The winner of the 73d Heisman Trophy will be announced tonight in New York.
And much like this college football season, which was unpredictable from the opening weekend, an air of uncertainty surrounds the proceedings.
This much we do know: Southern Cal quarterback John David Booty, the preseason favorite, won't win it; Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm, the early-season leader, won't win it; and Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan, a midseason front-runner, won't win it.
None, in fact, is even a finalist. Beyond that? Well, expect the unexpected.
The speculation is that Florida quarterback Tim Tebow will become the first sophomore to win the award, given to the best player in the country.
And that is indeed loosely defined since everyone except quarterbacks and running backs are generally eliminated from consideration, as are players from teams with more than two losses. And underclassmen often don't receive much consideration.
So, naturally, Tebow, the quarterback of a team that has lost three games, is considered the favorite.
Tebow's backers point out that his 29 touchdown passes and 22 TD rushes - making him the first player in major college football history to both pass and run for more than 20 touchdowns in a season - should overcome his youth and the three losses.
"He has done things that no one else in college football has been able to do," said Gators coach Urban Meyer. "And I hope people realize the magnitude of his accomplishments."
But if you'd like to talk about magnitude, Hawaii coach June Jones is a loud advocate for his quarterback, Colt Brennan, the only senior of the four finalists.
Jones points to a season in which Brennan completed 71.4 percent of his passes for 4,174 yards and 38 touchdowns and the Warriors went undefeated (Hawaii is the only bowl division team with a perfect record), as well as Brennan's NCAA record 131 career TD passes. The Hawaii coach dismissed any criticism that Brennan's success was primarily because of Jones's offensive system.
"My quarterback has been labeled a system quarterback for three years," Jones said. "He is the best passer in college history. He is. There is no question about it. Tim Tebow is in a system.
"My quarterback is the best player, trust me."
But is he? Or is it Arkansas junior running back Darren McFadden, who finished second in the Heisman balloting to Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith a year ago, and this season racked up 1,725 rushing yards and 15 TDs? In the history of the Heisman, four players - Tom Harmon, Glenn Davis, O.J. Simpson, and Herschel Walker - finished second in the voting, then won the award the next season.
Or will it be Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel, who threw for 4,170 yards and 33 TDs in leading Missouri to the Big 12 title game? But that was before the wheels came off the Tiger bus in a 38-17 loss to Oklahoma in which Daniel didn't throw a touchdown pass.
Tebow is the clear front-runner, and the odds are that his first visit to New York will be memorable.
"It's going to be cool just walking around the blocks," said Tebow earlier this week as he described what he was going to do during his spare time in the Big Apple. "I have never been to a city like that before."
And the Heisman has never quite seen a quarterback like Tebow, who not only put up big numbers, but did it against tough competition in the Southeastern Conference.
So he is a sophomore.
So he played on a team that lost three games.
So what.
If this season has shown us anything, it is to expect the unexpected.
Tonight, Tebow will break the mold and be able to walk around the streets of Manhattan with a new trophy. McFadden should finish second again, and Brennan should finish third.
Unless, of course . . .
Material from wire services was used in this report; Mark Blaudschun can be reached at blaudschun@globe.com.
