We’re now five weeks into the college football season, and already some of the SEC’s Heisman Trophy candidates are starting to separate themselves.

LSU RB Leonard Fournette is viewed as the man to beat at this point, but what may seem like the surest thing in early October can sometimes seem like nonsense in late November. So while he deserves most all of the hype he is receiving at this point, it is important that we not assume that the award going to him is a foregone conclusion because of four really, really great games.

As each week passes, we’re going to assess the performance of the league’s top players and re-calibrate this list to better reflect the chances of an SEC player bringing home the hardware for the first time since former Texas A&M QB Johnny Manziel did so in 2012.

Let’s see how they fared in Week 5:

SEC HEISMAN HOPEFUL RANKINGS

TOP CANDIDATES

RB Leonard Fournette, LSU

2015 stats: 99 carries for 864 yards and 11 rushing touchdowns; two catches for 16 yards in four games.

Week 5 performance: For the third consecutive week, Fournette topped 200 yards rushing as the Tigers improved to 4-0 on the season. He ran the ball 26 times for 233 yards and three rushing touchdowns against Eastern Michigan. The Eagles are weak against the run, but does that really matter at this point? Fournette broke off a 75-yard  touchdown run early in the second half, and has continued to state his case for being named the best player in college football.

Status: Fournette’s streak of 200-plus yard outings has made it hard for anyone to deny his status as the leader of the pack. With seven games left on the schedule for most teams, he’s clearly the player someone is going to have to chase down in this race.

RB Nick Chubb, Georgia

2015 stats: 91 carries for 745 yards and seven rushing touchdowns; four catches for 32 yards and a touchdown in four games.

Week 5 performance: Thanks to an 83-yard run, which turned out to be the only touchdown of the game for Georgia, Chubb extended his 100-plus yards rushing streak to 13 games in spite of a 38-10 Bulldogs loss to Alabama. Chubb finished with 146 yards rushing on 20 carries.

Status: He did nothing to diminish his perception as a Heisman candidate, but unfortunately the voters sometimes ding a player if his team loses. Chubb is still plenty good enough to win the award, and Georgia can still win enough games to get him on the podium.

SECONDARY CANDIDATES 

QB Chad Kelly, Ole Miss

2015 stats: 97 of 155 passing for 1,478 passing yards, 11 touchdowns and four interceptions; 34 carries for 97 yards and three rushing touchdowns in four games.

Week 5 performance: Kelly was sacked four times in a 38-10 loss to Florida that was both bad for the Rebels and bad for his Heisman candidacy. He did throw for 259 yards and a touchdown on 26 of 40 passing, but he threw an interception and never really had the Rebels offense moving efficiently at any point on Saturday.

Status: He still leads the SEC in total offense per game (315 yards), but his performance against Florida is fresh in the minds of voters, while his early-season fireworks fade another week into the back of their brains.

QB Dak Prescott, Mississippi State

2015 stats: 115 of 176 passing for 1,279 yards and seven touchdowns, no interceptions; 48 carries for 217 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns.

Week 5 performance: Prescott finally flashed his legs again, running for 96 yards and a touchdown, but it wasn’t enough to get a road win at Texas A&M. Unfortunately, that’s going to be the thing that sticks out to voters, because Prescott’s numbers just aren’t eye-popping enough to garner votes without plenty of wins this season.

Status: Prescott still hasn’t thrown an interception and has looked like one of the best quarterbacks in college football, but two losses for Mississippi State and a lack of big stats has his candidacy on life support.

RB Derrick Henry, Alabama

2015 stats: 93 carries, 570 rushing yards, nine rushing touchdowns; seven receptions for 51 receiving yards in four games.

Week 5 performance: Henry had one of his better games of the season playing at Georgia, which is a nice thing to add to his Heisman resume. He ran the ball 26 times for 148 yards and a touchdown in the 38-10 win against the Bulldogs.

Status: Last week we said he needed a good showing in a head-to-head match with Georgia RB Nick Chubb, and he delivered. A 200-plus yard game sometime soon would do his candidacy wonders, as he’s lacking the press that Chubb and Fournette receive.

DE Myles Garrett, Texas A&M

2015 stats: 25 total tackles, 7.5 sacks, 9.5 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles and six quarterback hurries in five games.

Week 5 performance: Mr. Everything for the Texas A&M defense turned in another well-rounded outing in spite of receiving plenty of attention from Bulldogs blockers. Garrett had five solo tackles, two assisted tackles, a sack, two tackles for loss and a forced fumble during the Aggies’ 30-17 win against Mississippi State.

Status: Look, if we were ranking players most likely to be first-round NFL picks, Garrett would’ve been on this list a long time ago. He’s fighting an uphill battle trying to win the Heisman Trophy as a defensive end. Right or wrong, they just don’t typically get the votes no matter how deserving.

On the watch list: Tennessee RB Jalen Hurd; Texas A&M WR Christian Kirk; Ole Miss DL Robert Nkemdiche; Arkansas RB Alex Collins.