Current Heisman candidate who will disappear from the race

Mandel: Brian Calhoun, RB, Wisconsin. Nothing against the Badgers' star, but between Leinart, Bush, Vince Young, etc., by November you'll forget Calhoun was ever even mentioned.

Schecter: Calhoun. He's a terrific player, but as the Badgers (so long as they can't play defense) continue to slide off the radar, so will Calhoun.

McCartney: Laurence Maroney, RB, Minnesota. That 48-yard performance against Penn State would be a forgivable blemish on his resume, but it won't be the only sub-100-yard outing of the season, not with Wisconsin, Ohio State and Iowa remaining.

Beech: Calhoun. I don't think he's on the kind of team that will capture the fancy of a lot of Heisman voters, and I don't think he's considered the best back in the Big Ten -- that distinction goes to the Gophers' Maroney.

Next coach to get fired (not named Rich Brooks)

Mandel: Mark Mangino, Kansas. The fourth-year coach has never been overly popular in Lawrence, and last weekend's disheartening 13-3 loss to K-State will send the Jayhawks spiraling to another sub-.500 season.

Schecter: Gary Pinkel, Missouri. He was my preseason pick and I'm sticking with him. The underachieving Tigers already have a bad loss to New Mexico; one more and Pinkel won't make it through the season.

McCartney: John Bunting, North Carolina. He went 8-5 with an inherited team in his first year in 2001 and landed a trip to the Peach Bowl, but has gone 13-28 since and is staring down his third losing season in five years.

Beech: Tom Craft, San Diego State. Now in his fifth year with the Aztecs, Craft is 16-26 and has yet to assemble a complete team.

Of these four fallen preseason powers -- Iowa, Michigan, Oklahoma and Tennessee -- which will rebound to finish with the best record, and which will finish with the worst?

Mandel:
Best: Iowa. The annual Kirk Ferentz in-season turnaround has already begun, and the Hawkeyes' remaining schedule sets up nicely for an 8-3 type finish.

Worst: Oklahoma. The Sooners' issues are worse than anyone could have possibly imagined. I can't believe I'm saying this, but 6-5 may be a best-case scenario.

Schecter:
Best: Michigan. I'm still trying to figure out what's going on in Ann Arbor. If Michigan upsets Penn State at the Big House on Saturday (a definite possibility) the Wolverines have a chance to reel off eight straight.

Worst: Oklahoma. If Adrian Peterson doesn't get healthy quick, the Sooners are in trouble. Remaining games against upstart Baylor, Nebraska, Texas A&M and Tech Tech have Bob Stoops' team staring at a (gasp!) losing season.

McCartney: 
Best: Iowa. Defense was supposed to be the Hawkeyes' saving grace -- well, it could still be. Of Iowa's remaining opponents, Michigan, Northwestern, Wisconsin and Minnesota live and die by the run. And Iowa just happens to have two guys named Chad Greenway and Abdul Hodge.

Worst: Oklahoma. If losing to TCU to wasn't bad enough, the Sooners could also be out of a bowl bid. They need six wins to be eligible, and could lose four more games with Kansas, Nebraska, A&M and Texas Tech remaining.

Beech: 
Best: Tennessee. The Vols are 3-2, and while I don't see them beating Alabama or Notre Dame, I do think they'll beat South Carolina, Memphis, Vanderbilt and Kentucky. The Crystal Ball shows me a 7-4 record in Knoxville.

Worst: Michigan. I hate to kick the Wolverines while they're down, but the schedule doesn't get any easier from the 3-3 mark, with games coming up against Penn State, Iowa, Northwestern (a dangerous team this year) and Ohio State. I see Michigan going 2-2 in that stretch and finishing 6-5.