BCS Rankings: How New Poll Will Affect Heisman Voting

If Brandon Weeden and Oklahoma State had held serve against Iowa State, the Bedlam game against the Oklahoma Sooners, a winning performance would bring the Heisman to Weeden.

Now, Weeden is a long shot for the Heisman and the Cowboys are all but eliminated from the national championship picture.

Since the inception of the BCS system for the 1998-99 season, only twice has the Heisman trophy winner come from a school not ranked as high as fourth in the standings (Tim Tebow in 2007 and Ron Dayne 1999).

This evening's BCS standings will have a say in the final Heisman voting. If the USA Today poll is any indication, Virginia Tech may be as high as fourth in the standings.

If Virginia Tech defeats Virginia and then wins the ACC championship, David Wilson has to receive some serious consideration for the award. 

Wilson is third in the nation in rushing with 1442 yards and has been the best player for the one-loss Hokies. Just behind him is another standout RB, Montee Ball; Ball could benefit from a boost in the standings for his Wisconsin Badgers.

At the top, Trent Richardson is sitting pretty. As long as Bama doesn't have a misstep against Auburn in the Iron Bowl, he is sitting pretty to win it by default. That would be the second Alabama RB to win the Heisman in three years, following Mark Ingram winning it in 2009.

With LSU nor Arkansas having a legit contender for the award, a Bama loss would open the floodgates for the stars of the contenders at Virginia Tech (Wilson) and Stanford (Andrew Luck).

As of now, it is Richardson's to lose.