Heisman Watch (Season Preview)

Its that time again. Now that the college football season is fast approaching its time to look at the players that are going to make a run at the most prestigious award in all of college football. Last year we saw Cam Newton come out of nowhere to have one of the most impressive seasons in college football history. Who will win it this year? Don't know yet, but here are some of the players that have the best chance.

Andrew Luck QB Stanford

Clearly the top quarterback in all of college football, Andrew Luck is in a good spot to take home some hardware this season. Last year Luck threw for 3,338 yards and 32 touchdowns while leading the Cardinal to their first BCS Bowl game in school history. This year Luck goes into the season without head coach Jim Harbaugh who is now the with the San Francisco 49ers. Stanford along with Oregon is favored to win the Pac 12 and if Luck can replicate last year's numbers and put Stanford in the hunt for a National Title he'll find himself back in New York for a second straight year. Something to think about is that the Heisman voters might want to give the award to somebody that they know for sure is not going to have to give the trophy back a couple years down the road. It's unlikely, but something to think about.

Landry Jones QB Oklahoma

Two years ago when Sam Bradford was injured in the first game of the season and many people where concerned how redshirt freshman Landry Jones was going to fill in for him. Jones played alright his first season, but really flourished last year throwing for 4,718 yards and 38 touchdowns in leading the Sooners to a 12-2 record, a Big 12 Title, and a Fiesta Bowl victory. Now that Jones is in his third season as the starter the sky is the limit. Add in that he has all of his weapons back from a year ago and you can only assume that Jones will continue to put up video game type numbers. Add in that the Big 12 isn't as strong as it was a couple of years ago and the Sooners should be in the hunt for the National Title game and that will put Jones in the hunt for the Heisman Trophy.

LeMichael James RB Oregon

James had a breakout year last season helping the Ducks reach the National Title Game. Despite missing the first game of the season he rushed for 1,731 yards and 21 touchdowns. That impressive season landed James with an invite to the Heisman Trophy Presentation where he finished in third place. Coming into this season he has as good of a chance as anybody of bringing home the prestigious award. James is a threat every time he touches the ball and he'll get plenty of opportunities next year as the Ducks look to make a return visit to the title game. However James could he hurt by the improving Darron Thomas and the up and coming fellow running backs Kenjon Balmer and Lache Seastrunck who could all take touches away from him. But look for James to be the focal point for the Ducks and continue to rack up numbers and attention.

Darron Thomas QB Oregon

Speaking of Darron Thomas. Thomas wasn't the starter going into the 2010 season, but when Jeremiah Mosoli was kicked off the team they keys to the offense were handed over to the young Thomas who hadn't seen a lot of game action. All Thomas did was improve the already potent offense and take the Ducks to the National Title game. Thomas is at his best when the Ducks are n their high tempo speed offense that keeps keeps the defense off balance and not knowing what is going on. Thomas made most of his damage running the zone read and throwing short passes. However another year in the offense and we could see Thomas expanding on his responsibilities and taking more risks throwing the ball. This along with another impressive run by the Ducks and we could see Thomas being the Ducks representative in New York.

Trent Richardson RB Alabama

I've always thought that Richardson was the best running back for Alabama, even better that previous Heisman winner Mark Ingram. But now that Ingram is gone Richardson is going to get a chance to show what he can do when he is the feature back and not complementing Ingram. Alabama should once again be in the running for the National Championship and Richardson, much like Ingram did in 2008, has a good chance to win the Heisman Trophy by being the best player on the best team. Richardson has the chance to put up some big time numbers in some big time games in front of a lot of Heisman voters.

Justin Blackmon WR Oklahoma State

He didn't get an invitation to New York last year for the trophy presentation, but Blackmon's strong season earned him 5th place in the voting. Blackmon is one of the top wide receivers in college football and is a big time playmaker who can take it to the house whenever he gets the ball into his hands. What is even more impressive was that Blackmon scored a touchdown in every game he played last year. Bt the biggest threat to Blackmon winning the award is that the Heisman usually goes to a quarterback or runningback. However Blackmon is going to get the ball thrown to him even more this year and he'll look to improve his numbers and that would be very hard for voters to ignore him.

Taylor Martinez QB Nebraska

The redshirt freshman burst onto the scene last year running all over defenses. His early season success started to pick up some Heisman steam but was derailed 8 games into the season when he suffered a nasty high ankle sprain and turf toe in a win against Missouri. When healthy Martinez was a dangerous threat running the ball and then that lead to him being able to throw the ball more effectively too. But an increased focus on stopping him and injuries derailed an impressive start. Martinez rushed for 886 of his 965 yards in those first first eight games but Martinez still has a lot of room to grow as a quarterback but if he picks up where he left off with before the Missouri game and he could get the invitation to New York.

