NCAAF Preseason: A look at the 2012 Heisman Candidates and Hopefuls

The Favorites:

 

#1. Matt Barkley, USC: Barkley is entering his Senior year as quarterback at USC and he has all of the tools to win another Heisman for the Trojans. With two dangerous wide recievers, a talented backfield and a stout offensive line, Barkley looks like a favorite to win the trophy and he can only blame himslef if he doesn't. Even if he doesn't win the trophy, he'll still be the top QB of the 2013 NFL Draft

 

#2. Montee Ball, Wisconsin: Now that the nation knows who Montee ball is, Heisman Voters will be on the look out. This guy is special and will be a top tier NFL running back, but the college system of ranking the best player always leans towards the QB. Without a star QB on Wisconsin, Ball should get many touches and that means more TDs. I don't think he'll get 39 TDs again, but he'll put up Heisman-worthy yards.

#3. Geno Smith, West Virginia: No one will benefit more from West Virginia's move to the Big 12 than Geno Smith. Putting up monster numbers in the Big East is cool, but it's hard to attract Heisman talk unless you are a title contender. The Mountaineers move to the Big 12 does make them a title contender, which will put Smith in the spotlight. If he can perform against top-tier football teams every week like he did against Clemson in the Orange Bowl, Smith will be a dangerous Heisman contender.

#4. De'Anthony Thomas, Oregon: The one thing I can't stand about the Heisman is that it tries to give NFL prospects a ton of publicity before the NFL draft. The voters always seem to forget that this award is for the best college football player, not the best NFL prospect. De'Anthony Thomas is a player who has potential to break all college football rushing records, but it is very possible that the Heisman voters will not crown him the title of "best college football player" just because he won't succeed in the NFL.

 #5. Le'Veon Bell, Michigan State: Michigan State looks to be a very good and physical team in the Big 10. This means that they will shut down opposing defenses and hand the ball off to Le'veon Bell 30-40 times a game. He is huge for an all-down running back at 6'2", 244 lbs and figures to be one of the top running backs selected in either the 2013 or 2014 NFL draft. If Michigan State can muster some respect around the nation as a football power and maybe even recieve a Rose Bowl berth, Bell will be the greatest benefactor.

The Darkhorse:                                           Teddy Bridgewater, Louisville: Every year, there is a darkhorse contender in the Heisman race. Last year, it was RG3, who actually took home the hardware. For this year, I bet the darkhorse will be another dual-threat QB, this time from Louisville. If Louisville absolutely dominates the Big East and goes to a BCS bowl game, it's all because of their QB, Teddy Bridgewater. He is accurate and fast, but would benefit by bulking up a bit.

Spartans comeback to top the Bulldogs in Triple OT, 33-30

Blair Walsh was college football's best kicker last year. This year, he botched two costly field goals for the Georgia Bulldogs in the Outback Bowl. Georgia jumped out to a 16-0 lead with the help of Aaron Murray and Brandon Boykin. Kirk Cousins led a fourth quarter comeback to tie the game at 27 to force OT. Cousins was intercepted in the first possession of OT, but Walsh missed the game winner. In the third OT, Walsh's game-tying field goal attempt was blocked and the Spartans capped off a big comeback.

Wisconsin tops MSU, 42-39 for a trip to the Rose Bowl

Wisconsin will get another shot for the roses after last years' loss to TCU. This years' path was a bit different in the sense that instead of a tie-breaker with MSU, a championship game with the Spartans decided who would go to Pasadena. The inaugural Big 10 game was a memorable one as the two teams went back and forth. Bucky Badger was the last team to make the move as Russell Wilson and Montee Ball set up a three point lead. Sparty had a chance to tie or take the lead as a punt was returned to the three, but a roughing the kicker call ended the game.

North Carolina tops Michigan State 67-55 in the Carrier Classic

HarRison Barnes and the #1 Tar Heels topped Tom Izzo's Spartans in the first Carrie Classic on Veterans Day. President Obama was on deck to observe the young and talented Tar Heels as they look to start the season at first and keep it that way. I think that the Heels are more experienced than last year, giving them a better chance for a Final Four run and put last year's Elite Eight run behind them.

LSU, Stanford, MSU, and OSU all recieve new Nike Pro Combat uniforms

Nike presented four new uniforms today for LSU, Stanford, MSU, and OSU for games against rivals later this season. The new Pro Combat jerseys stay relatively close to the old jersey designs except for Ohio State. The Buckeyes wore an all-scarlet, throwback uniform from Nike against Michigan last year. This year, forget about silver helmets with buckeye patches, go with a grey Alabama-like helmet with a jersey that features a mix of the classic scarlet and the new metallic-grey. LSU's only changes to their uniform were the collar and helmet colour, Stanford chose to go with a new black helmet, and Michigan State threw in some gold instead of white. LSU  plans to wear its all-white look for Oct. 22 vs. Auburn, Stanford Nov. 27 vs. Notre Dame, Michigan State Oct. 15 vs. Michigan and Ohio State Oct. 29 vs. Wisconsin.