NCAA Football Heisman Predictions
This past week in the college football landscape brought more intrigue, and hot debate over whether TCU or Baylor should be in line for the last FBS playoff bid. Did it affect our Heisman Forecast?
2014-15 Heisman Trophy Favorites
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Read on and see who the buzz is about for the 2014 Heisman Trophy.
Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon
The junior leader of the Pac-12 North leading Ducks is currently head and shoulders above the competition because (a) His ability to hurt you aerially or with his scrambling; and (b) Mariota’s uncanny ability to avoid throwing picks.
Through ten games, the veteran QB (he’s started since his freshman year) has thrown 29 TDs to just two INTs. That’s a kind of TD/INT ratio that would make Peyton Manning blush.
His yearly line reads: 2,780 passing yards, 29 TD and keeping it company is 524 rushing yards and eight majors on the ground.
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Up next for Mariota is a hapless Colorado team, so he should pad his stats. Mississippi State’s story is remarkable as you’ll read momentarily, but Mariota’s still the odds-on favorite.
Dak Prescott, QB, Mississippi State
This is completely uncharted waters for the MSU Bulldogs. In their considerable history they have never played this well. Number one in the nation and a perfect 9-0 in a murderous SEC West division is something to pop the champagne over in Starkville.
A lot of it is thanks to their Tim Tebow-clone they have under center. Prescott plays for the Bulldogs, which is apt because his game resembles one.
He’s got 779 rushing yards and 11 rush TDs and if you don’t like it, he’ll just run over you. Accompanying that is 2,231 yards passing and 18 TDs and the best record in school history. Nothing to sneeze at.
Yet, perhaps MSU’s biggest test comes this weekend in Tuscaloosa, where it takes on the dynastic Alabama Crimson Tide.
Prescott’s chances continue to hinge week-to-week, as unfair as that may be.
Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin
The Badgers crushed Purdue last week and in the process, their star RB went over 200 yards rushing for the third time this season. Gordon is amassing stats that rival Ricky Williams, Herschel Walker, (fellow alum) Ron Dayne – all the great college backs.
Gordon is up over 1,500 yards rushing on the year with two games to play and he’s had 19 TDs and a 7.6 yard per carry average.
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If that weren’t enough, he’s kicked in two receiving TDs, just for good measure.
Gordon has been amazing no doubt, but Wisconsin hasn’t accomplished the things that Oregon and Mississippi State have in the regular season, and that’s even with the Badgers playing in the hopeless Big Ten Conference.
Trevone Boykin, QB, TCU
Boykin has led the Horned Frogs to an incredible season in the Big 12, worthy (by some) of being the conference’s contribution into the final four FBS playoff teams. He excelled in the air and on the ground in a big win versus Kansas State last week, and the Frogs get struggling Kansas this week.
Boykin has 2,691 pass yards and a 23-4 TD/INT ratio, not quite Mariota but pretty damn good. His team has also put up points at video-game rate this campaign, so if the Frogs finish the year strong – and other candidates falter – he’ll definitely be in the thick of things.
Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama
Cooper is an incredible wideout and – with apologies to RB T.J. Yeldon – probably Alabama’s best offensive player, which is saying a ton. Still, he had a couple of big drops in last weekend’s showdown against LSU.
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Now the Tide came back to win in OT, so it didn’t end up hurting the team, but that was one of the biggest stages possible and that didn’t look like Heisman Trophy material to me.
You never know, however. With #1 Mississippi State this week and Auburn still to come, Cooper can still have a couple of statement games to silence my critique.
DARKHORSE: JAMEIS WINSTON, QB, FLORIDA STATE
We haven’t really been talking about him in the Heisman discussion, I think, because no one outside of Tallahassee wants to crown him again, given his off-field behaviour and general scumbag-ness.
But don’t sleep on Winston – Florida State is unbeaten in a power conference, and he’s shown he is capable of the truly amazing.
Check out our Updated College Football Week 12 Odds.
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