2006 Heisman Discussion (merged all)

[G-FORCE]

I think he gets the trip to New York, based on the stats. But winning the Heisman is unfairly based on more than stats. Big-time team and being on-pace for a conferense (or maybe national) title is basically required for a Heisman Trophy.

If OSU goes 12-0 the award is Troy's.

 

[Zurp]

If OSU goes 12-0 the award is Troy's.

I agree that he's the front-runner, but it's going to take more than a 12-0 record, and a shot at the national title. He has to go out and show that he wants it. The other guys (Peterson, Leak, and others) are going to do just that.

Maintaining his 15-2 touchdown-interception ratio will go a long way. If he finishes with 30 tds to 4 intereptions, and a 12-0 record, the other guys would have to make up a lot of ground in order to take the Heisman from Smith.

If Wolfe stays on his pace, and Smith wins the Heisman, I can see Wolfe getting runner-up. Too many people, I think, would say, "Wolfe's numbers are great, but Smith is going for a NC, plays for Ohio State, and I watched him in 3-5 games this year, and he was great in them all. I have to vote him #1. Wolfe isn't going for a national championship. His team.. who does he play for? Northern Illinois? They're in the MAC?!? What place did they come in for their conference? Hmm.. those numbers are great, but I didn't watch him play at all this year. But, man! Those numbers are awesome! I'll vote him #2."

 

[Dryden]

I agree that he's the front-runner, but it's going to take more than a 12-0 record, and a shot at the national title. He has to go out and show that he wants it. The other guys (Peterson, Leak, and others) are going to do just that.

I think Wolfe and Quinn became the biggest challengers after these last two weeks. I'm only quoting your post because you specifically cited Peterson and Leak, but Leak is still not getting serious pub, plus he's riding the pine watching Tim Tebow take every significant snap on each of Florida's TD drives. As for Peterson, there is a growing, severe AP-backlash this week after he failed to catch Paul Thompson's lateral and stood there and watched UT scoop it and score to salt the RRS. Dodd made mention of it in his article, and I noticed that AP not only lost some 1st place votes to Troy in the ESPN mock poll, but AP now isn't even in the Top-5 on three of the 15 ballots. Peterson was 2nd at 40 points, but Wolfe was right behind him at 38 points across 14 of the 15 ballots.

 

[osugrad21]

Rocky Mountain News

Heisman poll, Oct. 10
STORY TOOLS


By Randy Holtz, Rocky Mountain News
October 10, 2006
The Rocky Mountain News Heisman poll is the longest-running weekly Heisman Trophy poll in the country, in its 20th year. The final poll in December correctly has predicted the Heisman winner 16 of the previous 19 seasons. There are 10 voters, two from each of five regions of the nation, who vote for five players each week. The tabulations are on a 5-4-3-2-1 basis, with five points for a first-place vote, four points for second, etc. First-place votes in parentheses. This week?s poll with statistics from last weekend:
Name, position School Statistics Points
Troy Smith, QB Ohio State 17-of-20, 191 yards, 3 TDs 49 (9)
Steve Slaton, RB West Virginia 26 carries, 185 yards, 1 TD 30
Garrett Wolfe, RB Northern Illinois 29 carries, 162 yards, 2 TDs 22
Adrian Peterson, RB Oklahoma 25 carries, 109 yards, 1 TD 18
Brady Quinn, QB Notre Dame 27-of-37, 232 yards, 3 TDs 13
Others: Chris Leak, QB, Florida, 9 (1); Erik Ainge, QB, Tennessee, 3; Calvin Johnson, WR, Georgia Tech, 2; Reggie Nelson, DB, Florida, 2; Mario Manningham, WR, Michigan,2.
The voters: Kirk Bohls (Austin (Texas) American-Statesman); Scott Cain (Arkansas Democrat Gazette); Dennis Dodd (CBSSportsLine); Vahe Gregorian (St. Louis Post-Dispatch); Mike Griffith (Knoxville (Tenn.) News Sentinel); Randy Holtz (Rocky Mountain News); John Lindsay (Scripps Howard News Service); Michael Lewis (The Salt Lake Tribune); John Rohde (The Oklahoman); Michael Vega (The Boston Globe).

