It’s been a topic of conversation nationally since back in August when a pair of billboards went up in New York City and Dallas, announcing his Heisman Trophy campaign to the world.
Ever since then, Oregon Ducks quarterback Bo Nix has been involved when talking about the most prestigious individual award in college football. It hasn’t been until this past week that he’s really thrust himself into the top tier of contenders, though.
The No. 6 Ducks are rolling at the moment, and while they suffered their first loss of the season a few weeks ago at the hands of the No. 5 Washington Huskies, it has done very little to slow the momentum of Nix or his team. Oregon is coming off of a big-time blowout win over No. 13 Utah, and their QB just put up yet another impressive stat line that has him among the top four Heisman candidates, according to betting odds.
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At this point in the season, deciding on who you think deserves the Heisman forces you to nitpick. Any of the top candidates — Washington’s Michael Penix Jr., Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy, LSU’s Jayden Daniels, Florida State’s Jordan Travis, and Nix — are all deserving of the award. But finding out which one separates from the rest of the pack requires a fine tooth comb.
Personally, when I look at the year-long and game-by-game stats from the players in that group, it’s the consistency that makes Nix stand apart in my opinion.
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While his highs may not be quite as high as the others — just twice has Nix thrown for more than 300 yards, or had 4 passing TD in a game this year — his lows are nowhere near the lows that other candidates have seen. Through eight games, Oregon’s QB is yet to pass for fewer than 245 yards and 2 TD in a single game.
You know what you’re going to get when No. 10 takes the field, and that has to matter at some point, especially when you’re comparing a group of the best players in the nation.
To highlight how rare this consistency is, I went through the top Heisman candidates and dissected their stats, highlighting the highs, making note of the lows, and seeing where it gets us in the end. There’s a ton of football left to be played, and the month of November in college football is when Heisman winners are made. Going into this last month, though, here’s a good basis to build off of.