Midseason Heisman Trophy Contenders
Tuesday, 3. November 2009
Well, my pre-season list was way off. Pryor really has not progressed any in his second year. Dez Bryant has run into trouble with the NCAA over in Stillwater. Sam Bradford got injured.
Let’s take a look at the way things are shaking out as it currently stands.
We all know that usually the Heisman goes to the best player on the best team. The Heisman is no longer an individual trophy as much as it is a team achievement trophy.
This is not the way it should be, but it is the way it is.
Keep that in mind as we go through the current Heisman favorites.
10) Dion Lewis
Dion is a freshman for Pittsburgh, so he will not win this award. He also does not play for a National Title contender, so that will hurt him. He is on pace for over 1500 yards and 17 td’s, which will get him a few votes. He would need extraordinary numbers though considering the circumstances.
9)LaMichael James
LaMichael is on a National Title contending Oregon Ducks team. He is also a freshman which will not be helping his cause. He is a large reason that Oregon has had such an outstanding offense this year. James is on pace for around 1300 yards, but he has run for 450 yards in three games against Cal, Utah and USC. Those are some great performances against the toughest part of the schedule.
8)Jeremiah Masoli
Masoli will be splitting some votes with his teammate James. He does not really stand a chance either way, but he is the straw that stirs the proverbial drink for the Ducks. Masoli has passed for over 1,000 yards and ran for over 400 more yards while leading Oregon to huge wins this year, most recently over USC.
7)Jimmy Clausen
Clausen plays for Notre Dame. That is always going to give you about a 25% bump in your Hesiman chances. The national media is hungry for a Notre Dame Heisman trophy contender, so Clausen is the guy. He has had a pretty good seson all things considered, but he has not had a better season than many other quarterbacks, and his team is not really very good. Clausen has thrown for 2300 yards and 18 td’s this year in 8 games.
6)CJ Spiller
Spiller would probably win this award if he played for a Texas or Alabama this year. He is the most exciting player in the nation, but he is stuck playing for a middle of the road ACC team in Clemson. Spiller is 6th in the nation in all purpose yards. He averages 38 yards per kickoff return and has taken three of them to the house. He does not have a prayer though as this is a team trophy.
5)Earl Thomas
Earl is having the best year of any defensive player in the nation. He is what Eric Berry was supposed to be this year. Thomas has 6 interceptions with two of those being returned for touchdowns. He leads a Texas team that gives up the least yards per play of anyone in the nation. He has forced a couple of fumbles. He still has 4 more regular season games to add to his stats. Had he recovered the fumble for a touchdown against Oklahoma that hecaused and was inches away from recovering, he may even be in the top three on the list. Watch out for him if Texas continues to win.
4)Case Keenum
Case plays for a non-BCS team. If he played for a BCS team, he would be on all of the national lists, possibly even in the lead for the Heisman. Houston has played Oklahoma State and Texas Tech, beating both of them. Keenum has thrown 3293 yards so far this year, which is about 700 yards more than the next closest quarterback. In 400 attempts he has only thrown 5 interceptions and 25 touchdowns. Keenum deserves mention.
3)Colt McCoy
Colt is really only here because he was so close last year and he plays for contender Texas. McCoy has thrown too many interceptions this year. He has not been able to duplicate last year’s amazing stats. Colt has led Texas to an undefeated season thus far. He does have close to 2,000 yards and 15 touchdowns on the season, but again this is a team award, so Colt is in the running as the most noteworthy Longhorn.
2)Mark Ingram
Ingram has put together a very solid year for Alabama. You have to think that Richardson could be putting up the same numbers if he had Ingram’s carries. Alabama does have an inside track to the national title, so unless they lose Ingram will be mentioned in the Heisman race. I don’t personally feel that he is an elite runner, but others in the past have won without being elite. He has run for over a thousand yards at a 6.5 clip, but he only has 8 touchdowns. As the season wears on, he will need to greatly increase that number in order to get the puch he needs to win. He has been very solid, but he has not had a spectacular game or run to set him apart.
1)Tim Tebow
Tebow should not win this award, but the way the naional media loves him you have to think he might have the inside track. If Florida keeps winning, the wave of media attention will only grow. He really has not had a very good season. He seems to have forgotten how to throw the ball, but they keep winning. Tebow has already won one of these, so he will have that going against him. They don’t win two unless they are head and shoulders above the rest. Tebow has thrown for around 1300 yards and ran for another 500. For comparison’s sake, he threw for 3200 in his Heisman year. No way he approaches that this year, but the media will more than likely propel him to the trophy.
Pretenders
Kellen Moore, qb Boise State – He plays for Boise State…forget about it.
Golden Tate, wr Notre Dame – being at ND is the only thing that has him in the race.
Jahvid Best, rb Cal – Hasn’t performed in the biggest games.