Coming into the season, everyone expected Arch Manning, LaNorris Sellers, Drew Allar, and Garrett Nussmeier to battle for the Heisman Trophy, but as each struggled to start the year it created a wide open race. Ae we've gone through 8 weeks of the season we've seen some Heisman campaigns take off and crash and we're now in a place where there's 3 clear front runners for the award.
It takes a truly special season from a Non-Quarterback to win the award and thus far, no one has posted the numbers to put themselves in that mix. Jeremiyah Love and Jeremiah Smith may be the most talented players in the sport, but they have too much talent around them which has them on the outside looking in.
Ranking the 3 Top Heisman Trophy candidates
As Ohio State has taken the training wheels off of the offense, Julian Sayin has started to look like one of the best quarterbacks in the Country. The first time starter is up to 1,872 yards passing and 19 touchdowns with just 3 interceptions on the year while completing 80% of his passes. Sayin is surrounded by some of the best wide receivers in the Country which gives him a chance to post insane numbers every week. The next 4 games come against unranked opponents giving Sayin a chance to surpass his competitors on the stat sheet.
The Alabama Crimson Tide have rattled off 4 straight Top 25 wins and if any quarterback is going to have the big game highlights it takes to win the award, it's Ty Simpson. Alabama's star quarterback has passes for 1,931 yards and 18 touchdowns with just 1 interception adding another 2 scores with his legs. The Crimson Tide still have big games against LSU, Oklahoma, and Auburn remaining giving Simpson a chance to add even more big moments to a highlight filled season.
Since arriving at Indiana, Fernando Mendoza has taken off becoming the best quarterback in the Country making Indiana a serious contender. Mendoza's completing percentage is up to 73.5% up from 68.7% last season passing for 1,755 yards and 21 touchdowns and just 2 interceptions. If Mendoza leads this Indiana team to a Big Ten Championship, you simply can't give the award to anyone else as he's been that impressive.