This year's NFL Draft has a couple of the highest rated quarterbacks in recent years being Stanford's Andrew Luck and Baylor's Robert Griffin III. I know nearly everyone keeps banking on pro success for both players, but the contrarian side of me keeps wondering what if one of the two become an NFL bust. Yes, I actually mentioned the names Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III in the same paragraph as NFL bust. Nothing really stands out as significant bad marks on either, but I'm just pondering the possibility and I cannot help thinking that at least one of the two are bound to underachieve. 

As it has gotten closer to draft time, a report came out that states two NFL scouts claim that Griffin is selfish, but that is the first report of that type I know of and of course he has rejected the claims. However, it may come out in the bigger lights of the NFL if in fact that is an actual characteristic of his. The only real worry I see on the surface about RG3 is that he played in a spread system in college rather that a pro style form. There is no doubt he can throw the ball, but playing under the center in a completely different system may take time to become acclimated. 

Some of Andrew Luck's only noticeable bust factors are the possible expectations by some that he will be the next Peyton Manning and that he is coming off a college career where he faced very little scrutiny which we know can be much different in the NFL. Maybe everything is too good about Luck, but if there is anything, it would come out after a couple bad seasons.

Also worth noting, injuries are a possibility for any NFL player and bad injuries early in their career could lead to bust not necessarily at fault of the player. I would guess that most people think that Griffin has the higher chance of bust, but Luck will be under the most pressure. Debate has already started as to who will have a better season and they may always be linked whether it be through failure or success in the eyes of spectators (think Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf).
 
 
This is a list of Heisman Trophy contenders. I ranked them on who I feel is most worthy, but I also included information on the current leaders.

The frontrunners early on are quarterbacks Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson. Robert Griffin III is my early leader, but among Heisman voters Luck is still heavily favored to win. RG3 began this season with a big win over TCU and has only thrown one interception so far. Luck is undoubtedly the top NFL prospect in college football and is coming off of last season’s hype as Heisman runner up. In Wisconsin, they now have hope of a national championship behind their star transfer Wilson that already helped the Badgers thump Nebraska. 
 
It is midseason so the race is still wide open. There are a couple of running backs that are just a big game or two away from being vaulted to the top of Heisman contention. Trent Richardson is still a strong contender and LaMichael James was running himself back into the race until an injury to his elbow which may keep him out of it.There are also long shot contenders that could rise. LSU CB Tyrann Mathieu is in the running, but he will need to keep putting up eye popping stats to stay in contention as a defensive player. Oklahoma QB Landry Jones jumped to number two on the website Stiff Arm Trophy after last weekend's demolition of Texas. 

I actually included 13 players in the Dynamic Dozen since LaMichael James is injured and I felt that AJ Jenkins is the best wide receiver worth mentioning so I have him tied with Denard Robinson for the last spot. 
 
1. Robert Griffin III QB Baylor, 360 pass/rush ypg, 21 total touchdowns, 80.3% completion, 212.9 passer rating.

2. Andrew Luck QB Stanford, 276.6 passing ypg, 73.1% completion, 15 total touchdowns.

3. Russell Wilson QB Wisconsin, 272.2 passing ypg, 74.8% completion, 15 total touchdowns, 216.9 passer rating.

4. Brandon Weeden QB Oklahoma State, 376 passing ypg, 15 passing touchdowns, 75.8% completion.

5. Trent Richardson RB Alabama, 146.3 rush/receiving ypg, 12 total touchdowns. 

6. Tyrann Mathieu CB LSU, 4 forced fumbles, 3 fumbles recovered, 2 interceptions, 5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, 2 touchdowns.

7. Kellen Moore QB Boise State, 278.2 passing ypg, 17 passing touchdowns, 171.6 passer rating, 74% completion.

8. Landry Jones QB Oklahoma, 362.8 passing ypg, 15 total touchdowns. 

9. Case Keenum QB Houston, 384.8 passing ypg, 17 passing touchdowns, 71.4% completion, 174.8 passer rating.

10. LaMichael James RB Oregon, 202.2 rush/receiving ypg, 9 total touchdowns. 

11. Marcus Lattimore RB South Carolina, 155.3 rush/receiving ypg, 10 total touchdowns

12t. Denard Robinson QB Michigan, 308.3 pass/rush ypg, 18 total touchdowns

12t. AJ Jenkins WR Illinois, 135.8 receiving ypg, 7 receiving touchdowns.

Some other players just out of the Heisman spotlight: David Wilson RB Virginia Tech, Tajh Boyd QB Clemson, Matt Barkley QB USC, Tyler Wilson QB Arkansas, Geno Smith QB West Virginia, and Robert Woods WR USC.

