79 Ballots: We have a barnburner, folks.

A big update this morning - mostly based on a whole lot of email correspondence. We're now up to 79 ballots, and this thing isn't getting any clearer.

Ndamukong Suh leads our projection with 38.6%, in a virtual tie with Toby Gerhart at 38.4%. Mark Ingram is very close behind at 36.9%, and then Colt McCoy at 34.7%. Tim Tebow trails at 12.6%.

The H------ Trust is set to announce the finalists, via ESPN's SportsCenter, at 6 p.m. Eastern. In years past, they've always announced three to five finalists - with three being the norm in recent years. I'll be stunned if they limit to three this year, expect four, and won't be surprised if it's five.

I don't expect season-long crowd favorites CJ Spiller, Kellen Moore, and Case Keenum to make the cut.

Kari Chisholm | December 7, 2009 | Comment on This Post (41 so far) Permalink: 79 Ballots: We have a barnburner, folks.

Comments

i know Suh has a slim chance of winning, but it would be nice just to see his hard work and determination all year long be recognized by at least getting invited to New York. I mean even if you have only watched 1 or 2 Husker games you understand why.

Posted by: brady mills | Dec 7, 2009 10:01:31 AM

I agree on Suh. I don't think he has a shot of winning the whole thing but it would be great to see the big guy in NYC. SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUH!

Posted by: Eric Langhorst | Dec 7, 2009 10:07:08 AM

Bring it home Suh!!!!!!!! I think he will get an invite and at least has a shot of winning. Very deserving.

Posted by: Jeff T. | Dec 7, 2009 10:13:31 AM

To me, it doesn't matter how unlikely it is... Suh deserves this award and I couldn't be happier that he's finally getting his due........ As an aside, this will help recruiting... BIG TIME.

Posted by: Danjer047 | Dec 7, 2009 10:15:50 AM

If C. J. Spiller does not make the cut, this award has no value. Nothing against Keenum and Moore but to put him in their class is an insult. My ballot would be:

(1) Suh
(2) Spiller
(3) McCoy
(4) Ingram

Posted by: Bryan M. | Dec 7, 2009 10:22:40 AM

Honest question - why is there so much hype all of a sudden for Suh? I know he had an excellent game against Texas, but his tackle/sack numbers aren't that great. Please explain it to me.

Posted by: Ice Weasel | Dec 7, 2009 10:31:18 AM

Suh probably won't win it... there are too many uninformed Heisman voters, and voters who simply won't consider a defensive player. Spiller not getting into the top three is unfortunate. The ACC was just so far out of the public eye this year. Even the ACC championship was barely talked about in the days leading to it. My top five:

1) Suh
2) Spiller
3) Gerhart
4) Ingram
5) Keenum

Posted by: Babyspeak | Dec 7, 2009 10:31:54 AM

Bryan M - how can you argue for Spiller, then completely leave off Toby Gerhart who is better than Ingram?

Posted by: Topher | Dec 7, 2009 10:37:31 AM

Wait... Are you serious that Suh's tackle and sack numbers aren't that great? You can't be serious right?

He LEADS the team in tackles with 82, tackles for loss with 23, sacks with 12 and is second in passes broken up with 10. Don't forget that he is a Defensive tackle, and for a DT to do that is absolutely unheard of. Tell me the last time you saw a defensive player with those kind of numbers... let alone a defensive tackle.

I know you must have been joking, but if you weren't you obviously know nothing about the man named Suh and haven't watched any Husker football this year. A team that has been carried by the defense and namely, Ndamukong Suh.

Posted by: Kyle G. | Dec 7, 2009 10:45:48 AM

I really hope Suh wins it, he is by far the "most outstanding player" in college football this season.

To those saying he only had a great game vs Texas, please watch a little more of his games, he is the best DL in all college football in past 20 years.

Posted by: NUTZ | Dec 7, 2009 10:46:05 AM

The sudden hype for Suh is because he just had an amazing game in front of a national audience. But he has been doing it all year. His tackle/sack numbers aren't great? What DT has more than him? 82 tackles, 12 sacks, 3 blocked kicks, 10 pass breakups, 1 interception. He deserves it more than anyone this year.

