Alabama's Mark Ingram takes commanding lead in Heisman Trophy poll

Alabama tailback Mark Ingram garnered 10 of 13 first-place votes to take a commanding lead in the latest HeismanPundit.com Heisman Poll released on Tuesday.
 
The sophomore from Flint, Mich., totaled a season-best 59 points in the weekly survey of 13 Heisman voters from across the country. It's the fifth week in a row Ingram has stood atop the poll, and his 24-point margin over second-place Colt McCoy (35 points, one first-place vote) of Texas is the biggest lead of the season by any candidate.
 
“It seems like the Heisman picture has cleared up considerably over the past couple of weeks, and it’s turning into the Year of the Running Back," said one voter. "Ingram is my No. 1 guy because he’s producing every week against some of the toughest defenses in the country, but Toby Gerhart is coming on strong."
 
Gerhart, a senior running back from Stanford, surged into third place -- just a shade behind McCoy -- with 33 points and a first-place vote. Clemson running back C.J. Spiller moved into fourth with 23 points.
 
Florida's Tim Tebow scored his lowest point total of the year -- 16 points -- to fall to fifth place.
 
"I don’t believe Tebow deserves a seat at the table," said a voter.  "He’s still a great player, but his role is reduced this year and I’d hardly call his production ‘outstanding.’”
 
The HeismanPundit.com Heisman Poll appears every Wednesday in the print edition of the Orlando Sentinel and in various Tribune Company media outlets.
 
About the Poll
 
The HeismanPundit.com Heisman Poll is made up of 13 Heisman voters from across the country. They vote for five players each week. Tabulations are made on a 5-4-3-2-1 basis, with five points awarded for a first-place vote, four points for a second-place vote and so on.  Last year's final Heismanpundit poll was the most accurate in the country, picking five of the top six finishers in the Heisman vote, including the winner.
 
Members of the panel include: Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel, Teddy Greenstein and Brian Hamilton of the Chicago Tribune, Olin Buchanan and Tom Dienhart of Rivals.com, Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman, Bruce Feldman of ESPN.com, J.B. Morris of ESPN the Magazine, Austin Murphy, B.J. Schecter and Stewart Mandel of Sports Illustrated, plus Dick Weiss of the New York Daily News. 
 
Chris Huston of HeismanPundit.com coordinates and also votes in the poll.
 
The HeismanPundit.com Heisman Poll, 11/17/09
Total points (with first place votes in parentheses)
 
1. Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama--59 (10)
2. Colt McCoy, QB, Texas--35 (1)
3. Toby Gerhart, RB, Stanford--33 (1)
4. C.J. Spiller, RB, Clemson--23
5. Tim Tebow, QB, Florida--16
6. Kellen Moore, QB, Boise State--14
7. Golden Tate, WR, Notre Dame--6 (1)
    Case Keenum, QB, Houston--6
9. Dion Lewis, RB, Pitt--1
LaMichael James, RB, Oregon--1
Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska--1

Photo: Alabama's Mark Ingram runs into the end zone after scoring a 70-yard touchdown against Mississippi State during their game in Starkville, Miss., on Nov. 14. Credit: Mark Almond / Associated Press

Alabama's Mark Ingram still leads Heisman Trophy poll

Alabama's Mark Ingram held on to a healthy lead in the latest edition of the HeismanPundit.com Heisman Poll.
 
The sophomore running back collected six of 13 first-place votes by the panel, comprised of Heisman voters from around the country.  His 48 total points put him comfortably ahead of Florida's Tim Tebow (27 points, three first-place votes).
 
Three other quarterbacks were bunched closely together behind Tebow: Colt McCoy of Texas (26 points), Case Keenum of Houston (26 points, one first-place vote) and Jimmy Clausen of Notre Dame (25 points, one first-place vote).
 
“I think Clausen has had a Heisman-type season for Notre Dame and that’s why he’s No. 1 on my ballot right now," said one voter. "His stats are excellent and, more importantly, the Irish would be a mess without him. With him, they might make a BCS bowl.  I think Jacquizz Rodgers is the best all-purpose back in the nation, while Keenum has been consistently dominant for Houston.”
 
The HeismanPundit.com Heisman Poll is made up of 13 Heisman voters from across the country. They vote for five players each week. Tabulations are made on a 5-4-3-2-1 basis, with five points awarded for a first-place vote, four points for a second-place vote and so on.  Last year's final Heismanpundit poll was the most accurate in the country, picking five of the top six finishers in the Heisman vote, including the winner.
 
Members of the panel include: Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel, Teddy Greenstein and Brian Hamilton of the Chicago Tribune, Olin Buchanan and Tom Dienhart of Rivals.com, Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman, Bruce Feldman of ESPN.com, J.B. Morris of ESPN the Magazine, Austin Murphy, B.J. Schecter and Stewart Mandel of Sports Illustrated, plus Dick Weiss of the New York Daily News. 
 
