When you have the top three vote getters from the previous year’s Heisman balloting as well as two Heisman trophy winners all returning, it’s pretty easy to project where the 2009 winner will come from. That’s what we have this season with 2007 Heisman winner, Tim Tebow, 2008 Heisman Trophy winner, Sam Bradford and last year’s runner up, Colt McCoy all coming back for another year of College Football.
To put into perspective how dominant these three were in the balloting last season, they garnered more than 90% of all votes and Tim Tebow, who received the most first place votes, finished third.
Is it a forgone conclusion one of these three will win? Absolutely not. That’s the beauty of college football. With that in mind, here’s five guys who could be holding the most prestigious award in college football on December 12th.
Jevan Snead, QB, Mississippi. Remember, this is the QB who originally committed to Florida and then was neck and neck with Colt McCoy for the starting job when he was a freshman. Ole Miss is the only team in the SEC West who hasn’t made it to the SEC Championship game in Atlanta. With a light road schedule (Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee and LSU all come to Oxford), the Rebels could piece together a big season and get to the conference championship game. If that happens, expect Snead to get plenty of press. Should they defeat Florida, expect him to finish in the top two at the ceremony in New York.
Eric Berry, Safety, Tennessee. My sister-in-law (a UT alum) still talks about 1997 and what a travesty it was when Michigan’s Charles Woodson won the Heisman trophy instead of Peyton Manning. Berry is the best player on defense in the SEC – and perhaps the best in the country. The Vols have launched a full press campaign touting Berry’s candidacy, but the question remains whether he can make enough big plays to capture the attention of the country or if he’ll be lost in a mediocre campaign for the Vols.
Jahvid Best, RB, California. The question of whether or not Jahvid Best will win the Heisman comes down to two dates, September 26th and October 3rd. On those Saturdays, he plays at Oregon and hosts USC, respectively. When you haven’t been to the Rose Bowl since the 50′s and your current league champion has won the Pac-10 title eight straight seasons, history isn’t on your side. One thing that is? The Bears close the season at Stanford and at Washington, so big numbers should be plentiful. Although he led the league in rushing last season, Best was at his worst against big time opponents – averaging 45 yards/game. He’ll need a big season – and two big games – to make the final field for the Heisman.
Terrelle Pryor, QB, Ohio State. Last season against USC, Pryor showed us all what he could do once he relieved Todd Boeckman. He provided a spark for the Buckeyes and never relinquished the starting job last season. With that 35-3 pasting by the Trojans fresh in our minds, Pryor could catapult the Buckeyes into the BCS National Championship mix – and him into the Heisman conversation – with a win against USC on September 12th. Should they win against USC, the only other hurdle between them and the title game is November 7th at Penn State.
Zac Robinson, QB, Oklahoma State. Passing for more than 3,000 yards, rushing for 560 more and accounting for 33 touchdowns would be a great season anywhere, unless you happen to be in the Big XII South. Robinson has helped attract a great deal of talent to Stillwater and all the pieces are in place for a run at the conference championship. The Cowboys get the Longhorns at home on October 31st (the end of a brutal four game stretch for Texas which has them playing Colorado, Oklahoma in Dallas and at Missouri in the previous three weeks), and could catch Mack Brown and company at just the right time. Robinson also gets to compete head to head with two of the Big 3 returning Heisman candidates – the only player on this list with that opportunity. Combine that with a showcase game week one against SEC power Georgia, and Robinson could win more than just the Big XII South this season.