Denard Robinson QB Michigan

Denard Robinson was looking like he was going to literally run away with the Heisman Trophy. Through the first five games of the season the Wolverines were looking to be back. They were off to a 5-0 start and Robinson was running circles around opposing teams. However three straight losses and some nagging injuries to Robinson really sent Michigan into a tailspin. However it wasn't all Robinson's fault. Michigan's defense was flat out atrocious and the offense was simply not able to outscore every other team. This year the Wolverines have a new coaching staff and an increased focus on fixing the defense. If Michigan can actually stop somebody and Robinson can stay healthy they could really make the a jump and that could lead to Robinson sustaining his Heisman buzz.

Geno Smith QB West Virginia

It seems like Geno Smith is every body's dark horse candidate to win the Heisman Trophy. Smith is garnering so much attention because he has all the physical tools you would want out of a quarterback and the Mountaineers now have one of the best offensive minds in Dana Holgerson as his new head coach. Last year Smith threw for 2,763 yards and 24 touchdowns. However, with the spread offense that Holgerson brings to West Virginia Geno Smith's numbers will only improve. But it's going to take West Virginia contending for a BCS Bowl and Smith's numbers to improve to be considered for the trophy. Heisman voters like to go with players from the big schools or guys whose teams are challenging for the National Championship. To me Smith is a long shot, but somebody to definitely to watch.

EJ Manuel QB Florida State

Florida State is starting to become every body's darling this year and if they end up winning the ACC that could lead to them having a Heisman contender. The most logical person to consider is quarterback EJ Manuel. Manuel stepped up last year when Christian Ponder was injured and despite losing to Virginia late in the season he played very well. If he continues to develop he could help Florida State make it to their first BCS Bowl in a long time. However projecting success after only a couple of starts is never a great indicator of future success. But their game against Oklahoma at the beginning of the season will tell us a lot.

Marcus Lattimore RB South Carolina

When somebody gets called the next Adrian Peterson before he even starts his college career, you have to take it with a grain of salt. However after an impressive true freshman season the comparison to Peterson isn't too far off. Last year Lattimore rushed for 1,197 yards and 17 touchdowns in helping the Gamecocks make it to the SEC championship game. However the Gamecocks offense should be much better and another year on campus will make Lattimore and even better player. The sky is the limit for Lattimore and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him in New York City sometime in the next couple of years.

Kellen Moore QB Boise State

Kellen Moore was my pre-season favorite to win the Heisman last year because I felt that Boise State being ranked in the top 5 at the beginning of the season, having an easy schedule, and him always putting up huge numbers. All of that together added up to the most likely to win the award. However I only felt he would win the award if Boise State was undefeated and playing in the National Title game. But a late season loss to Nevada and Cam Newton having an unbelievable season ended any shot of Moore winning the Heisman Trophy. this year should be very similar. Moore will be a contender as long as Boise State is contending for a National Title but if they aren't, neither with Moore.

Russell Wilson QB Wisconsin

If Russell Wilson would have remained at North Carolina State I doubt he would have been a contender for the Heisman. Mainly because NC State isn't a favorite to win the ACC and they don't ahve a lot of weapons that would allow Wilson to put up Monster numbers. However Wilson isn't at NC State but at Wisconsin where they are expected to have a much better season. With all the drama that is going on at Ohio State, Wisconsin is now the favorite to win the Leaders Division and contend for the Big 10 title. With Wilson at quarterback the Badgers fill one of their few question marks with a dynamic playmaking quarterback that can take some pressure off the running game by not allowing defenses to load up the box to stop the run. Now Wisconsin isn't going to be a passing team now, but they could have found their leader to help take them to the next level. And that success could lead to hardware for Wisconsin and Wilson.

Taylor Wilson QB Arkansas

Ryan Mallett helped Arkansas reach the Sugar Bowl in 2010 but there are many people that believe that Wilson might end up being a better quarterback fro the Razorbacks. In limited action last year Wilson really shined, including putting up 332 yards and 4 touchdowns against National Champion Auburn. Wilson doesn't have as strong of an arm as Mallett, but he has better mechanics and doesn't force balls like Mallett was known to. Add in that Arkansas has improved as a team and should challenge LSU for the SEC West and they should remain in the National media attention. But the biggest thing to remember is that Bobby Petrino's offenses usually lead to big numbers for the quarterbacks. All of that should lead to some Heisman buzz for Wilson.