HEISMAN WATCH: SURPRISES AT THE TOP

by Jacob, Vegas Watch

A weekly look at the top Heisman contenders, as voted on by the EC writers.

1. Andre' Woodson (5) 36
Kentucky (4-0) QB
86/134 (64.2%), 1008 yds, 11 TDs, 0 INT

Not even on the radar in terms of preseason Heisman hype, Woodson has gotten national exposure with big wins over Louisville and Arkansas. He leads a Kentucky offense that has averaged 47 ppg thus far.

Woodson should put up big numbers again this week against Florida Atlantic, but then things get serious- at South Carolina, followed by back to back home games against LSU and Florida. Woodson is very unlikely to have this lofty ranking a month from now.

2. Tim Tebow (2) 30
Florida (4-0) QB
65/96 (68.4%), 1096 yds, 10 TDs, 1 INT; 70 carries, 358 yds, 7 TDs

Tebow was a bigger name than Woodson a month ago, but he's certainly exceeded expectations. He threw only 33 passes last year (vs. 89 rushes), but has certainly silenced his critics so far, especially in the Gators' 59-20 win against Tennessee.

Florida has a pretty rough schedule the rest of the way, with four road games against ranked SEC teams. The first of those, against LSU a week from Saturday, could make or break Tebow's candidacy.

3. Darren McFadden (2) 16
Arkansas (1-2) RB
86 carries, 519 yds, 4 TDs; 7 catches, 56 yds

McFadden has been great, unfortunately the same cannot be said for the Razorbacks. As difficult as Florida's schedule is, Arkansas' is actually pretty manageable, until they play in Baton Rouge in late November.

Still, they have two losses already, and are likely to end up somewhere around 8-4, maybe even 7-5. McFadden, although helped by the preseason hype, will have to put up some pretty gaudy numbers no stay in the Heisman race on a team that won't be contending for a national championship.

4. John David Booty (1) 9
USC (3-0) QB
68/97 (70.1%), 629 yds, 9 TDs, 2 INTs

And the exact opposite of McFadden is...John David Booty. He probably won't end up with the most impressive numbers, but he's going to be on the #1 ranked team for the foreseeable future (until at least a month from now, when they play at Oregon). If the teams of the three players ahead of him fall off, that might be enough- remember, this is an award that has been taken home by Jason White and Troy Smith in the last five years.

Others receiving votes: Mike Hart (1) 8, Dennis Dixon (1) 5, DaSean Jackson (1) 5, Matt Ryan 3, Brian Brohm 3, Steve Slaton 1, Ray Rice 1

(Photos: 21st Century Paladin, The Daily Forecast, Kamikaze Pilot Down)