who to watch for

http://www.collegefootballnews.com/2006/Columnists/RC/Heisman100_1_20.htm

7/17/2006 4:30:22 PM

NO JAY DAVIS????

7/17/2006 4:33:30 PM

Quinn's almost a lock if he plays near the level he did last year, unless he gets hurt or peterson gains like 2000 yards.

7/17/2006 4:34:29 PM

where are the other 80?

7/17/2006 4:38:58 PM

A defensive player finally shoes up at #20. Fuck the heisman.

7/17/2006 4:50:03 PM

i think it's Adrian Peterson. dude came in what 2nd in the voting a couple of years ago? became almost the first freshman to win the Heisman. i think Quinn could be it too, if ND has the magical season that everyone is predicting them to have.

7/17/2006 6:30:54 PM

^^ agree... why the crap is a Dman on the list??

7/17/2006 6:37:50 PM

20. LB Paul Posluszny, Penn State – Every season has at least one defensive player that generates a grassroots Heisman buzz. Posluszny will be that player in 2006. He’s arguably the best defender in college football, and those who doubt he steal some votes need only look at last year’s final tally, which included two defensive players in the Top 10.

19. QB Drew Tate, Iowa – Tate has been a very good quarterback the last two years for the Hawkeyes, but in order to be in the long haul hunt, he’ll need to be a little more prolific statistically while leading Iowa to a fifth straight January bowl game. He can also use a few reliable hands now that Clinton Solomon and Ed Hinkel have graduated.

18. RB Jamaal Charles, Texas – Vince Young has left Austin, but the ‘Horns are hardly void of flashy talent Heisman contenders. Charles is a burner, who led Texas backs in rushing as a freshman in 2005, despite suffering a nagging ankle injury in October. His biggest roadblocks will be durability and a backfield that’s as deep as any in America.

17. QB Chad Henne, Michigan – Henne’s got a chance to become the Wolverines’ all-time leading passer after just three seasons in Ann Arbor. And now as the undisputed leader of a Michigan team looking to rebound from its worst season since 1984, he’s going to get more media attention than ever before.

16. RB Garrett Wolfe, Northern Illinois – Get ready for a groundswell of support for Wolfe, particularly if he perforates a revamped Ohio State D in the opener. He’s a 300-yard game waiting to happen, and with an early schedule that includes Ohio, Buffalo, Indiana State and Ball State, he could be over 1,000 yards before the end of September.

15. RB Michael Hart, Michigan – Hart’s value to the Wolverines was never more evident than last year, when he missed substantial parts of the season and the offense sputtered in his absence. Chad Henne may have more pro potential, but Hart is the sparkplug, and with 12 games to prove it, he’s capable of becoming the first Michigan back in 66 years to win the award.

14. RB Marshawn Lynch, Cal – After Adrian Peterson, Lynch is squarely in the team photo for next best back in America. He can zoom past or through tacklers, and last December’s 194-yard, three-touchdown demolition of BYU in the Las Vegas Bowl was a prelude of things to come in his junior season.

13. RB Kenny Irons, Auburn – An expat, who began his college career at South Carolina, Irons was the SEC’s newcomer of the year in 2005, succeeding Carnell Williams and Ronnie Brown better than anyone could have expected. In running for more than 100 yards in the Tigers’ final six league games, he allowed QB Brandon Cox to mature at a manageable pace.

12. QB Drew Stanton, Michigan State – Winning the Heisman is a two-part recipe that requires the right combination of big numbers and big wins. And therein lies the rub for Stanton. He’s got a proven, two-year track record of gaudy stats, but unless he can engineer a career-first upset Michigan or Ohio State and get the Spartans back to the post-season, the Top 10 is off limits.

11. QB John David Booty, USC – If Ashton Youboty was the Trojan quarterback, he might warrant an honorable mention somewhere on the list. Such is life these days at USC, where the supporting cast, media crush and league titles are practically built in to a quarterback’s candidacy. Booty’s a former prep All-American with four springs under his belt and a bulging disc that required surgery at the end of March.

10. QB Pat White, West Virginia – A year ago, Pat White was a non-entity to outside Morgantown. Today, he’s one of college football’s rising stars and a bona fide Heisman candidate in just his sophomore year. White didn’t even begin 2005 as the starter, but after winning the job in October, he performed like a Michael Vick knockoff, rushing for almost 1,000 yards and leading the ‘eers to a Sugar Bowl upset of Georgia.

