One Man's Heisman Ballot

I haven't been invited to vote for the Heisman Trophy. Part of the reason for this may be that I panned it the H*i*m*n for years after Larry Fitzgerald was somehow denied.

Anyway, The Blue Workhorse is compiling votes for a "Sports Blog Heisman," and I have decided to take part in the balloting.

It is a tough year to pick a favorite. There are a plethora of candidates from all over the country, and the guy everyone thought would win it (Tim Tebow) is not among the most serious. Neither is the guy who won it last year (Sam Bradford).

We don't even really have the Token Guy From A Smaller League Who Should Be Considered But No One Will Vote For.

What do we have? We have some great running backs, a quarterback who has had an unbelievable career, and a defensive tackle who should get a serious look.

Here's how I break it down.

REGION: Midwest

3. Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska. He's easily the most dominant defensive player in college football. He owned Colt McCoy in the Big 12 title game. The bottom line is that this is the kind of player NFL scouts drool over, and he's a game-changer in the same way the guys like Tebow and McCoy are.

2. Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama. As good as Suh has been, Ingram moved ahead of him on my ballot with his performance in the SEC title game. The way he owned the Florida defense all night was very impressive, and he is the kind of player who can lead his team to a national title, even without the presence of an elite passing game. The human interest story with Ingram and his jailed father is touching and could sway a few human voters.

1. Toby Gerhart, RB, Stanford. Stanford was nothing when Gerhart arrived, and no one really knew much about the horse of a running back. This isn't about career achievement, though. Gerhart found the end zone 26 times this season, despite being the focal point of every defensive game plan he ran into. He was only held under 100 yards twice, and he never stopped taking the ball from quarterback Andrew Luck. It's odd to think that a guy on a four-loss team could win the Heisman in this day and age, but it's not been a normal year for college football.