Heisman Thread 2012

[Nimreitz]

I think he maybe have won, or at least finished second, if the school was on message from the beginning. For the first 8 weeks the Heisman hype was for Russell Wilson. What's really incredible is that Montee didn't pile up his stats against the weak non conference schedule the way some dreadlocked backs did.

[ATLien]

On the CBS preview special, Gary Danielson said the Heisman will come down to McElroy and Mettenberger.

Ugh.

[Geaux Tigers]

Mettenberger? What the hell...can we see him on the field first? I am one Tiger fan who is not getting giddy over Mettenberger just yet. I have read all the reports on LSU open practice since Mett has been on campus and there has been almost all positive talk, but the hype hes gotten from Tiger fans is immense. He's already an obvious upgrade over Jefferson, but lets not crown anyone until they start a game.

[Dissonance]

He'll win the Sexual Assault Heisman.

[Knicks4life]

[ATLien]

The 2012 Heismanpundit.com Heisman Trophy Watch List (in alphabetical order)

Tavon Austin, Sr., AP, West Virginia
Montee Ball, Sr., RB, Wisconsin
Matt Barkley, Sr., QB, USC
Tajh Boyd, Jr., QB, Clemson
Tyler Bray, Jr., QB, Tennessee
Knile Davis, Jr., RB, Arkansas
James Franklin, Jr., QB, Missouri
Landry Jones, Sr., QB, Oklahoma
Collin Klein, Sr., QB, Kansas State
Marcus Lattimore, Jr., RB, South Carolina
Aaron Murray, Jr., QB, Georgia
Keith Price, Jr., QB, Washington
Denard Robinson, Sr., QB, Michigan
Geno Smith, Sr., QB, West Virginia
De’Anthony Thomas, So., RB, Oregon
Sammy Watkins, So, WR, Clemson
Tyler Wilson, Sr., QB, Arkansas
Cierre Wood, Sr., RB, Notre Dame

[ATLien]

From Insider:

FRONT-RUNNERS



Montee Ball, RB, Wisconsin Badgers
Needed to win: 25+ TDs, national championship game berth
In 2011, voters made it painfully clear to Ball that stats will get you only so far in the Heisman race. So the key to his 2012 campaign will be team success. With Russell Wilson now in the NFL, it's up to Ball to carry the Badgers. If he comes anywhere close to his 2012 numbers and carries Wisconsin to another BCS bowl berth, he'll be in the mix. But to win, he may need to take the Badgers to the national title game.




Matt Barkley, QB, USC Trojans
Needed to win: 30+ TDs, national championship game berth
USC quarterbacks are almost always in the Heisman conversation. Throw a preseason No. 1 ranking into the mix and you've got an early-season favorite. However, there is some downside to the preseason expectations heaped upon Barkley and USC. Anything less than a berth in the BCS title game likely leaves Barkley without a Heisman for his trophy case.



Landry Jones, QB, Oklahoma Sooners
Needed to win: 30+ TDs, national championship game berth
Four-year starters sometimes have a hard time keeping pace in the Heisman race because the bar has been set too high. Statistically speaking, Jones has accomplished just about everything he can at Oklahoma except a BCS title game appearance. Anything less than a Big 12 championship and a shot at a national championship will leave Jones on the outside looking in. If he reaches those goals, however, with stats in line with his career averages, he'll be a legitimate contender.



Marcus Lattimore, RB, South Carolina Gamecocks
Needed to win: 20+ TDs, multiple wins versus top-10 teams
Like Ball, it's all about team success for Lattimore. But given the Gamecocks' schedule, which features three teams in the preseason top 10, voters may be more forgiving of some slip-ups. If Lattimore impresses against the likes of Georgia, LSU and Arkansas, he should find himself in the mix. To take home the hardware, however, he'll likely need to lead South Carolina to victory in at least two of those games -- and perhaps get a couple of other breaks along the way.



Denard Robinson, QB, Michigan Wolverines
Needed to win: Win over Alabama, Big Ten championship
Robinson's Heisman hopes could be decided on opening weekend. If he stumbles against Alabama, voters will look at anything he accomplishes against Big Ten teams with skepticism. However, if he does lead Michigan to an upset of the Crimson Tide, Robinson will vault to the top of the list. Voters may even be willing to forgive a loss or two, since he will have already proved himself against one of the best teams (if not the best) in the SEC.

CONTENDERS



Collin Klein, QB, Kansas State Wildcats
Needed to win: 45+ TDs
The Tim Tebow of the Midwest is one of the few candidates capable of winning without leading his team to a championship game berth. As a result, the formula for Klein to win is somewhat complicated. First, he needs to post Tebow-like stats (40-50 total touchdowns). And he needs some help. If at least one of the national title game participants lacks a Heisman candidate (LSU is a possibility), Klein would have a shot.



Eddie Lacy, RB, Alabama Crimson Tide
Needed to win: 20+ TDs, national championship game berth
Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson have laid out a nice blueprint for Alabama running backs. If Lacy steps up and matches the production of his predecessors and leads the Crimson Tide back to the title game, he'll have an excellent shot at taking home the hardware. But as a running back, there's always the risk of being leapfrogged by a quarterback with impressive stats, just as Griffin did to Richardson last season.



EJ Manuel, QB, Florida State Seminoles
Needed to win: Undefeated season, national championship game berth
Manuel's blueprint is simple: Just win, baby. Florida State's offense won't allow him to rack up the stats needed to compete with the other quarterbacks in the hunt (he had just 20 regular-season touchdowns last season), so his candidacy is all about team success. Voters typically shy away from ACC candidates, but if Manuel leads the Seminoles back to prominence, he will be a serious contender.



