Championship games altered Heisman race

December, 13, 2009
12/13/09
8:57
AM CT
If conference championship games didn't exist, would Toby Gerhart or Colt McCoy have won the Heisman Trophy on Saturday? Maybe.

Alabama's Mark Ingram took the trophy home in the closest vote in the history of the award. Reports said 89 percent of the voters waited until after the SEC and Big 12 championship games to vote.

That was good news for Ingram, who did not play well against Auburn and had another chance to impress Heisman voters in an afternoon game against Florida. He did that with 189 total yards and three touchdowns in the 32-13 win.

That same day, Colt McCoy's Heisman chances were probably hurt as well. His team won the game, but anybody that watched it was amazed by Ndamukong Suh and his 4.5 sacks of McCoy. Suh was all over the field that night, no doubt helping him gain votes. And with both players from the Big 12 conference, he had to take some votes away from McCoy.

It's just interesting how one day can alter the Heisman race.
Richard Durrett joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009. He writes about colleges, the Dallas Stars and the Texas Rangers. Richard spent nine years at The Dallas Morning News covering the Rangers, Stars, colleges, motorsports and high schools.

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