Back in the summer, it seemed a bit absurd.

Clemson sent hundreds of six-foot posters of C.J. Spiller to media members around the country to promote the running back for the Heisman Trophy.

Spiller a Heisman candidate? He wasn't even the ACC player of the year last season. He played for a team that lost six games last year.

Who was going to mention him in the same breath as Sam Bradford, Tim Tebow and Colt McCoy?

Well, it seemed like a perfectly reasonable notion to Spiller.

"I always believe in myself," said Spiller, whose team will host Virginia on Saturday. "When we came up with the [poster] idea, I thought it was a great idea.

"I always thought [the Heisman] was a realistic goal. ... If I didn't have faith in my ability, I wouldn't have ... went [along] with the poster. Outside people, they probably thought it was funny, but to me and my teammates, we thought it was very realistic."

The Heisman buzz for Spiller has grown in the national media in recent weeks. While it would still be a surprise for him to win college football's highest honor, it would no longer be a shock if he is one of the top five vote-getters.

Other contenders include Alabama running back Mark Ingram; Tebow, the Florida quarterback who won the Heisman two years ago; McCoy, the Texas quarterback; and Stanford running back Toby Gerhart.

Last year, three finalists were invited to New York for the trophy presentation. In 2007, four finalists were invited.

"I'm in the position, with the help of my team, to hopefully go represent us -- not only this team but also this town and Clemson Nation," Spiller said. "It'll mean a lot."

Spiller, a speedy senior who contemplated turning pro after last season, ranks third in Division I-A in all-purpose yards this year with an average of 195.2 yards -- a figure that would have been higher had he not sat out most of a game against I-AA Coastal Carolina.

He's rushed for 836 yards and six touchdowns; caught 24 passes for 382 yards and four TDs; returned six punts for 191 yards and one TD; and returned 16 kickoffs for 543 yards and three TDs.

"I've been very blessed to have different types of skills," he said.

Spiller's Heisman hopes have been enhanced by the No. 18 Tigers' good season. Clemson (7-3, 5-2), on a five-game winning streak, can clinch its first Atlantic Division title by beating UVa.

"I didn't know at the time [that] his coming back would account for so many wins," said Clemson running backs and special teams coach Andre Powell, a former UVa and VMI assistant. "You look at the plays he's made, ... him coming back has probably been worth maybe four wins, maybe five."

He had 312 all-purpose yards against Florida State two weeks ago, including a career-best 165 yards on the ground. Last weekend against North Carolina State, Spiller threw a TD pass, ran for a TD and caught a TD pass.

Spiller -- actually Clifford Spiller Jr., hence "C.J." -- has eight touchdowns of at least 50 yards this year.

"He might be the most dangerous player in the country," FSU coach Bobby Bowden said.

At Miami last month, Spiller tied the I-A career record with his sixth kickoff return for a TD.

Spiller and former Heisman winner Reggie Bush are the only players in college football history with at least 3,000 yards rushing, 1,500 yards in kickoff returns, 1,000 receiving yards and 500 yards in punt returns in their careers.

Spiller's abilities to accelerate and change direction help him as both a running back and a return specialist.

"The return game is just all about the other 10 guys doing their jobs and the return man seeing the crease and hitting it full speed," Spiller said. "You can't put the brakes on."

Spiller, who has been playing in pain because of a sore toe, ranks seventh on the I-A career list with an ACC-record 6,860 all-purpose yards. He has 1,952 all-purpose yards this season, and needs just 103 more to break former UVa standout Thomas Jones' ACC single-season mark.

The 5-foot-11, 195-pound Spiller is also a three-time All-American in track and field for his efforts in the 60 meters and the 400-meter relay. His best time in the 60 is 6.58 seconds.

"His game speed is greater than his track speed," Powell said. "With pads on and a football in his hands, I think he's faster than Jacoby [Ford, the Clemson receiver who is an NCAA champ in the 60 meters]. On the track, he never outruns Jacoby."

His track career has helped him on the football field, Spiller said.

"Whenever you get in the open field, you kind of go back to some of your track [training] -- your form of running," he said.

Spiller won't be adding to his track resume this school year, however. The Lake Butler, Fla., native plans to graduate in December, after just 3 ¹₂ years on campus.

A pro career awaits. ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. ranks Spiller the No. 12 pick in the NFL Draft.

Powell was stunned when Spiller didn't turn pro after last season. Considering the success this year of both Spiller and his team, it seems like a good call.

"Good or bad season, it would've been a good call because for one, I'm graduating," Spiller said. "That was the main reason I came back.

"I knew football would take care of itself."