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Smith still atop SHNS Heisman Poll

Submitted by administrator on Tue, 11/14/2006 - 13:51

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Sunday, November 19, 2006
With only one game left in his regular season, Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith remains firmly in charge of this week's Scripps Howard Heisman Trophy Poll.

But what a game it will be _ Saturday's showdown between Smith's top-rated Buckeyes and No. 2 Michigan. Yet with nine first-place votes out of ten ballots, it's hard to see exactly how Smith could play badly enough to lose the Heisman _ barring an injury.

Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn is a distant second but does have one high-profile game left _ at No. 4 Southern Cal on Nov. 25. Running back Ray Rice of undefeated Rutgers broke into the poll at No. 3 this week.

Compiled by the Rocky Mountain News in Denver, the Scripps poll is the longest-running weekly Heisman poll in the country, in its 20th year. The final poll in December correctly has predicted the Heisman winner in 16 of the previous 19 seasons. There are 10 voters, two from each of five regions of the country. The tabulations are on a 5-4-3-2-1 basis. First-place votes in parentheses.

This week's poll with statistics from last weekend:

Name, Position, School, Statistics, Points

1. Troy Smith, QB, Ohio State, 12-of-19, 185 yards, 4 TD passes, 49, (9).

2. Brady Quinn, QB, Notre Dame, 14-of-19, 207 yards, 4 TD passes 31, (1).

3. Ray Rice, RB, Rutgers, 22 carries, 131 yards, 2 TD runs, 20.

4. Steve Slaton, RB, West Virginia, 12 carries, 148 yards, 2 TD runs, 18.

5. Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas, 30 carries, 181 yards, 2 TDs, TD pass, 18.

Others: Mike Hart, RB, Michigan, 5; Chad Henne, QB, Michigan, 2; Colt Brennan, QB, Hawaii, 2; JaMarcus Russell, QB, Louisiana State, 1; Robert Meachem, WR, Tennessee, 1; Jared Zabransky, QB, Boise, 1; John Beck, QB, Brigham Young, 1; Colt McCoy, QB, Texas, 1.

The voters: Kirk Bohls (Austin American-Statesman); Scott Cain (Arkansas Democrat Gazette); Dennis Dodd (CBSSportsLine); Vahe Gregorian (St. Louis Post-Dispatch); Mike Griffith (Knoxville News Sentinel); Randy Holtz (Rocky Mountain News); John Lindsay (Scripps Howard News Service); Michael Lewis (The Salt Lake Tribune); John Rohde (The Oklahoman); Michael Vega (The Boston Globe).