The 2019 college football season is in full swing, so let’s look at the early contenders for the Heisman Trophy. From now, until the trophy is presented in New York City in early December, we’re officially on Heisman watch.
The Game Haus offers the first of its weekly rankings of the top five candidates for college football’s most prestigious award. Here’s a look at this week’s version of the Heisman watch with the current contenders as we see it.
Last week’s ranking in parenthesis. All times eastern.
This week: Idle
The Breakdown: The Crimson Tide are the new No. 1 team in the country, according to The Associated Press Top 25. To celebrate, Alabama has the weekend off from game action. Tagovailoa is still the pick here at the moment while leading the nation with 23 touchdowns and still no interceptions.
This week: at Kansas, Noon, Saturday
The Breakdown: There are many who feel Hurts should top this list, and it appears to be a top-man race. However, until Hurts proves he can dominate against some worthy competition, he’s No. 2 on this one. Hurts should be in for another big day against Kansas, which just allowed 51 points to TCU. Then comes the Red River Showdown, which should give us a better idea of how good Hurts (12 passing touchdowns, five rushing touchdowns, 249.9 passer rating) really is.
Justin Fields / Photo courtesy of theathletic.com
This week: vs. No. 25 Michigan State, 7:30 p.m., Saturday
The Breakdown: Fields is making it look easy. He’s thrown at least three touchdowns in all but one game and still hasn’t been intercepted. He’s also rushed for seven touchdowns, and at least one in each game. Though the Buckeyes should come out on top this weekend, Michigan State will be the best defense Fields has seen to date. It will be interesting to see how he handles the challenge that unit presents.
Jonathan Taylor / Photo courtesy of chicagotribune.com
This week: vs. Kent State, Noon, Saturday
The Breakdown: With 119 yards last weekend against Northwestern, Taylor is 270 shy of 5,000 for his stellar career that’s not even 2 1/2 seasons old. He’s also rushed for at least 100 yards in nine consecutive games. Kent State is yielding 261 yards per game on the ground, so Taylor could be in for a big afternoon at Camp Randall.
This week: vs. Utah State, Noon
The Breakdown: Back in action from LSU’s off week, Burrow leads the country in completion percentage (80.6) and is second in passer rating (225.6). Utah State might pose an interesting challenge this weekend, but not enough to pull off the upset or likely drop Burrow from this list. If the Tigers continue to roll, Burrow’s stock might also continue to rise.
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