP
               172-254 68% 2136yd 20TD 4INT;105rsh 583yd 5.6av 9TD 2fmb

As a passer, Dixon's efficiency rating was 5th in the nation. His completion rate and his TD to INT ratio were superb. Add in a rushing touchdown in every game except one and 50+ yard per game rushing average and Dixon was a multi-threat player greater than even Pat White. Tebow's stats may be more impressive, but Dixon had his team competing for the national title, and as I said before, his value to his team was actually greater.

Dixon's one blemish before the injury was the loss against Cal, during which he threw two crucial interceptions. He almost made up for it, leading them on a drive that ended when his receiver fumbled the ball while stretching for the goal line.

Other than that, we see a list of great performances. Three or more total touchdowns in six games; 70%+ passing in four games; 250+ passing yards in four games; 75+ rushing yards in three games. He led the Ducks to back-to-back wins in huge games against Southern Cal and Arizona State, handing the latter its first loss.

And even after showing how good he was, and demonstrating that he was one of the best players in the country, and becoming the Heisman front-runner, it took a cruel twist of fate to prove that he was indeed the Most Valuable Player in all of college football. Dixon no doubt would rather have continued the team's championship run and let others share in the glory. Being known as the MVP is little consolation, I'm sure, but either way he deserves the award.

Heisman Watch - week 13: Still undecided.

I couldn't decide yet. Even though the regular season is over for Darren McFadden and Tim Tebow, the stats are in, the games are played, but I still can't put one definitely ahead of the other. This week I was supposed to make up my mind between the two, and wait for the longshots to play their last game next week and crown the winner. But I'm going to wait until next week to decide anything, and until then there's a tie at first place.

You see, I expected Tim Tebow, having already satisfied my requirement that he have the most amazing season a sophomore has ever achieved, would pass Darren McFadden finally. I wrote last week that for McFadden to hold on, he would need 200+ yards in a win against #1 LSU and that throwing a touchdown pass wouldn't hurt. Well, McFadden rushed for 206 yards in a win against LSU on Friday. He threw a touchdown pass as well. I thought maybe Florida would get beat and make my decision for me. No dice; Tebow had his usual great game, playing with a broken hand even.

So right now they share the #1 spot for another week. What's worse, I couldn't even decide on my final five, i.e., the five New York invitees. Everyone on my list had a season's-best game this weekend. So I couldn't really eliminate Patrick White for rushing for nearly 200 yards in destroying Connecticut, nor Colt Brennan for throwing for almost 500 yards in Hawaii's marquee victory over Boise State, and of course not Chase Daniel for putting Missouri firmly in the national title picture.
 

Final 5 Candidates:

1. D. McFadden  24rsh  151yd 6.3av  1TD 0fmb; 2rec  30yd 0TD; 19ret; TD pass (W Troy)
1-1-1-1-2-1-1-  33rsh  195yd 5.9av  2TD 1fmb; 3rec  16yd 0TD; 27ret;         (L@Alab)
1-1-2-2-2-1-1   29rsh  173yd 6.0av  1TD 0fmb; 2rec  10yd 0TD; 25ret;         (L Ky)
                19rsh  138yd 7.3av  2TD 0fmb; 0rec   0yd 0TD;  0ret;         (W NTex)
                25rsh  122yd 4.9av  1TD 2fmb; 0rec   0yd 0TD;  0ret;         (W Chat)
                17rsh   43yd 2.5av  0TD 0fmb; 1rec   5yd 0TD; 29ret;         (L Aub)
                22rsh  110yd 5.0av  0TD 0fmb; 2rec  10yd 0TD;  0ret;         (W@Miss)
                19rsh   61yd 3.2av  4TD 1fmb; 3rec  22yd 0TD; 19ret;         (W FIU)
                34rsh  321yd 9.4av  1TD 0fmb; 1rec   4yd 0TD; 30ret; TD pass (W SCar)
                22rsh  117yd 5.3av  0TD 0fmb; 3rec  17yd 0TD; 39ret;         (L@Tenn)
                28rsh   88yd 3.1av  0TD 0fmb; 4rec  50yd 1TD; 24ret; TD pass (W MsSt)
                32rsh  206yd 6.4av  3TD 1fmb; 0rec   0yd 0TD; 49ret; TD pass (W@LSU)
               304rsh 1725yd 5.7av 15TD 5fmb;21rec 164yd 1TD;283ret;4TD pass

1. Tim Tebow     13-17  76%  300yd  3TD 0INT;  8rsh  38yd 4.8av  1TD 0fmb (W WKy)
x-x-10-9-8-8-8-  18-25  72%  236yd  3TD 0INT; 17rsh  93yd 5.5av  2TD 0fmb (W Troy)
10-8-8-7-5-3-1   14-19  74%  299yd  2TD 1INT; 18rsh  61yd 3.4av  2TD 0fmb (W Tenn)
                 20-34  59%  261yd  2TD 0INT; 27rsh 166yd 6.1av  2TD 0fmb (W@Miss)
                 20-27  74%  201yd  1TD 1INT; 19rsh  75yd 3.9av  1TD 0fmb (L Aub)
                 12-26  46%  158yd  2TD 1INT; 16rsh  67yd 4.2av  1TD 0fmb (L@LSU)
                 18-26  69%  256yd  4TD 0INT; 20rsh  78yd 3.9av  1TD 0fmb (W@KY)
                 14-22  64%  236yd  1TD 0INT; 13rsh -15yd  -1av  2TD 1fmb (L GA)
                 22-27  81%  281yd  3TD 1INT;  6rsh  35yd 5.8av  2TD 0fmb (W Vand)
                 22-32  69%  304yd  2TD 1INT; 26rsh 120yd 4.6av  5TD 0fmb (W@SCar)
                 25-34  74%  338yd  3TD 1INT; 11rsh  31yd 2.8av  1TD 0fmb (W FAU)
                 19-28  68%  262yd  3TD 0INT; 13rsh  89yd 6.8yd  2TD 0fmb (W FSU)
                217-317 68% 3132yd 29TD 6INT;194rsh 838yd 4.3av 22TD 1fmb

3. Pat White     10-18  58%  192yd  2TD 0INT;  9rsh   97yd 10.8av  2TD 0fmb (W WKy)
10-8-7-7-7-9-7-  13-18  72%  149yd  2TD 0INT; 17rsh  125yd  7.4av  1TD 0fmb (W@Marsh)
9-9-9-9-7-5-3     8-13  62%   95yd  0TD 0INT; 11rsh   22yd  2.0av  1TD 1fmb (W@Mary)
                 18-20  90%  181yd  2TD 0INT;  9rsh   42yd  4.7av  2TD 0fmb (W ECar)
                 12-18  67%  100yd  0TD 1INT;  9rsh   36yd  4.0av  0TD 0fmb (L SoFLA)
                 12-15  80%  148yd  1TD 0INT; 14rsh   89yd  6.4av  1TD 0fmb (W@Syr)
                  8-12  67%   61yd  2TD 1INT;  5rsh   89yd 17.8av  1TD 0fmb (W MsSt)
                 10-16  63%  144yd  0TD 0INT; 22rsh  156yd  7.1av  1TD 0fmb (W@Rut)
                 16-25  64%  181yd  2TD 0INT; 24rsh  147yd  6.1av  1TD 2fmb (W@Lou)
                 13-19  68%  140yd  0TD 1INT; 27rsh  155yd  5.7av  2TD 2fmb (W@Cin)
                  9-13  69%  107yd  1TD 1INT; 16rsh  186yd 11.6av  2TD 0fmb (W Conn)
                129-187 69% 1498yd 12TD 4INT;163rsh 1144yd  7.0av 14TD 5fmb

