By JIMMY BURCH
jburch@star-telegram.com
Florida quarterback Tim Tebow returned to the top of the Scripps Howard News Service’s weekly Heisman Trophy poll, released Wednesday. But this week’s balloting suggests a wide-open race down the stretch, with all 10 first-place votes divided among Tebow (3), Alabama running back Mark Ingram (4) and Houston quarterback Case Keenum (3). Tebow, fifth last week, overtook Ingram — last week’s leader — because Ingram was omitted from one of the 10 members’ ballots. The poll, which began in 1987, solicits input from 10 Heisman voters — including representatives from the five Heisman balloting regions — and assigns points for each candidate listed by voters on a sliding scale, similar to the point totals in the weekly Associated Press college football poll. The poll has correctly forecast the Heisman winner in 18 of its first 21 seasons. This week’s results:
| Player | School | Last Week | Points |
| 1. QB Tim Tebow | Florida | 15-of-21, 164 yards passing, 2 TD passes,
85 yards rushing, 2 TD runs | 35 (3) |
| 2. RB Mark Ingram | Alabama | Did not play | 33 (4) |
| 3. QB Case Keenum | Houston | 44-of-54, 559 yards passing, 5 TDs, INT | 31 (3) |
| 4. QB Jimmy Clausen | Notre Dame | 22-of-27, 268 yards passing, 2 TDs | 12 |
| 5. QB Colt McCoy | Texas | 16-of-21, 171 yards passing, TD | 11 |
Others receiving votes: Fresno State RB Ryan Mathews, 4, Cincinnati QB Tony Pike, 3; Oregon QB Jeremiah Masoli, 3; Boise State QB Kellen Moore 2; Notre Dame WR Golden Tate, 1;
TCU DE Jerry Hughes, 1.
NOTE: Voting tabulations are made on a 5-4-3-2-1 basis, with five points for a first-place vote, four points for second, etc. First-place votes are in parentheses. (Scripps Howard News Service Heisman Trophy poll voters: Kirk Bohls, Austin American-Statesman; Jimmy Burch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram; Dennis Dodd,
CBSSports.com; Vahe Gregorian, St. Louis Post-Dispatch; Mike Griffith, The Knoxville (Tenn.) News-Sentinel; Michael Lewis, Salt Lake Tribune; Bob Condotta, Seattle Times; John Lindsay, Scripps Howard News Service; Tom Luicci, The (Newark) Star-Ledger; John Rohde, The Oklahoman.)
Handicapping the HeismanStar-Telegram college football writer Jimmy Burch handicaps the front-runners for the Heisman Trophy:
Mark Ingram, Alabama: Could separate himself from the Heisman-hopeful QBs with a big game Saturday against LSU.
Case Keenum, Houston: Leads the nation in passing yards (3,293) and total offense (420.9 yards per game).
Tim Tebow, Florida: Stepped up nicely as a rusher and passer in last week’s 41-17 rout of Georgia.
Colt McCoy, Texas: Back among the top contenders after last week’s turnover-free effort in a 41-14 victory over Oklahoma State.
Jerry Hughes, TCU: Dominant pass rusher leads one of the nation’s top defensive teams.
Handicapping the O’BrienStar-Telegram college football writer Jimmy Burch handicaps the front-runners for the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award:
Case Keenum, Houston: Has an eye-popping 71.6 completion rate.
Tim Tebow, Florida: The Gators’ primary rushing threat also ranks eighth nationally in pass efficiency (153.7 rating).
Colt McCoy, Texas: Ranks second nationally in completion percentage (72.0) and leads the nation’s highest scoring team (41.8 avg.).
Jimmy Clausen, Notre Dame: Has an 18-to-2 TD-to-INT ratio.
Bill Stull, Pittsburgh: Ranks third nationally in pass efficiency (161.1 rating) and could climb higher if Pitt wins the Big East title.
Looking for comments?
Share
@Nyx.CommentBody@