This Week's Heisman Watch: Good Bye To Leak

After last Saturday, there are still only four players who can win the Heisman, but they are not the same players as before.

That's because Florida quarterback Chris Leak has officially been eliminated.

The reasons:

1. All three Gator touchdowns in the win over LSU were the result of plays by his freshman backup, Tim Tebow. While Tebow was scoring and throwing touchdowns, Leak was watching on the sideline.

2. Auburn's loss to Arkansas effectively deflates the overall hype and importance of this week's game with Florida, thus robbing Leak of a grand stage upon which to make a Heisman statement.

So, for the 10th season in a row, no SEC player will be winning the Heisman.

Replacing Leak on the Heisman Watch is Northern Illinois running back Garrett Wolfe, who remains on pace to break Barry Sanders' single-season NCAA rushing record of 2,628 yards. As long as the diminutive dynamo from DeKalb keeps doing what he's doing and as long as the rest of the Heisman field continues to perform the way it has, he will remain in contention.

Now, on to this week's list. Here are the four players who can still win the Heisman:

1. Troy Smith, Ohio State--He had 191 passing yards and 3 TDs on 17-of-20 passing against Bowling Green. No Heisman voters were watching, so the game had little effect either way. He moves into first place this week due to Leak's drop, which will have the effect of moving votes in Smith's direction.

2. Adrian Peterson, Oklahoma--Peterson averted a death-knell to his candidacy by rushing for 109 yards and a TD on 25 carries in a loss to Texas. He needs to finish strong and OU needs to win out for him to have a shot. It hurts him that he will likely NOT have the Big 12 Title game in which to pad his stats before the Heisman votes are due. He is also hurt by the rise of Garrett Wolfe, who provides another running back option in the race.

3. Brady Quinn, Notre Dame--He is in relative hibernation for now, as Notre Dame has receded a bit from the spotlight. He threw for 232 yards and 3 TDs against Stanford on Saturday and continues to build his stat resume. One unfortunate turn of events for him is the relative weakness of USC. If the Trojans don't come into the Nov. 25 game with Notre Dame undefeated, Quinn may not be able to pull off the dragon-slaying performance he needs to make his case.

4. Garrett Wolfe, Northern Illinois--He had 162 yards and two TDs on 29 carries against Miami (OH). Those are good numbers for most backs, but not what Wolfe has been used to accumulating this season. He'll need to get back on track this week or his time on the Heisman Watch may be short.