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When the college football season started, I had about the same leaders for the Heisman Trophy as everybody else: Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota, Georgia running back Todd Gurley, Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty, Florida State quarterback and reigning Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston and Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon.

Sure, there were other candidates, but they were considered long shots. The list included BYU quarterback Taysom Hill, UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley and Nebraska running back Ameer Abdullah.

Needless to say, the list has changed dramatically over the course of the past two months. Hundley hasn't had near the production many thought, Hill's season is over due to injury, Gurley has been sidelined while the NCAA investigates possible infractions, Petty had lackluster games versus both Texas and West Virginia, and Winston has had nothing but negativity swirl around his name since winning the award last season.

Some players remained, and they shone.

Mariota has been stunningly good pacing an incredibly efficient Oregon offense. He leads the nation in passing efficiency and has 24 touchdowns to just one interception. That's outstanding.

Gordon appears to be the only offensive weapon Wisconsin has, and he has stood out. With opposing defenses keying on him nearly every play, Gordon has still rushed for 1,168 yards and 16 touchdowns. His yard-per-carry average of 7.58 is easily the highest in the nation.

A name I added to the list was Alabama wide receiver Amari Cooper. The junior has excelled in offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin's new scheme, catching 71 passes for 1,132 yards and nine touchdowns.

While Nebraska running back Ameer Abdullah continued to pile up numbers, I didn't believe his name belonged with the elite names of college football. Even as late as Friday evening, I had him just below Bo Wallace, Bryce Petty and Marshall quarterback Rakeem Cato. I said he would need to have a truly legitimate performance to undo the damage done by the debacle at Michigan State, where he ran for just 45 yards on 24 carries.

Then I watched him Saturday when Nebraska routed Big Ten newcomer Rutgers 42-24 in Lincoln.

I can only say one word: Wow.

Abdullah ran for 225 yards and three touchdowns. It took him just 19 carries to get there. On his second touchdown run of the day, he took a handoff from quarterback Tommy Armstrong and jetted around the outside for an untouched 48-yard touchdown run. He should have been bottled up. There was no hole. It just wasn't there. Somehow Abdullah made it appear and ran right through it.

After that run, he had 134 yards. There was more than 10 minutes left. In the first half.

At the end of the day, he would be the nation's leading rusher with 1,249 yards. His 17 touchdowns lead the Big Ten and is second in the nation. He has more yards than 56 complete teams.

That's not the only reason he impressed me Saturday, though. While flipping back and forth between watching Abdullah and Gordon impress for Nebraska and Wisconsin, I came across an interesting stat: all-purpose yards. Apparently he has a lot of those.

In fact, Abdullah has the most all-purpose yards in Nebraska football history. He passed names like Johnny Rodgers and Mike Rozier. You may remember them because they each have a piece of bronze hardware with their name on it.

On Saturday, after returning two kicks for a combined 90 yards and catching two passes for 26 yards to go along with his rushing yards, Abdullah passed Archie Griffin and stands just behind Ron Dayne for the most all-purpose yards in Big Ten history. You may recognize their names as winners of the Heisman Trophy as well. Griffin is the only player to win it twice.

When I watched him play, it was as though I was watching other players run in slow motion. Abdullah ran between the tackles. He cut outside and then back inside, fluidly running as though he were out for a jog. Then he found his third gear. When that happened, nobody on the field could keep up. When his day was done, Abdullah owned Nebraska's single-game all-purpose yards mark.

Greatness doesn't just happen on the field, though. As noted, reigning Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston has seen his stock fall quickly because of numerous off-the-field troubles. Todd Gurley, who mirrors Abdullah in almost every facet, has seen the same fate befall his chances.

Ameer is the exact opposite. Prior to the season, he spoke on behalf of the conference's football players at the 2014 Big Ten Kickoff Luncheon on July 28 in Chicago. His speech is worth the 11 minutes it takes to watch.

On Saturday, after running out of bounds and nearly running over a young lady with a camera, he took the time to stop and ensure she was OK. She was perfectly fine, but the interaction was replayed more than once during the broadcast because it showed his true character. Football players by and large, especially in his shoes, would have simply jogged back to the huddle.

That isn't who Ameer Abdullah is. While he is a superb athlete and one of the nation's best running backs, he is also the pinnacle of academic maturity and success. He explained in an interview why he returned to college for his senior year when he could have done what so many, including Nebraska great Ahman Green, had done before him: declare himself eligible for the NFL draft after a successful junior season.

Will he win the Heisman Trophy? I'd say he's still a long shot. An invite to New York City is probably in the cards if he continues his stunningly great season, but players like Mariota and Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott continue to hold the eyes of most voters.

I imagine that's OK with Abdullah. He'll probably say he'd like the team to win the Big Ten Championship more than he'd like to win the Heisman Trophy. To me, that makes him shine more than others.

Nebraska fans like to say, "Fear Ameer." I know opposing defenses do. Others who are invited to New York City in early December should as well. The young man from Alabama who was recruited by his favorite team, Auburn, to play defensive back, will probably get more than a few votes from voters who followed his season with the Big Red.

It took almost until November, but he definitely gets my vote.