Bridgewater No. 6 in ESPN Heisman Rankings, Ready to Meet Expectations
Despite asking the University of Louisville not to campaign for his potential Heisman trophy, quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is still very much in the race and this week, ESPN has him sitting in the sixth spot.
Teddy Bridgewater
The race, even before any of the players have hit the field for regular season play, is the following per the Worldwide Leader in Sports:
Jadaveon Clowney (South Carolina), Braxton Miller (Ohio State), Johnny Manziel (Texas A&M), AJ McCarron (Alabama), Marcus Mariota (Oregon) and Bridgewater.
Yes, Clowney is the only non-quarterback in the group.
And because we like to look at the odds here at Betting Sports, here’s Bovada’s take on this Heisman horse race:
Braxton Miller 9/2
Jadeveon Clowney 6/1
Teddy Bridgewater 9/1
A.J. McCarron 10/1
Marcus Mariota 12/1
Aaaron Murray 14/1
Johnny Manziel 15/1
Expectations are high for Bridgewater as he has also appeared on Heisman watch lists from USA Today and CBS Sports as well as the Maxwell, Walter Camp and Manning Award nods. Some have him as the first quarterback to go in the 2014 NFL Draft as Clowney looks like he could be the overall No. 1 pick.
In 2012, Bridgewater passed for 3,718 yards with 27 touchdowns. He had a 68.5% pass completion with only eight picks and has said he’d like to become a “perfect†passer.
The player led his team to an 11-2 season and an upset in the Super Bowl over Florida with its 33-23 win. For the last two seasons, Louisville has taken a share of the Big East Championship and this year they’ll play in the AAC.
Louisville has its 2013 regular season win total at 11 (+170 o/-210 u).
Looking ahead to the season, Bridgewater knows there’s expectations for both him and his team as well as the Heisman chatter. He recently said via the Associated Press, “I think we’re handling them well. We’re ready for them. We put ourselves in this situation and we’re up to the challenge.â€
Lucky for him, he’ll have a ton of weapons to help him achieve his goals. His receiver corp is back including his favorite targets of Damian Copeland, DeVante Parker and Eli Rogers as well as his tight ends, Ryan Hubbell, transfer Matt Milton and rookie James Quick.
For his ground game, Bridgewater will have running back Senorise Perry returning from a torn right ACL (705 yards and 11 touchdowns from 2012), Dominque Brown and the newest member, former Auburn running back Michael Dyer. In two seasons with the Tigers, Dyer ran for 2,335 yards was part of the 2010 BCS national championship-winning team. He was the game’s Offensive MVP with his 143 yards.
Michael Dyer
Keep in mind, he could be a little rusty as he hasn’t played since 2011. He also brings some baggage with him as he’s been in trouble for failed drug tests, speeding and guns in the trunk of his car.
Dyer has come to Louisville under the pretense he’ll sign a behavior contract; he is also subject to a “zero-tolerance policy,” reported CBS Sports.
The player has said he’s changed his ways and said in a statement when he joined Louisville early in the month, “I am ready to start a new chapter in my life. I have learned from my past and feel that Louisville is the best place to play the second half of my collegiate football career. I thank God for coach Strong’s belief in me. I am not going to let him down.”
The Cardinals will face a new slew of teams and enters the preseason ranked as No 9. It doesn’t play anyone in the Top 25 this season but there are four teams that received votes including Cincinnati, Ohio, Rutgers and UCF.
Louisville sits at 4/7 to win the AAC this year and 16/1 to win the BCS National Championship.
