Who Should Win the Heisman for 2009?

The Heisman Trophy is college football's most prestigious award. It is supposed to be awarded to an athlete who is not only the best player in the game, but is also the unquestioned leader of his football team. The winner of the Heisman is supposed to represent the athlete's value to their team. It indicates to the world that without this one man's contributions, the team would not be where they are today and would have had lesser success during the regular season. Yet this athlete is also supposed to be a man of great character; someone who can serve as a role model both on and off the football field. The Heisman Trophy is a personification of everything that is great about college football. It is meant to reward the endearing qualities of sportsmanship, leadership, and overall excellence with regard to one athlete. It should never simply be about offensive statistics, which is precisely what it's been about for many years now. I think it says a lot that this year's finalists include a defensive player, especially one who truly deserves to win the Heisman this year. But then again, all of the finalists have had incredible seasons and are richly deserving of the Trophy as well. But which one do I think should win the Heisman this year? I shall tell you by ranking the finalists in descending order from #5 to #1.

#5 QB Tim Tebow (Florida)

That's right. God's gift to college football is whom I believe to be the least deserving of the Heisman Trophy this year. Besides the fact that Tebow has already won a Heisman, one cannot discern that this was the best season of his career. Granted his statistics show 31 total touchdowns to just 5 interceptions. And there is no doubt in my mind that without Tim Tebow, the Florida Gators are probably not even in a BCS bowl this season. That being said, the heart and soul of Gator Nation does not deserve to win this year's Heisman simply because there are many quarterbacks who have had better seasons overall. Look at QB Kellen Moore from Boise State or Case Keenum from Houston. You will find that they have had amazing seasons for their respected teams and have certainly padded their stats enough to replace some of the finalists on this year's ballot. Tebow, while spectacular, did not really stand out in any of his games this season. There wasn't one moment where everyone was like, "Wow, what a spectacular performance by Tim Tebow". Tebow may have been productive all year long. But there was no one time this season where he stood out above the rest and established himself as the very best in the game. And in the final showdown against Alabama, he was nowhere to be found as the Tide rolled to victory. Tim Tebow is obviously one of the greatest players in college football history. But this year delivered a more compelling and dynamic group of candidates for college football's highest honor.

#4 QB Colt McCoy (Texas)

I actually think that Colt McCoy is not one of the more compelling and dynamic candidates for this year's Heisman Trophy. I think to give him the Heisman this year would be the safe and easy choice for voters to make. It would be like saying, "Oh look, Bradford and Tebow got one. Let's give one to Colt McCoy and make everybody happy." That would all be well and good if McCoy actually deserved to win this year and he absolutely does not. Don't get me wrong. I think Colt McCoy is a magnificent athlete and has done great things as the starting quarterback for the Longhorns. But to give him the Heisman this year would be a great injustice to the sport simply because this was probably his worst year statistically. McCoy did not stand out in many of his games this year. And to be quite honest, he struggled for the first half of the season and didn't really put everything together until the last few weeks. In big games against Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Nebraska this season, McCoy threw for 2 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. His QB rating was 108.8 in those games, which is average at best. McCoy has had ample opportunity to present himself as the absolute best in college football. And he was shut down every single time. So then why are people chalking up McCoy for the possible Heisman victory? For starters, McCoy does have 27 touchdowns and has led Texas to an undefeated regular season. He is also 6th in the nation in passing yards and has demonstrated himself as an admirable leader of a good football team. He also had a Heisman performance against Texas A&M, where he had 479 total yards from scrimmage and 5 total touchdowns. And he has already won the Maxwell Award as the nation's best player. Yet all of those reasons pale in comparison to this fairly simple argument: "Bradford and Tebow have one, let's give it to McCoy." And I'm hoping voters don't go down that road tomorrow night because Colt McCoy does not deserve to win the Heisman this year.

#3 RB Mark Ingram (Alabama)

This is the man who I think will take home the Heisman on Saturday night. He's the best player on the best team and has the stats to back it up. Yet there are many reasons why I think Ingram should finish 3rd in this year's race. The primary one is that he is not even the best running back in the country. That honor belongs to his counterpart from Stanford, who I will get to shortly. Secondly, I think Alabama would have found ways to win this season even if Ingram didn't put up these kind of numbers. They would have relied so much more on their defense to win conference games in the SEC. They also would have asked QB Greg McElroy to step up as the leader of that offense and make some plays down the field to receivers like Julio Jones and Marquis Maze. In the end, Alabama would have become more of a passing team this season. And under the watchful eye of Nick Saban, they still would have probably gone to a major bowl. The fact that Ingram had such an incredible season put Alabama over the top; establishing them as the best team in the nation right now. As I said above, he has the stats to back it up. He amassed over 1500 yards rushing, over 6 yards a carry, and 15 touchdowns this season. Among his Heisman moments this season were a 246-yard day against South Carolina and a dominating performance against Florida in the SEC title game last weekend. Ingram carried the Tide on his back against the Gators, rushing for 113 yards and 3 touchdowns. You couldn't ask for a better performance in a game of such magnitude. If Ingram's name is called on Saturday night, it would not surprise me at all. But should he win the trophy? Hmm...I'm not completely sold.

