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Heisman Trophy Picks: 2015/16 NCAA Football Candidate Preview

NCAA Football Heisman Predictions

As the years pass in college football, underclassmen increase in importance on the national stage. Impact freshmen and sophomores are making their names known to America more frequently.

This is evident with our look at the 2015-16 candidates to win the Heisman Trophy.

Heisman Forecast

There are plenty of underclassmen in the mix, and expect some impact redshirt frosh to emerge on the radar once the season kicks off.

Let’s take a look at some of the leading candidates:

Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Ohio State, 6/1 odds

In the last few games of the 2014-15 season, en route to the Buckeyes’ national title, Elliott was simply the best player on the field. It wasn’t close, either. He showed a blend of speed and power that baffled elite teams like Wisconsin, Alabama and runner-up Oregon.

You don’t get much time to admire Elliott’s chiseled six-pack in his midriff-exposing uniform get-up, because he is zipping by defenders on his way to the end-zone. Elliott’s ability to rip off game-breaking runs is quickly becoming legendary.

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The six-foot, 225-lb junior amassed 273 carries for 1,878 yards and 18 TDs in championship effort this past year.

If Elliott touches something close to those numbers again in coach Urban Meyer’s run-centric offense, he’ll be the slam-dunk favorite for the highest honor in the collegiate game.

Dak Prescott, QB, Mississippi State, 7/1 odds

Prescott was on the Heisman short-list from wire to wire this past season, as he led the MSU Bulldogs to their best campaign in the school’s history.

Prescott maximizes his Tim Tebow-esque skill set to best opponents in the prodigiously talented SEC West division. The 6″2, 235-lb Prescott is entering his senior season and, if State can have a similarly successful record in 2015, is more your typical, throwback Heisman candidate.

If the Bulldogs can again post strong showings against top programs like LSU, Alabama, Auburn and in-state rival Ole Miss, it’ll be impossible to overlook Prescott in the Heisman buzz.

Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU, 7/1 odds

Last year’s impact true freshman basically was LSU’s offensive attack by the end of the season. I was at LSU’s Music City Bowl appearance to end this past campaign, a squeaker loss versus Notre Dame. Despite the “L”, Fournette was the best player on the field by a sizeable margin.

Fournette finished with 1,034 yards and 10 TDs in his first year in the college game. He was in a platoon role with senior Terrence Magee, who stole Fournette’s thunder to the tune of 571 yards. Fournette, a prized recruit from the 2014 class hailing from New Orleans, will be the man on LSU’s campus this time around.

The 6″1, 230-lb RB displays an incredible burst of speed for a man his size; he obviously has the strength to bowl over defenders and smash tacklers in the second level.

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Look for Fournette to make his name known to those outside of just the SEC this season.

Trevone Boykin, QB, TCU, 15/2 odds

Boykin was at the helm for the Horned Frogs’ video-game like stats in 2014; expect much the same out of coach Gary Patterson’s high octane attack this coming season.

The senior from nearby Dallas is returning to the Texas Christian campus to help the Frogs reach new heights. If he can put up something close to his 3,901 yards passing and 33 pass TDs, kept company by 707 rush yards and eight majors on the ground, it’ll certainly help in TCU’s hurried dominance of the Big 12 Conference.

Assuming Boykin is similarly effective and TCU gets the best of Oklahoma, Baylor and Texas in 2015-16, he’s an excellent candidate for the distinction of best collegiate player in America.

Cody Kessler, QB, USC, 12/1 odds

Many are forecasting big things from the University of Southern California Trojans this coming season; years of strong recruiting coups must pay dividends eventually, right?

Kessler, a senior from Bakersfield, might just be the man to key that return to power for the Trojans (USC was the dynastic team in college football before Nick Saban’s Alabama Crimson Tide took off).

The pivot had 3,826 pass yards and 38 TDs against just five picks this past season – a campaign where USC rang up offense with the best in the land.

With a dominant senior season, Kessler has an opportunity to leave his mark with the elite QBs in Southern Cal’s storied history, including Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart and Mark Sanchez.

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Bet on Kessler seizing this chance and slinging a lot of highlight plays in 2015-16, potentially vaunting him to the top of the Heisman list.

Other Candidates/Dark Horses:

  • Nick Chubb, RB Georgia (12/1)
  • Paul Perkins, RB UCLA (12/1)
  • Derrick Henry, RB Alabama (14/1)
  • Cardale Jones, QB Ohio State (14/1)
  • Connor Cook, QB Michigan State (20/1)
  • Corey Clement, RB Wisconsin (25/1)

Check out our Updated College Football Odds.

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By James Hayes

James has been naming every player on the EA Sports video game rosters for half a decade now, he’s finally putting his knowledge to better use writing for us here at CappersPicks.com. Your comments are welcome below…Give Us Your Take!