4. C. Brennan   34-40  85%  416yd  6TD  0INT; 3rsh 23yd 7.7av 0TD 0fmb (W NColorado)
5-2-2-1-1-2-2-  43-61  70%  548yd  4TD  1INT;11rsh -8yd -.7av 1TD 2fmb (W@LA Tech)
4-4-3-3-3-4-4   26-32  81%  298yd  2TD  0INT; 9rsh 19yd 2.1av 3TD 0fmb (W@UNLV)
                 ---   ---  ---    ---   ---   ---  ---  ---  ---  --- (W CharSo) DNP
                30-49  61%  369yd  3TD  5INT; 5rsh -2yd -.4av 1TD 0fmb (W@Idaho)
                19-25  76%  219yd  1TD  0INT; 3rsh  7yd 2.3av 0TD 0fmb (W UtahSt)
                44-75  59%  545yd  4TD  4INT;15rsh -1yd -.1av 1TD 0fmb (W@SJst)
                29-46  63%  425yd  6TD  1INT; 4rsh 13yd 3.3av 0TD 1fmb (W NMexSt)
                28-39  72%  396yd  2TD  1INT; 6rsh  5yd 0.8av 1TD 1fmb (W Fresno)
                 2-2  100%   21yd  0TD  0INT; 0rsh  0yd   0av 0TD 0fmb (W@Nevada)
                40-53  75%  495yd  5TD  2INT; 9rsh 18yd 2.0av 1TD 0fmb (W BoiseSt)
               295-422 70% 3732yd 33TD 14INT;65rsh 74yd 1.1av 8TD 4fmb

5. C. Daniel     37-54  69%  359yd  3TD 0INT;11rsh  -6yd -.5av 0TD 1fmb (W@Ill)
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-   31-42  74%  330yd  5TD 0INT;11rsh  55yd 5.0av 0TD 0fmb (W@Miss)
x-x-x-x-9-7-5    27-46  59%  328yd  2TD 2INT; 5rsh  60yd  12av 1TD 0fmb (W WMich)
                 21-34  62%  294yd  3TD 2INT; 1rsh   7yd 7.0av 0TD 0fmb (W IllSt)
                 33-47  70%  401yd  2TD 0INT;11rsh  72yd 6.5av 2TD 0fmb (W Neb)
                 37-47  79%  361yd  1TD 2INT;13rsh  -1yd -.1av 0TD 1fmb (L@Okla)
                 14-19  74%  210yd  1TD 1INT; 7rsh  11yd 1.6av 0TD 0fmb (W TTech)
                 28-37  76%  250yd  1TD 1INT; 4rsh  11yd 2.8av 0TD 0fmb (W ISU)
                 26-44  59%  421yd  5TD 1INT; 6rsh  24yd 6.0av 0TD 0fmb (W@Colo)
                 27-35  77%  352yd  3TD 0INT;10rsh  15yd 1.5av 0TD 1fmb (W TexAM)
                 28-41  68%  284yd  4TD 0INT; 7rsh   4yd 0.6av 0TD 0fmb (W@KSt)
                 40-49  82%  361yd  3TD 0INT; 7rsh   6yd 0.9av 0TD 0fmb (W=KU)
                349-495 71% 3951yd 33TD 9INT;93rsh 258yd 2.8av 3TD 3fmb

This coming weekend, three of the five have another game. Two are playing essentially for a birth in the national title game, and the other is playing to achieve an undefeated season. Realistically, for me Colt Brennan is playing for a finish in the top five; I doubt I would put him in the "vote counting" final three given Hawaii's light schedule. Pat White, with a good performance, could stay in the top three. His numbers just aren't there for a win, and next week's game is one West Virginia is expected to win. Chase Daniel, though, could end up just about anywhere. A loss possibly drops him from the top five. A win over the Sooners keeps him there and could put him in the top three. An astounding game and he could score a major, come-from-behind win...but I doubt it. He is having the strongest finish over the last month of any player, and unlike the other two, he's facing top competition in his final game. 

All I could settle on was eliminating Todd Reesing, the loser in the Kansas-Missouri clash. He threw two interceptions and the Jayhawks' undefeated status is bust. Still, he had incredible stats for the year. I also moved Dennis Dixon further down the list than I thought I would have to. If any of the three that play next week screws up or loses, I'll move Dixon back into the top five. And either way, there's no set limit to how many are invited to New York. Lately it's been four or five, but I think this year it should be six: the five above and Dennis Dixon. After all, he stood a very good chance of winning it if he had remained healthy.

The final stats for those removed from consideration:

D. Dixon         9-15  60%  134yd  2TD 0INT; 15rsh 141yd 9.4av 1TD 0fmb (W Houston)
x-x-9-8-4-4-3-  16-25  64%  292yd  3TD 0INT; 16rsh  76yd 4.8av 1TD 0fmb (W@Mich)
2-2-1-1-1-2-x   14-20  70%  139yd  2TD 0INT;  8rsh  59yd 7.4av 1TD 0fmb (W Fresno)
                28-37  76%  374yd  4TD 0INT;  9rsh   8yd 0.9av 1TD 1fmb (W@Stanford)
                31-44  70%  306yd  1TD 2INT;  8rsh  17yd 2.1av 1TD 0fmb (L Cal)
                21-28  75%  287yd  3TD 0INT;  7rsh  16yd 2.3av 1TD 0fmb (W WashSt)
                19-30  63%  196yd  1TD 1INT; 12rsh  99yd 8.3av 1TD 0fmb (W@Wash)
                16-25  64%  157yd  0TD 0INT; 17rsh  76yd 4.5av 1TD 0fmb (W USC)
                13-22  59%  189yd  4TD 0INT; 11rsh  57yd 5.2av 0TD 1fmb (W ASU)
                 5-8   63%   62yd  0TD 1INT;  2rsh  34yd  17av 1TD 0fmb (L@Ariz)
                 ---   ---  ---    ---  ---    ---  ---  ---   ---  --- (L@UCLA) DNP
               172-254 68% 2136yd 20TD 4INT;105rsh 583yd 5.6av 9TD 2fmb

