Ingram has chance to join exclusive company
There has been only one two-time winner of the Heisman Trophy, college football's most coveted individual award.
Former Ohio State running back Archie Griffin accomplished the feat during his junior and senior seasons in 1974 and '75.
Recent Heisman Trophy winners Tim Tebow (2007) and Sam Bradford (2008) had opportunities to win the Heisman Trophy in back-to-back seasons, but neither quarterback was able to secure the honor.
Alabama running back Mark Ingram, the reigning Heisman winner, will have a chance to join Griffin as a two-time winner this coming season.
Heading into the first weekend of the 2010 season, here's a look at my preseason Heisman Trophy ballot:
1. Mark Ingram, Alabama: If Ingram runs like he did last season, when he racked up 1,658 yards with 17 touchdowns, he'll have a chance to win the Heisman in consecutive seasons. And if Ingram is as productive as he was in 2009, the Crimson Tide also will have a chance to win back-to-back BCS national championships.
The Tide might not have to rely on Ingram as much as they did last season, with backup Trent Richardson being more than capable of taking on a greater part of Ingram's workload (271 carries last season). Also, Alabama might not have to run as much if the passing game is better with a healthy Julio Jones.
Editor's note: The preseason Heisman Watch ballot was conducted before Ingram injured his left knee and underwent arthroscopic surgery Tuesday. Schlabach thinks Ingram's injury puts a serious dent in his repeat Heisman hopes.
2. Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State: Pryor was pretty inconsistent last season until he carved up Oregon in the Buckeyes' 26-17 victory in the Rose Bowl. Against the Ducks, Pryor threw for 266 yards with two touchdowns on 23-for-37 passing, while running 20 times for 72 yards.
Pryor seemed to make huge strides in the Rose Bowl, after completing fewer than 50 percent of his passes in four of OSU's 12 regular-season games. He finished the season with 2,094 yards and 18 passing touchdowns, while also leading the Buckeyes in rushing with 779 yards with seven scores. If he continues to play as well as he did against Oregon, Pryor might lead OSU to another Big Ten championship and a berth in the BCS National Championship Game.
3. Case Keenum, Houston: Keenum threw for 5,671 passing yards in 2009, which was the third-highest single-season total in NCAA history. He might be able to surpass that mark as a senior. He completed a whopping 70.3 percent of his passes last season, while throwing for 44 touchdowns with 15 interceptions.
Keenum will have three chances to impress voters against teams from BCS conferences: at UCLA on Sept. 18, home against Mississippi State on Oct. 9 and at Texas Tech in the Nov. 27 regular-season finale.
4. Kellen Moore, Boise State: I don't care what conference Boise State plays in; Moore's production from a year ago was astounding. He completed 64.3 percent of his passes while throwing for 3,536 yards with 39 touchdowns and three interceptions. That's hard to do against air. If Moore puts up numbers like that again this season, he might become the first player from a non-BCS conference to win the Heisman Trophy since BYU quarterback Ty Detmer in 1990.
Moore will have a great opportunity to gain Heisman momentum when the No. 5 Broncos open the season against No. 6 Virginia Tech at FedEx Field in Landover, Md., on Labor Day night. If Moore puts up big numbers against the Hokies' rebuilt defense, he'll find his way onto a lot of Heisman ballots early in the season.
5. Ryan Mallett, Arkansas: The Hogs' lofty expectations ride on Mallett's right arm, which is one of the strongest in college football. In his first season at Arkansas in 2009, Mallett completed 55.8 percent of his attempts, while throwing for 3,627 yards with 30 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Mallett plays in a pass-happy offense under coach Bobby Petrino, who has churned out some pretty good quarterbacks over the years. Plus, Mallett plays in the SEC, where he'll have a chance to impress voters against great defenses more than once.
