With a lot left to be determined, we have a new No. 1 in this week’s Heisman watch.
1. Michael Penix Jr. | Washington QB | Senior | Last week: 3 (+2)
Michael Penix Jr. had one interception on a miscommunication with his receiver, but he was otherwise lights out and threw darts all over the field, tossing four touchdowns in Washington’s massive win over Oregon. With the former favorite slipping later in the night, Penix is now the leader in the race at mid-October.
Season stats:
72.1% | 2,301 PASS YDS | 20 PASS TD | 3 INT
9 CAR | 4 RUSH YDS | 0.4 AVG
2. Bo Nix | Oregon QB | Senior | Last week: 2
While Penix is the clear No. 1 as things currently stand—with plenty of time to go—these next four spots could be shuffled a bit. But Bo Nix should be getting more Heisman love after going 33/44 for 337 yards and two touchdowns in an incredibly tough environment facing the Huskies defense behind their loud home crowd. Nix and Oregon will have more opportunities in prime spots.
Season stats:
79.2% | 1,796 PASS TD | 17 PASS TD | 1 INT
26 CAR | 101 RUSH YDS | 1 RUSH TD | 3.9 AVG
3. Caleb Williams | USC QB | Junior | Last week: 1 (-2)
The Heisman odds for Caleb Williams have fallen to pretty crazy odds (+3500 some places) after he threw three interceptions at Notre Dame on Saturday night. It was a shocking performance for Williams, and there’s no doubt the near-impossibility of repeating has become that much tougher—it’s a game that will stick in the minds of voters. However, there is a lot of football left to be played, and USC has yet to face Washington and Oregon. As last week showed, things can change quickly.
Season stats:
70.0% | 2,021 PASS YDS | 23 PASS TD | 4 INT
51 CAR | 116 RUSH YDS | 6 RUSH TD | 2.3 AVG
4. J.J. McCarthy | Michigan QB | Junior | Last week: NR
Michigan is so dominant that J.J. McCarthy doesn’t need his foot on the gas—i.e., he could be putting up bigger numbers if his team wasn’t so good. The junior quarterback threw three touchdowns on just 14/17 passing for 222 yards versus Indiana last week, and it would be a major surprise at this point if he’s not at least a Heisman finalist in December.
Season stats:
78.2% | 1,512 PASS YDS | 14 PASS TD | 3 INT
30 CAR | 160 RUSH YDS | 3 RUSH TD | 5.3 AVG
5. Dillon Gabriel | Oklahoma QB | Senior (RS) | Last week: 4 (-1)
Dillon Gabriel and the Sooners had off last week, and now they have no current ranked teams for their final six games of the regular season. It’s all about getting W’s, but Gabriel can put up numbers down the stretch, too.
Season stats:
72.3% | 1,878 PASS YDS | 16 PASS TD | 2 INT
43 CAR | 208 RUSH TD | 5 RUSH TD | 4.8 AVG
Dropped out:
Florida State QB Jordan Travis