Stanford senior quarterback Andrew Luck has completed 261-of-373 passes for 3,170 yards and 35 touchdowns with nine interceptions for the Cardinal (11-1) this season.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Andrew Luck, the son of the West Virginia University athletic director, is back among the masses in what is expected to be a ridiculously close Heisman Trophy vote.
Oliver's oldest son and Stanford's quarterback finished as runner-up for the award last year, more than 1,000 points behind Auburn's Cam Newton.
As NFL-ready as Newton proved to be this season with the Carolina Panthers, he wasn't as much a can't-miss prospect as Luck, according to most NFL Draft pundits.
That has nothing to do with a player's professional potential, but he sure wouldn't mind having his name on the 25-pound trophy.
A less-than-impressive performance against Oregon moved Luck back into the pack of candidates for college football's top award - a group that includes Alabama running back Trent Richardson, Oklahoma State quarterback Brandon Weeden, Houston record-holder Case Keenum and Ducks' running back LaMichael James.
This balloting hits a little closer to home for the Heisman voters who work in the Mountain State.
You see, West Virginia is covered - head to toe - with Mountaineer faithful.
With all due respect to Marshall, WVU maintains its fan base from the top of the Northern Panhandle to the borders of beautiful Bluefield.
You better believe that it extends beyond the subjective follower.
Of course, those thousands of faithful don't have a vote for the Heisman Trophy.
Do you know who does? Media folks that sit in front of computers, microphones and desks in our beloved state - 24 of them to be exact.
There are 926 voters for the Heisman Trophy and voting is done on a 3-2-1 basis - three points for a first-place vote, two points for second place and one point for third.
The Heisman Trust doesn't reveal who votes, but if you look hard enough, you can find some partial lists. A little cross-referencing might uncover every name.
To put it mildly, you would be surprised at some of the names on the list.
This isn't an affront to the voters in West Virginia, but I can say I don't have - and wouldn't want - a vote because I haven't seen enough besides what ESPN shows.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Andrew Luck, the son of the West Virginia University athletic director, is back among the masses in what is expected to be a ridiculously close Heisman Trophy vote.
Oliver's oldest son and Stanford's quarterback finished as runner-up for the award last year, more than 1,000 points behind Auburn's Cam Newton.
As NFL-ready as Newton proved to be this season with the Carolina Panthers, he wasn't as much a can't-miss prospect as Luck, according to most NFL Draft pundits.
That has nothing to do with a player's professional potential, but he sure wouldn't mind having his name on the 25-pound trophy.
A less-than-impressive performance against Oregon moved Luck back into the pack of candidates for college football's top award - a group that includes Alabama running back Trent Richardson, Oklahoma State quarterback Brandon Weeden, Houston record-holder Case Keenum and Ducks' running back LaMichael James.
This balloting hits a little closer to home for the Heisman voters who work in the Mountain State.
You see, West Virginia is covered - head to toe - with Mountaineer faithful.
With all due respect to Marshall, WVU maintains its fan base from the top of the Northern Panhandle to the borders of beautiful Bluefield.
You better believe that it extends beyond the subjective follower.
Of course, those thousands of faithful don't have a vote for the Heisman Trophy.
Do you know who does? Media folks that sit in front of computers, microphones and desks in our beloved state - 24 of them to be exact.
There are 926 voters for the Heisman Trophy and voting is done on a 3-2-1 basis - three points for a first-place vote, two points for second place and one point for third.
The Heisman Trust doesn't reveal who votes, but if you look hard enough, you can find some partial lists. A little cross-referencing might uncover every name.
To put it mildly, you would be surprised at some of the names on the list.
This isn't an affront to the voters in West Virginia, but I can say I don't have - and wouldn't want - a vote because I haven't seen enough besides what ESPN shows.
I wonder how many of the state's - and country's - voters should say the same thing, but don't?
Maybe 24 votes out of 926 doesn't seem like much, until you look a little closer.
In two of the last three years, the Heisman chase has been as close as it has ever been.
Newton ran away with the award last year, but, in 2009, Alabama's Mark Ingram beat Stanford's Toby Gerhart by a measly 28 points. Gerhart had just five fewer first-place votes than Ingram.
One year prior, Oklahoma's Sam Bradford defeated second-place Colt McCoy of Texas by 122 points. Florida's Tim Tebow, who went from Gator hero to the NFL Broncos' most polarizing figure, finished third, but had nine more first-place votes than Bradford.
There are plenty of worthy candidates for the award - which before a subpar performance against the Ducks - belonged to Andrew Luck.
I say it still does, 2,600 miles away.
Does Luck have a foothold in the Mountain State with his father sitting comfortably at the top of the WVU athletic food chain?
Not every member of the voting press in West Virginia is a fan of Luck, which could sway the voting in its own way.
It might sound crazy, but it wouldn't be surprising to see those 24 West Virginia voters amount to 72 points (24 first-place votes) for the son of the WVU athletic director. Or the opposite, or somewhere in the middle.
Naturally, all of these are possibilities, but not only because he is or isn't deserving of college football's most prestigious award.
Critics of the voting have contended there is a regional bias because, among other things, East Coast voters don't see enough West Coast players.
Voters in West Virginia won't lessen the criticism of regional bias, but I bet they can make a difference.
And I wouldn't be surprised if they do make a difference.
Contact Assistant Sports Editor Rich Stevens at richstev...@dailymail.com or 304-348-4837.
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