While everyone is paying attention to a certain spectacular high-school athlete, there's a small ceremony this weekend at the Yale Club in Manhattan for a couple of college football players. Why is the Heisman Trophy ceremony hot this year? In a word: suspense.

Everyone's got a favorite among the five finalists, but there's no clear-cut choice. Each has a different hook: Miami QB Ken Dorsey, Mr. Lifetime Achievement? His teammate, RB Willis McGahee, just a sophomore? Will they split the votes from their region, opening the door for USC QB Carson Palmer, who started this season as a punchline, or Penn State RB Larry Johnson, who started the season as an afterthought but earned more than 2,000 yards? The guy who really deserves it, Iowa QB Brad Banks, is out-of-sight-out-of-mind from not playing in a month.

It's not about NFL potential -- the guy with the most, Marshall QB Byron Leftwich, didn't even make the finalist cut. Regardless, uncertainty makes for a compelling story -- and brings the Trophy a cachet it hasn't had in years. For more on what's hot and what's not for the Heisman -- and the rest of the sports world – check out the list below:

What's Hot, What's Not this week
Category	Hot	Not
Rose, Part I	Hall of Fame candidate	Appealing bowl game
Rose, Part II	Acknowledge it!	Mere apologies
College football look-back	"The Junction Boys"	Gino Torretta's Heisman campaign
Must-have running back	Ricky Williams	Priest Holmes
Bad team getting better	Grizzlies	Heat
Exit strategy for college FB coach	Get fired (like Toledo)	Bandwagon-jump (like Franchione)
Best big man in college hoops	Mario Austin	Nick Collison
Chicago Bears problem	Too many wins to get Leftwich	Jim Miller's gone
Division I men's soccer powerhouse	Maryland	UCLA
College football game to watch	Division III semis: John Carroll vs. Mt. Union	Division 1-A playoff first round (oh, wait a sec ...)
Kyle Turley's big problem	"But he did it, too!"	Recognizing what he did was wrong in the first place
Advice for Marvin Lewis	Hold out for an NFL job	Go to East Lansing, Michigan
Criteria	This season's accomplishments	Lifetime achievement
Voting blocs	West Coast for C. Palmer	Southeast splits vote between Dorsey.McGahee
What about sophs?	McGahee deservers consideration	Watchutakinbout, Willis?
QB	Brad Banks	Ken Dorsey
Premature 2003 front-runner	Injury-free Maurice Clarett	Dorsey replacement Brock Berlin
Way-too-premature 2004 front-runner	Brad Smith, Missouri	Marcus Vick, Virginia Tech
And this year's winner will be ...	Brad Banks (voters want to show how smart they are)	Larry Johnson (team not that good)
Post-"Sopranos" escape	"Oz"	Non-prison shows
Gift	Trivial Pursuit, 20th Anniv. Edition	Striped anything
Weekend flick	"Drumline" (My girlfriend says "Maid in Manhattan". Not on my watch.)	"The Hot Chick" (My girlfriend agrees.)

Dan Shanoff is a columnist for Page 2. His "What's Hot, What's Not" trend-spotting list appears Thursdays. Got inside scoop on an up-and-coming trend? Want to declare something passé? Send this glimpse of your hipness to hotnotlist@yahoo.com.