season. If Garrett continues on this pace it will be difficult for Heisman voters to pass him by like he passes by his opponents. The only thing more exciting than watching Garrett race for the end zone will be watching how he impacts the race toward New York and the Heisman.

311 yards passing and two touchdowns in Notre Dame’s victory against Purdue will keep Brady Quinn on the short list as well. Brady has

With another exciting week of college football in the books, this year’s race for the Heisman saw two of our top contenders put together personal performances that helped distance themselves from their competitors. Ohio State’s Troy Smith and Northern Illinois’ Garrett Wolfe put forth performances worthy of Heisman voters’ attention, and also worthy of team victories. An important consideration in this week’s analysis is that Adrian Peterson, Oklahoma, and Steve Slaton, West Virginia, enjoyed some extra time off. They will be back in action this week, so we will keep a close eye on their performances to see how their week of rest affects their play.

Other notable Heisman hopefuls still include Notre Dame’s Brady Quinn, Florida’s Chris Leak, Auburn’s Kenny Irons, and Michigan’s Michael Hart. New to my list is Ray Rice from Rutgers. To get a better feel for how each player is positioning themselves for the Heisman let’s look more closely at how they played this past week.

As usual a #1 ranking helped cast the spotlight on Ohio State’s Troy Smith. Not only did he play a primetime match-up on national television, but he did it against his third ranked opponent in the month of September. His 186 yards on 16 of 25 passing led to four touchdowns and an important win for Ohio State over a key Big Ten rival. Many say the Heisman is Troy’s to lose, we will see if the pressure of winning both a National Championship and the Heisman become too much for Troy to bear.

There is no quit in Garrett Wolfe. The nation’s current leading rusher keeps going and going. With 1,181 yards and 11 touchdowns he is raising more than a few eyebrows this season. If Garrett continues on this pace it will be difficult for Heisman voters to pass him by like he passes by his opponents. The only thing more exciting than watching Garrett race for the end zone will be watching how he impacts the race toward New York and the Heisman.

311 yards passing and two touchdowns in Notre Dame’s victory against Purdue will keep Brady Quinn on the short list as well. Brady has

sis is that Adrian Peterson, Oklahoma, and Steve Slaton, West Virginia, enjoyed some extra time off. They will be back in action this week, so we will keep a close eye on their performances to see how their week of rest affects their play.

Other notable Heisman hopefuls still include Notre Dame’s Brady Quinn, Florida’s Chris Leak, Auburn’s Kenny Irons, and Michigan’s Michael Hart. New to my list is Ray Rice from Rutgers. To get a better feel for how each player is positioning themselves for the Heisman let’s look more closely at how they played this past week.

As usual a #1 ranking helped cast the spotlight on Ohio State’s Troy Smith. Not only did he play a primetime match-up on national television, but he did it against his third ranked opponent in the month of September. His 186 yards on 16 of 25 passing led to four touchdowns and an important win for Ohio State over a key Big Ten rival. Many say the Heisman is Troy’s to lose, we will see if the pressure of winning both a National Championship and the Heisman become too much for Troy to bear.

There is no quit in Garrett Wolfe. The nation’s current leading rusher keeps going and going. With 1,181 yards and 11 touchdowns he is raising more than a few eyebrows this season. If Garrett continues on this pace it will be difficult for Heisman voters to pass him by like he passes by his opponents. The only thing more exciting than watching Garrett race for the end zone will be watching how he impacts the race toward New York and the Heisman.

311 yards passing and two touchdowns in Notre Dame’s victory against Purdue will keep Brady Quinn on the short list as well. Brady has

rom Rutgers. To get a better feel for how each player is positioning themselves for the Heisman let’s look more closely at how they played this past week.

As usual a #1 ranking helped cast the spotlight on Ohio State’s Troy Smith. Not only did he play a primetime match-up on national television, but he did it against his third ranked opponent in the month of September. His 186 yards on 16 of 25 passing led to four touchdowns and an important win for Ohio State over a key Big Ten rival. Many say the Heisman is Troy’s to lose, we will see if the pressure of winning both a National Championship and the Heisman become too much for Troy to bear.

There is no quit in Garrett Wolfe. The nation’s current leading rusher keeps going and going. With 1,181 yards and 11 touchdowns he is raising more than a few eyebrows this season. If Garrett continues on this pace it will be difficult for Heisman voters to pass him by like he passes by his opponents. The only thing more exciting than watching Garrett race for the end zone will be watching how he impacts the race toward New York and the Heisman.

311 yards passing and two touchdowns in Notre Dame’s victory against Purdue will keep Brady Quinn on the short list as well. Brady has

o four touchdowns and an important win for Ohio State over a key Big Ten rival. Many say the Heisman is Troy’s to lose, we will see if the pressure of winning both a National Championship and the Heisman become too much for Troy to bear.

There is no quit in Garrett Wolfe. The nation’s current leading rusher keeps going and going. With 1,181 yards and 11 touchdowns he is raising more than a few eyebrows this season. If Garrett continues on this pace it will be difficult for Heisman voters to pass him by like he passes by his opponents. The only thing more exciting than watching Garrett race for the end zone will be watching how he impacts the race toward New York and the Heisman.

311 yards passing and two touchdowns in Notre Dame’s victory against Purdue will keep Brady Quinn on the short list as well. Brady has

season. If Garrett continues on this pace it will be difficult for Heisman voters to pass him by like he passes by his opponents. The only thing more exciting than watching Garrett race for the end zone will be watching how he impacts the race toward New York and the Heisman.

311 yards passing and two touchdowns in Notre Dame’s victory against Purdue will keep Brady Quinn on the short list as well. Brady has struggled at times this season so consistency from this point forward will be key to his continued consideration for player of the year honors. Notre Dame’s schedule seems to be in Quinn’s favor, but only time will tell if he can continue to put out the kind of numbers necessary to rise above the likes of Troy Smith and Garrett Wolfe.

High efficiency play, maturity, and strong leadership will continue to be ingredients in Florida’s Chris Leak’s recipe for success. So far this season Chris has responded when Florida has needed him the most. If Chris can continue making things happen when they matter most - bringing attention and recognition to himself - he just might engineer another surprise victory this season, a Heisman victory.

In Auburn’s victory over South Carolina Kenny Irons failed to put up big numbers. In fact, his 117 yards rushing is not going to win him any awards in and of itself, but with Auburn’s #2 ranking in the polls, strength of schedule, and national attention, Kenny has the skills and the opportunity to make up for any lost ground in this particular race.

Michigan’s Michael Hart certainly did his job against the Gophers in Saturday’s prime-time contest. He put in what was arguably his best performance of the year with 195 yards rushing on 31 carries. As Michigan climbs in the polls so will Michael’s Heisman votes. Last year Hart took it to Michigan State, so look for him to have a big game this weekend and to put more pressure on those ahead of him in the run for the Heisman.

Many say there is one reason Rutgers is enjoying a 5-0 start and its first appearance in the AP polls in 30 years, and that re