Heisman race still wide open

Kyle Orton returned to action Saturday with a vengeance and a chip on his shoulder. Just a few weeks ago, in perhaps Purdue's most crucial game, he fumbled away any hopes of winning the Heisman. While that might come as good news to many of you, to Orton it meant having to prove himself all over again -- and he did just that.\nOrton decided to pull a Willis Reed in last Saturday's game against Ohio State. He came in for the fourth quarter of play and completed seven of his eight passes for 54 yards, setting up the Boilermaker's game-winning touchdown. That's very impressive, but not nearly as impressive as what everyone else around the country has been doing in Orton's absence.\nDreadlocks on Texas running backs have emerged as the new peanut butter and jelly -- it's just the perfect combination. That's why Cedric Benson is making a surge for the Heisman trophy while trampling over defenses week after week. His latest victim was the lowly Kansas Jayhawk defense, on which he ran for 166 yards and a touchdown. \nWhile these are not shockingly superb numbers by any means, that one touchdown carried a great deal of significance. Benson has now scored at least one touchdown in 36 straight games -- an NCAA record. He has before expressed the importance of him winning the Heisman, and it looks like he's not about to let anything stop him.\nFortunately for Benson, perhaps the two former frontrunners for the Heisman, Orton and Oklahoma's Adrian Peterson, suffered injuries that will greatly hamper their chances. Also, Benson's touchdown streak might be a main factor in the final decision. Records were meant to be broken, and in doing so, Benson has given the committee a reason to look his way.\nThose ever-popular Trojans from University of Southern California have a couple of offensive weapons that might also get some serious consideration. Quarterback Matt Leinart and running back Reggie Bush have carried USC to a No. 1 ranking with no problem whatsoever. Leinart has one of the best arms in the country, and Bush has blazing speed and quickness. However, USC caps off the season with their annual match-up against Notre Dame and a loss would surely put an end to any hardware hopes for Leinart or Bush.\nWith perhaps the best nickname in all of college football, Carnell "Cadillac" Williams has taken Auburn to the top of college football. The Tigers are currently tied for second in The Associated Press poll with Oklahoma (leave it up to the NCAA to have a tie in the rankings), but they are still on their way up. Cadillac has driven them over defenses week after week, but it is highly unlikely he will take home the award.\nLast but not least is the guy most are putting last in the Heisman race. Utah quarterback Alex Smith has only thrown two interceptions all year and has almost as many touchdown passes as Peyton Manning -- well, maybe not that many. Smith is the dark horse for the award, and the only thing that will keep him from winning is the fact that most people still don't even know who he is.\nWhen it all comes down to it, there's really no frontrunner for the Heisman trophy. I wish I could sit here and predict exactly who will win, but the last time I tried it didn't work out in my favor. It's the final leg of a race with many different vehicles and participants involved: a Boilermaker, a Longhorn, a couple Trojans, a Cadillac and a dark horse.