This year, the race for the Heisman trophy is as up in the air as ever.

Several players have proved they are worthy of the trophy, but only one will leave New York with it in late December. With only one or two games left, here are the players that should be included in the Heisman festivities.

My pick to win it all is Oklahoma quarterback Josh Heupel. He’s having an amazing season for the storybook Sooners. Heupel almost set the all Big 12 passing records last season and has put up similar numbers this season.

In nine games this season, Heupel has thrown for 2,770 yards and 16 touchdowns. He has completed 213 of his 315 pass attempts, a rate of 68 percent.

Perhaps the two factors weighing most in Heupel’s favor are the fact that his team is 9-0, and he has played his best in the Sooners biggest games against Kansas State, Nebraska and Texas A&M. Playing well against good teams will get Heupel the Heisman.

A player who is very deserving of the trophy, but won’t get it this year, is Texas Christian University’s senior running back Ladainian Tomlinson. He has been an unstoppable force for the Horned Frogs, a team that sits at 8-1 on the year.

The biggest problem for Tomlinson and TCU is that they lost to San Jose State. Playing at a small school will hurt any candidate, especially when the conference they play in isn’t that good.

Tomlinson’s numbers read as so: 310 carries in nine games and 1,679 yards with 18 touchdowns. He leads the nation with 186.56 yards per game.

But, as Iowa State fans know, if you don’t play for a title contender, you can rush for as many yards as you want and not win the Heisman. (See Troy Davis in 1995 and 1996.)

Florida State has a quarterback with Heisman numbers, but he will be without a trophy.

Chris Weinke, the FSU senior, is having an outstanding year but will fall short of the Heisman.

He leads the nation in passer rating with 166.5, but he’s doing exactly what every other Seminole QB has done in the past, throw for a lot of yards in the over-rated Atlantic Coast Conference. Why should Weinke win it this year and not last year?

His biggest argument for the trophy was the ‘Noles 54-7 victory over then No. 10 Clemson. FSU put the Tigers in their place, and Weinke breezed through the game, throwing for 521 yards, including a 98-yarder.

Weinke has completed 63 percent of his 387 passes and has thrown a truck-load of 30 touchdowns. The showdown between Florida State and Florida will be a big test to how good Weinke is, because unlike Clemson, Florida really is good. For now, Weinke is on the outside looking in.

Another guy with pre-season hopes and a not-so-good chance now is Drew Brees. Purdue’s senior is one of the best quarterbacks in the nation and is the heart and soul of the Boilermaker team that should be playing in the Rose Bowl, but he is not the Heisman trophy winner.

Brees has quality numbers: 266 completions out of 444 attempts for 3177 yards and 23 touchdowns. He has a 132.2 rating. Most coaches would kill to have a guy like him behind their center, but not Bob Stoops of Oklahoma or Bobby Bowden of Florida State, they have better quarterbacks, which is why Brees won’t be winning the Heisman.

Santana Moss of the Miami Hurricanes can do everything and may make the trip to New York, too.

Moss, the wide receiver and punt returner of the No. 2 Hurricanes, can do it all. He is a threat whenever he has the ball.

Receiving, Moss has averaged 17.9 yards per catch. His 37 receptions are tied for the team lead and he is top among all Hurricane receivers with 664 yards. Moss adds three touchdowns, two of which were against Virginia Tech, to his list of stats.

The versatile Moss has also been a terror returning punts. He has taken three back for touchdowns and averages 17.6 yards per return.

Moss poses yet another threat to defenses with his running ability. He has two touchdowns on the ground, 144 rushing yards on the year and averages 28.8 yards per carry.

Moss may not win the Heisman, but he may be the biggest all-around threat in the country.

Missing from this list are Nebraska quarterback Eric Crouch and Michael Vick, the sophomore from Virginia Tech.

Vick, who was all but handed the trophy before the year started, has struggled some and due to injury hasn’t played enough to really be considered a legitimate contender.

Crouch has proven to be so one-dimensional that the Cornhuskers won’t be playing for a national title, losing in games against Kansas State and Oklahoma, which required him to pass.

He is the best running QB in the nation but can’t pass and therefore can’t win the Heisman.

The last two Heismans have gone to running backs, Ricky Williams of Texas and Ron Dayne of Wisconsin. This year the quarterback will regain college football’s most prized individual trophy as Josh Heupel will be recognized for his accomplishments with the Sooners.