Heisman Watch Week 2

With the first real week of college football in the books, we have our first real Heisman Watch. Before SEC fans take up arms, understand that it's hard to rank players who have yet to play a game. When they do start playing on September 26th, they will have a chance to crack our top ten. So, let's get started.

10. Ja'Marr Chase, LSU (Last Week: 7)- Chase was the highest-ranked SEC player last year, so he's the lone representative from that conference here. 

9. Ian Book, Notre Dame (Last Week: 5)- Book slips four spots after a disappointing performance against Duke. The opportunity was there for Book to rack up the offensive stats, he only threw for one touchdown and completed just 19 of his 31 passes. He's not out of the race yet, but if he wants to catch the likes of Spencer Rattler and Trevor Lawrence, he's going to have to step up. 

8. Micale Cunningham, Louisville (Last Week: NR)- Anytime you draw comparisons to Lamar Jackson, you have to be doing something right. Against Western Kentucky, Cunningham threw for 343 yards and three scores while also notching a rushing touchdown. 

7. D'Eriq King, Miami (Last Week: NR)- One of the biggest absences from our Heisman watch last year was King. He garnered a bit of Heisman love last year and came in this year as a popular dark-horse candidate. Against UAB, King threw for 144 yards and scored twice. The Miami/Louisville game this week will go a long way in determining the future of his Heisman campaign. 

6. Kyren Williams, Notre Dame (Last Week: NR)- Williams was arguably the biggest breakout star of Week 2. Even though his quarterback struggled, the sophomore was the catalyst for the Fighting Irish offense and was a big reason the Irish ended up winning. He finished the game with 112 yards and two rushing touchdowns on 19 carries. 

5. Chuba Hubbard, Oklahoma State (Last Week: 4)- Hubbard slips a spot after not playing in Week 2. We'll see him play against Tulsa on Saturday. 

4. Travis Etienne, Clemson (Last Week: 3)- Etienne was impressive in Clemson's dominating win over Wake Forest as he ran for 102 yards and one score. Unfortunately, he was overshadowed by the play of his quarterback, which will undoubtedly be the biggest hurdle for Etienne's Heisman campaign this year. 

3. Spencer Rattler, Oklahoma (Last Week: 6)- Good news Sooners fans: Spencer Rattler is for real. The young star looked like the real deal as threw for 290 yards and four touchdowns. Yes, it was against Missouri State, but those stats can't be denied. 

2. Sam Ehlinger, Texas (Last Week: 2)- I was extremely tempered to put Rattler at #2, but Ehlinger was also impressive last week. While facing the UTEP defense, Ehlinger went 25 of 33 for 426 yards and five touchdowns. 

1. Trevor Lawrence, Clemson (Last Week: 1)- It's going to take a lot to knock Lawrence off his perch. The former national champion went 22 of 28 for 351 yards and one touchdown as Clemson routed their fellow ACC team.

Thanks for reading everyone. 

Heisman Watch Week 1

 We are about to embark on the weirdest college football season. Fans will be watching from home, many notable players have opted out of the season, and we might not even see some of the conferences take the field. Nonetheless, we at the Sports Examiner are persevering with our Heisman Watch. After all, we've been doing this since 2014 and we have no intention of stopping now. So, let's debut our pre-season Heisman watch with the remaining player pool. Let's get started.

10. Najee Harris, Alabama- While QB Mac Jones might end up with all of the Heisman love at the end of the season, Harris is the leading Heisman contender in Tuscaloosa right now. Don't forget, the last non-QB to not play for Alabama was Reggie Bush back in 2005. Harris is coming off a junior year that saw him score 20 times and ran for 1,224 yards. 

9. Kellen Mond, Texas A&M- To be perfectly honest, I don't think Mond would be making this list if every team was taking the field this fall. He never reached the level of serious contention last year and his stats, while good, were not up to the level of Justin Fields or Joe Burrow. That being said, Mond is talented and he has been very consistent over the last two years. 

8. Bo Nix, Auburn- The sophomore quarterback didn't have the most fruitful 2019 season, but he was just a freshman. He completed 217 of his 377 passes for 2,542 yards and 16 touchdowns. He also ran for 313 yards and seven scores. 

7. Ja'Marr Chase, LSU- The reigning Biletnikoff Award winner enters this season without his quarterback Joe Burrow, but that might help him stand out. Also gone are Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Justin Jefferson, meaning a lot of spotlight is going to be on Chase this year. Of all the wide receivers in football this year, Chase probably has the best chance to be a Heisman finalist. 

6. Spencer Rattler, Oklahoma- The last three Oklahoma starting quarterbacks (Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, & Jalen Hurts) all either won the Heisman Trophy or was runner-up. That sets a high precedent for Rattler, but the man is talented enough to handle that. And of course, he still has head coach Lincoln Riley. 

5. Ian Book, Notre Dame- In his senior year, Book flirted with the possibility of being a serious Heisman contender. While that didn't quite pan out, Book is a preseason favorite to make it to New York City, especially if he once again leads the Fighting Irish to the playoffs. 

4. Chuba Hubbard, Oklahoma State- Hubbard is quite possibly the best running back in college football and is coming off a tremendous season last year. HIs 2,094 rushing yards led the season and he notched 21 rushing touchdowns. 

3. Travis Etienne, Clemson- While Hubbard is arguably a better back that Etienne, the Clemson Tiger benefits from playing for one of the most high-profile teams in the nation. Etienne is no stranger to the Heisman conversation and this year might be his best chance yet. 

2. Sam Ehlinger, Texas- It might seem too soon to put Ehlinger at #2, but a lot of factors are playing into this. Of course, the limited Heisman field helps, as does the fact that Texas is still a national team. If Ehlinger can take that next step forward, it's going to be hard to stop the Heisman buzz, 

1. Trevor Lawrence, Clemson- With Justin Fields not playing at the moment, Lawrence is the clear pre-season favorite. Lawrence is incredibly talented and already has a national title to his ring. Would anyone really be surprised if this season ended with Lawrence holding both the Heisman and CFP Trophy?

Thanks for reading everyone.