The Front-runner: Ameer Abdullah, RB, Nebraska
If it feels like an astonishing new Abdullah highlight reel drops every week, that’s because it does.
At
one point, playing running back at Nebraska was a shortcut to Heisman consideration. Apparently, this is no longer the case, as evidenced by
Abdullah being far from a clear-cut favorite. While some of the arguments leveled against him are fair — yes, Todd Gurley could probably rush for 500 yards on McNeese State, something Abdullah failed to do — he’ll have the chance to silence any and all remaining doubters/critics/agnostics/etc. at no. 10 Michigan State this weekend. If Abdullah can tear it up against
Pat Narduzzi’s stingy defense, he’ll deserve to be the Heisman’s one true front-runner. If he doesn’t, then we can return our focus to Melvin Gordon, as there’s room for only one red-and-white-wearing Big Ten running back in this conversation.