#2 RB Toby Gerhart (Stanford)

Toby Gerhart was an absolute terror in the backfield for Stanford this season. In my opinion, he put up the best statistics of any football player in the country and pretty much carried the entire Stanford team on his back. Gerhart's style of running hearkens back to the days of smash mouth football, when teams knocked each other around and tried to kill each other on a weekly basis. Gerhart's performance this season illustrated how power running can still be a lethal weapon in a world of quickness and agility. And he proved to be an unstoppable force against immovable objects all season long. Gerhart played a huge factor in Stanford's 8-4 record this season, which included upset victories over Oregon and USC. Gerhart even had his team in prime position to win the Pac-10 until their close loss to Cal in Week 11. But let's not stop there. Gerhart led the nation in rushing with 1,736 yards. He also led the nation in touchdowns with 26 of them. It gets even better. Gerhart rushed for over 100 yards in every single game this season with the exception of losses to Wake Forest and Oregon State. He capped off his stellar season with a 205-yard rushing performance against Notre Dame and proved why he was the best running back in college football all season long. Gerhart also had over 200 yards in the games against Oregon and Washington. AND...he just won the Doak Walker Award as the nation's best running back over Mark Ingram, who I think will win the Heisman on Saturday night. Gerhart was absolutely essential to his team's success this season and will look to leave an impressive swan song against Oklahoma in the Sun Bowl. And in a sports world where McCoy and Tebow dominate the headlines, it is nice to see this running back from Stanford steal the spotlight a little bit.

#1 DT Ndamukong Suh (Nebraska)

In a perfect world, Ndamukong Suh would be the winner of the Heisman Trophy this season. The last time a defensive player was nominated or even won the Heisman was in 1997 when Charles Woodson took it home for the University of Michigan. It doesn't happen often because as I mentioned in my introduction, offensive statistics have been what matters most when it comes to tabulating Heisman ballots. So why is Ndamukong Suh among the five finalists for the Heisman Trophy this season? Because he is the most dominant defensive player in all of college football...okay, so why is he one of the five finalists? Because he is the most dominant defensive player in the last 25 years of college football. In every single game this season, Ndamukong Suh was the definition of an impact player. He was a monster at the line of scrimmage and asserted his authority over opposing offensive lines. If Toby Gerhart was the unstoppable force this season, Ndamukong Suh would be the immovable object. He caused havoc for offensive lines and could not be stopped by anyone. He was 3rd in the NCAA this season with 12 sacks, but he did so much more than that. Opposing offenses found it very difficult to move the ball and put points on the scoreboard against Nebraska all season long. That's because Ndamukong Suh anchored the defensive line, which was very efficient in stopping the run all season long. Suh was constantly able to get pressure on the quarterback, forcing them out of the pocket constantly for fear that Suh would crush him. He was always in the Top 3 in tackles per game and would just use his body to throw defenders around like rag dolls. The average fan got a taste of what Suh has done all season long in Nebraska's loss to Texas last weekend. I have rarely seen a defensive player almost win a game single-handedly. Ndamukong Suh almost accomplished that feat in the Big 12 title game. Suh had four sacks of fellow Heisman candidate Colt McCoy and was an instrumental part in holding Texas to just over 200 yards of total offense. He absolutely dominated the Texas offensive line and was constantly seen in the backfield either stopping the run or getting pressure on McCoy. I have rarely seen a more destructive force than what I saw in the Big 12 title game. Suh is well on his way to a lengthy and successful NFL career, especially when he's been drawing comparisons to Reggie White. His dominance at the line of scrimmage is uncanny for a defensive lineman. And the only reason he is up for the Heisman this season is because he is truly a one-of-a-kind player. There are many experts out there who feel that Suh should win the Heisman Trophy on Saturday night. And I wouldn't be surprised if he received the highest amount of first-place votes. The key will be if he gets enough Top 3 finishes to outlast his colleagues. If he does, then we will have our first defensive Heisman Trophy winner in 12 years.

This is how I think the Heisman race should unfold. But here is how I think it will unfold. I think I've nailed Tim Tebow's spot as he will finish 5th in the balloting. I think Gerhart will slide down to 4th because not enough people have seen his great work this season. Ndamukong Suh will finish 3rd but will end up with the most first-place votes out of any candidate. I think the race is a toss-up between Ingram and McCoy. I really feel that McCoy could take this simply because he's been up for the award before and the voting body would love nothing more than to reward him for his entire college career. I'm hoping that doesn't happen and I'm relying on the inclination that Mark Ingram is the favorite to win and will win. So here is how it will unfold...

#1 Mark Ingram

#2 Colt McCoy

#3 Ndamukong Suh

#4 Toby Gerhart

#5 Tim Tebow

The Heisman Trophy presentation will be aired on ESPN at 8:00 tomorrow night. Should be a fascinating night. Be sure to check it out. Stay tuned for my NFL preview coming up either later tonight or sometime tomorrow.