 

[osugrad21]

ESPN

ESPN Experts Poll


Each week, ESPN.com's panel of experts casts its votes for the top Heisman candidates. The panel consists of analysts, former players, former coaches and ESPN.com's college football staff. Want to cast your own Heisman ballot? Vote now.

This page will be updated each Monday.

Name Position School Year 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th Total Troy Smith QB Ohio State Sr. 14 1 0 0 0 74 Adrian Peterson RB Oklahoma Jr. 1 5 3 3 0 40 Garrett Wolfe RB Northern Illinois Sr. 0 4 5 2 3 38 Brady Quinn QB Notre Dame Sr. 0 1 3 2 2 21 Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech Jr. 0 2 2 2 2 20 Steve Slaton RB West Virginia So. 0 1 2 4 3 20 Ted Ginn Jr. WR Ohio State Jr. 0 0 0 2 1 5 Chris Leak QB Florida Sr. 0 1 0 0 1 5 Chase Daniel QB Missouri So. 0 0 0 0 1 1 Chad Henne QB Michigan Jr. 0 0 0 0 1 1 Mario Manningham WR Michigan So. 0 0 0 0 1 1



ESPN's Take

by Dave Revsine, Special to ESPN.com Each week, ESPN.com asks one of its Heisman Watch voters to explain his picks. This week, GameDay Radio host Dave Revsine runs down his list.
No. 1 -- Troy Smith
Although I've been voting Smith No. 1 on my ballot for several weeks now, I still think this race is wide open. It certainly didn't become any clearer this week -- with no one really distinguishing himself and a couple of top candidates actually taking steps back.
Smith certainly didn't hurt his cause by completing 85 percent of his passes Saturday ? albeit against an average Bowling Green defense.
The Buckeyes' QB is my choice at this point for a number of reasons. First off, I like the way he's adapted his game this year -- he's running it less and taking better advantage of the weapons around him. He already has 15 TD passes -- just one shy of what he had all of last year. Both Ted Ginn and Anthony Gonzalez have exceeded their TD totals from last year. You still have to account for Smith as a runner, though, as evidenced by his 54 rushing yards Saturday against Bowling Green. Plus, he doesn't make bad decisions -- he has thrown zero interceptions in five of OSU's six games.
Numbers aside, though, I'm really impressed with Smith's leadership. I've been fortunate enough to see his two biggest games, at Texas and at Iowa, in person this year. Both were extremely hostile environments, and Smith did an excellent job managing the team. He's great when the pressure is on.
No. 2 -- Steve Slaton
It's hard to get too excited about a big day against Mississippi State, although the Bulldogs had done a decent job against the run this year -- for instance, Kenny Irons only got 69 yards against them, and they held LSU's (underachieving) backs to less than 3 yards per carry.
Still, Slaton is a great back who is putting up impressive numbers for an undefeated team, and that will keep him in the discussion.
No. 3 -- Garrett Wolfe
Wolfe wasn't bad by any stretch against Miami (Ohio) and its 107th ranked rushing defense -- but, with a golden opportunity to impress on national TV, he wasn't amazing -- and that's what he'll need to be to win the Heisman. It might not be fair, but that's the reality of playing in the MAC. I really think he needs to break Barry Sanders' single-season rushing record to have a chance. The fact that he couldn't get NIU a first down on four total carries in the Huskies' final two drives as they tried to seal the game didn't really help his stock this week.
No. 4 -- Adrian Peterson
I thought Peterson also slid this week. He went over 100 yards against a physical Texas defense, but what will stick in voters' minds from the game is his failure to pick up a pass that was ruled a lateral and brought back for a touchdown by the Longhorns' Aaron Ross. Peterson showed a lack of awareness and a lack of hustle on the play. I dropped him from second to fourth this week.
No. 5 Mario Manningham
Michigan's offense has really hit its stride the last four games, and Manningham has been a huge part of that, with eight touchdown receptions in that span. You could make the argument for any of three Michigan players to get consideration (Manningham, Mike Hart, Chad Henne), but I think Manningham's emergence has been the difference for the Wolverines' offense.
In recent weeks, I've also had Brady Quinn and Chris Leak on my ballot, and I gave some consideration to Calvin Johnson this week. As I said at the beginning, I think there are a bunch of guys who could still win it at this point