Links to other Heisman lists and information: 

Heisman Watch Week 7 ESPN Expert’s Poll
http://espn.go.com/college-football/heisman11/

Week 6: Jones replaces Wilson in top two.
http://www.stiffarmtrophy.com/

2011 Heisman Trophy Predictions
http://www.docsports.com/current/heisman-trophy-predictions.html

LaMichael James' Heisman hopes falter in wake of elbow injury.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/cory_mccartney/10/10/heisman-watch/index.html

Honey Badger for Heisman.
http://insider.espn.go.com/college-football/blog/_/name/mcgee_ncf_ryan/id/7087248/cfb-lsu-tigers-db-tyrann-mathieu-heisman-case
 
 
 
·         Andrew Luck Junior QB Stanford 70.7 Comp%, 32 TDs, 170.2 Passer Rating

·         Kellen Moore Senior QB Boise State 71.3 Comp%, 35 TDs, 182.6 Passer Rating 

·         LaMichael James
Junior RB Oregon 1731 Rush Yds, 5.9 Avg Rush, 24 Total TDs

·         Justin Blackmon
Junior WR Oklahoma State 1782 Receiving Yds, 16.1 Avg Rec, 21 Total TDs

·         Denard Robinson Junior QB Michigan 4272 Total YDs, 6.6 Avg Rush, 32 Total TDs

·         Landry Jones Junior QB Oklahoma 4718 Pass Yds, 38 TDs

·         Brandon Weeden
Senior QB Oklahoma State 4277 Pass Yds, 35 TDs

·         Knile Davis Junior HB Arkansas 1322 Rush Yds, 6.5 Avg Rush, 13 Rush TDs

·         Trent Richardson Junior HB Alabama, 6.3 Avg Rush, 10 Total TDs

·         Ryan Broyles Senior WR Oklahoma 1622 Receiving Yds, 14 TDs

·         Marcus Lattimore Sophomore HB South Carolina 1609 Total Yds, 19 Total TDs

·         Alshon Jeffery Junior WR South Carolina 1517 Receiving Yds, 17.2 Avg Rec, 9 TDs

*Stat totals are from last season.
These are my Dynamic Dozen Heisman frontrunners coming into the 2011 season. However, many of times the Heisman winner ends up being someone that was not on preseseason watch lists.
Here are links to other watch lists and Heisman info:
Heisman Pundit
http://heismanpundit.com/2011/02/22/the-2011-heismanpundit-com-heisman-trophy-watch-list/
Bleacher Report
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/700999-michigan-football-win-over-irish-would-vault-denard-robinson-into-heisman-lead
ESPN Pac-12 Blog
http://espn.go.com/blog/pac10/post/_/id/20134/is-the-2011-heisman-trophy-a-pac-12-race
These lists cover most of the preseason candidates except some longshots like Chris Relf and Edwin Baker which may have just as good of a chance looking at recent history. Bleacher Report has Terrell Pryor on their list, but I doubt he will have a chance since he has to sit out five games. Andrew Luck will be at the top of almost everyone's Heisman watch going into week one. It will be his trophy to lose. Here is a YouTube video of his college highlights so far.



 
 
1. Oklahoma
After last season's Big 12 championship and Fiesta Bowl win, the Sooners are returning a veteran class with a stellar offense and an all around solid team.

2. Oregon
The Ducks bring back some key impact players like Darron Thomas and LaMichael James from a squad that lost the National Championship game by only 3 points.

3. Alabama
The Tide rolls into another season with an elite defense returning most of the players from last season's top five defensive squad while bringing in a top rated recruiting class. 

4. Boise State
The boys in blue down in Boise consistently win each season under Coach Petersen plus they are bringing back a Heisman finalist in Kellen Moore. 

5. Stanford
The Cardinal faithful have the most feared ball slinger in college football in Andrew Luck which is the clear preseason Heisman favorite.

6. Oklahoma State
The Cowboys have a high scoring shoot em out kind of offense that will continue to give teams trouble with ten starters returning from a top five offense last season.

7. Florida State
The Seminoles return 16 starters on offense/defense from a team that won the Chick fil A Bowl against South Carolina and brought in a top notch recruiting class for this season.

8. Arkansas
The Hogs have an elite squad of wide receivers that is the deepest in the nation and returns enough playmakers on both sides of the ball to make a run at the BCS.

9. LSU
The mad hatter consistently squeaks out big wins each year due to his solid defensive squads and deranged play calling. They are an experienced team that could be a BCS contender. 

10. South Carolina
QB Stephen Garcia is questionable for the Gamecocks. But standout HB Marcus Lattimore will be back this season and Spurrier reeled in the number one rated recruit.

Just outside the Top 10: TCU, Wisconsin, and Ohio State.


I will be posting the rest of the top 25 soon. See how CFU rankings compare so far to the ESPN College Football Live Top 25: http://espn.go.com/blog/statsinfo/post/_/id/18792/oklahoma-tops-cfb-live-preseason-poll
I also copied this blog post to www.HogBlog.org.