College Football Heisman Watch: The Top 10 Candidates Heading into Week 8

As we head into Week 8 of the 2011 college football season, the race for the Heisman trophy has now passed the halfway point, and things look like they're really about to start heating up.

Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck is still the overwhelming front-runner, but Luck’s got a ton of challengers nipping at his heels, and it should be a very exciting chase to the finish line.

Here’s a look at the Top 10 Heisman candidates at this point in the season.

1. QB Andrew Luck, Stanford

Andrew Luck entered the season as college football’s golden boy, and he has done nothing to relinquish that title yet.

Luck has guided Stanford to a 6-0 record, and he’s looked as good as advertised, throwing for 1,719 yards and 18 touchdowns.

The only problem is, the future No. 1 pick has been doing it against weak competition.

That will change this Saturday when No. 25 Washington comes to town. Luck will finally have a notable team to perform against, and if he plays well, it will solidify his status as the Heisman favorite.

This isn’t a true make-or-break game for Luck, though.

If the Cardinal quarterback wants to win the Heisman, he’s got to beat USC, Notre Dame and most importantly, Oregon.

If he finds a way to topple those three teams, the trophy will be his. 

2. QB Russell Wilson, Wisconsin

Wisconsin will finally get to prove its worth when the Badgers head out on the road this weekend to take on No. 16 Michigan State.

So far, Wisconsin has looked absolutely dominant to start the season, but besides a big win over No. 13 Nebraska, the five other teams the Badgers have beaten are just 11-22 combined.

They also haven’t played a true road game yet.

Now it’s time for QB Russell Wilson and the boys from Madison to prove to the college football world that they can get the job done on enemy turf.

Wilson has looked like a star in the first half of the year, as he’s made a seamless transition to the Wisconsin offense, throwing for over 1,500 yards and scoring 16 total touchdowns.

Now Wilson will get a chance to prove himself against one of the best defenses in the country.

If he performs at a high level on Saturday, Wilson will make a strong case to be considered the new Heisman favorite.

3. RB Trent Richardson, Alabama

Although Alabama statistically has the best defense in the country, the real reason the Tide are 7-0 right now is running back Trent Richardson.

Richardson has stepped in for former Heisman-winning teammate Mark Ingram and hit the ground running as the new main man of the Alabama backfield, racking up 912 yards on the ground and scoring 16 touchdowns.

The powerful 5’11’’, 225-pound junior might be the best back we’ve seen in the college ranks since Reggie Bush.

Richardson has already performed well against the the top teams on Alabama’s schedule—Penn State, Arkansas and Floridaand he’ll have a few more big showcase games against Alabama and Auburn to strut his stuff in front of a national audience.

4. QB Brandon Weeden, Oklahoma State

As it turns out, QB Brandon Weeden wasn’t just a product of Dana Holgorsen’s system.

After throwing for over 4,200 yards and 34 TDs in 2010, Weeden has picked up right where he left off, as he’s picked apart opposing secondaries, throwing for 2,098 yards and 16 TDs.

The Cowboys have a tricky test against Missouri on Saturday, but with his trusty No. 1 receiving ace Justin Blackmon by his side, Weeden has the pieces around him to guide Oklahoma State to a Big 12 championship this season

5. QB Kellen Moore, Boise State

I know that they’ve gone back up to Idaho to hibernate until their big matchup with TCU in November, but don’t forget about QB Kellen Moore and the Boise State Broncos.

Moore is about to become college football’s all-time wins leader, and since beating Georgia in Week 1, he’s showed why he’s earned the reputation as college football’s most consistent quarterback.

The senior signal-caller has completed 76 percent of his passes for 1,729 yards and thrown 21 touchdown strikes.

It’s going to be hard for Moore to build a strong Heisman resume without facing any ranked teams from here on out, but if the senior leads the Broncos to another undefeated season, he'll deserve some major respect.

6. QB Landry Jones, Oklahoma

Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones has performed about as well as we all expected thus far.

Jones has already thrown for over 2,100 yards and 16 touchdowns, but his Heisman campaign is really going to come down to what he does in the second half of the year against teams like Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, Kansas State and Baylor.

The junior gunslinger has to prove that he can perform as well on the road as he does at home, but if he can lead the Sooners to an undefeated season and a Big 12 championship, he’s going to be right in the conversation to win the award.

7. WR Sammy Watkins, Clemson

One of the biggest breakout stars of the 2011 season has been Clemson freshman sensation Sammy Watkins.

After arriving at Clemson as a blue-chip 5-star recruit, Watkins immediately lived up to his high school hype, and he's been a valuable impact playmaker for the Clemson offense.

Speedy Sammy has been quarterback Tajh Boyd’s favorite target, hauling in 46 passes for 728 yards and eight touchdowns, and he turned out to be the team’s saving grace against Maryland.

Because he’s so young and because he was so far off the radar at the beginning of the season, it’s going to be nearly impossible for Watkins to win the Heisman this year.

With the way he's performed, though, he’s definitely put himself on the map, and he'll go into next season as one of the top players in all of college football.

It may not be too early to call him the favorite for the 2012 Heisman.

8. QB Robert Griffin III, Baylor

The Robert Griffin III early-season bonanza cooled down after Baylor got beat up by Texas A&M last Saturday, however, it’s hard to punish Griffin just because the Bears don’t have a defense.

The super-athletic quarterback has put up eye-popping numbers this season, completing 78 percent of his passes for 1,950 yards and 22 touchdowns.

The fact is that Baylor already has two losses, and that's going to really hurt his chances.

You could certainly make the case that Griffin is the best player in the country, but since his team has dropped out of the Top 25, it’s going to be hard to keep voters interested.

9. CB Tyrann Mathieu, LSU

There are a lot of great defenders in college football this year, but none of them have made the type of impact that LSU CB Tyrann Mathieu has.

Mathieu is a true defensive difference-maker in every sense, and he’s made LSU fans forget about departed star cornerback Patrick Peterson.

Although Ndamukong Suh broke the trend a few years ago, it’s rare to see a defensive player enter the Heisman discussion.

Charles Woodson is the only defender who has ever won the award, but Mathieu just might be one of the best defensive playmakers we’ve seen since the former Michigan star took home the 1997 trophy.

10. WR Ryan Broyles, Oklahoma

Oklahoma’s Ryan Broyles may not be the same caliber of NFL receiving prospect as Oklahoma State’s Justin Blackmon, Notre Dame’s Michael Floyd or South Carolina’s Alshon Jeffery, but none of those three has the type of consistent production that can compare to Broyles.

After leading the country with 131 catches in 2010, Broyles is once again on pace to outdo every receiver in college football, as he now currently has 60 catches for 815 yards and nine touchdowns.

Last Saturday, the senior receiver broke the FBS record for total receptions and now holds the mark with 326 career catches.

The only problem for Broyles is that he has to share the spotlight with teammate, QB Landry Jones, and when it comes to Heisman voting, it’s usually the quarterback who gets the benefit of the doubt.