We open this week with a eulogy to Rashaad Penny. His brief Heisman campaign was the only hope for a smaller school player to win, but that hope has been snuffed out. That being said, his departure from our Heisman watch does not really affect the chances of a running back winning. This year is a bit of an aberration, as this is very much a quarterback-dominated award. In fact, there have only been two running backs to buck the QB trend and win the Heisman: Mark Ingram and Derrick Henry (Reggie Bush had his trophy vacated). This year we are almost guaranteed to see a running back take home the hardware. In fact, we might only see one QB invited to New York City. What a strange year this is. Also, we are finally cutting the list down to nine players. The number of guys who can win is slowly dwindling. Let's get started.
9. Jalen Hurts, Alabama (Last Week: 8)-. Another week, another typical game for Hurts. Alabama won 45-7 against fellow SEC team Tennessee while Hurts had good, not great, stats. He went 13 for 21 for 198 yards, a touchdown, and zero picks.
8. J.T. Barrett, Ohio State (Last Week: 10)- Barrett has been incredible since his Buckeyes lost to Oklahoma in Week 2. He has yet to throw an interception and OSU has not lost a game. If they can beat Penn State this week, Barrett will be a true Heisman contender and OSU will have a shot at making the playoffs.
7. Josh Adams, Notre Dame (Last Week: 7)- One of the biggest pros for Josh Adam is his strength of schedule. He's already faced Georgia, Michigan State, and USC and has yet to face North Carolina State, Miami (Fl), and Stanford. It's one of the toughest schedules in the country and will certainly legitimize Adams's Heisman chances. He had a spectacular game against USC in Week 8, even though he was slightly overshadowed by teammate Brandom Wimbush. The only blemish on the speedster's record is his 53-yard performance against Georgia. But seeing as Georgia has one of the best defenses in the country, that's a little understandable.
6. Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin (Last Week: 6)- Taylor has come out of nowhere to become a fringe Heisman finalist. On 22 carries against Maryland, he ran for 126 yards and one touchdown. Taylor has run for at least one touchdown in each game this season.
5. Mason Rudolph, Oklahoma State (Last Week: 4)- If you like stats, then Rudolph's your guy. The Cowboy leads the nation in passing yards and yards per game. He needs to beat Oklahoma and make the playoffs in order to keep this campaign going.
4. Trace McSorley, Penn State (Last Week: 5)- I'm honestly very surprised that McSorley has made it this high here. He continues to get overshadowed by Barkley but has managed to play very well and withstand the emergence of players like Adams and Taylor.
3. Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma (Last Week: 3)- Mayfield's 200.4 passer rating is the best in college football and has only thrown two interceptions this season (hi Sam Darnold). He's the best chance of any non-RB to win the Heisman.
2. Bryce Love, Stanford (Last Week: 2)- The Stanford Cardinal leads the nation in rushing yards and will probably be the season's rushing leader. He's an incredible talent that defies all expectations or the human body.
1. Saquon Barkley, Penn State (Last Week: 1)- It seems a bygone conclusion that Barkley will win the Heisman. After all, even one of the best defenses in the country couldn't slow him down. He is one of the best runners in the country and on top of that, he leads Penn State in receptions. He also benefits from playing on the big state, something that Love does not have. You may think that's unimportant, but it's the reason why Derrick Henry beat out Christian McCaffrey (also from Stanford) to win the Heisman two years ago.
Thanks for reading everyone.
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