The Top 10 Heisman Candidates through September

Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts used to be teammates. Now they’re battling for the Heisman — but is there another leader?

OCTOBER MEANS WE ARE ALREADY WELL INTO THE 2019 NCAA COLLEGE FOOTBALL SEASON. The playoff race is already starting to shape up, and a handful of names have emerged as major contenders to win the Heisman Trophy.

Anything can still happen, but the truth is there’s a pretty good chance the national title and Heisman winner pools have already been whittled down to around seven names each. Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts used to be teammates at Alabama; now they’re among the biggest Heisman hopefuls. But is either of them leading the race as we wrap up September?

Let’s take a look at the top 10 leading Heisman candidates for 2019, then run through the Week 6 Top 25 Power Rankings and a quick preview of the games of the week…

TIER IV — HEISMAN HONORABLE MENTIONS

There are a bunch of unbeaten quarterbacks worth noticing. Minnesota’s Tanner Morgan was nearly perfect at Purdue, completing 21-of-22 for 396 yards and 4 TDs. Jamie Newman has led Wake Forest to a surprising 5–0 start, a dual threat with big numbers and 17 TDs. Baylor’s Charlie Brewer and Penn State’s Sean Clifford are more like the honorable mentions of the honorable mention section, unbeaten but just not too impressive numbers.

Central Florida’s Dillon Gabriel might have had a long shot with big numbers as a surprise freshman starter, but the loss to Pitt probably eliminates him. There are also no wide receivers in the top 10, though if Devonta Smith has any more 274-yard-5-TD games, he’ll get there in a hurry.

You won’t find Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence or Georgia’s Jake Fromm on the list. Lawrence just hasn’t been great. He has 8 TDs and 5 interceptions, and I’m honestly not sure he can win the Heisman at this point. Even if Clemson goes undefeated, where’s Lawrence going to get his big moment? Fromm has a better shot. He doesn’t have the numbers yet but if Georgia gets through the SEC unscathed, you’ll hear plenty about Jake Fromm State Farm.

TIER III — NUMBERS TOO GAUDY TO IGNORE

10. RB J.K. Dobbins, Ohio State

The Buckeyes are the only team with two in the top-10. Dobbins has carried the ball 92 times for 654 yards, which ranks second in the nation. He’s been at his best in Ohio State’s biggest games, and he’ll have more opportunities for that in the months ahead. Dobbins is hurt by having only 5 TDs so far since Justin Fields keeps stealing so many. In the end, Dobbins may end up cannibalizing Fields’s chance more than adding his own campaign.

9. RB Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin

A Badgers running back in the running for the Heisman, imagine that! Taylor is the latest workhorse, and he’s been the engine behind Wisconsin’s 4–0 offense, though their defense has been even more impressive. Taylor has run for 559 yards, more good than great, but he’s already found the end zone 11 times thanks to three receiving touchdowns. He’s going to get some buzz if Wisconsin keeps winning.

8. QB Anthony Gordon, Washington State

It looks like Wazzu is moving quickly in the wrong direction, but let’s appreciate Anthony Gordon while we can. Dude threw for NINE touchdowns in one game against UCLA, and he probably would’ve had another couple if not for horrible fumble luck. Gordon has 22 TDs in five games, but he couldn’t get it going with 1 TD and 2 picks in a blowout loss to Utah, so Mike Leach’s guy will probably fade soon.

7. RB Chuba Hubbard, Oklahoma State

You might not have heard of Chuba Hubbard, but maybe you can appreciate numbers. Remember how J.K. Dobbins is second in the nation with 654 yards? Hubbard has run for 938. He has 43% more rushing yards than any other player in the nation! That’s ridiculous. Hubbard has run for 221 yards in a game three times already, and in the Cowboys’ one loss to Texas, he ran 37 times for 121 yards and 2 TDs. Not the first great runner Oklahoma State has ever had! Hubbard is the top non-QB on the board right now.

TIER II — THE LURKERS

6. QB Justin Herbert, Oregon

Herbert would be one of the top names on the board if only he had come through in that final drive against Auburn in the season opener, especially with all the pending NFL Draft hype. Instead everyone watched him come up short with only 242 yards and one TD in the loss in his one shot to make a big Heisman statement. Herbert has 14 TDs and zero interceptions, so if he continues to play near perfect ball, he could have a shot.

5. QB Sam Ehlinger, Texas

Ehlinger is the better version of Justin Herbert right now, as far as Heisman contenders go. Texas also has a loss and will probably have to win the rest of their games to catch voters’ attention, though Ehlinger will have a chance to make a huge statement against Oklahoma in a week. The difference between Ehlinger and Herbert right now is that Ehlinger was actually quite wonderful in his loss, throwing for 400 yards and scoring 5 TDs against LSU. If he puts up numbers like that on Oklahoma too, he’ll stay in the race even with a loss.

4. QB Joe Burrow, LSU

Maybe Burrow deserves to be in the top tier, but he’s in fourth place either way and it feels like he’ll probably move down, not up. That’s no critique of anything he’s done — it’s just awfully hard for a pocket passer to stand out in this era. Burrow has 17 TDs and only 2 picks. He had 4 touchdowns and was big late in the win against Texas, and he’s coming off a 6-TD game at Vanderbilt. Burrow will have plenty of chances for Heisman moments with a ridiculously loaded Tigers schedule, but he’s going to have to earn his stripes.

