Shortly after Auburn completed its comeback against Alabama in Friday's Iron Bowl, HeismanPundit.com called the Heisman race in favor of the season-long frontrunner, Tigers quarterback Cam Newton. Yesterday, the site declared that Kellen Moore will finish second.
And what of Andrew Luck, who completed 21 of 30 passes for 305 yards and four touchdowns in Stanford's 38-0 win against Oregon State? Head coach Jim Harbaugh shared his thoughts:
He’s the best player, he’s the most valuable player, on maybe the best team in the country. He has done everything a guy could do in this season that plays the quarterback position…I really feel like Andrew is head and shoulders above them all.
Hit the link to read Luck's comments on his Heisman chances.
As I argued earlier this week, I think Moore is out of contention with Boise State's loss to Nevada, though he was spectacular in defeat. Oregon's LaMichael James, who shook off a helmet-to-helmet hit to rush for 126 yards and two touchdowns against Arizona, has a chance to make a final impression in next week's Civil War with the ESPN GameDay hype machine in town. The Heisman remains Newton's to lose, and a Lockerian performance in an ugly loss to the Gamecocks might not even be enough to open the door for James or Luck.
I'm with Harbaugh, but I think the best-case scenario is that Luck finishes a close second to Newton.