 

[BuckBojangles]

Troy's Pass Efficiency

I looked this up on the NCAA.org website and found Troy's passing efficiency. I guess I wasn't too surprised about 7th, but even more strange was his company.

Tyler Palko? Colt McCoy? Chad Henne?

http://web1.ncaa.org/d1mfb/natlRank.jsp?year=2006&div=4&rpt=IA_playerpasseff&site=org

1Nate Davis, Ball St.QBFR6916369.2311.1091710.081213.19195.2
2Tyler Palko, PittsburghQBSR614610370.5532.05148910.201510.27186.0
3Zac Taylor, NebraskaQBSR61439566.4321.4013989.78139.09175.8
4Bobby Reid, Oklahoma St.QBSO5955557.8944.219379.861212.63174.0
5Colt Brennan, HawaiiQBJR520314571.4352.4618629.17188.87172.8
6Erik Ainge, TennesseeQBJR617111869.0152.9216579.69148.19171.6
7Troy Smith, Ohio St.QBSR614810168.2421.3512618.521510.14170.6
8Colt McCoy, TexasQBFR61158069.5721.749548.301210.43170.2
9Nate Longshore, CaliforniaQBSO615710264.9753.1814108.981710.83169.8
10Kevin Kolb, HoustonQBSR619413670.101.5217569.05147.22168.9
11JaMarcus Russell, LSUQBJR615610567.3142.5614749.45117.05164.8
12John Beck, Brigham YoungQBSR517512169.1421.1415538.87126.86164.0
13Chris Leak, FloridaQBSR615610164.7453.2113958.94148.97163.1
14Syvelle Newton, South CarolinaWRSR6966163.5433.138779.1488.33161.5
15Chad Henne, MichiganQBJR61298062.0243.1011038.551310.08160.9

 

[osugrad21]

Link

HEISMAN WATCH

ALL EYES ARE STILL ON SMITH

AP


Star-Telegram college football writer Wendell Barnhouse assesses the top candidates for the Heisman Trophy:
1. Troy Smith, Ohio State: Rarely does a preseason favorite go "wire-to-wire" in the Heisman race, but until a challenger steps forward, Smith remains on top.
2. Garrett Wolfe, Northern Illinois: The nation's leading rusher continues to crank out the yards. He had 162 yards in the Huskies' nationally televised victory over Miami (Ohio) on Sunday.
3. Calvin Johnson, Georgia Tech: The junior wide receiver can't be covered one-on-one. Johnson's ability to make the big plays (he's averaging 15.9 yards per catch with eight touchdowns) is the main reason the Yellow Jackets are 5-1.
Waiting list: RB Adrian Peterson, Oklahoma; QB Brady Quinn, Notre Dame; QB Chris Leak, Florida; RB Steve Slaton, West Virginia; RB Mike Hart, Michigan.

 

[osugrad21]

Link

Ohio State's Smith has commanding lead; NIU's Wolfe third

October 11, 2006
Scripps Howard News Service
Midway through the college football regular season, Ohio State's Troy Smith is halfway to the Heisman Trophy. With a little less than two months to the Heisman announcement Dec. 9 in New York, Smith holds a commanding lead in this week's Scripps Howard News Service Heisman Trophy poll.
Smith had as many TD passes (3) as incompletions in Saturday's 35-7 win over Bowling Green and earned nine of 10 first-place votes. Florida quarterback Chris Leak, who stands sixth, got the other first-place vote.
West Virginia running back Steve Slaton jumped four spots to second while Northern Illinois RB Garrett Wolfe is third.
Compiled by The Rocky Mountain News, the Scripps Heisman poll is the longest-running weekly Heisman poll in the country, in its 20th year. The final poll in December correctly has predicted the Heisman winner 16 of the previous 19 seasons. There are 10 voters, two from each of five regions of the nation, who vote for five players each week. The tabulations are on a 5-4-3-2-1 basis, with five points for a first-place vote, four points for second, etc. First-place votes in parentheses.
This week's poll with statistics from last weekend:
Name, Position, School, Statistics, Points .

