Category: Heisman Trophy Watch

Heisman Finalists Announced: Who Will Come In Second? Predicted Finish

The finalists for the 2021 Heisman Trophy were announced? Who are the four in the hunt for the best individual trophy in all of sports?

The finalists for the 2021 Heisman Trophy were announced? Who are the four in the hunt for the best individual trophy in all of sports?

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2021 Heisman Finalists Announced

– Contact/Follow @PeteFiutak

Alabama QB Bryce Young is going to win the 2021 Heisman Trophy, and if he doesn’t it might be the biggest upset in the history of the award – at least, that seems to be the case if you go by the social media buzz.

The sophomore threw 43 touchdown passes with just four picks, ran for three touchdowns, led the team on the must-have 97-yard touchdown drive to force overtime in the win over Auburn, and then he smoked Georgia’s No. 1 defense for 421 yards and three touchdowns in the SEC Championship victory to earn the the Tide the top seed in the College Football Playoff.

So assuming he’s going to win, who’ll finish No. 2?

Young is obviously one of the four Heisman finalists, and here are the other three (in alphabetical order)

DE Aidan Hutchinson, Michigan

Why Aidan Hutchinson Will Finish 2nd For The Heisman: The heart-and-soul leader and tone-setter for the Michigan team that finally got over the hump in the Jim Harbaugh era, Hutchinson came up with 58 tackles, 14 sacks, and 15.5 tackles for loss.

He showed up large in some of the biggest games when everyone was watching, coming up with three sacks against Penn State, three more against Ohio State, and he even got one in the Big Ten Championship win over Iowa.

Why Aidan Hutchinson Won’t Finish 2nd For The Heisman: Alabama’s Will Anderson was the nation’s best pass rusher this season and was probably – along with a few Georgia stars in the mix – the best defensive player in college football.

Was Hutchinson 2019 Chase Young? Not really, but he was the signature star on a team that was very, very close to being the College Football Playoff No. 1 .

2021 Heisman Finalists
Bryce Young | Aidan Hutchinson
Kenny Pickett | CJ Stroud
2021 Heisman Trophy Prediction

NEXT Heisman Finalist: Kenny Pickett, Pitt

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Heisman Watch Top Candidates After Week 13: Does ANYONE Want To Win This?

Who are the top candidates still in the mix for the 2021 Heisman Trophy race? Are there ANY candidates worthy of the honor?

Who’s in the hunt for the Heisman Trophy? The top candidates, what they need to do, and who still has a realistic shot.

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Heisman Watch: Top Candidates, Championship Week

– Contact/Follow @PeteFiutak

Week 13 Roundup
Rankings CFN 1-130 Rankings | AP | Coaches
Bowl Eligible Teams | Week 13 Scoreboard
Week 14 opening lines | CFP Top 25 Prediction
Bowl Projections, CFP Predictions
Riley to USC, Napier to Florida: GAME ON
College Football Playoff Chase: 6 Teams Alive

Seriously, is anyone Heisman-worthy this year?

It’s supposed to go to the best player in college football, but realistically, it goes to the top player who’s the best combination Most Valuable Player and Most Outstanding Player.

The Heisman winner needs the stats, and it needs that moment. It needs that game when the world realized it’s seeing the signature player of the college football regular season.

Yeah, there aren’t any players who fit all of that this year. At least not yet.

So let’s give it a try. Who are the five top favorites to win the 2021 Heisman Trophy?

Player(s) of Week 13

RB Hassan Haskins & DE Aidan Hutchinson, Michigan
Haskins ran for 169 yards and five touchdowns in the 42-27 win over Ohio State – granted, all five Wolverine offensive linemen deserve credit here, too. On the other side, Hutchinson led a dominant performance by the defensive front, coming up with seven tackles with three sacks.

5 Other Players On The Heisman Watch List

Now. before going forward, let’s cut through all of the hoo-ha. With one notable exception on the list, you’re not winning the 2021 Heisman Trophy if you’re not playing this weekend.

In a year with no one standing out, if you didn’t grab it by now, you’re not going to do it watching the biggest games of the season on TV.

Next week will be the list of finalists, and several of these guys will be on it. But actually winning it is another story.

In alphabetical order …

QB Matt Corral, Ole Miss
QB Sam Hartman, Wake Forest
RB Kenneth Walker, Michigan State
QB Caleb Williams, Oklahoma
QB Bailey Zappe, WKU

6. DE Aidan Hutchinson, Michigan

Hassan Haskins might have been the signature star in the win over Ohio State, but Hutchinson was close behind. He has 13 sacks on the season with 54 tackles, 14,5 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, and three broken up passes.

Why Aidan Hutchinson Will Win the Heisman: America saw him dominate Washington – back when Washington was supposed to be a thing. America saw him dominate Penn State – back when beating Penn State was supposed to be a thing.

America saw him come up with three sacks and a monster performance as a catalyst for the win over Ohio State. If he destroys Iowa, he might just rise up and grab the cheese.

