With week six of the college football season quickly approaching, we can now make some educated assumptions about the Heisman race. The surprise of the year may be that in a stacked quarterback class, most of the Heisman stock is found in the backfield. So why not a quarterback? And who are these running backs stealing the show?
Why Not Another Position?
It’s a great question, especially because of the crop of quarterbacks in college right now. Here is what puts the other positions on the field out of the running:
In the quarterback’s corner: The preseason favorite, Sam Darnold out of USC, has already tossed eight interceptions and recorded two games without a touchdown pass. UCLA’s Josh Rosen has 2,135 yards, 17 touchdowns and only five interceptions, but is on a poor team that will probably finish just above .500. Also, let us be honest, after his offseason comments on school, he probably is not getting the popular vote from the committee.
Oklahoma State’s Mason Rudolph has 1,909 yards and 16 touchdowns, but dropped the TCU game and may be out of the Playoff race already. Alabama’s Jalen Hurts has struggled mightily, throwing only 747 passing yards this season.
Louisville’s Lamar Jackson has looked great, but won last season. With no offensive line to help him, plus last season’s stunning performance to try to match, winning is going to be a tough task.
The one real quarterback who has a shot is Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield. He has 1,309 yards, 13 touchdowns, zero picks, on a team that is making a great playoff case. At this point, all that remains is the upcoming Oklahoma State game between him and a shot at the trophy.
On the defensive front: There is no Jabrill Peppers or Manti Te’o-caliber player this season to help bring a defender close to the big dance. A personal favorite is Stanford safety Justin Reid, who is tied second in the country for interceptions with four. He’s a hard-nosed safety, not afraid to get into the running game and rack up tackles, already posting 34 on the season. However, even calling him a dark horse candidate would be generous.
At wide receiver: There are too many players rotating in this spot. From Ole Miss’ A.J. Brown, to UCLA’s Darren Andrews, to Oklahoma State’s James Washington, there is no consistent number one player. When no one player has dominated consistently since week one, it’s hard to take any of them seriously as candidates.
The Real Runners
The Heisman race can really be melted down to three running backs. Here is why they lead the race and why they can continue to make a case for the trophy:
Bryce Love, Stanford Cardinal – He leads college football in rushing yards, and it’s not close. He has 1,088 yards – second place with 823 – and eight touchdowns, averaging 11.1 yards per carry. Here are some of the impressive records he has already hit this season:
He set the Stanford record for rushing yards in a single game, 301, last weekend. He is the first Cardinal to ever reach 1,000-plus yards in five games. He is only the fourth player to reach 1,000 rushing yards in five games all-time. He’s also in an offense that will continue to run the ball, giving him plenty of opportunity to put up some crazy numbers.
Saquon Barkley, Penn State Nittany Lions – While only 9th in rushing yards, Barkley is going the Christian McCaffrey route and using versatility to make his case for the Heisman. Between the rushing, receiving, passing and return game, Barkley has amassed 1,218 yards and eight touchdowns. He is a do-everything back that keeps the defense honest, forces opponents to defend the trenches, as well as playing sideline to sideline. He is also on a top five college football team, with plenty of postseason potential.
Royce Freeman, Oregon Ducks – The Ducks are a surprisingly good team this season at 4-1, with a chance to beat Washington State this weekend at home. This would rocket Freeman’s stock in the Heisman race, but even without the win, scoring is what separates him. He is eighth in the country with 592 rushing yards, but first among all running backs in the country at finding the end zone, amassing 10 touchdowns thus far. In every healthy season of his career, Freeman has received plenty of red zone touches, posting 35 combined touchdowns in 2014 and 2015. A healthy Freeman has always found pay dirt enough times to keep him in the trophy conversation, and nothing in the first five games has deviated from that logic.
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