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. 

The Sports Examiner's 2018 Heisman Ballot

At the time of writing, the Heisman trophy will be presented today on December 14th. There are four finalists this year: Oklahoma's Jalen Hurts, Ohio State's Chase Young and Justin Fields, and LSU's Joe Burrow. While The Sports Examiner does not have an official Heisman ballot, we have been tracking the Heisman race all season long and have our own unofficial ballot.

Before we get to our top three, let's look at some honorable mentions. We start with Jonathan Taylor of Wisconsin and Chuba Hubbard of Oklahoma State. These two men were some of the nation's best running backs and were present in our Heisman watch all season long. Hubbard led the nation in rushing yards while Taylor finished second. They each had 21 rushing touchdowns, a number beaten only by LeVante Bellamy of Western Michigan. Our next honorable mention goes to the man that many had as their Heisman favorite entering the season: Trevor Lawrence. The sophomore was coming off of a dominant performance in the national title game and expectations were very high. Though Lawrence and the Clemson offense got off to a sluggish start, things would pick up and Clemson would go undefeated and earn a spot in this year's College Football Playoff. In the ACC Championship game against Virginia, Lawrence passed for 302 yards and four scores as the Tigers won their fifth straight ACC title. Our last two honorable mentions go to a pair of teammates: Ohio State's J.K. Dobbins and Chase Young. Dobbins was one of the nation's best backs, finishing third in rushing yards and scoring 20 rushing touchdowns. Young was arguably the nation's best player, offense or defense. Despite missing two games due to suspension, he still led the nation in sacks.

3. Justin Fields, Ohio State

The sophomore QB had a remarkable first season at Ohio State. The former Georgia Bulldog led the Buckeyes to an undefeated season and berth in the College Football Playoffs. Fields threw for 2,953 yards and 40 scores (which was third in FBS) with only one interception. That's right, just one interception.

Readers of this blog might remember that I actually had Fields's teammate J.K. Dobbins in the third spot last week. However, after watching Ohio State beat Wisconsin in the Big 10 title game last week, it was hard to keep Fields out of the top three. The QB helped engineer a second-half comeback to seal the deal.

2. Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma

I don't think a lot of people expected Hurts to have this great of a season. Before the rise of Joe Burrow, Hurts was the Heisman favorite. Though he faltered a bit in the second half of the season, Oklahoma still won the Big 12 and earned a spot in the playoffs. Hurts also boosted his draft stock considerably.

This season, Hurts completed 71.8% of his passes, threw for 3,634 yards, and passed for 32 touchdowns. On the ground, the former Alabama player ran for 1,255 yards and 28 touchdowns. All in all, this season has to be considered a major success for the former national champion.

1. Joe Burrow, LSU

Burrow is the easy and obvious pick. The real question is not whether he will the Heisman, it's how much of a landslide will it be. The LSU Tiger has been absolutely sensational this season. LSU is ranked #1 and coming off an undefeated regular season that featured wins over teams like Auburn, Alabama, and Georgia. If you're looking for a "Heisman moment" to encapsulate his season, look no further than his incredible play in the third quarter against Georgia (you know the one I'm talking about).

Burrow was second in the nation in passing yards (behind only Washington State's Anthony Gordon), first in completion percentage, and first in passing touchdowns. In other words, he's the complete Heisman package.

Thanks for reading everyone. 

Heisman Watch Week 14

I can't believe we've finally caught up. It's been a long few weeks, and I appreciate everyone's patience. Let's get started.

9. Travis Etienne, Clemson (Last Week: 8)- Etienne has pretty much zero chance of getting invited to New York, but he deserves credit for his great season. In Week 14,

8. Chuba Hubbard, Oklahoma State (Last Week: 7)- Hubbard had an impressive performance against Oklahoma on Saturday. On 24 carries, Hubbard ran for 104 yards and one score, though the Cowboys did fall to their in-state rivals.

7. Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin (Last Week: 6)- Taylor has a big opportunity against Ohio State on Saturday. If he delivers a standout performance (and Wisconsin at least makes it a competitive game), then he has a chance of becoming a Heisman finalist.

