Heisman Watch 2011: Contenders vs. Pretenders

The Heisman race is heating up and each week presents another opportunity for candidates to establish themselves as a Heisman contender or a pretender. Each time these players take the field, they have a chance to secure a signature win and dazzle voters. 

Here are the Heisman hopefuls we'll be monitoring this week. Check back here to see how the Heisman race stacks up after this week's games.

UPDATE: Saturday, Oct. 9 at 8:30 a.m. EDT by Donald Wood

While many of the Heisman Trophy candidates had amazing games; including Robert Griffin III, Trent Richardson and Kellen Moore, one student athlete has shown that he is the clear front runner for the honor and it’s his race to lose.

Andrew Luck from Stanford.

With an amazing effort against Colorado, Luck furthered his chances of winning the Heisman Trophy before he is taken No. 1 overall in the 2012 NFL draft by passing for 370 yards and three touchdowns before being taken out of the game with ten minutes left in the game.

Luck did throw an interception, but it was only because it was tipped for it got to the receiver he was targeting, further proving that the Stanford star not only is the best quarterback in college football, but that he is the best football player to come out of college in a long time.

Update: Saturday, 9:30 p.m. ET

Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III continued putting up stellar numbers against Iowa State on Saturday, completing 22-of-30 passes for 212 yards and a touchdown and rushing for 107 yards and a touchdown.  

Griffin has impressed voters with his numbers this season, but, given TCU is now unranked, the strength of schedule is a mark against him so far. He's going to have to put up big numbers against ranked opponents to have a chance in the Heisman discussion. His remaining ranked opponents include: No. 24 Texas A&M, No. 6 Oklahoma State, No. 3 Oklahoma and No. 11 Texas.

Update: Saturday, 9:30 p.m. ET

Alabama star running back Trent Richardson turned in another stellar performance against Vanderbilt in the Crimson Tide's 34-0 victory on Saturday.

Richardson, who came into Saturday's contest with 622 rushing yards and 11 total touchdowns, rushed 19 times for 107 yards and a touchdown against Vanderbilt. He's narrowing the margin between him and Luck. His performance against No. 1 LSU on Nov. 5 will be key.

Update: Saturday, 9:30 p.m. ET

Andrew Luck continues to look like the top Heisman candidate. On Saturday against Colorado, Luck went 26-of-33 for 370 yards, three touchdowns and one interception in Stanford's 48-7 blowout victory. His interception against Colorado was only his second interception in five games.

It's not just that Luck has No. 7 Stanford in the top 10, or that he puts up big numbers, it's the skills he displays on the field. You truly have to watch him to understand what a great NFL prospect he is. He's still drawing comparisons to Peyton Manning when he came out of Tennessee.

Update: Saturday, 6:50 p.m. ET

It's not about the stat sheet for Robert Griffin III. Baylor is clinging for their AP lives and playing for a shot in the BCS rankings. It doesn't matter how much RGIII lights up the opposing defense if Baylor loses.

He's competing against quarterbacks who have a great chance at running the table. Even if RGIII blows them away, it's going to be hard for him to compete with Andrew Luck, Russell Wilson, Denard Robinson and Russell Wilson if none of them acquire a loss this season.

Update: Saturday, 6:35 p.m. ET

Justin Blackmon's numbers were actually hurt in Oklahoma State's blowout victory over Kansas. The score is 70-28 and Blackmon, who is almost guaranteed 100 yards a game, was held to just 84. He tacked on two touchdowns, but he didn't have a Heisman day.

Blackmon is far too valuable to Oklahoma State to risk injuring him in order to better his chances in the Heisman race. Even so, this is the sort of minor setback that takes him from the outskirts of the Heisman race and pushes him out of the competition entirely.

Update: Saturday, 6:10 p.m. ET

With LaMichael James dislocating his elbow, Trent Richardson has a chance to make up some ground in the Heisman race. He's now the best running back in the nation on perhaps the best team in the nation. Though Ray Graham may have better numbers, Richardson clearly has a better shot at the Heisman.

Alabama is squaring off against Vanderbilt and their at home. This is a huge opportunity for Richardson to really put it on someone and keep Richardson rolling. With 622 yards thus far, Richardson should give his numbers a huge lift in an easy win.

Here is a statistical breakdown of his game-by-game numbers thus far, according to ESPN.

Update: Saturday, 5:53 p.m. ET

Colorado has allowed over 30 points in all but one game this season. Andrew Luck has a chance to really put it on Colorado and even though this isn't going to be the game we look back on as his signature performance, it's a great opportunity for him to boost his stats.

