1. Case Keenum, QB, Houston: Will he win it? Likely not. But as of right now, he’s #1 in my book. He followed up the win at Oklahoma State by leading the Cougars 95 yards for a last-minute score to beat another national name in Texas Tech.
Last Game (29-28 W vs. Texas Tech): 38-58, 435 yards, TD, INT (pass), 8 carries, 27 yards, TD (rush)
Season Stats: 93-134, 1,160 yards, 8 TD, 2 INT (pass), 15 carries, 43 yards, 3 TD (rush)
2. Tim Tebow, QB, Florida: We know he’ll be fine, so Florida fans shouldn’t fret too much, and opposing fans shouldn’t celebrate much, even if they got a little giddy at the sight of his head forcefully meeting teammate Marcus Gilbert’s knee. Before he was knocked out, however, it was another productive night for Tebow, who notched his fourth career 100-yard rushing game and moved ever closer to breaking the SEC career mark for rushing touchdowns.
Last Game (41-7 W at Kentucky): 5-10, 103 yards, TD, 0 INT (pass), 16 carries, 123 yards, 2 TD (rush)
Season Stats: 44-68, 643 yards, 6 TD, INT (pass), 55 carries, 271 yards, 5 TD (rush)
3. Tony Pike, Cincinnati: Another day, another 300-yard game for Pike. He may still be flying under the radar with a lot of people nationally, but that will change if the Bearcats keep on winning.
Last Game (28-20 W vs. Fresno State): 18-26, 300 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT
Season Stats: 93-132, 1,223 yards, 11 TD, 2 INT, 2 rush TD
4. Colt McCoy, QB, Texas: Another game, another Texas win, another fine performance for McCoy. He’ll move up in short order, but I’m not of a fan of his return to pick proneness.
Last Game (64-7 W vs. UTEP): 28-35, 286 yards, 3 TD, INT
Season Stats: 103-145, 1,145 yards, 9 TD, 5 INT, rush TD
5. Ryan Williams, RB, Virginia Tech: If there’s a freshman who merits mention, it’s this guy. He was the offensive star of Va. Tech’s rout of Miami, logging 150 yards on 34 carries (his third straight 100-yard game) and two rushing touchdowns, and he added two catches for 40 yards.
Last Game (31-7 W vs. Miami (FL)): 34 carries, 150 yards, 2 TD, 2 catches, 40 yards
Season Stats: 84 carries, 492 yards, 8 TD, 6 catches, 120 yards
6. Kellen Moore, QB, Boise State: Having a quality rushing attack to back him up, along with Boise being on the giving end of several beatdowns, hurts the numbers that Moore could put up, but the table is set for him to be in the finalist conversation. Boise may not have marquee games agaisnt Top 25 teams, but he has several chances to impress before a national audience, and the Broncos have a chance to make the kind of jump in the rankings that could pay dividends for both team and star quarterback.
Last Game (49-14 W at Bowling Green): 17-21, 247 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT
Season Stats: 70-102, 932 yards, 10 TD, INT
7. Blaine Gabbert, QB, Missouri: Gabbert’s put up gaudy numbers in his first four games as a starter, but Missouri’s about to hit the meat of their schedule, as they face Nebraska (home), Oklahoma State (road), and Texas (home). Even if he’s not a serious candidate this season, showing that he can hold his own against some of the best teams out there will only help his prospects going into 2010.
Last Game (31-21 W at Nevada): 25-40, 414 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT
Season Stats: 87-131, 1,161 yards, 11 TD, 0 INT, 2 rush TD
8. Jahvid Best, RB, Cal: Both he and Cal dropped the ball at Oregon. Best was held to just 55 yards rushing in the Bears’s 42-3 loss. He and the Bears can quickly redeem themselves against USC, but a loss in that game will derail their Pac-10 title hopes and his Heisman hopes before they really even got going.
Last Game (42-3 L at Oregon): 16 carries, 55 yards, 2 catches, 14 yards
Season Stats: 69 carries, 467 yards, 8 TD, 9 catches, 73 yards, TD
9. Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame: Leading a late comeback on the road with a bad foot? That’s two straight games with big plays in the clutch from Clausen after the disappointing loss at Michigan, and you can’t not be impressed, even if his numbers at Purdue were a far cry from what he’d done in his first three games.
Last Game (24-21 W at Purdue): 15-26, 171 yards, TD, INT
Season Stats: 77-117, 1,122 yards, 10 TD, INT
10. Eric Norwood, DE, South Carolina: Norwood was everywhere in the Gamecocks’ upset of Ole Miss, making 10 tackles and recording two sacks. Just another night at the office for Mr. Disruptive And Destructive. Could he line up at quarterback and throw a touchdown pass if Steve Spurrier dialed it up? I wouldn’t doubt it.
Last Game (16-10 W vs. Ole Miss): 10 tackles (7 solo, 3 assists), 2 sacks
Season Stats: 27 tackles (18 solo, 9 assists), 6.5 tackles for loss, 6 sacks, one INT (returned for a TD), one forced fumble, one blocked kick
Honorable Mention
Mardy Gilyard, WR, Cincinnati: Pike’s a good QB and all, but it makes raring back and letting it fly when you have this guy catching passes and making big plays.
Last Game (28-20 W vs. Fresno State): 9 catches, 177 yards, 2 TD
Season Stats: 32 catches, 442 yards, 6 TD, rush TD, punt return TD
Greg McElroy, QB, Alabama: Quite the first SEC start for McElroy, who tossed long touchdown passes to Julio Jones and Marquis Maze, with the latter coming on the first play from scrimmage after the Razorbacks had drawn with 14-7 early in the third quarter.
Last Game (35-7 W vs. Arkansas): 17-24, 291 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT
Season Stats: 63-93, 938 yards, 7 TD, INT, rush TD
Todd Reesing, QB, Kansas: He’s got back-to-back 300-yard games heading into Big 12 play, and the Jayhawks are 4-0. If they can get past Iowa State (home) and Colorado (road), Reesing will have a chance against Oklahoma (10/24) to vault himself into the discussion much earlier than he did in 2007, when he and Kansas burst onto the scene on the way to a 12-1 season and an Orange Bowl win.
Last Game (35-28 W vs. Southern Mississippi): 30-41, 331 yards, 3 TD, INT
Season Stats: 96-143, 1,137 yards, 9 TD, 2 INT, 2 rush TD
Chris Todd, QB, Auburn: Gus Malzahn’s offense is putting up monster numbers thus far, lighting it up by ground with the one-two punch of Ben Tate and Onterio McCalebb and through the air with Todd, who has nine touchdown tosses in his last two games. But now the real fun begins, starting with a trip to Tennessee this weekend.
Last Game (54-30 W vs. Ball State): 19-26, 287 yards, 5 TD, 0 INT
Season Stats: 62-106, 1,012 yards, 11 TD, INT
Russell Wilson, QB, North Carolina State: Three straight games with four touchdown passes and no picks. Might not be a surprise against Murray State and Gardner-Webb, but he absolutely torched Pittsburgh’s D in Saturday in a 38-31 win. Oh, if only they hadn’t laid such an egg in the opener against South Carolina.
Last Game (38-31 W vs. Pittsburgh): 21-35, 322 yards, 4 TD, 0 INT, 10 carries, 91 yards
Season Stats: 74-115, 969 yards, 12 TD, 0 INT, 32 carries, 115 yards