Aaron Murray, QB, Georgia Bulldogs
Needed to win: 30+ TDs, national championship game berth
Murray threw for 33 touchdowns while leading Georgia to a 10-2 regular-season record and an SEC East title and still wasn't in the Heisman picture in 2011. The SEC simply has too many candidates, so to get noticed this time around Murray needs to lead the Bulldogs to a league championship. Assuming his numbers are on par with his 2011 performance, a title game berth should at least earn him a trip to New York City for the ceremony.



Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia Mountaineers
Needed to win: 40+ TDs, win versus Oklahoma, Big 12 championship
Smith's Heisman blueprint is similar to fellow Big 12 quarterback Klein's. However, since West Virginia's expectations are higher than Kansas State's, Smith will need to accomplish slightly more. For starters, Smith needs to prove he can repeat his statistical success of last season in the Big 12. He will also need to separate himself from Jones by winning their head-to-head meeting en route to a Big 12 title.



Tyler Wilson, QB, Arkansas Razorbacks
Needed to win: 40+ TDs, win over Alabama or LSU, SEC West championship
Playing in the same division as LSU and Alabama puts Wilson at a significant disadvantage. It also gives him two golden opportunities to perform on a big stage. Fortunately for Wilson, both games will be played in Arkansas. If he leads the Razorbacks to victory in at least one of those games and manages to win the SEC West crown, he will be in the hunt. Losses in both games, however, likely leaves Wilson with nothing more than a handful of votes -- no matter how many TD passes he throws.

DARK HORSES



Tajh Boyd, QB, Clemson Tigers
Needed to win: 40+ TDs, ACC championship, win versus South Carolina
Boyd may be the most well-known player on the dark horse list, but he has one very key factor working against him: the ACC. No player from the ACC has finished in the top three of the Heisman voting since FSU's Chris Weinke won the award in 2000. As a result, it will take a Newton-like season to persuade voters to overlook Clemson's relatively light schedule. A win over South Carolina in the season finale is another must to prove he can compete against the big boys of the SEC.



Le'Veon Bell, RB, Michigan State Spartans
Needed to win: 25+ TDs, national championship game berth, wins versus Michigan and Wisconsin
Bell is expected to be the workhorse for Michigan State, and could be this year's Ball. If the Spartans consistently feed him the ball near the goal line, he'll get the numbers needed to catch the attention of voters. To make a serious run at the trophy, however, he'll need to put the Spartans on his back and carry them to unchartered territory. MSU enters the season as a top-15 squad, so it's a long shot, but it is still within reach of the championship picture. He'll also need to out-perform front-runners Robinson and Ball in their head-to-head matchups.



Rex Burkhead, RB, Nebraska Cornhuskers
Needed to win: 25+ TDs, national championship game berth, wins versus Michigan, Wisconsin
If Bell is a dark horse, then we have to consider Burkhead as well. The formula is the same for both. Running backs don't win the award without putting their teams in the BCS title picture, and if Burkhead carries Nebraska back to the promised land, voters will be drawn to the star who resurrected a once-proud program.



Keith Price, QB, Washington Huskies
Needed to win: 40+ TDs, 9+ wins, strong performances versus top-10 teams
Washington isn't expected to compete for a BCS bowl berth, but Price could still make a run at the award in much the same fashion as Griffin did last season. The Huskies are set to face LSU, Oregon and USC -- all preseason top-five teams. That gives Price three opportunities to shine on a big stage. If he can lead the Huskies to a signature win -- much like RG3 did against Oklahoma -- voters may be willing to overlook other losses along the way.



De'Anthony Thomas and Kenjon Barner, RBs, Oregon Ducks
Needed to win: 20+ TDs, national championship game berth
Thomas and Barner enter the year as candidates, but they may end up canceling each other out. In order for either to win the award, one needs to step up as the clear-cut star of Chip Kelly's offense. And at a minimum, that star will need to match LaMichael James' 2010 performance (22 TDs, 1,682 rush yards) in order to emerge as a serious candidate.



Logan Thomas, QB, Virginia Tech Hokies
Needed to win: 40+ TDs, ACC championship, 12+ wins
Like Boyd, Thomas suffers from the ACC effect. Only two of Virginia Tech's opponents are ranked in the preseason poll (Florida State, Clemson). As a result, Thomas needs to be nearly perfect. If his stats are impressive (at least 40 touchdowns), there's a chance voters will overlook a loss, but definitely not two.

[BlueBaron]

With Hunter back at WR look for Bray to have a breakout year.

[ATLien]

Rogers suspension is going to hurt, they have no depth at receiver.

[hobojoe]

Originally Posted by ATLien

On the CBS preview special, Gary Danielson said the Heisman will come down to McElroy and Mettenberger.

Ugh.

That guy...


Sent from my iPad using VS Free

[Dissonance]

So, this is Geno Smith's to lose and even with a loss or 2 - may not even matter.


Any legit contender that could do enough to steal it?

[Knicks4life]

Braxton Miller?

[Nimreitz]

Ugh, that would be a joke.

[Dissonance]

Wonder if the sanctions will hold him back too.


Ohio State's not even that good. They'll lose somewhere.

[Nimreitz]

At Wisconsin could be a stumbling block if our offense is back on track. We have a good defense and Borland and Taylor are two guys who could really limit his rushing. Choke against Nebraska aside, we were up like 27-10 and the other loss was at a surprisingly good Oregon State team.