Total Points (with first place votes in parentheses)

1. Cameron Newton, QB, Auburn – 38 (12)

2. LaMichael James, RB, Oregon – 18

3. Kellen Moore, QB, Boise State – 17 (1)

4. Denard Robinson, QB, Michigan – 2

5. (tie) Matt Barkley, QB, USC – 1

5. (tie) Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State — 1

5. (tie) Terrelle Pryor, QB, Ohio State — 1

About the poll
The HeismanPundit.com Heisman Poll is made up of 13 Heisman voters from across the country. They vote for three players each week. Tabulations are made on a 3-2-1 basis, with three points awarded for a first-place vote, two points for a second-place vote and one point for a third-place vote.  The last two years the Heismanpundit poll was the most accurate in the country, picking five of the top six finishers in the Heisman vote in 2008 and the top four in 2009.

Members of the panel include: Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel, Teddy Greenstein and Brian Hamilton of the Chicago Tribune, Olin Buchanan and Tom Dienhart of Rivals.com, Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman, Bruce Feldman of ESPN.com, J.B. Morris of ESPN the Magazine, Austin Murphy, B.J. Schecter and Stewart Mandel of Sports Illustrated, plus Dick Weiss of the New York Daily News.

Chris Huston, owner of Heismanpundit.com, coordinates and also votes in the weekly poll.

HP’s Thoughts
Newton’s performance against LSU pushed him into a commanding lead in the Heisman race.  Voters will be thinking about that 49-yard run for a while.  As this poll shows, if the vote were held today, he’d run away with it.  LaMichael James has a chance to make up some ground with a big game against USC on Saturday, but he’s got to do some really special things to catch up to Newton.  Moore’s status remains unchanged–he’s a solid third but remains stuck there until Newton and James screw up.

From a Voter
“Newton’s got the numbers, he’s got his team on a path to the Big Game, and after Saturday’s bravura performance against LSU, he’s got what will serve, until his next superhuman feat, as a highly serviceable Heisman moment: the 49-yard TD run complete with three ankle-breaking jukes and four broken tackles. If he stays even close to this level of play, this Heisman race will not be close.” — Austin Murphy, Sports Illustrated.

Heisman Game of the Week
No. 1 Oregon at No. 24 USC — Newton upped the ante against LSU, now it’s James’ turn to respond against the Trojans.  Playing for USC or beating USC always helps in the Heisman race–it certainly helped Toby Gerhart last season.  On a side note, Trojan quarterback Matt Barkley has been getting some Heisman talk and that will increase exponentially if he plays well in a win here. 

Player to Watch
Matt Barkley, USC — There was a time when being a USC quarterback meant you were an automatic Heisman candidate.  The Trojans have fallen on harder times, but Barkley has performed admirably to date, throwing 20 touchdowns to just four interceptions in the first seven games.  He’s not going to win the Heisman, but his appearance in the race at this point in his career augurs well for USC’s future.

This Week in Heisman History
John David Crow rushed for 116 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries and made a game-saving goal-line interception in the game’s closing moments as No. 1 Texas A&M won its 16th in a row by defeating Arkansas, 7-6, in 1957.  Crow would go on to win the Heisman Trophy that year, beating out Alex Karras of Iowa and Walt Kowalczyk of Michigan State.