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NIU's Wolfe climbs up
By Ricky Treon
1. Troy Smith, QB, Ohio State - Up
All Smith does these days is win in hostile environments.
Smith walked into Iowa City Saturday and took it to the Hawkeyes despite a crowd that might have been worse than what Ohio State saw in Austin three weeks ago.
Though he's in danger of losing his dual-threat title, Smith's arm is more than capable of winning him the Heisman. It only gets easier for Smith and Ohio State from here until Michigan comes to town to end the regular season, so the trophy is now his to lose.
2. Adrian Peterson, RB, Oklahoma - Even
Peterson has a body built for the NFL, but for now he'll settle for being Oklahoma's workhorse.
The Sooners had a bye week Saturday, but that just means he'll be well rested for this weekend's Red River Rivalry, which could make or break his Heisman chances. Texas boasts one of the best rush defenses in the country, and an impressive performance against the Longhorns will make a statement that the Heisman voters won't be able to ignore.
3. Brady Quinn, QB, Notre Dame - Up
It'll take a lot more than Saturday's performance for Quinn to replace Smith as the frontrunner, but at least he's out of the basement.
Quinn regained some of the respect Michigan took away from him by throwing for 316 yards Saturday, putting together two consecutive Heisman-worthy performances.
Only several magical performances can vault him over Smith and Peterson, though. The Irish's season finale with USC provides Quinn the best chance to do that.
4. Chris Leak, QB, Florida - Down
Leadership can only counterbalance unimpressive stats for so long, and Leak is running out of time.
Leak led the Gators to a big victory for the second consecutive weekend, but his numbers (14-20, 174 yards) were mediocre at best. Unless he picks it up during the rest of Florida's SEC schedule, Leak will find himself out of the Heisman picture soon. The one statistic that's keeping Leak in the hunt right now is his NCAA-leading 16 touchdown passes.
5. Garrett Wolfe, RB, Northern Illinois - Up
Garrett Wolfe is no joke.
Wolfe ran for 353 yards Saturday and is on pace to break Barry Sanders' single season rushing record of 2,628 yards - before Northern Illinois' final game of the regular season.
Wolfe doesn't play on a big-time team, but he proved his legitimacy by rushing for more than 100 yards against Ohio State earlier this season and even Buckeye coach Jim Tressel gave all the credit for that performance to Wolfe.
Knocking on the door: Jamarcus Russell, QB, LSU - Russell had an impressive performance in a glorified scrimmage against Mississippi State. If he outperforms Leak on Saturday in Gainesville, Fla., he may take Leak's spot on the list.
Steve Slaton, RB, West Virginia - Out
Though the Mountaineers had a bye week, Slaton severely underachieved his last game (80 total rushing yards) and the rest of the field ran by him during his off day.