(Not) My Heisman Trophy Predictions

Sep 24, 2010

If there’s one thing in sports I can’t stand it’s when writers, announcers and analysts start predicting winners of postseason awards right after a season starts. Granted I have been guilty of this sin from time to time, too. I’m not a complete non-conformist. But still, I can’t stand it.

In no sport is this annoying practice more prevalent than college football. Why? a.) the season is short; b.) there are no playoffs and the preseason rankings limit which teams have a shot at the national title, therefore there are no “who’s making the playoffs?” discussions; and c.) the trophy everyone is vying for is so iconic, it practically invites pundits to repeatedly ask the same question -“Who’s going to win the Heisman this year?”

The funny part about this premature speculation is the award, which supposedly honors the best player in NCAA football (as long as that player is a quarterback or running back), has basically turned into a barometer of surefire failure on the NFL level: from 1990-2006, just four three of the 17 recipients of the trophy have had any semblance of success in the league – Eddie George, Charles Woodson, Carson Palmer and Reggie Bush.

That being said, I’m not going to indulge in a silly ‘Heisman watch’ piece just for the sake of page views or quotas. What I am going to do, however, is provide a list of top players at their respective positions who may or may not qualify for postseason awards following the 2010 campaign. And the Heisman may happen to be one of them. No predictions though.

Quarterbacks:

-Denard Robinson, Michigan 1,230 tot. yds, 8 tot. TDs, 70% comp. pct, 9.0YPA, 7.6YPC not only is Shoelace leading the NCAA in total yards, he’s the leading rusher as well. Daunting defenses still loom, but so far he’s a true college star, the type of player these accolades are made for

-Taylor Martinez, Nebraska 813 tot. yds, 9 tot. TDs, 65% comp. pct, 9.1YPA, 10.5YPC the freshman sensation is captivating Husker nation, and his yards per carry average is second only to Oregon RB LaMichael James’. Although his overall numbers don’t exceed Robinson’s, his style and ‘wow factor’ might be on par with the Michigan phenom

-Colin Kaepernick, Nevada 1,097 tot. yds, 12 tot TDs, 70% comp pct, 9.0YPA, 9.5YPC the leader of the Wolf Pack is also the active NCAA rushing touchdown leader (66), but he can throw the rock as well – his 9 yards per attempt is greater than Jacory Harris, Terrelle Pryor and Kellen Moore, to name a few. His potential postseason podium success will solely be based on what he does against Boise State, though

-Ryan Mallett, Arkansas 1,081 pass yds, 9 TDs, 70% comp. pct, 10.8YPA the fact that the Michigan transfer is the only pure passer on this list says a lot about the state of the game today, and a lot about how far Mallet has come since his days in Ann Arbor. This week’s matchup against #1 Alabama will go a long way towards proving whether he has the goods to make it to an awards podium in December

Honorable mention: Andrew Luck, Stanford; Moore, Boise St; Pryor, Ohio St.

Running Backs:

-Kendall Hunter, Oklahoma St. 473 yds, 6 TDs, 7.9YPC right now he may have no shot at any major awards, but the Cowboys senior is second among running backs in yards and touchdowns. With big games against Nebraska, Texas and Oklahoma to come, he’ll have a chance to rise onto or disappear from the national radar

-John Clay, Wisconsin 383 yds, 5 TDs, 6.2YPC I’ve made no secret of my love for this bruising back, and I believe when his surgically-repaired ankles feel 100% and conference play gets rolling, the reigning Big-10 player of the year will bulldoze his way towards postseason awards glory

-DeMarco Murray, Oklahoma 369 yds, 6 TDs, 4.8YPC the Sooner schooner started off with a bang with 208 yards against Utah St. in the opener, but a 51-yard effort against FSU quickly derailed his campaign. Like his conference running mate Hunter, Murray will have ample opportunities to get his trophy trot back on track

-LaMichael James, Oregon 361 yds, 3 TDs, 12.0YPC normally I wouldn’t include a guy who missed a game this early, but when you consider James is still 15^th in yards and 1^st in yards per carry, including an impressive 227/16.2 in his last game, you can’t count a talent like that out of any race

Honorable mention: Marcus Lattimore, So. Carolina; Shane Vereen, Cal; Ed Wesley, TCU

Wide Receivers:

-Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma St. 24 recs., 431 yds, 8 TDs, 18.0YPR though stud receivers are scarce this season, someone has to win the Biletnikoff Award, and right now the Cowboys’ sophomore is the leading candidate; he’s 1^st in the NCAA in touchdowns and yards and 7^th in receptions, and his 18.0 yards per reception is fourth among wideouts with at least 15 catches

-Ryan Broyles, Oklahoma 31 recs., 382 yds, 3 TDs, 14.1 YPR Broyles forms the other half of the Sooners dynamic duo with Murray, and though his touchdown total is low, he ranks 2^nd in college in receptions and 3^rd in yards. I think if QB Landry Jones continues his solid play and teams key on Murray, Broyles will have his touchdown total up in the high teens by the end of the season

-Austin Pettis, Boise St. 9 recs, 169 yds, 3 TDs, 17.9YPR sure his numbers are down (he’s only played 2 games) and his teammate Titus Young will steal some of his spotlight (and stats), but Pettis is a big game receiver who will be a major part of the Broncos’ potential run to the BCS Championship

Honorable mention: Ronald Johnson, USC; Greg Childs, Arkansas; Lyle Leong, Texas Tech

There are a few of the offensive candidates for postseason glory at this point in the season. I’ll cover the defense & special teams players later.

And even though I said I wasn’t doing predictions, I will go out on a limb and guarantee that at least one of these players will win at least one major award at season’s end. (Really put myself out there, huh?)

However, I am sticking to my stance of not declaring a Heisman frontrunner this early in the campaign…

…wouldn’t want to trip over my own shoelace.