Is Melvin Gordon still a Heisman candidate?

by Brad

Bleacher Report: Melvin Gordon is everything you could want in a running back. The Wisconsin junior has breakaway speed to go along with the power to shed tacklers and gain yards after contact.

But a solid outing against LSU in Week 1 was marred by the Badgers losing the game, and Gordon followed it up with a 38-yard dud against Western Illinois. ESPN's Heisman Watch following Week 3 did not include Gordon among the top 10 candidates.

The designation of top running back in the country is a special one, and with Georgia's Todd Gurley and Nebraska's Ameer Abdullah in the mix, there may not be a clear-cut answer. But Gordon belongs in the discussion, especially after his 13-carry, 253-yard effort in the Badgers' 68-17 win over Bowling Green on Saturday... (FULL ARTICLE HERE)

This article came out after last week's game, but I only stumbled upon it today.  It brought up the question, is Melvin Gordon still a Heisman candidate?  Average sports fans would probably say yes because there's a whole lot of season left to be played, but unfortunately, Heisman winners need to perform at the highest level every single week of the season.  Not only did he have a rough first two weeks, but he's going up against one of the most stacked classes in recent memory.  Marcus Mariota out of Oregon is playing outrageous football and he has a prime time win over a Michigan State that Melvin does not have.  Todd Gurley has also been having a huge year with some big time performance in nationally televised games.  

The only way I really see Melvin having a true chance to actually win the thing is if Wisconsin runs the table and makes it to the National Championship game at the end of the year.  Wisconsin doesn't have enough premier match-ups, and frankly the first two weeks really hurt him.  Some may argue that Andersen was the one truly at fault, but Heisman voters don't really look at that stuff. They look at the stats and the win totals. Heisman winners don't come from mediocre football teams.  I'm not saying Wisconsin's season is over by any stretch of the imagination, but unless they're playing deep into the postseason and Melvin is wracking up 200+ yards/game, I don't see this as a realistic dream. 


If some of the other frontrunners begin to fall off or get hurt, then obviously Melvin will be in the discussion, but if the top players keep performing like they have for the first 3 weeks, they've already set themselves apart, and I don't think Melvin or the Badgers will be able to close the gap.