The latest Heismanpundit.com Straw Poll is in and the panel consisting of former Heisman winner Charles White, plus nine members of the college football media, has Ohio State’s Troy Smith as the overwhelming leader in the race to win this year’s Heisman Trophy.

Smith, who threw for 316 yards and four touchdowns against Michigan last Saturday, holds a commanding 11-point advantage over Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn in the weekly poll, the fourth taken so far this season. Smith captured nine out of 10 possible first-place votes, with the other going to West Virginia running back Steve Slaton.

Heismanpundit.com is conducting a Heisman straw poll in each of the final six weeks of the college football season. The idea is to get a good sense of voter sentiment as the race nears its conclusion. There are 10 Heisman voters canvassed from across the various Heisman voting regions and they vote for three players each week. The tabulations are made–like the Heisman vote itself–on a 3-2-1 basis, with three points for a first-place vote, two points for a second-place vote and one point for a third-place vote.

In a unique feature to the poll, a Heisman Trophy winner’s vote will be added to the total each week. This week’s poll (Nov. 24) includes the vote of 1979 winner Charles White.

This week’s poll results, with total points and first-place votes in parentheses:

1. Troy Smith, Ohio State, 27 (9)

2. Brady Quinn, Notre Dame, 16

3. Darren McFadden, 7

4. Steve Slaton, West Virginia, 6 (1)

5. Colt Brennan, Hawaii, 1

Ian Johnson, Boise State, 1

Players appearing on previous ballots: Ray Rice, Rutgers; Adrian Peterson, Oklahoma; Calvin Johnson, Georgia Tech; Colt Brennan, Hawaii; Colt McCoy, Texas; Michael Hart, Michigan; J.D. Booty, USC.

The Heismanpundit.com straw poll voters, Nov. 24:

Tom Dienhart (The Sporting News)
Austin Murphy (Sports Illustrated)
Stewart Mandel (Sports Illustrated)
B.J. Schecter (Sports Illustrated)
Olin Buchanan (Rivals.com)
Neal McCready (Mobile Register Guard)
Ted Miller (Seattle Post-Intelligencer/ESPN)
Dave Weekley (WCHS-AM 580, Charleston)
Ted Lewis (New Orleans Times-Picayune)
Charles White, 1979 Heisman winner, USC

Week Three Results:

1. Troy Smith, Ohio State, 28 (8)

2. Brady Quinn, Notre Dame, 19, (1)

3. Darren McFadden, Arkansas, 9 (1)

4. Ray Rice, Rutgers, 3

5. Steve Slaton, West Virginia, 1

Week Two Results:

1. Troy Smith, Ohio State, 28 (9)

2. Brady Quinn, Notre Dame, 18

3. Darren McFadden, Arkansas, 4 (1)

4. (tie) Calvin Johnson, Georgia Tech, 2

Steve Slaton, West Virginia, 2

6. (tie) Adrian Peterson, Oklahoma, 1

Colt Brennan, Hawaii, 1

Colt McCoy, Texas, 1

Michael Hart, Michigan, 1

J.D. Booty, USC, 1

Week One Results:

1. Troy Smith, Ohio State, 25 (8)

2. Brady Quinn, 16

3. Steve Slaton, 14 (2)

4. (tie) Michael Hart, 1

Ian Johnson, Boise State, 1

Hope everyone has a great day with family and friends.

See you all on Friday.

Well, I am limping to the season’s end. I went 6-7 last week, just my third losing week of the season–but third in the last four weeks. Overall, my record is 79-71-3 against the spread, or 53 per cent–still good enough to be in the black in Vegas, but down considerably from the 57-60 per cent range I was picking in the season’s first half. Maybe I can finish strong and somehow have a good bowl season.

On to the picks. All spreads courtesy of PinnacleSports.com.

Boston College (-3.5) at Miami–I don’t think the Canes have much to play for anymore. Looking at them last week against Virginia, it seems like they have pretty much given up on the season. BC still has a shot at the ACC title, so I think they will cover here. BC 23, Miami 10.

Texas A&M (+12.5) at Texas–The Aggies played the Longhorns much tougher last year, and that was a team with Vince Young. I think A&M will be able to keep this once close enough to cover, but that Colt McCoy will take over in the end. Texas 31, Texas A&M 21.

LSU (-1) at Arkansas–I really like how well Arkansas is playing and they seem to be on a roll, but now that the SEC West is won, I wonder if there might be a bit of a letdown here. LSU is very talented and can beat almost anyone on a given day. This might be one of those days. LSU 27, Arkansas 23.

West Virginia (-20.5) vs. South Florida–Now that the Mountaineers have that one loss out of the way, the floodgates of their offense have opened once again. USF is an underrated team, but I don’t think they can contain Slaton and White on the road. West Virginia 45, USF 14.

Oklahoma (-6) at Oklahoma State–The Sooner defense has turned into a magnificent unit and should have no problem shutting down the Cowboys here. I think OU finishes its season off strong with a solid win. OU 24, OSU 7.

