Is there a doubt?

Removing any suspected off-field questions Cam should win it hands down (the NCAA did declare him eligible)

Not only did he lead his team to an undefeated record and the BCS Championship game he is among the top in the nation in total offense (no other candidate has more total offensive production, total yards and TD). He is a larger percentage of his team's offense than the other candidates.

Yes, his dad is a a leech and I hope they find out exactly what happened with his recruiting to Mississippi State and Auburn. But until they find anything that makes him ineligible, he has to be the 2010 Heisman winner.

I'd have Kellen Moore of Boise St. second and LaMichael James 3rd.

I'm the BIGGEST SEC apologist on this board probably, love me some SEC sports, but the NCAA was dead wrong in making him eligible, DEAD WRONG, if you read the letter of the law of the ncaa rules, he's guilty and ineligible regardless of whether he knew or not was his dad was doing, and I highly doubt he didn't know.

AS far as the award, he'll win, probably in a landslide, and his on the field performance dictates that, but there are several campaigns that went on trying to influence those who had votes to not award him this, especially in lieu of the Bush fiasco.

I'd vote James first for me on principal, then Cam, then Moore, the Luck, however I think Luck will be a NFL superstar and Newton will be Vince Young, Daunte Culpepper, Jamarcus Russell type of player.

/Rant off

I love me some SEC sports too.

I do think that Luck will be a good NFL QB (depending on the team he goes to)
James will be a flash in the NFL, maybe having a couple good seasons with more average.

I think that you are right about Cam in the NFL. Another Daunte Culpepper type. He has some gifts, but until he learns how to read NFL Defenses he will be nothing more than a bigger, faster, Tebow.

Since the NCAA fucked up on his eligibility, I see no reason not to give him the award. He deserves it based on his on-the-field performance. I don't know why all players won't start doing this. Just have daddy ask for money.

There was a way they could have ended this.

After Cam decided to go to Auburn they could have said "we wanted to go to Miss. St. and we wanted to see how honest they were, but since they were willing to pay me to get my boy here, we decided to NOT go to MSU and went to Auburn, who did not offer any money"

Now, since they didn't do that there is the speculation that Auburn boosters did pay the Newton's (or his church) cash.

I think the NCAA is wrong. Cam Newton is ineligible as per their own rules. All they're doing is saying this shit is alright.

looks like there were over 100 voters that did not include Cam on their ballot. That ~11% did not keep him from winning the trophy.

I love how the dudes from Ohio State who sold their stuff (including Terrelle Pryor) and got tattoos in exchange for autographs get suspended... NEXT YEAR.... but are allowed to play in the bowl game this year. The NCAA is such a joke.

and most of they guys that are "to be suspended" are eligible for the NFL draft after the bowl game.

I am a Hog fan but this is just too much.

I wonder if the schools can sue the NCAA for lack of institutional control

I agree with everyone that the Ohio State players being suspended next year, compared to the bowl game, is a joke- especially when *supposedly* most, if not all, are going pro anyways.

However, I will play devil's advocate and say this in defense of the NCAA on this situation-

The NCAA is a business. Sure you can argue about education and athletics and stuff, but (especially with regards to college football) it is about money. If you susped five of Ohio State's top players (and I say this not knowing the names of all five, but from what I heard/read they are top contributors to the team)... then you may potentially have destroyed incentive for fans to pay money to watch and go to that game. And you may potentially lose out on some sponsors, because the sponsors may think that the matchup is no longer interesting- which, in turn, means no one will watch it on TV... which is not good for sponsorship. Ticket sales goes down, fan interest goes down, sponsorship goes down... revenues and sales for the NCAA, of course, goes down. I don't think the NCAA wants to do this to themselves- shoot themselves in the foot, so they make themselves a laughingstock at the expense of revenues and the almighty dollar.

Living in Arizona, they are having a very difficult time getting ticket sales for the Conn-Oklahoma bowl game. Last I heard several days ago, of the 15k seats given to Conn to sell... they had only sold a third of them. Granted this is an awful matchup, and many people have little desire to watch what appears to be (on paper, at least) a blowout waiting to happen- but you can see how a disinterested game with weak players can affect revenue for the NCAA.

And finally, back to Cam- I am pretty sure if Auburn was 9-3 that Cam would not be playing. But because they are undefeated, the top dog in the nation's top football conference, and playing for a championship... the NCAA wants/needs the best SEC team in its BCS game. To, obviously, garner interest among fans, to create an excellent matchup, which leads to .... wait for it... money for the NCAA!

_________________

My guess is sponsorship is made in advance of the game's participants being selected. But regardless, the NCAA needs to be consistent in their decisions/punishments, and that is the real issue.

Newton declares for NFL Draft, and some nfl team wastes a first round pick on Randall Cunningham 2.0

Vince Young with a better release

Actually, it doesn't do a damn thing to the revenue for the NCAA. When a school makes it to a bowl game, they aren't given tickets to sell; they are required to buy a certain amount of tickets and then have the task of trying to sell what they were forced to buy. The only one losing here if Connecticut didn't sell their 15,000 tickets is Connecticut.

The fact that people like the CEO of the Fiesta Bowl whose job is to host one football game a year is payed somewhere in the neighborhood of 600,000 is ridiculous.

And Cam? Is anyone surprised he's going after the money? Nothing has changed.

Say what you want about him being a shady dealer (har har), but there's zero reason for him to stay in school.