T. Reesing       20-29  69%  261yd  4TD 0INT; 6rsh   8yd 1.3av 0TD 0fmb (W CMich)
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-   13-23  57%  257yd  2TD 0INT; 5rsh  31yd 6.2av 0TD 0fmb (W SE LA)
x-x-x-x-8-6-x    17-36  47%  313yd  4TD 0INT;11rsh  19yd 1.7av 0TD 0fmb (W Toledo)
                 23-37  62%  368yd  1TD 1INT; 8rsh  47yd 5.9av 1TD 0fmb (W FIU)
                 22-35  63%  267yd  3TD 3INT; 8rsh  12yd 1.5av 0TD 0fmb (W@KState)
                 14-31  45%  186yd  2TD 0INT;10rsh  14yd 1.4av 0TD 0fmb (W Baylor)
                 20-29  69%  153yd  1TD 0INT; 7rsh  84yd  12av 0TD 0fmb (W@Colo)
                 21-33  64%  180yd  0TD 0INT;11rsh -22yd  -2av 0TD 0fmb (W@TexAM)
                 30-41  73%  354yd  6TD 0INT; 4rsh  10yd 2.5av 0TD 0fmb (W Neb)
                 27-40  68%  318yd  3TD 0INT; 2rsh  -6yd  -3av 0TD 0fmb (W@OK St)
                 21-26  81%  253yd  4TD 0INT; 4rsh   5yd 1.3av 0TD 0fmb (W ISU)
                 28-49  57%  349yd  2TD 2INT; 6rsh   1yd  .2av 1TD 0fmb (L=Mizz)
                256-409 63% 3259yd 32TD 6INT;82rsh 203yd 2.5av 2TD 0fmb

The updated 5T (Total-TDs-To-Total-Turnovers) Chart:

candidate      TDs   TOs   score1  score2  total
Tebow          51     7     6.38    14.7   21.0
Daniel         36    12     2.77     8.0   10.8
Brennan        41    18     2.16     7.7    9.8
McFadden       20     5     3.33     5.0    8.3
P. White       26     9     2.60     5.7    8.3  

Next week: the Decision (I hope).

Arkansas 50, #2 LSU 48, 3OT

The most interesting Heisman race just got even more interesting.

Darren McFadden: 32 rushes, 205 yards, 3TDs, 1 fumble; 3-6 passing, 34 yards, 1 TD; 59 return yards

That, and beating the #1 team in the polls, should put him back in the race yet again. Depending on what Tim Tebow does tomorrow, it's going to be close. If Florida loses, McFadden should be the leader. Then there's the Chase Daniel-Todd Reesing wildcard, one of whom will have another game after tomorrow's showdown.

National Championship: LSU is out. West Virginia or Ohio State is in. The Mountaineers have to beat Connecticut still. And Missouri/Kansas has to beat Oklahoma. I like Ohio State's odds to get in.

I'd really like to see the Buckeyes in the Rose Bowl against USC. And if both Connecticut and Oklahoma win? Ohio State will face a 2-loss team for the title. For the first time ever, the national champion could be a 2-loss team.

Which 2-loss team would make it? Georgia, if they beat LSU. If not, the next highest ranked is Virginia Tech—but would they deserve to be ahead of the LSU team that beat them 48-7? Next in line: Oregon. But can they win out without Dixon? After them, Oklahoma. If they beat Missouri/Kansas, they'd probably get in.

What a crazy season.

Heisman Trophy playoff brackets

|      Round One         Round Two
|     (Nov. 23-24)       (Dec. 1st)
|
|
|     Tim Tebow      
|     (vs. FSU)       |
|                     |    winner   
|                     |(season done) |
|   Darren McFadden   |              |
|     (vs. LSU)                      |
|                                    |
|                                    |
|                                    |   Heisman Trophy winner   
|                                    | (loser takes 2nd-4th place)
|                                    |
|                                    |
|   Chase Daniel                     |
|     (vs. KU)        |              |
|                     |    winner    |
|                     |(vs. Oklahoma)
|   Todd Reesing      |
|   (vs. Missouri)
|
|
|
|
|
|  Consolation bracket:
|
|
|
|     Pat White      
|    (vs. UConn)      |
|                     |    winner   
|                     |(1 game left) |
|   Colt Brennan      |              |
|  (vs. Boise St.)                   |
|                                    |
|                                    |
|                                    |  2nd or 3rd Place finisher 
|                                    |
|                                    |
|Tebow/McFadden loser                |
|                     |              |
|                     |    winner    |
|                     | (season over) 
|   Dennis Dixon      |             
|  (done for year)                  

|

Heisman Watch - week 12: final 7

What to do about Dennis Dixon is my question for the week. Clearly he's not going to win the award, but I think he still deserves a New York invite for his accomplishments this season, and possibly still a top three finish. For right now I've moved him down to number two, though since he's out for the season others will push ahead of him if they're deserving.

Darren McFadden and Tim Tebow are both going to make my final three, and one of them is likely to garner my top spot. Though McFadden had but 88 yards against South Carolina, he caught a touchdown pass and threw for another, giving him three TD passes on the year. His team's four losses put him on the brink: lose again and he's out, and he needs a big game in beating LSU to have a chance of winning the award. Tebow is most people's #1 right now, but I'm giving the sophomore every chance to stumble. A loss against Florida State would be his fourth; another great game might put him over the top, especially coupled with an Arkansas loss. It's going to be close but he might be the first soph ever to win.
 

Final 7 Candidates:

1. D. McFadden  24rsh  151yd 6.3av  1TD 0fmb; 2rec  30yd 0TD; 19ret; TD pass (W Troy)
1-1-1-1-2-1-1-  33rsh  195yd 5.9av  2TD 1fmb; 3rec  16yd 0TD; 27ret;         (L@Alab)
1-1-2-2-2-1     29rsh  173yd 6.0av  1TD 0fmb; 2rec  10yd 0TD; 25ret;         (L Ky)
                19rsh  138yd 7.3av  2TD 0fmb; 0rec   0yd 0TD;  0ret;         (W NTex)
                25rsh  122yd 4.9av  1TD 2fmb; 0rec   0yd 0TD;  0ret;         (W Chat)
                17rsh   43yd 2.5av  0TD 0fmb; 1rec   5yd 0TD; 29ret;         (L Aub)
                22rsh  110yd 5.0av  0TD 0fmb; 2rec  10yd 0TD;  0ret;         (W@Miss)
                19rsh   61yd 3.2av  4TD 1fmb; 3rec  22yd 0TD; 19ret;         (W FIU)
                34rsh  321yd 9.4av  1TD 0fmb; 1rec   4yd 0TD; 30ret; TD pass (W SCar)
                22rsh  117yd 5.3av  0TD 0fmb; 3rec  17yd 0TD; 39ret;         (L@Tenn)
                28rsh   88yd 3.1av  0TD 0fmb; 4rec  50yd 1TD; 24ret; TD pass (W MsSt)
               272rsh 1519yd 5.6av 12TD 4fmb;21rec 164yd 1TD;234ret;3TD pass

2. D. Dixon      9-15  60%  134yd  2TD 0INT; 15rsh 141yd 9.4av 1TD 0fmb (W Houston)
x-x-9-8-4-4-3-  16-25  64%  292yd  3TD 0INT; 16rsh  76yd 4.8av 1TD 0fmb (W@Mich)
2-2-1-1-1-2     14-20  70%  139yd  2TD 0INT;  8rsh  59yd 7.4av 1TD 0fmb (W Fresno)
                28-37  76%  374yd  4TD 0INT;  9rsh   8yd 0.9av 1TD 1fmb (W@Stanford)
                31-44  70%  306yd  1TD 2INT;  8rsh  17yd 2.1av 1TD 0fmb (L Cal)
                21-28  75%  287yd  3TD 0INT;  7rsh  16yd 2.3av 1TD 0fmb (W WashSt)
                19-30  63%  196yd  1TD 1INT; 12rsh  99yd 8.3av 1TD 0fmb (W@Wash)
                16-25  64%  157yd  0TD 0INT; 17rsh  76yd 4.5av 1TD 0fmb (W USC)
                13-22  59%  189yd  4TD 0INT; 11rsh  57yd 5.2av 0TD 1fmb (W ASU)
                 5-8   63%   62yd  0TD 1INT;  2rsh  34yd  17av 1TD 0fmb (L@Ariz)
               172-254 68% 2136yd 20TD 4INT;105rsh 583yd 5.6av 9TD 2fmb

