The Heisman Race

By Mark Schlabach
ESPN.com


Like the BCS national championship race, Florida, Alabama and Texas might be battling for the Heisman Trophy.

With three weeks to go in the regular season, the Heisman race seems to be wide open. Votes don't have to be cast until after the Dec. 5 conference championship games, so the Big 12 and SEC championship games could factor into which player walks away with the sport's most coveted individual award.

Here's my top five with four weeks to go:

1. Mark Ingram, Alabama: It's hard to believe an Alabama player has never won the Heisman Trophy. It's hard to ignore what Ingram has done for the No. 2 Crimson Tide this season. The sophomore has already run for 1,148 yards and eight touchdowns. He had 144 rushing yards in last week's 24-15 victory over No. 9 LSU, gaining 106 in the second half. Ingram catches the ball out of the backfield (24 receptions for 216 yards with three touchdowns) and runs out of the "Wildcat" package. There might not be a better back in the country at gaining yards after contact. Even more impressive is the fact Ingram has done most of his damage without a consistent passing game taking pressure off him.

2. Colt McCoy, Texas: McCoy is coming off his best game of the season, completing 33 of 42 passes for a career-high 470 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in the No. 3 Longhorns' 35-3 rout of Central Florida. McCoy will have a chance to put up eye-catching numbers during his last four games. Texas plays Baylor, Kansas and Texas A&M the next three weeks, and none of those Big 12 teams play much defense. His season totals aren't quite as impressive as a year ago -- 2,447 passing yards with 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions -- but he's completing 72.9 percent of his passes without much of a running game. An even bigger stat: he has 41 career victories, one shy of tying former Georgia quarterback David Greene's NCAA record of 42 career victories.

3. Case Keenum, Houston: I'm not sure Keenum can do much more to stake his claim to the Heisman Trophy. He produced his third Heisman-like moment of the season, leading the No. 15 Cougars to two scores in the final 21 seconds of a 46-45 victory at Tulsa. He produced his second consecutive 500-yard passing performance, throwing for 522 yards with three touchdowns on 40-for-60 passing. Keenum scored the winning 4-yard touchdown run with 49 seconds left in a 29-28 victory over Texas Tech on Sept. 26, and threw the winning touchdown pass with 21 seconds to go in a 50-43 win over Southern Miss on Oct. 31. His statistics -- 3,815 passing yards with 28 touchdowns and only five interceptions in 458 pass attempts -- dwarf every other quarterback in contention. Critics will argue Houston hasn't played much competition, but Keenum beat every BCS opponent he played (Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and Mississippi State) this season.

4. C.J. Spiller, Clemson: Spiller is coming on strong, but it's a shame he was banged up earlier in the season and that his immense talents weren't showcased. Spiller ran for a career-high 165 yards and had 312 all-purpose yards in the Tigers' 40-24 victory over Florida State. His 58-yard touchdown catch against the Seminoles was his 20th career touchdown of 50 yards or more. There probably isn't a more explosive player in college football than Spiller. He has run for 739 yards with five touchdowns, caught 21 passes for 334 yards with three scores and returned one punt and three kickoffs for touchdowns. If Spiller leads Clemson to an ACC championship, he'll be hard to ignore when Heisman Trophy ballots are cast.

5. Tim Tebow, Florida: Tebow is the most valuable player on the No. 1 team in the country. The 2007 Heisman Trophy winner isn't putting up the numbers we've grown accustomed to seeing him produce, but he doesn't have the same playmakers surrounding him, either. His numbers weren't great in Florida's 27-3 victory over Vanderbilt on Saturday night. He completed 15 of 20 passes for 208 yards with one touchdown and ran for 27 yards with one score. In nine games, Tebow has passed for 1,531 yards with 11 touchdowns and four interceptions and run for 578 yards with nine scores. I'm not sure there's a more valuable player in the country -- Florida's offense wouldn't be much without him -- but I'm not sure Tebow's production supports him winning a second Heisman Trophy.