9. QB Sam Keller, Arizona State – Or Rudy Carpenter, last year’s passing efficiency leader. The two are interchangeable, although Keller has the edge now that his injured hand has healed. Combined, the two threw for 37 touchdowns and 4,438 yards last fall. If either gets 80% of the snaps, those numbers plus an ASU run at the Pac-10 title equals Jake Plummer: The Sequel.

8. RB Steve Slaton, West Virginia – West Virginia football is hot these days, and kids like Slaton and QB Pat White will be the beneficiaries of the unprecedented national exposure. Slaton was magnificent in his 2005 debut, shaking off early-season anonymity to finish with 1,128 yards on the ground and 19 touchdowns in just over half a season.

7. RB Michael Bush, Louisville – Bush entered Louisville as a blue-chip quarterback. He’ll leave with just about every school rushing and scoring mark. He was a scoring machine last year, reaching the end zone 24 times in just 10 games, something he’s capable of duplicating in this year’s combustible Cardinal offense.
6. WR Ted Ginn, Jr., Ohio State – Forecasters predicting a Heisman in Ginn’s future may have been a year off. He never mounted a challenge in a disappointing sophomore season, but 2006 figures to be more promising. Ginn, coaches say, has really stepped up his game in the off-season and on speed alone, he’s a candidate for six every time the ball is in his hands.

5. QB Brian Brohm, Louisville – By just about every measure, Brohm is the prototypical franchise quarterback, a future first-day draft choice. He makes all the throws, can escape pressure and is heady way beyond his years. Now a seasoned veteran, Brohm is back from the knee injury that curtailed his sophomore season, and poised for a blowout year as Bobby Petrino’s triggerman.

4. QB Chris Leak, Florida – Urban Meyer’s in his second season at Florida. Leak’s in his second season with Meyer. Expectations for 2006 will be soaring in Gainesville. If nothing else, last year proved Leak was not a perfect match for the spread-option, but he’s still a terrific quarterback, who found a way to account for 3,000 yards and 26 touchdowns in last year’s up-and-down season.

3. QB Troy Smith, Ohio State – Smith has had a soap opera career in Columbus that’s about to reach a crescendo at a most opportune time. Last season began with him being suspended for the Miami (OH) opener and ended with a career-high 408 total yards against Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl that launched his Heisman campaign a few months earlier than anticipated.

2. RB Adrian Peterson, Oklahoma – The line didn’t block. The passing game couldn’t keep defenses honest. And a banged-up Peterson was uncharacteristically ordinary for much of the 2005 season. If QB Rhett Bomar makes the necessary strides to keep the heat off the running game, count on something closer to 2004, when Peterson ran for 1,925 yards and nearly became the first freshman to ever win the Heisman.

1. QB Brady Quinn, Notre Dame – Quinn is by far the top returning Heisman vote-getter, but that alone doesn’t make him this year’s pre-season favorite. He flourished beyond anyone’s expectations in his first season under Charlie Weis, throwing 32 touchdowns and setting all kinds of Irish passing records. With a year in the vault and WR Jeff Samardzija back, he might be even better in 2006. And unlike Oklahoma’s Adrian Peterson, whose quest rests on the development of others, Quinn is firmly at the controls of his destination.

7/18/2006 1:31:51 AM

thats bullshit

but its what you people want, you love offense

7/18/2006 1:34:09 AM

If NCAA 2007 is any indication, give leak the heisman now

7/18/2006 1:36:09 AM

whaaa? no mention of Reginald Alfred?

7/18/2006 3:06:48 AM

john david booty being on there is complete horseshit. with his offield problems since the loss to texas, they weren't even sure he would start at one point.

7/18/2006 8:39:20 AM

63. RB Andre Brown, North Carolina State – For a few years now, the headliners in Raleigh were on the defensive side of the ball. That ought to change in 2006 thanks to backs like Brown, a 230-pound speedster, who debuted with 667 yards in just over half a season as a true freshman.

