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The Heisman Trophy Award is taking place this Saturday at the Downtown Athletic Club of New York City.  This year’s winner will go down in history and join a host of football icons including: Andre Ware, 1989.  Andre bosts career stats of 83 completions in 161 attempts for 1,112 yards and five touchdowns in the NFL before being benched for Doug Flutie in the CFL.  And Joe Bellino, 1960.  Joe had a three-year career in the AFL where he rushed for 64 yards in 30 carries.  Something tells me this year’s candidates will have more to give.  The top candidates are:

1. Colt McCoy, Texas: After watching him run for two touchdowns and pass for two more against Texas A&M last week, I’m convinced there’s no player more valuable to his team than McCoy. His performance boosted his statistics — a team-leading 576 rushing yards, 10 rushing TDs, 3,445 passing yards, 32 touchdown passes against seven interceptions and 4,021 yards of total offense. He doesn’t have the collection of receivers or the running game around him that Sam Bradford does. But his place on my ballot is tenuous, because his next two challengers both are playing this week for championships while he watches.

2. Sam Bradford, Oklahoma: The picture of consistency came up with his most memorable performance last week, leading the Sooners to eight straight scoring drives to punctuate a 61-41 triumph over Oklahoma State — the fourth straight time his offense has hung at least 60 points on an opponent. The fact that he did it with torn ligaments in his non-throwing hand is even more remarkable. And his somersaulting run for the end zone has provided him with a signature moment the rest of the contenders are lacking. Bradford has passed for 4,080 yards and a national-best 46 touchdowns against only six interceptions. He has thrown for 23 touchdowns against only one interception since the Texas game. And most importantly, he has a chance to add a conference championship Saturday night that would be an important final piece of a potential Heisman résumé. 

3. Tim Tebow, Florida: His numbers aren’t nearly as gaudy as they were during his Heisman season last year, but throwing for 25 TDs and running for 12 more in the Southeastern Conference still catches my attention. He’s still the same determined leader, and his team has a chance to earn its first SEC title since 2006 with a big game against Alabama. But his chances aren’t as good for me, because he hasn’t been able to match the pinball-like passing numbers that have marked the Big 12 this season.

4. Graham Harrell, Texas Tech: The Red Raiders will end up being snubbed for a BCS bowl berth, but Harrell will go down in history as the finest of Mike Leach’s quarterbacks. His best performances were reserved for Tech’s biggest victories this season — 474 passing yards against Texas, and 456 yards and six TD passes against Oklahoma State. But his grittiest performance might have been his last one, when he blistered Baylor for 309 yards and 41 completions despite nine separate breaks in the first two fingers of his left hand. That kind of courage merits a trip to New York City.

5. Shonn Greene, Iowa: The running game isn’t entirely dead, as Greene leads the nation with 1,729 rushing yards and has added 17 rushing touchdowns as the primary offensive weapon of the bowl-bound Hawkeyes. Greene has rushed for at least 103 yards in every game, and is the nation’s only player with 100-yard efforts in each game this season. It’s been a dramatic transformation for a player who was not even a member of the Hawkeyes’ team last season. And before that, he finished the Hawkeyes’ 2006 Alamo Bowl practices as a defensive back.
Source: Tim Griffin, ESPN.com

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