If it wasn't evident before, it certainly is now.
There just isn't a clear-cut favorite who will step to the forefront of the college football world and run away with this year's Heisman Trophy.
But after witnessing this past weekend's action (or lack of action in some candidates' cases), it appears that three candidates seem to have the upper hand in the eyes' of the voters.
You'll notice once again that quarterbacks dominate this week's top 5. But that's for good reason. Because of the bonehead decisions made by running backs William Green of Boston College and DeShaun Foster of UCLA, we had no choice but to yank the superstars from our list.
Yet, two pleasant surprises round out this week's quintet. And they didn't make it because we're making some corny ploy to our readers, but because they earned the right to be mentioned on merit alone.
Rex Grossman, quarterback, Florida — Nobody seems to remember that dismal mid-October night when Grossman fell on flat his face at Auburn anymore, do they?
Time may heal all wounds, but bouncing back with authority does the job quicker.
Since that night on the plains of Alabama, Grossman has scorched opposing SEC secondaries for 997 yards and eight touchdowns. He's also only thrown three interceptions during that three game span.
He was probably his most impressive Saturday night in the extremely hostile environment of South Carolina's Williams-Brice Stadium. All Grossman did was complete 21 of 33 passes for 302 yards and three touchdowns to silence a deafening crowd in the Gators' 54-17 win.
For the season, Grossman has completed 66 percent of his passes for 3,244 yards and 30 touchdowns. If he can continue to put up that type of production against Florida State, Tennessee and the Gators' opponent in the SEC Championship game (trust us, they'll be there) he should take home the hardware.
The only thing that may hold Grossman down is the politics of the award. See Grossman is a sophomore, and as you may have now guessed, a sophomore has never won the Heisman.
Eric Crouch, quarterback, Nebraska — Well the numbers weren't too pretty, but you can't argue with the results.
In his last game at Memorial Stadium, Crouch rushed 23 times for 106 yards and a touchdown three days ago in the Cornhuskers' 31-21 victory over pesky Kansas State.
Not too bad, right? But the senior struggled through the air. Crouch was 3 of 7 for 60 yards and tossed two interceptions.
His season numbers reflect those of a traditional Nebraska quarterback. Crouch has 185 carries for 953 yards and 16 touchdowns while completing 57 percent of his passes for 1312 yards. But he has eight interceptions compared to only seven touchdown passes.
Crouch and his mates are off until the day after Thanksgiving when the Big Red Machine heads to No. 16 Colorado. A win over the Buffaloes and a likely rematch with Oklahoma could take place in the Big XII Championship game.
A win in that game and it would be nearly impossible to deny him the Heisman.
Joey Harrington, quarterback, Oregon — To this point in the season, Harrington may have been the steadiest Heisman candidate.
The bottom line on the senior signal caller is that he just doesn't make mistakes.
That was evident on Saturday when he brought his team from behind for a fourth time this season in the Ducks' 21-20 win over UCLA. Harrington was 13 of 23 for 195 yards, a touchdown run and the game-winning touchdown toss to tight end Josh Line with just over nine minutes left in the game.
For the season, Harrington has connected on 175 of 300 passes for 2,310 yards with 23 touchdowns and just five interceptions
Unlike the other candidates on our list, Harrington only has one more chance to convince the voters: 20 days from now in the annual Civil War against Oregon State.
Dwight Freeney, defensive end, Syracuse — We mentioned politics before. If they didn't play a part in the voting process, Freeney would probably run away with the honors.
He's the single biggest defensive force in college football, bar none (and that includes North Carolina's Julius Peppers and Oklahoma's Roy Williams).
Don't believe us. Just ask anyone who's taken on the Orangemen this season.
The senior from Bloomfield, Conn., leads the nation with 16.5 sacks on the year. He already owns the school record for sacks and is just a half sack shy of the Big East single season record. In addition, he's caused seven fumbles and has recovered three loose balls.
Last Saturday in the 'Cuse's 24-13 win over West Virginia, Freeney continued to unleash his fury as he registered two sacks, four tackles for loss and recovered a fumble.
But Freeny's true test of manhood will come this weekend. That's when he will take on Miami's awesome tackle combo in Bryant McKinnie and Joaquin Gonzalez. If he can get even just one sack against these behemoths, he is nothing short of amazing.
Antwaan Randle El, quarterback, Indiana — No, we're not pumping him up because he and the Hoosiers are coming to Happy Valley this weekend.
The fact of the matter is that Randle El is the most exciting player in college football.
Week in and week out, he puts on a show that rivals P. T. Barnum's.
In the Hoosiers' 37-28 win against Michigan State on Saturday, Randle El ran for 149 yards, including a 57-yard touchdown run.
For the season, the senior engineer of Cam Cameron's offense has 133 carries for 714 yards and six touchdowns on the ground while completing 84 of 157 for 1,149 yards and seven touchdowns through the air.
If he keeps it up, he may put Indiana into the postseason for the first time since 1993 and save Cameron's job.
