Robert Griffin III
Baylor lost a nail biter to Kansas State. I was incorrect in my last blog when stating that Baylor was up for the test. It lost 
the very first test to a feisty, undefeated Kansas State team that is sure to lose a few down the road at some point. I really hate the loss for the Heisman hopeful Robert Griffin III who could ill-afford one. It was mentioned to me by Mike Young, offensive coordinator for Athens High (AL), that RG3 would have to pull a Cameron Newton to win it and I think he is money with that prediction. RG3 has to nearly play a perfect game for his team to have a chance to win and a late interception, forced by a hit from defensive front pressure, just may cost him his outside shot at college football’s most prestigious individual prize. Even when he plays perfect, Baylor can only win by a few points against a good team. And when he doesn’t (i.e. 5 tds and 1 int this past weekend), Baylor loses. Baylor is good on offense and bad on defense with very little depth on either side of the ball. I still think they are on to something and have a few upsets in mind that may have them in contention at the end of the season. Baylor will definitely have to win the Big XII at this point for RG3 to have a chance. And as long as Wisconsin and Stanford remain undefeated, that chance remains in the “outside” category.
Kellen Moore
I guess I jinxed my two front runners (RG3 and Kellen Moore) last week by having such high regard to the season’s they were having so far to that point. Who would have predicted that Kellen Moore would have his poorest output ever, this year against a Nevada team that only has 1 victory on the season? Moore finished a decent 19 of 33 passing for 142 yards, 2 tds and 2 ints. Those are far from Heisman numbers playing in the Mountain West Conference. However, his team remains undefeated and I’m positive he’ll make up for it with a few spectacular performances in the weeks to come. Boise State’s remaining schedule is full of cupcakes and if they win the them all, as predicted, Moore will at least receive another December invite to New York’ Downtown Athletic Club.
At the start of the season, Landry Jones was my Heisman front runner. It was a safe pick since he was set to break the OU all time record for passing, as a junior by the way, and returned the nation’s second best receiving core (Arkansas). If healthy, I knew that he would pass for a ridiculous amount of yards and touchdowns and have OU in BCS contention again this season. Somewhere along the way I got caught in the hype of the flawless stats the guys above were putting up. But somewhere in the back of my mind, I had to admit that neither of them ever really had a chance to keep their respective astronomically pace. October 1st brought us a taste of conference play at its best, which will only get better. It also brought to the forefront, 5 Heisman contenders of the 10 mentioned last week. A few are highlighted below and the others are only named. They are as follows (in no particular order):
Tajh Boyd, QB, Clemson.
Boyd brought himself into consideration with his strong September in a month to remember for the Clemson program. He 
helped start October off in a nice way with a convincing 23-3 win over conference rival Virginia Tech. He has lead his team to victories for 3 weeks in a row in huge games, 2 of those against the teams that were predicted to duke it out in the ACC title game. Clemson quietly has one of the clearest paths from this point forward to a BCS game if they can avoid a slip up the rest of the way. Boyd and the Tigers control their own destiny and if they continue to win. The oft emotional, charismatic Dabo Sweeney needs to launch a late season Heisman campaign for his QB. But for now, I think they’re OK with trying to win them all.
Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford
Luck went 23 of 27 passing for 227 yards and 3 tds Saturday against UCLA. The surefire first overall pick in the 2012 NFL 
draft continued to build his preseason Heisman stock with another impressive performance that included an ESPY worthy one handed catch (picture to the right) down the side line off a reverse throw back pass to the QB. The catch can be seen here via this Sports Illustrated link: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/ncaa/gameflash/2011/10/01/47906_recap.html
One of the other Heisman contenders is going to have to make a strong case to keep this guy from winning the Heisman Memorial Trophy. The guy is a winner, and he is winning with teammates who will go on to be archaeologist, neurosurgeons and corporate attorneys. He’s no slouch in the classroom either, set to receive a degree in Architectural Design, Engineering this academic year. Maybe they can all continue to put their heads together to outsmart the competition all the way to the PAC 12 first annual championship game. If so, Luck is the media’s favorite to win, especially after coming in second to Newton last year. It’s his to lose.
Russell Wilson, QB, Wisconsin
If Andrew Luck has a
chance to be unseated in the lead of the Heisman race, the guy to do it is Wisconsin QB Russell Wilson. Luck is a great story, passing up the NFL to graduate and finish off his career with pals from his signing class. But Wilson has a story of his own, which was highlighted during the pregame this past Saturday versus Nebraska. This guy is a winner and made the right call coming back to play college football, despite an ongoing professional baseball career. The NFL seems to be his best bet and his stock is rising by the week. Wilson has competed 75 percent of his passes thus far for 1,391 yards, 13 tds, and 1 int in a run based offense. He plays behind one of the best offensive lines in the country, which makes him even more poisonous for defenses to guard against. This guy has pin point accuracy and can dissect a defense as if it were a Pop Warner team. On top of it all, he can run with the wind as he picks and chooses his times to take off with it. He and Wisconsin’s offense will be hard for any Big Ten school to stop the rest of the way. It seems like it may be a close call with Wilson and Luck, unless one of them stumbles along the way. It will be exciting to watch the race unfold.
Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama
If the SEC can continue its media stranglehold, all of aforementioned can be ignored for what is about to be stated. Run Trent Run has oft replaced the Crimson Tide Faithfull’s chant of Roll Tide Roll, and rightfully so. Nick Saban rarely gives any player credit, rather referring to his team as a whole when pointing out strength and weaknesses. But during SEC Media Days, Saban stated that Richardson was the most complete back he’d ever coached and said the guy has no weaknesses. WOW! I guess we all had a chance to see that opinion on full display in the Swamp last Saturday. Richardson is on pace for a 1,625 yard rushing, 26 td season. If he does that and his Alabama team goes undefeated through the SEC Championship, then its Trent’s Heisman to lose. I think I’ll make my way down to Tuscaloosa to see the game that will probably make or break the Tide’s season on November 5th against No. 1 LSU. By the way, Alabama quietly moved passed Oklahoma for the No. 2 spot this week. This after OU beat Ball State 62-6. I was very surprised by that move in the polls, but it just goes to show, football is still King in the South.
Lamichael James, RB, Oregon
Even though Oregon had an off week, James still leads the nation in rushing at 153 yards per game. If he and the Quack 
Attack can continue to rebound from an early season loss to LSU, James may still have a chance to win it. A finalist a year ago, James has a big test on November 12th against Stanford on the road. His showing against Andrew Luck and company will go a long way in determining whether he is just a contender or a front runner. Until then, expect him to continue to churn out yards as he always does. He led the nation in rushing last year and may just do so again.
As always, thanks for reading. Comment below.
