Brutally Honest Heisman Breakdown - Week 11

Who's still in the Heisman chase? It's as open a race as ever with the big prize there for the taking. It'll all come down to the big games coming up.

2007 Brutally Honest Heisman Breakdown

Week Eleven

By Pete Fiutak   

- Heisman Rankings Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4
Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10

Let's cut through the garbage, the pomp, the circumstance, the PR BS, and the hype surrounding the greatest individual award in all of sports. The Heisman Trophy goes to the most celebrated quarterback or running back from a top BCS team or a top 25 non-BCS program, and while others will be acknowledged here if they have any prayer of potentially finishing in the top five, it'll take something extraordinary to get on this list. Let's not pretend the hot Sun Belt back or the dual threat MAC quarterback has an honest chance.

This isn't a ranking of the best players or top NFL prospects. This is an attempt to put the finger on the pulse of the Heisman chase. So without further ado, here are the current favorites AT THE MOMENT (and this will changed week after week with players moving in and out of categories

Ten players who should be in the race, but aren't in the picture ... 1) Glenn Dorsey, DT LSU; 2) Jamaal Charles, RB Texas; 3) Kevin Smith, RB UCF; 4) Michael Crabtree, WR Texas Tech; 5) Jordy Nelson, WR Kansas State; 6) Matt Forte, RB Tulane; 7) Sam Bradford, QB Oklahoma; 8) Chad Hall, RB/WR Air Force; 9) Steve Slaton, RB West Virginia; 10) Chris Johnson, RB East Carolina

The Finalists Coming Down The Stretch

QB Colt Brennan, Sr. Hawaii
Last Week: Brennan completed 28 of 39 passes for 396 yards and two touchdowns with an interception, and ran for five yards and a score in the 37-30 win over Fresno State.
He was having a great game against Fresno State before he was knocked out with a concussion. While he's iffy to play against Nevada, if Hawaii can win, and if he can come up with big games against Boise State and Washington, and if he leads the way to an unbeaten season and a BCS game, he'll be in New York as a finalist.

QB Chase Daniel, Jr. Missouri
Last Week: Daniel completed 27 of 35 passes for 352 yards and three touchdowns, and ran for 15 yards, in the 40-26 win over Texas A&M.
While Daniel is having a tremendous year, things are mainly being set up for 2008. It'll take an off-season to get the hype and buzz going, and then the spotlight will be on throughout next season. This year, he's one of the nation's most efficient passers and is fourth in the nation in total offense.

QB Cullen Harper, Jr. Clemson
Last Week: Harper completed 27 of 35 passes for 266 yards and three touchdowns, and ran for a score, in the 44-10 win over Wake Forest.
All of a sudden, Harper, not Boston College's Matt Ryan, is the ACC's best quarterback with 26 touchdown passes and four interceptions. His emergence has led the way for Clemson's big season, and now he'll get his shot in the spotlight against Boston College and South Carolina over the last two weeks.

RB Darren McFadden, Jr. Arkansas
Last Week: McFadden ran 22 times for 117 yards, and caught three passes for 17 yards, in the 34-13 loss to Tennessee.
How good is he? He had an "off" day and is now out of the Heisman race despite only rushing for 117 yards against Tennessee. The nation's premier back, he'll have a chance to make one more push to be a finalist with a spotlight game against LSU.

QB Todd Reesing, Jr. Kansas
Last Week: Reesing completed 27 of 40 passes for 308 yards and three touchdowns in the 43-28 win over Oklahoma State.
The Jayhawk offensive machine keeps on rolling, and while the offensive line might be the main reason, Reesing is the one making it all go. He has thrown for more than 300 yards in four games this year, including the last two, with nine touchdown passes against Nebraska and Oklahoma State. He hasn't thrown an interception in his last five games.

QB Tim Tebow, Soph. Florida
Last Week: Tebow completed 22 of 32 passes for 304 yards and two touchdowns with an interception, and ran 26 times for 120 yards and five scores in the 51-31 win over South Carolina.
He's second in the nation in passing efficiency, and has been first for major stretches, so he's among the best passing quarterbacks in America. He has 19 touchdown runs, more than and SEC quarterback ever, and more than any Florida player for a season, including Emmitt Smith. so he's among the nation's best runners. With 23 touchdowns, five interceptions, and 718 rushing yards, he's the nation's best all-around player, but he's a sophomore and and Florida has three losses which means he'll likely finish second.

QB Pat White, Jr. West Virginia
Last Week: White completed 10 of 16 passes for 144 yards, and ran 22 times for 156 yards and a touchdown, in the win over Rutgers two weeks ago. Louisville is up this week.
Everyone knows he can run, but he's also the Big East leader in passing efficiency, ranking seventh in the nation. He's also incredibly clutch, running for 156 yards and a touchdown two weeks ago against Rutgers, and 147 yards and a game-winning score last week against Louisville.

And The Current Leader In The Clubhouse Is ...

QB Dennis Dixon, Sr. Oregon
Two Weeks Ago: Dixon completed 13 of 22 passes for 189 yards and four touchdowns, and ran for 57 yards, in the 35-23 win over Arizona State. He faces Arizona this week.
It's all there for Dixon to grab the Heisman race by the horns and not let it go. His only real challenger is Tim Tebow, but he's a sophomore (strike one) and Florida has three losses (strike three in this instance). Everyone will be watching the Thursday night game against Arizona, and if he rocks, and if he leads the Ducks to wins over UCLA and Oregon State, it's over.