Why Aidan Hutchinson Won’t Win the Heisman: He’s a defensive end – it’s going to take something even more otherworldly than his Ohio State performance to do this. However, if Chase Young could be in the mix a few years ago, Hutchinson can potentially get close.

5. DT Jordan Davis, Georgia

There is no signature star on Georgia, but the main man in the middle is the one the No. 1 team in the country works around. Georgia is No. 1 in the nation in scoring defense – allowing fewer than seven points per game – and it leads the nation in total defense, Davis is the textbook definition of an anchor for the D.

Why Jordan Davis Will Win the Heisman: If Georgia pitches a shutout – or at least stuffs Alabama in the SEC Championship game – that ends the campaign of Bryce Young, and there aren’t a whole lot of other main options. Davis would be a representative as the top defensive player on the top team.

Why Jordan Davis Won’t Win the Heisman: The splashy stats aren’t there. Ndamukon Suh – full disclosure; Suh got my vote – destroyed Texas in the 2009 Big 12 Championship to cap off an amazing year, but he also did it with  12 sacks, 20.5 tackles for loss, and he led the team with 85 tackles. That’s not Davis’s game – there won’t be any tangible numbers to crank up the support.

NEXT: 2021 Heisman Candidates: Top 4

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Heisman Watch Top Candidates After Week 11: Will ANYONE Rise Up?

Who are the top candidates still in the mix for the 2021 Heisman Trophy race? Will anyone step up and take over in the race?

Who’s in the hunt for the Heisman Trophy? The top candidates, what they need to do, and who still has a realistic shot.

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Heisman Watch: Top Candidates After Week 11

– Contact/Follow @PeteFiutak

Week 11 Roundup
Rankings AP | Coaches | CFN 1-130 Rankings
Week 12 Early Line Predictions | Heisman Race
College Football Playoff Chase, Who’s Alive?
Bowl Projections | Week 11 Scoreboard, Predictions
Big Game Reactions: Baylor, Mich, Ole Miss, more
Coach Hot Seat Top 10 | Bowl Bubble: Who’s In, Out

Now that the season appears to be the Georgia Invitational, the nation desperately needs the Heisman Trophy campaigns to get rolling – and it’s really, really not.

No one has captivated a nation. No player has been able to rise up and grab the best individual award and all of sports and make it his.

But the chances are coming.

It’s Heisman time.

It’s the middle of November and the race is wide open, so it’s going to come down to who shows up with the biggest performances in the biggest games with everyone watching.

It’s the ultimate sports beauty contest, and here are the main stars still in the mix, where they stand, and what they need to do to win the thing.

Player of Week 11
(outside of the main guys on this list)

QB Jalon Daniels, Kansas
Will the young quarterback burn more playing time to take away his chance at redshirting? That was the one question everyone wanted to ask, when the real focus was this …

Kansas just hung 57 on Texas and won a Big 12 game on the road.

Unlike past years when Kansas would come up with a shocking win, this one seemed to signify the start of something under first year head coach Lance Leipold. Daniels had a whole lot to do with that, completing 21-of-30 passes for 202 yards and three touchdowns – with a game-winning two-point conversion throw – and running 11 times for 45 yards and a score.

5 Other Players On The Heisman Watch List

At the very least, these five will receive a whole lot of votes and are still in the mix to be a finalist. In alphabetical order …

QB Matt Corral, Notre Dame
DT Jordan Davis, Georgia
QB Sam Hartman, Wake Forest
RB TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State
QB Desmond Ridder, Cincinnati

5. QB Kenny Pickett, Pitt

The numbers continue to be fantastic. He might not be cranking out Joe Burrow stats from 2019 or Kyle Trask numbers of last year, but he’s not terribly far off with 32 touchdown passes, just four picks, and with 300 yards or more in seven of his last eight games.

Why Kenny Pickett Will Win the Heisman: He’s got a nice mix of stats and buzz. The foundation has been set, and the numbers will only get more impressive over the next few weeks. He should get his shot to show off in the ACC Championship, but …

Why Kenny Pickett Won’t Win the Heisman: There just aren’t enough big games left. Virginia and at Syracuse won’t receive a whole lot of national attention, and once again, the ACC Championship will likely get swallowed up by the other conference championships.

4. QB Caleb Williams, Oklahoma

He had a rough day at the office in the 27-14 loss to Baylor, but no one has more Heisman-like moments this season. From the fourth down run against Texas to turn the year around, to the heady plays to save the say against Kansas, to the phenomenal performance against Texas Tech with six passing scores, he packed a whole lot into a half a season.

Why Caleb Williams Will Win the Heisman: No one will catch Coastal Carolina’s out-for-the-year injured star Grayson McCall in quarterback rating, but Williams is still No. 2 in the country. It’s not just about the numbers – he has Iowa State and Oklahoma State up next. If he rocks in those two games and takes OU to the Big 12 Championship, he’ll be back in the mix, but …

Why Caleb Williams Won’t Win the Heisman: 10-of-19, 146 yards, no touchdowns, two picks, one rushing score. That was his day in the loss to Baylor. It wasn’t all his fault, but he couldn’t move the offense and was eventually lifted for Spencer Rattler.