3. Tim Tebow     13-17  76%  300yd  3TD 0INT;  8rsh  38yd 4.8av  1TD 0fmb (W WKy)
x-x-10-9-8-8-8-  18-25  72%  236yd  3TD 0INT; 17rsh  93yd 5.5av  2TD 0fmb (W Troy)
10-8-8-7-5-3     14-19  74%  299yd  2TD 1INT; 18rsh  61yd 3.4av  2TD 0fmb (W Tenn)
                 20-34  59%  261yd  2TD 0INT; 27rsh 166yd 6.1av  2TD 0fmb (W@Miss)
                 20-27  74%  201yd  1TD 1INT; 19rsh  75yd 3.9av  1TD 0fmb (L Aub)
                 12-26  46%  158yd  2TD 1INT; 16rsh  67yd 4.2av  1TD 0fmb (L@LSU)
                 18-26  69%  256yd  4TD 0INT; 20rsh  78yd 3.9av  1TD 0fmb (W@KY)
                 14-22  64%  236yd  1TD 0INT; 13rsh -15yd  -1av  2TD 1fmb (L GA)
                 22-27  81%  281yd  3TD 1INT;  6rsh  35yd 5.8av  2TD 0fmb (W Vand)
                 22-32  69%  304yd  2TD 1INT; 26rsh 120yd 4.6av  5TD 0fmb (W@SCar)
                 25-34  74%  338yd  3TD 1INT; 11rsh  31yd 2.8av  1TD 0fmb (W FAU)
                198-289 69% 2870yd 26TD 6INT;181rsh 749yd 4.1av 20TD 1fmb

4. C. Brennan   34-40  85%  416yd  6TD  0INT; 3rsh 23yd 7.7av 0TD 0fmb (W NColorado)
5-2-2-1-1-2-2-  43-61  70%  548yd  4TD  1INT;11rsh -8yd -.7av 1TD 2fmb (W@LA Tech)
4-4-3-3-3-4     26-32  81%  298yd  2TD  0INT; 9rsh 19yd 2.1av 3TD 0fmb (W@UNLV)
                 ---   ---  ---    ---   ---   ---  ---  ---  ---  --- (W CharSo) DNP
                30-49  61%  369yd  3TD  5INT; 5rsh -2yd -.4av 1TD 0fmb (W@Idaho)
                19-25  76%  219yd  1TD  0INT; 3rsh  7yd 2.3av 0TD 0fmb (W UtahSt)
                44-75  59%  545yd  4TD  4INT;15rsh -1yd -.1av 1TD 0fmb (W@SJst)
                29-46  63%  425yd  6TD  1INT; 4rsh 13yd 3.3av 0TD 1fmb (W NMexSt)
                28-39  72%  396yd  2TD  1INT; 6rsh  5yd 0.8av 1TD 1fmb (W Fresno)
                 2-2  100%   21yd  0TD  0INT; 0rsh  0yd   0av 0TD 0fmb (W@Nevada)
               255-369 69% 3237yd 28TD 12INT;56rsh 56yd 1.0av 7TD 4fmb

5. Pat White     10-18  58%  192yd  2TD 0INT;  9rsh  97yd 10.8av  2TD 0fmb (W WKy)
10-8-7-7-7-9-7-  13-18  72%  149yd  2TD 0INT; 17rsh 125yd  7.4av  1TD 0fmb (W@Marsh)
9-9-9-9-7-5       8-13  62%   95yd  0TD 0INT; 11rsh  22yd  2.0av  1TD 1fmb (W@Mary)
                 18-20  90%  181yd  2TD 0INT;  9rsh  42yd  4.7av  2TD 0fmb (W ECar)
                 12-18  67%  100yd  0TD 1INT;  9rsh  36yd  4.0av  0TD 0fmb (L SoFLA)
                 12-15  80%  148yd  1TD 0INT; 14rsh  89yd  6.4av  1TD 0fmb (W@Syr)
                  8-12  67%   61yd  2TD 1INT;  5rsh  89yd 17.8av  1TD 0fmb (W MsSt)
                 10-16  63%  144yd  0TD 0INT; 22rsh 156yd  7.1av  1TD 0fmb (W@Rut)
                 16-25  64%  181yd  2TD 0INT; 24rsh 147yd  6.1av  1TD 2fmb (W@Lou)
                 13-19  68%  140yd  0TD 1INT; 27rsh 155yd  5.7av  2TD 2fmb (W@Cin)
                120-174 69% 1391yd 11TD 3INT;147rsh 958yd  6.5av 12TD 5fmb

6. T. Reesing    20-29  69%  261yd  4TD 0INT; 6rsh   8yd 1.3av 0TD 0fmb (W CMich)
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-   13-23  57%  257yd  2TD 0INT; 5rsh  31yd 6.2av 0TD 0fmb (W SE LA)
x-x-x-x-8-6      17-36  47%  313yd  4TD 0INT;11rsh  19yd 1.7av 0TD 0fmb (W Toledo)
                 23-37  62%  368yd  1TD 1INT; 8rsh  47yd 5.9av 1TD 0fmb (W FIU)
                 22-35  63%  267yd  3TD 3INT; 8rsh  12yd 1.5av 0TD 0fmb (W@KState)
                 14-31  45%  186yd  2TD 0INT;10rsh  14yd 1.4av 0TD 0fmb (W Baylor)
                 20-29  69%  153yd  1TD 0INT; 7rsh  84yd  12av 0TD 0fmb (W@Colo)
                 21-33  64%  180yd  0TD 0INT;11rsh -22yd  -2av 0TD 0fmb (W@TexAM)
                 30-41  73%  354yd  6TD 0INT; 4rsh  10yd 2.5av 0TD 0fmb (W Neb)
                 27-40  68%  318yd  3TD 0INT; 2rsh  -6yd  -3av 0TD 0fmb (W@OK St)
                 21-26  81%  253yd  4TD 0INT; 4rsh   5yd 1.3av 0TD 0fmb (W ISU)
                228-360 63% 2910yd 30TD 4INT;76rsh 202yd 2.7av 1TD 0fmb

