Heisman Choice Tough to Predict : College football: Ismail and Detmer are considered the top two favorites, with Bieniemy a possible upset selection.

For the sake of formality, the good people at New York’s historic Downtown Athletic Club asked Heisman Trophy voters this year to choose from among five finalists. As gestures go, this one was gracious, correct and entirely meaningless.

In truth, this has become a Heisman race run exclusively for two players, maybe three--and that’s stretching it. A breakdown of the Fab Five:

--The favorite: Notre Dame flanker and kick returner Raghib (Rocket) Ismail.

--The almost co-favorite: BYU quarterback Ty Detmer.

--The almost co-co-favorite (but only if the 917 Heisman voters are in an upset-minded mood): Colorado tailback Eric Bieniemy.

--The others: Houston quarterback David Klingler and Virginia quarterback Shawn Moore.

If nothing else, the 56th annual Heisman ceremony will have something today that it usually lacks, mainly intrigue and a bit of suspense. You can thank Ismail and Detmer for that.

Ismail is considered the likely choice for the trophy, which goes to the country’s most acclaimed college football player, but by no means is his selection guaranteed. In his favor are his knack for the spectacular and, of course, the magical appeal of Notre Dame and the television exposure that comes with it.

Every time Ismail, a junior, touches the ball, be it on a kickoff return or a punt return, a handoff or a pass reception, he is capable of finishing the play in the opponents’ end zone.

His statistics are impressive but not mind-boggling. In only 126 chances, he accounted for 537 rushing yards, 699 receiving yards, 151 punt-return yards and 336 kickoff-return yards. He scored only six times but averaged about 14 yards each time the Irish found a way to get him the ball.

Ismail supporters point out that his impact on a game goes beyond scoring touchdowns. With Ismail, the Irish didn’t lose once this season. Without him, they were 0-2. Ismail, they say, can stretch a defense beyond its absolute limit. And by the way, they argue, how do you measure the thrills Ismail provides?

Meanwhile, Detmer, also a junior, checks in with a 1990 resume filled with remarkable numbers and records, some meaningful, some not. Most noteworthy are his touchdowns (38), passing yards (an NCAA-record 4,869), attempts (517), completions (339) and interceptions (24), which is a bit on the high side. Then again, so is BYU’s reliance on the passing game.

Detmer hasn’t missed a game this year and, like Ismail, is invaluable to his team. Without Detmer, BYU would have been hard-pressed to upset then-No. 1-ranked Miami earlier in the season. It is also unlikely that the Cougars would be 10-1 and ranked fourth with a shot at the national championship.

Bieniemy’s chances of leaving New York with the stiff-arming statuette are more remote. He is considered to be the best running back in the nation, but is he the best player? His 1,628 yards, 5.6-yard average and 17 touchdowns merit serious consideration, but it would take a minor miracle to earn enough points to edge Ismail and Detmer.

Still, the senior from West Covina has helped carry Colorado to its No. 1 ranking. And he did finish among the leaders in about every rushing category. Now then, will it be enough in the minds of Heisman voters?

The two remaining candidates, Moore, a senior, and Klingler, a junior, were hurt by circumstances sometimes beyond their control. In Moore’s case, three defeats in November took some of the luster off a wonderful Virginia season. Moore became one of the fall guys, although the Cavaliers’ defense was mainly to blame.

Also, Moore injured his thumb near season’s end and didn’t play in Virginia’s last regular-season game. One other item: He might not have been the best player on his own team. That honor could go to Cavalier wide receiver Herman Moore.

Meanwhile, Klingler’s hopes for a Heisman disappeared about the same time Houston was defeated by Texas late in the season. Had Klingler that day demonstrated the same mastery of the run-and-shoot as he had against lesser opponents, he might be giving Ismail and Detmer a scare today.

Nor did it help when Coach John Jenkins began ordering the Cougars to throw bombs against Division I-AA Eastern Washington a few weeks ago. Houston won the game, 84-21, but Klingler, who threw 11 touchdowns that day, lost lots of votes.

Three of the five finalists--Ismail, Moore and Bieniemy--will attend the awards ceremony. Detmer is in Honolulu, where BYU plays Hawaii tonight. If he completes enough passes for 131 yards, he will become the first NCAA player to reach the 5,000-yard mark in one season.

Klingler is in Tokyo, where the Cougars meet Arizona State.

If Ismail wins, it will mark the eighth time a Notre Dame player has been voted the Heisman Trophy and only the 10th time a junior has won it. Detmer, if chosen, would be BYU’s first winner of the award.