By Andrea Szulszteyn
The Associated Press

Miami quarterback Ken Dorsey led his team to a national championship in last year's Rose Bowl. He's got 'em poised for another one this year. (Gannett News Service photo) | ZOOM |

NEW YORK - Will Southern California quarterback Carson Palmer become the first West Coast player to win the Heisman Trophy since Marcus Allen in 1981? Will quarterback Ken Dorsey and tailback Willis McGahee split votes because they both play for Miami?

Did Iowa quarterback Brad Banks and Penn State tailback Larry Johnson have big enough seasons to come from relative obscurity and win the award given to the nation's top player?

For the second straight year, the race is wide open, leading to a lot of guessing about whose name will be called when the award is presented Saturday night.

"It seemed like four or five weeks ago a handful of names were changing all the time," said Danny Wuerffel, the 1996 winner as a quarterback at Florida.

"You put your vote in and somebody else runs for 300 yards, and someone else puts their vote in and McGahee runs for six touchdowns and then Carson Palmer throws for 39 hundred-thousand touchdowns. It's a tough race. I have no idea what's going to happen."

No one except Dorsey was listed among the top contenders entering this year. Strong late-season performances pushed Palmer and Johnson into contention. McGahee wasn't even supposed to play tailback, and Banks had never started a Division I-A game until this season.

Last year, there was no clear favorite for the Heisman and only four finalists were announced.

Nebraska quarterback Eric Crouch ended up beating Florida quarterback Rex Grossman by 62 points, the fourth-closest vote in the 67-year history of the Heisman. The closest Heisman vote was Bo Jackson's 45-point victory over Chuck Long in 1985.

Wuerffel would not say for whom he voted. Neither would his coach, Steve Spurrier, who won the trophy in 1966 out of Florida. But he believes McGahee or Dorsey could have an advantage since the Hurricanes (12-0) are playing for another national championship.

"I would guess one of those Miami players would be favored, just because a team like that usually has an advantage," Spurrier said.

Some believe because both play for the Hurricanes, they could split votes. It's a rare situation when two finalists are from the same school. The last time that happened was 1994, when Penn State's Ki-Jana Carter finished second and Kerry Collins was fourth.

Dorsey, 38-1 as a starter, completed 194 of 350 passes for 3,073 yards, 26 touchdowns and 10 interceptions this season.

McGahee broke the school record with 27 touchdowns and also set school records for yards rushing (1,686), total yards (2,036), and 100-yard games (10). Dorsey does have some detractors because people believe McGahee is Miami's most valuable player.

"You can't really question what (Dorsey's) done," said Ty Detmer, who won the trophy in 1990 for BYU. "He's come through in every situation he's had to. What, he's lost one game his whole career? People lose sight of that a little bit because of the type of team they have."

Vinny Testaverde, who won out of Miami in 1986, is leaning toward the senior quarterback. So is Gino Torretta, another Hurricane who won it in 1992.

Dorsey finished third in the Heisman voting a year ago behind Eric Crouch and Grossman. Testaverde and Torretta have taken into account what he's done over the course of his career.

"It is supposed to be given to an individual each year, but it is like anything else, it is hard not to notice what players have done in the past," Testaverde said. "In Kenny's case, he has had a great career. He has had an outstanding year this year, and I think he deserves it."

But McGahee does have his supporters. Tim Brown, who won the Heisman in 1987 with Notre Dame, voted for McGahee. So did Ricky Williams, the 1998 winner from Texas.

"I don't think it's much of a race," Brown said. "I think it's going to be McGahee or Johnson, but I think McGahee's going to win it. ... It probably became pretty obvious three weeks ago this kid (McGahee) was probably the best player in the country."

Williams said: "You have to think who has contributed more to the success that team has. It's probably McGahee. He's had some big runs at clutch times. But I'm a running back. I'm probably a little biased."

Palmer completed nearly 63 percent of his passes for 3,639 yards and 32 touchdowns with 10 interceptions this year. During the Trojans' final eight games, he threw for 2,676 yards and 27 touchdowns with seven interceptions.

Johnson finished with 2,015 yards rushing, only the ninth Division I-A player to top 2,000 in a season. Banks led the nation in passing efficiency, going 155-of-258 for 2,369 yards, 25 touchdowns and four interceptions and was selected The Associated Press College Player of the Year.

Spurrier summed it up best: "It's too close to call."