Heisman Trophy Watch: Tracking the Top Contenders in Week 8

Week 8 of the college football season features a ton of Heisman Trophy candidates in action; especially in the primetime slate of games in which Russell Wilson, Trent Richardson, Andrew Luck, Landry Jones and others were all in action.

Who helped and who hurt their chances at taking home the Heisman in Week 8?

Let's take a look at how the top contenders have fared.

Brandon Weeden

This Week: 338 passing yards, three touchdowns

2011 Stats: 2,436 passing yards, 19 touchdowns

Up Next: vs. Baylor

Weeden keeps throwing up big numbers and more importantly, No. 4 Oklahoma State keeps on winning. The senior had another big day in the air on Saturday in the Cowboys' 45-24 victory over Missouri.

Denard Robinson

This Week: Bye

2011 Stats: 1,257 passing yards, 804 rushing yards, 19 touchdowns

Up Next: vs. Purdue

Robinson didn't get the opportunity this week to avenge Michigan's first loss of the season, but remains in the top 10 for the time being. He will need to come up with something special next week to get his name back in the midst with some of the other top quarterbacks competing for the award.

Kellen Moore

This Week: 279 passing yards, three touchdowns

2011 Stats: 1,729 passing yards, 21 touchdowns

Up Next: Bye

Moore's stock may be dropping a bit, but for now is still one of the top 10 contenders for the award. To bring it home, he needs to have some off the page statistical games the rest of the season. Boise State finishing undefeated won't be enough for him.

Ryan Broyles

This Week: seven receptions,84 yards

2011 Stats: 67 receptions, nine touchdowns

Up Next: at Kansas State

Texas Tech pretty much made Broyles a non-factor, despite quarterback Landry Jones throwing for over 400-yards in Saturday's loss to Texas Tech.

Broyles did take a costly personal foul penalty late in the game that cost the Sooners points.

Robert Griffin III

This Week: Bye

2011 Stats: 1,830 passing yards, 330 rushing yards, 25 touchdowns

Up Next: at Oklahoma State

Griffin III will have to wait until next week to continue his remarkable 2011 season as Baylor had a bye in Week 8. He will need to make a big statement next Saturday when the Bears take on No. 4 Oklahoma State.

Landry Jones

This Week: 412 passing yards, five touchdowns;

2011 Stats: 2,572  passing yards, 23 touchdowns

Up Next: at Kansas State

It was a valiant comeback, but it fell just short for Jones and the Sooners as Oklahoma saw their 39-game home win streak come to an end with a 41-38 loss to Texas Tech.

Jones is on a roll though with four straight 300-plus-yard games. With the Sooners loss, Jones needs to continue to throw up some big-time numbers to have a chance to bring home the Heisman Trophy.

Tajh Boyd

This Week: 367 passing yards, six touchdowns (one rushing)

2011 Stats: 2,379 passing yards, 28 touchdowns

Up Next: at Georgia Tech

Boyd was fantastic again in Week 8 as he had another big day in leading Clemson's high-powered offense and took apart a very good North Carolina defense in a 59-38 Tigers victory.

In the process, Boyd led the Tigers to their first 8-0 start in 11 seasons.

Trent Richardson

This Week: 77 yards rushing, 33 yards receiving,two touchdowns.

2011 Stats: 987 rushing yards, 19 touchdowns

Up Next: Bye

It was a slow start for Richardson Saturday night, but he just got into the end zone twice, giving him 19 combined touchdowns on the season in Alabama's 37-6 victory over Tennessee. His streak of six consecutive 100-yard games came to an end, but Richardson still remains one of the top candidates for the Heisman Trophy.

Russell Wilson

This Week: 223 yards passing, 30 yards rushing, three touchdowns (one rushing).

2011 Stats: 1,772 passing yards, 256 rushing yards, 20 touchdowns

Up Next: at Ohio State.

Wilson's Heisman Trophy campaign may have taken a hit after a slow first half in Wisconsin's stunning last second loss to Michigan State, but Wilson led a furious fourth quarter charge that put the Badgers in a position to win the game. His stock shouldn't take too much of a hit.

Andrew Luck

This Week: 169 passing yards, 23 rushing yards, two touchdowns.

2011 Stats: 1,890 passing yards, 21 touchdowns

Up Next: at USC

Luck has another multiple touchdown game under his belt as the Cardinal destroyed the Huskies. He finished with another stat line that is efficient but not spectacular looking, but Stanford keeps winning.

Of course, Luck didn't have to do much on Saturday for Stanford to win.