Heisman Watch 2011: What's in Store for Front-Runners in Week 9

The 2011 season of college football features some of the most exciting players in the country fighting to win this year's Heisman Trophy.

Last week was not a good one for the top contenders. With Wisconsin and Oklahoma going down on Saturday, major candidates will be pushed from the spotlight as the BCS race progresses.

The players on winning teams did not put up good enough stats to separate themselves from the pack.

With plenty of football left to play, look for one of these athletes to stand out and give voters a reason to be selected as the best player in the nation.

6. Robert Griffin III

Last Week: Bye

Next Week: At No. 3 Oklahoma State

Robert Griffin III fell in these rankings a week ago when his Baylor Bears took its second loss of the season to Texas A&M. 

Still, Griffin put up his best yardage total of the season with 430 passing yards. He also continued his streak of completing over 70 percent of his passes in every one of his six games in 2011.

On the season, the junior has thrown an amazing 22 touchdowns to only two interceptions, giving him the highest quarterback rating in the nation. 

Next week Griffin has a chance to really impress the voters with a game at No. 3 Oklahoma State.

The Cowboys do not have the best defense, so big statistics will not be enough. If Griffin would like to be a serious Heisman contender, Baylor must pull the unlikely upset on the road.

5. Landry Jones

Last Week: Loss to Texas Tech, 30-55 412 yards 5 TD 1 INT

Next Week: At No. 8 Kansas State

The tough life of being a high-profile quarterback.

Landry Jones had statistically one of the best games of his collegiate career. His five touchdowns gave him 21 for the season, and he really did not make too many individual mistakes. In addition, he brought his passing yards up to 2,589 for the season, good enough for third in the FBS.

Unfortunately, his team could not come away with a victory against what should have been a much weaker opponent. This will reflect poorly on the quarterback as a leader, even if his defense gave up 41 points at home.

The road ahead only gets tougher next week as Oklahoma travels to undefeated Kansas State. The Sooners will need to stay in the BCS picture for the spotlight to remain on Jones.

If he cannot lead his team to victory, you can pretty much remove Jones from the Heisman race. 

4. Kellen Moore

Last Week: Win vs. Air Force, 23-29 281 yards 3 TD 1 INT

Next Week: BYE 

Next Game: 11/5 at UNLV

With a lack of elite competition remaining on the schedule, Kellen Moore and Boise State both have to find another way to impress voters.

The Broncos were not too impressive last week, and neither was their quarterback.

Moore will go as far in the Heisman rankings as his team goes in the BCS rankings. When his team only beats a mediocre Air Force team by 11 at home, people will start to doubt each of them.

Moore did tie the record for most career wins with 45, but the Heisman Trophy is not a lifetime achievement award. 

The senior quarterback needs to use this bye week to figure out the problems from last week and turn out a truly dominant performance against UNLV.

His 24 touchdowns to five interceptions is impressive, but not compared to the competition he is facing. This is especially true considering Moore had only nine interceptions in the last two years combined.

3. Russell Wilson

Last Week: Loss at Michigan State, 14-21 223 yards 2 TD 2 INT

Next Week: At Ohio State

Like Landry Jones, Russell Wilson will need to overcome a team loss to get himself back in the race.

On the other hand, Wilson was highly responsible for his team's shortcomings on Saturday. The senior threw two interceptions in the game, after throwing only one the entire season.

Wilson still has good enough numbers on the season to keep him in the Heisman hunt for the time being, as his quarterback rating of 204.9 trails only Robert Griffin III as the best in the country.

However, the quarterback will need to regain his composure after a disappointing loss last week that will likely knock Wisconsin out of the BCS picture for good.

The next game against Ohio State poses some trouble for Wilson and his offense. The Buckeyes have been tough on pocket passers, forcing Kirk Cousins into one of his worst games of his season and only allowing 10 points to Michigan State.

If Wilson would like to be successful, he will need to use his legs to get out of the pocket and scramble for some yardage.

2. Trent Richardson

Last Week: Win vs. Tennessee, 17 carries 77 yards 2 TD

Next Week: BYE

Next Game: 11/5 vs. No. 1 LSU

After spending the last two seasons backing up Mark Ingram, Trent Richardson got his chance to shine this season and has not disappointed.

The strength of Alabama has been its top-ranked defense, but Richardson makes this a truly dangerous team. His 77 rushing yards last week broke his streak of six straight games with over 100 yards, but on the season he has some impressive numbers.

The junior is second in the nation with 989 yards as well as being tied for second with 17 rushing touchdowns.

He gets a chance to rest his legs this week, but the next game will be the true test for the Alabama running back. LSU has one of the best defenses in the nation, allowing only 11.5 points per game.

Last week, the Tigers held the very solid Michael Dyer to only 60 rushing yards. In Week 1, LaMichael James only was able to get three yards per carry against LSU. In his next four games, James was able to run for 10.4 yards per carry.

Richardson will have an uphill battle in the marquee battle between the two top-ranked teams in the country. 

If he can break a couple of runs and put up over 100 yards, he might be able to convince some voters to make him the Heisman winner.

1. Andrew Luck

Last Week: Win vs. Washington, 16-21 169 yards 2 TD 0 INT

Next Week: At USC

Andrew Luck was not asked to do too much during a blowout of Washington last weekend.

The Cardinal rushed for 446 yards and five touchdowns and Luck only needed to throw 21 mistake-free passes for the victory. Surprisingly, this type of game will help Andrew Luck on his quest to win a Heisman Trophy.

Luck already has good enough statistics, as he is in the top 10 in the FBS in quarterback rating, touchdowns, yards per attempt, and completion percentage. 

He also is considered to be the top prospect in the 2012 NFL draft. Many believe Luck will be one of the best NFL quarterbacks to come out of college and years, and teams are already suspected of intentionally losing games this season in an effort to draft Luck with the first overall pick.

If Stanford can continue its undefeated season, Luck should have the Heisman Trophy in his grasps.

Standing in the way will be a very underrated USC, who is still looking to prove that its sanctions have not slowed the team down.

The Trojans were very impressive last week in a win over Notre Dame. The offense is ahead of the defense, but coach Lane Kiffin showed the ability to control the clock and keep the opposing team off the field. 

Stanford must not overlook USC this week, and a win will be more important to Luck's resume than any stats he puts up.