Big Ten Football Heisman Contenders: Week 4 edition

Jan 12, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes running back Ezekiel Elliott (15) scores on a 33-yard touchdown run in the first quarter against the Oregon Ducks in the 2015 CFP National Championship Game at AT&T Stadium. Ohio State defeated Oregon 42-20. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Talk about a quiet start to the season, Ezekiel Elliott is grabbing basically no headlines while putting together a solid base for his 2015 campaign stats. Through three games, the junior running back has rushed for 331 yards and four touchdowns.

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While those numbers don’t blow anyone away, he’s going to only get stronger as the year goes on, much like he did last season, and he’s already put together three 100-yard contests. Elliott is the Big Ten’s second-leading rusher and he will likely finish the year atop the conference, much like he did a season ago.

The competition in the conference at running back was much more solid a season ago with guys like David Cobb, Tevin Coleman and Jeremy Langford pushing Elliott to get better, but he will still play well enough to be considered for the Heisman.

Much like the rest of the Buckeyes, Elliott struggled against Northern Illinois in week three, under his standards, putting up just 4.7 yards per carry. He did even worse against Hawaii the week before, averaging just 3.7 yards per touch, but he did score three of his four touchdowns on the year.

Despite the slow start, Elliott will be right there in the national Heisman conversation by season’s end.

Next: 1. Connor Cook, Michigan State