Heisman Watch 2021: Top 3 Candidates After Week 11

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College Football Awards 2020: Who Won? Who Were The Best Players?

Who won all of the top college football awards on the big night to honor the best and the brightest from the 2020 season? 

Who won all of the top college football awards on the big night to honor the best and the brightest from the 2020 season? 

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

2020 Home Depot College Football Awards

Bednarik Award

Who were the best defensive players in college football?

And The Winner Is …

LB Zaven Collins, Tulsa

2020 Bednarik Award Finalists

LB Zaven Collins, Tulsa
CB Patrick Surtain, Alabama
LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Notre Dame

Fiu’s Ballot: 1) Collins, 2) Owusu-Koramoah, 3) Surtain

Best Player Not On Ballot: DE Tarron Jackson, Coastal Carolina

CFN’s Five Best Defensive Players of 2020

1. LB Zaven Collins, Tulsa
2. LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Notre Dame
3. DE Tarron Jackson, Coastal Carolina
4. LB Joseph Ossai, Texas
5. CB Patrick Surtain, Alabama

Bednarik | Biletnikoff | Bronko Nagurski | Butkus
Davey O’Brien | Doak Walker | Thorpe
John Mackey | Lou Groza | Outland | Ray Guy
Heisman  | Maxwell | Walter Camp

NEXT: Biletnikoff Award, Nation’s Top Wide Receiver

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Heisman Trophy: Why I Voted For Kyle Trask (And The Impossible Attempt To Justify It)

DeVonta Smith won the 2020 Heisman Trophy. Here’s why Pete Fiutak voted for Kyle Trask, along with explaining the rest of his ballot.

DeVonta Smith won the 2020 Heisman Trophy. Here’s why Pete Fiutak voted for Kyle Trask, along with explaining the rest of his ballot.

Why My Heisman Vote Went To Kyle Trask …

– Contact/Follow @PeteFiutak

Look, I’m the We Need To Vote AFTER The Bowls guy, so remember, we submitted our ballots before the bowl season happened.

All my Heisman votes since I’ve been doing this are at the bottom. This one was the hardest yet.

PLEASE, remember … the Heisman isn’t predictive. Again, it’s done BEFORE the bowls. BEFORE …

My ballot? 1) Kyle Trask, 2) Najee Harris, 3) Mac Jones.

Yeah, I voted for Kyle Trask. In 11 games – the time frame we had to go on to vote – he threw 43 touchdown passes and 4,125 yards with just five picks against all SEC teams. No, he wasn’t Joe Burrow, but Burrow after 11 games? 41 touchdown passes and 4,014 yards and six interceptions.

Yeah, I voted for the guy who was on a 2019 Joe Burrow pace, the best running back in college football who scored 27 touchdowns, and a guy who had the most efficient passing season in the history of college football. It wasn’t THAT wacky.

Trask was coming off the amazing performance against Alabama in the SEC Championship, and while he threw a bad pick against LSU, he more than made up for it with 474 yards – it wasn’t his fault the D was awful.

There’s no arguing against DeVonta Smith. He’s a wonderful player who had an all-timer of a year, stepping up his play as the season went on and especially after Jaylen Waddle went down. If we could vote after the bowls – you know, the biggest games of the season – I’d have changed my ballot. Seven catches for 130 yards and three touchdowns in one of the two most important games of the season … yeah, of course.

If we could vote right now before the national championship I would still be a bit torn with Smith, Harris or Mac Jones at 1/2/3 in some way, and because that one performance mattered SO much, Justin Fields would be on the radar depending on the national championship.

It’s my ongoing argument – bowl games matter here. Trask was great, but even though it wasn’t his fault with all the missing pieces, that Oklahoma game mattered.

Trevor Lawrence missed the first Notre Dame game. It’s totally not fair and totally not his fault, but we’re splitting hairs here with five guys – at least for me, it was Lawrence, Smith, Jones, Harris and Trask – for three spots and two guys had to be left off the list.

Trevor Lawrence is the most talented player in college football and an all-time NFL franchise quarterback prospect, but again two guys had to be left off. Missing the biggest pre-championship game of the regular season mattered here, and the numbers just weren’t as strong as the other quarterbacks.

Okay, Devonta … I wrote his name in, then out, then in, then out, then left him out. At the end of the day, yeah, quarterbacks are more important than wide receivers. Sorry, but they just are – you see Davante Adams getting MVP votes over Aaron Rodgers? Again, after the bowls he’d get the vote, but at the time ….

Okay … Kyle Trask. First, the guy was on a pace to beat Joe Burrow’s touchdown and yardage mark up until the bowl debacle. Considering Burrow came up with the be-all-end-all Heisman season, that never got as much respect as it deserved.

Remember how amazing he was in the SEC Championship. It got totally memory dumped by everyone, but this supposedly unbeatable Alabama team got pushed to the brink in that 52-46 game when Trask threw for 408 yards and three touchdowns with a rushing score.

