Top five Pac-12 Heisman candidates for 2023

If you’re a Pac-12 running back, forget about winning the Heisman this year. It’s a QB’s game in the West.

This will be the year of the quarterback in the Pac. The Pac-12 is simply loaded at college football’s most important position.

Zachary Neel of Ducks Wire wrote:

“It all starts with the quarterback, and unless something abnormal takes place, it usually ends with the quarterback as well. The 2023 season in the Pac-12 is going to be defined by quarterback play, with some of the best passers in the nation getting set out west to try and end the conference drought in the College Football Playoff.

“There are three sure-fire Heisman Trophy contenders, with a fourth or fifth hanging around the fringes. There are offensive masterminds scattered throughout the landscape ready to dial up shots down the field. There’s a chance that, in the final year of the Pac-12 as we know it, we are going to see a better display of quarterback play than we ever have before.”

Be sure to check out Ducks Wire’s Pac-12 team previews:

Arizona — Arizona State — Cal — Colorado — Oregon State — Stanford — UCLA — USC — Utah — Washington — Washington State

Here are the top five Pac-12 Heisman contenders for 2023: