Top 10 college football quarterbacks most likely to win 2017 Heisman

PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 02: USC Trojans head coach Clay Helton and quarterback Sam Darnold
PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 02: USC Trojans head coach Clay Helton and quarterback Sam Darnold /
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PASADENA, CA – JANUARY 02: Cornerback John Reid
PASADENA, CA – JANUARY 02: Cornerback John Reid /

Sam Darnold has been talked about as a potential number one pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. However, the point of this article is not to look that far ahead. The USC Trojans enter the 2017 college football season with as much hype as any team in the country. Much of that hype is because of Darnold and his emergence last season.

He took over as the starting quarterback against the Utah Utes, finishing with nearly 300 total yards and one touchdown. Even though the Trojans lost that contest against the Utes, they would not lose another game in 2016 with Darnold behind center.

USC pulled off nine straight victories, including victories against ranked teams such as the Colorado Buffaloes (Pac-12 North champions), Washington Huskies (Pac-12 Conference champions), and the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Rose Bowl. Darnold tossed five touchdowns on three separate occasions last year as well.

Darnold’s stats in the final nine games of the season shows why he’s the overall Heisman favorite entering 2017. Even though he was not the starter for the full season in 2016 he still finished with over 3,000 passing yards and 33 total touchdowns, and just nine interceptions.

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There’s a number of talented quarterbacks in the PAC-12 in 2017 including Washington’s Jake Browning, Washington State’s Luke Falk, UCLA’s Josh Rosen, Oregon’s Justin Herbert, and Utah’s Troy Williams.

Yet, Darnold looks to be the best of the bunch. Look out for Darnold to throw for more than 4,000 yards and 35 touchdowns in 2017 on his way to a spectacular Heisman campaign.