College Football 2011: Early Heisman Trophy Front Runners

While Andrew Luck seems to be everyone’s early favorite for the 2011 Heisman Trophy, Denard Robinson will have an opportunity to fire the first shot.

Michigan not only hosts Notre Dame September 10, but the game will be played on national television in prime time.

Robinson, who lit up the Irish defense for more than 500 total yards a year ago, will get a chance to showcase Michigan’s new robust offense. Coach Brady Hoke has junked the read-option to help protect Robinson while keeping last year’s horrendous defense on the sidelines.

The Michigan quarterback finished sixth in last year’s Heisman voting as a first-year starter.  A solid campaign by the Wolverines will also help Robinson’s chances. The Michigan brand also took a hit in the last three seasons under Rich Rodriguez.

Robinson was still able to finish second nationally with 328.62 yards-per-game in total offense. Luck, who will enter his junior year as Stanford’s quarterback, finished 16th with 291.62.

Luck will also be working with a new head coach. 

Offensive coordinator David Shaw replaced Jim Harbaugh, who took the head job for the NFL San Francisco 49ers.

Luck and the Cardinal shouldn’t miss a beat with Shaw at the helm. Stanford finished the 2010 campaign with an impressive 40-12 win over Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl.

While Luck and Robinson are considered the early front runners,  there are several candidates who could win the prestigious award. Let’s take a look at 10 of the possibilities.

Andrew Luck, Stanford

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MIAMI, FL - JANUARY 03: (L-R) Quarterback Andrew Luck and head coach Jim Harbaugh of the Stanford Cardinal celebrate on stage after Stanford won 40-12 against the Virginai Tech Hokies during the 2011 Discover Orange Bowl at Sun Life Stadium on January 3,

Eligible for the NFL draft after the 2010 season, Luck was expected to be the No. 1 pick.

And despite his close friend and coach leaving for the NFL, Luck decided to return to Stanford for his redshirt junior season.

While Jim Harbaugh was rebuilding the Stanford program, Luck posted some incredible stats during the last two seasons. He’s completed 64.4 percent of his passes, thrown 45 TD strikes and accumulated 6,720 yards of total offense.

Perhaps his more impressive game was last season’s Orange Bowl. Luck was 18-of-23 for 287 yards and four TDs. Stanford defeated Virginia Tech 40-12 to finish the season 12-1. 

Denard Robinson, Michigan

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ANN ARBOR, MI - NOVEMBER 20: Denard Robinson #16 of the Michigan Wolverines gets around the tackle of Aaron Henry #7 of the Wisconsin Badgers at Michigan Stadium on November 20, 2010 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Between late-season injuries and the team's ineffective defense, Robinson's heroics were generally limited to the first half of the season.

Michigan was simply non-competitive in most of its conference games, which obviously led to the departure of coach Rich Rodriguez.

New coach Brady Hoke has promised to lessen Robinson's rushing attempts while increase both the backs' carries and Robinson's passing attempts.

The strategy should result in a fresher Robinson and also a more rested defense,

Will Robinson improve his gaudy stats that helped him earn the 2010 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year award? Probably not, but he should be able to help his team compete for the Big Ten title. That alone, should keep him in the Heisman race.  

Marcus Lattimore, South Carolina

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AUBURN, AL - SEPTEMBER 25: Marcus Lattimore #21 of the South Carolina Gamecocks against the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium on September 25, 2010 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

The fans at South Carolina were delighted Lattimore selected South Carolina over Auburn. They were even more excited when Lattimore helped the Gamecocks win the SEC Eastern Division crown.

They clinched the title with a convincing 36-14 win at Florida. Lattimore’s 212 yards and three touchdowns also helped him to NCAA Freshman of the Year honors.

Lattimore finished his freshman season with 1,197 yards  and 17 touchdowns.  

Landry Jones, Oklahoma

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GLENDALE, AZ - JANUARY 01: Quarterback Landry Jones #12 of the Oklahoma Sooners and offensive MVP celebrates the Sooners 48-20 victory against the Connecticut Huskies during the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl at the Universtity of Phoenix Stadium on January 1, 201

Another impressive bowl performance produced another Heisman candidate. Oklahoma’s Landry Jones merely passed for 429 yards and three touchdowns in the Sooners’ 48-20 win over Connecticut in the Fiesta Bowl.

The 6'4", 230-pound quarterback went from a college sophomore to a NFL first-rounder.

ESPN even predicts Jones might go in the top 15, while the draft is still nearly a year away.

Landry completed 405-of-617 passes for 4,718 yards in 2010. 

