Here’s a ‘what if’ scenario that could turn the Heisman race on its head:

What if Toby Gerhart rushes for 200 yards and scores three or four touchdowns in a Stanford win over USC this Saturday?

It would be the third 200-yard effort of the season for Gerhart and his second-straight 200-yard game against a top 10 foe.  It’d give him upwards of 1,420 rushing yards and 19 or 20 touchdowns with two games remaining before Heisman votes are due.  His two remaining matchups would be against Cal and Notre Dame, both games of respectable national interest where he could potentially run wild.  And once his statistical prowess was established, his status as an atypical-for-this-era back from an academic powerhouse would be appealing to many Heisman voters.    

This all wouldn’t make Gerhart a lock to win, but he’d at least be a major factor in the race.  It’s the only possible (and plausible) scenario I can think of that could catapult a player other than Ingram, McCoy and Tebow into Heisman contention at this point in the season.