Arriving on this list to take Jonathan Taylor’s spot this week is McKenzie Milton, the UCF quarterback that has the Knights in position to claim the Group of Five spot in a major bowl game. The way Milton is playing this season so far, he could put UCF in position for even bigger rewards this year if everything falls into place.
In a 73-33 blowout of FCS Austin Peay, Milton completed 24 of his 26 passing attempts for 275 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for another score. Milton could have posted even bigger numbers against the Governors, but Scott Frost opted to pull his starting quarterback midway through the third quarter after his third touchdown pass of the game.
Milton hasn’t put up huge raw numbers this season, but that is because he has often left the game early after securing an insurmountable lead for the Knights. With the performance against an overmatched opponent on Saturday, though, Milton took over the lead in FBS passing efficiency from Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield.
If he continues to post ultra-efficient performances over the month of November to lead UCF to a 12-0 record and the American Athletic Conference title, Milton will merit a trip to Manhattan. He could not only become the first Group of Five player to finish top-three in Heisman voting since Jordan Lynch in 2013, but might just bring home the stiffarm trophy to Orlando as the first mid-major winner since Ty Detmer in 1990.