Heisman Watch 2011: 3 Favorites That Don't Belong in the Race Anymore

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 chance 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 many talented college football players, but only a handful have a chance to win the Heisman.

Here are five candidates that lost a lot of Heisman hype this week. 

Baylor QB Robert Griffin

I had Robert Griffin III as the Heisman front-runner heading into Week 5, but his performance last Saturday really hurt his chances.

Sure, he completed 74 percent of his passes and threw for 346 yards and five touchdowns. But he also threw his first interception of the season that set up the Kansas State Wildcats to kick the game winning field goal. 

His stats are still better than anyone else in the country, 82 percent completion percentage, 1,308 passing yards and 19 total touchdowns. But the fact is he plays for Baylor and the voters were going to look for anything to keep him from earning the award. They got it.

Griffin will still have his chances against Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma and Texas but he went from front-runner to falling behind in one week.

South Carolina RB Marcus Lattimore

Marcus Lattimore went from being one of the favorites to falling off the wagon a bit in two weeks. 

Lattimore only rushed for 66 yards and one touchdown in a loss to the Auburn Tigers. That now makes for 143 yards and three touchdowns in his last two games combined. He is use to putting up those numbers in one game.

You can blame his quarterback Stephen Garcia for a lot of it because of his poor play. Garcia has been absolutely terrible and one of the worst quarterbacks in the country. Because he has been so horrible it's easy for the defense to focus more on Lattimore. Nobody respects Garcia in the passing game.

Lattimore still has great stats with his 816 total yards and 10 total touchdowns. But he has to step it up before he falls completely out of the race.

Florida RB Chris Rainey

Running back Chris Rainey was earning some Heisman respect as each week went along. Granted it was quiet but it was there.

You can officially forget about him as he touched the ball 14 times for only 36 yards and zero touchdowns last week against Alabama. The Heisman winners play big on the biggest stage and Rainey came up shorter than short.

Rainey is still extremely valuable to the Gators and will play a huge role in trying to get them in the SEC Championship game. But he is no longer a Heisman candidate.