It was just four weeks ago that Purdue was rolling along ranked fifth in the nation, led by senior quarterback Kyle Orton.

Orton looked unstoppable and unflappable as his team was soaring toward a Big Ten title – and he was moving closer to capturing the Heisman Trophy.

But a month later, both Orton and his team have fallen on hard times, simultaneously falling out of the Big Ten and Heisman races after four consecutive losses.

Thus, the Heisman attention has turned to a cluster of worthy candidates like it does almost every year.

Separating themselves from the pack during the final stanza of the season will require the candidates to have two qualifications – they must have a solid performance down the stretch and must fit the stereotype of the typical Heisman candidate.

The Downtown Athletic Club, the organization that hands out the Heisman every year, prides itself on presenting the award to the “Most Outstanding College Football Player in the United States.”

More often than not, however, the voters find themselves drawn not to the best college football player, but to the best college football player who plays a skill position on a winning big conference team and is an upperclassman.

Essentially, voters rule out many deserving players.

It’s time to stop looking at potential Heisman winners in that way.

Best player means best player regardless of year in school, team, position, favorite movie or any other asinine category the voters can think of. Period.

So in an effort to make their decision easier, I’m going to give the voters some stereotypes of my own that fit this year’s candidates and past candidates.

In lieu of going through the sense-making process of watching highlights or looking at statistics, voters can go directly to the description of the candidate that best fits them.

If you think the Heisman should be based on a player’s career achievement, Texas running back Cedric Benson is your vote. He’s rushed for at least 1,000 yards and 12 touchdowns in each of his four college seasons, including 1,438 yards and 17 touchdowns this season, with 2 games left.

Does “Leader of the best team of the country” make more sense to you? USC’s Matt Leinart plays that part, and who could argue with his statistics? He’s accounted for 23 touchdowns in leading the Trojans to 18 consecutive victories.

Leinart’s teammate Reggie Bush would qualify as the most versatile player in the nation. “Mr. Everything” is only a sophomore, but has scored a touchdown passing, receiving, running and on returns thus far.

Senior quarterback Jason Campbell from Auburn is this year’s “breakout player from a standout team.” Viewed as a weak link during a disappointing 2003 season, Campbell responded by leading the SEC in QB rating and his team to a 9-0 record.

“Old favorites” more your type of candidate? Oklahoma’s QB Jason White is having another great year after he won the award in 2003.

This is where many voters would stop the search, but maybe I could persuade you to look outside the box.

If you’d like to break the mold, I’ve got just the candidates for you.

Oklahoma’s freshman standout tailback Adrian Peterson is the main reason the Sooners are still undefeated and not a one-dimensional offense as he’s accounted for 1,373 yards.

Texas linebacker Derrick Johnson has 107 tackles, 8 forced fumbles and is the source of nightmares for Big 12 quarterbacks.

And the leader in my opinion, Utah’s junior signal-caller Alex Smith, has been flawless. Yeah, he may not play in a BCS conference, but 32 total touchdowns, more than 2,600 total yards, only two interceptions and a team who is undefeated is good – regardless of what teams you play.

There you have it voters, this year’s candidates presented subjectively to you.

Whatever brand of vodka you desire voters, remember one thing: Best player means best player. Rule out the old stereotypes and break the mold if you have to.

Jeff Feyerer is a senior in ALS. He can be reached at [email protected].