Many of the 2017 Heisman favorites stumbled a bit in Week 10. Who factors in our top five in the Heisman race after the first weekend of November?
In the race for the Heisman Trophy, November is the month that ultimately makes or breaks a player’s candidacy for the award. While numbers from September and October are certainly not discounted, it is the final month of the regular season that separates the contenders from the pretenders in the hunt for the venerated stiffarm award.
As the 2017 calendar flipped into November, several favorites fell flat in their bid to stay relevant on a national level. The biggest stumbles both came in the Big Ten, as two names dropped out of last week’s Heisman Watch completely with lackluster outings.
Saquon Barkley failed to reach 100 yards on the ground for the sixth time in nine games. He was once again held in check as Penn State fell in a 27-24 upset by the Spartans on a weather-delayed day in East Lansing. Though he has found ways to be productive in other aspects of the game, for now the Nittany Lions back sits outside the top five after a second straight defeat.
His Big Ten counterpart, J.T. Barrett, vaulted to the top of the Heisman Watch last week after rebounding from a rough September start to post huge numbers throughout October. After leading a comeback against Penn State in Week 9, the Ohio State quarterback stood neck-and-neck with Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield in the Heisman race. Then he threw four interceptions in a 55-24 blowout defeat at Iowa, and tumbled all the way off the list.
Who took the place of the fallen Big Ten stars this week? While favorites had a hard time stating their case, there were plenty of impressive performances that boosted other players’ Heisman cases. Keep reading for our top five in the Heisman Trophy Watch after the conclusion of Week 10 play.