Preseason Heisman Predictions

Here are our preseason predictions for who will win the Heisman trophy this year. The top 4 are pretty set in stone, and most people seem to agree that one of those 4 will win the trophy.

Stanford QB Andrew Luck

Andrew Luck

University of Stanford

Senior

Last Years Stats:
3338 YDS (263/372)
32 TDs

Luck finished last season as the #2 vote getter in the Heisman trophy race. With Cam Newton out of the picture this year, he should be the odds on favorite to win. His team will have a new coach with Jim Harbaugh leaving for the NFL, but don't expect Luck to have a down year. He passed up millions of dollars and a guaranteed #1 pick in the NFL draft to come back to school, knowing that Harbaugh would be leaving. He knows what he's getting himself into, and I expect big things from Luck this year.

The problems he will have stem from Stanford's lack of national appeal. He will get on TV sparingly, with perhaps only 3 national tv games this year. Also, the East Coast voters may forget him if another player manages to put up similar numbers while playing on the East Coast. He will need to surpass everyone and be the clear favorite in order to ensure his Heisman trophy.

Oklahoma QB Landry Jones

Landry Jones
University of Oklahoma

Junior

Last Years Stats:
4718 YDS (405/617)

38 TDs

The Oklahoma Sooners will be the #1 team in the country when they take the field tomorrow against Tulsa. If Landry Jones can keep them in that position throughout the season and finish in the championship game he will have a great bid for the Heisman trophy.

Jones holds almost all of the Oklahoma passing and offesnive stats that he can get his hands on (I bet a few more will fall before him this year), and could come away with the highest passing numbers of all the Heisman trophy candidates. I think Jones has a good chance of winning the trophy off of pure stats, although an early loss to Florida State early may derail his hopes.



Oregon RB Lamichael James



LaMichael James

University of Oregon

Junior

Last Years Stats:

1731 YDS (294 attempts)
21 TDs

LaMichael James is another record breaker similar to Landry Jones for Oklahoma. He will set the school rushing record against LSU tomorrow (barring a terrible showing), and holds last years Doak Walker award for the best college runningback.

A large part of James success last year was his offensive line opening huge holes for him. With 3 new offensive linemen this year, will the group be as cohesive and as capable as last year? If the offensive line cannot open the same holes James got in his previous seasons you may see him fall off the Heisman charts.



Boise State QB Kellen Moore



Kellen Moore
Boise State University
Senior

Last Years Stats:
3845 YDS (273/383)

35 TDs

Kellen Moore is the darkhorse candidate this year (just like his team!). He has the potential to win if he can put up some incredible numbers, but his conference allignment may end up killing his chances.

The Mountain West Conference is an improvement over the WAC, but its not extreme enough to make anyone look at Boise State any differently. They still play weak teams, and they still have to make sure they beat those teams by 35+. Moore will place somewhere in the top 4 for the Heisman race, but his chances of winning the trophy are going to rely on mistakes from the other candidates.

So who do we have winning? Drum roll please...

Our pick this year is LaMichael James. While he isn't going to be drafted as highly as Luck or Jones, he is going to put up some large stats for the Oregon offense. If the Ducks can beat LSU tomorrow James will be sitting in the drivers seat for the Heisman race. It's his trophy to lose.