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No Todd Gurley, no problem. Georgia still wins. Questions about Jameis Winston still creep around the campus at Florida State. No problem, the Seminoles have won 22 straight games. Alabama wins, but there are still questions as Arkansas plays the Tide tough. Auburn loses to the Bulldogs and the state of Mississippi erupts in banter and cheer as the state now claims the top and third spot in the college rankings.

Yes, the south has risen again.

In any event, the Heisman Trophy figures to have a huge southern flavor or southern influence again this season, making it difficult for the west and Midwest to catch up. This isn’t a southern or east coast bias, it’s just the truth.

Here are the top seven candidates today.

7. SHANE CARDEN. ECU

Carden and ECU had just enough in the tank to get past upset-minded South Florida, though just-good-enough performances won't lift Carden higher on the Heisman list or continue ECU's path for a major bowl. The production has been there, however, and Carden and this offense should regain top-notch form against some of the American's weakest teams.

6. BRYCE PETTY, BAYLOR

His 510-yard, six-touchdown performance in leading Baylor through a 21-point deficit and past TCU should help us forget Petty's early season, which was stymied and slowed by a painful back injury.

Baylor is now the fourth ranked team in the nation and a serious contender for a playoff spot.

5. AMEER ABDULLAH, NEBRASKA

Despite his lackluster performance in the Cornhuskers' loss to Michigan State. That'll be an aberration: Abdullah will rebound to near the 2,000-yard mark when all is said and done, and if in conjunction with a 10-win regular season should keep him among the top five throughout the season.

4. EVERETTE GOLSON, NOTRE DAME

Golson threw for 300 yards and three scores and ran for 71 yards in the Fighting Irish's 50-43 shootout win over North Carolina.

The game this weekend in Tallahassee could be his showcase game that will kick him up a few notches in the eyes of the voters. Should Notre Dame run the table, Golson will appear in New York.

3. MELVIN GORDON, WISCONSIN

Gordon found the end zone four times against a soft Illinois defense. He finished the day with 175 yards on 27 carries. It was Gordon's fifth game of the season with at least 140 rushing yards.

He is quickly becoming a favorite of the NFL. Gurley figures to be the first back chosen, but Gordon is winning teams over with his grit.

2. MARCUS MARIOTA, OREGON

Oregon's QB was 17-for-27, passing for 210 yards and two touchdowns, but he was even deadlier on the ground. Mariota rushed for 75 yards and two touchdowns on seven carries. Maybe most importantly, he wasn't sacked.

The Arizona loss was a blemish on his resume, but he can still re-take the Heisman lead should the Bulldogs stumble or loss in the Egg Bowl.

1. DAK PRESCOTT, MISSISSIPPI STATE

Against No. 2 Auburn, Prescott rushed for 121 yards and two touchdowns. He also overcame two costly interceptions to finish 18-for-34 with another touchdown through the air. Altogether: 367 all-purpose yards and a big win at home.

Now that the Bulldogs are No. 1 in the most recent polls, as long as the team wins and Prescott shines, he is the front runner.

No Todd Gurley, no problem. Georgia still wins. Questions about Jameis Winston still creep around the campus at Florida State. No problem, the Seminoles have won 22 straight games. Alabama wins, but there are still questions as Arkansas plays the Tide tough. Auburn loses to the Bulldogs and the state of Mississippi erupts in banter and cheer as the state now claims the top and third spot in the college rankings.

Yes, the south has risen again.

In any event, the Heisman Trophy figures to have a huge southern flavor or southern influence again this season, making it difficult for the west and Midwest to catch up. This isn’t a southern or east coast bias, it’s just the truth.

Here are the top seven candidates today.

7. SHANE CARDEN. ECU

Carden and ECU had just enough in the tank to get past upset-minded South Florida, though just-good-enough performances won't lift Carden higher on the Heisman list or continue ECU's path for a major bowl. The production has been there, however, and Carden and this offense should regain top-notch form against some of the American's weakest teams.

6. BRYCE PETTY, BAYLOR

His 510-yard, six-touchdown performance in leading Baylor through a 21-point deficit and past TCU should help us forget Petty's early season, which was stymied and slowed by a painful back injury.

Baylor is now the fourth ranked team in the nation and a serious contender for a playoff spot.

5. AMEER ABDULLAH, NEBRASKA

Despite his lackluster performance in the Cornhuskers' loss to Michigan State. That'll be an aberration: Abdullah will rebound to near the 2,000-yard mark when all is said and done, and if in conjunction with a 10-win regular season should keep him among the top five throughout the season.

4. EVERETTE GOLSON, NOTRE DAME

Golson threw for 300 yards and three scores and ran for 71 yards in the Fighting Irish's 50-43 shootout win over North Carolina.

