Tag: Heisman Trophy odds

Heisman Trophy Watch Top Candidates After Week 7: The Race Is On

2022 Heisman Trophy race: Who are the top candidates now that the race is on?

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 Trophy Watch: Top Candidates, Week 7

College Football Week 7 Roundup
CFN 1-131 Rankings | Rankings by Conference
Bowl Projections | Week 7 Scoreboard
Week 8 Early Lines | AP Rankings | Coaches Poll
What 12-Team Playoff Would Look Like
Top 10 Hot Seat Coach Rankings
– Contact/Follow @PeteFiutak

And now it’s on.

The race for the Heisman Trophy hadn’t really kicked in yet.

Bryce Young was banged up, no one who goes to bed at a reasonable hour had seen Caleb Williams play a full game, CJ Stroud was rolling with too much ease – there wasn’t any intrigue.

That all changed up in a big way last weekend, and now the Heisman Trophy chase is in high gear.

Who are the five most realistic candidates in the hunt? As a Heisman voter, I’m not allowed to reveal my thoughts or ballot under penalty of death – or worse, be forced to watch the Iowa offense – but here’s the best guess at how the voting would go if the season were to end now.

Before getting going, remember the reality of this thing. To be in the hunt, you have to 1) be on a team in the mix for the national title, or at least the College Football Playoff, 2) be a quarterback, or 3) be having an otherworldly season if you’re at another position.

And you have to do stuff when everyone is watching.

To me, it’s about who the signature player is in a given season – a combination of MVP and MOP – but again, this list isn’t necessarily what I would do with my ballot.

The top five players in the Heisman Trophy race after Week 7 are …

Player of Week 7

WR Jalin Hyatt, Tennessee
There were a few other guys out there who had pretty good days, too, but Hyatt came up with something otherworldly in the 52-49 win over Alabama. He only made six grabs, but they were all big with 207 yard and a school-record five touchdowns.

5 Other Players On The Heisman Watch List

These five are in the waiting room with the potential to make it on to the set, but they all need to rise up and rock over the next several weeks, and they need the top five to stumble.

In alphabetical order …

QB Stetson Bennett, Georgia
QB Max Duggan, TCU
QB Drake Maye, North Carolina
QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson, UCLA
QB DJ Uiagalelei, Clemson

5. RB Blake Corum, Michigan

Why Blake Corum Will Win the Heisman: It’s been totally forgotten about now, but if Bryce Young doesn’t lead Alabama to that amazing game-winning drive against Auburn last year – and if Tank Bigsby had stayed in bounds – we’re talking about Michigan trying to get its second Heisman in a row.

Aidan Hutchinson proved Michigan players really can be in the mix for this thing, and now Corum is starting to build up his own Heisman resumé.

He hit the 120-yard mark in each of the four Big Ten games – and didn’t in the first three games of the season because the team didn’t need him. The 901 yards are great, the 13 touchdowns are strong, and running for 166 yards and two scores against Penn State was huge.

Rock against Michigan State, keep on winning, and then roll up Ohio State, and then look out.

Why Blake Corum Won’t Win the Heisman: It’s not wrong to think he’s not even the best back in the Big Ten, or even second.

Chase Brown of Illinois is having a monster season, but the name recognition isn’t there to be in the Heisman mix. Minnesota’s Mohamed Ibrahim is right there in the discussion of best backs in the Big Ten, Wisconsin’s Braelon Allen has to be in the mix, and the Ohio State backs are …

Corum is the star of an unbeaten Michigan team that keeps on rolling. To be in the hunt for the Heisman, though, the stats and performances have been great, but it all has to go up several notches in this beauty contest.

NEXT: 2022 Heisman Candidates: Top 4

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A look at Tank Bigsby’s Heisman Trophy odds per Tipico Sportsbook

Taking a look at where Tank Bigsby ranks on the list.

With less than 100 days until the Auburn Tigers kick off the season, we have officially entered full-blown football preview season ahead of summer workouts.

The Tigers are hoping that the season on the Plains ends much better than the 2021 campaign under first-year head coach Bryan Harsin. One of the key players for the team will be junior running back Tank Bigsby. The junior was the workhorse for the last two seasons and year three could be his best yet, provided it all goes to plan.

Bigsby will be looking to secure the Doak Walker Award given to the nation’s top running back and perhaps the fourth Heisman winner in Auburn history? The latter might be a bit tougher but Tank was listed on the initial odds for the prestigious award by Tipico Sportsbook.

The lines, courtesy of Tipico Sportsbook

Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports

At the top of the odds, you will find the usual suspects including CJ Stroud (+230), Bryce Young (+350), Caleb Williams (+750), and Bijan Robinson (+2000). A little further down the list is where you can find Auburn Tigers running back [autotag]Tank Bigsby[/autotag] at (+6000).

Auburn quarterback Zach Calzada also showed up on the list at (+10000).

Get more betting analysis and predictions at Sportsbook Wire.

Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO).

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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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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.

[lawrence-related id=526425]

– 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 …

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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

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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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ESPN’s Heisman Watch: Texas QB Sam Ehlinger, two other Big 12 players rise

Three Big 12 players were listed on ESPN’s Heisman voting watch after one week of the 2020 college football season.

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Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger was awarded Big 12 and national weekly honors after his record-setting first half performance against UTEP on Saturday. Continue reading “ESPN’s Heisman Watch: Texas QB Sam Ehlinger, two other Big 12 players rise”

Preseason magazine lists Sam Ehlinger at seventh-best for Heisman odds

Lindy’s Sports Magazine ranked the top 10 players who have the best chance at winning the Heisman trophy this season.

Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger is widely projected to become a Heisman contender this season. Continue reading “Preseason magazine lists Sam Ehlinger at seventh-best for Heisman odds”