September 9, 2009

Olin Buchanan
Rivals.com College Football Senior Writer

VOTE: Tell us who you would vote for this week

The first week of the season is to the Heisman outlook what the New Hampshire primary is to the presidential race.

The prize can't be won there, but campaigns certainly can be enhanced. Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama finished second in New Hampshire. The four previous presidents - George Bush, Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter and Richard Nixon - won there.

Just as in New Hampshire, the first week of the season allows top Heisman candidates to gain momentum with strong showings. However, some can falter and new faces can emerge as serious contenders.

That all happened last weekend.

Leading contenders Tim Tebow (QB- Florida), Colt McCoy (QB- Texas) and Jahvid Best (RB- California) maintained their positions with solid to spectacular showings in their season-opening games.

But Sam Bradford (QB- Oklahoma) and Juice Williams (QB- Illinois) suffered major setbacks. Williams passed for just 179 yards and might have lost receiver Arrelious Benn to an ankle injury in a 37-9 loss to Missouri.

Bradford endured a more significant setback. He suffered a sprained right (throwing) shoulder in the first half of a 14-13 loss to BYU, and the injury will keep Bradford out at least a couple of games.

"Everyone's different in how they heal - the soreness, how they handle it and how quickly it dissipates where he can move and be comfortable again throwing the ball," Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops told reporters Monday. "Anywhere from two to four weeks [of Bradford on the bench] is what we're anticipating."

Meanwhile, BYU quarterback Max Hall and Alabama running back Mark Ingram surfaced as Heisman contenders with tremendous performances against powerful defensive teams in Week One.

Hall passed for 329 yards and two touchdowns against Oklahoma. Most impressive, he was 9-for-10 for 84 yards on the Cougars' game-winning final drive.

Alabama fans will long remember Ingram's performance against Virginia Tech, which last season ranked 14th in the nation against the run. Ingram ran for 150 yards and a touchdown and also caught a touchdown pass in a 34-24 victory.

"It's been a long time since a guy got that many yards against us," Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer said.

A long time and a lot of games will pass before the Heisman is presented in December. So Heisman hopefuls that didn't have tremendous opening performances have vast opportunity to impress. And while a strong start demands attention it doesn't ensure anything. After all, Hillary Clinton won in New Hampshire.