The Heisman Trophy will be awarded this Saturday evening (8.pm. eastern on ESPN) and for those living under a rock the four finalist are Oregon Ducks RB LaMichael James, Stanford Cardinal QB Andrew Luck, Boise St. Broncos QB Kellen Moore, and Auburn Tigers QB Cam Newton will be in New York City on Dec. 11. This is up from the previous few years where only three finalists have been invited.
Now time to look closer at the candidates.
Cam Newton, QB Auburn Tigers
Everyone knows about Cam Newton and the investigation that has followed him for past month, but also some may not know that he is one of three quarterbacks ever to have 20 rushing and passing touchdowns in a season. The others are former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow and current Nevada Wolfpack Colin Kaepernick. Side note: why is it that Kaepernick received zero Heisman talk, he lead his team to a 12-1 record, a top 15 ranking and in my opinion almost as dynamic as Newton. Other credentials that qualify Newton as the Heisman front runner is that he guided an undefeated team through the SEC and is in the BCS title game. Plus, on any third or fourth down that is less then three yards everyone in the stadium knows the play but no one can stop it. The only question left, is Cam Newton having the best college season ever best college season ever?
LaMichael James, RB Oregon Ducks
Even though James missed the opening game against New Mexico -- which is rare for him to be a finalist -- he was able to lead the nation in rushing by playing in only 11 games for the ultra-fast paced Ducks. His flashiness on the field and knack for big plays for the best offense in the country is amazing. LaMichael James help lead the Ducks to an undefeated season and will get to test his game against Auburn in the BCS title game on Jan. 10th.
Andrew Luck, QB Stanford Cardinal
Luck, may not want to win the Heisman since the winner has historically gone on to have minimal success at the NFL level, and Luck is in prime position to be the top pick in the upcoming NFL Draft if he decides to leave Stanford with a year of eligibility left. Stanford had the most over looked 11-1 season in recent memory, all they did was rip right through through the Pac-10 -- sans Oregon -- on the arm of Luck.
Kellen Moore, QB Boise State Broncos
Moore was very close to leading Boise State to yet another undefeated season with Boise State, but the team tripped up against Nevada a few weeks ago. Moore has put up amazing numbers by shredding every defense he faced and did so with very few turnovers. The non-AQ schools rarely get invited to New York as a finalist for the Heisman trophy, and the last to be invited was Hawaii's Colt Brennan in 2007. Based on history Moore has no shot, however he is only a junior and should be a front runner next year, if Boise State can keep going what they have.