Heisman Watch Week 0

After about 7 months of waiting, the college football season is back. It's been a long wait for it, but it looks like it's all going to be worth it. The off-season was exciting (thanks to stories like John Harbaugh's antics in the South and QB battles at schools like Notre Dame and Alabama), but it has nothing on the drama and intrigue of the real season.

Of course, along with the college football season comes the Heisman Trophy, the single-most prestigious trophy awarded to an individual athlete. It may be too early to already pick a Heisman favorite, but what's the fun in waiting. Our weekly Heisman watch will kick off with our Top 10 contenders and some honorable mentions. Let's get started.

There are plenty of honorable mentions to give out, but we'll highlight a few: QB Brad Kaaya of Miami (Fl), Josh Rosen of UCLA, and whoever the starting QB of Notre Dame is. With that being said, let's get to our list.

10. Greg Ward Jr., Houston- This may seem like an odd pick, but Ward really has the skills to pull off this upset. He passed for over 2,000 yards and rushed for more than 1,000 yards last season. However, he'll need to lead his team to a victory over Oklahoma in Week 1 in order to win the Heisman.

9. Royce Freeman, Oregon- The Oregon running back had a great season last year, but was overshadowed by other backs (like Christian McCaffrey and Ezekiel Elliot). Now, he's poised to have a real breakout year.

8. Chad Kelly, Ole Miss- This might seem like another odd pick, but Kelly and Ole Miss had a great season last year, topped off by Kelly throwing for more than 4,000 yards. He's currently the best quarterback in the SEC and if he keeps winning, he'll stay in the Heisman conversation.

7. Seth Russell, Baylor- Russell had limited playing time last year, but he shone whenever he did. Quarterbacks have always done well in Baylor's system (like Robert Griffin III), so everything is set up for Russell to succeed.

6. Nick Chubb, Georgia- Chubb was looking fantastic last season before suffering a terrible season-ending injury. Now that he's completely healthy, look for him to run rampant all over opposing defenses.

5. Dalvin Cook, Florida St- Cook might have been a little under-the-radar last season, but he still had a great year. In total, he rushed for more than 1,600 yards and 19 touchdowns. If FSU does well this year, Cook will have a lot to do with it.

4. Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma- Mayfield was one of last season's biggest breakout stars and Oklahoma ended up making the College Football Playoffs. If Oklahoma does well again this season, Mayfield will definitely be a Heisman finalist.

3. Deshaun Watson, Clemson- Watson is easily one of the biggest preseason favorites. Not only did he play in the national title game last year, but he was a Heisman finalist. There's a very good chance he can do the same thing again this year.

2. Christian McCaffrey, Stanford- Last year, McCaffrey broke Barry Sanders's single-season all-purpose yards record, and it was good enough to have him finish second in the Heisman voting. If he has a season anything like that again, he'll be a lock for New York.

1. Leonard Fournette, LSU- By the midway point of last season, Fournette was easily the Heisman leader. Unfortunately, he had a string of bad games that essentially derailed his candidacy. This year however, could be the season that Fournette goes the distance.

Thanks for reading everyone.