7/18/2006 10:07:57 AM

so what honest defender should be in the running? i cant think of any

7/18/2006 11:28:53 AM

Why the hell isnt Calvin Johnson, the WR from Georgia Tech, on there? He is gonna be the best reciever to come out in a long time

7/18/2006 11:34:40 AM

^ I dont think GT will be able to get him the ball enough... but yeah, he is a fucking badass, I think hes been the best WR in college the last 2 years, he is fucking unstoppable. About the only thing I see lacking is he runs so shitty routes sometimes but if he gets that down, he is a T.O. clone

7/18/2006 11:36:57 AM

Why not, did they lose a lot of OL??? Reggie and Calvin will now be playing in their 3rd consecutive year together. I expect him to have at least 1100 yards and 15 TD's. Tech will have a good team this year.

7/18/2006 11:50:33 AM

no, more so with the coaching style of "Big Chan" and that their defense will be so so this year. I could see him getting 800-1100 yards and 8-12 TDs but i dont think thats enough for the Heisman

7/18/2006 11:54:50 AM

If OSU beats Texas, there's gonna be a lot of buzz around Smith

7/18/2006 11:57:19 AM

bttt

7/21/2006 3:39:54 PM

0. QB Andre Brown, NC State – Brown is by far the top returning college athlete, but that alone doesn’t make him this year’s pre-season favorite. He flourished beyond anyone’s expectations in his first season under Chuck Amato, running for 85 touchdowns and setting all kinds of Pack rushing records. With a year in the vault and his coach's trusty red shoes, he might be even better in 2006. And unlike Oklahoma’s Adrian Peterson, whose quest rests on the development of others, Brown is firmly at the controls of his destination.

7/21/2006 3:42:34 PM

plus we'll be running the hell out of the ball this year.

7/21/2006 3:46:45 PM

^Or at least we SHOULD be running the hell out of the ball.

7/21/2006 11:05:03 PM

darkhorse......chris leak......

7/22/2006 4:52:33 AM

darkhorse .......... Drew Weatherford

7/23/2006 6:17:45 PM

darkhorse.....

Marcus Stone

7/23/2006 7:01:50 PM

darkhorse - chad henne

7/25/2006 10:28:31 PM

dark horse - dwayne jarrett

7/25/2006 10:57:53 PM

Adrian Peterson will make a very strong push for it this year. If Oklahoma can return to form and run the table in a weak Big 12, he will be the front runner.

However, I'd give Quinn a slight edge because of their pass-happy offense, favorable schedule, and the media's emphatuation with Notre Dame.

Chris Leak is a non-starter. He'll put up big numbers in the first part of the season, then get beat down by SEC defenses.

7/26/2006 9:40:57 AM

Quinn should definitely get it...I mean when's the last time a guy who leads his team to a bowl win and 11-3 season in his junior year comes back and has an off season?

oh wait

7/26/2006 9:45:14 AM

^ND did not win a bowl game

7/26/2006 1:00:50 PM

quinn will have a great season, but not heisman worthy, and the pressure should get to him

7/26/2006 3:07:52 PM

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/heisman06/index

8/27/2006 10:37:55 PM

8/27/2006 10:54:23 PM

Quote :

"^^ agree... why the crap is a Dman on the list??"

haha i missed this the first time, but LMAO

8/27/2006 11:02:26 PM

well, i know who it won't be.

[quote]9. QB Sam Keller, Arizona State – Or Rudy Carpenter, last year’s passing efficiency leader. The two are interchangeable, although Keller has the edge now that his injured hand has healed. Combined, the two threw for 37 touchdowns and 4,438 yards last fall. If either gets 80% of the snaps, those numbers plus an ASU run at the Pac-10 title equals Jake Plummer: The Sequel.[s]

since he transferred to nebraska, and is sitting out this year.

[Edited on August 27, 2006 at 11:07 PM. Reason : [b]]

8/27/2006 11:06:31 PM

^He left because of Herb.

Fire Herb.

8/27/2006 11:36:54 PM

Quote :

"quinn will have a great season, but not heisman worthy, and the pressure should get to him"

for a second there i thought you might know what you were talking about, but then i realized you were just a dood on a messageboard

8/28/2006 9:11:44 AM

NO ONE from the ACC.

/things that make you go hmmm

8/28/2006 9:18:40 AM

boy this heisman race sure is heating up since all the players finally have zero games under their belts this season

8/28/2006 10:15:29 AM