Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love is rising in the Heisman race after another monster performance on Saturday.
1. Marcel Reed | Texas A&M QB | Sophomore (RS) | Last week: 1
Reed only played in the first quarter of a blowout win over Samford, but he made the most of his snaps with 120 yards and three touchdowns through the air. A primetime showdown versus Texas on Black Friday will be a major showcase opportunity for Reed and the Aggies—who would make the SEC Championship Game with a win.
Season stats:
61.8% | 2,752 PASS YDS | 25 PASS TD | 8 INT
77 CAR | 395 RUSH YDS | 6 RUSH TD | 5.1 AVG
2. Fernando Mendoza | Indiana QB | Junior (RS) | Last week: 2
Mendoza is coming off a bye, and the latest impression was the four-touchdown performance where he completed 22-of-24 passes. Indiana will take on Purdue this weekend, but the race will likely come down to conference championship games next month.
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: 3
As was the case two weeks ago, Sayin’s numbers took a hit with another quiet outing with his star receivers out—but he’s still completing an amazing 79.4% of his passes for the undefeated Buckeyes. We’ll see if ending the school’s recent struggles versus Michigan would vault Sayin closer to the top of the ballot.
Season stats:
79.4% | 2,832 PASS YDS | 27 PASS TD | 4 INT
27 CAR | 20 RUSH YDS | 0.7 AVG
4. Jeremiyah Love | Notre Dame RB | Junior | Last week: NR
Love was on fire entering last week, and all he did to stay hot was turn eight carries into 171 yards and three touchdowns in a 70-7 win over Syracuse. The Notre Dame superstar might be hurt by his final showcase opportunity being late on Saturday night versus Stanford (10:30 PM ET kick), but another dominant outing should at least get him to New York.
Season stats:
185 CAR | 1,306 RUSH YDS | 17 RUSH TD | 7.1 AVG
26 REC | 274 REC YDS | 3 REC TD | 10.5 AVG
5. Gunner Stockton | Georgia QB | Junior (RS) | Last week: 5
The race might be down to four with Stockton not getting the “style points” last week (196 passing yards and an interception in a win over Charlotte)—but he did have five total touchdowns versus Texas two weeks ago and still has a path to the SEC Championship. Stockton was also hurt by Georgia Tech losing last week ahead of the Black Friday matchup.
Season stats:
71.4% | 2,465 PASS YDS | 19 PASS TD | 4 INT
88 CAR | 361 RUSH YDS | 8 TD | 4.1 AVG
Dropped out:
Alabama QB Ty Simpson