Winning the Heisman Trophy used to be an old man’s game, but not anymore. Until as recently as 10 years ago, it was almost a given that an upperclassman would win the award even if an underclassman had a better season because “he had next year to win.”

Jameis Winston is the early favorite to win the Heisman Trophy in 2014.

From 1935-2006, no freshman or sophomore won the award. Tim Tebow broke the string, when he took home the stiff-arm trophy as a sophomore in 2007. My how things have changed. Since Carson Palmer won as a senior in 2002, only one other season has won the Heisman – Ohio State’s Troy Smith. Given the recent younger trend, and the fact that redshirt freshmen won the trophy the last two seasons, here is a look at the 10 underclassmen with the best chance to win the Heisman in 2014.

1. Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State, RS Soph. – The Heisman Trophy often goes the best player on the best team, and that was Winston in 2013. Truth is, if could be Winston in 2014 as well. He could become only the second player to win the award twice – Ohio State’s Archie Griffin did it 1974-75. Florida State is the popular pick to win the National Championship again, and Winston is the No. 1 Heisman contender as well. If he can minimize some of the off-the-field distractions he and the Seminoles can stay on top of college football for another season.

2. Trevor Knight, QB, Oklahoma, RS Soph. – Knight burst onto the national scene against Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, earning MVP honors after throwing for 348 yards and four touchdowns on 32-for-44 passing. Knight needs to work on his consistency, but he was much better late in 2013 after fighting through some injuries. The Sooners are predicted to have an outstanding season, and if they do that likely means Knight had an outstanding year for OU.

3. Derrick Henry, RB, Alabama, Soph. – Like Knight, Henry was a player who had a breakout game in the Sugar Bowl. The five-star running back had nine touches for 161 yards and two touchdowns against the Sooners. He will share carries with T.J. Yeldon, Kenyan Drake and others, but Henry has the size and speed to be a special back. If Yeldon’s fumbling issues continue, Henry could get an increased load for an Alabama team that is expected to be in the national title race all season.

4. Thomas Tyner, RB, Oregon, Soph. – Tyner played in 12 of Oregon’s 13 games last season and finished with 711 yards rushing (6.2 yards per carry) and nine touchdowns. He also caught 14 passes for 134 yards to finish with 845 all-purpose yards. Much of the Heisman hype on the Ducks team will be focused on quarterback Marcus Mariotta if Oregon has a good season, but – to draw an Auburn parallel - Tyner could be the Tre Mason to Mariotta’s Nick Marshall this season. Tyner was a member of the 247Sports True Freshman All-American team in 2013.

5. Shock Linwood, RB, Baylor, Soph. – Quarterback Bryce Petty seems to get most of the attention when talking about Art Briles’ offense, but the Baylor running backs do their share of damage as well. Lache Seastrunk rushed for 1177 yards and 11 touchdowns last season, and Linwood was right behind him with 881 yards and eight scores. Seastrunk is gone, so Linwood’s opportunities should increase greatly. Baylor is predicted by many to be a top-10 team, and if the ball bounces their way a few times they could find themselves in the first College Football Playoff.

6. Myles Jack, LB/RB, UCLA, Soph. – Jack became a nationwide story when he started to play both ways for the Bruins. He played on offense for the first time at Arizona (ninth game of the season) and ran six times for 120 yards, including a 66-yard touchdown run, in a 31-26 victory. He finished with seven rushing touchdowns, including four against Washington. On defense, His 75 tackles ranked fifth on the team and he led the Bruins with 11 pass defenses. For good measure, he added two interceptions on the season - returning one for a touchdown. UCLA is a preseason top-10 team according to many experts, and quarterback Kevin Hundley is a Heisman contender himself. It remains to be seen how much offense – if any – Jack will play this season, but he could make a big splash if gets to carry the ball enough.

7. Davis Webb, QB, Texas Tech, Soph. – Quarterbacks that put up gaudy statistics are often mentioned in Heisman conversations, and Webb and the Red Raiders offense will rack up yards and score points. Webb went 226-of-361 for 2,718 yards with 20 passing touchdowns and nine interceptions and a 139.1 passing efficiency in 10 games (six starts) last season. In one stretch he had at least 30 completions in five consecutive games. Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury has raved about Webb this offseason, so expect him to be slinging the ball all over the field this fall.

Fournette was the 247Sports Composite National Player of the Year.

8. Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU, Frosh. – Fournette is a special talent who comes to campus with great expectations. The Tigers running game will be asked to help out whoever gets the starting job at quarterback in the fall. LSU has only two scholarship running backs returning from last season, so Fournette figures to get his share of touches. If he shines when he gets an opportunity, he could vault himself to the top of the depth chart. He is an elite talent who was given a “franchise player” rating of 101 by 247Sports and he won the 247Sports Composite National Player of the Year award for being the No. 1 overall prospect in the country. He is on campus now, and running back is traditionally one of the easiest positions to have an impact as a true freshman.

9. Alex Collins, RB, Arkansas, Soph. – I don’t think the Razorbacks will win enough games for Collins to truly be a factor, and he may have to surrender too many carries to Jonathan Williams to climb any higher on this list. However, Collins proved he is a special talent last season right out of the gates. Collins was the first freshman in SEC history to start his career with three consecutive 100-yard rushing games and the first true freshman in the Football Bowl Subdivision to do it since Oklahoma’s Adrian Peterson in 2004. He put up a 1,000 yard season on a 3-9 team that really struggled to throw the ball. Williams had more than 900 yards as well. If Collins separates himself a bit from Williams and gets some help from the passing game, he could put up big numbers.

10. Tyler Boyd, WR, Pittsburgh, Soph. – It is difficulty for a wide receiver to win the Heisman, but Boyd returns kicks as well – which seems to be a prerequisite for any wideout to be considered for the award. Boyd had 85 receptions for 1,174 yards and seven touchdowns as a true freshman last season, eclipsing a few records set by Larry Fitzgerald (who finished second in the Heisman race in 2003). Boyd was named our National True Freshman of the week twice last season, and has a chance to build on his amazing first season. He may have shown a glimpse of what’s to come in the Little Caesars Bowl. Boyd had 242 all-purpose yards in the game. He had eight catches for 173 yards and returned a punt 54 yards for a touchdown.

