Contenders continue to narrow for the Heisman with two weeks of action until conference championships potentially decide the race.
1. Marcel Reed | Texas A&M QB | Sophomore (RS) | Last week: 1
Reed and the Aggies struggled in the first half on Saturday, as the South Carolina defensive front came to play—causing things to snowball with drops and misfires. But the second half was yet another “Heisman moment” for Reed by overcoming a 30-3 deficit with 316 total yards and pinpoint throws at all level of the field to keep Texas A&M unbeaten.
Season stats:
61.5% | 2,632 PASS YDS | 22 PASS TD | 8 INT
76 CAR | 391 RUSH YDS | 6 RUSH TD | 5.1 AVG
2. Fernando Mendoza | Indiana QB | Junior (RS) | Last week: 3 (+1)
It doesn’t get much more efficient than what we saw from Mendoza in the win over Wisconsin—as he completed 22-of-24 passes for 299 yards and four touchdowns. The performance came after a couple of down games in terms of passing numbers, and Mendoza has a bye this week before a Black Friday game versus Purdue.
Season stats:
73.0% | 2,641 PASS YDS | 30 PASS TD | 5 INT
62 CAR | 216 RUSH YDS | 5 RUSH TD | 3.5 AVG
3. Julian Sayin | Ohio State QB | Sophomore | Last week: NR
Sayin had a quieter passing day in the win over UCLA with Jeremiah Smith leaving early and Carnell Tate remaining out—but he’s completing over 80% of his passes (which voters surely love) on the season and has the Buckeyes unbeaten. There is a good chance the race comes down to how the three undefeated quarterbacks play on conference championship weekend.
Season stats:
80.1% | 2,675 PASS YDS | 25 PASS TD | 4 INT
27 CAR | 20 RUSH YDS | 0.7 AVG
4. Ty Simpson | Alabama QB | Junior (RS) | Last week: 2 (-2)
Oklahoma was able to get after Simpson and force him into uncharacteristic mistakes, so his odds of lifting the Heisman took a big hit with Alabama now having a couple of losses. That said, Simpson still controls the Crimson Tide’s chances of making the SEC Championship Game—so putting up huge numbers versus Eastern Illinois, beating Auburn in the Iron Bowl, and outdueling Marcel Reed would be the path to putting himself at the top of the race.
Season stats:
66.9% | 2,787 PASS YDS | 22 PASS TD | 2 INT
63 CAR | 78 RUSH YDS | 2 RUSH TD | 1.2 AVG
5. Gunner Stockton | Georgia QB | Junior (RS) | Last week: 5
Stockton isn’t getting enough buzz as a legitimate Heisman contender, but he totaled five touchdowns in the primetime win over Texas—and boosted his completion percentage to over 70% by going 24-of-29 for 229 yards through the air. While it might take others slipping up to win it, Stockton appears worthy of a trip to New York if the Bulldogs finish strong.
Season stats:
70.7% | 2,269 PASS YDS | 19 PASS TD | 3 INT
83 CAR | 350 RUSH YDS | 8 TD | 4.2 AVG
Dropped out:
Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith