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The race for this year's Heisman is still heating up, with a lot of twists and turns to go before the winner is announced.Now is a good time to look a ways ahead to try to determine what next year's race will look like.
One of the things we know for sure is that the following players won't be a factor:
Brady Quinn
Adrian Peterson
Troy Smith
Chris Leak
Kenny Irons
Garrett Wolfe
Ted Ginn
Marshawn Lynch
Drew Stanton
Drew Tate
They'll all either be graduating or heading to the NFL a year early.
So who does that leave?
Well, first and foremost, you have to look at Steve Slaton of West Virginia. Granted, he does not play for a traditional power, but after this year he will have done enough to make himself a household name. He will be coming off a great statistical season and a likely top 6 finish in the Heisman voting as a sophomore. What's more, the Mountaineers will probably remain in the top five as long as he and Pat White are running that offense.
After a year's respite, the USC quarterback should return as a candidate. Assuming John David Booty returns for his senior year, he'll be right there with Slaton as one of the front runners. Right now, it looks like Booty is on pace for a huge junior year, which means that he'll get plenty of hype heading into next season.
Michael Hart and Drew Henne of Michigan are both juniors this year and will be known quantities to Heisman voters next season Hart will have excellent career numbers and could challenge for the trophy with a big senior year. Henne is, to a lesser extent, also a candidate to consider, but he would have to really be fantastic in 2007 to have a shot.
Jamaal Charles of Texas is off to a slow start this season, in part because he shares so many carries with Selvin Young. Next year, though, he'll have the tailback spot all to himself and could have the kind of season that grabs Heisman notice.
UCLA's Ben Olson is likely to be the first quarterback selected when he applies for the draft, but in the meantime, he could lead a Bruin resurgence in 2007. He's the closest thing to Carson Palmer since, well, Carson Palmer. If he has a good year--but not so good that he leaves early--then he will be a legit candidate next season.
Antonio Pittman of Ohio State isn't particularly flashy, but he will be coming off another 1,000-yard season and could potentially be a candidate in '07.
The Darkhorses will include Jonathan Stewart and Dennis Dixon of Oregon, Kyle Wright of Miami, Sam Keller of Nebraska and Jimmy Clausen of Notre Dame (just kidding).
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