Florida State (+9) vs. Florida–Urban Meyer committed the cardinal sin of complaining about the BCS before completing the season. The punishment? A loss! Florida State 16, Florida 13. I also like the UNDER here (42 points).

San Jose State (-7) at Idaho–SJSU is an underrated team that is capable of playing with anyone in its league (see its close loss to Boise a couple weeks back). I think the Spartans will get the passing game going and win here. SJSU 38, Idaho 24.

BYU (-10) at Utah–The Cougars are back to their old ways, killing teams handily of late. They have a premier quarterback in John Beck and I think they’ll keep on rolling here. BYU 42, Utah 27.

Georgia Tech (+1.5) at Georgia–The Bulldogs looked to have some things solved in their win over Auburn, but I think Tech will be ready for them. Calvin Johnson has a big game and the Rambling Wreck win. Tech 23, Georgia 17.

Notre Dame (+7.5) at USC–I have picked against USC two weeks in a row. Why not make it three for three, eh? Seriously, though, this is a lot of points and Brady Quinn should be able to keep the Irish close enough to find a way to pull off the upset at the end. Notre Dame 20, USC 19.

Arkansas running back Darren McFadden has been running his mouth a lot lately.

Don’t worry, it’s not the kind of mouth-running you’re thinking of.

This talk is off the field, sitting at a desk with a phone pressed to his ear, chatting every week with the national media from the confines of the Arkansas Sports Information Office.

“I pretty much come in every Monday for 20 to 30 minutes,” said McFadden, a sophomore from Little Rock. “I get to talk to all kinds of people. It’s been a great experience so far.”

Such is the life of a Heisman Trophy candidate. When November comes around, it can be a whirlwind. Most players who go through it have a hard time just keeping their heads screwed on straight.

McFadden doesn’t seem to have that problem. He’s a polite, yes-sir, no-sir type of guy. And to keep things in perspective, he just remembers back to last summer, when a broken toe from a bar fight took some of the wind out of his early season sails.

“That was a major setback,” said McFadden, who currently leads the SEC in rushing. “I missed camp, which was really hard on me. Even though I played in the first game, I really wasn’t confident running until week four or five.

Worse, the Razorbacks were embarrassed in their opener, losing 50-14 to USC in Fayetteville. McFadden played hurt and managed just 42 yards on nine carries.

“Maybe if I was healthy I could have made more of a difference,” said McFadden. “But we did a lot of things that killed us in that game.”

No worries. Those were the dark days of the season. Flash forward 11 weeks and the Hogs are ranked in the top five and headed to the SEC title game. Meanwhile, McFadden–called ‘the best SEC running back since Bo’ by former Auburn coach Pat Dye–is gunning for a trip to the Heisman ceremony.

“We knew back in summer that if we worked hard, we’d be a great team,” said McFadden. “This team has really stayed together. We are playing harder and there is more senior leadership than last year.

“As for possibly going to New York, I never thought in my wildest dreams that it could happen.”

Anyone who watches McFadden play probably wonders why it hasn’t happened sooner. Then you remember that the 6-2, 205-pound whirling dervish is just a sophomore, which means that, amazingly enough, he’s still got some developing to do. He possesses a running style reminiscient of a young O.J. Simpson–with all the size, speed and power that comparison entails–so it’s scary to think how good he is going to be.

“I think I’ve developed a lot as a running back this season,” said McFadden. “I’ve gotten better at reading blocking schemes and hitting the holes harder. But this season I just wanted to do the best I could to help the team.”

He’s done a heck of a job helping the team so far, producing points four different ways. Through 11 games, he has 1,303 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. He is averaging nearly six yards per carry. He also has eight catches for 115 yards and another score. Last week, he took a kickoff 92 yards to the house and, believe it or not, he also is three-for-three passing on the year, with 37 yards and two touchdowns to his credit.

“It’s fun playing quarterback,” said McFadden, who has taken several direct snaps from center this season. “I played a lot of quarterback in high school. Last year was really the first year I didn’t since I started playing football.”

Such versatility–coupled with a 10-game win streak–has caused the entire state of Arkansas to go Hog-wild. LSU comes to town on Friday and, if the Razorbacks get past the Tigers, the SEC title game could be for more than just a conference crown. Through all the excitement, though, McFadden remains low key.

“We are just going to keep approaching games like we have been,” he said. “We’re just going to try to stay cool.”

That goes for his Heisman hopes as well.

“It would be a great accomplishment to win,” said McFadden. “But I need to stay focused. I try not to let it creep into my mind. The more you let those things affect how you play, the more you are likely to make mistakes.”

With that kind of attitude, he could be headed for long-term success in an even bigger arena.

“I’d love to go the NFL,” said McFadden, who could be the front runner for the Heisman in 2007. “Football is my passion. But if I don’t end up there, I want to come back home to Arkansas and coach.”

If things keep going his way, forget coaching.

He could be governor.

I’ve already called the race for Troy Smith. The only thing in question now is his margin of victory.