With Russell Wilson right on Luck's heels, he's going to need to capitalize on a weak opponent this week to elevate his numbers. Here are his game-by-game stats going into the game, according to ESPN.

Update: Saturday, 5:22 p.m. ET

Pittsburgh's Ray Graham is slowly but surely making his case as a Heisman dark horse. After rushing for 226 yards last week against South Florida, Graham is on the cusp of joining the Heisman conversation, even though his team is mediocre.

Graham is going to need to turn it on, as he is scoreless and has been held to 31 yards in the first quarter. In order to compete in the Heisman race, he's going to need to lead the nation in rushing. It's a very real possibility. Graham's priority has to be remaining relevant, now that he's on the radar.

Here are his stats thus far this season, according to ESPN.

Update: Saturday, 5:06 p.m. ET

Oklahoma State is beating Kansas 56-7 at halftime. Justin Blackmon already has two touchdowns and as long as he stays in the game, he has a chance to put up insane numbers this game that put him right back into the Heisman race.

Blackmon had outrageous stats last season and didn't come away with the Heisman. If he keeps up this pace he's going to have a shot, but his success is largely predicated off the overall success of Oklahoma State.

Here's how his game is looking thus far, in comparison to the other other Cowboys receivers, according to ESPN.

Update: Saturday, 4:52 p.m. ET

Michigan has a great shot at running the table. They've had a cupcake schedule thus far and if they can get the better of Nebraska and Illinois, it's hard to see them suffering a loss this year. Denard Robinson doesn't have nearly the passing yards of his co-Heisman competitors, but he's got the rushing yards to give him a shot at the award.

Michigan plays Northwestern this week and Robinson has yet another chance to dominate. With 603 yards on the ground thus far this season, he's an elite dual-threat quarterback who might have the numbers and an undefeated record when this season is all said and done.

Here are his numbers going into today's game, according to ESPN.

Update: Saturday, 4:29 p.m. ET

Justin Blackmon is having a monster day. He's almost a shoe in for the Biletnikoff award and though he's on the outskirts of the Heisman picture, you can't argue with his numbers. Oklahoma St. isn't a contender anymore, but Blackmon is still a Heisman dark horse.

He's got 57 yards on four catches and a touchdown through one quarter of play today. If he keeps up this ridiculous pace he's going to jump right back into the Heisman conversation.

Here is a receiving breakdown of the high-scoring blowout thus far, according to ESPN.

Update: Saturday, 4:20 p.m. ET

Marcus Lattimore is working his way out of the Heisman race. With 102 yards and no touchdowns on the day, Lattimore simply isn't doing enough to justify being ranked above more productive players on better teams. Lattimore had a solid day, but not a Heisman day. With his tough schedule, Lattimore has to really dominate against a weaker opponents.

Update: Saturday, 4:08 p.m. ET

Landry Jones finished the day with 367 yards and three touchdowns. While this was an overly impressive performance from Jones and Oklahoma, will it be enough to propel him past Andrew Luck, Russell Wilson, and the Heisman candidates that got off a quicker start?

Jones has eight touchdowns and one interception through his last two games, after throwing five touchdowns and four interceptions through his first three. He's on the comeback trail, but it could be too little too late for Jones.

Update: Saturday, 3:46 p.m. ET

Surprisingly, the only real Heisman candidate in the LSU vs. Florida game is LSU cornerback Tyrann Mathieu. We've seen defensive players who can take over games make a run at the Heisman in the past.

Charles Woodson was a predominantly defensive player who walked away with the Heisman, but a much more likely scenario for Mathieu is the one Ndamukong Suh saw. Voters love offensive players with monster numbers. Still, Mathieu is worth monitoring. If he's got the numbers and LSU is able to run the table en route to a National Championship, he could be a finalist.

Here are his game-by-game stats to date according to ESPN.

Update: Saturday, 3:33 p.m. ET

South Carolina is blowing Kentucky away, but Marcus Lattimore isn't having a Heisman day. If Lattimore is going to jump back into the Heisman race, splitting carries and having a "solid" day isn't going to cut it.

Lattimore is a great talent and South Carolina is a competitive team, but we need to see his numbers not only trump Trent Richardson's but be so incredible that they allow him to propel past Andrew Luck and the quarterbacks who are on teams that are contenders.

Here's how South Carolina's carries are being split up thus far according to ESPN.

