The Ghostwriter

Whether you like it or not (and believe me I don’t), this year’s Heisman race is sounding more and more like a three horse race. With both Tim Tebow and Colt McCoy putting together inspired performances in the very last home games of their decorated collegiate careers, “Senior Quarterback Lovin’ ” has soared to an all-time high. Now, I’m not trying to discredit the many accomplishments of these two remarkable young men—they’ve both been tremendous for the game of football over the last four years, and I wish them all the best with their future careers in the NFL.

I just don’t think their level of play this season has merited Heisman consideration.

I realize that Tebow is a near-lock to at least be invited to the ceremony in New York this year. I’m not too concerned about him taking home the trophy a second time because, well, only one person in the history of college football has ever accomplished that feat (Ohio State’s Archie Griffin). Still, Tebow will be named as one of the finalists nonetheless as a tribute to his largely successful four years in Gainesville. I can appreciate the intent behind the gesture, but I just think that there are more worthy candidates out there this year who haven’t already been to the ceremony twice. And did I mention that Tebow is currently 25 touchdowns and 1,200 yards behind his Heisman-winning campaign?

Colt McCoy has played so well in the last three games (10 touchdowns with zero interceptions) that everyone is forgetting the nine games he played before that. Yes, Texas won those, too, but they were more so the result of all-around great team efforts than they were due to McCoy’s arm. I won’t post a game-by-game breakdown of those nine because the aim here isn’t to drag these star quarterbacks through the mud. Suffice it to say he’s had more forgettable games than the mere two or three had by fellow Heisman candidate Mark Ingram. And, if you must know, McCoy is currently 16 touchdowns behind his Heisman runner-up campaign of last season.

Ingram has been atop my Heisman list for seven weeks now, and this is the first time in that stretch that he hasn’t approached 100 yards rushing in a game. In other words, this is the week that all of those Tebow and McCoy supporters have been waiting for all season. Now, amidst reports of a bruised hip, Ingram has to prepare for a lightning-quick Florida team that currently ranks eighth nationally against the run. With the aforementioned “Senior Quarterback Lovin’ ” mania in full swing, Ingram desperately needs to have a big game this weekend. Should this one game determine his Heisman fate? No! Not at all! But injustice reigns supreme in the dubious machinations of college football.

And don’t even bring up Stanford’s Toby Gerhart. The kid is having one heck of a season, but do you really think Heisman voters are ready to induct a guy on a team that has already lost to Arizona, Cal, Oregon State, and 5-7 Wake Forest? Not gonna happen.

Now, on to this year’s deserving six…

6. Case Keenum (Houston)

Commentary: The Houston phenom put up solid enough numbers last week to outlast the formerly higher-ranked C.J. Spiller. Keenum won’t play again until after the ballots have been cast so his only chance of moving up and staving off the final elimination is an Oregon or Pittsburgh loss.

Previous Rank: 6

Highest Rank: 3

Last Week Stats: 323 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, 80.6 pct., 189.5 rating; 8 rushing yards, 1 touchdown.

Season Stats: 4883 passing yards, 38 touchdowns, 6 interceptions, 70.4 pct., 160.5 rating; 120 rushing yards, 4 touchdowns.

5. LaMichael James (Oregon)

Commentary: Now that Pittsburgh has forced Dion Lewis down the ranks with a second loss, James could be primed to move up another slot this week if he can rack up yards on Oregon State. I still can’t believe how under-the-radar this guy is, given the kind of season he’s having as a true freshman on a top ten team.

Previous Rank: 5

Highest Rank: 3

Last Week Stats: Bye week

Season Stats: 1310 rushing yards, 11 touchdowns, 6.9 YPC; 128 receiving yards, 0 touchdowns.

4. Dion Lewis (Pittsburgh)

Commentary: Lewis clearly was not to blame for his team’s loss to rival West Virginia last week, but, as we’ve seen all year, much of a player’s Heisman candidacy is governed by his team’s ability (or inability) to stop opposing offenses. Pitt could make amends with an upset of undefeated Cincinnati this Saturday.

Previous Rank: 2

Highest Rank: 2

Last Week Stats: 155 rushing yards, 0 touchdowns, 6.0 YPC; 14 receiving yards, 0 touchdowns.

Season Stats: 1446 rushing yards, 13 touchdowns, 5.8 YPC; 156 receiving yards, 1 touchdown.

3. Kellen Moore (Boise State)

Commentary: Don’t laugh, Moore is on the rise! Look at the incredible numbers he’s putting up for his undefeated Boise squad and try to tell me that he wouldn’t win by a landslide if he played in a more respected conference. All season long, he and Keenum have been the only quarterbacks putting up Heisman-quality stat lines.

Previous Rank: 7

Highest Rank: 3

Last Week Stats: 262 passing yards, 5 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, 51.5 pct., 168.2 rating; 2 rushing yards, 0 touchdowns.

Season Stats: 3053 passing yards, 38 touchdowns, 3 interceptions, 64.7 pct., 168.3 rating; -8 rushing yards, 1 touchdown.

2. Jordan Shipley (Texas)

Commentary: Well, with all the hoopla over Colt McCoy of late, Shipley’s chances of making it to New York have taken a huge hit. I don’t get it. Unlike his senior quarterback, Shipley has been consistent on the playing field week after week and is easily having the best season of his career (and, to boot, the best ever by a wideout in school history!).

Previous Rank: 3

Highest Rank: 2

Last Week Stats: 88 receiving yards, 2 touchdowns.

Season Stats: 1292 receiving yards, 11 touchdowns; 13.3 PR AVG, 2 touchdowns.

1. Mark Ingram (Alabama)

Commentary: It sounds like Ingram is going to be healthy enough to play this weekend in the biggest game of the season. If he can put up decent numbers against Florida, he should make this a very easy decision for Heisman voters. Stay tuned!

Previous Rank: 1

Highest Rank: 1

Last Week Stats: 30 rushing yards, 0 touchdowns, 1.9 YPC; 21 receiving yards, 0 touchdowns.

Season Stats: 1429 rushing yards, 12 touchdowns, 6.5 YPC; 246 receiving yards, 3 touchdowns.