Jason White has made opponents pay for focusing on the Sooners' running attack. Brian Bahr/Getty Images

Jason White was campaigning for the Heisman two weeks ago -- campaigning for teammate Adrian Peterson. The defending trophy winner accepted that the hype machine had adopted his freshman counterpart in the backfield.

For much of the season's first half, defenses keyed on White and Oklahoma's passing game, only to be throttled on the ground by Peterson, the new dimension of the Sooner offense. A 225-yard showing in the Red River Shootout changed all that: Peterson's status went from phenom to superstar overnight, and not coincidentally, OU's next two opponents, Kansas State and Kansas, adopted defensive strategies in which stopping the run was job No. 1.

White made the Wildcats and Jayhawks pay for it. Sooner wideout Brandon Jones called White's four-touchdown, 389-yard performance Saturday against Kansas "old-school." Not in the sense that it was old-school football; it was old-school White. Heisman White. If opposing defenses want to focus on the run, then he will pick them apart old-school.

The Heisman picture remains in chaos. Each of the top seven contenders has a legitimate shot of walking away with the trophy. Nevermind that White was somewhat of a forgotten man early on in this race; he is back in it now.

On to the rankings:

1. Aaron Rodgers, QB, Cal, Jr.

Last week (at Arizona): 20-of-27 passing, 235 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs in 38-0 win
Season (5-1): 111-of-148 passing (75.0 percent), 1,376 yards, 14 TDs, 4 INTs 

How can USC's Matt Leinart remain ahead of Rodgers in a number of other Heisman lists? Leinart's team beat Rodgers' team on Oct. 9, but Ws and Ls don't tell the whole story. Rodgers was clearly the better quarterback that day, and he continues to complete passes at a Philip Rivers-like clip of 75 percent.

2. Adrian Peterson, RB, Oklahoma, Fr.

Last week (vs. Kansas): 22 carries, 122 yards, TD in 41-10 win
Season (7-0): 177 carries, 1,023 yards (146.1 yards per game), 7 TDs

Make it seven straight 100-yard games now for Peterson. He had to rally for No. 7, however, racking up 99 fourth-quarter yards on a tired KU defense as Bob Stoops left his starters in the game for purposes of BCS posturing.

3. Cedric Benson, RB, Texas, Sr.

Last week (at Texas Tech): 38 carries, 168 yards, TD in 51-21 win
Season (6-1): 187 carries, 1,156 yards (165.1 yards per game), 10 rushing TDs, receiving TD 

Benson became the sixth running back in I-A history to rush for 1,000 yards in four straight seasons, but he will be the only one of the bunch (which includes Heisman winners Ron Dayne and Tony Dorsett) to improve on his total each season. The reason Benson is back on this list instead of Reggie Bush is because he now is producing more all-purpose yards per game than USC's multi-talented runner (178.1 to 175.7) without returning kicks or punts.

4. Alex Smith, QB, Utah, Jr.

Last week (vs. UNLV): 11-of-19 passing, 147 yards, 3 TDs; 9 carries, 77 yards, rushing TD in 63-28 win
Season (7-0): 109-of-170 passing (64.1 percent), 1,607 yards, 15 TDs, 2 INTs; 68 carries, 339 yards, 8 rushing TDs

Welcome aboard, Alex. After a number of weeks on the radar -- and the downfall of Kyle Orton -- Smith warrants inclusion in the top five. Against UNLV, he threw two touchdowns and scampered for 70-yard TD run to put the Utes up 28-7 ... and that was just in the first quarter.

"I don't know where that came from," Smith told the Salt Lake Tribune of his scoring scramble. "I just kept running."

5. Jason White, QB, Oklahoma, Sr.

Last week (vs. Kansas): 27-of-44 passing, 389 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INTs in 41-10 win
Season (7-0): 128-of-197 passing (65.0 percent), 1,617 yards, 17 TDs, 4 INTs

With OU's passing game in high gear, White is at No. 5 and rising.

"When people are just gonna hunker down and crowd the box, you've got to be able to stretch 'em some,'' Stoops told The Oklahoman after the KU game. "Jason did that in a big way today.''

On self-imposed, one-week probation: Matt Leinart, QB, USC, Jr.

Last week (vs. Washington): 24-of-43 passing, 217 yards, 2 TDs, INT in 38-0 win
Season (7-0): 136-of-215 passing (63.3 percent), 1,628 yards, 16 TDs, 4 INTs, 3 rushing TDs

The Trojans, who put up 42 first-half points against Arizona State a week earlier, mustered just 10 against woeful Washington ... and Leinart admirably shouldered some of the blame.

"I played horribly in the first half," Leinart told the Orange County Register. "I'm kind of mad at myself."

On the (big) bubble

In this order: Bush, USC; Stefan Lefors, Louisville; Vernand Morency, Oklahoma State; Jason Campbell, Auburn; J.J. Arrington, Cal; Orton, Purdue; Reggie McNeal, Texas A&M; David Greene, Georgia.