6. Chase Young, Ohio State (Last Week: NR)- There has been no football player more dominant this year than Chase Young. Despite missing multiple games due to suspension, Young leads the nation with 16.5 sacks.

5. Trevor Lawrence, Clemson (Last Week: 5)- Clemson blew out in-state rival South Carolina in advance of their ACC Championship game against Virginia. Lawrence, who at one point completed 18 straight passes, threw three touchdown passes and ran for 66 yards.

4. Justin Fields, Ohio State (Last Week: 4)- To be completely honest, I thought J.K. Dobbins outplayed his teammate against Michigan. That's not to say Fields played badly (he threw four touchdowns), but Dobbins just felt more essential to OSU's win.

3. J.K. Dobbins, Ohio State (Last Week: 3)- Maybe I'm a little too high on Dobbins, but he really feels like a Heisman finalist at this point. He's fourth in the nation in rushing yards and fifth in touchdowns. 

2. Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma (Last Week: 2)- The early season favorite, Hurts feels like a lock to be a Heisman finalist. He's had a tremendous season, which includes throwing for 3,184 yards and rushing for 1,156.

1. Joe Burrow, LSU (Last Week: 1)- Even if LSU loses to Georgia, it's hard to imagine Burrow not winning the Heisman this year. That speaks to just how dominant the former Buckeye has been this year.

Thanks for reading everyone. Be sure to check back next week for our unofficial Heisman ballot.

Heisman Watch Week 13

I promise, we will have our final Heisman watch (with our official Heisman picks) before the award is given out. Let's get started.

We say goodbye this week to Oregon's Justin Herbert. The Ducks' loss to Ohio State not only ended Oregon's playoff chances but also Herbert's Heisman dreams.

8. Travis Etienne, Clemson (Last Week: 8)- The recent departures of Herbert and Tua Tagovailoa opened up a hole that Etienne stepped into. Per PFF, Etienne leads the nation in forcing missed tackles (among backs with at least 100 carries) and has a total of 16 scores. He's not going to win the Heisman, but he sure deserves some votes.

7. Chuba Hubbard, Oklahoma State (Last Week: 7)- Hubbard turned his 26 carries into 106 yards as the Cowboys beat West Virginia.

6. Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin (Last Week: 6)- Taylor had a great performance against Purdue this week. The junior ran for 222 yards and one touchdown on 28 carries. I still believe he can make it to New York City, but he'll need a few of the players ahead of him to slip up.

5. Trevor Lawrence, Clemson (Last Week: 5)- Clemson had a bye this week.

4. J.K. Dobbins, Ohio State (Last Week: 4)- Dobbins had a good, not great, performance against Penn State as he ran for 157 yards and a score on 36 carries. He's currently on the cusp of being a Heisman finalist.

3. Justin Fields, Ohio State (Last Week: 3)- Like his teammate, Fields had a good, not great performance against Penn State in Week 13. The sophomore threw for 188 yards and two scores, but he also coughed up the ball three times.

2. Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma (Last Week: 2)- Oklahoma narrowly escaped TCU by a score of 28-24. Hurts completed only 11 of his 21 passes, but he made up for it with a great game on the ground. The Alabama transfer ran for 173 yards and two touchdowns.

1. Joe Burrow, LSU (Last Week: 1)- The Heisman favorite had another big game in Week 13. This time, it was against Arkansas. Burrow went 23 of 28 for 327 yards and three touchdowns.

Thanks for reading everyone.

Heisman Watch Week 12

So, so close. Let's get started.

With the departures of CeeDee Lamb and Tua Tagovailoa, this list can finally be cut down to eight players.

8. Justin Herbert, Oregon (Last Week: 9)- Herbert and the Oregon Ducks drummed Arizona 34-6. Herbert was the main reason why, as he went 20 of 28 for 333 yards and four scores.

7. Chuba Hubbard, Oklahoma State (Last Week: 8)- The sophomore stud has accumulated 1,726 rushing yards for the season and is second in rushing touchdowns (only Western Michigan's LeVante Bellamy) has more. He had another strong performance in Week 12 as he ran for 122 yards and two scores in Oklahoma State's win over Kansas.

6. Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin (Last Week: 7)- Taylor ran roughshod over the Nebraska defense as he ran for 204 yards (the third time he's run for more than 200 yards against the Cornhuskers) and two touchdowns.

5. Trevor Lawrence, Clemson (Last Week: 6)- Lawrence finally makes it back into the top five after a disappointing start to the season. He has been playing some lights out football recently, and it genuinely wouldn't surprise me if he finished in the top five this year.

4. J.K. Dobbins, Ohio State (Last Week: 4)- Dobbins had another productive game in Week 12 as the Buckeyes steamrolled Rutgers 56-21. The star back ran for 89 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries.

3. Justin Fields, Ohio State (Last Week: 3)- At this point, it's hard to see how Fields does not make it to New York. The Georgia transfer has 41 total touchdowns and more than 2,100 passing yards.

2. Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma (Last Week: 2)- When the first half of the Baylor/Oklahoma game ended, it looked like Oklahoma's playoff chances were toast. Unfortunately for the Bears, no one told Jalen Hurts. The QB threw for three touchdowns in the second half and finished with more than 400 yards of total offense.

1. Joe Burrow, LSU (Last Week: 1)- The clear favorite in this year's Heisman race had another memorable Saturday against Ole Miss. Not only did the Tigers win by 19, but Burrow threw for a career-best 489 yards and five scores.

Thanks for reading everyone.

Heisman Watch Week 11

After a ton of teams were on bye in Week 10, we finally got some excitement in Week 11. How did it affect our Heisman rankings? Let's get started.

10. CeeDee Lamb, Oklahoma (Last Week: 10)- Lamb injects a little life into his Heisman campaign thanks to his stellar performance in Oklahoma's narrow win over Iowa State. The star receiver caught eight passes for 167 yards and two scores (although he did lose a fumble).

9. Justin Herbert, Oregon (Last Week: 9)- Herbert stays put after not playing in Week 11.

8. Chuba Hubbard, Oklahoma State (Last Week: 8)- Hubbard and the Cowboys had a bye in Week 11.

7. Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin (Last Week: 7)- After a couple of disappointing losses, Wisconsin was able to bounce back and beat Iowa. Taylor certainly did his part, as he ran for 250 yards on 31 carries.

6. Trevor Lawrence, Clemson (Last Week: 6)-  Lawrence has quietly put on some very good performances after a rather lackluster start to the season. Per FF, since Week 4, has thrown 18 touchdowns and is the second highest-rated QB.

5. Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama (Last Week: 5)- Tua drops a spot after Alabama's perfect season was ruined at the hands of LSU. To be perfectly honest, Tua's Heisman campaign is nearing its end. After his small injury and this loss, Tua seems to be out of the immediate Heisman race. Could he still become a Heisman finalist? Absolutely, but it won't be easy, and he'll need some help from the players ahead of him.

4. J.K. Dobbins, Ohio State (Last Week: 5)- Dobbins finds himself in the top five after Ohio State beat the holy hell out of Maryland. Because of the Buckeyes' dominance, Dobbins only carried the ball 12 times, but he made the most out of those carries by running for 90 yards and two scores. 

3. Justin Fields, Ohio State (Last Week: 3)- Fields stays in the top three after accounting for 228 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns as OSU cruised to an easy win.

2. Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma (Last Week: 2)- Hurts had a decently solid game against the Iowa State Cyclones, but it would have been nice to see a bigger performance after the Sooners' loss to Kansas State last week. That being said, Hurts did have a statistically impressive night as he threw for 273 yards and accounted for five touchdowns.

1. Joe Burrow, LSU (Last Week: 1)- The Heisman is Burrow's to lose at this moment in time. The Tigers knocked off undefeated Alabama and cemented themselves as the team to beat in the SEC. Burrow played exceptionally well as he went 31 of 39 for no interceptions while leading the Tigers to 33 points in the first half.

Thanks for reading everyone.