As part of BCS Know How’s 2010 season preview, we will be breaking down our ten favorite Heisman hopefuls to get you ready for this season’s edition of the Heisman Watch.

2010 looks to be one of the most open Heisman races in memory, so ten candidates can’t possibly be enough for anyone. Here’s five more candidates who could easily vie for the awards before we reveal our (pretty obvious) No. 1 selection.

Washington QB Jake Locker

The early favorite as the jewel of the 2011 NFL Draft class, Washington quarterback Jake Locker will test his pro-style skills against collegiate defenses for one more season from the helm of the Huskies’ offense — and could very well see a Heisman award ceremony invitation if he continues his upward progression.

Locker returns to a Washington squad which has seen ups and downs during Lockers’ years in Seattle, this time as a polished passer and leader of a team many see near the top of the heap in a very competitive 2010 Pac-10 conference.

Locker welcomes back his top seven pass catchers from 2009 and an offense which could rank among the best in the country — all key elements to a season Locker hopes will have Heisman written all over it.

Navy QB Ricky Dobbs

Fleet of foot, strong armed and poised as a senior leading a revitalized Navy program, quarterback Ricky Dobbs has all of the tools needed to run a convincing 2010 Heisman campaign.

Last season was a record setting one for the Midshipmens’ most dynamic threat, as he rushed and passed for more than 1,000 yards while accounting for an astounding 26 rushing touchdowns.

The question in 2010 will be if Dobbs can take Navy to the next step, and in the process, run the triple-option to an even greater output than in 2009 — not an easy proposal.

Florida State QB Christian Ponder

Injuries and inconsistency have haunted Florida State’s prized senior quarterback Chirstian Ponder his entire career, but in 2010, the quarterback looks to move past his troubles and make this season one which reaches its full potential.

Ponder had a solid start to the 2009 season, while not piling up the statistics, it was never Ponder’s mistakes which doomed an underwhelming season for the Seminoles. However, in what would prove to be his final two games of the season, Ponder threw a combined six interceptions against Clemson and NC State before injuring his shoulder.

If Ponder wants a shot at the Heisman this season, he’ll have to be able to bounce back from mistakes, and lead the Seminoles back to the top of the college football world.

Penn State RB Evan Royster

Six 100-yard-plus games and pro-level abilities made many believe that Penn State running back Evan Royster would leave College Park after the 2009 season, but the running back returned for his senior season — with a legitimate shot at Heisman contention.

The senior running back will need to help his offense out, as the Nittany Lions will transition to a new quarterback and a new lineup on the offensive line.

Look for Royster to be key to Penn State’s success this season.

Miami QB Jacory Harris

Unpredictable and sometimes over zealous with his passes, Miami quarterback Jacory Harris could very well be on his way to national stardom this season as the Hurricanes look to return to their familiar position among the top ten teams in the nation.

However, Harris will need to control his wild side, which was responsible for an ACC-leading 17 interceptions in 2009, which was not beneficial to a Miami team which looked — at least early on — to be a national contender.

In 2010, Harris may finally get the chance to meet his potential and make a run at a Heisman trophy.

As part of BCS Know How’s 2010 season preview, we will be breaking down our ten favorite Heisman hopefuls to get you ready for this season’s edition of the Heisman Watch.

Here’s our No. 2 selection, Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor.

In a season without a clear-cut Heisman favorite, a Jim Tressell-coached, former PARADE National Player of the Year and second-year starting quarterback is about as good a Heisman candidate as they come.

But for Ohio State’s Terrelle Pryor, the qualifications to be listed among the favorites in 2010 run much deeper than that.

Sure, Pryor hasn’t exactly lived up to the huge hype he had coming out of high school, where his recruitment and school commitment was homepage news around the country. And certainly, his first season as a Buckeye — when he split time behind center — was a little underwhelming for his skill set.

But the latter part of his second season and first year as the full-time starter for Ohio State may have finally revealed the Pryor the nation expected to see from day one, and that’s a thought that should scare the entire country in the 2010 season.

