Top 10 Heisman Hopefuls after Week 3

Separation Saturday did more than just separate the good teams from the bad, it separated the Heisman haves from the have nots. Injuries have played a key part in the Heisman race. Two Louisville players, Brian Brohm and Michael Bush, have dropped out of the running because they will miss significant time. Drew Tate has had two good showings but he is a little behind the 8-ball missing the Syracuse game. Kenny Irons had another sub 80 yard rushing day which all but drops him out of the running, but his team is still undefeated which means more. Right Mike Williams? Well here is my Heisman list for this week. 1. Troy Smith - Smith did not have a stellar game against Cincinnati, but he still threw for over 200 yards and 2 TDs. He has another chance to tighten his grip on the top spot with an ABC game against Penn State this weekend. (Last Week 1) 2. Adrian Peterson - Peterson ran through the Duck defense gaining 211 yards on the ground and scoring 1 touchdown. A victory would have made this performance even more impressive but he cannot control the eyes of the replay officials. He is the horse that will dictate how far the Sooners go this year. (Last Week 2) 3. Steve Slaton - Yawn...another 195 yard and two touchdown performance for Mr. Slaton. I am reluctant to rank him any higher because let's face it, the Mountaineers have not played anyone yet. His Heisman hopes will be based solely on his performance against Louisville. (Last Week 5) 4. Michael Hart - Hart rushed for another 100 plus yard game in arguably the biggest stage, South Bend. He went through the porous Irish defense like a hot knife through butter and established himself as a true Heisman contender. Hart has the luxury of running behind the Big Ten's best offensive line and should have no problem getting at least 6 or 7 more 100 yard games. (Last Week 8 ) 5. Brady Quinn - Quinn's numbers were not all that bad throwing for 234 yards and 3 touchdowns, but it was his 3 interceptions that proved costly. His first interception gave Michigan an early 7-0 lead. Teams have developed a recipe for ratting Brady, put pressure on him. Expect to see that more as the year goes on. Quinn has an uphill battle to climb if he wants to hoist the trophy in December. (Last Week 3) 6. Chris Leak - When you play in an all out battle between two rival teams, you can understand if the stats aren't flashy. Leak threw for 199 yards and 3 touchdowns but most importantly he lead the Gators on a late 4th quarter game winning drive. That's leadership baby! (Last Week 6) 7. Dennis Dixon - Dixon put his Ducks in a row and they followed him to a victory against the Sooners. This is exactly how you want get a name for yourself if you are Dixon. Lead your team to an exciting comeback victory against a Top 15 opponent and have a great day statistics wise. Dixon threw for 341 yards and 2 tds, and he ran another one for a score. This is a guy to keep your eyes on. (Last Week NR) 8. Dwayne Jarrett - I was all ready to write off Jarrett after his lackluster first week, but Pete Carroll must have lit a fire under this young man. On National TV against Nebraska he had 134 yards receiving and 2 touchdowns. More importantly he showed that he is the nation's best wide receiver. (Last Week NR) 9. Garrett Wolfe - Wolfe had another impressive day in the statistical column running for 263 yards on 24 carries. He also scored two times. But what wasn't impressive was that it was done against Buffalo. (Last Week 10) 10. John David Booty - Booty had another impressive performance against the Huskers on National TV. In two games JD Booty has a 69 percent completion percentage to go with 518 yards, 6 touchdowns, and no interceptions. (Last Week NR) Honorable Mention: Ted Ginn Jr, Drew Stanton, Drew Tate, Kenny Irons