Update: Saturday, 3:18 p.m. ET

Landry Jones and the Oklahoma Sooners are rolling. With just over six minutes to go in the 4th quarter, the Sooners are dominating Texas in the sort of signature performance necessary to win the Heisman.

He has three touchdowns and close to 400 yards in the air. The road back to Heisman relevancy isn't going to come easy, but if he keeps stringing together performances like this and Oklahoma continues to roll, he's going to remain in the picture.

Here are his stats thus far according to ESPN.

Update: Saturday, 11:28 a.m. ET

Kellen Moore dominated Fresno State last night in three-touchdown performance. It's the sort of game he's going to need to routinely have if he has any shot in winning the award. Just as Boise State has to demolish their opponents to even have a shot at the National Championship, Moore has to blow up the stat sheet if he wants to have a chance at winning the Heisman.

Here is a game-by-game statistical breakdown of Moore's season according to ESPN.

Update: Saturday, 11 a.m.

Here's our current Heisman standings to start the day.

1) ANDREW LUCK, QB, STANFORD

Andrew Luck has a chance to add a Heisman to his trophy case before he goes on to the NFL. With Stanford a National Championship contender, Luck is en route to doing accomplishing everything he sought out to do by returning this season, rather than moving onto the NFL.

Luck is coming off a ridiculous 3-touchdown game against UCLA where he completed 85.2% of his passes. He's got 11 touchdowns, one interception and over 1,000 yards already. With a manageable Pac-12 schedule in front of him, there is a great chance Stanford can run the table and Luck is going to have the Heisman in the bag.

Verdict: Contender

2) RUSSELL WILSON, QB, WISCONSIN

Russell Wilson has his signature win in the bag. Dismantling a team like Nebraska sends his stock through the roof. He has 1,391 yards, 13 touchdowns and one pick. His touchdown to interception ratio is better than Luck's and he has more yards.

Wisconsin is a contender and if Wilson can manage to keep up these numbers, he's going to be at the forefront of the Heisman race. Wilson gain momentum in the Heisman race every time he takes the field and at this rate, he will gain enough momentum to bring home the award.

Verdict: Contender

3) KELLEN MOORE, QB, BOISE STATE

Kellen Moore has everything you would ever want in a Heisman candidate. He's a fearless leader, the reason his team even has a shot at a National Championship and absurd numbers. Unfortunately, he plays against a soft schedule that will keep them out of the BCS Title Game and deter voters from casting him their vote in the Heisman race.

Boise State took down ranked Georgia in their opener, but Moore isn't going to be able to compete against guys like Wilson and Luck who have to work harder for their victories and have comparable stats and an equally competitive team.

Verdict: Pretender

4) TRENT RICHARDSON, RB, ALABAMA

Alabama has a chance to produce another Heisman running back. We saw Mark Ingram carry Alabama to a National Championship and woo voters along the way. Richardson got off to a shaky start, but he's managed to rush for over 100 yards in every game since.

Alabama has a great chance at taking it all and Richardson is the guy who can take them there. Richardson's candidacy comes down to one game. He takes on LSU on November 5th in a game that will decide the Crimson Tide's season and his Heisman fate. A big game vs the Tigers and Richardson can slingshot himself into the front of the Heisman race.

Verdict: Contender

5) ROBERT GRIFFIN III, QB, BAYLOR

Stats aren't everything to voters. When Baylor looked like they could make some noise on a national scene, Robert Griffin III had a shot. While his 1,308 yards and absurd 18 touchdowns vs. 20 incompletions are impressive, the numbers aren't going to be enough to distract voters from the season Baylor is having.

Other candidates are on better teams that give them a far better chance to win. Unless RGIII can dominate Landry Jones and Oklahoma in a huge victory, he doesn't have a chance, despite his ridiculous stats.

Verdict: Pretender

6) LANDRY JONES, QB, OKLAHOMA

Landry Jones is losing momentum, as is Oklahoma. While Oklahoma is still undefeated and Jones is still in the Heisman mix, both have been surpassed by more promising candidates. Jones has thrown five picks this season and multiple picks on two separate occasions.

His five touchdown performance against Ball St. last week is the sort of game he's going to make a habit if he wants back in the race. Oklahoma is a top-notch team and Jones is a top-notch quarterback, but his 1,447 yards may not be enough to heed off the other promising candidates. He's had a so-so season thus far and won't even come close at this rate.

Verdict: Pretender