The game this weekend in Tallahassee could be his showcase game that will kick him up a few notches in the eyes of the voters. Should Notre Dame run the table, Golson will appear in New York.

3. MELVIN GORDON, WISCONSIN

Gordon found the end zone four times against a soft Illinois defense. He finished the day with 175 yards on 27 carries. It was Gordon's fifth game of the season with at least 140 rushing yards.

He is quickly becoming a favorite of the NFL. Gurley figures to be the first back chosen, but Gordon is winning teams over with his grit.

2. MARCUS MARIOTA, OREGON

Oregon's QB was 17-for-27, passing for 210 yards and two touchdowns, but he was even deadlier on the ground. Mariota rushed for 75 yards and two touchdowns on seven carries. Maybe most importantly, he wasn't sacked.

The Arizona loss was a blemish on his resume, but he can still re-take the Heisman lead should the Bulldogs stumble or loss in the Egg Bowl.

1. DAK PRESCOTT, MISSISSIPPI STATE

Against No. 2 Auburn, Prescott rushed for 121 yards and two touchdowns. He also overcame two costly interceptions to finish 18-for-34 with another touchdown through the air. Altogether: 367 all-purpose yards and a big win at home.

Now that the Bulldogs are No. 1 in the most recent polls, as long as the team wins and Prescott shines, he is the front runner.

No Todd Gurley, no problem. Georgia still wins. Questions about Jameis Winston still creep around the campus at Florida State. No problem, the Seminoles have won 22 straight games. Alabama wins, but there are still questions as Arkansas plays the Tide tough. Auburn loses to the Bulldogs and the state of Mississippi erupts in banter and cheer as the state now claims the top and third spot in the college rankings.

Yes, the south has risen again.

In any event, the Heisman Trophy figures to have a huge southern flavor or southern influence again this season, making it difficult for the west and Midwest to catch up. This isn’t a southern or east coast bias, it’s just the truth.

Here are the top seven candidates today.

7. SHANE CARDEN. ECU

Carden and ECU had just enough in the tank to get past upset-minded South Florida, though just-good-enough performances won't lift Carden higher on the Heisman list or continue ECU's path for a major bowl. The production has been there, however, and Carden and this offense should regain top-notch form against some of the American's weakest teams.

6. BRYCE PETTY, BAYLOR

His 510-yard, six-touchdown performance in leading Baylor through a 21-point deficit and past TCU should help us forget Petty's early season, which was stymied and slowed by a painful back injury.

Baylor is now the fourth ranked team in the nation and a serious contender for a playoff spot.

5. AMEER ABDULLAH, NEBRASKA

Despite his lackluster performance in the Cornhuskers' loss to Michigan State. That'll be an aberration: Abdullah will rebound to near the 2,000-yard mark when all is said and done, and if in conjunction with a 10-win regular season should keep him among the top five throughout the season.

4. EVERETTE GOLSON, NOTRE DAME

Golson threw for 300 yards and three scores and ran for 71 yards in the Fighting Irish's 50-43 shootout win over North Carolina.

The game this weekend in Tallahassee could be his showcase game that will kick him up a few notches in the eyes of the voters. Should Notre Dame run the table, Golson will appear in New York.

3. MELVIN GORDON, WISCONSIN

Gordon found the end zone four times against a soft Illinois defense. He finished the day with 175 yards on 27 carries. It was Gordon's fifth game of the season with at least 140 rushing yards.

He is quickly becoming a favorite of the NFL. Gurley figures to be the first back chosen, but Gordon is winning teams over with his grit.

2. MARCUS MARIOTA, OREGON

Oregon's QB was 17-for-27, passing for 210 yards and two touchdowns, but he was even deadlier on the ground. Mariota rushed for 75 yards and two touchdowns on seven carries. Maybe most importantly, he wasn't sacked.

The Arizona loss was a blemish on his resume, but he can still re-take the Heisman lead should the Bulldogs stumble or loss in the Egg Bowl.

1. DAK PRESCOTT, MISSISSIPPI STATE

Against No. 2 Auburn, Prescott rushed for 121 yards and two touchdowns. He also overcame two costly interceptions to finish 18-for-34 with another touchdown through the air. Altogether: 367 all-purpose yards and a big win at home.

Now that the Bulldogs are No. 1 in the most recent polls, as long as the team wins and Prescott shines, he is the front runner.

Rich Rodriguez proved he had a thing or two left to show everyone in the Pac 12 Thursday night. The Oregon Ducks wished he never opened his bag of tricks.

The 31-24 win over the Ducks not only shook up the conference a bit, but it also had an impact on the National Title playoff series and hurt Michigan State, a team that lost to Oregon earlier in the year. The loss by Marcus Mariota and the troops made the Pac 12 look at bit weaker and certainly did not do any favors for the Big Ten.

