Why Tennessee QB Joshua Dobbs Is a Dark-Horse Heisman Contender

Ah, the offseason. Where every team will go undefeated, every player will be the greatest player in college football history and if you don't agree, well, you're just a hater of either that team, that player or both.

Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett or Cardale Jones will undoubtedly be in the thick of the Heisman Trophy race, as will Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott, Georgia running back Nick Chubb and several other stars.

Let's dig a little deeper, though.

After all, you didn't expect Tyrann Mathieu, Manti Te'o, Ndamukong Suh and unknown junior college transfer Cam Newton to make it to New York in the offseason prior to their breakout seasons, did you? 

If you're looking for that long shot—that dark-horse contender to become one of the stars of college football in 2015, look no further than Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs.

Sam Greenwood/Getty Images

He checks off nearly all the boxes needed to become a Heisman Trophy winner.

Quarterback? Check.

Video game stats? Check.

High-profile program in a high-profile conference? Check.

Weapons all around him to help him be successful? Check.

Dobbs inherited the starting job on Rocky Top when Justin Worley's career ended with a shoulder injury, and he set the SEC East on fire. He threw nine touchdowns over the final six games of the season, rushed for 469 yards and eight touchdowns and looked like a star in the TaxSlayer Bowl, completing 76.2 percent of his passes (16-of-21), tossed a touchdown and rushed for 76 yards and two scores.

"This is the start of a foundation for something big going on in Tennessee, momentum we can carry into the off season," Dobbs said after the bowl, according to quotes released by Tennessee. "Start of something big, a lot of momentum going into next year."

I know what you're thinking. You can't build hype off of a bowl game.

Yes, you can, and you should.

For the first time in his college career, Dobbs got unquestioned first-team snaps during bowl practice, and it showed versus the Iowa Hawkeyes. He had command of the offense despite numerous injuries to star wide receivers, proved that he's a force on the ground and played behind an offensive line that looked much more competitive than the one that looked like a revolving door earlier in the season.

Sam Greenwood/Getty Images

With four starting offensive linemen returning, and wide receivers Marquez North, Josh Malone, Von Pearson, Jason Croom and Pig Howard part of a medium-sized village of wideout talent coming back, Dobbs will have experience, time and options to blossom into a star in 2015.

USA TODAY Sports

The question—as was the case last year with Prescott—is whether or not Tennessee can win enough to move Dobbs from "dark-horse" status into a player who can legitimately win it.

The Vols have already popped up in several "way-too-early" top-25 rankings for 2015. They're 25th according to CBSSports.com, 24th according to FoxSports.com and 23rd according to ESPN.com.

Can they jump into the top 10 early in the season?

A big out-of-conference game with Oklahoma in Week 2 will give Dobbs a chance to showcase his talents in a high-profile early-season game, and games vs. Florida in late September and Arkansas and Georgia in early October will make or break Dobbs' Heisman campaign and Tennessee's season.

Don't write off Dobbs and the Vols.

Head coach Butch Jones, the players and the staff have already laid he foundation for success and put Tennessee back into the national discussion for the first time since Lane Kiffin roamed the sidelines.

One more step forward, and Tennessee will be contending for the SEC East title. If they do that, it will be because of Dobbs.

Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and video analyst for Bleacher Report, as well as a co-host of the CFB Hangover on Bleacher Report Radio (Sundays, 9-11 a.m. ET) on Sirius 93, XM 208.

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of cfbstats.com, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.