1. Troy Smith, QB, Ohio State -- 17-of-20, 191 yards passing,, 3 TD passes, 49 (9).
2. Steve Slaton, RB, West Virginia -- 26 carries, 185 yards rushing, 1 TD, 30.
3. Garrett Wolfe, RB, Northern Illinois -- 29 carries, 162 yards, 2 TDs, 22.
4. Adrian Peterson, RB, Oklahoma -- 25 carries, 109 yards, 1 TD, 18.
5. Brady Quinn, QB, Notre Dame -- 27-of-37, 232 yards, 3 TD passes, 13.

Others: Chris Leak, QB, Florida, 9 (1); Erik Ainge, QB, Tennessee, 3; Calvin Johnson, WR, Georgia Tech, 2; Reggie Nelson, DB, Florida, 2; Mario Manningham, WR, Michigan,2.
The voters: Kirk Bohls (Austin (Texas) American-Statesman); Scott Cain (Arkansas Democrat Gazette); Dennis Dodd (CBSSportsLine); Vahe Gregorian (St. Louis Post-Dispatch); Mike Griffith (Knoxville, Tenn., News Sentinel); Randy Holtz (Rocky Mountain News); John Lindsay (Scripps Howard News Service); Michael Lewis (The Salt Lake Tribune); John Rohde (The Oklahoman); Michael Vega (The Boston Globe).

 

[OregonBuckeye]

1. Troy Smith, Ohio State: Rarely does a preseason favorite go "wire-to-wire" in the Heisman race, but until a challenger steps forward, Smith remains on top.

Actually, Quinn was the preseason favorite.

 

[osugrad21]

Daily Texan

Smith, Peterson stay in Heisman race lead

1. Troy Smith, QB, Ohio State - Up

At the rate Smith is going, is there anybody that can catch him and take the top spot away in the Heisman Trophy race? And this weekend against Bowling Green, Smith did nothing to hurt his Heisman Trophy candidacy by tossing three touchdown passes, including a 57-yard bullet to Ted Ginn Jr., in a 35-7 win over the Falcons. Smith finished the game 17-of-20 for 191 yards.


2. Adrian Peterson, RB, Oklahoma - Down

It wasn't Peterson who lost the game for the Sooners this past weekend against Texas, but he sure didn't help out much in the loss. The Longhorns held arguably the nation's best running back to a mere 109 yards and one touchdown on 25 carries. These are stats Peterson is used to getting in the second half alone. But look for Peterson to return to regular form this weekend at Iowa State.


3. Chris Leak, QB, Florida - Down

Yes, the Gators did trump Louisiana State this past weekend and did improve to 6-0 on the season, but that can't all be credited Leak. Freshman quarterback Tim Tebow accounted for three touchdowns, two passing and one rushing, in the Gators' 23-10 win over the Tigers. Leak surely didn't hurt Florida in the win, but his numbers were far from impressive completing 17-of-26 passes for 155 yards and one interception.


4. Brady Quinn, QB, Notre Dame - Up

It was a sluggish start for Notre Dame on Saturday against Stanford, but Quinn helped jump-start the Fighting Irish's lagging offense throwing for 232 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-10 win over the Cardinals. In the last three games, Quinn has been able to jump back in the Heisman race completing 68.5 percent of his passes and throwing for 10 touchdowns with only one interception.


5. Chad Henne, QB, Michigan - Up

Henne has propelled himself into the picture after playing six straight weeks of solid football. After torching Notre Dame, Henne has helped Michigan jump up to No. 4 in the AP Top 25 and handled the Spartans this weekend, completing 11-of-17 passes for 140 yards and three touchdowns. Henne has quietly been a consistent force this season and will be tested again this weekend against Penn State.

