The most famous statue in college football has been awarded to seven guys since somebody from the Big Ten has lifted it and been recognized as the best player in the country. But plenty of candidates are already emerging to snap that skid and become the league’s first winner since Troy Smith, starting with another Ohio State quarterback who has already figured prominently in the voting over the past two seasons. Starting with that candidate, we’ll take a closer look at five Big Ten players capable of breaking through in 2014.
QB Braxton Miller, Ohio State: If not for his September injury last season, Miller may have already made an appearance in New York for the trophy presentation. Perhaps with the numbers he missed out on, he may have even won it. With a pair of top-10 finishes already to his credit, Miller elected to return for his senior season and will make one more run at the top prize. If he can take another step forward as a passer, he could easily become the favorite if he leads the high-scoring Buckeyes on another unbeaten run through the regular season. RB Melvin Gordon, Wisconsin: For pure explosiveness out of the backfield, few players provide more firepower than Gordon. While he may wind up splitting some of the workload for the Badgers, with James White out of the picture Gordon isn’t likely to finish second on the team in carries, which can damage an individual’s case for hardware. Gordon rushed for 1,609 yards and 12 touchdowns while sharing time, and boosting those numbers could make him an appealing option for voters.
QB Connor Cook, Michigan State: The statistical résumé isn’t all that impressive, but Cook clearly developed as the season progressed, proving it in two outstanding performances to cap the season in the Big Ten title game and the Rose Bowl. In both of those big wins for the Spartans, Cook had the numbers of a Heisman-caliber passer, throwing for more than 300 yards in each with five total touchdowns. Plus, he is the leader of a likely top-five team in the preseason polls, which will get him on the radar early.
RB Ameer Abdullah, Nebraska: The model of consistency, only two teams kept Abdullah from hitting the 100-yard mark as a junior — and he came up short by just 17 combined yards. The centerpiece of the Nebraska offense decided to come back for one more season, and if he can match the prolific pace from last season when he finished with 1,690 yards, he could emerge as a legitimate threat for the trophy. The Huskers may need to spend longer in championship contention, but featuring Abdullah is probably the best way to do it.
QB Christian Hackenberg, Penn State: The Nittany Lions are still locked out of the postseason, and while that probably shouldn’t matter for individual awards, it has seemingly been a voting deterrent in the past. Hackenberg will have that uphill battle to fight as he tries to follow up his fantastic freshman season, but he has already proved he has the talent to insert himself in the national conversation and now has a new coach in James Franklin who surely won’t hesitate to campaign for his quarterback. He threw for nearly 3,000 yards in his first season at the college level, and he figures to get better with experience.
Continue reading this article at ESPN: 2014 Heisman contenders: Big Ten
