The Heisman race features little movement this week among the top five, but things could flip based on this weekend’s action.
1. Dante Moore | Oregon QB | Sophomore (RS) | Last week: 1
No. 7 Indiana is the final ranked opponent left on the schedule for the Ducks as things currently stand, so Moore could really position himself as the Heisman favorite with another big performance against the Hoosiers on Saturday. That said, there will also be fewer showcase opportunities over the final several weeks, and the win over Penn State a couple of weeks ago doesn’t look quite as impressive after what UCLA did to them over the weekend.
Season stats:
74.6% | 1,210 PASS YDS | 14 PASS TD | 1 INT
24 CAR | 122 RUSH YDS | 5.1 AVG
2. Marcel Reed | Texas A&M QB | Sophomore (RS) | Last week: 2
Texas A&M had another gritty SEC win last week, and Reed will get plenty of additional opportunities to prove himself—including this week against Florida. We would say the road win over Notre Dame last month remains the top “Heisman moment” of the year thus far, and Reed will stay towards the top of the race with the Aggies being unbeaten.
Season stats:
59.7% | 1,256 PASS YDS | 11 PASS TD | 3 INT
38 CAR | 149 RUSH YDS | 2 RUSH TD | 3.9 AVG
3. Ty Simpson | Alabama QB | Junior (RS) | Last week: 3
Simpson threw his first interception of the campaign—and his career—last week, but he still had 340 passing yards as the Crimson Tide overcame a slow start in an eventual 30-14 win over Vanderbilt. With ranked wins over Georgia and Vandy over the past two weeks, Simpson running the table for the remainder of the seven-game gauntlet (No. 14 Missouri, No. 12 Tennessee, South Carolina, No. 11 LSU, and No. 6 Oklahoma) could vault him to the top of the race.
Season stats:
70.3% | 1,478 PASS YDS | 13 PASS TD | 1 INT
30 CAR | 51 RUSH YDS | 2 RUSH TD | 1.7 AVG
4. Carson Beck | Miami QB | Senior (RS) | Last week: 5 (+1)
It felt like Beck needed a big game last week to remain a legitimate contender, and he did just that by completing 20-of-27 passes for 241 yards and four touchdowns as the Hurricanes topped Florida State. That said, he might need others to fall off and/or put up really crooked numbers the rest of the way with Miami being the clear favorite in each of their seven remaining games in the regular season.
Season stats:
73.4% | 1,213 PASS YDS | 11 PASS TD | 3 INT
13 CAR | 18 RUSH YDS | 1 TD | 1.4 AVG
5. Fernando Mendoza | Indiana QB | Junior (RS) | Last week: 4 (-1)
Mendoza drops a spot with Indiana off last week, but getting a shot at Dante Moore and Oregon on Saturday is a prime opportunity for him to move up. After two touchdowns last week, Ohio State superstar Jeremiah Smith could have made the top five as well.
Season stats:
73.0% | 1,208 PASS YDS | 16 PASS TD | 1 INT
30 CAR | 102 RUSH YDS | 2 RUSH TD | 3.4 AVG