Don’t think that there isn’t any drama left in the race, however. There is a real dog fight going on for the third-place spot and, with it, a possible trip to New York for the Heisman ceremony. Whoever ends up in third will also become the automatic front runner for 2007.

1. Troy Smith, Ohio State–Against Michigan, Smith threw for 316 yards on 29 of 41 passing, with four touchdowns and an interception. He did everything required of him in the biggest game of the year and, by doing so, wrapped up the 2006 Heisman Trophy.

On the season, Smith has 2,507 passing yards, a 67 per cent completion rate, a 167.9 efficiency mark, 30 touchdown passes, five interceptions, plus another 233 rushing yards and one TD on the ground.

While his passing yardage will be the lowest by a Heisman-winning passing quarterback in over 20 seasons, his other statistical attributes are definitely Heisman worthy.

He is a senior quarterback on a traditional power, one that also happens to be the No. 1 team in the country. He has played magnificently in big games when the whole country was watching. He didn’t have the name recognition of Brady Quinn coming into the season, but he quickly made himself known to the Heisman electorate thanks to his outstanding play on the field. In this calendar year, he has led Ohio State to wins over Notre Dame, Texas and Michigan.

This was his season. In 18 days, he’ll pick up his Heisman.

The rest of the field is now jockeying for position. Quinn is almost guaranteed to capture the runner-up spot, making him the first Notre Dame player to finish as high as second in the Heisman vote since Rocket Ismail in 1990.

Quinn has had a magnificent year in his own right. But when the Irish lost to Michigan, it left the door open for Smith to take control of the race. Once Smith took the top spot, he never wavered and Quinn couldn’t catch up. Going into the season, it was going to take an almost perfect season to top Quinn.

And that’s just what happened.

Now, I think Quinn could break Joe Theismann’s Irish record of 526 yards passing against USC and still fall short of Smith in the vote.

Who, then, will take the third spot? Right now, it looks like Darren McFadden of Arkansas has the best chance at it. He is the sole candidate from the South, so he should appear on a lot of ballots from that region. He has two high-profile games to make his case, so quite a few voters will be watching.

If it’s not McFadden, it will be West Virginia’s Steve Slaton, who is making a bid at 2,000 yards and the national rushing title. He’s also got a couple games to go, including a prime matchup against Rutgers. Slaton did a good job of getting his name out there this season and now he is set up nicely for 2007.

How the Vote Would Go If Held Today

1. Troy Smith
2. Brady Quinn
3. Darren McFadden
4. Steve Slaton
5. Michael Hart
6. Colt Brennan
7. Calvin Johnson
8. Colt McCoy
9. Marshawn Lynch
10. Ray Rice

Two weeks to go in the quest for two Rose Bowl tickets in the HP Fantasy Challenge.

Drew Tater Tots retains his lead with 276 points.

Hoosier Daddy is second with 260, but making a HUGE leap, thanks to the play of Steve Slaton, is Jim Rob, who moved into third (255 points).

Go Bears (252), The Tom Harmons (244) and Illini Fey (239) round out the top five.

The top 10 leaders are on the sidebar on the right. At the end of the contest, I will publish full official results.

Here are the top 10 teams from HP this week:

1. Ohio State (12-0)–A fantastic season winds up with a fantastic game, a 42-39 win over Michigan. Are the Buckeyes a truly dominant team? I don’t think we’ll know for sure until Jan. 8.

2. USC (9-1)–The Trojans are finally hitting their stride after beating Cal, 23-9. Since being down 33-10 against Oregon State, USC has outscored its opponents 121-19. What’s more, it looks like USC’s offensive coordinator finally figured out an effective play call for 4th and 2. Notre Dame is next.

3. Michigan (11-1)–The Wolverines were just three points away from a perfect season. Hart and Henne will be back again to challenge for the title next year, but I don’t think they deserve another shot at OSU just yet.

4. Arkansas (10-1)–Mississippi State could have been a trap game, but the Razorbacks took care of business, 28-14. Up next is LSU and then the SEC title game against Florida.

5. Notre Dame (10-1)–For all the talk of the Irish being disappointing, they now have a chance for their first 11-win season since 1993 after beating Army, 41-9. USC is next.

6. Florida (10-1)–It seems Tim Tebow is being phased into the offense more, as he had a big game in Florida’s 62-0 win over Western Carolina. Could be a tough game with FSU this week and then comes Arkansas.

7. West Virginia (9-1)–The Mountaineers have pretty much crushed everyone they’ve beaten, the latest victim being Pitt, 45-27. South Florida is next.

8. Louisville (9-1)–The Cardinals rebounded from that tough loss to Rutgers with a 31-8 revenge win over South Florida. Pitt is next.

9. Oklahoma (9-2)–As I wrote in the round up, I’m really impressed with how good Oklahoma turned out to be, especially on defense. Oklahoma State is next.

10. Texas (9-2)–The Longhorns were off next week, but will have Colt McCoy back this week to take on Texas A&M.

On the Cusp: LSU, Wisconsin, Boise State, Georgia Tech, Hawaii