College Football Predictions: Heisman Watch

College football kicks off tonight with a top 25 game between #23 Wake Forest and Baylor, but maybe the only thing more talked about than the college football championship, will be whether or not Tim Tebow can repeat as the nation’s best player and win the Heisman Trophy…again!

Well, it certainly is Tim Tebow’s award to lose. He scored 55 touchdowns last year, with 20+ coming from the ground and the passing game. If he repeats that, there is almost nothing anyone else can do to get the Heisman short of punching Tebow in the stomach and running away with the award.

That said, how likely is it that Tebow goes for another 32 passing touchdowns and 23 rushing touchdowns? It’s like asking Tom Brady to throw 50+ touchdowns again…it probably won’t happen. So can another player catch up to Tebow as he probably comes back to Earth in 2008? I certainly would like to think so, or else the Heisman Watch will be a boring one to follow this season.

So who are the favorites to compete with Tebow this season? Let’s examine them.

Sam Bradford, Quarterback, Oklahoma – Last year, Bradford proved that he was one of the best quarterbacks in the nation, despite being a mere freshman. He led the Oklahoma Sooners all the way to a Big 12 Championship and a Fiesta Bowl appearance. In the process he put up 36 touchdowns and 8 interceptions to go along with his 3.121 passing yards and 176.52 quarterback rating.

Michael Crabtree, Wide Receiver, Texas Tech – Most analysts looking at Texas Tech for the Heisman are looking at quarterback Graham Harrell who has the propensity to throw for 6,000 yards this season. But I like his #1 receiving target, Crabtree, who is a flat out beast of a player who can dominate the competition like few other receivers can do. At 6’3” and 215 pounds, no one can match up with his size, and his speed is “Calvin Johnson-esque.” He put up 1,962 yards and 22 touchdowns as a freshman last season, and if he goes for 2,000 receiving yards and 20+ touchdowns this season, only Tebow can get his way of the Heisman award.

Chase Daniel, Quarterback, Missouri – The Missouri quarterback helped propel the program into the upper echelons of the football elite last year, and he put the Tigers on the national spotlight for the first time in a very long time. The former Southlake, Texas quarterback threw for 4,306 yards and 33 touchdowns. Even though he lost a few receiving targets this season, he has enough weapons back to possibly become the best quarterback in the nation and lead the Tigers to a Big 12 championship.

Knowshown Moreno, Running Back, Georgia – Moreno is the face of the #1 Georgia Bulldogs, and for good reason. Even though his teammate Matt Stafford will have a lot to do with the team’s success, the offense is going to go through Moreno, and the Bulldogs will only go as far as he can carry them. If he can explode through defenses this season the same way he exploded onto the scene in 2007, he’ll be in New York City as a Heisman finalists. But even if he repeats his 5.4 yards per carry average and 1,500+ yard season, a lot of his Heisman stock will rest on whether or not the Bulldogs stay at #1 on the charts.

Pat White, Quarterback, West Virginia – Let’s face it, in that offense, Pat White is the most explosive player in the nation. As a result, his chances at the Heisman Trophy award rest on whether or not he can turn that explosiveness into wins and whether voters will give a less-than-stellar passing quarterback the Heisman Trophy award.

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