Heisman Watch 2011: Which Early Season Favorites Can We Scratch from the List?

The Heisman Trophy is the most prestigious award in college football. 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 who have a chance at winning the award. Some are favorites, and others are dark horses who have an outside shot if they are able to play to their potential. 

The reality is, there are many talented college football players, but only a handful have a chance to win the Heisman.

Here are the early season favorites that everybody has forgotten about already.

Randy Chambers is a B/R Featured Columnist that covers College Football and the NFL. You can contact him @Randy_Chambers or [e-mail]

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Michigan QB Denard Robinson

Denard Robinson was a Heisman favorite coming into the season because he is one of the most exciting players in the country. He was also coming off a season were he rushed for 1,702 yards and had 28 total touchdowns.

Robinson started the season off well and has led the Wolverines to a solid 7-1 record, but he can't win the Heisman. The reason is because he throws way too many interceptions. He has thrown 11 touchdowns, but has matched those numbers with 11 completions to the other team.

Sure, he is fun to watch and is a very electrifying player, but his numbers simply aren't good enough to win the award.

Oregon RB LaMichael James

James had a chance to start the season off with a bang against the LSU Tigers on national television and came up short with 54 rushing yards and one touchdown.

He looked like he was on pace to recover from the sub-par performance, rushing for over 200 yards in three consecutive games, but then went down with an elbow injury. The injury forced him to miss two games and removed all chance of him winning the Heisman.

The good news is, James is back on the field and has a chance to lead the Ducks to a BCS bowl game.

South Carolina RB Marcus Lattimore

Marcus Lattimore is another running back who had tons of Heisman hype coming into the season, but it's just not going to happen.

Not only did Lattimore's numbers suffer from being on such a dysfunctional team, but he also recently hurt his knee and is out for the year. When healthy, he is one of the top backs in the country, but this season, there is no chance of him winning the Heisman.

Hopefully, he can recover fast from his injury and return to form, because he will be a strong candidate next season.

Oklahoma State WR Justin Blackmon

There is no doubt Justin Blackmon is a beast and one of the top receivers in the country, but he is not a Heisman candidate this season.

Blackmon has great numbers, as he has 74 receptions for 834 yards and 10 touchdowns. But it looks like he will fall extremely short of the historic season he put up last season. He is also part of one of the best offenses, and if anything, his quarterback Brandon Weeden will receive Heisman love before he does.

Blackmon will be a Top 10 pick in next year's NFL draft, but he won't receive the Heisman trophy.

Wisconsin QB Russell Wilson

It's amazing how just a couple weeks ago, Wilson was one of the top candidates and now he has lost all interest. The same goes for Wisconsin as a team, as they were a National Championship contender and now the Badgers are barely in the Top 25.

Wilson has no chance of winning the award because his team has lost two games in a row. Sure, his numbers are great, with 2,033 passing yards and 19 touchdowns. But Andrew Luck and Kellen Moore have great numbers as well. They are also on undefeated teams that have a chance to make a National Championship.

Wilson was a front runner a couple weeks ago, but you can scratch him off your list now.