Next season should be a pretty entertaining race for the Heisman Trophy.
For the first time in what seems like eons, there won’t be a USC football player in the preseason mix and I’m really looking forward to being called a Notre Dame or Oklahoma homer next season as a result.
That’s because the overwhelming front runners will be Irish senior quarterback Brady Quinn and Oklahoma tailback Adrian Peterson.
I can’t think of a single flaw that Quinn has going into this season in terms of The Heismandments. In fact, he’s one of the strongest candidates heading into a season that I’ve seen.
Not far behind him is Peterson, a junior. Don’t think for a cotton-picking minute that Heisman voters don’t have the junior tailback’s 2004 second-place freshman finish still firmly ensconced in their minds. A monster season by Peterson may be too much for even Quinn to overcome.
So, it’s basically a two-man race between Quinn and Peterson. We will be discussing how these two stack up many times in the near future, so we won’t get into too much about these two very-well-known candidates right now. But what about the darkhorses? What if these two get hurt or somehow underperform? Who will step to the forefront?
It will most likely be these players (in no particular order):
THE QUARTERBACKS
Troy Smith, Ohio State–He really became an excellent quarterback by season’s end. Yes, we know that it wasn’t against the hardest part of the schedule. But Smith is hitting targets now and showing a lot more consistency. He could benefit from some make-up votes by voters who now think Vince Young deserved the Heisman over Reggie Bush. How better to atone for that sin that to vote for another dual-threat quarterback from a traditional power?
Chris Leak, Florida–He was an HP darling last season as he was supposed to flourish in Urban Meyer’s offense. In retrospect, maybe it was his cat-like green eyes that ended up being the giveaway for his almost feline aversion to contact when running the option. Perhaps, though, with a year in the system, he can utilize his considerable talents to land on his feet after some struggles last season. Year two in Meyerville has been successful in the past, so maybe Leak is in the right place at the right time.
Kyle Wright, Miami (Fla.)–Wright is a big talent who is bound to have a breakout year in 2006. He really has no choice, right? If he does, he’ll be an instant Heisman finalist due to the Miami prestige and the great quarterback lineage at the U.
THE RUNNING BACKS
Lorenzo Booker, Florida State–Booker is a good candidate on paper, as he will be a senior tailback on a traditional power with decent name recognition. With Leon Washington in the pros, he may finally bust out and put up some pretty impressive numbers. But let’s get real: Florida State hasn’t run the ball effectively in about seven or eight years. It would take a complete transformation of the Seminole offense for this to not be the case in 2006. But if it does, Booker could have a great year.
Antonio Pittman, Ohio State–Had a solid, though not spectacular, sophomore season. Isn’t expected to have a huge year this year, but then neither was Eddie George heading into 1995. But Pittman is no George, so he gets a mention here because of his status as a top player on a traditional power.
Michael Hart, Michigan–Hart showed his worth last season as Michigan really went into the tank without him. He still had some great moments, though, and has the potential to put up some big numbers this year. A really, really long shot regardless since he is a running back trying to win the Heisman following Bush. Only Peterson won’t lack much by comparison (if any).
Of course, there are a larger group of super darkhorses–like Cal’s Marshawn Lynch and Auburn’s Kenny Irons–who will be getting some play over the summer. As usual, unless one or more of them has seasons way out ahead of the rest of the Heisman field, they will remain extreme longshots.
Bradymania is coming soon to your town!
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