And, again, we vote BEFORE the bowls, and for me, I always wait until right after the conference championship games are over.

Mac Jones was too good, too efficient, and too under-appreciated. No I don’t think he’s a better talent than Trevor Lawrence, but he had a better season. Again, to split hairs, I had to put in the guy who had the most efficient passing season in college football history in my top three.

Najee Harris was the best running back in football. There are plenty of amazing receivers. Not diminishing DeVonta in ANY way, but the massive receiving seasons are becoming a bit of the norm. Elijah Smith of Ole Miss actually averaged more yards and catches per game than DeVonta.

All year long I thought Harris was as much of the glue to what that the Bama offense did than anyone else. Obviously Smith-to-DeVonta was devastating, but Harris was massive game in and game out. The guy was the ultimate closer with 24 rushing scores, five touchdowns in the SEC Championship, and enough catches to matter.

Harris was my 1. I had even more of an argument to make for his cause, but after that SEC Championship, I thought that if I’m having a hard time deciding between three guys on one team, that probably means something. Not like Trask didn’t have a ton talent to work with, but again, he almost pulled out an SEC Championship with an amazing performance in a giant game. Add that to the raw numbers, and …

Rip on my vote all you want. Kyle Trask was pretty good. So were Najee Harris, Mac Jones, Trevor Lawrence and DeVonta Smith.

My all-time Heisman votes …

2020 QB Kyle Trask, Florida (DeVonta Smith won)
2019 QB Joe Burrow, LSU
2018 QB Kyler Murray, Oklahoma
2017 QB Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma
2016 QB Deshaun Watson, Clemson (Lamar Jackson won)
2015 RB Derrick Henry, Alabama
2014 QB Marcus Mariota, Oregon
2013 QB Jameis Winston, Florida State
2012 LB Manti Te’o, Notre Dame (Johnny Manziel won)
2011 QB Robert Griffin III, Baylor
2010 QB Cam Newton, Auburn
2009 DT Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska (Mark Ingram won)
2008 QB Tim Tebow, Florida (Sam Bradford won)
2007 QB Tim Tebow, Florida
2006 QB Troy Smith, Ohio State
2005 RB Reggie Bush, USC

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DeVonta Smith Wins 2020 Heisman Trophy: A Historic Winner In A Great Field

DeVonta Smith won the 2020 Heisman Trophy. In a crazy year, and with a great field of candidates, the Alabama WR had a historic season.

DeVonta Smith won the 2020 Heisman Trophy. In a crazy year, and with a great field of candidates, the Alabama wide receiver put together a historic year.

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DeVonta Smith Won The Heisman Trophy …

– Contact/Follow @PeteFiutak

Leave it to the smoothest player in the game to take home the Heisman Trophy in the roughest college football season of all-time.

DeVonta Smith won the 2019 Heisman Trophy as the first wide receiver since Michigan’s Desmond Howard got it in 1991.

Mac Jones put together the most efficient season in the history of college football. He threw for close to 4,000 yards before the College Football Playoff bowl win over Notre Dame with 32 touchdowns and just four interceptions.

Florida’s Kyle Trask was on the same touchdown and yardage pace as 2019 winner Joe Burrow, and remember, the voting was done before the bowl game. He threw for 42 touchdowns and five picks before the bowl, and he pushed Alabama to the brink in a classic SEC Championship.

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Trevor Lawrence missed a few key games for Clemson, but he came back roaring as he led the Tigers to the ACC Championship and another appearance in the College Football Playoff. One of the best college quarterbacks of all-time, he’s a special talent closing out an amazing career.

And DeVonta Smith had to get past all of them.

When Howard won in 1991, he beat out Florida State QB Casey Weldon and BYU QB Ty Detmer. Both had great seasons, but neither one was going to make a big push. This year, Smith was able to beat three guys who could’ve taken home the Heisman without anyone blinking.

All Smith did was catch 98 passes before the bowl game for 1,511 yards and 17 touchdowns with a punt return for a score. He hit the 100-yard mark seven times, he was a dominant force in game after game, and when Jaylen Waddle went down for the year with an ankle injury, Smith stepped up.

He was the focus of every game plan by every secondary, and it didn’t matter as he scored multiple touchdowns in five of his last six regular season games – he wasn’t needed when he caught just three passes in the 52-3 win over Arkansas.

A quarterback won nine of the previous ten Heismans with Derrick Henry breaking it up in 2015, and now a wide receiver has broken through.

A national championship-winning touchdown catch over Georgia in overtime, a Heisman, and now another shot at a national championship.

Everything about DeVonta Smith’s college career has been historic.

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2021 Heisman Trophy Candidates: Early Top Ten Prediction, Watch List

To start speculating early, who should be the top candidates for the 2021 Heisman Trophy? 

To start speculating early, who should be the top candidates for the 2021 Heisman Trophy? 

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– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

This piece was solid four years ago when the Baker Mayfield Would Win call connected, and three years ago it was full of right ideas, wrong applications, and a whole slew of whiffs.

