The Heisman race can be so, so, fickle. That's especially true when you have a race as tight as the one we've seen in 2011. With one big loss and one big win, Robert Griffin III and Brandon Weeden have essentially traded places on the Heisman pecking order.
Weeden's looking like he's just outside the legitimate candidates, and RG3 might now be the frontrunner, or at least one of them. That's not a case of folks being frontrunners, it's a case of there not being much that separates the top 5-6 candidates in the race. Weeden, with a loss that featured three picks, gave people reason to downgrade him in the race. RG3, meanwhile, had his best game of the season in a huge spot and gave Baylor perhaps its greatest win in history.
1. Griffin III, QB, Baylor
Last week: 21-34, 479 yards, 4 TD. 18 carries, 72 yards in a 45-38 win over No. 5 Oklahoma
Making the case for Griffin III: Griffin had some late-game heroics on the big stage and shook up the BCS race by handing the Sooners their second loss of the season. He's got 33 touchdowns and five interceptions this year, and only three quarterbacks have more. If the Bears' defense was better, Griffin might never have left this race. Still, he's back in it, and a legitimate candidate to win it.
2. Weeden, QB, Oklahoma State
Last week: 42-58, 476 yards, 3 TD, 3 INT in a 37-31 double-overtime loss to Iowa State.
Making the case for Weeden: Weeden's not entirely out of it, but throwing interceptions in overtime of a loss will result in a huge strike against his campaign. A big game and a win over Oklahoma could send Weeden to New York, but he'll need help from the guys above him to win it.
3. Collin Klein, QB, Kansas State
Last week: 9-17, 83 yards, TD. 26 carries, four yards, TD in a 17-13 win over Texas.
Making the case for Klein: Klein, as usual, didn't do it pretty in a low-scoring win over Texas, but you don't need to see much more than his stat line to see that. Sacks were the biggest reason for his poor rushing numbers, but he still scored his 25th touchdown of the season.
4. Landry Jones, QB, Oklahoma
Last week: 36-51, 447 yards, INT.
Making the case for Jones: Never good to take a loss, but Jones was really, really good against Baylor.It's safe to hang this loss on the defense, which gave up more than 600 yards, but Jones is all but out of the race now, barring a big win and a big day against Oklahoma State, which might get him on the fringe of a trip to New York. Also, Jones threw more than 440 yards but came away without a touchdown. That's nuts.
Here's how I voted in ESPN's weekly Heisman Watch:
1. Griffin III
2. Andrew Luck
4. Weeden
5. Case Keenum