The Five True Heisman Trophy Candidates for 2014

Not only did the weekend of college football shake up the rankings and put new spin on the college playoff watch, it also introduced new faces to the Heisman Trophy competition.

Ameer Abdullah, Marcus Mariota and Trevor Knight all took a step back in the search for college football’s best player.

There could be more to come as teams in the SEC, Pac 12 and other major conferences go head to head, hoping to knock each other out and inch closer to a conference title and possible national title implicatons.

Here are this week’s five Heisman Candidates.

Todd Gurley – He is still far and away better than any other running back in the country. The fact that Ameer Abdullah was so ineffective against Michigan State. Gurley is the best player in the SEC and now that the SEC seems as jumbled as any conference in the land, it makes sense to stick to one horse and see how long he can run.

Bo Wallace – He was the golden boy last weekend, leading the Rebels to an upset win over Alabama. Wallace has been the other quarterback in the state of Mississippi who took a back seat to Dak Prescott. Wallace is the best thing to come to Ole Miss since some kind named manning. This is a rising program and Hugh Freeze is making people take notice. Wallace is in the center of that rise.

Dak Prescott – He is the best quarterback in the SEC and a certain Heisman candidate. The way he crabbed through the Aggies defense effortlessly and proved he could win with his arm and athletic ability. He is not the best player in the conference, but defenses now plan for him, which is saying something with the talent emerging behind center. It would be great to see two quarterbacks from the Magnolia State in New York in December.

Bryce Petty – Now that Oklahoma and Trevor Knight have lost, look for the nation to take a closer look at Baylor and Petty. The Bears offense reminds me a lot like the Seminoles offense of the early and mid-1990s, where was one speed and the quarterback slammed his foot on the throttle. That led to a Heisman for Charley Ward. Maybe it could do the same thing for Petty.

Nick Marshall – The Auburn Tigers are second in the nation polls. Marshall, although he faced off-field issues before the season that led to a one-game suspension, is click on all cylinders. I said before the season I thought Auburn was going to be better than Alabama. So far I am correct and Marshall has a lot to do with that.