In leading the Buckeyes to another Big Ten championship and a Rose Bowl bid, Pryor began to finally reveal the dual-threat capabilities of his game, something that had been slightly repressed by the offensive style of Tressell’s offense.

Pryor rushed for 779 yards and passed for another 2,094 in 2009 while throwing for 18 touchdowns against 11 interceptions.

While those numbers don’t exactly pop out of the page, in his final six games Pryor began to control his interceptions (throwing just three) while also rushing for more than 70 yards per game and leading OSU to six straight wins.

The highlight of the season came in the Rose Bowl, where Pryor went head to head with another dual-threat QB in Jeremiah Masoli, coming out on top in the Buckeyes’ victory.

In 2010, Pryor sees the return of most of his offense, including four offensive lineman and his top two receivers from last season, senior Dan Sanzenbacher and junior DeVier Posey, which combined with his continuing maturity, could mean big things for Pryor this year.

Bottom Line: Pryor has seen Heisman talk surrounding his name from the moment he committed to Ohio State, and although he has yet to truly fulfill that potential, 2010 is lining up to be the season that it all finally comes together for the junior quarterback.

Consistency in the system and a slew of returners will help Pryor continue improving, and with an increased freedom granted from coach Jim Tressell, Pryor can finally run the offense the way he feels capable of doing.

Just like any other Heisman hopeful, Pryor will need a nationally relevant Buckeye squad to compete for the trophy, and Ohio State looks ready to do just that as many believe them to be a legitimate national title contender.

The key of course to the Buckeyes success will be Pryor, and there is simply no reason to believe the Buckeyes can’t make another run at a national title.

Pryor is a changed quarterback, in charge of the offense and finally showing the skill we all expected from day one. Put it all together, and he is without a doubt one of the favorites for the trophy this season.

As part of BCS Know How’s 2010 season preview, we will be breaking down our ten favorite Heisman hopefuls to get you ready for this season’s edition of the Heisman Watch.

Here’s our No. 3 selection, Pittsburgh sophomore running back Dion Lewis.

Just mentioning the name Tony Dorsett to even the most casual Pittsburgh Panther fan evokes all kinds of fond memories from his four year career as a Panther, during which time he was awarded the only Heisman in program history.

So when freshman running back Dion Lewis burst onto the scene in 2009 and broke Dorsett’s freshman season rushing record by more than 100 yards, it was no surprise the nation took notice.

Now back as the nation’s leading returning rusher in terms of yards, Lewis looks poised to help the Panthers back to the top of the Big East, and possibly collect college football’s most prestigious award along the way.

Lewis had entered his first season with doubts about his ability to carry the full load of carries as a first-year starter, but Lewis did more than shoulder the load, carrying the ball 25 times per game and scoring 17 touchdowns to go with the nation’s third-most rushing yards.

2010 will be different for the New York-native runner, as he will be taking his handoffs from a first-year quarterback in Tino Sunseri and will have to help Sunseri adapt to the offense by taking some of the pressure off of the sophomore.

It might not be such an easy proposition, however, as Lewis will be running behind a line that only returns two of its five starters from Lewis’s record-breaking season. Senior Alex Karabin, who played special teams exclusively will take over at center, while both guards will need to be replaced.

Bottom Line: Lewis is going to be the key to any success the Panthers hope to have in 2010, and it won’t be easy. He was an unexpected phenom in his freshman year — in 2010 opponents are more than ready to pressure his every move.

His performance may end up coming down to whether Sunseri can establish the Pitt passing game as a legitimate threat. If he can’t it will be very easy to crowd the line against Lewis and take advantage of an inexperienced line to stop Lewis from excelling.

If, however, Sunseri can establish the threat of a passing game, and the offensive line melds like it seems coach Dave Wannstedt believes it can, Lewis will be the nation’s most dangerous runner and a legitimate threat to win the award as a sophomore.

Plus, a successful Lewis means a successful Panther squad, which only helps the Heisman potential Lewis hopes to have, which despite his age, is extraordinarily good in 2010.

