2010 Heisman Betting Forecast – Worthwhile Non-Quarterback Bets

Last year, Mark Ingram beat out a star studded cast of quarterbacks to earn the Heisman while ripping through opponents for the BCS Champion Alabama Crimson Tide. The running back returns as the odds on favorite to win the 2010 Heisman Trophy and is being challenged by Terrelle Pryor (+450) and Jake Locker (+800).

While the Heisman race remains a quarterback-centric derby, Ingram is proof that you can’t count out the non-quarterbacks. Running-backs have won the award six times since 1994, and as we head in to the 2010 college football betting season there is no other position that poses a threat to the pigskin hurlers at the NCAA level.

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Mark Ingram (RB) – Alabama Crimson Tide (+350 to win Heisman)
Ingram and the Crimson Tide are favorites to repeat as trophy hoisters this year but there’s already reason to doubt him. What steadied Ingram’s rise as the Heisman winner was that no quarterback did enough during the regular season to really outshine his performances in big games. Ingram ran the ball 271 times for 1,658 yards and 17 touchdowns in the 2009 NCAAF betting season.

Yet Ingram’s rise was more due to the fall of Tebow, McCoy and Bradford. Don’t get me wrong – he earned the Heisman last year. No player in the country was more consistent, or more integral to their team’s success last year. Ingram will only capitalize if he can produce, but he’ll also need the quarterback class of 2010 to underachieve.

Noel Devine (RB) – West Virginia Mountaineers (+1200 to win Heisman)
Think of Devine as the Darren Sproles of college football. At 5-foot-8 and 176 pounds, he’s likely destined to be nothing more than a kick-returner in the NFL. But what a return man he could be. In 2009, Devine had his best season with 1,465 yards on 241 carries while scoring 13 touchdowns.

What hurts Devine’s prospects for the Heisman is that the Mountaineers are not a big threat in the Big East. They finished just 9-4 SU last season and were a forgettable 5-7 ATS. Even with big numbers, Heisman voters have proven that individual success must also lead to team success. Even with crazy numbers, there’s not much the pint-sized Devine can do to impress the committee.

LaMicheal James (RB) – Oregon Ducks (+3000 to win Heisman)
As a freshman, James was supposed to be the future of the running game in Oregon. But personal issues have nosedived his stock. Still, kids will be kids and James has to prove that he can still produce big numbers. Last year, he had 230 carries for 1,546 yards and 14 touchdowns and added a modest 70-yard effort in the Rose Bowl loss to Ohio State.

What will give James a fighting chance in the Heisman betting circles is the fact that Pac-10 became diluted in talent since Toby Gerhart left Stanford for the Vikings and USC fell apart thanks to the idiocy of their boosters. Still, +3000 odds are pretty juicy for a guy who could be the definitive running-back in the country if he can let his personal issues stay off the field as they should be.

Losing starting quarterback Jeremiah Masoli will hinder Oregon’s chances, but their zero-tolerance policy should whip James back in to shape. He’ll have to behave to stay on the field.

Oregon went 10-3 SU last season and stole the Pac-10 Conference, while their betting bandwagon lost some steam with a 7-6 ATS record. Still, the value of James as a +3000 longshot to win the Heisman is worht a $50 shot in the dark, especially if you don’t have confidence in the quarterbacks of 2010.

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