Heisman Watch 2011: Breaking Down the Front Runners

At this point in the 2011 college football season, the Heisman Trophy picture is starting to become pretty clear. There are several top candidates in the mix, and the only way they're going to fall out is if they suffer injuries and/or fall totally flat in the closing weeks of the season.

My guess is that you know the names that are involved. Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck is believed by many to be the front-runner for the award this year. However, Alabama running back Trent Richardson seems to gain more and more ground each week, and Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III and Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson are standing on solid ground as well.

But the Heisman picture changes each and every week. Starting with the quarterbacks, let's check in and see where each of the leading candidates stand after Week 8.

Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford

As strange as it feels to say it, Andrew Luck was really just okay in Stanford's blowout win over Washington on Saturday. He only threw 21 passes, completing 16 of them for 169 yards and two touchdowns. The Cardinal running game took care of the rest as Stanford downed the Huskies 65-21.

The good news for Luck is that his less-than-spectacular performance did not hurt his Heisman chances. The point is debatable, but he should still be the leading candidate at this juncture. He's having a very strong season statistically (20 TDs, three INTs, 180.0 rating), and that Stanford is undefeated and making a strong push for the BCS title game only helps Luck's cause.

Trending: even.

Russell Wilson, QB, Wisconsin

After looking superhuman for much of the season, Russell Wilson finally looked human on Saturday against Michigan State. He also threw only 21 passes, completing 14 of them for 223 yards and two touchdowns. He added eight rushes for 30 yards and a touchdown.

The bad news is that Wilson threw two picks, which seemed like a lot, as he came into the game with one pick all season. Wisconsin also suffered its first loss. The Badgers needed to go undefeated to have a shot at the BCS title game, and their loss may be Wilson's loss as a result.

Trending: down.

Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor

RGIII and the Baylor Bears enjoyed a week off in Week 8, so he didn't get a chance to add to his magical season. As of right now, Griffin is still leading the country with a 205.7 rating and 78 percent completion rate.

I want to say that Griffin is trending evenly after doing nothing in Week 8, but I think Wilson's loss is his gain.

Trending: up.

Kellen Moore, QB, Boise State

The Broncos really didn't look all that impressive beating Air Force on Saturday, and Kellen Moore himself was just okay. At least by Kellen Moore's standards, anyway.

Against Air Force, Moore passed for 281 yards and three touchdowns, mixing in his fifth interception of the season. It was a solid game, but Moore needs to do, um, more to stay in the race this year, as there are several quarterbacks who are garnering more hype than he is.

Luckily for Moore, he was a finalist last year, so he'll have that going for him all year.

Trending: even.

Landry Jones, QB, Oklahoma

If you look at his numbers alone from Saturday night's tilt against Texas Tech, you'll notice that Landry Jones was pretty darn good. He threw for 412 yards, five touchdowns and just one pick.

However, Jones had to throw 55 passes to get those numbers, and he only completed 30 of them. Moreover, the Sooners lost.

Jones can still rescue his Heisman candidacy, but I think it's on life support right now. He's had an up and down season, and Oklahoma is no longer undefeated.

Trending: down.

Tajh Boyd, QB, Clemson

It's only getting harder to overlook Tajh Boyd in the Heisman race. He was having a great season before Clemson destroyed North Carolina on Saturday, but Boyd may have had his finest game.

In case you missed it, Boyd passed for 367 yards and five touchdowns, while adding another touchdown on the ground. He and the Tigers are now No. 5 in the BCS standings.

The longer Clemson sticks around, the stronger Boyd's case for the Heisman will be.

Trending: up.

Case Keenum, QB, Houston

When you play for an under-the-radar team like Houston, you occasionally need to do something totally awesome to get peoples' attention.

Case Keenum must have figured that out, as he torched Marshall for 376 yards and six touchdowns. He completed 24 of his 28 passes, which is absurd.

It's going to be hard for Keenum to catch up to the other QBs he's competing against, and he has his team to thank for that. But if he keeps racking up stats and wins for the Cougars, it's going to be hard to ignore him.

Trending: up.

Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama

Okay, enough quarterbacks. Let's talk about Trent Richardson.

It's gotten to the point where even Richardson's disappointing games are good games. He failed to rush for 100 yards for the first time since the opening week of the season, but Richardson still managed two touchdown runs against Tennessee on Saturday.

At the moment, Richardson is second in the country in rushing with 989 yards and tied for second in rushing touchdowns with 17. The reason he is getting all the hype is because he is shouldering the offensive load for an undefeated Alabama team that has a very, very strong chance to make it to the BCS title game this year.

As long as Richardson stays healthy, he can only go up. For now, I'd say he's about even after this weekend.

Trending: even.