Here are HP’s top 10 Heisman moments of the year (in order of their importance in determining the outcome of the race):

1. Ndamukong Suh’s domination of Texas–This was the game that ended up determining the Heisman winner.  Before Suh’s seven tackle-for-loss, four-and-a-half sack performance against the Longhorns, the support for the Nebraska defensive tackle was scant.  But his candidacy caught fire following the game and, as a result, he went on to win the Southwest region and finish fourth in the final vote, costing Colt McCoy the Heisman as a result. 

2. Ingram’s catch and run–The eventual Heisman winner looked solid against the Gators on the ground, rushing for 113 yards and three scores on 28 carries.  But his dazzling 69-yard scamper with a Greg McElroy screen pass helped break the SEC title game open and ended up putting him over the top in the closest Heisman vote ever.

3. Gerhart pummels the Irish–Beano Cook used to say that to win the Heisman you either have to play for Notre Dame or beat Notre Dame.  Well, few beat up on the Irish as well as Toby Gerhart, who made his definitive Heisman statement by rushing for 205 yards and three touchdowns (and passing for another) in a dramatic win over Notre Dame in Charlie Weiss’ final game.  It was almost enough to prove Beano right, as Gerhart finished second by just 28 points in the Heisman voting. 

4. Ingram runs wild against South Carolina–Ingram pinged brightly on the Heisman radar after running for 246 yards on 24 carries and a score to help lead the Tide over a pesky Gamecock squad.  This was the game that made Ingram a serious Heisman candidate as voters realized how vital he was to Alabama’s national title hopes.

5. McCoy’s Career Night against the Aggies–McCoy finally lived up to his preseason billing, throwing for 304 yards and four touchdowns while adding another 175 (and a score) on the ground against the Aggies in game 12.  This game might’ve won McCoy the Heisman…but there were still games to be played. 

6. Sam Bradford goes down against BYU–He was never going to get that second Heisman, but a healthy, high-performing Bradford would’ve shown up on a lot of ballots and been a key factor in determining the eventual winner.  Instead, he missed virtually the entire season.

7. Cal holds on to beat Stanford–Despite 136 yards and four touchdowns by Gerhart, the Cardinal lose to Cal when Andrew Luck’s pass is intercepted inside the Bear 10 yard line, halting a potential game-winning drive by Stanford.  Perhaps Gerhart gets the 28 points he needs to win the Heisman if his team is 9-3 instead of 8-4…

8. Tebow suffers concussion against Kentucky–While Tebow didn’t miss too much time as a result of his injury against the Wildcats, it had some effect on his overall game for a couple weeks.  The need to manage him carefully in the aftermath of his concussion ended up depressing his usually-gaudy stats.

9. C.J. Spiller goes crazy against Miami–The Clemson running back totaled 310 all-purpose yards and scored twice–on a 90-yard kickoff return and on a 56-yard reception–to lead the Tigers over Miami, 40-37, in overtime.  A minor Spiller-for-Heisman boomlet ensued and ended up helping Spiller finish sixth in the final vote.

10. Case Keenum leads dramatic win over Tulsa–Case Keenum threw for 522 yards and led his team to two scores in the final 21 seconds to help Houston beat Tulsa, 46-45.    Keenum ended up finishing eighth in the Heisman vote, but he was a viable candidate during the middle stretch of the season.