Heisman Watch Week 9

Today features one of the biggest games of the entire season: #5 Oklahoma vs. #11 Oklahoma State. Besides playoff consequences, there are also major Heisman implications. The losing team's QB could be (and probably will be) eliminated from the race. Let's get started.

9. Trace McSorley, Penn State (Last Week: 4)- McSorley falls five spots after losing to Ohio State. Unlike Barkley, McSorley takes a lot of the blame for the Nittany Lions falling, though he did lead PSU in rushing. McSorley was already struggling with getting recognition, now he finds himself with his Heisman campaign nearly done. 

8. Jalen Hurts, Alabama (Last Week: 9)- Hurts had a bye in Week 8 but moves up thanks to McSorley's fall. He faces his biggest test of the season so far when he and the Crimson Tide take on #19 LSU. 

7. Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin (Last Week: 6)- The freshman left the game early with a left leg injury and that hurt his stats, as he had only 12 rushes for 73 yards. Wisconsin still managed to beat Illinois 24-10. 

6. J.T. Barrett, Ohio State (Last Week: 8)- Barrett had his potential Heisman moment as his Buckeyes defeated #2 Penn State and gave them their first loss of the season. Barrett was absolutely sensational, as he threw for 328 yards and four scores. He also ran 17 times for 95 carries (giving him a 5.6 average). All of a sudden, Barrett is looking like a Heisman finalist. 

5. Mason Rudolph, Oklahoma State (Last Week: 5)- Like I said in the intro, Rudolph needs to beat Oklahoma to stay in the Heisman conversation. Even if he doesn't have a great game, the win should be enough. 

4. Josh Adams, Notre Dame (Last Week: 7)- Adams made short work of the great NC State defense (spearheaded by elite draft prospect Bradley Chubb), giving him and the Irish back-to-back wins over Top 15 teams. With his 202 rushing yards in this game, Adams has three 200-yard games this season. He also ran for a touchdown here. 

3. Brice Love, Stanford (Last Week: 2)- Love did not play in Stanford's gritty 15-14 win over Oregon State, as he had an ankle injury. Despite not playing this game, he still leads the nation in rushing. 

2. Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma (Last Week: 3)- Mayfield beat Texas Tech (his favorite team) as he threw for 281 yards and four touchdowns while also adding a score on the ground. It's pretty evident that Mayfield is currently the best QB in the country. 

1. Saquon Barkley, Penn State (Last Week: 1)- Barkley had easily his worst game of the season against Ohio State. Not only did the Lions lose, but Barkley ran for only 44 yards and one touchdown on 21 carries. He did have four catches for 23 yards, but it wasn't enough to save the day. If you remove his 36-yard TD run, his remaining 20 carries only netted eight yards. He still holds on to the lead here, but it sure is close. Don't be surprised if Mayfield takes the top spot next week.

Thanks for reading everyone.