By B.G. BROOKS, Scripps Howard News Service

A statistical rundown of the top three candidates for the Heisman Trophy, to be awarded Saturday night in New York City:

-- Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford
Class: Sophomore.
Team record: 12-1 overall, 7-1 Big12 Conference, defeated Missouri in league championship game.
Total yards: 4,529 (4,464 passing; 65 rushing).

The electorate has spoken.
Albeit, softly and somewhat indecisively.
As a precursor to what might be among the closest voting ever to determine the winner of college football's most prestigious national award, 10 panelists with Heisman Trophy votes -- two voters from each region of the country -- labored to select Texas quarterback Colt McCoy as their 2008 winner.

Texas Tech coach Mike Leach has had little difficulty in the laboratory, rolling out quarterback after quarterback who passes for several miles and a bushel of touchdowns a season.But Leach and the Red Raiders -- although he'll bristle at this suggestion -- have had difficulty punching up a breakthrough season in the Big 12 Conference's South Division.

My slightly soiled tea leaves say No. 5 Texas' chances against top-ranked Oklahoma on Saturday are better than in recent seasons because of one player -- quarterback Colt McCoy -- and one coach -- defensive coordinator Will Muschamp.

Brigham Young quarterback Max Hall is making it look easy. So is BYU's defense. So is Cougars coach Bronco Mendenhall.

Of the many ironies in a sordid story brimming with them, this might be the most stunning: Throughout his career, Dave Bliss envisioned coaching at a church-affiliated school as a final stop.He got his wish.