The annals of Heisman history contain many greats, and some not-so-greats. But, I believe that tonight's winner will not only continue to make waves in the college game, but also a big splash on Sundays. Each of the candidates is equally impressive in their own respect, and having seen all four play, it's clear that each one of them deserves to be there.
Andrew Luck has quarterbacked Stanford to a near-perfect 11-1 record, completing 20 or more passes in six of those games. The All-Pac 10 first-teamer also possesses a 4-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio, and a quarterback rating of 166.10. His 70.2% completion rate is extremely impressive, and the fact that he's directed his team to a top-five ranking and BCS berth speaks to his leadership.
While Stanford's loss to Oregon was an unsightly blemish on their season, their manhandling of 15th-ranked Arizona was impressive. Barring an early departure for the NFL, Luck should be back next year, and with this year’s leading rusher, Stefan Taylor, in the backfield, the Cardinal should deliver another fine season on offense.
The second of three QB's to spend the week in New York, Boise State's Kellen Moore has put up ridiculous numbers in leading the Broncos to an 11-1 record. After finishing seventh in the balloting last year, the junior lived up to fans' expectations again, tossing an astounding 33 touchdowns, in addition to 3,506 yards. In fact, in his three years under center, he's thrown for 10,528 through the air, while compiling a 37-2 record as a starter. Until a late-season defeat to Nevada, Moore had topped a 66% completion rate for nine straight contests, and had the Broncos in contention for a BCS bowl. With another year at the helm for coach Chris Peterson, Moore can leave a great legacy in Boise, and possibly earn a return trip to Grand Central Station.
The only running back to receive an invite to New York, Oregon's LaMichael James joins Luck out of the Pac-10 Conference tonight. ESPN experts project him to finish third in the final results, behind Auburn QB Cam Newton and Luck, but James' stats argue otherwise. The Oregon Duck leads the country in rushing yards and touchdowns, and averages a whopping six yards a carry. On top of that, he has nine 100-plus yard games, and at least two touchdowns in eight contests this year. Despite these numbers, James said on SportsCenter yesterday that he would actually pick Newton given a vote in the polling.
As for me, if I were handed the same choice, I'd pick Cam as well. Although he's been embroiled in controversy this season, the Auburn QB’s stats don’t lie. In accounting for 48 total scores (28 passing and 20 rushing), the former junior college transfer has demonstrated electrifying ability. Along with delivering seven 200-plus yard passing games, the 6’6”, 250-pound Newton has scrambled for 100 yards six times, and was the key to the Tigers’ late-season comeback victories over Georgia and Alabama. Newton’s been in front of this race nearly all season, and tomorrow night, he should break the tape first.
With more games to be played for each of these finalists though, the journey doesn’t stop here. If these players have their way, we’ll be hearing about each one of them for a long, long time.
--Beau
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