Hey, it’s August and the football season is still a few days away but that doesn’t stop the prognosticators from, well, doing what they do.
The good folks at HeismanPundit.com, who most of you were following three years ago during Darren McFadden‘s back-to-back runner-up finishes in the Heisman race, have released their preseason Heisman watch list. As expected, Ryan Mallett is considered a candidate for the trophy but where does the quarterback who set or tied 16 school records last season stack up against the nation’s best?
The results of HeismanPundit.com’s preseason poll:
Ryan Mallett is a threat to take the Heisman Trophy, a feat Darren McFadden came close to doing twice with runner-up finishes in the vote. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/WILLIAM MOORE)
Player, total points (first place votes in parentheses)
1. Mark Ingram, Jr., RB, Alabama – 26 (6)
2. Terrelle Pryor, Jr., QB, Ohio State – 18 (2)
3. Kellen Moore, Jr., QB, Boise State – 12 (2)
4. Jacquizz Rodgers, Jr., RB, Oregon St. – 6 (2)
5. Case Keenum, Sr., QB, Houston – 4 (1)
—–Ryan Mallett, Jr., QB, Arkansas – 4
7. Ryan Williams, So., RB, Virginia Tech – 3
8. Dion Lewis, So., RB, Pittsburgh – 2
9. Jake Locker, Sr., QB, Washington – 1
John Clay, Jr., RB, Wisconsin – 1
Michael Floyd, Sr., WR, Notre Dame – 1
Members of the panel include: Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel, Teddy Greenstein and Brian Hamilton of the Chicago Tribune, Olin Buchanan and Tom Dienhart of Rivals.com, Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman, Bruce Feldman of ESPN.com, J.B. Morris of ESPN the Magazine, Austin Murphy, B.J. Schecter and Stewart Mandel of Sports Illustrated, plus Dick Weiss of the New York Daily News.
Chris Huston, owner of HeismanPundit.com, coordinates and also votes in the weekly poll.
Mallett, in some eyes, will have to bring a championship to Arkansas to win the Heisman this season. Also working against the Razorbacks’ favorite son is the fact that the SEC has never had back-to-back Heisman Trophy winners, as ESPN.com’s Chris Low points out this morning.
My prediction? Businesses who have signs with some form of “Ryan Mallett For Heisman” outside their establishments will increase this week in Fayetteville.
Mallett will also grace television screens this morning on ESPN2. He’s scheduled to appear on “First Take” at about 10:40 a.m. CT. I’ll chronicle his appearance on the blog later.
By the way, Huston is high on the Hogs as a program as well. HeismanPundit.com ranked Arkansas seventh in the nation in its preseason poll.
Make sure to check out WholeHogSports.com and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for more coverage. You can also follow us on Twitter for breaking news updates with @bmarcello and @wholehogsports.
I hope Ryan wins, but I would much rather see us hanging a SEC championship banner after this season.
i hope Ryan ends up being the best QB in the country,all you hear about or Jack Locker Washington,Tyrell Prior Ohio State,even the FRESHMEN qb at Georiga gets more media coverage.
seth, how on earth is robinson Cano better than Pedroia? do you remember the fact that Pedroia has an MVP to his name, and you are saying Cano is better because, “we just don’t really know how good he can be.” It’s amazing that you can see into the future. and the sox outfield is simply more talented and deeper than the yankees’.