A week ago, when I asked college football fans to help me decide which players should receive my vote for the Heisman Trophy, I wasn’t sure what to expect.

Stanford's Toby Gerhart runs against Arizona State Oct. 24 in Stanford, Calif. Gerhart has been invited to the Heisman Trophy presentation as a finalist, along with Mark Ingram, Ndamukong Suh, Tim Tebow and Colt McCoy. (AP)

I figured at least a few people would tell me I had no business voting for the prestigious award in the first place, and since we’re squarely in Texas Tech territory, I half-expected some folks to suggest their favorite Red Raiders, even though they have virtually no chance of winning. I also feared that hardly anyone would respond, which would have put me in quite a pickle in terms of a follow-up story.

As it turned out, though, the response was much greater than I could have imagined. The first fan vote popped in my inbox less than 30 minutes after my column was posted to RedRaiders.com, and they continued to pour in until the Heisman voting deadline at 4 p.m. Monday.

There were 205 votes in all – counting e-mails and comments posted to my column and Zuvie’s Views blog – with fans offering a fairly wide range of suggestions and an even wider range of reasons. I got responses from all over Texas and from all corners of the country, and the vast majority were thoughtful and respectful.

And a couple fans made me laugh, specifically the one who said I would be considered a communist unless I voted for Stanford running back Toby Gerhart.

So, how did the fan vote shake out? Drum roll, please …

One player received a lion’s share of the votes and, surprisingly, it was Gerhart with 88. I must admit I had never even heard of the guy before I started doing some research for last week’s column, and I almost grew tired of hearing about him by the end of the week.

Most of Gerhart’s supporters pointed to his superior statistics – he leads the nation in rushing yards and touchdowns – the fact that he almost single-handedly led the Cardinal to a surprisingly successful run in the Pac-10 Conference and his exploits off the field. Gerhart is balancing football with 21 credit hours this semester, and he also plays minor league baseball.

Texas quarterback Colt McCoy (12) is sacked by Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh (93) Dec. 5 in Arlington. Suh and McCoy have both been invited to the Heisman Trophy presentation as finalists, along with Mark Ingram, Toby Gerhart and Tim Tebow. (AP)

As for the claims that his Heisman candidacy was not the result of a massive public relations campaign, those people should see my inbox. I got three e-mails from Stanford’s media relations director, and several of the fan votes for Gerhart came from Stanford students and alumni who essentially attached their name to a form letter.

Thanks to a last-minute push, Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh took second in my unofficial poll. Well over half of the 47 votes for Suh came in on Monday, and several more of his supporters made their cases after the voting deadline.

I’m guessing Suh’s performance in Saturday’s Big 12 Conference championship game, in which he registered 41/2 sacks and seven tackles for loss, had something to do with it.

Texas quarterback Colt McCoy got the third-most votes with 38, and believe it or not, many of them came from Texas Tech fans. McCoy even got a nod from a Stanford professor who must not have gotten the memo about Gerhart.

Next in line were Florida quarterback Tim Tebow (16 votes) and Houston quarterback Case Keenum (nine), who like McCoy is a native West Texan. Alabama running back Mark Ingram got two votes, while TCU quarterback Andy Dalton, Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen, Mississippi running back Dexter McCluster, Texas Tech defensive end Brandon Sharpe and Tech quarterback Taylor Potts received one apiece.

But I’m pretty sure the vote for Potts was a joke.

Finally, the moment you’ve all been waiting for. Here’s how I voted, in order, along with an explanation for each player:

• Ndamukong Suh, DT, Sr., Nebraska: I knew going in that Suh would be on my ballot, and I wasn’t going to make him first unless he led the Cornhuskers to an upset win over Texas in the Big 12 title game. That didn’t quite happen, but Suh did more than his part and clearly outplayed Texas’ McCoy.

And the more I thought about the overriding question, “Who is the most outstanding player in college football?” voting for Suh become more and more obvious. No other player in the country can do what he does, and if I could put together my own team of current college players, the 6-foot-4, 300-pound Suh would easily be my first choice.

As a first-time Heisman voter, I also wanted to make a statement. A full-time defensive player has never won the award, which has gone to a quarterback in eight of the last nine seasons, and I’d like to see both of those trends change.

• Colt McCoy, QB, Sr., Texas: McCoy was my frontrunner heading into the weekend, but his lackluster performance against Nebraska – passing for just 184 yards with three interceptions – dropped him into second behind Suh.

Still, the four-year starter from Tuscola Jim Ned is certainly deserving of a second straight trip to New York City. McCoy is the leader of an unbeaten team that will play for the BCS national championship, he’s the winningest quarterback in NCAA history, and his numbers this season are just as good as any other signal caller.

• Toby Gerhart, RB, Sr., Stanford: Two other players, Keenum and Ingram, came close to securing the last spot on my ballot. But Keenum threw three interceptions in Saturday’s loss to East Carolina – somewhat overshadowing his 527 yards and five touchdowns – and I’m guessing he’ll be one of the lead candidates next year if he continues to be the nation’s most prolific passer and the Cougars continue their ascension.

Despite Ingram’s stellar performance in the Southeastern Conference championship game, in which he racked up nearly 200 total yards and scored three touchdowns, the talented sophomore wasn’t as consistently productive as Gerhart. The Stanford senior leads the nation with 1,736 rushing yards and 26 TDs, and he often carries the Cardinal offense.

And because I soliticited input from fans, and Gerhart was the clear favorite, I felt compelled to put him on my ballot.

Thanks to everyone who offered their opinions. They were a tremendous help, and even if your choice wasn’t mine, I took each and every suggestion to heart.

Most of all, I hope you enjoyed this excersise as much as I did.

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