Clemson was off last week, but a lot of the big stars were on the field in Week 6. Guys like Joe Borrow, Jalen Huts and Tua Tagovailoa put on a show and continue to be the leaders for the nation’s most coveted individual award.
No. 6: Isaiah Simmons, redshirt Jr., Clemson. Coming off a bye, Simmons will look to strengthen his case this week in Clemson’s matchup with Florida State. Interceptions are becoming a must for Simmons and his Heisman hopes. It is the one thing his game is missing right now with Manti T’eo being the last serious contender from the defensive side of the ball having 7 interceptions in his senior year and still coming short up just short.
No. 5: Jonathan Taylor, Jr., RB, Wisconsin. I really can’t help but feel bad for Taylor at this point in the race. If it weren’t for the never before seen numbers from the multiple top quarterbacks on this list, Taylor would have already run away in the race. The man has been nothing short of a specimen this season with 745 rushing yards, 12 rushing touchdowns and he even has 4 receiving touchdowns as well.If you put him in the Mark Ingram vs. Toby Gerhart era of the Heisman race, it would already be his. It’s an uphill battle for Taylor with this quarterback situation but if I had a vote, he would be getting a No.2, maybe even No.1 vote from me.
No. 4: Justin Fields, sophomore., Ohio State. Coming off a dominant win against the No.25 Michigan State, Fields has to be feeling great about his Ohio State Buckeyes. While he had his first interception of the season. He was involved in 3 of the teams four touchdowns on the day, easily taking care of arguably one of the best defenses in the country. Yet to throw for over 250 yards in a game yet, Fields will need to start showing more of his arm to climb any further in the rankings.
No.3: Joe Burrow, Sr. QB, LSU. Now we’re at the really hard part of the list, rounding out the top 3. Burrow was a monster once again last week throwing for over 340 yards for the 5th time this season as well as putting together 6-touchdown perfromance. The numbers are certainly there for Burrow, I just don’t think he has been as impressive as the top two guys on the list. Don’t get me wrong, Burrow is easily a top-5 overall player in the country right now but he is beginning to show signs of the Tua problem, where a receiver such as Justin Jefferson and his other studs at wideout are sort of becoming the real eye catchers in the offense.
No. 2: Jalen Hurts, Sr., QB, Oklahoma. After sitting atop the list all year, Hurts has now fallen to second. He’s been business as usual, but their lack of early competition and Hurts failing to throw for more than 3 touchdowns in any game this season. He’s got a massive opportunity this week to climb back to No.1 as Oklahoma has the Red River Rivalry coming up this week. Another Heisman hopeful looking from the outside in, Sam Ehlinger will look to outplay Hurts in this matchup.
No.1: Tua Tagovailoa, Jr., QB, Alabama. Tagovailoa has been playing far too well and consistently to be out of the top spot right now. With three straight games of 5+ touchdowns, the Bama quarterback has 23 touchdowns and a goose egg on the interception board. With likely the best receiving group in the nation by his side, who knows if we’ll see this guy slow down at all.