Mark Ingram was the third consecutive sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy. Hence, he becomes the third consecutive player who returns with a chance to match Ohio State’s Archie Griffin, the only two-time winner of the coveted bronze statue.
Here are six player who could keep Ingram from winning another — other than his teammate, Trent Richardson, who might steal enough carries from Ingram to keep his numbers down.
— Terrelle Pryor, qb, Ohio State. He’s been compared to Vince Young since high school, and he could be ready to start playing like the former Texas star.
— Ryan Mallett, qb, Arkansas. He has a huge arm and a coach whose offenses always put up big numbers. He’ll also have a chance to knock off some marquee teams, most notably No. 1 Alabama.
— Ryan Williams, rb, Virginia Tech. The Hokies are always in the mix for a national championship and they still lean on their running game. Williams is a nice back to lean on.
— Case Keenum, qb, Houston. Barring injury, he’ll become the NCAA’s career leader in yards passing. He puts up Xbox-like numbers and if the Cougars can push for a BCS bid, it will be impossible for him to get overlooked.
— Kellen Moore, qb, Boise State. Mark this down: If Boise State goes undefeated again, Moore will be a Heisman Trophy finalist. The undersized quarterback — he’s about 6-feet tall — threw 39 TD passes and only three picks last year.
— Jake Locker, qb, Washington. Locker is one good year away from being a top-five NFL draft pick. He’s a spectacular athlete and if he can lead Washington into Pac-10 contention, he’ll make a Toby Gerhart-like Heisman run.