Heisman Trophy watch list: Top 5 candidates ahead of Week 10

3 of 5

Oct 28, 2023; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Bo Nix (10) throws the ball downfield against the Utah Utes during the first half at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Creveling-USA TODAY Sports /

If you told me two years ago that Bo Nix would transfer to Oregon and lead the Ducks to the national spotlight and be a legitimate Heisman Trophy contender, I would have called you nuts.

Nix was struggling at Auburn and needed a change of scenery so he went where his former offensive coordinator got a job and, well, he excelled immediately. In year one at Oregon under Kenny Dillingham, Nix passed for a career-best 3,593 yards and 29 touchdowns with an 8.8 yards per attempt average.

When Dillingham took the Arizona State job this past offseason, many believed Nix would see a drop-off. That hasn’t happened.

In fact, Nix is on pace to put up new career-highs as he has 2,337 yards, 21 touchdowns and is averaging 8.9 yards per attempt. Oh yeah, and his completion rate is hovering around 80 percent at 78.3 — that’s insane considering he’s attempted 263 passes.

Coming off a near-perfect performance on the road against a good Utah defense, Nix rose a spot in my Heisman power rankings. He went 24-for-31 with 248 yards and two touchdowns in a 35-6 road win over the No. 13 team in the country.

This dude is for real.

Home/College Football News