As Oklahoma continues to roll, Jason White comes closer and closer to locking up the Heisman Trophy.
The Sooners went on and won 77-0 over Texas A&M last week and things don't look to be any better when the Sooners face Baylor this week. That could be bad news for the other contenders, including Pittsburgh's Larry Fitzgerald and Texas Tech's B.J. Symons, who will have his own shot at the Sooners in two weeks.
The newcomer of the group is Southern California quarterback Matt Leinart. In the tough role of replacing last season's Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer, Leinart has been highly successful. His team is 8-1 and it is set to go to the Sugar Bowl to play for a national title.
If the Trojans win out, it will be a true test to see who is the best player in college football.
Front-runners:
Jason White
Senior quarterback, Oklahoma
Last week, White threw for an amazing 263 yards and five touchdowns on 16-of-18 passing with an unheard-of quarterback rating of 303.3.
No one really knows what that number means, but what certainly is true is that it is high, higher than many have ever seen.
Baylor and Texas Tech remain on the Sooners' schedule along with the Big 12 title game. The Sooners are the surest shot in recent years to go unbeaten for the season. At this point, none of their games seem in doubt, and no one seems to be even close to Oklahoma.
Larry Fitzgerald
Sophomore receiver, Pittsburgh
Fitzgerald caught a touchdown pass for the 15th consecutive game last Saturday, but more importantly, the Panthers upset the Hokies, 31-28.
If Pittsburgh can maintain its lead in the Big East, Fitzgerald might get a shot at the Bowl Championship Series, and the receiver might have a legitimate shot at the award.
He has had four consecutive 100-yard games but mainly was shut down in the second half of Saturday's game by Virginia cornerback DeAngelo Hall.
B.J. Symons
Senior quarterback, Texas Tech
Symons has one shot at this year's Heisman when his team faces Oklahoma. He would have to be more than impressive against the Sooners to even upset the team.
The senior is closing in on Ty Detmer's record of 5,188 yards in a season. Symons has 4,741 with games remaining against Texas and Oklahoma.
He threw five interceptions against Colorado two weeks ago but beat Baylor 62-14 last week. In the Baylor game, Symons threw for 428 yards on 32-for-47 passing and seven touchdowns.
Eli Manning
Senior quarterback, Mississippi
Manning is leading the surprise team of the SEC, with Ole Miss at 6-0 in the conference entering its clash with LSU on Nov. 22.
The Rebels have the week off after beating Auburn 24-20 as they look to win their first conference title in more than 40 years.
Manning was 19-of-30 for 218 yards and two touchdowns in the game. His team also will have to win out for the Rebels' senior leader to win the top college football award.
Dark horse:
Matt Leinart
Sophomore quarterback, Southern Cal
Leinart is leading the other team toward the Sugar Bowl. Taking over for last year's winner, Carson Palmer, and holding off John David Booty (who left high school after his junior season) and former Purdue quarterback Brandon Hance to gain the starting role, Leinart has been highly effective.
Leinart now has thrown 14 touchdowns without an interception in the past four games.
The Trojans have games remaining at Arizona and at home against UCLA and Oregon State.
