Last Saturday’s Heisman show on ESPN was the network’s highest-rated ever.

ESPN’s Heisman Trophy telecast (Saturday, Dec. 12, at 8 p.m. ET) averaged a 4.1 rating, 4,045,000 households and 5,990,000 viewers, marking  increases of 32% (vs. 3.1), 32% (vs. 3,058,000) and 44% (vs. 4,151,000), respectively, over last year.

The home designated market areas (DMA) of the schools that will square off in the Citi BCS National Championship game (No. 2 Texas vs. No. 1 Alabama on Thursday, Jan. 7, at 8 p.m. on ABC) posted the highest metered market ratings: Birmingham, the DMA of Alabama and Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram, averaged a 17.8 rating while Austin, DMA of Texas and Heisman Trophy finalist Colt McCoy, averaged a 10.6. It was ESPN’s highest-rated Heisman Trophy Presentation in both markets since 2003.

Here is my early, early Heisman Watch list for 2010 (again, it’s my list of guys who have the best chance to actually win, not a list of how they will finish in the voting).  Some of these players are true darkhorses who nonetheless project well in the race due to who they play for and their career trajectory.

We’ll whittle this down as we get closer to next season:

(in no particular order!)

Jacquizz Rodgers, Oregon State–Rodgers is coming off a 1,377 yard, 21 touchdown, 74-reception season (with one game to go).  Has built up name recognition and his team has earned respect nationally, which should help his Heisman candidacy.

Jacory Harris, Miami–Struggled with interceptions as a sophomore but could make a big jump as a junior.  All the fundamentals–schedule, playing for a rising traditional power, name recognition–are in place for a Heisman run if he performs well.

Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State–Mega talent who will be a prime Heisman contender if he can put it all together.  Will Jim Tressel let him do his thing?

LaMichael James, Oregon–Pac-10′s freshman single-season rushing record holder (1,476 yards) plays in an exciting offense that piles up more yards on the ground than a car rented with an Orbitz promotion code, so look for an even bigger year as a sophomore.  Ducks will be highly rated and he’ll have plenty of opportunities to make a case.  Will miss first game due to suspension.

DeMarco Murray, Oklahoma–Murray has battled injuries but he’ll have one more year all to himself as Chris Brown has graduated.  The potential is there for a big season.

Kellen Moore, Boise State–The nation’s pass efficiency leader had an amazing 39 touchdown passes and just three picks in 2009.  Just a junior, his Heisman quest might be a three-year project.

Case Keenum, Houston–He’ll break the all-time NCAA passing mark set by Timmy Chang and that alone will keep him in the Heisman conversation.

Ryan Mallett, Arkansas–The SEC’s top quarterback threw 29 touchdown passes and just 7 picks as just a sophomore in 2009.  Imagine what he’ll do in year two leading Bobby Petrino’s high-octane offense!  He’s a potential first-pick in the draft who will mount a serious Heisman run in 2010.

Zach Collaros, Cincinnati–He showed that he could get it done while filling in for Tony Pike.  He threw for 1,434 yards with 10 touchdowns and just two picks with a rating of 195 as a sophomore.  He also rushed for 344 yards.  He should flower with a full year under center.

Jerrod Johnson, Texas A&M–Johnson had a great junior year with 28 touchdowns and just six picks.  He also rushed for 455 yards.  Like Mallett, he’s a future top NFL pick who could challenge for the Heisman if he can lead his team to new heights.

Evan Royster, Penn State–Had a solid junior year, rushing for 1,104 yards following a 1,276-yard sophomore effort.  Could be primed for a big senior season as Penn State returns most of its line.

John Clay, Wisonsin–He had 1,396 yards and 16 TDs as a sophomore and he’ll also have a mostly intact line back.  Badger backs get yards and he might be the next to challenge for the 2,000-yard mark.

Ryan Williams, Virginia Tech–He had a huge freshman year, rushing for 1,538 yards and 19 touchdowns.  If he can top that mark and then some in 2010–and the Hokies win the ACC–he’ll be a prime contender.

Josh Nesbitt, Georgia Tech–He rushed for 991 yards and 18 touchdowns and threw for 1,689 yards and 10 touchdowns.  Forget about Dwyer, he’s the guy that makes Tech go.

Wait!  Where’s Mark Ingram?  Hold on there, Tide fans.  It’s not that I don’t think he can’t get some Heisman support–he probably will–it’s just that I don’t think he can win it again.  Why?  Well, it’s my belief that there will never be another two-time Heisman winner.   Dont worry, Jason White, Matt Leinart, Tim Tebow and Sam Bradford all pretty much got the same treatment from me after winning the Heisman and returning the following season.

The race for the 2009 Heisman Trophy was a seminal one in the award’s history.

What started out as a battle royale between three star quarterbacks ended up as the tighest race ever between two running backs who were mere afterthoughts heading into the season.

Many of the old rules that govern the Heisman did not apply this year and I attribute that to the new technology that is changing the face of media.  This was the first Heisman race where Twitter, Facebook, blogging, etc., played a major role.  Information was flying fast and furious and it seemed like every miscue or good play was chopped up, spit out and distributed to a new generation of Heisman voters who were plugged in like never before.

