If Heisman Trophy voters were waiting for a clear favorite to emerge after last weekend's games, they were surely disappointed. Rex Grossman's team lost, Ken Dorsey's team barely escaped, Joey Harrington was less than impressive in a close victory and Eric Crouch did not even take the field. Yet all four have already gotten enough votes to be named Heisman finalists by the Downtown Athletic Club, and the vote is so close that a fifth player may be joining them soon.
ESPN.com polled a small sample of Heisman voters and got several opinions. After collecting 94 ballots -- at least 15 from each region (Midwest, Far West, Southwest, South, Northeast, Mid-Atlantic) -- the top two vote getters among the four finalists were extremely close, with the other two candidates slightly further back. Many voters were still wavering, and as they solidify their choices and more votes stream in these numbers are sure to change fluctuate steadily.
But for now here's a quick look at how the four finalists fared in our small sample, including where they got their votes and what the voters had to say about them.
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Inside the Numbers: The Four Finalists
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Name
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First
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Second
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Third
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Total
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Crouch
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30
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18
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40
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140
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Grossman
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20
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20
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22
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122
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Harrington
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12
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10
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16
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72
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Dorsey
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2
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12
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12
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42
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Eric Crouch
Votes: 1st: 30, 2nd: 18, 3rd: 14 -- Total points: 140
Crouch was not hurt much by regional bias. He won a majority of the ballots from the Midwest and the Southwest, and managed to get a good number of second and third-place votes in the rest of the country. Excellence throughout his career and his value to his team helped him with the voters. Bottom line: He was named on nearly every ballot
What they said about Crouch
"Transcended the quarterback position at Nebraska. His only shortcoming was that the Cornhuskers defense abandoned his title run when he heeded it most"
"Crouch became the person who made the least costly mistakes over the season"
Rex Grossman
Votes: 1st: 20, 2nd: 20, 3rd: 22 -- Total points: 122
Grossman picked up ground on Crouch in the South, where he got the majority of his first-place votes. But his gaudy numbers in a quarterback-friendly system were not enough, and the fact that he is just a sophomore worked against him, dropping him to second or third on several ballots and costing him enough first-place votes to make him the runner-up.
What they said about Grossman
"Led one of the best teams in the country against the toughest competition. The competition he faced and the excellence of his team make him No. 1"
"You can't ignore those numbers, but still, he's a sophomore"
Joey Harrington
Votes: 1st: 12, 2nd: 10, 3rd: 16 -- Total points: 72
Not surprisingly, Harrington made his money in the Far West, particularly in the northwest states where he got nearly all of his first-place votes. His fourth-quarter comebacks and high touchdown-to-interception ratio were not enough to sway voters who were more impressed by Grossman's passing yardage and Crouch's rushing yardage.
What they said about Harrington
"The most valuable player in the nation to his team."
"They didn't need to get him a billboard to boost his Heisman hopes, just a defense like Miami's."
Ken Dorsey
Votes: 1st: 2, 2nd: 12, 3rd: 12 -- Total points: 42
Dorsey's support came almost exclusively from the South and Mid-Atlantic regions, and very few outside of those areas even had Dorsey on the ballot. He was hurt by the emergence of Indiana's Antwaan Randle El and Oklahoma's Roy Williams (who finished ahead of him in ESPN.com's sample vote), as well as the excellence of his supporting cast and what was seen as a relatively weak conference.
What they said about Dorsey
"Doesn't quite have the numbers or the PR campaign of other candidates, but his team leads the nation in the one stat that really matters - winning percentage"
"Benefits from having the nation's best offensive line and a consistent running game. Consistent, but not dominating, numbers."
