When it’s all said and done, Adrian Peterson will go down as one of the best.

In the long list of great running backs to come out of Oklahoma, Peterson is poised to take his place at the top of the list.

Just a junior, Peterson is a mere 334 yards short of taking the top spot on the OU all-time rushing charts. His 1,925 rushing yards in 2004 set a single-season school record, a feat he accomplished as a freshman.

That season he finished second in the Heisman Trophy race, losing out to USC quarterback Matt Leinart.

After battling various injuries last season, but still managing to rush for 1,108 yards, Peterson is back to his old form. Through five games this year, Peterson has 752 yards rushing and eight touchdowns.

“He has tremendous speed and balance and athleticism,” said ISU coach Dan McCarney. “He goes hard all the time. He’s relentless the way he plays. It must really be fun to be an offensive lineman in that offense to block for a guy like that.”

That’s scary news for a Cyclone team that gave up more than 250 yards on the ground last week to Nebraska.

“We’ve seen some pretty good ones through the years, but he is an amazing football player,” McCarney said. “No one plays harder, and I don’t know that any running back around has more talent. He’s really a sensational football player.”

Peterson has cemented himself as one of the front-runners for this season’s Heisman, an award given annually to the nation’s best college football player.

In 12 seasons with the Cyclones, McCarney has seen a lot. That includes some of the best to every play the game.

McCarney has coached his Cyclones against three Heisman winners and four other players who finished in the voting’s top five.

Here’s a look at how Iowa State has fared against these top players in the year they were reaching for the most coveted individual award in football.

THE GOOD:

Iowa quarterback Brad Banks was having the best season in recent memory by a Hawkeye signal caller, leading coach Kirk Ferentz’s team to an 11-1 regular season record and Orange Bowl birth against USC.

Banks would finish a close second to USC quarterback Carson Palmer in the Heisman balloting.

McCarney’s lone win over a Heisman candidate came in 2002, when the Cyclones mounted a late comeback to beat Banks and the Hawkeyes, 36-31, handing them their lone regular-season loss. Banks had a subpar game, throwing for 178 yards on 12-of-21 passing. He also had a crucial fumble that led to the ISU win.

THE BAD:

Nebraska quarterback Eric Crouch was another in a long line of Husker quarterbacks who could beat teams with his arm and his legs. Crouch won a tight race for the Heisman, beating out Florida’s Rex Grossman by 62 votes.

Crouch went 10-for-15 passing against Iowa State in 2001 for a 48-14 Husker win. He only threw for 110 yards in that game, but his damage was done on the ground. Crouch carried the football 15 times for 104 yards and four touchdowns.

Nebraska started that season 11-0 before losing to Colorado in its regular-season finale and falling to Miami, Fla., in the Rose Bowl.

THE UGLY:

Oklahoma quarterback Jason White rolled through the Big 12 on the way to his 2003 Heisman Trophy, leading the Sooners past Iowa State 53-7. White threw for 384 yards and five touchdowns against the Cyclones, leading OU to an undefeated regular season.

But that wasn’t the most impressive performance against the Cyclones by a Heisman winner. Texas running back Ricky Williams made a career of making opposing defenses look silly, but he saved his best performance for Iowa State. Williams, on his way to the 1998 Heisman, burned the Cyclones for 350 yards on 37 carries.

Those 350 yards are the most ever gained in a single game against the Cyclones.