LOS ANGELES - Picking a Heisman Trophy winner at this time of year is like forecasting who’ll be under the mistletoe with J.Lo for the holidays. Current roll calls include the respective incumbents — Jason White and Marc Anthony — but other famous leading men and possible dark horses are pining away across the country, rightfully feeling like they’ve got a shot at unseating them.

We’re treading in some unpredictable waters, but unafraid to make the call and say that Matt Leinart will be the lucky fella. We’re talking football here, not diva dating.

But then again, why limit it? Leinart is the star quarterback for the USC Trojans who are the hottest ticket in Hollywood now that the big top has come down on the Lakers’ three-ring circus. And who’s to say that he won’t catch the eye of a movie star at some point? We are talking about a guy who was dating a famous surfer/model last season.

We digress. Back to football.

With the way coach Pete Carroll has the Trojan program rolling right now and offensive coordinator Norm Chow having no problem slicing through the opposition, a healthy Leinart is a good bet to post numbers as good as the ones he surprised the nation with last season, coming out of the blue to more than adequately fill the cleats of Carson Palmer, who himself won the Heisman in 2002.

As an untested sophomore last year, Leinart was asked to throw the first pass of his collegiate career in the 2003 season opener at Auburn. That initial toss versus the vaunted Tiger defense went for a touchdown in what ended as a 23-0 blanking of then-No. 6 Auburn.

There was more where that came from as Leinart finished the season completing 255-of-402 passes (63.4 percent) for 3,556 yards and 38 touchdowns, against only nine interceptions, leading the Trojans to a 12-1 record and a share of the school’s 10th national championship.

Leinart had better percentage, efficiency, touchdown and interception numbers than his award winning, No. 1 NFL draft choice predecessor, presenting a strong case for last season’s Heisman. In the end, the rookie finished sixth. Two spots down the line in eighth was his partner in crime wide receiver Mike Williams, recently denied a return to the team by the NCAA following a failed bid to join the NFL early.

Odd as it might seem, Williams' inability to compete for the Trojans actually helps Leinart's Heisman bid. Williams is Ralph Nader to Leinart’s Al Gore, taking away voter points from those willing to forgo regional bias and quibble over whether it is more worthy to give than receive at USC. Think Ken Dorsey and Willis McGahee from the football factory in Coral Gables’ 2002 edition.

Even without Williams, the numbers will still be there for Leinart. Truth be told, they would probably be there even if Leinart weren’t. His backup sophomore John David Booty is seemingly destined for stardom himself (although most likely after redshirting this season). Any signal caller in Chow’s system of attack is bound to thrive.

With a stable of three thoroughbred running backs — Herschel Dennis (suspended by Carroll for ‘disciplinary reasons' and reportedly the focus of a sexual assault investigation ), Reggie Bush and LenDale White — bringing back memories of the glory days of “Tailback U.” and a host of young talent at the receiver positions, whoever takes the snaps will have statisticians earning overtime.

In particular, remember the name Dwayne Jarrett. He’s a Williams-esque wide receiver.  Keyshawn-esque. You pick an esque. Jarrett, a 6-foot-5 true freshman from New Jersey, is sending shockwaves through the Trojan training camp and adding depth at a strong position.

And Leinart could overcome a drop in statistical production and follow the 21st century Heisman pattern of handing over the hardware to a “name” quarterback on a top team — Chris Weinke, Eric Crouch, Palmer and White.

Leinart won’t be asked to carry the club on his back, which will release some of the pressure that is sure to mount during the fall. The Trojans have a not-so-secret stash of weapons other than Leinart’s trusty left arm.

The USC running game will get plenty of opportunities to shine, especially in the early going as four new starters along the offensive line get adjusted. Dennis was last season’s dependable starter, Bush was the dynamic newcomer everyone wanted to see more of and White became the first true freshman to lead the Trojans in rushing. Yes, only one can play at a time, but that doesn’t make opposing defensive coordinators sleep any easier.

A bruising yet speedy running game will be a big part of the Trojan march toward end zones, but Leinart will get his share of the damage done. When Chow lets him loose, he’ll likely pick up where he left off last season.

In his last nine games, Leinart threw for 2,632 yards and 30 scores while completing 65.5% of his passes and getting picked off only three times. At one point, over the course of eight games, he didn’t throw an interception in 212 consecutive attempts. Statically, we’re talking about USC’s most efficient passer ever and somebody who threw for more scores in a single season than any other quarterback in the history of the QB-rich Pac-10.

Make no mistake, amid the constellation of stars at Carroll’s disposal, Leinart is getting top billing and will continue to get most of the highlights and headlines, as has been the case this summer.

Take one trip to the newsstand and you’ll find Leinart matching Paris Hilton cover for cover.  The guy is everywhere and the school’s hype machine hasn’t even got started yet. But don’t expect the yoga practicing Leinart to wilt under the pressure. This Orange County native is as laid back as the stereotype. So undaunted by the rigorous requirements placed on a prime Heisman candidate in a major market such as Los Angeles, Leinart has actually added to his load, creating his own outlet to the public by establishing his own “blog” website that he updates daily.

Maybe one day, he’ll use it to respond to the J.Lo rumors.

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