This article is part of our CFB Barometer series.
It looks like a two-horse race for the Heisman Trophy as the end to the 2014 season draws near. The unsurprising candidate for the prestigious honor is Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota. Mariota has 29 passing touchdowns to just two interceptions. He also has garnered eight rushing touchdowns to lead the Ducks to a 9-1 record. Mariota's passing efficiency has been outstanding, as the junior has completed 67.1 percent of his throws. Meanwhile, the darkhorse candidate to emerge out of the shadows in 2014 has been Mississippi State's Dak Prescott. The dual-threat quarterback has combined for almost 3,000 total yards for the undefeated Bulldogs, whole notching 30 touchdowns from scrimmage for the top-ranked school in the land. A Prescott Heisman win would mark the third-straight year that a relative unknown quarterback came away with the coveted award, coming on the heels of standout seasons by Johnny Manziel and Jameis Winston.
Let's take a deeper look at how the landscape is changing in this week's College Football Barometer.
UPGRADE
Vince Sanders, WR, Ole Miss - Stud wideout Laquon Treadwell suffered a gruesome injury against Auburn, breaking his left leg while dislocated his ankle in the 35-31 loss just over a week ago. Sanders had been creeping into the No. 1 role prior to Treadwell's injury anyway, but Sanders confirmed his status as the top target for quarterback Bo Wallace this past Saturday. Sanders hauled in four passes for 110 yards and two touchdowns against lowly Presbyterian. Sanders has now notched at least 100 yards receiving in three of the past four games for the Rebels. The senior is averaging a robust 17.5 yards per catch in 2014, showing off his big-play ability. Treadwell is done for the season, so Sanders is the unquestioned top target for the remainder of the 2014 campaign.
Javess Blue, WR, Kentucky - Looking for a sleeper? Blue was the leading receiver for the Wildcats in 2013, but battled injury and inconsistency to begin the 2014 season. However, he appears to be rounding back into form for UK. Blue has scored in three-straight games for the Wildcats. Going back further, Blue has scored five touchdowns over the past five contests. By contrast, he did not find the end zone at all in each of the first four games he played in this season. Not surprisingly, the streak has coincided with improved play from quarterback Patrick Towles. The Wildcats play unranked opponents in Tennessee and Louisville to finish off the year, so Blue is a great bet to find the end zone in both contests as well.
Kelvin Taylor, RB, Florida - Taylor was supposed to be the lead dog heading into the season, but has ceded touches to junior Matt Jones. Still, Taylor has scored the same number of touchdowns (5) as Jones, despite carrying the ball nearly 50 fewer times in 2014. Taylor has also been surging recently; the sophomore has notched 252 yards and three touchdowns in the past two games for the Gators. This includes a standout 197-yard, two-touchdown performance against Georgia on November 1. The Gators are riding a two-game winning streak and play a struggling South Carolina defense Saturday, followed by a cupcake matchup against Eastern Kentucky the following week. Taylor is primed to continue posting stellar outputs in the near future.
Synjyn Days, RB, Georgia Tech - An injury to starter Zach Laskey opened the door for Days, and he has taken full advantage of the opportunity. Prior to the October 25 meeting with Pitt, Days had 16 total rushes for 89 yards on the season. Since that time, in three subsequent contests, the senior has toted the pigskin 65 times for 414 yards. That includes three-straight 100-yard outputs. Days has also scored three touchdowns in the last two contests. With an average of 6.2 yards per rush, Days has been on a tear for the Yellow Jackets in their triple-option attack. Georgia Tech faces Clemson this weekend; the Ramblin' Wreck rushed for 248 yards and four touchdowns in last season's game with the Tigers. Expect Days to be heavily involved once again Saturday.
CHECK STATUS
Tevin Coleman, RB, Indiana - The preface to Coleman's inclusion in this section is that he has not necessarily been bad recently. However, Coleman has endured a three-game scoring drought, by far the longest streak over the last two seasons. In fact, Coleman scored in every game he played in as a sophomore last season, and had scored in six-straight games to begin the 2014 campaign. As the Hoosiers entered the meat of their Big 10 conference schedule, though, Coleman found it much more difficult to cross the goal line. Coleman has failed to score against Michigan State, Michigan and Penn State, respectively. The Hoosiers have been playing from behind in most of those games, which certainly hasn't helped Coleman's cause either. Saturday's loss to Penn State also snapped Coleman's streak of 10-straight 100-yard outputs. Coleman remains an elite rusher, but could be wearing down as the season draws to a close.
