Matt Barkley \u2013 QB, USC<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong>Barkley was the Vegas favorite heading into the season, and he didn\u2019t disappoint in the Trojans\u2019 opener against Hawaii. The senior quarterback threw for a 75-yard touchdown<\/a> on his first pass of the season, finishing with 372 yards and four touchdowns. He had 220 yards in the first half, and the number could\u2019ve been significantly higher had his receivers held on to a few more balls.<\/p>\n Geno Smith \u2013 QB, WVU<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong>The last time America saw Smith on the field, he and the Mountaineers were obliterating Clemson, 70-33, in a game where Smith threw for 401 yards and six touchdowns. He seems to have picked up right where he left off after the bowl game. Against Marshall last weekend, he completed almost 90% of his passes, 323 yards and four touchdowns.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n De\u2019Anthony Thomas \u2013 RB\/WR, Oregon<\/strong><\/p>\n Thomas doesn\u2019t get a ton of touches, but he doesn\u2019t need to. \u00a0Against Arkansas State in the season opener, Thomas played less than one quarter and scored three touchdowns. He averaged 21.3 yards per carry and 13.8 yards per catch. Sure, the Red Wolves just aren\u2019t the same class as the Ducks, but don\u2019t forget, in last year\u2019s Rose Bowl against Wisconsin, he had just two carries: for 91 and 64 yards.<\/p>\n Le\u2019Veon Bell \u2013 RB, Michigan State<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong>The Spartans\u2019 junior running back stole the show in the season opener and helped Michigan State get the win over the Boise State Broncos. He ran for 210 yards and two touchdowns, but he also had a whopping 50 touches (44 carries, 6 catches). He averaged 4.8 yards per carry but the Heisman race is a marathon, not a sprint; it\u2019ll be difficult to sustain that pace until December.<\/p>\n Marcus Lattimore \u2013 RB, South Carolina<\/strong><\/p>\n Everyone wondered how he\u2019d come back from last year\u2019s season-ending ACL injury. After losing a fumble on his first carry, he showed why he was in the Heisman conversation last season before being injured. Lattimore had 23 carries for 110 yards and 2 touchdowns and was the SEC Offensive Player of the Week. Not a bad way to start a Heisman campaign.<\/p>\n Tyler Wilson \u2013 QB, Arkansas<\/strong><\/p>\n Wilson had a great game in the Razorbacks\u2019 opener, with 367 yards and 3 touchdowns in the warm-up win over Jacksonville State. If he can continue that pace \u2013 completing 70% of his passes \u2013 throughout the SEC schedule, he\u2019ll make a strong case for the trophy.<\/p>\n Marqise Lee \u2013 WR, USC<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong>After one game, USC fans speculated that Matt Barkley\u2019s biggest competition for the Heisman might be his own teammate. Lee, the sophomore who Trojans coach Lane Kiffin says might end up being \u201cthe best ever\u201d to play at USC, is the one who turned Barkley\u2019s first pass of the year into a 75-yard touchdown. He also had a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the second half and after the first week, he leads the nation in all-purpose yardage (282). The scary thing about his performance against Hawaii? As good as he was, anyone watching knew he could be better: Lee had a couple dropped passes that would\u2019ve gone for big yards, if not scores.<\/p>\n Montee Ball \u2013 RB, Wisconsin<\/strong><\/p>\n Ball didn\u2019t have an impressive week in the opener, averaging just 3.8 yards per carry. The Badgers relied on him heavily: he had 32 carries and three receptions for 151 total yards and a touchdown. Ball\u2019s still very much in the race, but if he continues to have such a daunting workload, it\u2019ll be harder to stay fresh and post the numbers he\u2019ll need to win the Heisman.<\/p>\n Denard Robinson \u2013 QB, Michigan<\/strong><\/p>\n Robinson earned himself the \u201cOverrated\u201d label when Alabama rolled over the Wolverines in prime time during the biggest game of Opening Weekend. He threw for exactly 200 yards and one touchdown, but he completed just 42.3% of his passes and threw two interceptions. Robinson can still have a stellar year, but as the adage goes, \u201cA first impression is a lasting impression.\u201d It\u2019ll be tough for him to come back to the win the trophy after last week.<\/p>\n Be sure to check out other great articles at isportsweb<\/a>.<\/p>\n Another sweep of the board yesterday for Matt Rivers with the 400,000* Yankees along with the 300,000* Cubs plus 175, 12-2. It’s now five straight winning days with a profit of 2.7 million stars and also 10 of the last 11 days as I approach an insane 5 million stars.<\/p>\n I absolutely love this slate today and am therefore releasing a rare four plays. I’m not a guy who likes to play a lot of\u00a0games\u00a0as that isn’t the formula for success. But today I am all in and ready to continue to completely dismantle that\u00a0Crookie. The highest rated play of my life is here in a 500,000* USC-Syracuse mortal lock along with a 400,000* Purdue-Notre Dame, 300,000* Auburn-Mississippi State and 200,000* Savannah State-Florida State. Dogs, Chalk, Totals? Winners!\u00a0Click now to access<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The first weekend of college football was a showcase for several preseason Heisman Trophy favorites. While some preseason picks struggled and made a trip to New York less likely, others seized the opportunity to throw their names in the race. Each week, we\u2019ll update the list with new stats and information as some players make … Continue reading Vegas Heisman Trophy Watch 2012: The Race Heading into Week Two<\/span> ![\"\"](\"http:\/\/cdn.feedcrossing.com\/1x.gif?o=fxing_o1_1dj3_2k02_0_\")
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