Let’s just say the 2019 Early Top Ten Heisman Trophy Prediction piece had … issues. No one – NO ONE – saw Joe Burrow coming.

And no, no one had DeVonta Smith in mix for the 2020 Heisman. However, we at least had Trevor Lawrence, Kyle Trask, and random Alabama quarterback in last year’s preseason mix.

Predicting the 2021 Heisman race? Assume this is all typed in pencil.

More than ever, we don’t know what we don’t know.

1. Transfers, transfers, transfers. With this year’s free pass to transfer, don’t get comfortable in any way with your current starting quarterback or top running back. It’s going to be a crazy next several months.

2. Draft, draft, draft. There are still several key guys who might opt-out, get out, or just decided they want to preserve themselves for the NFL. It’s going to be a crazy next several months.

3. Seniors, seniors, seniors. It’s possible this year for some seniors to decide they don’t want to face the real world quite yet – and why would they? In the COVID season, everyone gets an extra year of eligibility if it’s wanted. It’s going to be a crazy next several months.

And finally …

4. The real world. We’re all assuming things will be better and 2021 will see a more normal type of football season. You want to bet the house on that? We can hope for something better, but …

It’s going to be a crazy next several months.

The goal is getting the early 2021 Heisman call close to the pin, so we start with this.

2021 Heisman Trophy Watch List: Names On A List As Fliers … Just In Case

Every name in this group seems like a crazy call that has no business working in the discussion of the 2021 Heisman Trophy. Call it the Joe Burrow and DeVonta Smith curveball list.

It’s in alphabetical order after beginning with …

The Field
It’s the wimp way out, but do you really want to pick the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner a year in advance? Take The Field – not Justin Fields – over everyone else, and you’re likely to be right. But that’s no fun, so we press on.

QB Matt Corral, Jr. Ole Miss
And here we go with the parade of SEC quarterbacks. The main difference between Corral and several others is 1) experience, 2) a team with a likely bad defense to 3) once again force him to put up massive numbers. He ran for over 500 yards and four scores, and hit 71% of his throws for 3,337 yards and 29 touchdowns.

QB Max Johnson, Soph. LSU
Or, just make this spot for Insert Starting LSU QB Here. Lost in all of the problems with the Tigers in 2020 was a passing game that really did work. It wasn’t 2019, but there was hope. Now the program has to settle in on a quarterback from way too many options – and maybe a top transfer. Johnson was the star of the Florida win and closed out with a 435-yard day against Ole Miss.

QB Emory Jones, Jr. Florida
Is he really going to take over the job with Kyle Trask done? He adds more of a rushing element to the mix, provided a bit of a spark in the Oklahoma debacle, and he’s got the skills to put up huge numbers if he’s the guy.

WR John Metchie, Jr. Alabama
No, but last year at this time if someone told you that DeVonta Smith was going to be in the Heisman equation …

Metchie averaged more yards per catch than Smith (17.8 to 15.6).

QB Bo Nix, Jr. Auburn
NO NO … DON’T LEAVE! This is a covering-the-bases listing with Nix going into his third year as a starter working under a new coaching staff. He won’t have the same NFL-caliber targets he had in 2020 when he threw 12 touchdown passes, and … sorry. Okay, carrying on.

QB Brock Purdy, Sr. Iowa State
It only seems like he’s been around for 15 years, but yeah, he’s a senior. Assuming he doesn’t turn pro early, he’s a terrific veteran who should be able to put up even better numbers as the expectations are reasonably higher now.

RB Bijan Robinson, Soph. Texas
The superstar recruit of last year led the team with over 700 yards and four scores – to go along with two receiving touchdowns – averaging over eight yards per carry. He closed out the season with 172 yards and three scores against Kansas State, and 183 yards and a score in the bowl win over Colorado – averaging close to 19 yards per carry in those two games. Now he’s Steve Sarkisian’s running back to work with.

RB Isaiah Spiller, Jr. Texas A&M
The raw numbers probably won’t be there, but he might get a long look in the race in a Great Player, Top Team sort of way. He only ran for 1,036 yards and nine scores, and there are more explosive players in the backfield, but he’s going to be the main man for the Aggie O.

NEXT: Top Ten 2021 Early Heisman Candidates

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Heisman Trophy: Final Thoughts On Who Will Win, How The Vote Will Go

Who’s going to win the 2020 Heisman Trophy? How will the vote go? Here are the Final Thoughts before tonight’s ceremony.

Who’s going to win the 2020 Heisman Trophy? How will the vote go, and why does each finalist deserve to win – or not? Here are the Final Thoughts before tonight’s ceremony.

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2020 Heisman Trophy Broadcast

Date: Tuesday, January 5
Time: 7:00 ET
Network: ESPN

– 2020 Heisman Prediction: The Top 6 Will Be …

– Before we get going, I have a Heisman vote. Under penalty of being forced to have a discussion about The Bachelor, I’m not allowed to reveal anything about my ballot until after this thing is done.