As part of BCS Know How’s 2010 season preview, we will be breaking down our ten favorite Heisman hopefuls to get you ready for this season’s edition of the Heisman Watch.

Here’s our No. 4 selection, Boise State junior quarterback Kellen Moore.

Kellen Moore is not your typical Heisman candidate in the same way his Boise State Broncos are not the typical national title contender.

But in the 2010 college football season, where anything really seems plausible, both are likely to be in the thick of conversation until the trophies are lifted on December 11th and January 10th respectively.

Although Moore and Boise State are admittedly more focused on the crystal football than the bronze stiff arm trophy, the pursuit of a BCS championship could lead to a legitimate run at the Heisman for the third-year starter.

Moore has gone from unheralded recruit who nearly was unable to receive a scholarship offer from Boise State coach Chris Peterson to one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the nation, and in 2009, Moore put on a statistical performance that was unmatched by anyone in the country.

In leading his Broncos to an undefeated season, Moore passed for 3,536 yards and 39 touchdowns, which are amazing statistics by themselves. But looking closer, the efficiency with which Moore picked apart defenses was astounding, as he threw for a paltry three interceptions, was sacked just five times and had a 64.3-percent completion rate.

And all of this from an undersized quarterback who was at the helm of a complex offensive system and a team opponents circled on their calendars from day one of fall practice.

From Hawaii to the blue turf at Bronco Stadium in Boise, Moore was efficient as could be, and there’s reason to believe that 2010 will be another step in the right direction for the quarterback. The question is how much more can you improve on a 13:1 TD to INT ratio?

Bottom Line: The deal is pretty simple for Moore if he wants any shot at the Heisman Trophy in his junior season — lead Boise State to an undefeated season, and more preferably, a national championship game bid.

For the most part, non-AQ quarterbacks don’t get the time of day from a majority of the Heisman voters unless they have led a team to domination, like say Alex Smith did for Utah in 2004.

However, Boise State looks poised to do just that, and if Moore can be as good as he was in 2009 or better (which would be hard) his resume would be hard to ignore.

Moore’s receivers will have a lot to do with what the quarterback can achieve in 2010, and Moore is lucky to have two All-WAC receivers in Austin Pettis and Titus Young on the outside with Moore’s younger brother Kirby Moore at the ready in the slot.

After a seventh place finish in the voting in ’09, it may be that an invite to the trophy presentation is all Moore can hope for this season. However, that could easily set him up for a run as the Heisman favorite in 2011 for his senior season, if he decides to come back to the Broncos for one final year.

As part of BCS Know How’s 2010 season preview, we will be breaking down our ten favorite Heisman hopefuls to get you ready for this season’s edition of the Heisman Watch.

Here’s our No. 5 selection, West Virginia senior running back Noel Devine.

Noel Devine is the kind of running back college football coaches dream about when recruiting time comes around.

So when Bill Stewart took over for Rich Rodriguez and had a back like Devine at the ready — and with a year of backup duty already under his belt — he must have felt blessed to be so lucky.

Yet as they enter the final year of the duo’s relationship, many believe that Devine has been criminally underused by Stewart, something that has been among the arguments against what Stewart has done with the Mountaineer program these past two years.

In 2010, however, Devine looks ready to finally overcome the doubts about his size and durability and take the next step statistically and make a strong case for this year’s Heisman.

His 2009 season looked to be his breakout year, but despite being the featured back on a strong West Virginia team, Devine did not get more than 23 attempts out of the backfield in any game, and averaged a paltry 18.5 carries per game.

He did finish with a career-best 13 touchdowns and 1,465 rushing yards but it could have been more for a back that averaged 6.1 yards per game for the season.

A strong year from Devine could bring the Florida-area speedster the all-time Mountaineer rushing record, but he’ll have to pass West Virginia greats Pat White, Amos Zereoue, Steve Slaton and current leader Avon Cobourne.

Bottom Line: It’s going to be all about how many times Devine can touch the ball in 2010.