7. C. Daniel     37-54  69%  359yd  3TD 0INT;11rsh  -6yd -.5av 0TD 1fmb (W@Ill)
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-   31-42  74%  330yd  5TD 0INT;11rsh  55yd 5.0av 0TD 0fmb (W@Miss)
x-x-x-x-9-7      27-46  59%  328yd  2TD 2INT; 5rsh  60yd  12av 1TD 0fmb (W WMich)
                 21-34  62%  294yd  3TD 2INT; 1rsh   7yd 7.0av 0TD 0fmb (W IllSt)
                 33-47  70%  401yd  2TD 0INT;11rsh  72yd 6.5av 2TD 0fmb (W Neb)
                 37-47  79%  361yd  1TD 2INT;13rsh  -1yd -.1av 0TD 1fmb (L@Okla)
                 14-19  74%  210yd  1TD 1INT; 7rsh  11yd 1.6av 0TD 0fmb (W TTech)
                 28-37  76%  250yd  1TD 1INT; 4rsh  11yd 2.8av 0TD 0fmb (W ISU)
                 26-44  59%  421yd  5TD 1INT; 6rsh  24yd 6.0av 0TD 0fmb (W@Colo)
                 27-35  77%  352yd  3TD 0INT;10rsh  15yd 1.5av 0TD 1fmb (W TexAM)
                 28-41  68%  284yd  4TD 0INT; 7rsh   4yd 0.6av 0TD 0fmb (W@KSt)
                309-446 69% 3590yd 30TD 9INT;86rsh 252yd 2.9av 3TD 3fmb

Colt Brennan completed 100% of his passes last week, but only took 2 snaps for Hawaii in their win, while his backup put up Brennan-like numbers in his absence. At this point Brennan is competing for a top five finish, which he will probably get if Hawaii wins out. Pat White rushed for over 150 yards yet again, but he also had three turnovers. He might be able to finish in the top three with strong performances in his last two games.

The wildcards are Todd Reesing and Chase Daniel, who match up next week in a huge game. Almost certainly, the winner will move into the top 5, while the loser will be eliminated. In their last three games, Reesing has 13 TDs and 0 interceptions, while Daniel has 12 TDs with 1 pick.

Next week's cut to the final five, representing the players I think deserve an invite to New York, will likely consist of McFadden, Dixon, and Tebow, along with the winner of Reesing vs. Daniel and then either Brennan or White.

Though there will be a week remaining—mostly conference championships—the winner will be 90% decided by next Sunday. That's because the current top three candidates won't play on December 1st. Once McFadden and Tebow finish their seasons next week, it will take a lot for anyone to pass them. The Reesing/Daniel winner will have an opportunity to do so with an amazing performance in the Big 12 final. Colt Brennan and Pat White also play December 1st, but each has but a very slim chance of getting my vote even if all the other candidates sink.

The final stats for those removed from consideration:

A. Woodson      20-29  69%  250yd  3TD 0INT; 3rsh  -12yd  -4av 0TD 0fmb (W EKy)
x-x-x-x-9-5-5-  15-22  68%  218yd  2TD 0INT; 8rsh  -21yd  -3av 1TD 0fmb (W KenSt)
3-3-3-3-4-x     30-44  68%  275yd  4TD 0INT; 3rsh    0yd   0av 0TD 0fmb (W Louis)
                21-39  54%  265yd  2TD 0INT; 4rsh  -23yd  -6av 1TD 1fmb (W@Ark)
                26-33  79%  303yd  5TD 1INT; 2rsh    4yd   2av 0TD 0fmb (W FLatl)
                23-40  58%  227yd  2TD 1INT; 4rsh  -49yd -12av 0TD 2fmb (L@SC)
                21-38  55%  250yd  3TD 2INT; 3rsh   16yd 5.3av 1TD 0fmb (W LSU)
                35-50  70%  415yd  5TD 0INT; 8rsh  -38yd  -5av 0TD 0fmb (L FLA)
                24-42  57%  230yd  2TD 3INT; 5rsh    0yd   0av 0TD 0fmb (L MsSt)
                17-28  61%  222yd  1TD 0INT; 8rsh    9yd 1.3av 0TD 1fmb (W@Vandy)
                24-41  59%  268yd  1TD 1INT; 7rsh  -36yd  -5av 0TD 0fmb (L@Ga)
               256-406 63% 2921yd 30TD 8INT;55rsh -150yd  -3av 3TD 3fmb

M. Hart         23rsh  182yd 8.2av  3TD 0fmb               (L App St)
6-10-x-x-x-x-6- 25rsh  127yd 5.1av  0TD 0fmb               (L Oregon)
5-5-6-5-6-x     35rsh  187yd 5.3av  2TD 0fmb 2rec 14yd 0TD (W Notre Dame)
                44rsh  153yd 3.5av  1TD 0fmb 0rec  0yd 0TD (W Penn St)
                30rsh  106yd 3.5av  1TD 0fmb 1rec  4yd 0TD (W@Nwest)
                22rsh  215yd 9.8av  3TD 0fmb 3rec 18yd 0TD (W E Mich)
                21rsh  102yd 4.9av  2TD 0fmb 1rec  7yd 0TD (W Purdue)
                  ---  ---   ---    ---  ---  ---  --- --- (W@ILL)  DNP
                  ---  ---   ---    ---  ---  ---  --- --- (W Minn) DNP
                15rsh  110yd 7.3av  0TD 0fmb 0rec  0yd 0TD (W Mich St)
                  ---  ---   ---    ---  ---  ---  --- --- (L@Wisc) DNP
                18rsh   44yd 2.4av  0TD 0fmb 0rec  0yd 0TD (L OhioSt)
               233rsh 1232yd 5.3av 12TD 0fmb 7rec 43yd 0TD

Kentucky's fourth loss puts the final nail in Andre Woodson's long-fading candidacy, while Michigan's fourth loss dooms Michael Hart. Hart was hanging on by a thread after missing three games, and having his first sub-100 yard performance didn't help.

The updated 5T (Total-TDs-To-Total-Turnovers) Chart:

candidate      TDs   TOs   score1  score2  total
Tebow          46     7     5.75    13.0   18.8
Reesing        30     4     6.00     8.7   14.7
Dixon          29     6     4.14     7.7   11.8
P. White       23     8     2.56     5.0    7.6
Daniel         33    12     2.54     7.0    9.5
Brennan        35    16     2.06     6.3    8.4
McFadden       16     4     3.20     4.0    7.2

Next week: the Final Five.

Sophomores Leading the Heisman Race?

After Dennis Dixon's season-ending injury, Colt Brennan taking only 2 snaps for Hawaii, Michael Hart's struggle in Michigan's loss to Ohio State, and Andre Woodson's Kentucky Wildcats suffering their fourth defeat, it hasn't been a good couple of days for senior Heisman trophy candidates.

But it's been a stellar day so far for sophomores. Everyone knows about Tim Tebow, who just became the only player in college football history to pass for 20 TDs and run for 20TDs in the same season.

He's not the only super soph, though: Todd Reesing of Kansas is 17 of 18 for 4 touchdowns—at the half—leading undefeated Kansas vs. Iowa State.

I've said before that for a sophomore to win the Heisman he should have the best season a sophomore has ever had. Despite Florida's three losses, Tebow is arguably accomplishing just that. It didn't look like Reesing, as well as he's done this year, could approach that level, but a few more games like this one—against Missouri and Oklahoma—and the Jayhawks will be playing for the national title, and the Heisman could boil down to a choice between the two sophs.

