Here is my Top Ten Heisman Trophy Contenders.  Most of these guys are already on the radar.  This list is in no particular order.

1. Tim Tebow, Florida–He’s the defending Heisman Trophy winner, and the fist Heisman Trophy winner as a Sophomore.  And, he may have more websites dedicated to him than any other college football player.
2. Chase Daniel, Missouri–He is important to the Missouri offense, so if he stays healthy, he is a part of the, um, chase.
3. Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech–The Air Raid offense at Texas Tech has never had this much talent.  He is big, strong, and fast.
4. Pat White, West Virginia–WVU will depend even more on White to lead its offense with the departure of Steve Slaton.  The Mountaineers already have a website for White.
5. James Laurinaitis, Ohio State–There is always one defensive player everyone wants in the conversation, well this him.  Destined for stardom in the NFL, not the WWE.
6. Chris Wells, Ohio State–Wells opened the BCS National Title Game against LSU with a 65 yard TD run ending the game with 146 yards rushing.
7. Knowshon Moreno, Georgia–Moreno had a stellar Freshman season, and he only started half the games.  He really is a superstar.
8. Graham Harrell, Texas Tech–Last year’s CFTT Offensive Player of the year.  His stats were astounding, but his efficiency may be even more so.
9. Percy Harvin, Florida–Electrifying.  Fast.  If Harvin can stay healthy, his stats will be big.
10. James Davis, Clemson–O.K.  I am listening to everybody else here.  I don’t know much about Clemson, but everyone seems to think that Davis will have a big year.

Possible Surprises

Mike Goodson, Texas A & M
Todd Boeckman, Ohio State
Joe McKnight, USC
LeSean McCoy, Pitt
Ian Johnson, Boise State
C. J. Spiller, Clemson

As spring practices wind down, coaches are implementing strategies for the fall. As a fan, sometimes we might wonder what things are important in building a championship team. I’m sure you have always heard the phrase, “Defense wins championships.” Is that true? LSU had a pretty good defense last year. Florida’s was good the year before. Does it take more? What about offense? Doesn’t it need to be balanced? How about special teams?

Terry Bowden wrote an interesting article for Yahoo! Sports. Terry “crunched” the numbers, so to speak, of vital statistics for the best teams in the nation last year. His conclusions? Well there are several, but defense against the run was at the top of the list. Kind of interesting when you realize that LSU struggled at times last year to stop the run including against Arkansas in the season finale. LSU also gave up the big run to open the National Championship game to Ohio State’s Chris Wells. Nevertheless, the article is worth taking a look.

Terry Bowden’s Article: Coaching by Numbers