Heisman Watch 2011: Predicting the Top 5 Contenders After Week 3

The Heisman Trophy is the most prestigious award in all of college football. You win it and your life will change forever, as you enter a group of elite players.

Before entering every season, everybody throws out several players who have a possible shot at winning the award. Some are favorites; others are dark horses who have an outside shot if they are able to play to their potential. 

Reality is, there are a lot of talented college football players, but only a handful have a chance to win the Heisman.

Here are your top five contenders after Week 3.

Baylor QB Robbert Griffin

Robert Griffin caught the eye of everybody in the Week 1 upset over the TCU Horned Frogs. He threw for 359 yards and five touchdowns in the 50-48 win. What was probably the most impressive of all is that he didn't throw any interceptions.

The Baylor Bears' first game since that upset is against the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks. This will give Griffin plenty of opportunities to pad his stats against a cupcake opponent. He's going to need to take advantage of it, because in a few weeks the brutal Big 12 conference schedule kicks in and then we'll see how good he truly is.

South Carolina RB Marcus Lattimore

Marcus Lattimore has already passed Trent Richardson as the best running back in the SEC. Now he has bigger goals and is thinking about a possible Heisman Trophy.

Lattimore already has 288 rushing yards and four touchdowns. He has rushed over 100 yards in both games this season, including 176 against Georgia. As of right now he averages 5.8 yards a carry, which is a whole yard better than last season.

The Gamecocks will play Navy this Saturday and although they may not have the best defense in the world, a solid performance is still needed. The game will be held on ESPN2 and at least until the Oklahoma vs. Florida State game comes on, people will be watching. This will be his chance to really convince the voters.

Boise State QB Kellen Moore

Kellen Moore played great in the victory over the Georgia Bulldogs, throwing for 261 yards and three touchdowns.

The Broncos will play their second game of the season Friday against Toledo, a team that almost upset the Ohio State Buckeyes last week. This should fit Moore's style pretty well, considering the Rockets are a fast-paced team that likes to try and score a lot. The only other time Moore played Toledo, he threw for 267 yards and three touchdowns.

You may question the lack of competition the Broncos play against but you can't deny Moore's ability to play the quarterback position and the numbers he puts up.

The game will shown on ESPN.

Stanford QB Andrew Luck

Andrew Luck is probably the favorite to win the award heading into Week 3. He is the best quarterback college football has seen in a while, and he has the biggest name of all the candidates.

Through the first two games Luck has thrown for 461 yards, six touchdowns and has a completion percentage of 68. Stanford plays the Arizona Wildcats on Saturday, a team that gave up 37 points to Oklahoma State last week.

In the two games against Arizona, Luck has thrown for a combined 722 yards and five touchdowns. Don't expect this game to be much different as Luck continues his push toward becoming the second Stanford player to win the award.

You can watch the game at 10:45 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Oklahoma QB Landry Jones

Landry Jones has the most to gain this weekend with a matchup against the Florida State Seminoles. If the Sooners can pull out a victory and Jones plays well, he could become the front-runner for the award.

In the first game of the season against Tulsa, Jones threw for 375 yards and one touchdown. Those numbers are solid, but he will need more touchdown passes if he expects to be a candidate taken seriously.

In last year's matchup against the Seminoles, Jones threw for 380 yards and four touchdowns. If Oklahoma wins again and he can come even close to those numbers, he'll be the Heisman favorite. 

Landry Jones may not have the name like Andrew Luck or the accomplishments of Kellen Moore but he has the same amount of talent and the best receiving corps in college football.

You can catch the game on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.