Heisman Watch - week 11: 3 gone...2 added

Ok I spoke too soon about my "final ten." Even though I cut three players this week, I added two new ones, leaving nine on the list. This year is just too nutty, both for the Heisman and overall, to be able to stick exactly to a plan. I almost added Todd Reesing last week and didn't, but if Kansas goes undefeated I think I'd have to have him in the final five. Likewise Chase Daniel, who has a chance to beat Kansas and avenge the Oklahoma loss, is going to be around for a bit. I'm 90% sure I won't be adding anyone else the rest of the way, and should cut to seven, then five, over the next two weeks.

Dennis Dixon is still on top, though idle last week, and will be watched closely over his last three games. He needs to put a bit of oomph into his numbers. Darren McFadden holds at #2 after a mild 117 yards against Tennessee. More importantly, his Arkansas Razorbacks lost their fourth game. Needless to say, his work is cut out for him, but a big game in an upset win over LSU could still bring him the award (or at least my vote).

Colt Brennan just tied the NCAA record for career touchdowns, which, although more reflective of what he did last year than this season, might earn him a trip to New York depending on what happens to the other candidates. Although his interception tally is high, he has a good completion percentage, 28 TD passes, over 3,000 passing yards, and 7 rushing touchdowns. Most importantly, his team is undefeated. The problems: voters are tuned in to Hawaii's weak schedule, and Brennan got knocked out of the Fresno State game with a concussion and might not play Friday. He should be ready to go for the Warrior's big game against Boise State on the 23rd.

Andre Woodson is the 'other' forgotten QB candidate. After Kentucky lost three of four, Woodson's stock plummeted, but he has 29TDs on the year and a (slim) chance to make the SEC title game, which would mean a rematch with LSU. Beating LSU twice in a season should make anyone a Heisman finalist. More realistically, though, Woodson is just waiting here for another candidate to push past him. Unless he has spectacular games against Georgia and Tennessee he won't make my final five. [Note: UK can't make the SEC title game under the tie-breaker system.]
 

Final 9 Candidates:

1. D. Dixon      9-15  60%  134yd  2TD 0INT; 15rsh 141yd 9.4av 1TD 0fmb (W Houston)
x-x-9-8-4-4-3-  16-25  64%  292yd  3TD 0INT; 16rsh  76yd 4.8av 1TD 0fmb (W@Mich)
2-2-1-1-1       14-20  70%  139yd  2TD 0INT;  8rsh  59yd 7.4av 1TD 0fmb (W Fresno)
                28-37  76%  374yd  4TD 0INT;  9rsh   8yd 0.9av 1TD 1fmb (W@Stanford)
                31-44  70%  306yd  1TD 2INT;  8rsh  17yd 2.1av 1TD 0fmb (L Cal)
                21-28  75%  287yd  3TD 0INT;  7rsh  16yd 2.3av 1TD 0fmb (W WashSt)
                19-30  63%  196yd  1TD 1INT; 12rsh  99yd 8.3av 1TD 0fmb (W@Wash)
                16-25  64%  157yd  0TD 0INT; 17rsh  76yd 4.5av 1TD 0fmb (W USC)
                13-22  59%  189yd  4TD 0INT; 11rsh  57yd 5.2av 0TD 1fmb (W ASU)
               167-246 68% 2074yd 20TD 3INT;103rsh 549yd 5.3av 8TD 2fmb

2. D. McFadden  24rsh  151yd 6.3av  1TD 0fmb; 2rec  30yd 0TD; 19ret; TD pass (W Troy)
1-1-1-1-2-1-1-  33rsh  195yd 5.9av  2TD 1fmb; 3rec  16yd 0TD; 27ret;         (L@Alab)
1-1-2-2-2       29rsh  173yd 6.0av  1TD 0fmb; 2rec  10yd 0TD; 25ret;         (L Ky)
                19rsh  138yd 7.3av  2TD 0fmb; 0rec   0yd 0TD;  0ret;         (W NTex)
                25rsh  122yd 4.9av  1TD 2fmb; 0rec   0yd 0TD;  0ret;         (W Chat)
                17rsh   43yd 2.5av  0TD 0fmb; 1rec   5yd 0TD; 29ret;         (L Aub)
                22rsh  110yd 5.0av  0TD 0fmb; 2rec  10yd 0TD;  0ret;         (W@Miss)
                19rsh   61yd 3.2av  4TD 1fmb; 3rec  22yd 0TD; 19ret;         (W FIU)
                34rsh  321yd 9.4av  1TD 0fmb; 1rec   4yd 0TD; 30ret; TD pass (W SCar)
                22rsh  117yd 5.3av  0TD 0fmb; 3rec  17yd 0TD; 39ret;         (L@Tenn)
               244rsh 1431yd 5.9av 12TD 4fmb;17rec 114yd 0TD;210ret; 2TD pass

3. C. Brennan   34-40  85%  416yd  6TD  0INT; 3rsh 23yd 7.7av 0TD 0fmb (W NColorado)
5-2-2-1-1-2-2-  43-61  70%  548yd  4TD  1INT;11rsh -8yd -.7av 1TD 2fmb (W@LA Tech)
4-4-3-3-3       26-32  81%  298yd  2TD  0INT; 9rsh 19yd 2.1av 3TD 0fmb (W@UNLV)
                 ---   ---  ---    ---   ---   ---  ---  ---  ---  --- (W CharSo) DNP
                30-49  61%  369yd  3TD  5INT; 5rsh -2yd -.4av 1TD 0fmb (W@Idaho)
                19-25  76%  219yd  1TD  0INT; 3rsh  7yd 2.3av 0TD 0fmb (W UtahSt)
                44-75  59%  545yd  4TD  4INT;15rsh -1yd -.1av 1TD 0fmb (W@SJst)
                29-46  63%  425yd  6TD  1INT; 4rsh 13yd 3.3av 0TD 1fmb (W NMexSt)
                28-39  72%  396yd  2TD  1INT; 6rsh  5yd 0.8av 1TD 1fmb (W Fresno)
               253-367 69% 3216yd 28TD 12INT;56rsh 56yd 1.0av 7TD 4fmb

4. A. Woodson   20-29  69%  250yd  3TD 0INT; 3rsh  -12yd  -4av 0TD 0fmb (W EKy)
x-x-x-x-9-5-5-  15-22  68%  218yd  2TD 0INT; 8rsh  -21yd  -3av 1TD 0fmb (W KenSt)
3-3-3-3-4       30-44  68%  275yd  4TD 0INT; 3rsh    0yd   0av 0TD 0fmb (W Louis)
                21-39  54%  265yd  2TD 0INT; 4rsh  -23yd  -6av 1TD 1fmb (W@Ark)
                26-33  79%  303yd  5TD 1INT; 2rsh    4yd   2av 0TD 0fmb (W FLatl)
                23-40  58%  227yd  2TD 1INT; 4rsh  -49yd -12av 0TD 2fmb (L@SC)
                21-38  55%  250yd  3TD 2INT; 3rsh   16yd 5.3av 1TD 0fmb (W LSU)
                35-50  70%  415yd  5TD 0INT; 8rsh  -38yd  -5av 0TD 0fmb (L FLA)
                24-42  57%  230yd  2TD 3INT; 5rsh    0yd   0av 0TD 0fmb (L MsSt)
                17-28  61%  222yd  1TD 0INT; 8rsh    9yd 1.3av 0TD 1fmb (W@Vandy)
               232-365 64% 2653yd 29TD 7INT;48rsh -114yd  -2av 3TD 3fmb

