There are just two weeks left in the College Football regular season as the postseason and bowl season rapidly approach. While everyone is laser focused on the race for the College Football Playoff, the race for the Heisman Trophy has flown under the radar in what has been a fascinating year for the award.
All of the preseason favorites between Arch Manning, LaNorris Sellers, Garrett Nussmeier, Cade Klubnik, Drew Allar, and DJ Lagway have all struggled. The top tier candidates all falling has led to a wide open race that's still wide open as we enter the last weeks of the season.
Power Ranking the Top 10 Heisman Trophy candidates
Fading Fast
The injuries to all of Oregon’s skill position players has cost Dante Moore a chance at a serious run for the Heisman Trophy. Over the last 3 weeks, Moore has only thrown for 2 touchdowns, but his season numbers are still impressive with 2,190 yards and 21 touchdowns with just 5 interceptions. These last two games against USC and Washington could allow Moore to jump further into the race, but he’s not going to be able to do enough to win the game.
Just a few weeks back, Ty Simpson was considered the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy, but the last few weeks have heavily damaged his campaign. This weekend losing to Oklahoma in a game where Simpson threw a pick six and fumbled the ball away for the 5th time in the season may have officially kept him from going to New York. The best path for Simpson back into the race is lighting up Eastern Illinois before potential big games in the Iron Bowl and SEC Championship Game that could give him a Heisman moment.
Compelling cases that will fall short
There hasn’t been a quarterback that’s put his team on his back quite like Haynes King at Georgia Tech this season. King’s passing numbers leave plenty to be desired with 2,259 yards and just 10 touchdowns, but his 807 yards rushing and 14 touchdowns are truly insane. King has at least two more chances to jump into the race with games against Pitt and Georgia with another potential chance in the ACC Championship.
Georgia’s quarterback hasn’t gotten nearly enough credit for his brilliance this season, helping the Bulldogs reach the 4th ranking in the College Football Playoff rankings. Against Texas, Tennessee, and Ole Miss, Stockton accounted for 13 touchdowns, rising to the occasion in big games. If Georgia wasn’t so dominant running the ball or if Stockton didn’t struggle against Alabama, he’d likely be one of the favorites for the award.
There are just 2 weeks left in the College Football season, and Vanderbilt is still in the conversation for the Playoff which should be enough for Pavia to be a Heisman candidate. Pavia’s numbers may not be Heisman worthy, but they’re still solid with 2,440 passing yards, 613 rushing yards and 28 total touchdowns.
Deserving Heisman Trophy winners, but won't win the award
If the Heisman Trophy went to the best player in the Country, Jeremiah Smith could’ve been handed the award before the season, but it’s frankly a quarterback award. No one draws more attention than Smith, yet he’s been able to rack up 69 catches for 902 yards and 10 touchdowns. Considering how much every defense puts into stopping him, and how productive he’s been, Smith certainly deserves to be considered for the award.
Every weekend, Jeremiyah Love makes a play that would be unrealistic in a video game which speaks to how absurd of an athlete he is. Love has only carried the ball 177 times, but he’s racked up 1,135 yards and 14 touchdowns averaging 6.4 yards per carry. It’s hard to watch Love and claim that some of these quarterbacks come close in talent, but after Ashton Jeanty didn’t win last season, Love will likely fall short.
Pack your bags, you're going to New York!
There isn’t a more electrifying quarterback to watch than Texas A&M star Marcel Reed who’s led the Aggies to a 10-0 start. Marcel Reed has thrown for 22 touchdowns and rushed for another 6, but his 8 interceptions will keep him as a contender rather than winning the award. Reed still has a chance to have his Heisman moment as he’ll face Texas to end the season, before the SEC Championship Game if the Aggies make it.
At the beginning of the season, Julian Sayin was Ohio State’s biggest question mark, but he’s since become one of the best quarterbacks in the country. This season, Sayin is completing an absurd 80.1% of his passes for 2,675 yards and 25 touchdowns with 4 interceptions. Sayin may have a greater path to winning the Award than anyone else as he could snap the Buckeyes streak against Michigan before potentially dueling Fernando Mendoza in the Big Ten Championship.
From the beginning of the season, Fernando Mendoza has played like the Heisman Trophy winner, and he’s never really fallen out of the race. Even in his worst game against Penn State, when the game was hanging in the balance, he drove his team down the field for a Heisman moment. Considering how big of a story Indiana’s surge has been, it’ll take an unreal stretch for anyone to derail the Hoosiers star