The Auburn Tigers' Cam Newton stepped up above all else last year and the voting was heavily slanted with him winning 2010 Heisman Trophy without many challengers coming close. With Tiger's winning the BCS National Championship Cam decided to step up to the NFL and is now quarterbacking the Carolina Panthers. He would have been the favorite again for the 2011 Heisman Trophy odds lines if he decided to come back

Here's banter from around the league regarding the pre-season favorites for the 2011 Heisman Trophy Winner. Don't forget we also have NFL MVP odds and the NFL offensive rookie of the year odds in our live online sportsbook as well.

Andrew Luck, the quarterback at Stanford, will be the preseason favorite to win the Heisman Trophy in 2011. The Carolina Panthers were anxiously awaiting Luck to enter the Draft in 2011 so they could make him the £1 pick in the draft, however Luck passing up something like 60 million took a different route and surprised almost everyone by going back to Stanford for his senior year to finish his studies and degree. Luck took the Cardinals to the Orange Bowl, where he provided a confident victory over Virginia Tech. A 12-1 regular season record got them there, one of Stanford;s best seasons in its long history. Stanford was selected for its BCS bowl game as an at-large participant, largely because of the play of Luck. Luck has the athleticism and decision-making ability to do even better in 2011. With a new coach, however, Stanford may not win as much in 2011 as it did in 2010. Luck must also overcome a perceived East Coast media bias against Pac-10 players. The other favorite for the Heisman Trophy will be Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson. Early in the 2010 season, Robinson looked a lot like Can Newton and was considered the early favorite to win the Heisman. But, once Michigan got into the Big Ten schedule, the team's porous defense allowed opponents to put up a lot of points against the Wolverines. Robinson provided plenty of offensive fireworks himself, but it wasn't enough to prevent a disappointing season at the Big House, which cost coach Rich Rodriguez his job. New coach Brady Hoke is a defensive specialist famous for leading fast turnarounds at underachieving schools. If the defense improves and Robinson continues to score points, Michigan's record could improve dramatically this year, which would raise Robinson's Heisman profile. He'll definitely be shooting for the Cardinals to win the BCS Championship but if not they are the favorites to win the PAC-12 Championship with an appearance in the Rose Bowl.

The Dark Horses

Great SEC players seem to get automatic consideration for the Heisman Trophy. Marcus Lattimore, the sensational running back for the University of South Carolina, had a breakout season as a true freshman. Lattimore led South Carolina to its first ever SEC East Division title. He figures to be even better in 2011. So does South Carolina. Coach Steve Spurrier has stockpiled some talent and has a good recruiting class coming in next year. If South Carolina is a contender for the SEC title, the media will focus a lot of Heisman attention on Lattimore. Another dark horse for the Heisman is Auburn's running back Michael Dyer, who will be a true sophomore in 2011. Dyer was as highly recruited and highly regarded as Marcus Lattimore coming out of high school. Dyer had an excellent freshman year that was overshadowed by Cam Newton's stellar season. With Newton gone, Dyer figures to be the star of the Auburn offense next year. He may have launched his Heisman campaign with his 32-yard run in the BCS National Championship Game. Auburn and South Carolina meet fairly early in the 2011 season, giving both Lattimore and Dyer a chance to state their case for the Heisman in head-to-head competition. They will definitely be pushing for their teams to win the SEC Chamionship game as well.

The 2011 Heisman Trophy is Andrew Luck's to go out and win if he can stay healthy and the coaching change doesn't affect Stanford too much. He should be better next year than this year, which should be more than enough to bring the trophy home. But, if he stumbles or Stanford has a bad season, look for Robinson, Lattimore, or Dyer to step up and steal the Heisman from Luck.