For the first time, Heisman voters ignored both class status and statistics in handing out this award.  Mark Ingram rushed for fewer yards per game (119) than any Heisman-winning back in the two-platoon (post-1963) era.  His total rushing yards were the fewest by any winner since 1975.  For the first time, the Heisman-winning running back’s rushing yardage total was eclipsed by the nation’s leading receiver’s yardage total.  What’s more, Ingram won the Heisman just 2,270 rushing yards into his career, again, the fewest in the two-platoon era. 

How is it that a back with next-to-zero name recognition with voters heading into the season could still win the Heisman despite a season that was unimpressive when compared to past Heisman standards?

A few factors were key.  First and most obvious, Ingram played for the nation’s top-ranked team.  Alabama, while having never won a Heisman, was a traditional power and respected program.  The notion that such a storied tradition had never won a Heisman ended up being a boon to Ingram’s campaign.  Second, Ingram put up good numbers in big games against teams that were perceived as being good.  He rushed for 150 yards against Virginia Tech, 172 against Mississippi, 144 against LSU and 113 against Florida.  These were the games that stood out most to voters.  While his overall numbers weren’t great, voters knew he was great because of how he played in these games.  As a result, they were willing to forgive his good, though not spectacular, numbers.  Again, the abundance and availability of information that flowed enabled voters to see all the nuances in Ingram’s production.     Third, voters applied that same nuance to other contenders and found them lacking.  Colt McCoy–a slam-dunk winner in most Heisman years–had good overall numbers, but voters didn’t like how he played in big games.  They didn’t like that Stanford had four losses, thus hurting Toby Gerhart.  And they couldn’t quite wrap their heads around the notion of a defensive tackle, Ndamukong Suh, winning the award.     Lastly, after years of quarterback dominance, it appeared that voters were intent on picking a non-quarterback for the Heisman.  Quarterbacks received a grand total of 258 first-place votes in this race, while non-QBs received 640.

Based on the history of the Heisman, I thought that McCoy had the best shot of winning.  As it turned out, he didn’t finish as far back as some had predicted and if you take away that huge game by Suh, he’s the likely winner.  But, clearly, some of the rules have changed and that’s going to lead to more unpredictable races in the future.  I think many of the old barriers will now fall–I can now see a freshman or a non-skill player winning a Heisman one day (I’m pretty sure that Adrian Peterson’s freshman season would’ve won it had he played this year).  Is a revision to the Heismandments now necessary?  Absolutely.  Most will remain, but a few are going to need some extra tweaking to reflect the current realities of the Heisman environment.

So this year saw perhaps the most unlikely winner in Heisman history, the product of the closest race in Heisman history.  Many saw this as a lackluster Heisman race, but I think it portends well for future seasons.  If this year is any guideline, then 2010 should be a doozy.

Here is the breakdown of the regions:

Northeast
Mark Ingram, 238
Toby Gerhart, 219
Colt McCoy, 179
Ndamukong Suh, 104
Tim Tebow, 83

This was a mystery region going in and it ended up mirroring the final vote.

Mid-Atlantic
Mark Ingram, 222
Toby Gerhart, 187
Colt McCoy, 187
Ndamukong Suh, 105
C.J. Spiller, 79
Tim Tebow, 57

This region was somewhat surprising.  Colt McCoy finished much better than expected and C.J. Spiller was not much of a factor, which was mildly surprising.

South
Mark Ingram, 254
Colt McCoy, 176
Toby Gerhart, 165
Ndamukong Suh, 113
Tim Tebow, 106

The South’s vote was surprising in that Tebow came in fifth and McCoy took second.

Southwest
Ndamukong Suh, 254
Colt McCoy, 216
Mark Ingram, 214
Toby Gerhart, 180
Tim Tebow, 33

This ended up being the key region in the vote.  McCoy went from 313 points last year to 216 this year, thanks to Suh’s dominance.  Suh basically was the wildcard in the race who cost McCoy the Heisman.  Mark Ingram trailed McCoy by just two points here and beat out Gerhart by 34 points.  Reverse that and we have a different Heisman winner.

Midwest
Mark Ingram, 223
Toby Gerhart, 206
Colt McCoy, 173
Ndamukong Suh, 146
Tim Tebow, 45

As expected, Ingram and Gerhart were strong here.  Ingram, because he’s from Michigan and Gerhart due to his performance against Notre Dame.

Far West
Toby Gerhart, 319
Colt McCoy, 214
Mark Ingram, 153
Ndamukong Suh, 93
Tim Tebow, 66

Gerhart piled up big points here as predicted, but clearly not enough to win.

First place votes–Second Place Votes–Third Place Votes—-Total Points
1. Mark Ingram, 227–236–151—-1,304
2. Toby Gerhart, 222–225–160—-1,276
3. Colt McCoy, 203–188–160—-1,145
4. Ndamukong Suh, 161–105–122—-815
5. Tim Tebow, 43–70–121—-390
6. C.J. Spiller, 26–31–83—-223
7. Kellen Moore, 10–20–30—-100
8. Case Keenum, 2–9–13—-37
9. Mardy Gilyard, 2–2–13—-23
10. Golden Tate, 2–3–9—-21

The top eight were just what I predicted in my final Heisman Watch.  In the end, Ingram’s win could be best attributed to his appearing on the most ballots (68%), compared to Gerhart (67%) and McCoy (61%).