Devine averages 6.5 yards per carry, and in his freshman year, averaged an amazing 8.6 ypg. When he touches the ball, its usually a big gain. It would then follow that the more he touches the ball, the more he can produces, right?

That’s the bet the Mountaineers will have to rely on, since their outlook rests pretty squarely on whether Devine can produce on a Heisman-worthy level.

He’ll be running behind an experienced line, which could be key in increasing his touchdown production. A repeat 13 scores last season will not be good enough for the award.

Devine looks ready to take the next step, but it will need to be a gigantic leap to other-worldly numbers if he even wants to think about being the first Mountaineer to receive the honor.

As part of BCS Know How’s 2010 season preview, we will be breaking down our ten favorite Heisman hopefuls to get you ready for this season’s edition of the Heisman Watch.

Here’s our No. 6 selection, Oregon State junior running back Jacquizz Rodgers.

Few had heard of the oddly-named five-foot-seven Oregon State running back Jacquizz Rodgers before September 25, 2008.

On that day, the undersized younger brother of established Beaver receiver James Rodgers helped Oregon State shock both the USC Trojans and the country at large by rushing for 186 yards and two touchdowns in a 27-21 upset victory over the then-No. 1 Trojans.

The Trojans seemingly could not contain the speedy Rodgers, as he slipped out of tackle after tackle, and kept the ball out of USC’s hands just long enough to keep the Trojans from making a late comeback.

Ever since, the Beavers have been blessed with a running back whose talent far outmeasures his height, and now, entering his junior season, Rodgers seems poised to make his way towards more national glory — this time as a legitimate Heisman trophy hopeful.

Rodgers began to show his full potential last season, when he was a third-team AP All-American and ran for 1,440 yards and 21 touchdowns to go along with 522 yards receiving on the year.

Rodgers’ 2009 campaign was highlighted by an award-winning output against Stanford, in which he accounted for 271 yards of total offense and four touchdowns.

Rodgers and the Beavers’ aspirations for a 2009 Pac-10 title fell just short as they were unable to beat in-state rival Oregon in their “Civil War,” falling just one game short of making their way to the Rose Bowl.

In 2010, the immediate goal will be to get to the top of a Pac-10 conference full of talented teams, and Rodgers’ ability to match and exceed his 2009 output will of the utmost importance to the Beavers’ hopes.

Rodgers will be especially important to the Beavers as they look to a new quarterback — likely sophomore Ryan Katz — to orchestrate the Beaver offense to another productive season. Rodgers will be relied upon to help make the transition smoother and strong production from the junior could do just that.

Bottom Line: Among the most talented and entertaining backs in the country, Rodgers certainly has the potential to put in an all-time season at Oregon State in 2010. The biggest battle he’ll face will be teams stacking up against the Beaver rushing game if the quarterback situation does not meet expectations.

However, Rodgers will be running behind a very experienced offensive line, which returns four starters from ’09.

If the Beavers can make a real run at the Pac-10 title and Rodgers keys victories like he did in 2009, ‘Quizz could be a very strong Heisman candidate when the 2010 season comes to an end.

As part of BCS Know How’s 2010 season preview, we will be breaking down our ten favorite Heisman hopefuls to get you ready for this season’s edition of the Heisman Watch.

Here’s our No. 7 selection, Houston senior quarterback Case Keenum.

It’s a question that faces Heisman voters and prognosticators ever year.

Can a quarterback in an overwhelmingly pass-happy offense be given legitimate Heisman consideration even if their statistics are an obvious product of their system?

In years past, Graham Harrell, Timmy Chang, Colt Brennan and Kliff Kingsbury have seemingly been hurt by a perception of statistical inflation despite their unbelievable offensive output.

In 2010, the thought process of Heisman voters will once again be put to the test when they have to evaluate another in a line of gaudy passers, Houston’s Case Keenum.

Keenum, as the face of both his Cougar squad and Conference USA, gained some Heisman support down the stretch of the 2009 season, eventually seeing his grassroots support campaign and 5,000-plus passing yards garner him an eighth place finish in last year’s Heisman voting.