Posted by: Tyler | Dec 7, 2009 10:50:36 AM

Suh is getting the hype because he deserves it. He is the dominant player on the best defense in the land. He was consistently double-teamed this year and still managed to be a game changer every week. He is the consensus choice by NFL pundits to be the #1 draft pick this year.

What is the stated purpose of the Heisman Trophy?

Posted by: Nemesis | Dec 7, 2009 10:50:48 AM

Ice- Suh's numbers are unheard of for defensive tackles. He leads the Huskers in tackles, sacks, TFL, QB hurries, kick blocks, and probably other stats that I'm forgetting. This all while being double and triple teamed all year. He is the best player in the country.

Posted by: cd | Dec 7, 2009 10:51:03 AM

Suh's tackle numbers are awesome! He lead the team last year and did the same this year. Plus, he set the big 12 title record for sacks. As a comparison, the DT at Bama is supposed to be a first round pick and he doesn't have 1/3 of the tackles that Suh has. DT's generally don't make many stops they just occupy blockers to the LB's can make the tackle. Suh is a wrecking crew!

Posted by: Andrew | Dec 7, 2009 10:51:17 AM

Suh is getting the "hype" now because of the national stage of the Big XII championship. He has been getting double teamed all year and the simple fact that he destroyed the Texas O-line on National TV against the then-leading heisman candidate McCoy, really rises over the so-called average stats that some doubters bring up. He is definitely the most valuable player in college football, whether he wins the H-----or not.

Posted by: T. Williams | Dec 7, 2009 10:52:05 AM

The sudden hype for Suh is because he just had an amazing game in front of a national audience. But he has been doing it all year. His tackle/sack numbers aren't great? What DT has more than him? 82 tackles, 12 sacks, 3 blocked kicks, 10 pass breakups, 1 interception. He deserves it more than anyone this year.

Posted by: Tyler | Dec 7, 2009 10:54:42 AM

Ice Weasel,

There hasn't been a lot of hype for Suh because everyone is drooling over the marquee names of Tebow, McCoy, and Ingram. You say Suh's tackle/sack numbers aren't that great? Here are his numbers ....

82 tackles (50 solo)
23 tackles-for-loss
12 sacks
24 QB hurries
10 passes defensed
3 blocked kicks
1 interception
1 forced fumble

You might expect those numbers from a linebacker, but not a defensive tackle. Especially one that was double-teamed most of the season, and even triple-teamed at times. Teams game-planned around him and he still put up big numbers.

Thanks!

Eric

Posted by: Eric | Dec 7, 2009 10:55:15 AM

Ice Weasel,
Suh's numbers are impressive. They are otherworldly. He is not a linebacker, who you would expect to lead a team in tackles. He is a defensive tackle, an interior lineman who gets double teamed on every play. He leads the Huskers, ranked a top 5 defense, in tackles with 82, 23 of them going for a loss. He has 12 sacks, 24 quarterback hurries, 3 FG blocks, an interception, 10 pass break ups, and a forced fumble. By comparison, Terrance Cody of Alabama, considered the next best defensive tackle in the country has 20 tackles on the season with 5 going for a loss, two quarterback hurries, and a pass break up, which is considered a great season for a D-tackle.

That is why he is projected as the number 1 player to be taken in the draft. He put up similar numbers last year, but not quite as good, so every O-coordianator knew about him going into the game, planned around him, and still he tore everything to pieces. When playing against one of the best offenses in the country and a Heisman candidate QB, he had one the best games of his season. He did it every week, not just building up stats against weak non-conference opponents. The ballot says vote for the most outstanding player of 2009, no other player put up over 4 times the stats of the next best player at his position. He is the most outstanding player of 2009.

Posted by: Erik | Dec 7, 2009 11:01:33 AM

Any educated football fan knows Suh is the biggest game-changer in the land. If you don't give him the Heisman based on his actual stats from this season and just sheerly from watching him get held by the Texas OL on a play while still making the tackle in the backfield, then shame on you. He tossed McCoy around like a rag doll.

