Per this announcement, you can also catch me blogging at the Orlando Sentinel’s College Gridiron 365 blog.  I’ll be joined by legendary college preview writer Phil Steele, as well as the fine staff at the Sentinel.

Also, we’ll once again join with the Sentinel to produce and distribute the Heismanpundit/Orlando Sentinel Heisman Poll, which was the most accurate Heisman poll in the country last year.

Sports Illustrated and Nissan are teaming up to sponsor this year’s Heisman Trophy presentation.

…come out of nowhere to become a Heisman candidate
 
LeGarrette Blount, Oregon.  Am I the only one that thinks Blount is set to have a blowout season?  According to my data recovery, he had 1,002 yards and 17 touchdowns last year while splitting time with Jeremiah Johnson.  He’ll get the lion’s share of the carries this season and should be aided by the continued improvement of quarterback Jeremiah Masoli.   If he can handle the load, I think Blount, a senior, has a chance to lead the nation in rushing.
 
…see his Heisman campaign crumble by October
 
C.J. Spiller.  Clemson faces Georgia Tech, Boston College and TCU in consecutive weeks in September.  Unless the Tigers get good early production from the quarterback spot, it might be tough going for Spiller, who will be the main focus of these defenses.
 
…put up Heisman-like numbers while getting scant Heisman attention
 
Case Keenum, Houston.  He already has a 5,000-yard, 44-touchdown season under his belt.  If he has an encore performance in 2009, he’ll be well on his way to becoming the NCAA’s all-time passing yardage leader.  Will anyone notice?  
 
…be incorrectly labeled a Heisman candidate
 
Taylor Mays, USC.  Great player, great talent, could be the first pick in the next NFL draft and the first three-time All-American at USC since Richard Wood in 1974.  But he doesn’t return kicks, doesn’t play offense and didn’t have an interception, sack, forced fumble, recovered fumble or blocked kick last season.  He’ll have enough trouble beating out Eric Berry for the Thorpe Award, but someone will still call him a Heisman candidate at some point.
 
…get Lou Holtz’s Heisman vote
 
Jimmy Clausen, of course!  Seriously, though, I expect the Irish quarterback to have a big year, which should result in some Heisman buzz here and there (I’m not even sure Holtz has a vote, actually).
 
…emerge as the front runner for 2010

Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State.  It’s scary to think how good Pryor is going to be.  He’ll have the hang of this college football thing by midseason and could sneak into the top five of the Heisman vote if the Buckeyes can get to the Rose Bowl.

…have his Heisman campaign hurt by his team’s performance

Eric Berry, Tennessee.  No matter how good he is, Berry won’t be able to stop that beatdown that is coming when the Vols head to the Swamp in week three.  To win the Heisman, you’ve got to play for a good team and Tennessee will be lucky to make it to a bowl.
 
…win the Heisman
 
Colt McCoy, Texas.  The last player to return for another season after accumulating a higher Heisman point total than McCoy (without winning) was O.J. Simpson, who was the runner up in 1967.   Of course, Simpson won his own Heisman in 1968 and now McCoy is the odds-on favorite in 2009.

Here’s Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin at the SEC media days:

A couple observations:  First, note that Kiffin has taken to speaking in a sort of quasi-Southern accent.  He is starting to drop his ‘G’s’.  Second, he makes a ridiculous statement that all this talk about Tennessee in the offseason–even the negative stuff–has been ‘good for the program.’ 

For starters, it is not really true that people have been talking about Tennessee’s program in the offseason.  In reality, they’ve been talking about what an idiot Kiffin has been, as he has made one dumb statement after another. 

Kiffin seems to think that any publicity is good publicity.  But it’s not like he’s coaching at Duke, or Iowa State.  He is at Tennessee, which is a proud, storied program that does not need to become the Paris Hilton of the SEC in order to get attention.  But Kiffin is a West Coast guy so he probably has no concept of Tennessee’s tradition or heritage.  The way he talks about recruiting and its importance, you would think no one had ever recruited well at Tennessee before when, in fact, Phil Fulmer was an excellent recruiter who sent dozens of Volunteers to the NFL. 

Kiffin’s rather weak justification for all of his shenanigans and missteps are indicative of a young, cocky coach in over his head more than anything else.

The mystery of the SEC coach who didn’t vote for Tim Tebow on the preseason All-Conference team has been solved–it was South Carolina’s Steve Spurrier, who attributes it to an error or oversight on his part.

But all the hullabaloo over why only 11 out of 12 coaches voted for Tebow is completely misplaced.  After all, who was the other vote for?  Jevan Snead of Ole Miss.

It is completely defensible to think that when all is said and done, Snead is going to be the All-SEC quarterback this year.  After all, if he leads Ole Miss to the SEC West title and then the overall SEC title and has a big year statistically in the process, then a lot more than one SEC coach is going to consider him for all-league honors.    When you consider that Ole Miss is ranked in the top 10 in the preseason, it’s not pushing reality to think that the Rebels could win the SEC.  And, after all, Snead did beat Tebow head-to-head last year.  It’s not like the other vote was for Stephen Garcia or Jon Crompton.  It was for a guy who has a chance to be a first-round pick in the next NFL draft.

But this all goes to a deeper issue, which is the propensity of the media to engage in, and act as enforcers of, group think.  We see it all the time, especially in regards to media coverage of the SEC, but it is starting to reach obnoxious proportions when it comes to Tebow. 

Has any media member out there actually pointed out that a vote for Snead won’t result in banishment to hell?

We know that after this season, Tim Tebow and Colt McCoy are gone.  Sam Bradford is likely out of here as well.  I don’t think Jahvid Best will be back.

While the 2009 Heisman race is being fought, we’ll also see the 2010 race start to take shape.  Right now, these are the players that I think have the best chance to emerge as 2010 front runners:

1. Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State

2. Aaron Corp, USC

3. Jimmy Clausen, Notre Dame

4. DeMarco Murray, Oklahoma

5. Noel Devine, West Virginia

6. Ryan Mallette, Arkansas

7. Evan Royster, Penn State

8. Robert Griffen, Baylor

9. Joe McKnight, USC

10. Greg McElroy, Alabama

Tim Tebow is almost a shoo-in to finish in the top three of the Heisman voting, but who else from the SEC might be a factor?

SEC players who are most likely to draw Heisman votes in 2009:

1. Tim Tebow, Florida

2. Eric Berry, Tennessee

3. Jevan Snead, Ole Miss 

4. Charles Scott, LSU

5. Ryan Mallett, Arkansas

6. Julio Jones, Alabama

7. A.J. Green, Georgia