But if Keenum wants to make an even bigger impression in 2010, he’s going to have to do more than just throw for 5,000 yards for a record third-straight season and bring Houston to another ten-victory season.

He’ll have to do it at an even higher level than he has in seasons past, which means eclipsing the 44 touchdowns he’s thrown each of the past two seasons and throwing far fewer than the 15 interceptions he submitted in ’09.

Keenum has the targets on offense to help him towards his goal, as the Cougars return three 1,000-yard receivers, but some may argue the only reason the receivers are as productive as they are is because of Keenum’s efficiency and production.

Still, senior James Cleveland and juniors Tyron Carrier and Patrick Edwards will have a lot to do with whether Keenum can improve on his two second-place and three third-place votes from last year’s Heisman balloting.

Bottom Line: Keenum will likely need to approach a variety of single-season passing records — including touchdowns (58) and passing yards (5,833) — if he wants any shot at the trophy this season. Even the people who hold those records, Colt Brennan and B.J. Symons respectively, were never realistic Heisman contenders in their record setting years (although Brennan was a finalist), so it’ll be an uphill climb for Keenum.

But if he can put together a season where the numbers come close to records, while keeping his interceptions down and leading the Cougars to an 11-win or better season, it would be truly hard to keep Keenum out of the Heisman conversation in 2010.

As part of BCS Know How’s 2010 season preview, we will be breaking down our ten favorite Heisman hopefuls to get you ready for this season’s edition of the Heisman Watch.

Here’s our No. 8 selection, Arkansas redshirt junior quarterback Ryan Mallett.

From Michigan starter to Arkansas scout team all-star to Razorback starter to preseason All-SEC quarterback, Ryan Mallett has certainly run the gamut of positions in his short time in college football.

In 2010 however, Mallett will look to assume one more role — Heisman winner.

Highly recruited and touted coming out of high school, Mallett hitched his wagon to Lloyd Carr for his 2007 freshman season. Although he wasn’t overwhelming in his contributions (seven touchdowns and five interceptions), he showed real potential backing up Chad Henne and looked poised to take over the reigns from Henne when the four-year starter moved on to the NFL.

But when Lloyd Carr retired and was replaced by spread offense enthusiast Rich Rodriguez — the pocket-passing Mallett was the odd man out.

So Mallett decided to transfer to Arkansas and sit out the 2008 season, helming the Razorback scout team while the NCAA-required transfer year out played out.

When he finally took the field for Arkansas in 2009, it was obvious that the Razorbacks had struck gold with their new quarterback. Mallett did a number on teams around the country and even bested some of the SEC’s top defenses.

Mallett did struggle mightily against Florida and Alabama — both Razorback losses — but his production as the 2009 season began to wind down showed real hope for a complete season of dominance in 2010.

His first season at quarterback for the Razorbacks gave him more than 15 single-season Arkansas records, and in 2010 he’ll be looking to be the first Razorback to ever hoist the Heisman trophy.

Mallett will benefit from a 100-percent return rate of last season’s top five Razorback receivers, although a February surgery that kept him out of spring practice may hamper his timing with the receiving corps.

Bottom Line: Mallett is without a doubt among the country’s best quarterbacks, however his performances against the best of the best last season were especially weak. If Mallett has any hope of a Heisman trophy, or even an invite to the presentation ceremony, he’ll have to better than his 12-for-35 performance against Alabama last season when he faces the cream of the SEC rop.

His experienced receivers and a season of experience under coach Bobby Petrino’s system will certainly help him continue his improvement. And despite his precarious position as leader of the SEC’s darkhorse pick (see how well that worked out for Jevan Snead and Ole Miss last year), he has a real shot at the trophy if the Razorbacks can compete for the SEC title this season.

As part of BCS Know How’s 2010 season preview, we will be breaking down our ten favorite Heisman hopefuls to get you ready for this season’s edition of the Heisman Watch.

Here’s our No. 9 selection, Georgia junior wide receiver A.J. Green.