That is what makes this season of college football in particular so great. That is also one of the reasons this weekend in college football is by far the biggest and most important yet to be played.

Six games alone this weekend will have ranked opponents playing each other. The game between Tennessee and Florida is played at NOON on Saturday, which tells you how far this rivalry has fallen – but it still has major implications as Will Muschamp is still fighting for his coaching life.

And while we are all letting the SEC continue to run amuck with Alabama and Mississippi going head to head and Mississippi State and Texas A&M and LSU Auburn locking up, it surely figures to shuffle the deck at the poker table.

What this weekend also does is help FSU in its quest to reclaim a national title. The Seminoles play Wake Forest in what could be deemed a scrimmage for the Seminoles. Texas and Baylor lock up, but can Charlie Strong handle the Baylor offense? The same holds for TCU as it welcomes Oklahoma to town. There is no chance for a close game in that one.

For everyone who is worried that the new playoff system will not have a fair representation in a four-team playoff system, let me say this. If teams beat each other, as the SEC is bound to do and now it appears the Pac 12 will do as well, it opens the door for other schools to walk in like BYU or a team or two from Mississippi. Who would have thought that only one team in the state of Florida would in the top 25 and two schools from Mississippi would hover around the top 10?

Or how about this? There are three teams in the top 25 from the Lone Star State and none are from Austin?

The NCAA is getting what it wanted all along and now, since the fans have been clamoring for a playoff all this time, there is no way they can back off the bandwagon and complain. Unless you take the stand there should be eight teams in the playoff. That’s a whole other argument.

Rich Rodriguez proved he had a thing or two left to show everyone in the Pac 12 Thursday night. The Oregon Ducks wished he never opened his bag of tricks.

The 31-24 win over the Ducks not only shook up the conference a bit, but it also had an impact on the National Title playoff series and hurt Michigan State, a team that lost to Oregon earlier in the year. The loss by Marcus Mariota and the troops made the Pac 12 look at bit weaker and certainly did not do any favors for the Big Ten.

That is what makes this season of college football in particular so great. That is also one of the reasons this weekend in college football is by far the biggest and most important yet to be played.

Six games alone this weekend will have ranked opponents playing each other. The game between Tennessee and Florida is played at NOON on Saturday, which tells you how far this rivalry has fallen – but it still has major implications as Will Muschamp is still fighting for his coaching life.

And while we are all letting the SEC continue to run amuck with Alabama and Mississippi going head to head and Mississippi State and Texas A&M and LSU Auburn locking up, it surely figures to shuffle the deck at the poker table.

What this weekend also does is help FSU in its quest to reclaim a national title. The Seminoles play Wake Forest in what could be deemed a scrimmage for the Seminoles. Texas and Baylor lock up, but can Charlie Strong handle the Baylor offense? The same holds for TCU as it welcomes Oklahoma to town. There is no chance for a close game in that one.

For everyone who is worried that the new playoff system will not have a fair representation in a four-team playoff system, let me say this. If teams beat each other, as the SEC is bound to do and now it appears the Pac 12 will do as well, it opens the door for other schools to walk in like BYU or a team or two from Mississippi. Who would have thought that only one team in the state of Florida would in the top 25 and two schools from Mississippi would hover around the top 10?

Or how about this? There are three teams in the top 25 from the Lone Star State and none are from Austin?

The NCAA is getting what it wanted all along and now, since the fans have been clamoring for a playoff all this time, there is no way they can back off the bandwagon and complain. Unless you take the stand there should be eight teams in the playoff. That’s a whole other argument.

Rich Rodriguez proved he had a thing or two left to show everyone in the Pac 12 Thursday night. The Oregon Ducks wished he never opened his bag of tricks.

The 31-24 win over the Ducks not only shook up the conference a bit, but it also had an impact on the National Title playoff series and hurt Michigan State, a team that lost to Oregon earlier in the year. The loss by Marcus Mariota and the troops made the Pac 12 look at bit weaker and certainly did not do any favors for the Big Ten.

That is what makes this season of college football in particular so great. That is also one of the reasons this weekend in college football is by far the biggest and most important yet to be played.

Six games alone this weekend will have ranked opponents playing each other. The game between Tennessee and Florida is played at NOON on Saturday, which tells you how far this rivalry has fallen – but it still has major implications as Will Muschamp is still fighting for his coaching life.

And while we are all letting the SEC continue to run amuck with Alabama and Mississippi going head to head and Mississippi State and Texas A&M and LSU Auburn locking up, it surely figures to shuffle the deck at the poker table.

What this weekend also does is help FSU in its quest to reclaim a national title. The Seminoles play Wake Forest in what could be deemed a scrimmage for the Seminoles. Texas and Baylor lock up, but can Charlie Strong handle the Baylor offense? The same holds for TCU as it welcomes Oklahoma to town. There is no chance for a close game in that one.

