Heisman Watch: Nine touchdowns later

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Another week of college football, and another two undefeated teams go down.

Last week it was Oklahoma and Wisconsin, this week it was No. 5 Clemson and No. 8 Kansas State (who are now ranked No. 11 and No. 14 respectively).

Is there any question as to what the game of the week was? The answer is no. Stanford's come-from-behind, potential National-Championship-saving triple overtime 56-48 victory over USC is the game of the year thus far in college football (Sorry Baylor-TCU, Michigan-Notre Dame, Wisconsin-Michigan State, Wisconsin-Ohio State).

Stanford's victory, and Andrew Luck's heroics, have given the future No. 1 pick in the 2012 NFL Draft his largest lead in the Heisman race to date...

RankPlayer, Position, SchoolRecent Game StatsSeason StatsNext Game1Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford29-40, 330 yards, 3 TD, INT,rush TD in 56-48 3OT win at USC174-242 (72), 2218 yards,23 TD, 4 INT, 2 rush TDAt Oregon State2Trent Richardson, RB,AlabamaIdle149 rushes, 989 rush yards(6.6 YPC), 17 TD, 212 rec. yards, rec. TDNo. 1 LSU3Kellen Moore, QB, BoiseStateIdle174-228 (76), 2010 yards,24 TD, 5 INTAt UNLV4Case Keenum, QB, Houston24-37, 534 yards, 9 TD, INTin 73-34 win over Rice218-303 (72), 3219 yards,32 TD, 3 INTAt UAB5Brandon Weeden, QB, OklahomaState24-36, 274 yards, 3 TD in59-24 win over Baylor246-345 (71), 2710 yards,22 TD, 7 INTNo. 14 Kansas StateOn the bubble: Landry JonesQBOklahoma, Ryan BroylesWROklahoma, Robert Griffin IIIQBBaylor

Analysis:

1) Andrew Luck: The pick-six he threw late in the 4th quarter against USC was the best thing that could have happened for his Heisman bid. If Stanford had lost, he would still be the No. 1 pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. However, if he doesn't lead Stanford on the game-tying touchdown drive to force overtime, or if the Cardinal simply lose in overtime, Stanford's national title game hopes go up in smoke, and he takes a big hit in the Heisman race. Instead, Stanford's victory pushed them up two spots to No. 4 in the BCS standings, and the legend of Andrew Luck grew so much that the Twittersphere has started to ask, "Is Andrew Luck underrated?" Good question.

2) Trent Richardson: In case you already weren't aware Mr. Richardson, Saturday's meeting with the No. 1 ranked LSU Tigers is the biggest game of your life. It's simple: if you have a monster performance and lead the Crimson Tide to victory, you have a legitimate shot at catapulting past Luck and into the lead. If the Tide loses, and Tyrann Mathieu and the rest of the frighteningly good Tigers defense keeps you in check, you will drop a few spots. Alabama's national title hopes and your Heisman candidacy are on the line Saturday. No pressure.

3) Kellen Moore: Nobody benefited more from Clemson's loss and Tahj Boy's lackluster performance than did Boise State and Kellen Moore. The only way Boise State sneaks into the title game is if... well... they really don't stand a chance. And the only way Moore can win the Heisman is if several of the other top candidates completely shoot themselves in the foot. Oh, and he has to be nearly close to perfect. Good luck.

4) Case Keenum: In case you scrolled past it, scroll back up the page and look at Case Keenum's "Recent Game Stats."... I know, insane right? I don't care if you are playing against just eight defenders, it is nearly impossible to throw nine touchdowns in a game. His 5th touchdown pass against the Owls was the 135th of his career, making him the Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Div. 1-A) all-time leader in career touchdown passes. He is also just 268 passing yards away from surpassing Timmy Chang (17,072 career passing yards) and becoming the all-time leader. Several NCAA records, an undefeated season, a birth in a BCS bowl game, and an invite to the Heisman ceremony all in the same year? It's possible.

5) Brandon Weeden: He narrowly edged out Oklahoma's Landry Jones, and the main reason why: the Cowboys are No. 3 in the BCS and the Sooners are No. 6. Weeden has 2710 passing yards, Jones 3094. Weeden has 22 total touchdowns, Jones 28. Weeden is completing 71.3 of his passes, Jones 66.5. Weeden has thrown seven interceptions, Jones nine. You know what's great? The Sooners and Cowboys will meet in Stillwater on December with national title and Heisman implications on the line. Fun stuff.

Drew Shiller is a web producer for CSNBayArea.com and you can follow him on Twitter @DrewShiller

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