Devon Johnson, RB, Marshall - Johnson was a surprising, curious scratch for the Herd on Saturday. Johnson apparently was nursing a knee injury, though Herd officials remained mum on the issue prior to the game. Johnson had been absolutely beastly prior to sitting out Saturday. Against FAU on October 25, Johnson rushed for an insane 272 yards and four touchdowns. In fact, Johnson had scored at least three touchdowns in three of his last four games. He was also riding a streak of five-straight 100-yard games. Perhaps Johnson could have played in a more meaningful game; while the Herd remain undefeated at 9-0, Saturday's opponent in Southern Miss was dead last in Conference-USA West. Next up on the slate is Rice, a better squad that is 4-1 in the conference. It would be shocking not to see Johnson in uniform for that tilt.
Will Gardner, QB, Louisville - Gardner tried to gut out Saturday's win over Boston College, but could not finish the game due to a knee injury. It was the second knee injury of the season for the Louisville quarterback, who has performed fairly well when on the field this season. Gardner was coming off a career-best 330 passing yards against Florida State, and had 12 touchdowns as compared to just three interceptions in seven games played prior to Saturday. However, Gardner left the victory over BC on two occasions due to the injury, the second time for good. On the plus side, the Cardinals do have a week off before visiting Notre Dame in South Bend, and the Irish were crushed by a score of 55-31 at Arizona State on Saturday. However, a gimpy Gardner still may not be an ideal fantasy play.
Aaron Green, RB, TCU - Green was monstrous in place of the injured BJ Catalon on Saturday. Thrust into the featured back role, Green rushed for a career-high 171 yards in the 41-20 win over Kansas State. Green averaged an absurd 9.5 yards per carry, buoyed by a 65-yard touchdown run in the third quarter that put the game out of reach for good. Trevone Boykin has been getting the pub, and rightly so, but the Horned Frogs running game has been fierce as well with the combination of Catalon and Green. If Catalon continues to miss time, Green will prove a mighty useful fantasy running back. However, Catalon nearly played against the Wildcats, so Green's utility would obviously take a hit if Catalon and his 10 rushing touchdowns take the field Saturday at Kansas.
DOWNGRADE
T.J. Yeldon, RB, Alabama - Yeldon was banged up coming into Saturday's tilt with LSU, and was unable to finish the contest after re-aggravating a foot/ankle injury late in the fourth quarter. The pain was so excruciating, in fact, that Yeldon coughed up the football on the play he was reinjured, nearly costing the Tide the game. Alabama plays in arguably the most important contest of the season Saturday, hosting top-ranked Mississippi State. With Yeldon's status up in the air, Derrick Henry could see an uptick in production if Yeldon is limited or can't suit up. Yeldon was having a slightly disappointing season for the Tide prior to the injury; his yards per carry average is the lowest it has been in his three years at Alabama, while he is not on pace to break 1,000 yards or score double-digit touchdowns. By contrast, Yeldon broke both plateaus in each of his first two years for the Tide. Monitor his status as Saturday's crucial tilt with the Bulldogs approaches.
Trevor Knight, QB, Oklahoma - The Sooners were already missing standout wide receiver Sterling Shepard on Saturday against Baylor, and now could be without quarterback Trevor Knight as well. Knight was carted off the field Saturday with an undisclosed injury. Though he waved to the crowd as he was being taken off, and allegedly left the stadium under his own power following the game, the Sooners have been keeping information about Knight's injury and future status close to the vest. Knight would be sorely missed Saturday in a juicy matchup against Texas Tech, as the Red Raiders surrender 41.4 points per game. Knight has also been surging recently, scoring 11 touchdowns from scrimmage over his last three contests. Coach Bob Stoops could play it safe with Knight against an inferior opponent, so check back during the week for updates concerning Knight.
D'haquille Williams, WR, Auburn - The leading receiver for the Tigers suffered what appeared to be a serious knee injury Saturday against Texas A&M, and his status for the remainder of the season is in doubt. The JUCO transfer left in the second quarter against the Aggies and did not return to the 41-38 loss. Williams caught 38 passes for 609 yards and five touchdowns before being injured. In his absence, Sammie Coates should see a huge uptick in production. Coates led the Tigers in receiving last season, but started off the season slow and has been mostly used as a deep threat thus far in 2014. That could change following the injury to Williams, though Quan Bray paced the Tigers with six catches for 65 yards and a touchdown Saturday.
Anthony Jennings, QB, LSU - It should be clear by now, but just to hammer the point home, Jennings is nothing more than a game manager for the Tigers. Even then, perhaps the term does not do his lack of production justice. Jennings completed just eight passes for 76 yards Saturday. It was the third game in a row that Jennings completed fewer than 10 passes, and fifth in his last six contests. Jennings failed to cross the 100-yard passing mark for the third time in 2014. Though he has thrown a touchdown in each of the last four games for LSU, he has also tossed three INTs over that span. The Tigers had a three-game winning streak with Jennings at the helm prior to Saturday's loss to Alabama, but the focus had been on defense and running the football. Jennings is still young and has room to grow, but he's not much of a passer this season.
