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College Football: 10 Under the Radar Heisman Trophy Candidates

By Nicholas Ian Allen

Dec 30, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; General view of the 1968 Heisman Trophy of Southern California Trojans tailback O.J. Simpson (not pictured) at Heritage Hall. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 30, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; General view of the 1968 Heisman Trophy of Southern California Trojans tailback O.J. Simpson (not pictured) at Heritage Hall. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 30, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; General view of the 1968 Heisman Trophy of Southern California Trojans tailback O.J. Simpson (not pictured) at Heritage Hall. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 30, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; General view of the 1968 Heisman Trophy of Southern California Trojans tailback O.J. Simpson (not pictured) at Heritage Hall. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

Some early Heisman Trophy candidates win the award, but others come out of nowhere. For every Marcus Mariota, who won the award as a junior in his third season as a starter, there’s a Jameis Winston or Johnny Manziel who captured college football’s highest honor as redshirt freshmen or Cam Newton, a junior college transfer.

Mariota dominated the Heisman race last season, especially once Todd Gurley sidelined himself with an autograph scandal. The Oregon signal caller earned 788 first place votes while the rest of the field collected 102 combined. With the Hawaiian off to the NFL along with runner-up Melvin Gordon, third-place finisher Amari Cooper and a total of six of the top ten vote getters from last year’s crop, the 2015 race is wide open.

Still, there are plenty of big name candidates. TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin finished fourth last year, and Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott and a trio of signal callers led the Buckeyes to the national championship. The SEC is loaded again with Dak Prescott, Leonard Fournette, Nick Chubb and Derrick Henry among the favorites, as well as USC’s underrated QB Cody Kessler.

The Top 2015 Heisman Trophy Candidates (Odds via Bovada)

  • Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Ohio State: 6-to-1
  • Dak Prescott, QB, Mississippi State: 7-to-1
  • Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU 15-to-2
  • Trevone Boykin, QB, TCU: 15-to-2
  • Nick Chubb, RB, Georgia: 9-to-1
  • Cardale Jones, QB, Ohio State: 10-to-1
  • Cody Kessler, QB, USC: 12-to-1
  • Derrick Henry, RB, Alabama: 14-to-1
  • Paul Perkins, RB, UCLA: 14-to-1
  • Samaje Perine, RB, Oklahoma: 14-to-1
  • J.T. Barrett, QB, Ohio State: 16-to-1
  • Braxton Miller, QB, Ohio State: 20-to-1
  • Connor Cook, QB, Michigan State: 20-to-1
  • Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson: 20-to-1
  • Jeremy Johnson, QB, Auburn: 20-to-1
  • Royce Freeman, RB, Oregon: 25-to-1

But aside from the aforementioned favorites, what ten college football players have the best chance to emerge as Heisman Trophy candidates in 2015? Who might burst onto the national stage and steal the show like Johnny Football or Famous Jameis? Let’s take a look.

Next: Seth Russell

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