Kansas quarterback Todd Reesing, center, and offensive lineman Anthony Collins, left, celebrate with receiver Marcus Henry, right. Reesing threw three touchdowns - all to Henry - in a Saturday, Nov. 11, 2007 43-28 victory at Oklahoma State. Reesing has been mentioned along with other top college quarterbacks as a Heisman Trophy candidate.

Every year in November, the Heisman Trophy Trust sends letters out to some 25 colleges across the country, preparing them for the possibility of having a Heisman candidate on campus.

The letter is congratulatory, first and foremost, a compliment to the school’s candidate for having a wonderful football season to date. But it also gives an initial heads-up on what might go down if the ballot box is favorable toward their guy – including preliminary dates to remember for a trip to New York and the award ceremony.

Missouri University received the letter recently, pertaining to quarterback Chase Daniel. Kansas University’s sports-information office hasn’t, pertaining to quarterback Todd Reesing.

What does that mean? Nothing, really. The winner and finalists are solely in the hands of 924 voters – mostly media members – and none has voted yet. They will get their ballots later this week and will turn them in by Dec. 5.

Reesing is a dark-horse candidate, but that alone is remarkable. An unknown talent on an unknown team just 75 days ago – heck, he wasn’t announced as KU’s starting quarterback until Aug. 18 – Reesing has spearheaded a 10-0 start for No. 4 Kansas, bringing the program into the national spotlight and putting its top performers among a short list of candidates for various awards.

Reesing claims those individual accomplishments, including his own, mean little to the undefeated run.

“We’re not a bunch of superstars on this team,” Reesing said. “We’d rather have 22 guys that no one’s ever heard of that are winning every ball game than one or two superstars that everyone’s focusing on. I think that’s a factor of a great team.”

Still, with success comes recognition, including the individual variety.

Reesing just happens to be mentioned with one of the most prestigious awards in sports. He joins Chase Daniel and Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford as potential Heisman candidates out of the Big 12 Conference, though none is considered a front-runner in the media-fueled spectacle.

The question is, do any of them care?

“I would think if you talked to those three young guys – and I can’t put words into their mouth – they’d all take winning over personal accolades,” KU coach Mark Mangino said. “Maybe that’s why they are so good at what they do.”

Reesing never has strayed far from the company line. He’s cool and composed when speaking to reporters, never once offering up a quote destined for a bulletin board. Asking him about his Heisman chances would get you nowhere.

But his play is quite another story. Reesing has 2,657 passing yards with 26 touchdowns and four interceptions this season, statistics comparable with mainstream favorites like Oregon’s Dennis Dixon and Florida’s Tim Tebow.

His win-loss record, meanwhile, trumps them all. That’s what is sticking out the most to national pundits with a decision to make.

“It helps Kansas being a non-traditional power,” CBS Sportsline columnist Dennis Dodd said. “They’re getting so much attention right now. That’s what people are talking about.”

A Heisman voter himself, Dodd feels Reesing is one of the top five candidates at this point for several reasons. For one, Reesing’s touchdown-to-interception ratio compares favorably with most everybody being discussed, and the sophomore’s statistics across the board are excellent.

But perhaps more importantly, Reesing hasn’t allowed his team to lose yet – something only he and Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan can tout.

Dodd also has Daniel and Bradford in his top five. Since the Nov. 24 Kansas-Missouri game and the Big 12 championship game still upcoming, it could be awhile before Dodd and others have an idea of whom they’ll go with.

But letter or no letter, Reesing is on a semi-short Heisman list with just three weeks left, it appears.

There are 924 votes to be earned. According to one of the voters, Reesing and the Jayhawks have a simple job to do to keep that dream alive.

“They just have to win,” Dodd said. “At this point, he has nowhere to go but up.”