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Heisman Trophy Watch 2015: Why these Top 15 contenders won’t win

By Michael Collins

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Jan 2, 2015; San Antonio, TX, USA; UCLA Bruins running back Paul Perkins (24) runs after a catch during the second half of the 2015 Alamo Bowl against the Kansas State Wildcats at Alamodome. The Bruins won 40-35. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

Paul Perkins actually has a better than decent shot at this year’s Heisman if Jim Mora can keep the Bruins offense together without quarterback Brett Hundley, but that’s a pretty big if right there. There are a lot of changes going on at UCLA this season, and a Heisman campaign isn’t in the cards.

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    • Why Perkins won’t win it:

    Like several of the candidates on this list, Perkins is going to be involved with an offense breaking in a new starting quarterback, and will need to become the go-to guy for Jim Mora’s team.

    The problem is, like Alabama, there isn’t much depth behind Perkins, and UCLA’s defense has been a bit suspect, giving up 28 points per game, and 250 yards per game in the air. Unless there is a significant improvement in defense,  Mora is going to want to play ball control offense, and will run the ball a ton. That means a man-sized load of work for Perkins who has already carried the ball 385 times in in his first two years.

    Another running back that may run out of gas on a team that will probably disappoint based on expectations and on improvement in the teams in their conference.

    Next: Perine

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