The Heisman Trophy Award is a very prestigious award that's remembered throughout time. It symbolizes who's the best college athlete in the country for each respective year. It hasn't always been a measuring stick for the best player to play in the NFL but it's a trophy that's coveted by the college football community and one that's accepted with pride and honor
Here's an early list a the leading candidates for the 2011-2012 Heisman Trophy.
LaMichael James - Oregon +600
Running back LaMichael James has to be one of the frontrunners for the Heisman
Trophy. Last year, James rushed for 1731 yards and 21 touchdowns on 5.9 yards
per carry. He also caught for 208 yards and 3 touchdowns with a long of 84
yards. For his limited size, James has major talent (But also a criminal record)
Last season, the Oregon Ducks
were 1st in the country in points (47) and 4th in rushing (286.2 yards per
game). With Darron Thomas returning at quarterback, the Ducks are going to have
a very explosive offense and team overall. Barring injury, look for LaMichael
James to have a monster 2011-2012 campaign.
Denard Robinson - Michigan +500
Quarterback Denard Robinson is the definition of the words double threat.
He's a quarterback that rushed for 1702 yards and 14 touchdowns on 6.6 yards
per carry. Simply amazing numbers for a QB!. Robinson held his own
throwing-wise with a 149.6 passing rating. He completed 182 passes in 291
attempts for 2570 yards with 18 TD's and 11 INT.
The Michigan Wolverines didn't have an
outstanding season last year going 0-5 against top 25 teams and 7-6 overall. He'll
be playing under a new coach this year and expect passing and rushing numbers
to balance out a little more as Michigan will be looking to take it to the air
more often. This is a top level player with a real shot at winning.
Kellen Moore - Boise State
Moore's on a team that plays under the radar.but not this year. The Boise State Broncos play at Georgia in the first game of the season. Moore's number's speak for
themselves. He's responsible for why Boise State ranked 2nd in points and 6th
in passing yards last season in the country. He passed for 3845 yards with a
completion percentage of 71.3%. Moore also threw for 35 TD and was picked off
just 6 times. His passer rating was 182.6.
This is a guy who's on one of the
best teams in the country and will be getting more recognition this season.
Look for Kellen Moore to come up huge this season. He's consistent with
excellence. Two seasons ago, he threw 39 TD with 3 INT. When you think Heisman
race, you have to think Kellen Moore. If James or Robinson have the slightest
dropoff, Kellen Moore could be the Heisman Trophy winner.
Andrew Luck - Stanford +300
Andrew Luck is in a similar category to Kellen Moore. Although Boise State never get's
the credit that they deserve, Luck is playing against a higher level of
competition than Kellen Moore. This can be an influence in the voting if Luck
is nearly perfect this season. Last season, he threw for 3338 yards and
completed 70.7% of his passes for the Stanford Cardinal.
He threw for 32 TD and 8 INT. Luck also managed
to run the ball at 8.2 yards a clip, rushing for 453 yards and 3 touchdowns. He
might be the best quarterback of them all and we'll get to see him showcase his
talents against LaMichael James and Oregon on November 12th. Like I said,
that's the edge that Luck has over Moore. Kellen Moore doesn't play an Oregon
Ducks team.
Andrew Luck might not need any luck if he plays up to his abilities
and his team is successful. He's the best suited quarterback for the NFL out of
this great group of men, and was projected as the number 1 draft pick in the 2011 NFL Draft but bypased
it to return to Stanford.
Players To Watch:
Landry Jones and Ryan Broyles - Oklahoma
I figured that I would combine them because they're an electric connection.
Oklahoma is a bigtime winning school and Landry Jones has the ability to put up
huge numbers. Oklahoma has a very tough schedule. If they can some how get past
their scheduled unscaved, Landry Jones would have a real shot at the Heisman
Trophy.
You have to take quarterback over the receiver because the quarterback
gets the recognition and the criticism. It's not beyond the realm of
possibility that the longshot Broyles could win the award but his numbers would
have to be even better than last season and I don't know if that's possible or
he would have to be a dramatic game changer in some big wins. I wouldn't leave
his name out.
Last season, Landry Jones threw for 4718 yards with 38 TD and 12 INT. Ryan
Broyles caught an amazing 131 catches for 1622 yards and 14 TD. These are two
top level players and Oklahoma will be a powerhouse this season.
It will be interesting to see how the season plays out. I gave you a case of
why these players could all possibly win the Heisman Trophy but only time will
tell. Go to Bodog or a wide array of sportsbooks and wait for the future College Football odds to be posted. College football is
right around the corner.