Ladies and gentlemen, the fix is in and the noodles are boiling in the pot.

After starting the season on a torrid streak — throwing for 328.4 yards per game, 18 touchdowns, just two picks and a stunning passer efficiency rating of 181.6 — the Heisman race looked like Purdue quarterback Kyle Orton’s to lose.

And lose it he did.

As the quick-drawing Boilermaker gunslinger watched Purdue place-kicker Ben Jones push a last-minute boot wide of the uprights Saturday in West Lafayette, he witnessed the victory along with his Heisman hopes sail deep into the Indiana night.

Orton, whose two untimely fumbles allowed Wisconsin to mark a critical loss on the Boilermakers’ conference record, exhibited an inadequacy to perform in the national limelight and failed to present a convincing case for the most vaunted honor in college football.

Orton went 25-for-45 with 235 yards passing and a touchdown by both ground and air — not exactly chump stats. Yet in the biggest game of Orton’s collegiate career, the NFL-bound phenom failed to hold his own in the ball-control game and surrendered prime real estate atop the Big Ten standings to the underdog Badgers.

Now looking desperately to salvage his team’s chances at a Big Ten title, Orton faces a tenacious Michigan squad loaded with defensive playmakers. In fact, Lloyd Carr’s group has robbed so many balls from opposing offenses that the totaled value of the pilfered pigskin would likely evoke grand larceny charges.

The Wolverines often give up points but also frequently take points back. For Purdue, they could easily blow away the already-fading scent of roses along with Orton’s chances of attaining the ultimate prize. If the veteran quarterback can effectively read the passing lanes and the Boilermaker chop-blocking strategy (àla Conrad Dobler) disables the Michigan pass rush like it did Wisconsin’s, redemption could drift Orton’s way.

In lieu of that earth-shattering performance, however, it may be time to explore other options in the Heisman race.

Averaging 190.5 yards per game in his two appearances after returning from an eye injury, Anthony Davis appeared ready to rejoin the heat. The senior tailback traveled to West Lafayette looking to draw some action as a dark horse again.

No dice. Davis missed too much time to skip another beat, and the 66-yard performance against Purdue falls tragically short of what he needed. With such a great runner in an offense otherwise lacking luster, the Badgers can ill afford a significant injury to their backfield star. Hence coaches pull the somewhat injury-prone Davis with anything more than a cough.

Michigan’s Braylon Edwards tore through secondaries in the first six games of the Wolverine’s schedule. Last week, the best receiver in the nation perched on the verge of several Heisman watch lists, just waiting for an opportunity to prove his quality. Edwards hit the field Saturday in Champagne-Urbana with an average of 127.2 yards per game looking to light fires against a beleaguered Illinois garrison.

Instead, Edwards sputtered, making freshman quarterback Chad Henne look like a bungling fool without his ace target. Fortunately for Michigan, the Illinois run defense contains ground incursions like a wet paper bag. I thought I saw a picture of Wolverine tailback Michael Hart on a milk carton the other day. The Illini must still be looking for him.

There’s plenty of reason to smile in Trojan country these days. Well, two reasons in particular: USC tailback Reggie Bush and quarterback Matt Leinart. Both serve up consistently the type of performances a Heisman candidate should, but will either get the number of touches necessary to keep up with candidates outside the walls of Troy?

Nah. They both may need to settle for a national championship instead, or in Leinart’s case, another. Although I doubt either would complain. It’s tough with two big dogs in the same kennel — even though Bush very well could be the most explosive back in the country and Leinart the most successful steersman. If one goes down to injury, the other’s stock suddenly rises along with his Heisman hopes. Of course, it would prove better for USC if neither strikes a pose.

California quarterback Aaron Rodgers almost executed a miracle last week by unseating No. 1 USC. While Lienart chipped in a lackluster performance, Rodgers introduced himself to gridiron fans outside of the PAC-10 and made a 60-minute pitch for the big honor. Had either USC lost to the Sun Devils or Lienart under performed a second straight week, the junior signal caller could be sitting pretty right now.

Rodgers appeared dazzling against the Bruins Saturday, going 19-of-30 for 260 yards and four touchdowns. Unfortunately, for this season anyway, he’s lost in the shadow of Lienart, both as a quarterback and an offensive leader.

If freshman Oklahoma tailback Adrian Peterson fails to claim a Heisman before departing for the NFL, it would be hugely disappointing. Recently dubbed by football analysts “AD” (how Anthony Davis was dispossessed of his nick I don’t know), Peterson frequently cuts through run defenses with more style and finesse than any back in recent memory. Yeah, Maurice who?

Season numbers like 901 yards and six touchdowns on just 155 carries may appear beefy, but the game tapes show the AD project isn’t yet fully operational. When that time comes, rough days are in store for other Big 12 programs. Even for the moment, the bookie steam around AD masks the reality of the back’s incomplete development.

Bottom line, this frosh is just too trendy right now. For chalk players in the Sin City, AD may look like a sprinting sack with a dollar sign on it, but he just doesn’t have enough reel on his résumé. Plain and simple, veterans prove more dependable in the home stretch. Additionally, the young Sooner prodigy looked good but not great Saturday in a semi-big game against Kansas State.

So who then? Alex Smith? It’s a nice thought, but Utah simply lacks an opponent on the docket capable of adequately testing Smith’s mettle in the big game. Cedric Benson? Doubtful. Benson looked like garbage against the Sooner “D” in the Longhorns’ biggest game of the year. Andrew Walter? Lienart issue again. This Sun Devil just gets no press. Vernand Morency? Hardly. Oklahoma State needed more from Morency to overcome the Aggies, and now they might have to pull out a huge upset down the road for a decent bowl berth.

Only one man remains: Oklahoma quarterback Jason White. White’s stats may not appear as pretty as Leinart’s, nor his delivery as splendid as Orton’s, nor is he one of those starry-eyed up-and-comers every sports writer hopes and prays for. But if White is one thing, he’s a winner.

After suffering a crippling loss to Kansas State in 2003, the cagey old veteran wasn’t about to allow a repeat performance. Assisted by a second-half surge from Peterson, the Sooner fired into the Wildcat pass coverage, completing 20-of-31 for 256 yards and four touchdowns that day.

Wait, didn’t White drift a pass in the flat that linebacker Brandon Archer took back to give Kansas State the lead? Well in the words of James Joyce, “A man of genius makes no mistakes; his errors are volitional and are the portals to discovery.”

On the very possession after that fateful faux pas, White tore into the Kansas State defense, orchestrating a drive that reclaimed the lead. Shortly thereafter, he nailed shut the victory with another arduous 12-play drive, capped by a touchdown pass to Mark Clayton. A steadfast recovery his upstream rival Orton couldn’t match.

That afternoon in Manhattan, Kan., belonged to Jason White, not Peterson and certainly not the Wildcat’s fading Heisman hopeful Darren Sproles. Tally one up for the modest shepherd of Oklahoma. This race is his once more.