LaMichael James, Oregon

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EUGENE, OR - NOVEMBER 6: Running back LaMichael James #21 of the Oregon Ducks smiles as he looks out from the bench in the fourth quarter of the game against the Washington Huskies at Autzen Stadium on November 6, 2010 in Eugene, Oregon. The Ducks won the

The biggest concern over the possibility of LaMichael James winning the Heisman Trophy happened off the field. The Oregon running back pleaded guilty in a domestic dispute and was suspended for the first game of the 2010 season.

Missing that first game didn’t keep James from gaining an NCAA best 1,731 yards rushing.

James finished the Heisman contest in third place while winning the Doak Walker award, which is given to the nation’s leading running back.

Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State

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STILLWATER, OK - SEPTEMBER 05: Wide receiver Justin Blackmon #81 of the Oklahoma State Cowboys warms up before the college football game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Boone Pickens Stadium on September 5, 2009 in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The Cowboys defe

Justin Blackmon was named Offensive Player of the Year in the Big 12 last season.

His 20 touchdown receptions and 148.50 yards per game were best in the nation.

A first-team All-American, Blackmon caught nine passes in Oklahoma State’s (11-2) 36-10 Alamo Bowl win over Arizona. The Cowboys' only losses were to Nebraska and Oklahoma.  

Kellen Moore, Boise State

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BOISE, ID - SEPTEMBER 25: Quarterback Kellen Moore #11 of the Boise State Broncos hands off the ball against the Oregon State Beavers at Bronco Stadium on September 25, 2010 in Boise, Idaho. (Photo by Otto Kitsinger III/Getty Images)

For many years, Boise State was known more for its Blue artificial turf football field than for its program.

The Broncos finally earned some respect when they upset Oklahoma, 43-42, in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl. Not that they haven’t played good football for a long time, Boise has won the last three WAC conference titles and eight of the last nine.

Boise enters the more-competitive Mountain West Conference this season.

Much of their recent success has come from the arm of quarterback Kellen Moore.

One look at the opening game of the 2010 season would convince anyone that Moore is a legitimate Heisman contender.

In the classic battle with Virginia Tech, Moore directed the final drive to perfection, hitting Austin Pettis with the winning TD strike.

Moore completed the season with 3,506 passing yards, 33 TD passes and only five interceptions. He finished fourth in the Heisman voting and most likely will be at the ceremony in 2011.

Trent Richardson, Alabama

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TUSCALOOSA, AL - SEPTEMBER 11: Trent Richardson #3 of the Alabama Crimson Tide against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Bryant-Denny Stadium on September 11, 2010 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Trent Richardson played in the shadow of Mark Ingram during the 2009 National Championship season and the disappointing 2010 campaign. Richardson displayed his ability by gaining 104 yards and scored two touchdowns in that national title win over Texas.

The potential Alabama star has gained 1,451 yards as a reserve and hopes to explode as the feature back in 2011.

“His combination of tremendous size and speed is similar to that of Earl Campbell” reports Rivals.com. “He's definitely a back that will wear defenses down, yet he has breakaway speed."

Matt Barkley, Southern Cal

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PALO ALTO, CA - OCTOBER 09: Matt Barkley #7 of the USC Trojans passes the ball during their game against the Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium on October 9, 2010 in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

For some reason, Matt Barkley’s name comes up as a possible Heisman candidate. He’s been a starter at Southern Cal during his freshman and sophomore seasons and has passed for a respectable total of 5,526 yards.

But the Trojans’ inconsistent play,  the probation problems and the resurgence of Stanford has taken some of the mystique away from Southern Cal.

But during a two-week period in October, the Trojans could turn things around,

On Oct. 22, Southern Cal travels to Notre Dame in an attempt to avenge last year’s 20-16 loss when Barkley was out with an ankle injury.

On Oct. 29, Stanford visits the Coliseum in hopes of adding to their recent success over the Trojans. Last year, Stanford won 37-35.

Should Southern Cal win both, the magic will return to L.A., and Barkley could get the credit. .

Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State

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NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 04: Quarterback Terrelle Pryor #2 of the Ohio State Buckeyes avoids a rush from Tenarius Wright #43 of the Arkansas Razorbacks in the fourth quarter during the Allstate Sugar Bowl at the Louisiana Superdome on January 4, 2011 in

The longest of long shots, Pryor will have only seven games to reel in the other contenders. As everyone knows, Pryor, and four of his teammates, were suspended for the first five games of the 2011 season. Head coach Jim Tressel will also miss the same five games.  

Pryor was runner-up to Denard Robinson for the Big Ten MVP award. His final game of the 2010 campaign was perhaps Pryor's best. He passed for 221 yards and ran for 115 more as the Buckeyes defeated Ryan Mallett and the Arkansas Razorbacks 31-26 in the Sugar Bowl.