For everyone who is worried that the new playoff system will not have a fair representation in a four-team playoff system, let me say this. If teams beat each other, as the SEC is bound to do and now it appears the Pac 12 will do as well, it opens the door for other schools to walk in like BYU or a team or two from Mississippi. Who would have thought that only one team in the state of Florida would in the top 25 and two schools from Mississippi would hover around the top 10?

Or how about this? There are three teams in the top 25 from the Lone Star State and none are from Austin?

The NCAA is getting what it wanted all along and now, since the fans have been clamoring for a playoff all this time, there is no way they can back off the bandwagon and complain. Unless you take the stand there should be eight teams in the playoff. That’s a whole other argument.

Rich Rodriguez proved he had a thing or two left to show everyone in the Pac 12 Thursday night. The Oregon Ducks wished he never opened his bag of tricks.

The 31-24 win over the Ducks not only shook up the conference a bit, but it also had an impact on the National Title playoff series and hurt Michigan State, a team that lost to Oregon earlier in the year. The loss by Marcus Mariota and the troops made the Pac 12 look at bit weaker and certainly did not do any favors for the Big Ten.

That is what makes this season of college football in particular so great. That is also one of the reasons this weekend in college football is by far the biggest and most important yet to be played.

Six games alone this weekend will have ranked opponents playing each other. The game between Tennessee and Florida is played at NOON on Saturday, which tells you how far this rivalry has fallen – but it still has major implications as Will Muschamp is still fighting for his coaching life.

And while we are all letting the SEC continue to run amuck with Alabama and Mississippi going head to head and Mississippi State and Texas A&M and LSU Auburn locking up, it surely figures to shuffle the deck at the poker table.

What this weekend also does is help FSU in its quest to reclaim a national title. The Seminoles play Wake Forest in what could be deemed a scrimmage for the Seminoles. Texas and Baylor lock up, but can Charlie Strong handle the Baylor offense? The same holds for TCU as it welcomes Oklahoma to town. There is no chance for a close game in that one.

For everyone who is worried that the new playoff system will not have a fair representation in a four-team playoff system, let me say this. If teams beat each other, as the SEC is bound to do and now it appears the Pac 12 will do as well, it opens the door for other schools to walk in like BYU or a team or two from Mississippi. Who would have thought that only one team in the state of Florida would in the top 25 and two schools from Mississippi would hover around the top 10?

Or how about this? There are three teams in the top 25 from the Lone Star State and none are from Austin?

The NCAA is getting what it wanted all along and now, since the fans have been clamoring for a playoff all this time, there is no way they can back off the bandwagon and complain. Unless you take the stand there should be eight teams in the playoff. That’s a whole other argument.

Rich Rodriguez proved he had a thing or two left to show everyone in the Pac 12 Thursday night. The Oregon Ducks wished he never opened his bag of tricks.

The 31-24 win over the Ducks not only shook up the conference a bit, but it also had an impact on the National Title playoff series and hurt Michigan State, a team that lost to Oregon earlier in the year. The loss by Marcus Mariota and the troops made the Pac 12 look at bit weaker and certainly did not do any favors for the Big Ten.

That is what makes this season of college football in particular so great. That is also one of the reasons this weekend in college football is by far the biggest and most important yet to be played.

Six games alone this weekend will have ranked opponents playing each other. The game between Tennessee and Florida is played at NOON on Saturday, which tells you how far this rivalry has fallen – but it still has major implications as Will Muschamp is still fighting for his coaching life.

And while we are all letting the SEC continue to run amuck with Alabama and Mississippi going head to head and Mississippi State and Texas A&M and LSU Auburn locking up, it surely figures to shuffle the deck at the poker table.

What this weekend also does is help FSU in its quest to reclaim a national title. The Seminoles play Wake Forest in what could be deemed a scrimmage for the Seminoles. Texas and Baylor lock up, but can Charlie Strong handle the Baylor offense? The same holds for TCU as it welcomes Oklahoma to town. There is no chance for a close game in that one.

For everyone who is worried that the new playoff system will not have a fair representation in a four-team playoff system, let me say this. If teams beat each other, as the SEC is bound to do and now it appears the Pac 12 will do as well, it opens the door for other schools to walk in like BYU or a team or two from Mississippi. Who would have thought that only one team in the state of Florida would in the top 25 and two schools from Mississippi would hover around the top 10?

Or how about this? There are three teams in the top 25 from the Lone Star State and none are from Austin?

The NCAA is getting what it wanted all along and now, since the fans have been clamoring for a playoff all this time, there is no way they can back off the bandwagon and complain. Unless you take the stand there should be eight teams in the playoff. That’s a whole other argument.