Some college football teams have already played a quarter of their games this year. How do the top players stack up in the 2019 Heisman Trophy rankings?
With September halfway through, college football teams are starting to try to reach midseason form. With most teams playing three games, the race for every ranking is wide open.
So far, we haven’t had enough time to decide who deserves the Heisman Trophy. We’ve mostly decided who has been eliminated from the award. So, who will end up on top of the 2019 Heisman rankings after Week 3?
The further we go into the season, the more these rankings reflect on substance and not hype. Although he hasn’t been eliminated, players like Trevor Lawrence are now being graded on what he’d done instead of what we think he can do.
With that being said, here are the honorable mentions.
Ian Book, QB, Notre Dame
This is the first time for Ian Book to appear on these rankings, but he has done everything right so far this season. Although he hasn’t had a true test, he’s beaten the teams in front of him convincingly. The main reason I wanted him to make it this week is because of Notre Dame’s test against Georgia next week. If Notre Dame wants to beat Georgia, Ian Book has to have a Heisman moment. That would be the talk of the town, and Book would certainly land on some watch lists.
The Irish basically have to go undefeated if they want to make it back to the College Football Playoff, and I think that’s the only way Book makes it to New York as a Heisman finalist.
Jerry Jeudy, WR, Alabama
Jerry Jeudy is the best wide receiver in college football, and he has one of the best quarterbacks in college football. Although he had a relatively quiet week against South Carolina, he still has two games for 100-plus receiving yards.
If Jeudy wants to earn a trip to New York, it will take performances on the biggest stages. It’s great if he has 100 receiving yards against Duke, but he needs to score multiple touchdowns against teams like LSU, Texas A&M and Auburn. A few viral highlight plays go a long was as well. The path for wide receivers is hard, but I think Jeudy has the best chance out of all of them.
Justin Herbert, QB, Oregon
I love Justin Herbert, and I think he’s one of the best quarterbacks in college football. However, I think a Pac-12 quarterback either has to be the clear best player in college football or the best team on a playoff contender to win the Heisman. Although Oregon is a great team, their first loss of the season makes it hard to consider them playoff contenders. They still have a chance to make up for that loss, though.