Heisman Trophy Watch: How the Top 5 Contenders Fared

Five weeks into the 2011 college football season, and things are beginning to heat up considerably in the Heisman Trophy race.

In a rotating smorgasbord of top five candidates to hoist college football's most prestigious individual award at the end of the season, each week presents a different argument.

This week, we witnessed Trent Richardson rush for a career high in an Alabama blowout of Florida and Robert Griffin throw for big numbers in a loss to Kansas State. Meanwhile, Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson put up good, but not great, numbers in convincing wins over conference opponents.

At about the halfway point into the season, the picture is becoming clearer.

Here is the breakdown of this week's top five Heisman Trophy contenders.

Robert Griffin III

While Baylor's defense is nothing to write home about, Robert Griffin III could be included in every paragraph.

The dual-threat quarterback, save for a decisive interception that killed the game for the Bears, recorded another statistically impressive game. The junior completed 23-of-31 for 346 yards, 5 TDs and a pick, his first of the season.

Baylor's abysmal defensive presence puts Griffin in a tough spot. A heartbreaking loss looks bad for his Heisman resumé, but from a purely statistical point of view, Griffin is faring very well in the Heisman race.

The native Texan has compiled 1308 passing yards on 93-of-113 attempts for a sickening 82.3% completion rate. Throw in his 18:1 touchdown to interception ratio, his 230.3 quarterback rating, tops in Division I, and you would have a compelling argument for first half Heisman winner. 

Too bad it takes a full season to claim the honor.

Trent Richardson

For the fourth consecutive week, Alabama's Trent Richardson put up over 110 yards on the ground, en route to yet another Crimson Tide blowout.

The junior out of Pensacola, Fla., despite the lingering controversies, has the look of an NFL tailback. Against a respectable Will Muschamp defense, Richardson imposed his will against the Gators.

With 29 carries for 181 yards, Richardson set career highs in both categories and added a couple of touchdowns to his total.. On the season, he boasts 10 rushing touchdowns on 96 attempts, and 622 yards. For those keeping score at home, that's a disgusting 6.5 yards per carry.

Richardson may be behind in the horse race, but he is making a break that should have every other contender sweating.

Andrew Luck

It still may be Andrew Luck's Heisman Trophy to lose, but it could be slipping away.

The senior isn't putting up "wow" numbers like his Baylor counterpart, but his efficiency screams NFL-caliber.

In a 45-19 blowout of UCLA, Luck completed 23-of-27 passes for 227 yards and three touchdowns of 18, 51 and 5 yards. On the season, the native Houstonian has 1013 yards, 11 TDs and an INT. In any other season, we should be giving high praise for his 71.4% completion rate (80-of-112), but Griffin's 82.3% makes it look a little less spectacular.

How much will a better Stanford defense affect the Heisman standings? Will Griffin's urgency to perform shed more light on his stats? Or will Luck's managerial, NFL-caliber effectiveness take the cake?

Russell Wilson

It looks to be the year of the quarterback in college football, as Russell Wilson's move from NC State to Wisconsin has put the senior on the Heisman Trophy landscape.

Wilson led the Badgers to a 48-17 route over Big Ten newcomer Nebraska, effectively throwing for 255 yards and two touchdowns on 14-of-20 passing.

With the Virginia native, Wisconsin boasts the third best scoring offense in the FBS. Coupled with the second-best scoring defense, the Badgers are firmly in the BCS National Championship picture, which only furthers Wilson's argument for Heisman contention.

On the season, Wilson has remained on fire, completing 74.8% of his passes (83-of-111) for 1391 yards, 13 TDs and an INT. In every game this season, he has completed at least 70% of his passes and thrown for at least two scores.

Tom O'Brien is shaking his head.

Kellen Moore

For perhaps the first time in his college career, Kellen Moore looked pedestrian.

The Boise State quarterback, who is well on his way to becoming the winningest signal caller in college football history, completed 19-of-33 passes for 142 yards. His two touchdowns were matched by two interceptions, but the Broncos still beat Nevada handily, 30-10.

Despite a relatively poor showing from the senior, Moore has compiled an impressive Heisman resumé so far. On a 73.9% completion rate, Moore has thrown for 1137 yards, 14 TDs and 4 INTs.

For Moore to really grab votes, he will have to put up out-of-this-world numbers from here on out, given the glaringly weak schedule for Boise State.

Nevertheless, the Washington native is still a viable candidate to hoist the Heisman Trophy.