Heisman Trophy Watch 2011: Ranking the Contenders After Luck's Poor Performance

Andrew Luck had a very lackluster performance in Stanford's 53-30 loss to Oregon Saturday night, putting a big damper on his Heisman hopes.

Luck's poor outing opened the door for others to get a foot into the conversation as LaMichael James, Brandon Weeden and Case Keenum all had great showings to increase their Heisman stock.

With less than a month remaining in the season, it is crunch time for the Heisman contenders to solidify their position in the rankings for a shot at college football's most prestigious individual award.

Following Luck's game against Oregon, here is an updated look at the Heisman rankings after week 11.

Case Keenum

Of the top quarterback contenders who played Saturday, only two of them came away with victories.

Houston's Case Keenum was not too flashy in the Cougar's 73-17 trouncing of Tulane—throwing for 325 yards and 3 touchdowns on 22-if-29 passing—but given the standard that he has set in recent weeks, should we be expecting more from the senior?

On the year, Keenum has thrown for 3951 yards, 37 touchdowns and 3 interceptions, with a completion rate of 74.2 percent.

He has thrown for the most yards in the FBS, the second highest completion percentage, yards per attempt (10.5) and quarterback rating (193.3).

Yes, he has done this against worse competition than any of the other candidates, but there is no doubt that he has been a model of consistency and has shined nonetheless.

He may not hoist the Heisman at the end of the season, but he is surely giving others a serious run for their money.

Brandon Weeden

The other quarterback contender who came away with a win Saturday was Oklahoma State's Brandon Weeden.

Against the defensively-challenged Texas Tech Red Raiders, Weeden shredded them to bits with 423 yards and 5 touchdowns on 31-of-37 passing in what was statistically his second-best performance of the season.

He is the only signal caller with at least 400 passing attempts—and one of four with at least 300 attempts—while completing at least 70 percent of his throws (73.1).

Only five players complete a higher percentage of their throws, but none of them come close to the magnitude of his attempts.

On the season Weeden has thrown for 3635 yards, 31 touchdowns and 9 interceptions.

All things considered, the 28-year-old senior could be in the driver seat to win the Heisman by season's end with a huge win over Oklahoma and a Big 12 title in his pocket.

Montee Ball

Montee Ball broke the single season Big Ten record for touchdowns Saturday against Minnesota by rushing for two scores and catching another in Wisconsin's 42-13 decision over the Gophers.

The junior running back has put together a phenomenal season, scoring at least two touchdowns in each game this season.

In his record-breaking campaign, Ball has amassed 1242 yards and 23 touchdowns on 185 carries to go with 234 receiving yards on 14 catches and another four scores.

With the benefit of the Badger's menacing running game, Ball slowly entered the conversation as a Heisman candidate of late, as he has put up at least five more touchdowns than any running back with at least 1200 yards.

Trent Richardson

Trent Richardson has not been fantastic of late, but collectively he has put together a strong season worthy of conversation for the Heisman.

Following the loss to LSU, Alabama did not turn on its offense until late, riding Richardson's 127 yards and a touchdown to a 24-7 win over Mississippi State in Starkville.

The junior was on a torrid pace early, but his production and perhaps Heisman hopes have cooled down since.

Nevertheless, Richardson is one of the top backs in the country, but will really have to turn on the burners in the Tide's final two games to thrust himself into top contention.

On the season, the 5'11" punisher has 1205 yards and 18 touchdowns on 204 carries to go with 318 receiving yards on 25 receptions and another score.

Kellen Moore

Kellen Moore and the Boise State Broncos had their 65-game home winning streak snapped Saturday with a 36-35 loss to TCU.

Moore put up very respectable numbers, 28-of-38 passing for 320 yards and 2 touchdowns, but the slim defeat will hurt his Heisman chances more than anything.

With Boise State likely taking a tumble down the rankings, Moore's exposure only will decrease as the bowl season looms.

Moore is one of just four quarterbacks who have posted a completion percentage of 74 points or higher. The Prosser, Wash. native has been one of the most efficient passers in the FBS, throwing 31 touchdowns and just 5 interceptions to go with his 2549 yards.

At this rate, Moore will fall well short of his career season average for passing yards as his Heisman hopes are seemingly slipping away.

Andrew Luck

Andrew Luck took a step back in Saturday's 53-30 loss to Oregon as statistically he put his worst performance of the season against a Top 10 opponent.

Luck had a great first half of the season, but many argued that it was not enough to win the Heisman outright, and with the pressures of a Pac-12 Championship Game appearance, the senior simply has not performed.

Against the Ducks, Luck threw for 271 yards, 3 touchdowns and 2 interceptions, marking the first time that the senior has thrown two picks since Stanford's 52-31 loss to Oregon in 2010.

Luck has two games to get his name back into the conversation as a top contender, but some will argue he has has not put the pieces together for a true Heisman-winning season.

On the year, the Houston native has put up 2695 yards, 29 touchdowns and 7 interceptions on 221-of-313 attempts (70.6 percent).

LaMichael James

LaMichael James is not quite back to where he was before his elbow injury, but he is close.

In Oregon's 53-30 win over Stanford—which firmly puts the Ducks in the driver's seat to represent the Pac-12 North in the conference championship game—James had 146 yards and 3 touchdowns on 20 carries, falling slightly below his average mark of 7.9 yards per carry on the year.

Despite missing two games, the junior has 1207 yards and 12 touchdowns on just 153 carries. In the three games leading up to his injury, James had 200-yard performances in each of them while posting six touchdowns in the process.

Without the setback, he could very well be at the forefront of the conversation for the Heisman, but unfortunately injuries are a part of the game.

Perhaps with two alien-like performances in his final two games of the season, James could catapult himself into the picture as a finalist, but he definitely is behind the eight ball right now.

Landry Jones

If there is a middle ground for quarterback candidates in the Heisman conversation, it has to be Oklahoma's Landry Jones.

The junior quarterback has gone through relative hot-and-colds throughout the season. He began the year cold, throwing a pair of touchdowns and a couple of interceptions through two games.In fact, he had five touchdowns and five interceptions through three games.

On the other side, Jones has had three five-touchdown performances, though he has been prone to throwing an interception here and there.

The Sooners were idle but with Andrew Luck and Kellen Moore facing defeat, that puts three of college football's top quarterbacks with one loss this season.

Jones may have gotten a bump in the Heisman race without even playing.

On the year, the New Mexico native has thrown for 3349 yards, 28 touchdowns and 9 interceptions on 254-of-393 attempts (64.6 percent). Statistically, he does not jump off the page, but he consistently gets his team in position to win with solid play.