By Mike Lopresti
Gannett News Service

Wanted: Heisman Trophy candidates. Applications accepted immediately.

Where have all the frontrunners gone?

With November coming, the short list looks awfully short.

• Oklahoma quarterback Jason White, with his 25-4 touchdown-interception ratio and his team's unbeaten record.

• Pittsburgh receiver Larry Fitzgerald, and his 15 touchdown catches and 145 weekly yards of receiving.

After that, there is a wave of vaguely familiar faces, each with pockets of support. Sort of like the Democratic race for president.

It is unusual for the Heisman talk to be so fragmented. But two reasons come to mind.

• No compelling argument, as yet, from any running back. Most teams are too busy passing for 400 yards a game.

• Several of the top ranked teams - Miami, Southern California, Florida State, Ohio State - either stress defense, have new faces on offense, or both.

If Oklahoma stays No. 1, it is probably White's to lose. He is second in the nation in pass efficiency, and has the plotline to go with it, coming off two ACL knee injuries the past two years.

Fitzgerald may be the actual best football player out there. The college cornerback has not been found who can handle him in single coverage. And he has games left with Virginia Tech and Miami to be noticed. Even if he is just a sophomore.

The family values vote could swing to Eli Manning, from all those Archie and Peyton fans. And 6-2 Mississippi is off to its best start in 33 years.

Accountants might look at the sheer numbers of Texas Tech's B.J. Symons, who at 501.9 yards is averaging more on total offense by himself than 114 TEAMS were last week. If he ever got to pass against his own defense, the calculators in Lubbock might blow.

The Cinderella story is Bowling Green's Josh Harris, who has had his way passing through ranked teams - 438 yards against Northern Illinois, 357 at Purdue, 326 at Ohio State.

Quotable

"If you coach or play at Boston College, you have to beat Notre Dame. That's the one thing you have to get done." - Boston college coach Tom O'Brien, who has now done it three times in a row.

Stat of the week

Tyrone Willingham's record at Notre Dame after 20 games is 12-8. Gerry Faust's record after 20 games was 11-8-1.

Thumbs of the week

• Up to Alabama-Tennessee. Just what was that halftime talk? Tide leads snoozer 6-3 at halftime. Vols win 51-43 in five overtimes.

• Up to Missouri. When's the last time you saw a team go into November with five turnovers all season?

• Up to Florida State. Bobby Bowden passes Joe Paterno on all-time win list and Seminoles, 89-5 in ACC games since becoming a member, clinch tie for 11th league title in 12 years.

Enjoy it, guys. Miami joins next season.

• Down to Purdue. Hard to make an argument as one of the Big Ten elite when you haven't won at Michigan since 1966.

Another big weekend ahead

We have arrived at our second "Separation Saturday," where every major conference except the ACC has a big showdown that will set the stage for the crowning of its champion. Here are some of the big games this week and what they mean.

BIG EAST: Miami (7-0, 3-0) at Virginia Tech (6-1, 2-1). This one lost a little luster after West Virginia stunned the Hokies last Wednesday. Now Virginia Tech must win to stay in the race, and that sense of urgency in Blacksburg could mean trouble for the No. 2 Hurricanes.

BIG 12 SOUTH: Oklahoma State (7-1, 3-1) at Oklahoma (8-0, 4-0). If the No. 1 Sooners can break a two-game losing streak to the Cowboys, they should advance to the Big 12 championship game.

BIG TEN: Michigan (7-2, 4-1) at Michigan State (7-1, 4-0): If the Spartans win, they still have to go to Ohio State and Wisconsin. Michigan has Northwestern on the road and Ohio State at home. Ohio State (7-1, 3-1) and Purdue (6-2, 3-1) remain in the mix.

SEC EAST: Georgia (7-1, 4-1) vs. Florida (5-3, 3-2) in Jacksonville. Tennessee (5-2, 3-2) is still alive after beating Alabama. If Georgia wins, all it has to do is beat Auburn or Kentucky to win the division, because it will have the tiebreaker over Florida and Tennessee. If Florida wins, there is the possibility of a three-way tie that could only be broken by the vote of eight SEC athletics directors.

PAC-10: Washington State (7-1, 4-0) at Southern Cal (7-1, 3-1). The Cougars have to play a USC team that pounded Washington 43-23. The winner must still contend with UCLA (6-2, 4-0).