College Football 2011: 5 Heisman Candidates We'll Forget About in September

The Heisman Trophy is the most prestigious award in all of college football. You win it, and your life will change forever as you enter a group of elite players.

Before entering every season everybody throws out several players that have a possible shot at winning the award. Some are favorites, other are dark horses that if they are able to play to their potential have an outside shot. 

Reality is, there are a lot of talented college football players, but only a handful have a chance to win the Heisman.

Here are five players that will have their Heisman buzz die down during the season.

Oregon Ducks QB: Darron Thomas

Junior quarterback Darron Thomas had a fantastic season in helping the Oregon Ducks reach the National Championship game. He threw for 2,881 yards and 30 touchdowns and rushed for almost 500 yards and an extra five touchdowns.

It was a great year for the Ducks, especially if you played on offense as they put up the most points in the country with a shocking 47 points per game. They look to do more of the same this season with seven starters returning.

But the reason Thomas won't receive an invite to New York is because of his teammate LaMichael James. LaMichael's numbers are simply far more impressive than Darron's are and it will be difficult for voters to invite two players from the same team.

Unless Thomas puts up godly numbers that nobody is really expecting.

USC QB: Matt Barkley

If you play quarterback for USC, you are pretty much automatically considered and expected to have Heisman quarterback potential. So, it's no surprise Matt Barkley is in the conversation before every season starts.

Problem is, his numbers are just not good enough.

Sure Barkley has all the tools to be great at the next level. Strong arm, accurate pass, strong leadership skills. But he hasn't had a season of 30 touchdowns, can't reach the 3,000 yard plateau and throws way too many interceptions.

A Heisman quarterback can't have thrown 26 interceptions in the last two seasons. The lack of running back depth will also force Barkley to pass more this year, which could result in even more picks.

Barkley won't win a Heisman trophy but he will be a top five pick in next year's NFL draft.

Michigan QB: Denard Robinson

Robinson is a hell of an athlete and extremely fun to watch, but look at his passing numbers. He threw just 18 touchdowns to 11 interceptions. He is a quarterback; the first thing the voters are going to look at are his passing numbers. Those numbers won't hold weight when Andrew Luck, Landry Jones and Kellen Moore are throwing for 30-plus touchdowns and over 3,000 yards. 

Another thing is his durability.  He's 6'1", 193 pounds; he's going to get hurt, as last season showed. There were several games last season where he missed a couple quarters because the hits caught up to him.

When you run the ball 256 times, you're going to take hits. His little frame can't take that type of beating. You can't win the Heisman trophy when you're stuck in the locker room getting treated by team doctors.

The main reason Robinson won't win the Heisman trophy is the Michigan Wolverines' schedule. Michigan plays Notre Dame, San Diego State, Michigan State, Nebraska and Ohio State this season. That alone is five potential losses. Will he really be a candidate if Michigan loses that many games? If they win them all, well, that's a different story.

He is extremely fun to watch but not a Heisman winner, unfortunately.

FIU WR: T.Y. Hilton

I know some of you don't even know who T.Y. Hilton is but if your Heisman vote goes to the player that has the most impressive numbers, Hilton should receive some attention.

Hilton is not just the most exciting player on his team but the most electrifying player in the entire Sun Belt conference. Over his three-year career he has 2,493 receiving yards and 17 receiving touchdowns. Those numbers may not be that impressive but take into account he plays for a team that runs the ball every chance they get.

He holds pretty much every FIU receiving record and is the first player in the program to catch a touchdown, rush for a touchdown, pass a touchdown, and return a kick and punt for a touchdown in the same season. He does everything for that school.

He is also the main reason the Panthers won their first bowl game ever last year. It was his hook and lateral play on 4th and 17 that kept the drive alive and eventually led to a victory. 

In reality he has no chance to win the Heisman because he plays for FIU and is in the Sun Belt conference. Most people can't even name three teams that are in the conference.

But if you're one of the few people who think Hilton has a chance, check out the campaign here.

Baylor QB: Robert Griffin III

Robert Griffin III is actually bringing some attention to Baylor University. They only won seven games last season but you can give Griffin the majority of the credit with his 30 total touchdowns.

Griffin is a dual threat quarterback and a big play waiting to happen as he capped off a 71 yard run last year. He threw for over 3,500 yards and 22 touchdowns and is the main reason many are calling the Baylor Bears a dangerous team this season as far as upsets go. He is that type of player that can carry a football team.

Problem is, Baylor has too difficult of a schedule. The Bears square off with teams such as TCU, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas.

You can't give the Heisman trophy to somebody who was on a team that lost six games.

Fun player to watch but won't win the Heisman.