College Football Madness Part 3: Heisman Hopefuls

While this may be the last installment of Barney’s college football preview, the season is just heating up. Part 3 breaks down this year’s Heisman Trophy race. It’s one of the few college football previews where you don’t have to listen to Lee Corso’s absurd ideas and are safe from the spit-filled analysis of Father Time Lou Holtz.

*Editor’s note: This article was written on Friday, but due to internet issues could not be posted until tonight*

Last year, I named five players who I thought had a shot at the Heisman Trophy. Only two of them ended up receiving votes (Darren McFadden and Colt Brennan) while the other three weren’t really contenders during the season. This year I hope to have a bit more success in picking the possible winners. Here are my top five Heisman Trophy Contenders for the 2008 season…

Tim Tebow | QB | Florida- In 2007, Tebow became the first underclassman to win the Heisman. Now he will try to become the first player to repeat as Heisman winner since Archie Griffin did it in 1975. Can Tebow do it? Absolutely. The guy is a phenomenon. At 6-3, 240 pounds you’d think Tebow would be mainly a pocket passer. But boy can he run with the football. Last year he racked up 895 yards on the ground and 23 touchdowns. And he is just proficient at passing. Last year he aired it out for 3,286 yards, 32 touchdowns, and just 6 interceptions. His season was considered one of the best in college football history. He plays on a team with a lot of good skill talent around him, and absolutely has the talent himself to put up even bigger numbers this season. On the downside, he does take a lot of hits, and staying near 100 percent is going to be a challenge. The weekly grind of playing in the SEC will take its toll and Tebow will need to do everything he can to stay healthy. If he can do so, you can bank on him making a trip to the Sports Museum of America in Manhattan this December.

Beanie Wells | RB | Ohio State- A lot is resting on Ohio State’s trip to the Coliseum to take on USC on September 13th. Not only can Ohio State make or break their title hopes in that game, but we’ll also see how legit Beanie Wells’ Heisman hopes are. Running for 100-plus yards and sparking a win against a touted defense featuring Rey Maualuga and Brian Cushing — in a game the whole country will be watching — would elevate Wells into the top two in Heisman talk. Man is that game gonna be fun to watch. Last year was the glue in Ohio State’s offense as he rushed for 1,609 yards and 15 touchowns and helped carry the Buckeyes to the national title game. While OSU was blown out by LSU in that game, Wells was the lone bright spot for the Buckeyes, racking up 146 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. Now, Wells will have to shine under the spotlight once again, only this time its in an early season matchup in a hostile environment against the best defense in the country. A stellar performance will keep Wells at the top of many voters’ lists. A less than stellar showing and Beanie will have to do a boatload of work to get back in Heisman contention.

Chase Daniel | QB | Missouri- If anyone can upstage players like Tim Tebow and Beanie Wells, its Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel. But in doing so he’s not only going to have to put up numbers like he did last year, but he is also going to have to lead Mizzou to a the Big 12 title. That being said, Daniel has the individual talent and the talent around him to do both. No college quarterback is better at reading the weaknesses in defenses than Daniel. Explains why he passed for 4,306 yards, 33 touchdowns, and just 11 interceptions while leading Missouri to its best season since 1960 and a Cotton Bowl win. While he may not have the size of an NFL quarterback (he stands somewhere between 5-foot-11 and 6 feet), he certainly has the skill and leadership ability to be a serious Heisman contender throughout the season.

Knowshon Moreno | RB | Georgia- Even if your not a Dawgs fan, or not much of a college football fan, be sure to tune in when Georgia plays on national TV. Just for a few seconds, simply to admire Knowshon Moreno’s style. His exciting spinning wizardry is surely a thing of beauty to watch. After a fabulous freshman campaign, Moreno is back to help lead the preseason #1 Bulldogs to the national title, and attempt to add some personal hardware along the way. Moreno finished last season with 1,334 yards on 227 carries for 14 touchdowns. He joined Herschel Walker as the only player in Georgia history to rush for 1,000 yards in his freshman season. He also added 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions. Moreno was named the SEC Freshman of the Week three times and SEC Offensive Player of the Week once. He was also named onto the all-SEC first team and was the unanimous SEC Freshman of the Year. Not bad for a guy who wasn’t even the starter at the beginning of the season. But now, Moreno will now longer fly under the radar like he did for some of last season. Teams will prepare defensively to stop him, and Moreno will have to be better this season to achieve what he did last year. If he can handle the pressure of being the star player on the nation’s preseason #1 team, and if he can stay injury free throughout the rigorous SEC season, Georgia might be playing for it all, and Moreno will no doubt be in New York for a chance to capture college football’s most coveted prize.

Pat White | QB | West Virginia- Last year, both West Virginia quarterback Pat White and his backfield mate Steve Slaton were Heisman Trophy favorites going into the season. I predicted Slaton would be in the mix by the end of the season, and shafted White. Turns out Patrick proved me wrong. The best dual-threat QB in the country, White racked up 1.724 yards through the air and 1.335 yards on the ground last season. His touchdown numbers were equally impressive, 14 coming through the air and 14 coming on the ground. He led the Mountaineers to within one win of going to the national title game, but was injured in West Virginia’s heartbreaking loss to Pitt at the end of the regular season. Nonetheless, West Va. was given a Fiesta Bowl berth and White dazzled while leading the Mountaineers to a 48-28 upset over Oklahoma. White passed for 176 yards and 2 TDs, while rushing for 150 yards in that game, proving he can handle the pressure of big games. This year, White will have to put up eye-popping numbers to best guys like Tebow, Wells, and Daniel, but he certainly can do it. He is the most exciting QB in the country and has the style to produce highlight clips that will keep people talking.