Paul’s posterous

1. Colt McCoy, Texas: The top three guys from my Heisman ballot last year return and I'm beginning 2009 with my No. 1 guy from 2008, Colt McCoy, in the same position. McCoy is a great leader, a dangerous runner, has a quick release and is incredibly accurate (77 percent in 2008.) He also performed at an incredibly high level throughout the season and didn't have any subpar games. Better still, he has the benefit of having his O-line back (unlike Sam Bradford) and his top playmaker back (unlike Tim Tebow) in Jordan Shipley. Plus, I think there will be a feeling among the Heisman electorate that will cause them to side with McCoy if it's a toss-up in the voting, feeling like it's "his turn."

2. Tim Tebow, Florida: Tebow is definitely in the mix, especially since his team is the preseason No. 1 and there is a huge celebrity quality about him now. I'm intrigued to see this Tebow Version 2.0 with the arrival of new QB coach Scot Loeffler. Tebow was already pretty accurate. Will his tightened-up delivery enable him to take the next step as a passer? Tebow figures to put up a lot of yardage both on the ground and through the air but I wonder if Urban Meyer will try and not have him run quite as much.

3. Sam Bradford, Oklahoma: I'll put Bradford No. 3 going into the season. Truth is, it's splitting hairs between the top three guys, but we've seen how hard it can be for an offense breaking in almost an entirely new O-line and I suspect those growing pains will affect the Sooner offense at times this season. Bradford still has a lot of weapons to throw for a ton of yards, especially relying on TE Jermaine Gresham. Plus the Sooners will be in some compelling early-season matchups (BYU and at Miami) to get generate some buzz.

BYU's Max Hall isn't even on the list.