Similar to the Blogpoll we are also submitting a Heisman Ballot. The Blue Workhorse, is putting together ballots, to crown a Sports Blog Heisman Trophy Winner. Later I will go through my top 3 choices (with the last being my top choice), along with an honorable mention.

Feel free to critique, or post your own in the comments. They won't be counted in the final ballot, but makes for good discussion:

Before I start, I think it's important to understand that the trophy is supposed to award "the most outstanding player in collegiate football". In other-words, it's supposed to recognize the best player in the sport, not the best player on the best team, and not a lifetime achievement award. It's a tough balancing act, because you want to give guys credit for stepping up when the pressure is on, but at the same time you don't want to feel like you have to give it to a player on a team competing for the National Championship.

In reality, when you have biased groups making decisions, they aren't necessarily going to take this into consideration. That's the way it goes. It isn't perfect, and honestly it doesn't matter too much to me. I mean, I don't mind having a small debate, and I certainly enjoyed going through the process in trying to identify the players I thought were the most outstanding, but overall I'm not emotionally invested in the result at all.

To me, college football is about the team. I care more about wins and losses, and how the team does. I do want to recognize individuals for what they have accomplished, but I'm not going to start some drama because Colt McCoy wins it over Ingram or something like that.

On the next page, I'm going to do a countdown of my honerable mentions, along with my top 3 choices (the last one being my #1 choice):

Honorable Mentions: Dion Lewis, RB, Pitt and Kellen Moore, QB, Boise State

Lewis should be a future Heisman winner down the road. The guy rushed for 1640 yards, averaged 5.5 yards/carry, and scored 16 TDs as a freshmen! He also caught 24 passes for 190 yards, and 1 TD, showing he is a reliable target as well. Also, he's a fun player to watch. If he stays healthy, he will have a great college career!

With Moore, what a great "quiet" year he's had. He lead all of NCAA Football in QB Rating (167.5). He completed 64.8% of his passes, for 3325 yards, 39 TDs, and only 3 INTs. The guy is only a Sophomore as well. Maybe over the next couple of years he can gain some notoriety, but who are we kidding? I think the "establishment" is always going to crap on Boise State, and it's too bad because this kid is very good.

#3: Freddie Barnes, WR, Bowling Green

I had the chance to see this guy play, and he's a playmaker! As a Senior, he stepped up big for Bowling Green, catching 138 receptions for 1551 yards, and 16 TDs. I understand the guy is playing in the MAC, but having a game where he caught 22 passes against Kent State is pretty good. It's not like anyone on ISU came close to that against Kent State this year. It's too bad he played for a small school, but he's a gamechanger without a doubt. More of a possession guy, than a deep threat, but still some lofty numbers. You'll get a chance to see this guy play against Idaho in the Humanitarian Bowl. Fun player to watch.

#2: Toby Gerhart, RB, Stanford

If you thought Dion Lewis had some good numbers, check out Toby Gerhart's. He rushed for 1736 yards on 311 carries (5.6 yards/carry), and scored 26 TDs! I love this type of a player because he's a hard worker, is smart, and has a lot of heart. Without him, I don't think Stanford is able to beat Oregon, USC, and Notre Dame

#1: Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska

I think it's a pretty obvious choice. I actually kind of hate making this choice because it's too damn easy. He isn't leading the nation in sacks, or anything like that, but he's a dominating player. Am I going to say he's the greatest of all time or something like that? Probably not. It seems like every couple of years, somewhere in the nation, there's the 2nd coming. Glenn Dorsey comes to mind from LSU, but there are others. With that said, Suh made an impact on every play he was out on the field, was fighting double-teams all year, and still put up the numbers he did. He's not going to wint the Heisman for real, but he will be the #1 draft pick, have a great NFL career, and make craploads. To me, that's a pretty good consolation for not winning the Heisman.

So what about you? Who would be in your top 3/4?