Posted by: Suh All the Way | Dec 7, 2009 11:04:00 AM

The Oklahoman's John Rohde has submitted his ballot.

http://blog.newsok.com/johnrohde/

Posted by: Jones | Dec 7, 2009 11:17:45 AM

If CJ Spiller doesn't make the top 5, that's a darn shame. He would have had a better chance if Clemson had actually won the ACC championship. Why the ACC doesn't get more notice on the national stage is beyond me, they have a lot of great teams.

Posted by: Jason | Dec 7, 2009 11:25:07 AM

Skip Bayless just recently picked Suh as his number 1... He's racking up WAY more votes than I thought it would.

Posted by: Danjer047 | Dec 7, 2009 11:30:19 AM

SUH!!!!!! Without a question. Leading the team in pass break ups, top in tackles and sacks and number of blocked Field Goals. On top of being double teamed all year.

If you watched the Nebraska and Texas game he is for sure top over Colt McCoy. I found myself all game saying Heisman who? Suhhhhhhhhhh!!!!

1. Suh Nebraska
2. Ingram Bama
3. Spiller Clemson

Posted by: Brandon Stritt | Dec 7, 2009 11:38:05 AM

Don Borst picked Suh #1.

http://msn.foxsports.com/cfb/story/10481260/Texas-shouldn`t-have-gotten-a-`second`-chance

Posted by: brett lauritsen | Dec 7, 2009 11:38:40 AM

That play when Suh was double teamed and he beat them both to the inside and McCoy was moving the opposite direction and Suh ran him down and threw his limp body atleast three yards was probably the best play i have ever seen by a defensive lineman, if not a defensive player. Of which are not getting the ball thrown to them and know exactly where to run for each play like an offensive skilled position. As a defensive player your have to wait and react, unless your running a blitz or stunt. Eveyplay suh has the ability to be patient enough to watch the backfeld while two offensive line are blocking him and still has the ability to shed the block. Even when he is being held he is able to use one arm to grab the running back or quarterback adn bring them down. This is most notable when he was held and reached out and clotheslined McCoy. The only times Suh as really got the recoginition he deserves was after the Missouri game and the Texas game, of which were the main games to watch on nat'l tv. Even without all the tv he still put of great numbers. Even when they weren't as high, for him, in games such as Baylor or kansas thats because their offensives were ran around him. And it was clear they everyone was focused on him when Crick was able to get five sacks. Not taking away anythign from Jared who will be able to fill Suhs shoes next year, well close to filling them. If only the media would have quite kissin up to McCoy and teebow all year long. he would have got more publicity. Honetly the week teebow got a headhache and had to set out a for the week he almost got as much coverage as Brett Farve going in and out of retirement. End in end Suh is amazing. and i hope all the voters realize they voting for the Most Valuable player. not just the guys who can throw the ball and catch it for points, well i guess suh did have three touchdowns last year. Which doesnt count. well it does for McCoy adn Teebow since they had good years last year but havent done much this year and are still the frontrunners untill recently.

Posted by: paul | Dec 7, 2009 11:38:45 AM

Suh is a beast, but I'm not so sure he's "head and shoulders" above all other defensive players. It's common knowledge that Rolando McClain will be the first LB taken in the draft if he leaves this year.....as a junior. He's makes all the changes at the line, and pretty much runs the defense. Nick Saban has stated many times he just let's Rolando do his thing. Basically, he's an All-American quarterback of the defense on one the top 2 (maybe the best statistically) defenses in the nation.

Rolando McClain
Tackles - 101 (51 solo)
TFL - 12.5
Sacks - 4 (he never blitzes, mainly our DB's and OLB's)
Ints - 2
Breakups - 3
Qback Hurries - 14
Forced Fumbles - 1

Again, I'm not saying Suh isn't phenomenal, because he is. But I can't say he's the best defensive lineman in 15 years (please) or even the best defensive man this year.

