No, the Downtown Athletic Club has yet to extend membership to your (not-so) humble correspondent, and so my vote will not represent the Northeast, nor will it be counted, nor will the world note or long remember it.  Still that does not deter the impulse to weigh in on a subject that I am no doubt as uniquely ill-suited to discuss, just like probably half of the members of the club.

Our candidates are:

• Tim Tebow, QB University of Florida
• Colt McCoy, QB University of Texas
• Mark Ingrahm, RB University of Alabama
• Toby Gerhart, RB Stanford University
• Ndamukong Suh, DT University of Nebraska

Suh is the rarity, a purely defensive player among the finalists.  Defensive backs like Charles Woodson have won the Heisman, but their contribution on Special Teams, primarily as return men, allowed them to distinguish their skills at scoring touchdowns, as well as disrupting the scoring of touchdowns.  Suh may be a force.  He may have spun Colt McCoy into a different time zone in the Big XII Championship game.  He may be the best player in college football and nearly certain to draw the attention of NFL GM's across the fruited plain.  He won't win.  And that's a shame.

Nor will Tebow, who has a Heisman and a legacy and a loyal fan base that adores him.  He was clearly not the best player in college football.  He wasn't the best player even in his conference.  That title goes to Mark Ingrahm.  More on him in a minute.  His appearance is but a gesture before he bids major college athletics a fond adieu to become a disappointing professional quarterback, just like Matt Leinhart and Brady Quinn!

That leaves three candidates with a legitimate shot at winning the Trophy.  Toby Gerhart was a phenomenal running back.  Steady and productive.  He lugged the ball up and down the field weekly and anchored Stanford's offense.  However, Stanford did not win the Pac-10.  They weren't even hoping for an Oregon State upset of the Pac-10 Champion Oregon Ducks.  They wrap up an 8-4 season with an appearance in the Brut Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas against Oklahoma.  This diminishes his candidacy enough for me to say he won't win it, despite having the offensive numbers that would warrant the award.

That leaves us with the best offensive players on the two teams squaring off for the BCS Title in early January.  Mark Ingrahm and Colt McCoy.  McCoy has been everything for Texas this year.  His performance against Texas A&M on Thanksgiving night is emblematic.  He ran, he threw, he led and they won, against a spirited Aggie squad.  But his performance still doesn't compare with Gerhart's nor does it compare with Ingrahm, who I fully expect to win the 2009 Heisman Trophy.

As for my votes

1. Suh - for all the reasons he won't win it.
   
2. Ingrahm - because he led the best team in college football
   
3. Gerhart - because he had the most productive season.
   

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