Heisman Watch 2014: Breaking Down Race Front-Runners After Week 11

Week 11 was nowhere near as catastrophic as most would have guessed when it comes to the inaugural College Football Playoff, but the same cannot be said of the 2014 Heisman Trophy race.

Fans should understand that this is nothing but a good thing, though.

While last year's winner, Florida State's Jameis Winston, flounders as his team wins, a player who reminds many of Tim Tebow, an unheralded quarterback from an unheralded program and even a wide receiver are making serious claims as reputable candidates.

With Week 11 in the books, the 2014 Heisman watch needs to be updated, to say the least.

Dak Prescott, QB, Mississippi State

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Many will point out that Mississippi State's Dak Prescott got to beat up on a cupcake in the form of Tennessee-Martin this past weekend, but that should not diminish his accomplishments to date provided he does not make the schedule.

Besides, there is something to be said for a player simply taking care of business—which he did en route to a 45-16 win thanks to 206 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns to go with another six carries for 54 yards and a score.

As SEC Network notes, Prescott made school history in the process:

For now, Prescott remains at the top of the watch. Wins against LSU, Texas A&M and Auburn, among others, can attest to that.

Of course, the outlook could change dramatically next weekend after Prescott's Bulldogs visit the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon

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Many were ready to crown Marcus Mariota as the Heisman winner after he finally got over the hump with a 45-16 triumph against Stanford. Really, though, a much better test came this past weekend against Utah.

Feel free to crown the man.

Against one of the best defenses in the nation on the road, Mariota was his usual self. He threw for 239 yards and a trio of touchdowns while coming alive as a runner (114 yards and a score) against a defense that entered the game leading the nation in sacks.

What makes Mariota so impressive and a heavyweight in the race, other than his 29-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio, is the woeful state of the roster around him.

This is not some typical Oregon unit. Injuries have plagued the roster all year, especially in the offensive trenches. According to NFL.com's Bryan Fischer, Saturday saw three more critical pieces leave with notable injuries.

Amid the chaos, Mariota continues to shine and win. A Pac-12 title game and a whole lot more may await.

Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama

Jonathan Bachman/Associated Press

If a non-quarterback is going to take the Heisman this year, it is a lock to be Alabama wideout Amari Cooper. The more he plays, the more this thought process applies to the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NFL draft, too.

The numbers speak for themselves. His entire body of work this season, including his clutch role in the Crimson Tide escaping Death Valley Saturday with CFP aspirations intact, is overwhelming:

OPP	REC	YDS	AVG	LNG	TD
West Virginia	12	130	10.8	24	0
Florida Atlantic	13	189	14.5	52	1
Southern Miss	8	135	16.9	27	1
Florida	10	201	20.1	79	3
@Ole Miss	9	91	10.1	30	0
@Arkansas	2	22	11.0	12	0
Texas A&M	8	140	17.5	45	2
@Tennessee	9	224	24.9	80	2
@LSU	8	83	10.4	23	1

It should come as no surprise, then, that Cooper set a record in the process:

It also isn't surprising that many, including radio host Adam Schein, are counting the days until Cooper hits the pros:

Look at it this way: The Crimson Tide have 2,531 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns this season. Cooper accounts for 1,215 and 10 of those, respectively.

To say another player is more important to his team this season would prove quite difficult. Encounters with Mississippi State, Auburn and more will be nice ways for Cooper to pad his resume in the coming weeks.

Trevone Boykin, QB, TCU

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Most may prefer any number of names to TCU's Trevone Boykin, but few will actually be able to argue against his impressive resume at this point.

Boykin has done incredible damage on his own this season, amassing 2,691 yards and 23 touchdowns to just four interceptions through the air. One of the nation's best dual-threat quarterbacks also has 546 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground.

Not bad for a player who has had many critics in his ear telling him to switch positions.

"For two years people have been telling him he can't play quarterback and we'd never win," TCU coach Gary Patterson told reporters. "He's like anybody else I know with fire in him. They're going to try to prove people wrong."

Boykin is much more than a statistical warhorse, too.

Look at Week 11—tasked with overcoming an elite Kansas State defense that had previously limited Auburn's potent attack to 21 points, the junior led the Horned Frogs to a 41-20 blowout win by way of 219 yards and a score through the air as well as 123 yards and three scores on the ground.

With a Big 12 title and perhaps much more in sight, Boykin is quite difficult to ignore in favor of bigger names.

Honorable Mentions

Name	Pos.	Team	Week 11 Stats
Jameis Winston	QB	Florida State	261 Pass. Yds, 2 Total TD.
Melvin Gordon	RB	Wisconsin	205 Rush Yds., 2 Total TD.
Duke Johnson	RB	Miami (Fla.)	N/A
Nick Marshall	QB	Auburn	219 Pass. Yds, 1 TD. 67 Rush Yds., 2 TD.

Stats and information via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.