College Football Rankings 2011: 3 Teams with Multiple Heisman Contenders

Despite poor performances from some of the top players in the country (i.e. Oregon's LaMichael James and Darron Thomas), Week 1 of the 2011 college football season offered little by way of clarification to the Heisman Trophy picture.

Not that anyone should expect the most prestigious award in all of college sports to be signed, sealed and delivered by Labor Day.

This year's field is littered with tandems competing with each other for the bronze statue while playing for the same team. As you might expect, those teams with multiple Heisman contenders just so happen to be pretty darn good.

Quite the coincidence, right?

That being said, let's have a look at three teams in particular whose BCS National Championship hopes hinge on duos of Heisman hopefuls.

Oklahoma

The Sooner Schooner is once again being driven by the terrific tandem of quarterback Landry Jones and wide receiver Ryan Broyles.

The two had a productive afternoon against Tulsa on Saturday, to say the least. Jones connected on 35 of his 47 pass attempts for 375 yards and a touchdown, with 14 of those balls, 158 of those yards and that touchdown going to Broyles.

Now, if you really want to be fair about it, Bob Stoops' squad may have found a third Heisman hopeful among its ranks, with junior running back Dominique Whaley piling up 131 yards and four scores amidst the carnage of Oklahoma's 47-14 dismantling of the Golden Hurricane.

Realistically, we'll have to wait and see if Whaley keeps this up against stiffer competition, so we'll limit actual Heisman consideration to Jones and Broyles, out of respect for their prior successes.

Oklahoma State

Of course, Jones-to-Broyles may not even be the best QB-WR combo in the state of Oklahoma—much less the nation—though we'll give it to 'em for now.

Certainly, Oklahoma State has a dog in that fight, thanks to the outstanding contributions of Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon.

The Cowboys connection didn't seem to suffer too much from the absence of Dana Holgorsen, who ditched his post as the offensive coordinator in Stillwater for what turned out to be the top job at West Virginia. Weeden was his usual prolific self, completing 24-of-39 for 388 yards and three touchdowns in a 61-34 romp over Louisiana-Lafayette, though three interceptions returned for touchdowns by the Ragin' Cajuns won't reflect well on Weeden's Heisman resume.

As for Blackmon, the reigning Biletnikoff Award winner had what for him has become a ho-hum afternoon—eight catches for 144 yards.

Expect these two to have better days for the Pokes as the season rolls on.

Wisconsin

Prior to Labor Day weekend, I would've pegged Oregon as the third elite team with a top-shelf Heisman tandem.

And while LaMichael James and Darron Thomas may very well pick up the pace as the season progresses and the stinker against LSU falls further and further into the recesses of the collective conscience of college football, for now, at least, the Ducks will have to cede the throne to the Badgers.

Russell Wilson and Montee Ball were nothing short of awesome as Wisconsin rolled right over UNLV Thursday night, 51-17. Wilson, who transferred from North Carolina State as a graduate student with one year of eligibility remaining, showed why people should take 'Sconsin seriously as the favorite to win the Big Ten, as he went 10-for-13 for 255 yards and two touchdowns while scampering for 62 yards and another score on two carries.

Ball, meanwhile, was a scoring machine for Bret Bielema's Badgers. The junior running back contributed as both a ball-carrier and a receiver, rushing for 63 yards and three touchdowns on 10 touches to go with 67 yards and another score on two catches.

With those two handling the bulk of the statistical duties on offense, Wisconsin will once again be in position for a trip to a BCS bowl and, perhaps, a detour to New York City for its two finest skill players.

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