Virginia Tech wideout Brandon Dillard will miss the season after rupturing his right Achilles tendon during offseason workouts earlier this week.

The Hokies are looking to replace all of their starting wideouts from 2007, and Dilllard was a likely candidate to take one of those spots. His loss is a significant one for the Hokies.

Though Dillard, a walk-on, hadn't even earned a scholarship at Virginia Tech, he had shown great promise in camp and was considered one of the team's most promising young playmakers. Without him, coach Frank Beamer will have to dig even deeper into his roster to field a decent set of wideouts in 2008.

The 2008 college football season is now less than two months away. Which means it's time to start making ridiculously early predictions.

So here goes: Ohio State tailback Chris Wells will win the Heisman Trophy.

And here are three reasons why:

1) Defending Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow won't be as good in 2008 as he was in 2007. I mean, really, how could he be? Last season Tebow threw for 3,286 yards and 32 touchdowns. He ran for 895 yards and 23 touchdowns. The guy not only led the Gators in rushing, he also led the entire SEC in rushing touchdowns. Chances of that happening again? Almost zero, especially because Tebow will likely be sharing carries, for the first time, with a legitimate tailback -- that's USC transfer Emmanuel Moody, in case you're wondering. And don't forget, there's that guy Percy Harvin, too. The bottom line? Tebow's numbers are almost certain to drop. That will cost him votes.

2) Texas Tech receiver Michael Crabtree can't win it. He just can't. Yes, Crabtree is good. Yes, he's the best receiver in the country and, yes, he's very likely to match or even improve upon his remarkable numbers in 2007: 134 catches for 1,962 yards and 22 touchdowns. But here's the thing: He still plays for Texas Tech. And nobody from Texas Tech is going to get enough press to win the Heisman Trophy. The award remains a popularity contest. And you need press to be popular. Fair or not, Tech is the No. 3 team in their own state. Sorry, Red Raiders fans.

3) Ohio State's quarterback is still Todd Boeckman. Boeckman is not a bad quarterback. In fact, at times he can be quite good. But he is not the second coming of Carson Palmer. Or even Ron Powlus. Boeckman is, simply, a ball control quarterback whose only jobs are to not make mistakes and successfully hand the ball of to his best weapon: Chris Wells. The man they call Beanie rushed for 1,609 yards and 15 touchdowns last season and, considering the way Boeckman melted down during the 2007 stretch run (see: Illinois game), it's not hard to imagine coach Jim Tressel cutting down on the pass attempts and turning the offense over to Wells in 2008. A 2,000-yard season is not out of the question for Beanie, and if he gets there (I think he will), the Heisman is his.

You heard it here first.

Photo: Ohio State tailback Chris Wells may top the 2,000 yard mark in 2008. If he does, he'll walk off with the Heisman Trophy. (Harry How/Getty Images)

J.R. Hasty was supposed to become one of the great players in Washington football history.

Instead, he'll leave Seattle as one of the program's great disappointments -- and yet another example of why recruiting hype doesn't always translate to on-the-field success.

The Seattle Times reports that Hasty, a junior running back and one-time high school superstar, has been cut from the team by coach Tyrone Willingham after mustering just 18 yards in his entire Husky career.

It wasn't quite what Husky fans expected when the tailback signed with Washington back in 2005.

Hasty was one of the biggest recruits in recent Washington history -- a four-year starter in high school who rushed for 2,519 yards and 50 touchdowns in his senior season alone. He was the Associated Press and Gatorade Player of the Year and turned down scholarship offers from several other top programs to play for his hometown Huskies.

But after showing promise early in his career, Hasty flopped. He had weight issues and disciplinary issues and academic issues. Now, those issues have cost him a scholarship. And Willingham doesn't seem the least bit fazed: Hasty's release wasn't announced formally and the coach had no comment on the player's departure.

Talk about a fall from grace.

Photo: Tyrone Willingham's Washington squad isn't exactly bursting with playmakers. Even still, the coach recently cut once-promising tailback J.R. Hasty. (Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

Here's some sad news for college football fans everywhere: Uga VI, the beloved bulldog mascot of the Georgia Bulldogs, has died.

Savannah attorney Frank W. "Sonny" Seiler, the dog's owner, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Uga VI died of congestive heart failure. Uga IV had served as the Bulldogs' mascot for nine seasons and was the winningest Uga yet. In his time roaming the sidelines (or, more commonly, sitting on his bag of ice) Uga VI saw Georgia run up a record of 87-27 and win two SEC championships.

In a statement, Georgia athletic director Damon Evans said: "Uga VI was a damn good mascot and a damn good dog."

Seiler said the next in the line of Ugas -- Uga VII -- will be announced soon.

Photo: Uga VI passed away Friday night after nine seasons -- nine good seasons -- as Georgia's mascot. (Marc Serota / Getty Images)