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Rosecrans: My Heisman ballot

By C. Trent Rosecrans, CNATI.com Posted December 7, 2009 12:17 PM ET

This is the third time I've voted for the Heisman Trophy, and perhaps the most difficult.

Before I get into who I voted for, I'll let you know a little bit of how I decided for whom to vote. First off, I love college football and I love watching college footbal. So it starts with watching a lot of games. Secondly, I'm a reporter, so I talk to people. I talked to players, coaches, NFL players, NFL scouts, fans, fellow writers, broadcasters and even baseball players. I'm interest in a diverse set of opinions -- the more opinions I heard, the more players I could check out.

After that, it was statistical analysis -- looking through statistics, schedules, how certain players played in their toughest games.

Finally, it was a tough decision and I made sure to watch games on Saturday, the last day of games before voting was due. But then I waited until Sunday night to fill out my ballot so that any emotion from Saturday's game could be settled. And then I hit submit on the computer.

The finalists will be named tonight at 6 p.m. -- I expect two of my three to be there, but the third not to be invited to New York City.

Here's my ballot:

1. Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska

I check the ballot, it says "most outstanding player," not "most outstanding offensive player" or "most outstanding skill position player on a Top 4 team in a BCS confernece."

No. Suh is the best player I saw this season. Period.

I went into Saturday thinking Suh was my top guy, left Saturday without a doubt.

I haven't seen a defensive tackle dominate at the college level like Suh since Warren Sapp. I didn't have a vote then, but I do now. Sapp deserved consideration and Suh deserves the hardware.

2. Toby Gerhart, Stanford

I'm not impressed by beating up on Notre Dame. That's when Gerhart's name became sexy, but that day wasn't the clincher. No. it's that Gerhart was so consistent.

Gerhart's worst game? He averaged 4.4 yards per carry against Arizona for a total of 123 yards. Only twice did he rush for fewer than 100 yards, in both of those games, he ran an average of 4.8 yards per carry.

In Gerhart's final four games -- three against ranked teams -- he averaged 185.5 yards per game with 12 total touchdowns. Against the four teams that are currently ranked, Gerhart averaged 158.3 yards per game and had 12 total TDs.

3. Mardy Gilyard, Cincinnati

Is this a homer pick? Maybe.

But that's why they have voters from all across the country, so that people who saw certain players more than others can vote and bring a different perspective.

I saw every game Mardy Gilyard played this year and I have to say, he was the most outstanding player I saw in person this season.

I'll start with the stats. First off, thanks for  UC's Michael Perry for looking up the numbers of Gilyard against previous WR Heisman winners. There have only been two WRs to win the award, Tim Brown and Desmond Howard. And let's look at the numbers:

Brown (1987): 846 receiving yards, 144 rushing yards, 456 kickoff return yards, 401 punt return yards, 1,847 total yards, 7 TDs

Howard (1991): 985 receiving yards, 180 rushing yards, 412 kickoff return yards, 282 punt return yards, 1,859 total yards, 22 TDs

Gilyard (2009): 1,150 receiving yards, 16 rushing yards, 1,074 kickoff return yards, 202 punt return yards, 2,442 total yards, 17 TDs

Charles Woodson (1997) played both sides, but his receiving numbers (12 catches, 238 yards) and return yards (301 punt return yards and a TD) don't match up with Gilyard's.

Yes, Gilyard played in a system those guys could only dream of, and his team's defense was so bad he got a lot of opportunities to return kicks -- but no matter, he delivered in those chances.

How did Gilyard do in the team's losses? Well, they didn't have any, so that helps.

One of the things that most impressed me this season was how Gilyard handled the team's quarterback change. Gilyard and Tony Pike have an amazing rhythm -- the two seem to know where the other is and how to get the ball downfield. They've got an impeccable timing that you'd expect from two players who have been on campus for as long as they have. When Zach Collaros came in and ran more and found a comfort level with Armon Binns and D.J. Woods.

What did Gilyard do? He found other ways to contribute -- blocking downfield, special teams play and, whenver needed, a big play as a receiver. Every single game, I saw a play that I noted was just a smart football play, as simple as dekeing the coverage teams or clearing a lane for a teammate.

And then there was his Heisman moments -- of which he had several in Saturday's victory over Pittsburgh.

It was Gilyard that turned a blowout around. Pitt blocked a punt and scored a play later late in the second quarter to go up 31-10. If the game is 31-10 at halftime, Pitt wins. Instead, Gilyard returns a kickoff 99 yards to make it a two-score game.

Gilyard added another long touchdown and a 2-point conversion, plus a good kickoff return to start the team's game-winning drive.

As much as anything in his 381-yard performance, Gilyard gave his team hope. That's what the "most outstanding" players do.

So, did I vote for Gilyard because he was the hometown choice? Yep. Because I saw him more than other voters and knew he earned the vote.

* Other players considered: C.J. Spiller, Clemson; Mark Ingram, Alabama; Kellen Moore, Boise State; Colt McCoy, Texas, Jeremiah Masoli, Oregon.

* 2008 vote: 1. Colt McCoy, 2. Sam Bradford, 3. Tim Tebow

* 2006 vote: 1. Troy Smith, 2. Pat White, 3. (I really don't remember who was 3)

Categories: College, Featured Stories, Football, University of Cincinnati Bearcats

Tags: Charles Woodson, Desmond Howard, Heisman Trophy, Mardy Gilyard, Ndamukong Suh, Tim Brown, Toby Gerhart