The Heisman Trophy 2009 has been heavily debated all year, for good and bad. Mostly, the 2009 Heisman Trophy race was defined by having no favorites, and no sure nominees. Once Sam Bradford and Tim Tebow slipped up, the award was wide open to almost anyone. Today, the Heisman Trophy 2009 can only be given to one of five finalists, who can now officially book trips to New York.
The five finalists were named on ESPN at 6 p.m. est, and will appear at the Downtown Athletic Club on Saturday night. In such a wide open year, each of the five have a good case to make, so it is still anyone’s game.
The first Heisman Trophy 2009 finalist is the likely favorite at the moment. Mark Ingram shot himself into the Heisman conversation by leading Alabama to a perfect season. The running back could be the first Crimson Tide player to ever win the award, and may have clinched it with a big performance against Florida.
His closest competition may be Colt McCoy, who is no stranger to this race. McCoy got himself invited for the second year in a row, after losing to Big 12 rival Sam Bradford last year. However, after nearly costing the Longhorns a national title shot, McCoy’s stock may have fallen. Whether it was enough to cost him the Heisman is uncertain.
There couldn’t be a Heisman Trophy ceremony without Tim Tebow, who got nominated for the third year in a row. But his hopes of being the second two-time winner in history may have been dashed after last weekend.
The most unlikely Heisman Trophy 2009 nominee is a dominant defensive end. Nebraska’s Ndamukong Suh made the biggest last-minute statement by running over Texas on Saturday. The odds are still long that a defensive player can win, but if anyone can, it may be Suh.
Rounding out the field is the only nominee who didn’t play this past Saturday. But Stanford’s Toby Gerhart may already have a winning resume, as the running back led the Cardinal to their first bowl game in eight years. Though Stanford lost four times, Tebow won his Heisman on a three-loss Gator team, so records don’t always matter. After Gerhart carried Stanford to a prime time win over Notre Dame, he may be the dark horse candidate.
Although the Heisman Trophy 2009 is awarded for a whole season of work, it seems to really be decided by the final game. By that standard, Ingram, Suh and Gerhart are the favorites, while Tebow and McCoy are underdogs. But McCoy was considered to be the favorite before last weekend, so his body of work may still put him over the top.
Ingram and McCoy will have a more important clash on January 7, for the national championship. But they will meet for another title this Saturday night, along with Tebow, Gerhart and Suh.
At around 9 pm est on Saturday, the 2009 Heisman Trophy winner will be announced on ESPN, after everyone struggled to find a favorite for months. But the Downtown Athletic Club managed to find five possible favorites anyway.
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