 

[rocketman]

I don't usually like to post things other fans say on other message boards, but this was posted on an ND board just recently:

[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif] I'm not ruling out anyone, but from watching the games, Troy Smith just doesn't seem to have it, and I think eventually he's going to have a bad game. With his lack of stats, one bad game is going to be the end of him.

I also think Adrian Peterson wasted his best opportunity. I can't see anyway for him to separate himself from Wolfe now. The Texas game was his one chance to put some substance to the argument that the level of competition he plays against should be the deciding factor. However, he did nothing. In fact, he was a prime culprit for why they lost when he didnt recover the lateral (and I don't care if he thought it was a forward pass, he should have jumped on it just to be safe). I think in a comparision of running backs, Wolfe stats are just going to kill Petersons, especially if Wolfe breaks Sander's record.

That leaves Quinn and Wolfe, and I have no idea how this will turn out. Wolfe stats as a RB will likely be more impressive than Quinn's as a QB, but Quinn does have that USC game to make a statement. Additionally, the wild card is that ND could work itself back into the national championship game. If ND has a shot at that game, and the end of the year game against USC is a big game in the title picture, Quinn has got a great shot at the Heisman.[/FONT]

If by "it" you mean, "throws picks, fumbles the ball, and loses one of the most important games of the year for his team, singlehandedly" then yeah, Troy doesn't have "it." If Quinn played for any other team he would have dropped off the heisman radar after his performance against Michigan.

 

[sandgk]

I don't usually like to post things other fans say on other message boards, but this was posted on an ND board just recently:



If by "it" you mean, "throws picks, fumbles the ball, and loses one of the most important games of the year for his team, singlehandedly" then yeah, Troy doesn't have "it." If Quinn played for any other team he would have dropped off the heisman radar after his performance against Michigan.

Too true. This season is not quite as rosy for Quinn as last.

Consider -
2005 - 32 TDS - 7 INTS Yards Per Game ~326
2006 Thru 6 games 16 TD - 4 INT Plus those fumbles YPG ~272
Drop off in production in the year when Quinn got all his weapons back - and we are still hearing him touted for Heisman?
That and the sheer horror of his game play against Michigan should in my view be more than enough to pitch him under the Heisman Bus, rather than on it.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Link