Posted by: BmaEngnr92 | Dec 7, 2009 11:44:45 AM

I havewatched suh his whole college career, how can you not vote for a gamechanging player! Coaches are scared to death of what this player can do to the whole tempo of any game on any saturday.

Mike

Posted by: Mike | Dec 7, 2009 11:45:31 AM

Suh lost. He played great but he lost. McCoy won. And it was the 45th time he's won. And the 13th time he has lead his team to victory THIS YEAR. Suh has lead his team to 9 wins THIS YEAR. And when they played each other Suh LOST. Just like last year when Bradford played McCoy, Bradford LOST. So if Suh wins, that will be twice McCoy has been robbed and two years in a row he has beated the winner head to head. There was ONE touchdown scored in the whole game Saturday. Who scored it? You guessed it -- Colt McCoy. And by the way, Colt has more rushing yards the last 2 weeks than Ingram. And he's passed for 500 yards and four touchdowns in those 2 games too. Ingram is not one of the 5 best RBs in the country statistically. This award is a joke if Colt doesn't win. If that happens, Texas should have a ceremony, by national TV time, make 3 replica trophies, and give Vince the one he won and Colt the 2 he won.

Posted by: Chris Brady | Dec 7, 2009 11:53:14 AM

Let's compare Suh to the next two best DTs, Gerald McCoy of OU and Terrence Cody of Bama
Tackles: Suh 82. McCoy 29. Cody 25
Solo Tackles: Suh 47. McCoy 22. Cody 11 (hmmm... suh almost has as many SOLO tackles as McCoy and Cody's TOTAL tackles COMBINED)
Sacks: Suh 12. McCoy 5. Cody 0
TFL: Suh 19.5. McCoy 14.5. Cody 4.5
Passes Defended: Suh 10. McCoy 2. Cody 1.
Interceptions: Suh 1. McCoy 0. Cody 0.
Forced Fumbles: Suh 1. McCoy 1. Cody 0.
QB Hurries: Suh. 19. McCoy 11. Cody 3.

Unless you watched Nebraska Football this year, you wouldn't know that half the time, Suh is dropping back into QB spy due to his incredible speed. His sacks and QB Hurries would be even higher if Bo let him go after the QB more often, but Suh is a team player and does whatever is asked of him, even if it lessens his statistics.

Posted by: Blake | Dec 7, 2009 12:00:33 PM

GERHART SHOULD WIN IT!!!!!

Posted by: Mike | Dec 7, 2009 12:30:04 PM

Ok, Ice Weasel. Gerald McCoy has 29 tackles and 5 sacks this year. Suh- 82 tackles and 12 sacks. Terrence Cody has 26 tackles and no sacks. Cody only has 11 tackles solo. Suh has 50. McCoy has 22. Honestly, how dumb can you get. And 12 sacks for anyone is a great number. 82 tackles would be a good number for about anyone. So it's not just because he had a great game (which he did). It's because he is the best player in college football. Or, as the Trophy says, The Most Outstanding Player in College Football.

Posted by: JB | Dec 7, 2009 12:33:33 PM

Won't Suh's votes siphon from McCoy's totals?

Posted by: Charlie | Dec 7, 2009 12:34:15 PM

ice weasel, idk where you get your information from. I total agree with JB becuz Suh has single handidly done it all year. 82 tackles for a DT. The way he did it agaist my sooners and against texas was just insane. If people wanted to know who good he did all year u shoulda watched him. One of his best game was probably the texas game and he took mccoy outa the Heisman race. HAHA! But yes the Heisman is the most outstandin player, and plz tell me who did a more outstand job...

Posted by: BoomerSooner | Dec 7, 2009 12:40:28 PM

Chris Brady, it's people who vote with your logic that make the Heisman a joke. The award is not meant to be given to the best player on an undefeated team. It is for the BEST PLAYER PERIOD. Suh can't help that NU's offense decided not to play this season. NU's offense was not even average, no, they were not even just bad, they were PATHETIC. McCoy shouldn't get courtesy votes just because he's surrounded by great talent everywhere on the field. Suh showed on Saturday he was a better football player than McCoy, and despite an offense that can't gain 100 yards, he still almost had the win against McCoy and his 5* buddies all over the field.

