College Football 2011: 5 Dark Horse Heisman Candidates from the Pac-12

Last season the Pac-10 had two Heisman Trophy finalists in Andrew Luck and LaMichael James.  With both players back at Stanford and Oregon, each is considered a front runner for the 2011 award.

This time last season very few people had Luck and James pegged as potential finalists for the award, but their stellar performances got them the deserved recognition.

Here is a list of five guys from the Pac-12, not named Luck or James, that have a legit shot at the Heisman Trophy in 2011.

5.) Nick Foles, Quarterback, Arizona

Arizona quarterback Nick Foles is one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the country because of the conference he plays in.  With Andrew Luck, Matt Barkley, and Darron Thomas in the same conference Foles often gets overlooked, but he is one of the best quarterbacks in the country and could have a very good career in the NFL.

Foles averaged almost 40 pass attempts a game last season in Mike Stoops’ offense, and that number is only going to go up in 2011.  To help matters, the Wildcats are extremely deep at wide receiver, which gives them the ability to spread the field and wreak havoc on defenses. 

Arizona is poised to have a strong season in the Pac-12 South as long as they can survive their tough games at the beginning of the schedule.  When looking at Arizona, one thing is for certain: whether they are ahead or behind, Nick Foles is going to throw the ball and rack up the yards.

4.) Chris Polk, Running Back, Washington

Playing in the same part of the country as LaMichael James, running back Chris Polk often gets overlooked.  But with Jake Locker in the NFL, Polk will be the star of the Huskies' offense in 2011.

Head coach Steve Sarkisian is hoping to take Washington to a bowl game in consecutive seasons, which hasn’t been done since the 2001-2002 season.

Polk is going to have to do everything for Washington on offense, and should put up monster numbers in the process.  The only thing that will likely prevent Polk from being invited to New York is the Huskies win column.

3.) Matt Barkley, Quarterback, USC

Quarterback Matt Barkley started to show signs last year why he was so highly touted coming out of high school, and with another offseason under his belt, the sky is the limit for the junior. 

In his second season in head coach Lane Kiffin's offense, Barkley is primed to put up big numbers with all of the talent around him.  USC has arguably the best receiving corps in the nation, which is made up almost exclusively of five-star recruits.  The Trojans are also very deep at running back and will likely feature four different guys each game. 

The USC defense is pretty shaky which means that the Trojans will often have to out score opponents to beat them.  This should result in big numbers for Barkley and company.

2.) Vontaze Burfict, Lineback, Arizona State

Simply put, Vontaze Burfict is a beast on the field.  He was all over the field last season for an Arizona State defense that was one of the Pac-10’s best.  Burfict's tenacity made him the Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year, an award he should win in the Pac-12 this season.

Burfict is the unquestioned leader of the defense which return eight starters and will no doubt have one of the strongest defenses in the conference yet again. 

This season Arizona State has the talent to compete with USC and Arizona in the Pac-12 South as long as the Devils can find stability at quarterback and avoid the little mistakes that have plagued them in recent years.

Expect Burfict to help keep the Sun Devils in many games late, because of his ability to make key stops and force turnovers.

1.) Darron Thomas, Quarterback, Oregon

When Oregon fans saw Darron Thomas throw multiple touchdown passes against Boise State as a true freshman, they knew he'd be good but maybe not this good. In his first season as a starter, Thomas took command of the Oregon offense and helped make it the highest scoring offense in the country.

Thomas is now an unquestioned leader for the Ducks as he approaches his second season as the starting quarterback.  Last season he played very well, but in 2011 Thomas will need to be great for Oregon to return to the national championship game.

With new faces on the offensive line and at receiver, Thomas will need to be even sharper at executing Chip Kelly’s offense.  Although running back LaMichael James will get most of the credit for the Duck's success, Thomas will surpass him as the star of the Oregon offense.