– I do, however, think it’s okay to reveal that I didn’t put RB Reggie Bush, USC in the third slot – as I’ve always sort of wanted to do – as a protest over his 2005 honor being vacated for silly reasons.

– I wouldn’t actually do that 1) because in hindsight, I wish I had voted for Vince Young, and 2) I would never dishonor the Heisman ballot process.

– No one is more cynical and less squishy about stuff than I am, but voting for the Heisman is one of those things I still totally geek out over.

– This year was the hardest voting process ever. I changed my mind and my order four different times before hitting submit. However, I will say this – my top three guys never changed.

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– With that said, I SO wish we could do the voting after the bowls are done. This is for another time and another article, but the line still works – it’s like assigning a grade for a class before the final exam.

– To all those “it’s a regular season award” types – who I don’t for the life of me understand – would awarding the national championship before the bowl games seem insane? Of course it would, but that’s what happened with the AP national champion before 1968 and the UPI/Coaches before 1974 until they realized how wacky that was.

– Sorry. That’s not why you called. Who’s going to win the 2020 Heisman Trophy? (The final prediction is at the bottom of all this.)

– Again, not to reveal anything on my ballot, and this is obviously anecdotal, but I know one person who voted for odds-on favorite DeVonta Smith in the top spot. I know around ten other people who didn’t.

– It’ll be fascinating to see how this all turns out. I get the sense that Smith is more of a broadcaster shoo-in pick than a real world sure-thing No. 1, but no matter what, this should be extremely tight. More on this later.

– In Smith’s favor, though, the Heisman quarterback fatigue is absolutely real. That’s not to dismiss or disrespect Smith if he wins it, but there isn’t a Joe Burrow, Kyler Murray or Baker Mayfield who’s a totally obvious pick this time around.

– For the record, I voted for Ndamukong Suh in 2009 and Manti Te’o in 2012. To me, it’s about 1) who the signature player is in a college football season – who’s THE guy, and 2) who’s the best combination of MVP and MOP, and …

– Sorry. The 2020 Heisman …

– Remember, and this is going to be totally forgotten in the final tally, the voting was all done before the bowl games. So throw out any preconceived notions from Kyle Trask’s disastrous day against Oklahoma, and the Trevor Lawrence’s night – even though he wasn’t bad – in the loss to Ohio State.

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– Again, here’s the problem. If Justin Fields throws six touchdown passes and Ohio State obliterates Alabama in the national championship, historically, the 2020 Heisman tally will look weird.

– The whole career honor thing never really works. It’s a talking point, and it’s enough to get some great players on a ballot, but it’s never enough to get a player over the top, at least not anymore. That used to be how this worked back in the day – it went to the top upperclassmen – and then Tim Tebow in 2007 shattered that as the first sophomore to win it. Which means …

– I’ll be shocked if Trevor Lawrence finishes in the top three. I’m going to guess he wasn’t higher than three on most of the ballots that put him in the mix.

– Kyle Trask will be the most fascinating finisher. It’s been memory dumped after the bowl season, but his last argument came on the Saturday night just before most voters submitted their ballots. Remember, he lit up Alabama for 408 yards and three touchdowns with a rushing score and no picks in a heroic effort in the loss. However …

– DeVonta Smith was pretty good against the Gators – 15 catches for 184 yards and two scores. Mac Jones completed 77% of his passes for 418 yards and five touchdowns and one pick – and won.

– The other guy no one talks about could screw this up – Alabama RB Najee Harris. The Heisman used to be a running back award, and he was a rock all season long. The mass numbers aren’t there, but he ran 31 times for 178 yards and two scores with three touchdown catches and 67 yards against Florida. He’s not a finalist, so why does he matter?

– It’s possible he splits the Alabama vote that much more. I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t finish fifth, and there’s a chance that everyone watching Alabama games had different opinions on who the main man for that team really was.

– If 45ish% of the Bama voters like DeVonta, and 45ish% like Mac, that 10% who liked Najee – but not enough to make him a finalist – might be enough to squeak in Trask if the vote is split.

– If you want to see, hear, read what college football hair-on-fire reactions look like, watch what happens if the Bama guys cancel each other out and Trask gets this.

– Remember, Peyton Manning, Adrian Peterson, Aaron Rodgers, Tommie Frazier, and legendary college player after legendary player never won the Heisman. It’s really, really hard to get this thing. How hard? No Alabama quarterback has ever won it, and Desmond Howard in 1991 was the last wide receiver to get it.

– However, when Howard won, there really wasn’t another option. Florida State’s Casey Weldon was fine, BYU’s Ty Detmer wasn’t going to win it twice, and Washington DT Steve Emtman didn’t have a shot. There are a few amazing options this year, so if DeVonta Smith gets it, it’ll be a fantastic win.

– So after all of that blather, here’s what’s going to happen …

– 2020 Heisman Prediction: The Top 6 Will Be …

NEXT: 2020 Heisman Trophy Prediction

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Heisman Trophy Finalists Prediction: Why Each Possible Candidate Should and Shouldn’t Win

Who are the likely finalists for the 2020 Heisman Trophy? Here’s the best projection along with why each should and shouldn’t win.