5. Tim Tebow     13-17  76%  300yd  3TD 0INT;  8rsh  38yd 4.8av  1TD 0fmb (W WKy)
x-x-10-9-8-8-8-  18-25  72%  236yd  3TD 0INT; 17rsh  93yd 5.5av  2TD 0fmb (W Troy)
10-8-8-7-5       14-19  74%  299yd  2TD 1INT; 18rsh  61yd 3.4av  2TD 0fmb (W Tenn)
                 20-34  59%  261yd  2TD 0INT; 27rsh 166yd 6.1av  2TD 0fmb (W@Miss)
                 20-27  74%  201yd  1TD 1INT; 19rsh  75yd 3.9av  1TD 0fmb (L Aub)
                 12-26  46%  158yd  2TD 1INT; 16rsh  67yd 4.2av  1TD 0fmb (L@LSU)
                 18-26  69%  256yd  4TD 0INT; 20rsh  78yd 3.9av  1TD 0fmb (W@KY)
                 14-22  64%  236yd  1TD 0INT; 13rsh -15yd  -1av  2TD 1fmb (L GA)
                 22-27  81%  281yd  3TD 1INT;  6rsh  35yd 5.8av  2TD 0fmb (W Vand)
                 22-32  69%  304yd  2TD 1INT; 26rsh 120yd 4.6av  5TD 0fmb (W@SCar)
                173-255 68% 2532yd 23TD 5INT;170rsh 718yd 4.2av 19TD 1fmb

6. M. Hart      23rsh  182yd 8.2av  3TD 0fmb               (L App St)
6-10-x-x-x-x-6- 25rsh  127yd 5.1av  0TD 0fmb               (L Oregon)
5-5-6-5-6       35rsh  187yd 5.3av  2TD 0fmb 2rec 14yd 0TD (W Notre Dame)
                44rsh  153yd 3.5av  1TD 0fmb 0rec  0yd 0TD (W Penn St)
                30rsh  106yd 3.5av  1TD 0fmb 1rec  4yd 0TD (W@Nwest)
                22rsh  215yd 9.8av  3TD 0fmb 3rec 18yd 0TD (W E Mich)
                21rsh  102yd 4.9av  2TD 0fmb 1rec  7yd 0TD (W Purdue)
                  ---  ---   ---    ---  ---  ---  --- --- (W@ILL)  DNP
                  ---  ---   ---    ---  ---  ---  --- --- (W Minn) DNP
                15rsh  110yd 7.3av  0TD 0fmb 0rec  0yd 0TD (W Mich St)
                  ---  ---   ---    ---  ---  ---  --- --- (L@Wisc) DNP
               215rsh 1188yd 5.5av 12TD 0fmb 7rec 43yd 0TD

7. Pat White     10-18  58%  192yd  2TD 0INT;  9rsh  97yd 10.8av  2TD 0fmb (W WKy)
10-8-7-7-7-9-7-  13-18  72%  149yd  2TD 0INT; 17rsh 125yd  7.4av  1TD 0fmb (W@Marsh)
9-9-9-9-7         8-13  62%   95yd  0TD 0INT; 11rsh  22yd  2.0av  1TD 1fmb (W@Mary)
                 18-20  90%  181yd  2TD 0INT;  9rsh  42yd  4.7av  2TD 0fmb (W ECar)
                 12-18  67%  100yd  0TD 1INT;  9rsh  36yd  4.0av  0TD 0fmb (L SoFLA)
                 12-15  80%  148yd  1TD 0INT; 14rsh  89yd  6.4av  1TD 0fmb (W@Syr)
                  8-12  67%   61yd  2TD 1INT;  5rsh  89yd 17.8av  1TD 0fmb (W MsSt)
                 10-16  63%  144yd  0TD 0INT; 22rsh 156yd  7.1av  1TD 0fmb (W@Rut)
                 16-25  64%  181yd  2TD 0INT; 24rsh 147yd  6.1av  1TD 2fmb (W@Lou)
                107-155 69% 1251yd 11TD 2INT;120rsh 803yd  6.7av 10TD 3fmb


8. T. Reesing    20-29  69%  261yd  4TD 0INT; 6rsh   8yd 1.3av 0TD 0fmb (W CMich)
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-   13-23  57%  257yd  2TD 0INT; 5rsh  31yd 6.2av 0TD 0fmb (W SE LA)
x-x-x-x-8        17-36  47%  313yd  4TD 0INT;11rsh  19yd 1.7av 0TD 0fmb (W Toledo)
                 23-37  62%  368yd  1TD 1INT; 8rsh  47yd 5.9av 1TD 0fmb (W FIU)
                 22-35  63%  267yd  3TD 3INT; 8rsh  12yd 1.5av 0TD 0fmb (W@KState)
                 14-31  45%  186yd  2TD 0INT;10rsh  14yd 1.4av 0TD 0fmb (W Baylor)
                 20-29  69%  153yd  1TD 0INT; 7rsh  84yd  12av 0TD 0fmb (W@Colo)
                 21-33  64%  180yd  0TD 0INT;11rsh -22yd  -2av 0TD 0fmb (W@TexAM)
                 30-41  73%  354yd  6TD 0INT; 4rsh  10yd 2.5av 0TD 0fmb (W Neb)
                 27-40  68%  318yd  3TD 0INT; 2rsh  -6yd  -3av 0TD 0fmb (W@OK St)
                207-334 62% 2657yd 26TD 4INT;72rsh 197yd 2.7av 1TD 0fmb

9. C. Daniel     37-54  69%  359yd  3TD 0INT;11rsh  -6yd -.5av 0TD 1fmb (W@Ill)
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-   31-42  74%  330yd  5TD 0INT;11rsh  55yd 5.0av 0TD 0fmb (W@Miss)
x-x-x-x-9        27-46  59%  328yd  2TD 2INT; 5rsh  60yd  12av 1TD 0fmb (W WMich)
                 21-34  62%  294yd  3TD 2INT; 1rsh   7yd 7.0av 0TD 0fmb (W IllSt)
                 33-47  70%  401yd  2TD 0INT;11rsh  72yd 6.5av 2TD 0fmb (W Neb)
                 37-47  79%  361yd  1TD 2INT;13rsh  -1yd -.1av 0TD 1fmb (L@Okla)
                 14-19  74%  210yd  1TD 1INT; 7rsh  11yd 1.6av 0TD 0fmb (W TTech)
                 28-37  76%  250yd  1TD 1INT; 4rsh  11yd 2.8av 0TD 0fmb (W ISU)
                 26-44  59%  421yd  5TD 1INT; 6rsh  24yd 6.0av 0TD 0fmb (W@Colo)
                 27-35  77%  352yd  3TD 0INT;10rsh  15yd 1.5av 0TD 1fmb (W TexAM)
                281-405 69% 3306yd 26TD 9INT;79rsh 142yd 1.8av 3TD 3fmb

At number five, Tim Tebow makes his move after accounting for all seven of Florida's touchdowns last week. His numbers are impossible to ignore, even if his team has three close losses. The question for me is, is he the greatest Sophomore ever? That's the standard I will use. Right now the answer is: he's very, very close. He has two games left: Florida Atlantic and Florida State. He'll need to be just as great in those to have a shot. Florida's SEC schedule is done, and with some luck the Gators could end in a 4-way tie for the lead in the East, which would give Florida the tiebreaker. Winning a rematch with LSU would give Tebow an even greater boost and might make him the award winner.