The hype was tremendous for A.J. Green’s sophomore 2009 season. Yet his production went down and the Bulldogs struggled against the cream of the SEC crop.

So what was missing for Green and the Bulldogs?

Well it seems like the loss of two NFL rookie standouts, quarterback Matthew Stafford and running back Knowshon Moreno probably had a lot to do with the struggles of both Green and Georgia.

It’s not to say that Green’s 808 yards and six touchdowns were a complete failure. In fact its not an unfair assumption to say that without Green, the Bulldogs would have lost at least two more games than they did in 2009. Heck, he even blocked a field goal attempt against Arizona State that preserved a 20-17 Bulldog victory in Week Four.

Plus, Green was unable to play in three of the Bulldogs’ regular season games, including a matchup with FCS Tennessee Tech. If he had played a full slate of games, Green could have easily eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark in ’09.

Now a year older and looking to exceed both his sophomore output and shocking freshman contribution (963 yards and eight touchdowns) Green will once again have to rely on an untested quarterback to deliver him the ball when he’s open — probably redshirt freshman Aaron Murray — if he wants to make a national impact.

Of course with Green’s athleticism many balls that would be uncatchable for most of the nation’s receivers are fair game for Green, which could not only help out his statistical line, but also boost the confidence of whoever is entrusted with getting him the ball.

Bottom Line: Health for the Bulldogs will be of the utmost importance, but especially for Green, who will need to shine in all of the Bulldogs’ games if he wants any shot at the Heisman as a wide receiver.

A good statistical season from Green will mean that the Bulldogs have found a solid option at quarterback, and if that’s the case, the Bulldogs could be on their way to the SEC Championship Game. If all of these things can fall into place, Green could be well on his way to New York City for the Heisman presentation.

As part of BCS Know How’s 2010 season preview, we will be breaking down our ten favorite Heisman hopefuls to get you ready for this season’s edition of the Heisman Watch.

We begin with our No. 10, Oregon redshirt sophomore running back LaMichael James.

A redshirt freshman ready to play second fiddle in the Ducks’ backfield behind highly touted running back LeGarrette Blount, LaMichael James was thrown rather unceremoniously into the No. 1 slot after Blount was suspended for the season by Ducks coach Chip Kelly.

But boy did James respond.

The Texas-native speedster did more than fill in for the beleaguered Blount — rushing for 1,546 yards and 14 touchdowns — and helped the Ducks capture their first Rose Bowl bid since 1995.

Named to three All-American teams and honored as the Pac-10′s Offensive Freshman of the Year, James also led all BCS-conference backs with an average of 6.9 yards per carry.

James’ unexpected leap into the national spotlight moved his expectations for the 2010 into the stratosphere and creating legitimate Heisman buzz in Eugene for this years’ campaign. His output will be especially important to the Ducks’ offense in the 2010 season, as they try to cope with the transfer of quarterback Jeremiah Masoli to Ole Miss.

Unfortunately for James and the Ducks, the running back’s run in with the law during this past offseason will cause him to miss the Ducks’ opener against New Mexico — a team he probably could have run all over — which will likely hurt his chances both statistically and reputation-wise with Heisman voters.

James will get the chance to make up for the lost time during the Ducks’ Pac-10 schedule, which was especially kind to the young back in 2009.

James took to Pac-10 opponents like an experienced rusher, picking apart the west coasts’ best defenses to the tune of seven-straight Pac-10 games with 100-plus rushing yards.

Against USC on Halloween night James was an especially scary threat, rushing for 183 yards and a touchdown in the Ducks’ man-handling of the Trojans and was named the Pac-10′s Offensive Player of the Week for that performance.

Bottom Line: James’ Heisman hopes will likely rest on how well the Ducks can perform without Masoli and the ability of James to match and even improve upon his 2009 output. His Heisman hopes are certainly hurt by his legal troubles, and will need to prove that the mess is behind him and be a stand-up teammate for a Ducks team that is struggling to keep its reputation high.