Preseason Heisman Watch: Ingram Takes A Knee
The chances that college football sees a two time Heisman Trophy winner for the second time in history took a big blow this week as last year’s winner and front runner Mark Ingram was ruled out for week one with a knee injury. His return date has not been set, and some rumors are swirling that he could miss up to a month. It’s unlikely that Nick Saban will risk rushing Ingram back due to the presence of Trent Richardson.
It would also be unwise to risk Ingram becoming reinjured as its unlikely he will truly be needed before week 4 when Alabama takes on Arkansas. Alabama would be heavy favorites against week 2 opponent Penn State with or without Ingram. (I don’t think they’ll need him for Duke, either.) One final benefit of holding him out rather than rushing him back is the prospect of having his legs be fresher than everyone else’s when the Tide enters their conference schedule. Needless to say at this point, but Ingram is much further down our list of Heisman hopefuls than he was a few days ago.
With Ingram’s possible absence for a few games, Terrelle Pryor moves up to the top of the list among Heisman hopefuls. Pryor has every advantage someone could ask for. He’s a big name playing for a big time program that’s likely to be near the top of the polls all season. He’s also likely to play in several big games including Miami, Wisconsin, Penn State, and Iowa; all of which will be on national television and give Pryor plenty of exposure which is essential. Ingram and Pryor seem to be the clear favorites, and the possibility of Ingram only being able to play 9 or 10 games makes Pryor the heavy favorite heading into the season.
Looking for some sleepers? How about the reigning Big Ten player of the year, John Clay. Despite all the hype surrounding Pryor, it was the Wisconsin running back that was the Big Ten’s best a year ago. Also keep an eye on TCU’s Andy Dalton. He’s rather far down the list of quarterbacks heading into the season, but if TCU goes unbeaten again, Dalton could put up huge numbers both through the air and on the ground. He amassed over 2,700 yards in the air and 500 on the ground last season.
Here are CFC’s top 10 Heisman hopefuls:
- Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State
- Kellen Moore, Boise State
- Jake Locker, Washington
- Dion Lewis, Pittsburgh
- Ryan Mallett, Arkansas
- Mark Ingram, Alabama
- Jacquizz Rodgers, Oregon State
- Case Keenum, Houston
- John Clay, Wisconsin
- Andy Dalton, TCU