Posted by: Suh All the Way | Dec 7, 2009 12:54:08 PM

If Huskers win, Suh wins this thing. All the voters would being going back to look at his performance this year and the voting would be completely different. Beyond the stats, the double and triple teams open it up for others. Huskers rushed four and totally rocked McCoy at least a half dozen times. He just picked himself up from two sacks and nearly lost the game because he had no idea what the clock was doing. Suh ruined Missouri's season by blowing Gabbert up. When was the last time you've seen a team with 106 yards on offense be in the game, let alone loose it on a last second kick?
If only he could have blocked the kick? Dreaming? No he's done that three time this year and five total.

Posted by: James | Dec 7, 2009 1:08:38 PM

Ok, i am a huge Sooner fan and i hate to admit it, but Suh is probably the best player in the country week in and week out, and totally deserves to win the Heisman. He has 82 tackles, way more than the next DT who had around 26. The Blackshirts have one of the best defenses in college football and Suh is a major factor in that. It seems like if someone is having a bad game on the line Suh can do his job and make up for the other person too. It doesn't matter how anybody tries to block him, he just gets past them to make the play. If people say that the only reason he looks so good is because he has faced easy teams, look what he did to Colt McCoy and the rest of the #3 ranked Texas team. He had 7 TFL's and 4.5 sacks. That is no easy feat no matter who you play.

Posted by: sooner man | Dec 7, 2009 1:19:18 PM

Hi ICE WEASEL I don't know but make 82 TOTAL TACKLES, 23-92 TACKLES FOR LOST, 12.0 -77 SACKS, and 26 QB Hurries. He is being double team MOST if Not all the time. He didn't just play one good game! AND another note he also has a few BLOCKED kicks too!So whats the big deal?

Posted by: huskers | Dec 7, 2009 1:32:19 PM

Originally, the H........ Award was for the best football player of the year. It has become only another award for the best offensive player. This is wrong. Break this narrow view of the game and vote for Nebraska's Suh. He earned it.

Posted by: 024651 | Dec 7, 2009 1:43:30 PM

"Honest question - why is there so much hype all of a sudden for Suh? I know he had an excellent game against Texas, but his tackle/sack numbers aren't that great. Please explain it to me.

Posted by: Ice Weasel | Dec 7, 2009 10:31:18 AM"

---------

All of a sudden?!?! I'm pretty sure that most people knew who he was and an unstoppable force for most of the year. And his numbers aren't that great??? What exactly are you looking at?!?! 82 tackles, 12 sacks, 24 tackles for loss, 10 passes defended (which is higher than many starting DB's), 3 blocked kicks, and an interception. Get a clue!!!!

Posted by: Chad | Dec 7, 2009 1:52:17 PM

To BamaEngnr92:

I don't think you understand what the primary job of a DT is to do on defense. His main job is to keep the blockers off the LB. Therefore, the LB (McClain) in your example, can roam free. So, when you show McClain's stats, he should have better stats than Suh. If Suh has better stats than a 1st round DL, than he should win the heisman in a landslide. McClain owes a huge chunk of his NFL signing bonus to Cody. Cody ties up 2 to 3 O-Linemen so they can't get to McClain. If you key just on Suh, than you will see, not only is he taking on those 2 to 3 O-Linemen, he is throwing them around like rag dolls, and chasing WR's, RB's, and QB's down to make tackles, sometimes 5 yards down the field.

Posted by: Brent | Dec 7, 2009 2:37:26 PM

BEING AN AVID COLLEGE FOOTBALL FAN AND WATCHING FOOTBALL ALL WEEK-END, I DON'T SEE ALL THE HYPE FOR SUH OF NEBRASKA. I'M NOT SURE HE WOULD EVEN START FOR FLORIDA AND I KNOW HE WOULD BE SECOND TEAM ON THE CRIMSON TIDE DEFENSE!!

Posted by: KC CRAWFORD | Dec 7, 2009 9:07:19 PM

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