The College Football season begins this weekend as the action of Week 0 starts the most exciting time of the year. While the Week 0 slate is limited with only a handful of games, there's one truly exciting game taking place as the 22nd ranked Iowa State and 17th ranked Kansas State face off in a Top 25 matchup with massive implications on the College Football Playoff hopes for each team and the race for the Big 12.
While the matchup will have massive implications on the race for the College Football Playoff and the Big 12, it could end up having a pivotal impact on the Heisman Trophy race. When the Wildcats and the Cyclones face off, the quarterbacks will be the main focus as Heisman darkhorses Avery Johnson and Rocco Becht look to lead their teams to victory.
Avery Johnson has all of the talent to go from dark horse to Heisman Trophy front-runner if he can put it all together this season. In his first season as the starter, Johnson completed 58.3% of his passes for 2,712 yards and 25 touchdowns with just 12 interceptions while adding 605 yards and 7 touchdowns with his legs.
The dynamic ability that Avery Johnson has makes him a potential breakout star this season. If Johnson can start to improve as a passer, it'll make this Kansas State offense incredibly tough to stop. Jayce Brown the team's leading receiver returns while the Wildcats went out and added an aresnal for their quarterback.
On the other side of this matchup, the Iowa State Cyclones return their starting quarterback Rocco Becht. This season marks Becht's third season as the team's starting quarterback which bodes well for the Cyclones continuing to improve on offense.
Rocco Becht quietly had one of the best seasons in the Big 12 last season, going 271-456 passing (59.4%) for 3,505 yards and 25 touchdowns with just 9 interceptions. The area where Becht needs to improve is raising his completion percentage if he's going to contend for the Heisman Trophy. The good news is that Iowa State returns 9 of 11 starters on offense, which bodes well for Becht improving.
The Iowa State Cyclones and the Kansas State Wildcats will be the center of attention in Week 0, and with all eyes on this matchup, both quarterbacks have the perfect chance to launch themselves from dark horse to Heisman contention.
More Big 12 News: