College Football Heisman Race: Week 10

Each week, I'll break down who I think are the top 10 contenders for the Heisman and let you know who may have fallen out of contention.

I base my rankings on what the Heisman Committee tends to value when honoring its winner, so I'll be ranking based on what I think the committee is considering. (Previous rankings are in parentheses).

1. (2) Mark Ingram- RB, Alabama

Ingram is making his case to be the first member of the Crimson Tide to ever take home the statue. He's fifth in the nation in rushing, with 1,148 yards (6.8 ypc) and eight TDs, but what makes him stand out is his performance in big games.

This past week against the ninth ranked LSU Tigers and their stingy defense, he was able to bang out 144 yards on the ground and other 30 through the air.

Against the other Top 25 teams he's faced this year, he's been equally as impressive. He went for 150 and a TD against Virginia Tech, 172 and a TD against Ole Miss and 246 and a TD against South Carolina. Stepping it up when it matters most is a good way to earn the trophy.

2. (1) Tim Tebow- QB, Florida

Tebow has been cruising along on his name for most of the season, and while it's led to some unimpressive performances, it has him positioned pretty nicely for the final push. I truly believe that the Heisman winner may very well be decided in the Bama-Florida SC Championship game.

Tebow was solid, but not spectacular against a bad Vandy team, going 15-20 for 208 yards and a TD through the air and adding another TD on the ground even though he averaged less than two yards per carry on 16 attempts.

3. (4) Colt McCoy- QB, Texas

This is now the time of year when Colt gets to pad his stats. With Texas seeing no strong competition until it's likely birth in the championship game, Colt is looking to ride the wave straight to the trophy.

Against UCF last week, he threw for 452 yards and two TDs, while missing on less than 10 passes. If Texas secures its birth in the National Championship game, it might be hard to pry that trophy from Colt's fingers.

4. (6) Case Keenum- QB, Houston

There are certain things the committee likes to reward when it delivers the Heisman. One, is leading an elite team. Two, is stepping it up in big games, and three, is coming through in crunch time. Keenum may only be on a strong team, but he sure has the last two qualities in excess.

He delivered Houston to another, miraculous, come from behind victory this past week, throwing for 522 yards and three TDs. On the season, he has 3,815 yards (almost 1,000 more than the second passer!) and 28 TDs. It's gonna be hard for the committee to not extend him an invite.

5. (3) Jimmy Clausen- QB, Notre Dame

What a heart-breaking loss for Clausen's Heisman hopes. Notre Dame wasn't getting a lot of respect in the polls as it was, but a loss to Navy and a likely non-BCS bowl is not going to help matters. To be clear, the loss was certainly not on Clausen, who threw for 452 yards and two TDs, to go along with one interception.

He has the same two qualities working for him that Keenum has, but Notre Dame might find itself outside of the Top 25 by seasons end and that's going to make it tough for Jimmy to find an invitation in his mailbox.

6. (5) Kellen Moore- QB, Boise State

The lefty helped Boise State survive quite the upset bid this week against a sub-par Louisiana Tech team. By going 28-41 for 354 yards and three TDs, Moore kept the Broncos firmly in the BCS picture, and helped his Heisman chances in the process.

He's 26th in the nation with 2,259 yards, but is second in the nation with 27 TDs, behind only the aforementioned Keenum. Its not likely going to be enough for him to take home the trophy, but it might be enough to secure an invite.

7. (7) Dion Lewis- RB, Pittsburgh

The last Freshman left standing. Pitt still has some tough games ahead of them, but if they, and Lewis, can prove to be for real against stiff competition, he might just be able to scamper on to NYC. After posting another 100 yard game last week (18 carries, 110 and a TD), Lewis is now seventh in the nation with 1,139 yards to go along with 12 rushing touchdowns.

On a BCS-bowl team, that's going to catch some eyes.

8. (NR) Andy Dalton- QB, TCU

For years, TCU has hung its hat on defense, and while they still pack a punch on that side of the ball, Dalton has definitely lightened their load. He's only 46h in the nation in passing yards with 1,881, but this week showed exactly why he is such a dynamic player: he can make plays in so many different ways, while limiting his own mistakes.

He went 14-20 for 239 yards and two TDs and rushed for another two TDs to lead the Horned Frogs over SDSU. He's added 341 yards on the ground this year, but perhaps most impressively, has 16 TD passes to only three INTS, and is one of the main reasons that TCU could crash the BCS party.

9. (NR) Jeremiah Masoli- QB, Oregon

It's taken him awhile, but Masoli has finally re-entered my list. Oregon's national title hopes may be shot after the let down against Stanford, but their QB is finally coming into his own.

As one of the premiere dual-threat QBs in the game, the Junior is showing that when given the chance to throw, he can be a very effective passer. Against Stanford, he was 21-37 for 334 yards and three TDS through the air, while adding 53 yards and a TD on the ground. He's only thrown for 1,461 yards through the air, but that's because he does so much damage (491 yards and nine TDs) with his legs.

10. (NR) CJ Spiller- RB, Clemson

Clemson has had a rough go of it this year, proving its worth one week, only to let everybody down again the next week. But through it all, Spiller has proved to be one of the most dynamic playmakers in college football.

In last week's game against Florida State, he tore the Seminoles up to the tune of 165 yards and a TD on the ground and 67 yards and another TD in the receiving game. For the season, he's run for 739 yards (5.5 ypc) and five TDs, while also tacking on 334 receiving yards and three TDs, another another TD in the return game.

Dropped Out: (8) Pike, (9) James, (10) Nesbitt

Darkhorses

Jordan Shipley- WR, Texas

Shipley is a darkhorse and not a candidate simply because of the presence of McCoy. There is no way that the committee is going to send two invitations to Austin and that is going to kill Shipley's chances. But not for lack of effort.

He put up 273 yards and a TD against UCF and is fourth in the nation with 1,050 yards receiving and six TDs, and that doesn't even account for the damage he does returning kicks and punts.

The Repeaters

There are a few guys I have already mentioned as darkhorses that won't get an invite for various reasons that I'd like to give props to for their stellar play.

Toby Gerhart (RB, Stanford) His team has been too inconsistent, but the nation's second leading rusher has really stepped it up when it matters.

Golden Tate (WR, Notre Dame) Clausen is going to get all the Heisman attention, but his go-to target this season has put up some pretty spectacular numbers as the nations third leading receiver.

Ryan Matthews (RB, Fresno State) The nations leading rusher will be left off the invite list because the Bulldogs have had a tough season, but he has a fine career ahead of him.

Jerrod Johnson (QB, Texas A&M) A guy that will likely be a fixture on this list next year, Johnson has done all he can to lead the Aggies this season, throwing for 21 TDs and 2,600 yards.