Heisman Trophy: The Top 2012 Contenders to Watch This Bowl Season

At this time last year, if you had polled everyone around college football and asked them to predict who would win the 2011 Heisman Trophy, I have a feeling that there woudn't have been too many people that said Baylor QB Robert Griffin III.

But that's what makes college football so great. 

Every year, new stars are born.

Now that Griffin has taken home the 2011 Heisman, many people are already starting to debate about who next year's winner will be, even though we've got a whole year to figure it out.

We'll likely see five of the top potential candidates—Griffin, Stanford QB Andrew Luck, Alabama RB Trent Richardson, Oklahoma State WR Justin Blackmon and Wisconsin RB Montee Ball head off to the NFL, instead of trying to compete for the 2012 award.

Don't worry, though, there will be plenty of new challengers that will surely be ready to battle it out for the sport's most prestigious award in 2012.

It never hurts to build a little early momentum for an upcoming Heisman campaign with a big performance in the postseason, so with that in mind, here's a look at a few 2012 Heisman contenders that you need to keep an eye on during the bowl season.

QB Tyler Wilson, Arkansas

Arkansas QB Tyler Wilson has been one of the biggest breakout stars of the 2011 season, as he’s stepped in for Ryan Mallett and been as good as anyone could have hoped in his first season as a starter.

Wilson threw for 3,422 yards and hit 22 touchdown strikes this year, and he should definitely be able to do some damage against the Kansas State defense in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 6.

The junior signal-caller will lose three of his top receivers—Joe Adams, Jarius Wright and Greg Childs—after this season, but he’ll also get back one of the top running backs in the country, Knile Davis, who missed the entire 2011 season with an injury, along with emerging junior WR Cobi Hamilton.

Wilson should have Arkansas right in the hunt in the SEC West in 2012, and if the Razorbacks end up winning the conference next year, he’ll likely get an invitation to New York City.

QB Darron Thomas and RB LaMichael James, Oregon

Even though his ceiling is likely just a Day 2 pick, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Oregon RB LaMichael James decide to test the NFL waters a year early after this season.

If James does decide to return to Eugene for his senior season, though, the Ducks will once again have one of the most dangerous quarterback-running back tandems in the country.

Both James and QB Darron Thomas would enter 2012 on the short list of Heisman contenders, as Oregon will once again be a Top 10 going into next season.

It should be interesting to see what Thomas and James can do against the Wisconsin defense in the Rose Bowl, as they wage a tag-team battle against Wisconsin QB Russell Wilson and RB Montee Ball.

CB Tyrann Mathieu, LSU

LSU CB Tyrann Mathieu, who is just a true sophomore, will likely be the only one of the five Heisman finalists from this year who will return next season.

Mathieu took the college football world by storm as he became the face of the LSU defense this season, and his punt returns against Arkansas and Georgia were two of the biggest plays of Tigers' undefeated campaign.

The Honey Badger will be one of the key players to watch in the rematch of the “Game of the Century” against Alabama in the BCS National Championship Game.

QB Denard Robinson, Michigan

Denard Robinson was forced to adapt to his new role as a pass-first quarterback this season, and although Robinson tossed 14 interceptions, he still managed to handle the transition very well, as he helped guide the Wolverines to a 10-win season and a berth in the Sugar Bowl. 

Robinson will have the opportunity to kick start his 2012 Heisman campaign with a strong performance against Virginia Tech down in New Orleans.

The dual-threat star is one of the most exciting and explosive players in the country, and with Michigan's outlook for 2012 looking strong, Robinson will definitely hear his name mentioned in the Heisman conversation throughout the offseason.

QB Logan Thomas and RB David Wilson, Virginia Tech

If QB Logan Thomas and RB David Wilson both decide to return to Blacksburg next season, Virginia Tech will likely go into 2012 ranked as one of the Top 10 teams in the country.

Thomas and Wilson entered their first seasons as starters with big shoes to fill, as they had to replace QB Tyrod Taylor and RB Ryan Williams. 

The two underclassmen both had big campaigns in 2011, though, and they set themselves up to both be legitimate Heisman contenders next year.

It will be interesting to see what the backfield tandem can do against a very improved Michigan defense in the Sugar Bowl.

QB Landry Jones, Oklahoma

Oklahoma entered the season with high hopes and national championship aspirations, as the Sooners were ranked No. 1 in the country in both polls to start the year.

QB Landry Jones was the face of the team and he started 2011 on the short list of Heisman favorites, but Jones quickly fell out of the running when Oklahoma got shocked by Texas Tech back in Week 8.

The wheels came off the Sooners’ season after that, and Jones watched as his pro stock continued to drop after a loss to Baylor and a blowout loss to Oklahoma State in the final game of the season.

Now that he’s sitting firmly behind Baylor’s Robert Griffin III, Stanford’s Andrew Luck and USC’s Matt Barkley, it may be wise for Jones to return for his senior year and try to regain the respect he had back in the summer.