Who are the likely finalists for the 2020 Heisman Trophy? Here’s the best projection along with why each should and shouldn’t win.

2020 Heisman Finalist Prediction

– Contact/Follow @PeteFiutak

Joe Burrow made this easy last season, and Kyler Murray was a bit of a no-brainer in 2018. This year’s Heisman race, though, is as wide-open as it gets.

There’s no obvious signature star who made the 2020 season all his.

In a perfect world we get to vote on the Heisman after the season is over – the Heisman race might be vastly different depending on who wins the national championship and how – but that’s not how this works.

Notre Dame QB Ian Book will get on a few ballots, as will Ohio State QB Justin Fields along with a few other random players, and yeah, someone will put Vanderbilt (now North Texas graduate student) PK Sarah Fuller on a ballot.

Realistically, though, the almost-certain five Heisman finalists will be …

1) I’m a Heisman voter, so the projections below are just that – predictions. It’s not my ballot, which I can’t reveal under penalty of being forced to listen to Christmas music non-stop for 24 hours. 2) in alphabetical order …

RB Najee Harris, Alabama

Resumé: 214 carries, 1,262 yards, 24 TDs, 5.9 yards per carry, 32 catches, 316 yards, 3 TDs

Why he should win the Heisman: He’s the guy. Oh sure, there might be a whole lot of gushing about Mac Jones and his amazing season, and DeVonta Smith brings the flash, but Najee Harris is the one who helps make everything go. Don’t ignore just how much he meant to the offense – everyone had to focus on him, and it opened up everything else.

Why he shouldn’t win the Heisman: The Alabama season is about the passing game. He only ran for 43 yards against Texas A&M – but he ran for two scores – and the 5.9 yards per carry, while great, isn’t quite splashy enough.

Will he win the Heisman? No, but he’ll win the Doak Walker as the nation’s best running back.

QB Mac Jones, Alabama

Resumé: 76.5% completion, 3,739 yards, 32 TDs, 4 INTs, 11.4 yards per throw, 202.34 rating, 1 rushing TD

Why he should win the Heisman: He’s the nation’s most efficient passer, he finished as the nation’s most accurate passer among the top quarterbacks, and he was brilliant when he had to be. He threw a pick in the SEC Championship against Florida, but he also threw for 418 yards and five touchdowns, hitting 77% of his throws.

Why he shouldn’t win the Heisman: Is he the nation’s best passer in yards per game? No. Is he even the SEC’s best passer? Not really. Is he the guy who just so happened to be driving the souped-up car that all but drives itself? Yeah. It’s not a knock to call a Heisman-caliber quarterback Gino Torretta – Torretta really was good – but he’s the comp.

Will he win the Heisman? Very, very maybe. At the very least he’s going to finish No. 2 if he doesn’t win it as the GUY who ran the TEAM of the 2020 regular season.

QB Trevor Lawrence, Clemson

Resumé: 69% completion, 2,753 yards, 22 TDs, 4 INTs, 9.8 yards per attempt, 172.67 rating, 211 rushing yards, 7 TDs

Why he should win the Heisman: He’s the most talented player in college football. He’s the veteran who has seen it all, done it all, and won it all. He threw an interception but also threw for 322 yards and two touchdowns in the easy win over Notre Dame in the ACC Championship. However …

Why he shouldn’t win the Heisman: He missed the big game before the big game. It wasn’t his fault, but he was out for the regular season game that mattered against the Irish and DJ Uiagalelei was brilliant as his replacement. It was a great year for Lawrence, but it wasn’t Heisman-special.

Will he win the Heisman? No, but in a few short months the Jacksonville Jaguars will make him very, very rich.

WR DeVonta Smith, Alabama

Resumé: 98 catches for 1,511 yards and 17 touchdowns, averaging 15.42 yards per catch, 8 punt returns for 199 yards and a score.

Why he should win the Heisman: Dynamic, he ripped up Georgia for 167 yards and two scores, hit LSU for 231 yards and three touchdowns, and in the SEC Championship, he caught 15 passes for 184 yards and two scores in the win over Florida. Jaylen Waddle might have gone done early, but Smith still produced no matter who focused on him.

Why he shouldn’t win the Heisman: Wide receiver, schmide receiver. Not to be harsh, but take Smith off of Alabama and who’s the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff? Alabama. Did he lead the SEC in receiving yards per game? No, that was Ole Miss star. Elijah Moore. Did he lead the SEC in catches per game? No, that was Moore, who led both of those categories by a relative mile.

Will he win the Heisman? He’ll be on almost everyone’s ballot and will come really, really, really close, but he’ll likely finish a solid second or close third.

QB Kyle Trask, Florida

Resumé: 70% completion, 4,125 yards, 43 TDs, 5 INTs, 186.55 rating, 50 rushing yards, 3 TDs

Why he should win the Heisman: Who led the SEC in passing? Trask. Who led in TD passes? Trask. Who’s on the same yard and touchdown pass pace as 2019 Joe Burrow, but against an all-SEC schedule? Trask. Who carried the Gators to the brink of an SEC Championship against an Alabama team with three Heisman finalists? Trask.