Michael Hart didn't play against Wisconsin in Michigan's loss. Having three strikes doesn't help his cause, and it didn't help Michigan's either, though apparently Lloyd Carr felt saving him for Ohio State—the make or break in getting to the Rose—was more important than trying to beat the Badgers. If he doesn't come up big in a win over the Buckeyes, Hart will be the next cut.

Pat White hangs on after fumbling away—then saving—the game against Louisville. West Virginia's two toughest Big East games are coming up against Cincinnati and Connecticut, and they play Pitt on December 1st. This will keep White in the nation's eyes, but he really needs to pad his stats to stay alive. Right now he's looking like the poor man's Dennis Dixon, though if he keeps rushing for 150 yards a game he could change that perception.

I mentioned the add of Todd Reesing and Chase Daniel. Reesing is held to the same standard as Tebow: for a soph to win he has to be the best soph of all time, since none has won the Heisman before. Reesing's numbers are great and getting better, but he'll need to have crazy stats to win. Going 13-0 would be a good start. I'm not sold on Daniel yet; he's like Matt Ryan to me with all his turnovers, but like Reesing he has opportunity on his side: beating an undefeated Kansas team, then avenging the loss against Oklahoma, would give him good "story" intangibles, which Heisman voters love.

Here are the final stats for the players I removed (permanently) from consideration:

M. Ryan         32-52  62%  408yd  5TD  2INT; 4rsh  -9yd -2.2av 0TD 0fmb (W Wake)
x-x-x-x-x-x-10- 15-34  44%  142yd  1TD  1INT; 1rsh   3yd  0.3av 0TD 0fmb (W NCSt)
7-7-5-6-x       30-44  68%  435yd  1TD  0INT; 3rsh  -9yd -2.2av 0TD 1fmb (W@GTech)
                35-51  69%  356yd  3TD  2INT; 5rsh  35yd  7.0av 1TD 0fmb (W Army)
                24-42  57%  204yd  1TD  0INT; 3rsh   0yd  0.0av 0TD 0fmb (W Mass)
                24-32  75%  312yd  4TD  0INT; 1rsh   8yd  8.0av 0TD 0fmb (W BGreen)
                32-49  65%  291yd  2TD  1INT; 3rsh  10yd  3.3av 0TD 0fmb (W@ND)
                25-52  48%  285yd  2TD  2INT; 4rsh -22yd -5.5av 0TD 0fmb (W@VTech)
                26-53  49%  415yd  2TD  3INT; 9rsh  30yd  3.3av 0TD 0fmb (L FSU)
                33-56  59%  421yd  3TD  2INT; 7rsh -23yd -3.3av 0TD 0fmb (L@Mary)
               276-465 59% 3269yd 24TD 13INT;40rsh  23yd  0.6av 1TD 1fmb

S. Slaton       16rsh 109yd 6.8av  3TD 0fmb;  2rec  61yd 1TD       (W WKy)
2-4-4-3-3-3-4-  24rsh 146yd 6.1av  2TD 0fmb;  2rec  10yd 0TD       (W@Marsh)
6-6-7-8-x       26rsh 137yd 5.3av  3TD 0fmb;  1rec  10yd 0TD       (W@Mary)
                18rsh 110yd 6.1av  1TD 0fmb;  3rec  42yd 0TD       (W ECar)
                13rsh  54yd 4.2av  0TD 2fmb;  1rec  13yd 0TD       (L@SoFLA)
                15rsh  69yd 4.6av  0TD 0fmb;  4rec  51yd 0TD       (W@Syra)
                23rsh 127yd 5.5av  1TD 0fmb;  4rec  36yd 0TD 26ret (W MissSt)
                16rsh  73yd 4.6av  3TD 0fmb;  1rec  51yd 0TD 21ret (W@Rutg)
                17rsh  60yd 3.5av  1TD 1fmb;  2rec  14yd 0TD       (W Lou)
               168rsh 885yd 5.3av 14TD 3fmb; 19rec 280yd 1TD 47ret

J. Nelson        9rec   90yd 0TD 0fmb; 1rsh  1yd;   0ret 0TD; 1TD pass (L@Auburn)
x-x-x-x-10-10-9- 6rec   82yd 0TD 0fmb; 0rsh  0yd;   0ret 0TD;          (W SJState)
x-x-x-10-x      15rec  209yd 1TD 0fmb; 0rsh  0yd;  82ret 0TD; 1TD pass (W MizzSt)
                12rec  116yd 1TD 0fmb; 1rsh  1yd;  89ret 1TD;          (W@Texas)
                10rec  137yd 1TD 0fmb; 0rsh  0yd;   1ret 0TD;          (L Kansas)
                 4rec   93yd 0TD 0fmb; 0rsh  0yd;   0ret 0TD;          (W Colo)
                12rec  176yd 3TD 0fmb; 0rsh  0yd;   0ret 0TD;          (L@OKst)
                 8rec  105yd 1TD 0fmb; 0rsh  0yd;  92ret 1TD;          (W Baylor)
                14rec  214yd 1TD 0fmb; 1rsh -9yd;   0ret 0TD;          (L@IowaSt)
                 9rec  125yd 1TD 0fmb; 0rsh  0yd;   0ret 0TD;          (L@Neb)
                99rec 1347yd 9TD 0fmb; 3rsh -7yd; 264ret 2TD; 2TD pass

Matt Ryan's candidacy was less based on his performance than on his best moments. His completion percentage was a bit low, his INT rate a big high, his efficiency rating pedestrian. But he came up with big plays and big yardage and had Boston College undefeated with a defining moment during the Virginia Tech comeback. However, the big plays ran out the last few weeks with B.C. dropping both games, and Ryan fell from the nation's favorite to just another Heisman also-ran. The Eagles still have a big game against Clemson in which they can clinch a trip to the Big East title game with a BCS birth at stake. But the magic is gone and there's very little chance Ryan will be able to scramble his way back into the Heisman race.

Steve Slaton never had the candidacy-rejuvinating breakthough we waited for the last few months. And any running back whose quarterback outgains him three out of the last four games is not going to be invited to New York.

Finally, Jordy Nelson of Kansas State had yet another great game...in the Wildcats' fifth loss of the year.

The updated 5T (Total-TDs-To-Total-Turnovers) Chart:

candidate      TDs   TOs   score1  score2  total
Tebow          42     6     6.00    12.0   18.0
Hart           12     0    12.00     4.0   16.0
Reesing        27     4     5.40     7.7   13.1
Dixon          28     5     4.67     7.7   12.4
Woodson        32    10     2.91     7.3   10.2
P. White       21     5     3.50     5.3    8.8
Brennan        35    16     2.06     6.3    8.4
Daniel         29    12     2.23     5.7    7.9
McFadden       14     4     2.80     3.3    6.1

Next week two more will be cut. A very interesting race it has been.

Dennis Dixon for Heisman?

It's actually a pretty good argument for Dixon's case. :)

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