Chris Huston of HeismanPundit.com coordinates and also votes in the poll.
 
HeismanPundit.com Heisman Poll, 11/4
Total Points with first place votes in parentheses
 
1. Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama--48 (6)
2. Tim Tebow, QB, Florida--27 (3)
3. Case Keenum, QB, Houston--26 (1)
    Colt McCoy, QB, Texas--26
5. Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame--25 (1)
6. Kellen Moore, QB, Boise State--14
7. Golden Tate, WR, Notre Dame--8 (1)
    Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska--8 (1)
9. Jacquizz Rodgers, RB, Oregon State--6
10. Eric Berry, DB, Tennessee--3
    Jeremiah Masoli, QB, Oregon--3
12. LaMichael James, RB, Oregon--1

Photo: Mark Ingram. Credit: Paul Jasienski / US Presswire.

Alabama's Mark Ingram widens lead in Heisman Trophy poll

Alabama's Mark Ingram holds a commanding lead in the latest HeismanPundit.com Heisman Poll released on Tuesday.
 
The sophomore running back, coming off a 99-yard rushing performance against Tennessee, collected 56 points and nine first-place votes in the weekly survey of 13 Heisman voters from around the country.  This is the second-straight week for Ingram atop the poll.
 
Despite Ingram's surge, many voters remain unsure of a clear leader.
 
“I have no explanation for my ballot," said one voter. "I have no rhyme or reason for my ballot. The Heisman Trophy should change its name to the Who’sman Trophy. It has become  the award nobody wants to win. I put Mark Ingram No. 1 on my ballot just because. I still have McCoy and Tebow in my Top 5 just because.  I feel  like the lonely girl sitting by the phone waiting for someone to ask me to the prom. I’m sitting here alone in my office cubicle with an empty ballot waiting for a worthy candidate to emerge.”
 
USC quarterback Matt Barkley received one point.

Matt Barkley for the Heisman?

Matt Barkley, USC's freshman quarterback, got some votes in the latest edition of the HeismanPundit.com Heisman poll, which was released today.

The poll also has a new leader. Alabama running back Mark Ingram, who rushed for 246 yards and a touchdown against South Carolina Saturday, surged past Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, the leader in the first eight weeks of the poll.

The poll is a weekly survey of 13 Heisman voters from around the country, who vote on a 5-4-3-2-1 points basis.

Tebow had the most first-place votes, with six. Ingram had four first-place votes but 48 overall points compared to 45 for Tebow. Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen was a distant third with one first-place vote and 19 points.

Barkley, who out-produced Clausen on Saturday in USC's victory over the Irish, got three points in his first appearance in the standings.

-- Mike Hiserman

Photo: Matt Barkley. Credit: Kirby Lee / US Presswire

Tim Tebow likely to play tonight against LSU

All signs indicate that Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, who suffered a concussion two weeks ago against Kentucky, will play tonight when the top-ranked Gators play fourth-ranked Louisiana State in Baton Rouge.

ESPN reported on today's "GameDay" program that Tebow would play if he was cleared by doctors.

Coach Urban Meyer said that Tebow is "dying to play."

-- Chris Dufresne

Photo: Former Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow is waiting for the word from doctors as to whether he can play tonight. Credit: Andy Lyons / Getty Images

Notre Dame's Jimmy Clausen moves up in Heisman Trophy poll

This week's Heisman Trophy poll conducted by Chris Huston of HesimanPundit.com is out, and Florida's Tim Tebow remains in first, while Texas quarterback Colt McCoy remains second. However, Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen jumped up to third.

This Week's Poll (first-place votes in parentheses)
 
1. Tim Tebow, QB, Florida–52 (7)
2. Colt McCoy, QB, Texas–48 (3)
3. Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame–31 (2)
4. Tony Pike, QB, Cincinnati–24
5. Case Keenum, QB, Houston–11
6. Jacory Harris, QB, Miami–8
7. A.J. Green, WR, Georgia–7 (1)
8. Tate Forcier, QB, Michigan–4
9. Toby Gerhart, RB, Stanford–3
10. Golden Tate, WR, Notre Dame–3
11. Eric Decker, WR, Minnesota–2
Dez Bryant, WR, Oklahoma State–2

Tebow topped the poll--comprised of 13 Heisman voters from around the country--for the sixth-straight week, totaling 52 points and 7 first place votes to once again beat out Texas quarterback Colt McCoy (48 points, 3 first-place votes). 
 
“They may not have the most eye-popping numbers to date — especially since they’ve played one less game than a lot of the other contenders — but Tim Tebow and Colt McCoy are running the best teams and still performing at a high level," noted one voter.
 
Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen continues to gain strength with the panel.  He tallied 31 points and two first-place votes. 

Oklahoma Coach Stoops is Crabby Bob when it comes to questions about Bradford

Ask Bob Stoops about the weather, or his kids, or how hard his Oklahoma Sooners played in Saturday's tough loss to Miami.