Handicapping the race for the Heisman Trophy
By Tim Roberts
Wed, Oct 11, 2006


My condolences to those of you who took Michael Bush or Brian Brohm as this year`s Heisman winner-to-be back in August.
They were reasonable bets at they time, but their injuries soon became one of the unforeseeable factors in the Heisman race. The good news for bettors is the favorites for the prize are getting more obvious. Consider the following, however, before laying money down on anyone.
All odds courtesy Pinnaclesports.com, and much historical info from the excellent Heisman Trophy website.
Backfield or bust
Even if his knee surgery didn`t jeopardize his chances, Michigan receiver Mario Manningham`s (+2540) position already did. Same with Calvin Johnson (+6227) at Georgia Tech.
The only non-backfield players who took home the prize since players started wearing facemasks are receivers Tim Brown and Desmond Howard and cornerback Charles Woodson. All three were massive threats in the return game.
Manningham will have be content with a shot at the national championship while Johnson will just have to settle for becoming filthy rich as an NFL star.
Ohio State`s Ted Ginn (no odds) could`ve excelled in the Brown and Howard role, but has three factors against him: he`s barely the leading receiver on his own team, his longest return of the year is 22 yards and he has an overachieving teammate. Which leads us to...
Clashing teammates
The Buckeyes boast the current favorite for the trophy in quarterback Troy Smith (+206). He`s the quarterback on the nation`s No. 1 team and already has 15 touchdown passes in what has largely been a mistake-free season. The Big Ten tops the conferences with 15 past Heisman winners, and Ohio State leads the conference with six of those trophies.
But Ginn and Antonio Pittman could steal Smith`s thunder with monster games on November 18 against Michigan.
Similarly the Wolverines` Manningham, Chad Henne (+4101) and Mike Hart (+1211) are hurting each other`s chances for the Heisman as the year goes on. Manningham puts the points on the board, Henne runs the offense and Hart has been the best player game in and game out.
Don`t look at the 2005 USC Trojans as a reason to lean on one of the Buckeyes or Wolverines. Reggie Bush beating out teammates Matt Leinart and LenDale White was the exception, not the rule. Bush was a spectacular athlete with spectacular performances, regularly standing out even against his talented teammates. With apologies to Smith, it`s a different scenario this year.
It`s more like 2004, when Oklahoma`s Adrian Peterson (+466) and Jason White finished 2-3, or 2002, when Miami (Fl.)`s Willis McGahee and Ken Dorsey kept each other from more serious consideration.
Respect your elders
Seniors are favored. Juniors are accepted, but they`d better pack a helluva season.
Sophomores and freshmen just don`t rate, and that kills Steve Slaton (+805) at West Virginia. Fair or not, Heisman voters want the trophy winners to have paid their dues. Tony Dorsett had to wait, Herschel Walker had to wait. So will Slaton.
Small school, small chance
The heck with the monster numbers, Garrett Wolfe (+5000) doesn`t have a chance at Northern Illinois.
Yes, Wolfe put up 285 yards from scrimmage against Ohio State to start the season, but his team lost 35-12. When Ty Detmer won the Heisman at BYU, he also played the nation`s No. 1 team early in the year. The difference is, Detmer led his Cougars to an upset win over Miami (Fl.) back in 1990.
The candidates from the major conferences have tough opponents nearly every week from here on in. The MAC isn`t a joke, but giving Wolfe the Heisman would be.
Voter bias
Heisman voters totally ignore the small schools and do a good job of ignoring a lot of big ones.
It`s not surprising that the Big XII and Big Ten lead in Heisman wins in the entire history of the award and over the past 20 years. But it is very surprising that the SEC teams have only been home to one winner of the past 20. The ultra-competitive schedule and stat-stunting defenses really put a clamp on the conference`s skill players like Kenny Irons (+4101) at Auburn and Erik Ainge (no odds) at Tennessee.
Hey, if Peyton Manning can lose to a Big Ten defensive back, then who is Ainge to suddenly act as the saviour of the SEC?
Remaining schedule
Don`t overestimate players whose teams have already been through their tough games and similarly, don`t underestimate teams yet to hit the tough spots.
It`s another factor against Slaton that his only remaining huge game is in Louisville on Nov. 2. Cal`s Marshawn Lynch (+5158), who will have to light up the USC defense on Nov. 18 to make a decent impression on voters. There`s no real chance to do so before or after for either.
John David Booty (+4101), on the other hand, ends the season with USC`s three biggest Pac-10 games plus a visit from Notre Dame. Plenty of chances to win votes.
Intangibles
Florida`s Chris Leak (+2026) is a sweet-throwing senior quarterback on a potential national champion. Unfortunately, he`s the second-most talked about quarterback on his own team. I assume Heisman voters have seen the Gators` two biggest games of the year against Tennessee and LSU? It would be a touch, umm, how to say this... "ludicrous" (yeah that`s the word), to give the award to Leak when a freshman quarterback is regularly taking key snaps for the Gators.
Then there`s Brady Quinn (+302). He`s a senior quarterback with monster numbers at Notre Dame, which has as many Heisman winners as anyone (seven), but has been shut out since Brown won in 1987. Voters are gagging to give an award to an Irish man and Quinn is the best candidate to come from South Bend in a while.
Unfortunately for the Golden Dome posse, Quinn`s nationally-televised performances against Georgia Tech and Michigan were downers. His only chance to boost himself above second or third in the voting is with a huge game against USC. The Irish play the service academies, UNC and UCLA before facing USC. High-profile games but not as good as ending the season with a Big Ten or SEC schedule. Too many other players will have too many other chances to impress.
And the winner is (or at least the best value) ...
Peterson at +466. Yeah, the Sooners have already lost two games, but team record isn`t as huge a factor as you`d think in Heisman voting. Peterson is the best running back in the country and plies his trade for a school that voters love. Ricky Williams at Texas, Marcus Allen at USC and Bo Jackson at Auburn filled similar roles and all walked away with the Heisman. All three played for teams who lost at least three games that same year.
Peterson has acquitted himself well in both of Oklahoma`s losses. He was dominant against Oregon and was the focal point for the Texas defense yet still put up triple-digit rushing yards. He has a solid schedule remaining with lots of traditional conference showdowns against above-average teams. Each and every one of them, however, represents a 200-plus yard opportunity. Troy Smith has been fantastic and Brady Quinn has the whole "Touchdown Jesus" thing, but Peterson was the best talent in the country two years ago and voters will be happy to reward another monster season with the Sooners.

