Watching the Heisman: Preseason

Every sportswriter must have a Heisman Watch and I am no different.  A preseason Heisman list is one of the strangest things to write because there are so many possible players who could conceivably win the award.  This list is by no means a complete account of Heisman candidates and is undoubatedly very different from the final Watching the Heisman I will write in December.  That being said, here is my preseason version of Watching the Heisman.

Honorable Mentions: Josh Nesbitt (QB) - Georgia Tech, Jake Locker (QB) - Washington, Cameron Newton (QB) - Auburn, Andy Dalton (QB) - TCU, Andrew Luck (QB) - Stanford

10. Dion Lewis (RB) - Pitt: Lewis took the Big East by storm as a freshman last year.  He broke almost every major Big East freshman rushing record, including many set by former Pitt superstar Tony Dorsett.  Plus, Lewis is only a sophomore and the Heisman has been won by 3 sophomores in a row.

9. Noel Devine (RB) - West Virginia: Unlike the youngster Lewis, Devine seems like he has been at West Virginia forever.  His YouTube highlights are legendary and he has produced the numbers to back them up.  Speedsters always have a shot at a Heisman and Devine is one of the fastest.

8. Adrian Clayborn (DE) - Iowa: I strongly believe that Ndamukong Suh should have one to the Heisman last year and will therefore do my best to highlight defensive contenders this year.  By all accounts, Clayborn is the closest thing in 2010 to Suh and he should have a nice set of tough games to prove his worth. 

7. Mark Ingram (RB) - Alabama: I didn't like Ingram winning the Heisman last year, but any time the defending champ returns, he must be considered a contender.  However, Ingram is probably not the best running back on his own team and by year's end, I expect Trent Richardson to be receiving the majority of the Crimson Tide carries.

6. Ryan Mallet (QB) - Arkansas: Heisman voters love big armed QBs.  Mallet's arm is about as big as they come.  Plus, he plays in one of the most explosive offenses in the nation.  Arkansas's scoring potential gives them the opportunity to beat any team in the nation on any given day.  If their defense can hold up, the stiff armed statue could be Mallets.

5. Landry Jones (QB) - Oklahoma: Jones is in a very similar situation to Mallet.  There are 2 reasons his prospects are better.  First, Oklahoma has a much better shot of winning their conference (Big 12) than Arkansas (SEC).  Second, Oklahoma plays a much more difficult non-conference schedule, giving Jones a bigger body of work for voters to look at.

4. Christian Ponder (QB) - Florida State: Ponder's candidacy is very similar to the 2 guys above him.  Two things set Ponder apart from Jones.  First, Ponder puts up big numbers but more importantly he doesn't make mistakes.  Before his injury last year, Ponder was completing nearly 70% of his passes.  Second, the prestige of bringing the Noles back to prominence could vault Ponder into joining Charlie Ward and Chris Weinke as the Noles's Heisman winners.

3. Jacquizz Rodgers (RB) - Oregon State: I have always been a huge Quizz fan and I think this year is when the nation will jump aboard his bandwagon.  Oregon State has an excellent shot at winning the wide open Pac-10 and if they do, Quizz will be the biggest reason why.  Plus, his power running game gives him a chance to put up huge, but consistent, numbers, and Heisman voters love big numbers.

2. Kellen Moore (QB) - Boise State: The players with the best shots at the Heisman are the two QBs for the teams playing in the National Title game.  And since I expect Boise State and Ohio State to play in Glendale, it makes since the Moore and Pryor are 2 and 1 in Watching the Heisman.  Much like Ponder, Moore simply does not make mistakes.  Last year, he threw 39 touchdowns and 3 interceptions!  Plus, Moore will get an opportunity to showcase his skills in big wins over Virginia Tech and Oregon State.  However, he will ultimately be the runner-up because he is from Boise State and the 2010 Heisman winner is the second coming of...

1. Terrell Pryor (QB) - Ohio State: ... Vince Young.  That's right, this year's Pryor will be eerily similar to Young circa 2005.  I have already documented in another post (It's College Football Time!) how their career's are very similar up to this point.  Young deserved the Heisman in 2005 and Pryor will get his in 2010.  Pryor is a supremely athletic and talented QB who is only beginning to scratch the surface of his potential.  Playing in the Big 10, he will get numerous opportunities to showcase his skills while not playing too many top opponents who could derail his campaign.  Plus, Heisman winners have a proud tradition of losing the national title.  Since Boise State will win in Glendale, Pryor can keep this tradition alive.  Pryor will win the Heisman in 2010 that Vince Young should have won in 2005.

One final note: It pains me to put this many QBs on the list, but this year the QB crop is very strong.  However, I am all for non-traditional Heisman candidates and would love to see one win it this year.