Heisman Update: November 16th Edition

With the Cam Newton Saga being in the headlines, many voters have been giving their opinions on whether he deserves the vote. Some have said as of now, he’s still the guy. Some have said they will be cautious of the situation. Some have even already thrown him off their list of potentials.

But with a notably wide-open season thus far in college football, there are still as many as six competitors who have a chance to garner votes before the season ends.



Cam Newton, Quarterback, Auburn
Based on what I’ve heard thus far, with nothing being concrete, I’m set to give the award to Newton. However, I’ve heard alot of reports and many theories, and I feel this could go very quickly in the wrong direction. The NCAA thus far has given Auburn the choice to sit or start Newton and risk facing the consequences later. They let him play last week, but if they do bench him this year, he’s out of the running entirely in my opinion. It’s too bad, because it looks like he has the talent that he could have done this anywhere, and it’s too bad that his problems are because of his father’s desires.

1. Kellen Moore, Quarterback, Boise State
If Newton is out of the race, my vote would go to the most efficient quarterback maybe we’ve ever seen in college football. Moore consistently and routinely makes pinpoint throws and rarely turns the ball over. In his three year career thus far, he’s thrown 88 touchdowns to only 17 interceptions, including a 6:1 touchdown to interception ratio this year. He beat TCU last beat, beat Virginia Tech this year, and has done everything he can to prove he’s worthy of the award.

2. LaMichael James, Running Back, Oregon
The most explosive team and the current top team in the country’s best player has been LaMichael James. He’s got 17 touchdowns already this year and is making Chip Kelly look like a genius and LeGarrette Blount a forgotten name in the West. James has allows for the quarterback play to be consistent and for defenses to always been off guard in their gameplanning. He hasn’t had the “Heisman highlights” that make him that type of player, but as the season nears to a close, he’ll likely gain more attention and voters his way.

3. Andy Dalton, Quarterback, TCU
With Oregon and Auburn both having somewhat high chances of stumbling before the season ends, TCU is waiting in the wings to take the number two spot and be the first non-automatic qualifier to reach the title game. If they do, Dalton will get alot of attention as a prime candidate. He doesn’t have dominating numbers and hasn’t been as effective as Moore, but he’s the reason the offense has been successful on a potential title game contender, so he’ll get a shot. Also, don’t rule out that he’s the

4. Andrew Luck, Quarterback, Stanford
Coming into the season, most people knew that Andrew Luck was one of the most talented quarterbacks in the country and would likely one day be a Top 10 pick in the NFL Draft. But future NFL success has little to nothing to do with Heisman voting, so why is Luck still a strong contender. Simple: He’s dominate this season with less weapons than last year, and if it wasn’t for a loss to the top team in the country, he’d be at the top of this list and maybe in contention for the Title game. If Auburn and Oregon both fall, Luck could challenge Moore and Dalton as he is the bigger name and may swing some East coast voters because of that.

5. Marcus Lattimore, Running Back, South Carolina
He’s a freshman, and no freshman has ever won the award. But, the past three years a sophomore has won the award, and Lattimore is as important of a freshman to his team as any player in the past ten years. Lattimore is the MVP of the South Carolina team, and without him, Stephen Garcia wouldn’t be as productive and the Gamecocks wouldn’t be in the SEC title game.

6. Justin Blackmon, Wide Receiver, Oklahoma State
It’s highly unlikely that a receiver will win this award, and with the spread offense high-lighting the quarterback, it’s a long shot that it will happen again. However, If I had a vote, Blackmon would strongly be in consideration for a third or fourth place vote. He’s on pace to have over 1,700 yards and already has 17 touchdowns. He’s averaging 161 yards per game and he’s having a Dez Bryant-type sophomore season.