Just don't ask him about the status of Sam Bradford, the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback who has missed three games with a shoulder separation. Oklahoma (2-2) hosts Baylor on Saturday.

Here are questions-and-answer excerpts from Monday's Big 12 coaches conference call:

Is there a chance Bradford might not play again this year?

Stoops: "There's a chance, Lord forbid, he might get hit by a bus walking over here today. ... That's not what I anticipate, no."

How much has the shoulder progressed over the weekend?

Stoops: "I haven't seen him do anything this week to change anything. Wo until we do, I won't know anything.

Was Bradford close to being able to play against Miami last week?

Stoops: "I'm not going into how close or far he was. Bottom line, he wasn't where he needed to be and I had said that."

But there was a chance?

Stoops: "Yeah, there was a chance he could have played last week. That doesn't mean a lot, though, does it? I mean a chance could be, you know, there's a lot of percentages you could put on it. Everyone wants me to give them an answer you can't give. Don't know."

So you don't even have an idea yourself?

Stoops: "Yeah, I got an idea; but again, you have to go through practice. Until you see a guy progress, how do you know? You tell me?"

Don't know.

-- Chris Dufresne

Photo: Bob Stoops. Credit: Steve Mitchell, U.S. Presswire.

Oklahoma Coach Bob Stoops: Landry Jones, not Sam Bradford, will start against Miami

Oklahoma Coach Bob Stoops announced today that redshirt freshman Landry Jones, not Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford, would start at quarterback against Miami in Saturday's important non-conference game in South Florida.

Bradford has been out since injuring his throwing shoulder in the Sooners' opening

loss to Brigham Young on Oct. 3.

Bradford returned to practice this week but is not quite ready to resume game action.

"Sam has made daily progress, but we don't feel like he's quite where he needs to be yet," Stoops said. "Our team has a lot of confidence in Landry's ability and we're looking forward to going into the game with him at quarterback. Our approach will be the same that it has been in the last two games."

Jones has led No. 8 Oklahoma to two victories in Bradford's absence, throwing for nine touchdowns in lopsided victories against Idaho State and Tulsa. Jones has completed 49 of 81 passes for 673 yards.

-- Chris Dufresne

Photo: Landry Jones. Credit: Sue Ogrocki / AP.

Tim Tebow still leads Heisman Trophy poll

This week's Heisman Trophy poll conducted by Chris Huston of HesimanPundit.com is out, and Florida's Tim Tebow remains in first, while Cal's Jahvid Best drops down, and Texas' Colt McCoy closes in.

This Week's Poll (first-place votes in parentheses)
 
1. Tim Tebow, QB, Florida--57 (8)
2. Colt McCoy, QB, Texas--55 (5)
3. Case Keenum, QB, Houston--37
4. Tony Pike, QB, Cincinnati--20
5. Jahvid Best, RB, California--11
6. Eric Berry, DB, Tennessee--4
7. Greg McElroy, QB, Alabama--2
    Dez Bryant, WR, Oklahoma State--2
    Eric Decker, WR, Minnesota--2
    Ryan Williams, RB, Va. Tech--2
11. Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame--1
 Jacory Harris, QB, Miami--1
A.J. Green, WR, Georgia--1

About the Poll

The HeismanPundit.com Heisman Poll is made up of 13 Heisman voters from across the country. They vote for five players each week. Tabulations are made on a 5-4-3-2-1 basis, with five points awarded for a first-place vote, four points for a second-place vote, and so on.  Last year’s HeismanPundit poll was the most accurate in the country, picking five of the top six finishers in the Heisman vote.

Members of the panel include: Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel; Teddy Greenstein and Brian Hamilton of the Chicago Tribune; Olin Buchanan and Tom Dienhart of Rivals.com; Jenni Carlson of the Oklahoman;  Bruce Feldman of ESPN.com; J.B. Morris of ESPN the Magazine; Austin Murphy, B.J. Schecter and Stewart Mandel of Sports Illustrated; plus Dick Weiss of the New York Daily News.

Huston, owner of HeismanPundit, also votes.  

For more details, go to HeismanPundit.com.

Bob Stoops: No decision yet on Heisman winner Sam Bradford

Oklahoma Coach Bob Stoops said today on Big 12 coaches' conference call that gamesmanship is not the reason he refuses to announce whether injured quarterback Sam Bradford will play in the Sooners' important nonconference game at Miami on Saturday.

Stoops said he just isn't sure.

"I'm not going to talk about his chances," Stoops said.

Bradford suffered a "Grade 3" sprain to his throwing shoulder in Oklahoma's season-opening loss to Brigham Young. With freshman backup Landry Jones at quarterback, Oklahoma has defeated two straight opponents, Idado State and Tulsa, by the score of 109-0.

"I'm not much on -- I don't know, maybe some people would disagree -- on being coy or evasive on stuff," Stoops said. "I pretty much usually call it as it is. And when we don't know, I say we don't know just yet. We'll just see how the week goes."