Why he shouldn’t win the Heisman: Florida didn’t win the SEC Championship and isn’t in the College Football Playoff. It’s not Trask’s fault – blame the Gator defense – but it’s a factor. He only threw five interceptions, but the pick-sixes against Texas A&M and LSU weren’t killers, but they were costly.

Will he win the Heisman? No, but he could slip into the No. 2 spot depending on how voters think of Smith.

2020 Heisman Prediction

Again, not necessarily my ballot – this is a projection and prediction.

1. QB Mac Jones, Alabama
2. WR DeVonta Smith, Alabama
3. QB Kyle Trask, Florida
4. QB Trevor Lawrence, Clemson
5. RB Najee Harris, Alabama

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Heisman Trophy Watch After Week 6

Who are the leaders to watch in the race for the 2020 Heisman Trophy?

Who are the leaders to watch in the race for the 2020 Heisman Trophy?

Top Heisman Contenders After Week 6 Are …

– Contact/Follow @PeteFiutak

The crickets you’re hearing is American not being interested in the 2020 Heisman Trophy race … yet.

There’s just no buzz – partly because the Big Ten hasn’t started up, there isn’t a Heisman-caliber signature star on Georgia or Notre Dame, and Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence is a better football player than everyone else – but it’s coming.

If the NFL can be all-in on the MVP discussion a month into its season, then it’s time to start making the 2020 Heisman a thing.

This isn’t about who the best players are. This is about who’s in the hunt to win the greatest individual trophy in all of sports.

Player of Week 6
(outside of the main guys on this list)

LB Monty Rice, Georgia
The Bulldogs held the Tennessee running game to -1 yard in the 44-21 win. Rice made a team-high eight tackles, two tackles for loss, and came up with a sack, forced fumble, and recovered fumble for a score to all but put the game away.

5 Other Players On The Heisman Trophy Watch List

In alphabetical order

QB Ian Book, Notre Dame
QB Sam Ehlinger, Texas
RB Travis Etienne, Clemson
QB Kellen Mond, Texas A&M
QB Zach Wilson, BYU

Bet on Heisman Trophy with BetMGM

5. QB Justin Fields, Ohio State

Of course, he hasn’t started playing yet, but because no one has been able to run away and hide with the Heisman race, he should be able to swoop in and shine once Ohio State kicks things off against Nebraska on October 24th. The talent is there, the numbers will be fantastic, and he’ll be in the spotlight each and every week for a team that will be knee-deep in the national title chase.

4. QB Kyle Trask, Florida

It’s not his fault the Gators blew it against Texas A&M. Had the defense been able to hold on in the 41-38 loss, he might be on top of this list. He’s second in the nation in touchdown passes with 14 – and with one fewer game than Sam Ehlinger of Texas, who has thrown 16 so far – on a pace that’s starting to approach 2019 Joe Burrow territory.

On the year he has completed 72% of his passes for 996 yards and those 14 scores with just one interception. Forget the A&M loss – he was brilliant in it, by the way – his chances will come to get back in this.

3. RB Najee Harris, Alabama

He doesn’t lead the nation in rushing, and his numbers probably won’t be off-the-charts compared to what the quarterbacks are doing across college football, but on Saturday night against Ole Miss he looked and played the part of the next Heisman-winning back from Bama.

He was held in relative check by Texas A&M and wasn’t needed much against Missouri, but he ran for five touchdowns in the first two games. Against the Rebels, though … 23 carries, 206 yards, five touchdowns. He couldn’t be stopped.

2. QB Mac Jones, Alabama

It helps to have an NFL receiving corps to work with, but he’s been flawless.

The numbers have been unbelievable considering the job wasn’t supposed to be his coming into the season. Super-recruit Bryce Young was going to arrive on campus, take over the gig, and that was going to be it, but Jones has completed 80% of his throws for 1,101 yards and eight touchdowns with a pick, averaging well over 13 yards per pass.

 1. QB Trevor Lawrence, Clemson

His brilliance is being taken for granted.

Of course he’s the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Of course he’s the best quarterback in college football. Of course he’s expected to lead his team to another ACC Championship and another College Football Playoff and – yawwwwwwn – another national title appearance.

He has made the amazing appear to be routine.

There’s nothing boring about 73%, 1,140 yards, 9.8 yards per throw, ten touchdown passes, four rushing scores, no interceptions, no drama.

Best of all this year, he’ll have more national spotlight games that matter to boost his Heisman resumé.

Week 6 Roundup: 5 Things That Matter
Rankings AP | Coaches | CFN 1-127 Rankings
Week 7 Early Line Predictions
College Football Playoff Chase, Who’s Alive?
Bowl Projections | Week 6 Scoreboard, Predictions
5 Thoughts: Texas A&M – Florida | Texas – OU

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