Heisman Rankings: Week 8
Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) – While most of the favorites are well established as the season pushes past the midway point, the week-to-week shuffling among the nation’s elite is sure to continue down the stretch, even if the very top of this list remains unchanged this week.
1. Dak Prescott, QB, Mississippi State (last week: No. 1) — Despite another outstanding performance from Marcus Mariota, Prescott retains the top spot as the No. 1 Bulldogs enjoyed a much-deserved bye week. Prescott – who has 1,478 passing yards, 576 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns – will have plenty of opportunities to pad his stats in the coming weeks with lesser matchups against Kentucky, Arkansas and Tennessee-Martin ahead, but whether or not he can win the award will come down to a pair of road tests in November at Alabama and Ole Miss, as well as a potential SEC Championship Game.
2. Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon (last week: No. 2) — What more can be said about Mariota’s season than I haven’t already tried to explain in weeks past? He’s been absolutely brilliant and continued to dazzle in Oregon’s 45-20 trouncing of Washington with 336 yards and two touchdowns on 24-of-33 passing (although he did finish with a very un-Mariota-like negative-1 yard rushing). The signal caller has tossed at least one touchdown in each of his 33 games as a Duck. This season he’s completing greater than 70 percent of his passes, piled up more than 2,220 total yards and 25 touchdowns, and perhaps most impressively has yet to throw an interception in 188 attempts. The only thing separating him from Prescott at this point is the one loss on his resume.
3. Ameer Abdullah, RB, Nebraska (last week: No. 9) — It’s been a while since Abdullah put together a signature performance – the Cornhuskers were off last week and he amassed only 45 yards against a stout Michigan State defense on Oct. 4 – but he made his presence felt in Nebraska’s return to the field. In a strong 38-17 road victory over Northwestern, Abdullah was the catalyst, turning 23 carries into 146 yards (in addition to four receptions for 13 yards) while plunging into the end zone a career-best four times. Abdullah, who has already tallied 1,024 rushing yards (third in the FBS), has been a touchdown machine with a career-high 16 scores, including one in every game and 12 in the last four contests. With Todd Gurley’s status for the rest of the year in doubt, it’s a clear two-horse race between Abdullah and Melvin Gordon as the nation’s top rusher.
4. Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama (last week: No. 8) — After an off game in Alabama’s nail-biting win at Arkansas on Oct. 11, Cooper and the rest of the squad got back on track in a huge way over the weekend with a 59-0 drudging of Texas A&M. The Tide beat the Aggies at their own game, outgaining them by an astounding 602-172 margin, and Cooper was a big reason for it, hauling in eight receptions for 140 yards and two touchdowns, scoring for the first time since finding the end zone three times versus Florida on Sept. 20. Despite the improved play of Blake Sims and a dynamic rushing attack led by T.J. Yeldon and Derrick Henry, Cooper (62 receptions, 908 yards, seven TDs) is still the premiere playmaker on a team that has a great chance to win the SEC despite an early-season loss.
5. Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State (last week: No. 7) — Controversy continues to swirl around Winston in regards to his off-the-field persona, but it’s hard to dispute the production he’s put out on game day. In a marquee battle of unbeatens against Notre Dame, Florida State came out on top with a 31-27 victory thanks in no small part to Winston’s performance. The signal caller completed 23-of-31 passes for 273 yards with two touchdowns and an interception while leading the Seminoles on a game-winning 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive midway through the fourth quarter in a matchup that consisted of three ties and five lead-changes. The reigning winner’s stock is on the rise, partially due to his .706 completion percentage and 15 touchdowns, but there’s also something to be said of FSU’s sustained success at the top of the rankings in a year with very few dominant teams.
6. Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin (last week: No. 4) — The star tailback amassed at least 175 yards in every game since a 17-carry, 38-yard dud against Western Illinois back on Sept. 6, and he scored an eye-popping 12 touchdowns during that four-game span, so it’s safe to say that he earned a bit of a rest during the Badgers’ bye week. Another big game should be in store for Gordon this week going up against a Maryland team that allows just shy of 200 rushing yards per game.
7. Bo Wallace, QB, Ole Miss (last week: No. 5) — The Rebels looked shaky early in their contest with Tennessee, trailing by three midway through the second quarter, but thanks in part to a stellar performance from Wallace (199 passing yards, two TDs, 33 rushing yards), they eventually cruised to an easy 34-3 victory to remain undefeated. More than any remaining unbeaten team, Ole Miss relies heavily on its elite defense, which allows an FBS-low 10.6 ppg, but that’s not to take anything away from what Wallace has done under center. The 6-foot-4 senior has been responsible for 19 touchdowns and greater than 2,000 total yards while displaying excellent leadership for a squad with national championship aspirations.
8. Kevin White, WR, West Virginia (last week: unranked) — Although Cooper was running away with the distinction as the nation’s best receiver early in the season, White has certainly built a strong case to take over that claim. In the Mountaineers’ stunning 41-27 upset over No. 4 Baylor, White carved up the Bears’ secondary to the tune of eight catches, 132 yards and two touchdowns, giving him at least 100 yards receiving in all seven games this season and a touchdown in five straight. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound physical specimen has emerged thanks to his outstanding chemistry with quarterback Clint Trickett, and he ranks first in the FBS in receiving yards (1,020) and second in receptions (69).
9. Everett Golson, QB, Notre Dame (last week: No. 6) — Things could have been very different for the Fighting Irish and their quarterback had Golson’s would-be game-winning touchdown toss on fourth down in the waning seconds not been overturned by a penalty. While the squad proved that it belongs in the discussion among the nation’s best after fighting tooth-and-nail with FSU in Tallahassee, the blow certainly leaves Notre Dame with a bad taste in its mouth as well as an uphill climb to the College Football Playoff. Golson was largely impressive in the loss, completing 31-of-52 passes for 313 yards and three touchdowns while showing great poise on the final drive – which included a 20-yard completion on 4th-and-18 – but he continued his turnover problem with two more interceptions, giving him 10 turnovers over the past four games, an unacceptable amount for any quarterback let alone a Heisman hopeful.
10. Bryce Petty, QB, Baylor (last week: No. 3) — Petty and the Bears were sitting pretty after a thrilling 61-58 triumph over nationally-ranked TCU on Oct. 11 to improve to 6-0 and earn a spot in the AP poll top-five, but all that momentum was erased in a hurry following their disappointing 41-27 setback to WVU. Petty found time to throw a pair of touchdown passes, but that wasn’t nearly enough to mask a horrible day. He finished with the lowest single-game completion percentage of his career (16-of-36, .444) and had negative-9 yards rushing after getting sacked four times. Despite scoring a total of 20 touchdowns paired with only three picks this season, Petty’s Heisman campaign will unlikely be able to bounce back from this hiccup.
Dropped Out: Nick Marshall, QB, Auburn.
Honorable Mention: Clint Trickett, QB, West Virginia; Tevin Coleman, RB, Indiana; Senquez Golson, CB, Ole Miss.
Categorized in: NCAA Football