As I went cast my vote in my local community I couldn’t help thinking about the 2009 Heisman Trophy race that has a myriad of players contenting for one of the most coveted awards in college football.  Unlike political candidates, the Heisman contenders don’t need tacky lawn signs and bad advertisements to gain recognition.  No, they sell themselves by doing what they do best: scoring touchdowns, making awe inspiring plays, and by winning.

Picking a political candidate is seemingly easy compared to the difficult task of eliminating nine of the true contenders for the Heisman Trophy.  Just like in politics there is a specific agenda that must be met in order for the candidates to qualify…but what is the Heisman agenda?  Historically, it seems to differ from year to year and a lot of it depends on who the media frames as the most powerful and dominant player.  Do you have to play for a traditional powerhouse?  Not historically, but doesn’t hurt.  Keep in mind, however, that BYU’s Ty Detmer was the last non-BCS Heisman winner in 1990.  In a powerhouse conference? Again, Ty Detmer played in the WAC.  Winning Team? Not always, but doesn’t hurt.  National Championship contender? Not always, but again it doesn’t hurt.  Record Stats? No, but brings attention that definitely helps.  So…according to the criteria listed above who is a true contender for in the “Heisman Election”?

According to the Espn Experts’ Poll sophomore running back Mark Ingram leads the pack with 56 points,  2008′s Heisman winner Tim Tebow follows close behind with 47 points, and Notre Dame’s junior quarterback Jimmy Clausen trails in third place with 35 points.  In contrast, the CBS Expert’s poll has Tebow in 4th place, Clausen in 3rd place, underdog Case Keenum in 2nd place, and Mark Ingram in 1st place.  So who is the most deserving?  Cast your vote at http://espn.go.com/college-football/heisman09/index.  Who do I think should win?  I don’t claim to be an expert, but I would like to see Keenum win the race.  Tebow has his trophy.  Ingram always has next year or even the year after and probably hasn’t hit his peak.  Clausen is great, but I like  a well rounded QB.  And then there was Keenum.  Despite being in a small conference, Keenum has his team in the top 15 and his stats are great.  The five interceptions aren’t amazing…but not too bad either.  It could be worse.  There’s no telling what methodology will be used in picking a winner and no matter who wins critics are going to go wild.  The fact of the matter is that all of the contestants are unbelievable athletes that play out of their heads week after week.