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Heisman Watch 2010: 25 candidates or more? Try 5 at best

September 1, 2010  |  By Benjamin Miraski

There are Heisman lists and then there are Heisman lists. MRISports has never been shy about having a long list, but it has never listed 25 players, even if it is a preseason list.

ESPN though has no qualms about this. The World Wide Leader decided to have 25 players on its Heisman Hype list, a list that apparently only appeared on the mobile website, as I couldn’t find it on the normal website. The list they chose to post there had just 20 players in a slideshow. Even better, the list was different.

So ESPN has apparently identified more than 25 players who they think might have a chance to be the best player in college football this season. The sad part is that they are dead wrong.

There won’t be 25 players who even have a sniff at the award. At best there are five players who even have a shot, and that is after Mark Ingram went down with his knee injury. (By the way, does anyone not believe in the Heisman jinx now? If you come back, you are destined to have something happen that derails your season.)

Here is the list of who the MRI will be watching as the season opens Thursday with the biggest drawback to their candidacy for the award.

The Contenders:

1. Ryan Mallett (QB, Arkansas) - Mallett is likely the most polished quarterback in college football. He has the arm and the smarts to succeed in the NFL which doesn’t always lead to success. However, Mallett was smart enough to get out of Michigan when the writing was on the wall and he has placed himself in the best situation for his future. To start the season, I believe he may be the best candidate for the award, provided his team helps him. Demerit: Arkansas is one of those “On the Verge” teams. If they stumble early, or Mallett doesn’t perform against the better teams on the schedule (even in a loss), he can say goodbye to the award.

2. Terrelle Pryor (QB, Ohio State) - Pryor is the latest in the line of Ohio State quarterbacks that all basically look the same. That works in his favor because Troy Smith was able to win the award using that skill set. Pryor will need to be perfect to win the award, but just running through the Big Ten schedule should be enough to get him to New York. Demerit: Troy Smith won with the same skill set, and that was after an undefeated season that took Ohio State to the title game. Ohio State got embarassed in that game, which showed that Smith wasn’t as good as it appeared. That could stand in the way of the voters picking another Buckeye quarterback without some huge numbers.

3. DeMarco Murray (RB, Oklahoma) - In the mold of Adrian Peterson, Murray will be running all day for Oklahoma. Because Oklahoma will also be running for the title all season long, he will also get a lot of attention from the voters thanks to the miracle of television. Demerit: Murray hasn’t been the most sturdy of backs in his career, somewhat like Peterson. Look for an injury or two to derail this campaign.

4. Kellen Moore (QB, Boise State) - Moore is supposed to lead the Broncos to the title game. Everyone is dreading that in the BCS era, saying that Boise couldn’t possibly compete if they were in another division. What they are really saying is that Moore will put up some stats against some less than stellar competition, and stats are what a lot of voters will base their decision on. Demerit: That Boise State after his name will cause a lot of people to steer clear. You have to go back to 1990 and a very different era and BYU team to find a winner who came from a conference outside the big six.

5. Jake Locker (QB, Washington) - If you listen to Mel Kiper, Jake Locker is a … well, lock, to succeed at the next level. He has been on a series of less than great teams in his career but that could change this season. If Washington can contend for the PAC-10 title, Locker will be in the running here. Demerit: Locker will be playing most of his games after everyone is either buzzed or asleep. That won’t help him very much outside of the West region.

Five others who have the best chance of displacing the true contenders (In alphabetical order): Matt Barkley (QB, USC), Noel Devine (RB, West Virginia), Mark Ingram (RB, Alabama), Jerrod Johnson (QB, Texas A&M), Jacquizz Rodgers (RB, Oregon State)

Posted September 1, 2010 10:45 PM

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