Did LaMichael Get La Shaft in the Heisman Trophy Race?

Yes and no. They'll give it in a runaway to Cam Newton, who had a superlative season, running for 20 touchdowns and passing for 28, leading what would have been a 7-5/8-4 Auburn team to number one in the nation and a 12-0 record. For the season Newton passed for 2589 yards and ran for 1409. He led the country in passing efficiency with a mark of 188.16, led his conference in both rushing and passing.

By any measure he had a phenomenal, historical year. On the field, the Auburn quarterback is the most outstanding player in college football, a game-changer who lifted his team way beyond expectations, easily the most valuable and accomplished player in college football.

However, there's a strong likelihood Newton's Heisman will be vacated in a year or so. The circular, third-person answers he gave to ESPN's Chris Fowler and in the pre-Heisman press conference were Clintonesque in their evasiveness. Newton juked more dodging direct questions than he does on a 60-yard run. The kid knew. And his father got a large sum of money to deliver him to Auburn. It's not a new story in college football, particularly in the South, but the Newtons made the mistake of choosing an unreliable go-between to broker the deal. A negotiation that required finesse and discretion became clumsy and loud, with an inconvenient trail of tell-tale text messages, outrageous demands and implausible denials. It won't be settled any time soon, but it won't go away either.

Newton will win the trophy easily and flash the $225,000 smile. He has superlative talent and unstoppable charisma. In February he'll announce for the NFL. A year or two down the road, the NCAA will announce sanctions and penalties, and the Heisman will be Fed-Exed back to New York, another bronzed black eye for the most publicized and prestigious individual award in team sports. It's a shame but unavoidable: the Auburn quarterback earned the trophy with his performance. He just won't be able to keep it all that long.

But what about James? Was he overlooked or underrated by the voters? Did he choose the wrong year for greatness?

A couple of things stand out. One, James is a team guy, and he has said repeatedly that representing his school and getting recognized as a finalist are blessings and more than enough notoriety for him. Duck fans have to be impressed with the way he's handled the attention, with genuine humility and humor, even riding Dumbo at Disney World for an ESPN awards night video skit.

Two, LaMichael is a tremendous running back, Oregon's first Doak Walker Award winner and the best ever in Duck history, but the Heisman is a quarterback award. Nine of the last ten winners have been quarterbacks (leaving out Bush, who had to give it back). Mark Ingram broke a string of nine quarterbacks in a row (again ignoring Bush). From 1935-1961 football was a run-first game and halfbacks dominated the award, but in the modern era, everything revolves around the quarterback, particularly in spread offenses. James would have had to return kicks, play nickleback and sell popcorn to have the impact that Cameron Newton, Andrew Luck and Kellen Moore had on their teams. The Oregonian's Ken Goe didn't even vote for him, and he made a compelling case for another dual threat quarterback in the third spot on his ballot.

Leading Heisman website heismanpundit.com breaks down the ten principles of winning the Heisman, which he calls "The Ten Heismandits". He didn't pry these from Charleton Heston's cold, dead hands, but they ring pretty true. To get serious consideration, a running back has to crack the 2,000-yard barrier, especially in this era of twelve and thirteen-game seasons.

No one was catching Newton this year anyway. If there was any doubt, he sealed the deal with a six-touchdown performance in the SEC Championship game. James had a couple of Heisman moments earlier in the year, with 200-yard games and long runs for touchdown on ABC Saturday Night College Football against Stanford and USC, but as the season wore on he wore down. From Cal on LMJ was running on heart, guts and fumes. He didn't have the same burst, or the same dramatic stats, in the season's last four games. If he comes back for his junior year, a deep backfield will keep him fresher, and Oregon fans will see LaMichael at his best all season long.

Ironically, Heisman candidates haven't done all that well in the national championship game, or in the pros. Only eight of the 74 winners are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Heisman winners are only 2-6 in the BCS Championship Game.

Here's hoping a fresh, healed, energized LaMichael James has a statement game in Glendale, and shows the country what a special player he truly is. Great players play their best in big games. Heisman or no, number 21 of the Ducks is a great player.