Wrapping up some odds and ends as 70 teams (believe it or not) prepare for a bowl game.
View full sizeThere may be unresolved questions about him off the field, but there's few that would dispute Cameron Newton as the year's best football player and lopsided Heisman favorite, says Doug Lesmerises.COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Wrapping up some odds and ends as 70 teams (believe it or not) prepare for a bowl game:
HEISMAN WATCH
1. Cameron Newton, QB, Auburn, Jr., Odds: 1-5: Should he be eligible to play? Maybe not. Will he win after throwing for 28 TDs and running for 20 more? Absolutely.
2. LaMichael James, RB, Oregon, Soph., Odds: 15-1: Led nation with 1,682 rushing yards, 21 rushing TDs. May not get a lot of first-place votes, but should grab many seconds and thirds.
3. Kellen Moore, QB, Boise State, Jr., Odds: 40-1: Fourth in nation with 33 TD passes, I'll be surprised if he's not invited to New York.
4. Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State, Soph., Odds: 55-1: With 151 receiving yards per game and nation-best 18 TD catches, I think he's gained some ground as a dark-horse alternative.
5. Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford, Soph., Odds: 60-1: Just 21st in nation in passing yards, but potential No. 1 pick in NFL Draft getting more attention than I realized. Could sneak to New York.
6. Denard Robinson, QB, Michigan, Soph., Odds: 80-1: He's the Big Ten's Offensive Player of the Year, but I don't think the conference will have a player in the top five for fourth straight year, since Troy Smith won.
7. Terrelle Pryor, QB, Ohio State, Jr., Odds: 100-1: Finished regular season 46th in passing yards, 14th in passer rating, 18th in points responsible for. If he's back next year, still right in the running.
DOUG'S TOP 25
1. Auburn; 2. Oregon; 3. TCU; 4. Wisconsin; 5. Stanford; 6. Michigan State; 7. Ohio State; 8. Arkansas; 9. Oklahoma; 10. Nebraska; 11. Missouri; 12. Nevada; 13. Boise State; 14. LSU; 15. Virginia Tech; 16. Oklahoma State; 17. Texas A&M; 18. South Carolina; 19. Alabama; 20. West Virginia; 21. Florida State; 22. Utah; 23. Mississippi State; 24. Central Florida; 25. Miami (Ohio)
Explaining my ballot
• This was the seventh week atop my ballot for Auburn, and for the first time, the rest of the AP poll agreed. The Tigers gained 13 first-place votes from last week and finished No. 1 in the AP poll, 11 points up on Oregon.
• I don't penalize teams for losing in conference title games when other teams are sitting home because they weren't good enough to get there. So Nebraska, South Carolina and Florida State basically held their spots.