Athlon Sports Heisman Voting: Week 2

-by Braden Gall (@AthlonBraden on twitter)

Each week, the Athlon editors will vote on the most prestigious award in all of college football. A nine-man conglomerate of college football gurus from Athlon Sports will vote for their top ten Heisman Trophy candidates. The votes will be tallied and the result will be posted as the Athlon Sports Heisman Watch List every Wednesday of the regular season.

Note: The scoring system is as follows: A first place vote earns a player 10 points. A second place votes earns nine points - so on and so forth until the 10th place player receives one point.

After one week of play, one signal-caller still stands above all. However, two other gunslingers led their teams to arguably the biggest victories of the weekend while simultaneously closing the gap in the Heisman conversation. The initial Heisman voting included 17 different names, and six players landed on all nine ballots. The Week Two edition features 22 different players, while only two individuals (Kellen Moore and Robert Griffin III) received votes from all nine Athlon editors.

1. Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford (78/90 total points, 7/9 first place votes)
The game's best player completed 17 of his 26 passes — to seven different receivers — for 171 yards and scored the Cardinal's first touchdown of 2011 when he scrambled around the right end and dove for the pylon. Luck tossed two more first-half touchdowns, and Stanford finished week one with a 57-3 win over San Jose State. Luck's two scoring strikes were his 46th and 47th of his career, placing him fourth all-time in school history. Week 2: At Duke

The Contenders

2. Kellen Moore, QB, Boise State (28-34, 261 yds, 3 TD, INT)
After a bit of a slow start against Georgia's 3-4 defense, Moore found his rhythm and calmly dissected one of the SEC's top teams. The win over the Dawgs marked the first time in school history Boise State had bested an SEC opponent, and Moore inched closer to becoming the NCAA's all-time winningest quarterback (he now needs seven wins). Week 2: Bye

3. Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor (21-27, 359 yds, 5 TD, 10 att., 38 rush yds)
No one jumped more in the Athlon Heisman voting than Griffin. The uber-talented Bears' quarterback moved from 8th to 3rd this week after pulling off what was probably the weekend's biggest upset. RG3 did everything he could to best in-state rival TCU, including catching a key fourth-quarter third down double-pass from Kendall Wright. Week 2: Bye

4. Marcus Lattimore, RB, South Carolina (23 att., 112 yds, 3 TD, 3 rec., 33 yds)
With four minutes to go in the third quarter, South Carolina held a measly four-point lead over East Carolina. Lattimore scored back-to-back touchdowns to ice the game and give the Gamecocks a 56-37 win over the in-state Pirates. The most gifted back in the nation was needed for only four carries in the fourth quarter and didn't touch the ball after his final touchdown made the score 49-31. Week 2: At Georgia

5. Landry Jones, QB, Oklahoma (35-47, 375 yds, TD)
The leader of the nation's No. 1 team needed just over three quarters to get his game in order. Jones barely played into the fourth quarter but still threw the ball 47 times as the Sooners dominated in-state rival Tulsa 47-17. Business as usual for Mr. Jones and the Sooners. Week 2: Bye

6. Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama (13 att., 37 yds, 3 TD, 1 rec., 16 yds)
Wasn't needed but got the job done around the goal-line. Big Week 2 test against Penn State.

7. Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State (8 rec., 144 yds)
Solid but underwhelming outing from Cowboys star receiver.

8. Ryan Broyles, WR, Oklahoma (14 rec., 158 yds, TD)
Picking right up where he left off last season as one of the nation's best receivers.

9. LaMichael James, RB, Oregon (18 att., 54 yds, TD, 6 rec., 61 yds)
Produced decent numbers on plenty of touches, but the Ducks were stymied by LSU.

10. Robert Woods, WR, USC (17 rec., 177 yds, 3 TD)
Talented dynamo enters the Heisman mix after record-setting week one.

Athlon Sports Preseason Heisman Vote: Week 1