TIER I — THE TRUE CONTENDERS

3. QB Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma

These top three are so good and so close you can put them in any order at this point without many qualms from me. It’s more like 1A, 1B, and 1C. The Alabama transfer is slightly behind for now, mostly because he hasn’t really been asked to do much yet beause Oklahoma has killed everyone. Hurts looks like a new man for the Sooners with at least 3 TDs in every game, including 443 yards and 5 TDs on the ground. Hurts actually ranks top 25 in the NCAA in rushing yards, but only 12 TD passes leave him a little short for now. Could it be three straight Oklahoma Heisman QBs?

2. QB Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama

Tua has been pretty much perfect so far. He’s scored at least 3 TDs and completed at least 67% of his passes in every game, and Alabama has crushed all comers. In five games, Tagovailoa has 1718 passing yards and an absurd 23–0 TD-INT ratio. It’s hard to be more perfect than that, and you have no arguments if you think he’s the front runner right now. Only injuries and Jalen Hurts have stopped Tua so far in his college career, and it looks like it could take one of those two to stop him from winning the Heisman.

1. QB Justin Fields, Ohio State

Fields gets top billing, for now. He doesn’t quite match the yardage totals of the other guys — he’s not even top 40 in the nation right now — but that’s because J.K. Dobbins and the running attack are so good. Still, Fields has 16 TDs without an interception, and he’s added another 222 yards and 7 TDs on the ground. What makes Justin Fields the leader right now is his consistent numbers. Fields has at least 2 passing TDs and 1 rushing TD in every game, and he’s found the endzone 4+ times every week. Four touchdowns a game? That’s enough to lead the Heisman board through September.

Let’s take a quick run through this week’s Top 25 Power Rankings, with not a ton changed from last week…

TIER I — TIGERS AND TIGERS AND TIGERS, OH MY

1. Clemson 5–0 (1) 2. LSU 4–0 (2) 3. Auburn 5–0 (3)

You’re forgiven if you want to drop Clemson down a bit after barely escaping Chapel Hill, but the champs stay at the top of the rankings until someone knocks them off their perch. But the other two Tigers join them in the top tier now and are closing quickly.

TIER II — THE CONTENDERS

4. Georgia 4–0 (4) 5. Ohio State 5–0 (6) 6. Penn State 4–0 (10) 7. Wisconsin 4–0 (5) 8. Alabama 5–0 (8) 9. Oklahoma 4–0 (7)

Remember, we’re almost entirely ranking based on who you’ve beaten thus far, and Georgia’s win over Notre Dame is the best one in this group. Wisconsin got a big leap last week after throttling Michigan, so it’s only fair to respect Ohio State and Penn State going on the road to crush Nebraska and Maryland by a combined score of 107 to 7. Bama and OU may well be better than teams above them, but let’s see it against a real opponent.

TIER III — THE 1-LOSS TEAMS

10. Texas 3–1 (12) 11. Oregon 3–1 (13) 12. Notre Dame 3–1 (14) 13. Utah 4–1 (15)

It was a good week for this tier. Utah bounced back from a USC loss to dominate Washington State, a previous top-25 opponent, holding Anthony Gordon to only one TD. Notre Dame let a tough Virginia opponent hang around awhile, then KOed them late.

TIER IV — THE BEST OF THE REST

14. North Dakota State 4–0 (16) 15. Iowa 4–0 (9) 16. Florida 5–0 (11) 17. Boise State 4–0 (17) 18. Washington 4–1 (22)

Iowa and Florida drop a tier for no real reason. This week it’s out with Middle Tennessee State and Towson and in with Michigan and Auburn, so we’ll see how we feel after Saturday. Boise State dominated Air Force and remains the top non-power-five non-NDSU team. Washington continues to impress and the PAC-12 remains interesting. If enough of these teams stay in the top 25 all year, the conference will finally get its chance to rack up some big wins.

TIER V — HANGING AROUND

19. Oklahoma State 4–1 (NR) 20. Virginia 4–1 (19) 21. SMU 5–0 (25) 22. Hawaii 4–1 (23)

Virginia stayed the course despite a tough road loss against a good team, which is how you’re supposed to handle that sort of thing. Oklahoma State leaps into the rankings after a big win against previously unbeaten Kansas State. Anytime you beat Chris Klieman, you’ve got my attention.

TIER VI — LOL SURE

23. Appalachian State 4–0 (24) 24. Wake Forest 5–0 (NR) 25. Baylor 4–0 (NR)

Undefeated through September!! Who cares who you’ve played, right? Unbeaten is unbeaten. Enjoy your week of recognition.

GAMES OF THE WEEK

Central Florida at Cincinnati (Friday)

UCF is only a 3.5-point favorite in a tough road game, and Friday night football is fun. At least keep an eye out during the MLB playoffs.

(15) Iowa at Michigan

National pollsters insist on continuing to rank Michigan, but let’s see how they do against an unbeaten Iowa squad. Good test for both teams.

Michigan State at (5) Ohio State

This is getting billed as a top-25 battle, but don’t be fooled. The Buckeyes are favored by three TDs, and Sparty scored 7 at home to Arizona State so…

(3) Auburn at (16) Florida

This is the game of the weekend by a mile. The national rankings have this as #7 at #10, but the polls aren’t giving Auburn enough credit for wins over Oregon and Texas A&M. The Tigers are favored on the road here against an overrated Gators team that’s barely squeaked by Miami and Kentucky. ■

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