Who Are Trent Richardson's Main Rivals for the 2011 Heisman Trophy and Why?

Trent Richardson is a front runner on many of the media's list for the 2011 Heisman Trophy.

Running behind a talented offensive line and coming into the season as the prime offensive weapon, Richardson has this and the fact the Tide is expected to roll into another championship contending season to propel his drive for the Heisman.

Combined with almost every Alabama game being on television, Richardson won't be overlooked by anyone with a vote.

So who is his main competition at this stage and why are they in that position? Let's take a look.

Andrew Luck, Stanford: Luck will put up good numbers and get a lot of sympathy vote for his decision to come back and play in his senior year. That decision could get him some votes from people who want to show that it was a good decision to come back and play in his senior year.

Luck may end up being on of the top quarterbacks, and quarterbacks traditionally get a lot of the final nods for the prize.

Landry Jones, Oklahoma: Sometimes you ride the wave of your team. That certainly helped Ingram in 2009 in a very close vote.

With Oklahoma riding the preseason wave of being a favorite to play in the BCS National Championship Game, he could garner votes just by being the quarterback of a team who's poised to win it all.

Kellen Moore, Boise State: Boy, if you were to give the award to a player for his entire body of work, it would sure be hard to look over Kellen Moore, who could go into the voting with just one loss over his whole career.

Should they wind up being in position to be a BCS buster yet again, he could be an even stronger contender.

LaMichael James, Oregon: Finished ahead of Kellen Moore last year and just behind Andrew Luck in last year's Heisman voting. Look for him to be a strong contender this year.

If he has no off field problems like last year, he could indeed be a strong contender again this year.

Denard Robinson, Michigan: Was in the top 10 in last year's voting, and if Michigan can resurrect its fortunes, Robinson will get the most credit for it.

Talented as a true dual threat quarterback, he could generate a lot of excitement and votes if the Wolverines become a contender again.

Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State: As the only non running back or quarterback to make this list, the Oklahoma State receiver set a bunch records last year and didn't have a game under 100 yards.

Should Oklahoma State make it deep in the season with a great record, Blackmon could stand to receive a lot of the credit. He's a sure first round NFL pick when the time come.

Johnny Flash, Anywhere University: Sometimes a player that was never on the radar jumps up, grabs the nation's attention and simply runs away with the prize based on a Cinderella season.

That instant flash in pan could come from anywhere, and it's always an interesting story when it does.