After a no-show performance against the Cowboys in the final week of the season, it will be interesting to see what type of effort and attitude Jones and his Oklahoma teammates will play with in the Insight Bowl against a 7-5 Iowa team.

QB Tajh Boyd and WR Sammy Watkins, Clemson

There are two main reasons that Clemson managed to go from unranked afterthought into ACC champions, and their names are Tajh Boyd and Sammy Watkins.

Boyd and Watkins were the key to Clemson’s success this year, and they’re the reason that the Tigers will be considered a national title contender going into 2012.

Both players were being mentioned in the Heisman discussion before Clemson’s upset loss to Georgia Tech. That defeat may have knocked the Tigers out of the national title hunt, but the team still managed to win the ACC and make it to the Orange Bowl, and that's where Boyd, Watkins and the rest of the Tigers will battle Big East champion West Virginia on Jan. 4.

QB Geno Smith, West Virginia

West Virginia will have its own 2012 Heisman contender to watch in the Orange Bowl in QB Geno Smith.

Smith has flourished in Dana Holgorsen's offensive system this year, throwing for 3,978 yards and 25 touchdowns, and Holgorsen has already said that he expects his quarterback to take things to another level in 2012 when he fully picks up all the nuances of the system.

Wherever West Virginia is next season, whether it's in the Big East or the Big 12, Smith will definitely be a player to watch, as the Mountaineers should once again have one of the most explosive offensive attacks in the country in 2012.

QB Collin Klein, Kansas State

Back in the summer, no one was expecting that Kansas State would win 10 games and finish the regular season ranked in the Top 10, but then again, no one was expecting QB Collin Klein to play the way he did this season.

Klein was the key to Kansas State's success this year, as he totaled 2,844 yards and accounted for 38 touchdowns.

Even though he's more of a runner than a pure passer, it should still be fun to watch Klein duel it out with Arkansas QB Tyler Wilson in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 6.

RB Joseph Randle, Oklahoma State

With QB Brandon Weeden and WR Justin Blackmon both heading off to the NFL, RB Joseph Randle is set to be the focal point of the Oklahoma State offensive attack next season.

Randle has flourished in his first year as a starter this season, as he's done a terrific job replacing Kendall Hunter, one of the most productive backs in school history.

The 6'1'', 190-pound sophomore rushed for 1,193 yards and scored 25 total touchdowns this year.

He should once again be a big part of the gameplan when the Cowboys battle Stanford in the Fiesta Bowl out in Arizona.

QB Aaron Murray, Georgia

Aaron Murray didn’t have the end to the season he was hoping for, as Georgia ended up getting routed by LSU in the SEC Championship Game, but you have to give the redshirt sophomore a lot of credit for reeling off 10 straight wins after starting the season 0-2.

Murray’s play likely helped to save head coach Mark Richt’s job, and it also gave fans something to look forward to next season, as the Bulldogs will go into 2012 as the favorite to win the SEC East division.

The Georgia signal-caller will have a very tough test this postseason, as Murray will have to go up against a very intimidating Michigan State defense in the Outback Bowl on Jan. 2.

QB E.J. Manuel, Florida State

Florida State was one of the most disappointing teams of the 2011 season. The Seminoles failed to live up to their top-five preseason hype and finished just 8-4. But with the type of talent that will be returning to Tallahassee next season, Florida State should have a great shot at redemption in 2012.

The team’s success will depend largely on the play of QB E.J. Manuel, who showed glimpses of his enormous potential in his first season as a starter this year, but also had bouts of inconsistency.

Manuel is one of the most physically gifted quarterbacks in the country, and if he can put his talent to good use, Florida State has a chance to have a huge year in 2012.

The junior signal-caller will get to showcase his skills when the Seminoles take on Notre Dame in the Champs Sports Bowl on Dec. 29.

QB Taylor Martinez, Nebraska

Nebraska didn’t reach its goal of making it to the Big Ten championship game in the team’s first year in the conference, but with the type of talent the Cornhuskers have coming back, they should be right in the running to win the Legends division in 2012.

The key player will be QB Taylor Martinez, who once again showed this season that he is one of the best running quarterbacks in college football. However, he failed to take the next step as a passer that everyone wanted to see.

If Martinez can improve his passing in the offseason, he has a chance to become one of college football's key impact players.

The sophomore dual-threat quarterback will take on a tough South Carolina defense in the Capital One Bowl on Jan. 2.

Also Keep an Eye on

QB Casey Pachall, TCU

QB Braxton Miller, Ohio State

QB Teddy Bridgewater, Louisville

QB A.J. McCarron, Alabama

QB Keith Price, Washington

QB Brock Osweiler, Arizona State

QB James Franklin, Missouri

RB Chris Polk, Washington

RB Le'Veon Bell, Michigan State

RB Malcolm Brown, Texas

RB Ronnie Hillman, San Diego State

RB Silas Redd, Penn State

RB Cierre Wood, Notre Dame

RB Giovani Bernard, North Carolina

RB Marcus Coker, Iowa

RB Rex Burkhead, Nebraska