Delone Carter: Heisman Trophy Candidate?

I know...it's as if I'm just trying to be wacky for the sake of it.  But I swear it didn't come from me.  FanHouse's Brian Grummel put together a list of possible Heisman hopefuls from the Big East and, though he's rightfully considered a longshot, Delone Carter shows up for Syracuse.

The Syracuse brand conjures up a certain Heisman nostalgia. Its football brand, however, has been a disappointment of late. That said, the Orange were showing signs of competitiveness last year and look to be fielding a quality team for 2010, at least on defense. The one offensive bright light is Carter, who quietly ran for 1,021 yards and 11 touchdowns last year. If Syracuse shows any kind of life this year, it will be a major story in college football. When or if the press arrives, given the unsexy nature of defense, Carter could be the guy everyone directs their attention toward.

If he can boost his totals from 1,000 yards to 1,500 or so, and mix in a few highlight runs, there may just be some Heisman discussion coming his way.

Of course, there's the whole no-longer-on-the-team-because-he-one-punched-a-guy thing.  Carter is not officially a current student at Syracuse and he's therefore not on the current football roster.  He's still sorting out his legal issues and issues with the school, not to mention what Herr Marrone will do if he does return.

Even if Carter is allowed back into SU before the regular season, chances are he'll have to serve some kind of suspension.  If and when that's over, he's almost certainly going to find himself behind either Antwon Bailey or Averin Collier, who will have played the bulk of our minutes at RB.  And when he does get up to speed, chances are we're looking at more of a platoon backfield now than a one-man show.

And of course there is the possibility that Carter may never suit up for the Orange again.  Who knows at this point?

So...I'm gonna go out on a limb and say the only way Delone Carter wins a Heisman Trophy this season is if you are controlling him on your PS3.

No, there will be no Heisman discussion this year where Syracuse football is concerned. That's fine.  I don't think any Orange fans had illusions otherwise. We've got other things to worry about for the moment...like winning more football games.  Do that and the trophies will come.