 

[BB73]

The link shows some impressive tackling stats for Cal's WR/return man DeSean Jackson. Sadly, somebody gace Brady Quinn a 1st-place vote.

usatoday

Ohio State's Smith leads way in Heisman poll
On the strength of leading No. 1 Ohio State to six victories to open the season, quarterback Troy Smith is the early front-runner in the USA TODAY Heisman Trophy poll.
Smith has been solid throughout a tough early schedule, throwing for 1,261 yards and 15 touchdowns as the Buckeyes won road games at Texas and Iowa to solidify their spot at No. 1. The senior received eight of 10 first-place votes and has 48 total points in the balloting.
Smith's top competition at this point comes from Northern Illinois running back Garrett Wolfe. The senior, who was nowhere to be seen in the preseason poll, has been one of the biggest surprises in the country. Wolfe has carried for 1,343 yards in six games and is on pace to surpass Barry Sanders' all-time NCAA rushing record for a season. He is within striking distance of Smith at 35 points.
The race for third place is tightly packed. Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn has 16 points after being the leader in the preseason poll. Three points behind Quinn is Georgia Tech wide receiver Calvin Johnson and four points back is Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson. West Virginia running back Steve Slaton rounds out the top six at 10 points.
Five other players also received votes with Michigan stars Michael Hart and Chad Henne sandwiching Tennessee quarterback Erik Ainge for spots seven through nine followed Rutgers running back Ray Rice and California wide receiver DeSean Jackson.
Voting is done by a panel of writers and editors from USA TODAY and USA TODAY.com. Points are tabulated on 5-4-3-2-1 basis.

 

[NIU007]

"The heck with the monster numbers, Garrett Wolfe (+5000) doesn`t have a chance at Northern Illinois.
Yes, Wolfe put up 285 yards from scrimmage against Ohio State to start the season, but his team lost 35-12. When Ty Detmer won the Heisman at BYU, he also played the nation`s No. 1 team early in the year. The difference is, Detmer led his Cougars to an upset win over Miami (Fl.) back in 1990.
The candidates from the major conferences have tough opponents nearly every week from here on in. The MAC isn`t a joke, but giving Wolfe the Heisman would be."

This guy's logic is horrible. Was he expecting Wolfe by himself to get us a victory over OSU? Wolfe was pretty much the entire offense. BYU must have had some defense in order to beat a #1 team, and NIU is sorely lacking in D this year. I can't argue about Wolfe not having a chance, but it's only because of idiotic rationalization like this. I would also say that if you're OSU or TSUN you totally overmatch teams like Illinois, Indiana and Northwestern and relatively speaking it would be like playing a MAC school, plus they also play teams like NIU or Eastern Michigan which don't have much defense. So they're not playing a tough game every week. If Wolfe had only somewhat more yards than the players from the BCS conferences I could see the rationale, since the schedule is weaker, but he's blowing everybody out of the water. That said, if Troy Smith keeps doing what he's doing he'll win it and it's hard to argue against it, especially since it's impossible to compare a RB and a QB. Brady Quinn IS overrated though.