The first 10 weeks of the college football season are complete and the contenders and pretenders are starting to emerge for the Heisman Trophy race. We've narrowed the list down to the Top 10 candidates, although the crop gets thin outside the top five,
There's still time for chaos to reign and for things to change, but this is the Lamar Jackson show this year. If he doesn't win, it'd be a bit of surprise based on how things stand at the moment.
With that in mind, here are our Week 10 Heisman Trophy Top 10 Power Rankings:
10. RB D'Onta Foreman, Texas Longhorns
There are several players who could "take" this last spot. There's Baker Mayfield, who has put up great numbers but plays on a team that hasn't won enough. There's Wilton Speight of Michigan, who plays on a great team but doesn't have the numbers. This final spot is essentially reserverd for a player who deserves some recogntion, but won't win. So how about D'Onta Foreman, the nation's No. 2 leading rusher? He's put up 10 straight games with 100 or more yards and has racked up 1,446 yards and 13 TDs. If Texas was actually in the mix for the Big 12, or the College Football Playoff, he'd be in or near the Top 5.
9. DT Jonathan Allen, Alabama Crimson Tide
Look, I get it. Allen isn't winning the Heisman, but he is the best player on the best team. He has seven sacks this year and two defensive touchdowns as part of a lights-out Alabama defense. Yes, it's a reach, but the options are thin. We're still going with the Top 10, and that means putting players who won't win, but do deserve some love.
8. RB Dalvin Cook, Florida State Seminoles
Cook won't win the Heisman, but in a not-so-clear race outside the Top 4 or so, he deserves a mention. He's posted 12 rushing TDs, plus one in the passing game. He's already set a career mark with 388 receiving yards. Add in 1,134 rushing yards, good for ninth in the nation, and you've got the stats of a Heisman threat. But FSU's struggles mean Cook won't win the award this year.
7. QB J.T. Barrett, Ohio State Buckeyes
Barrett's Heisman campagin came crashing down against Penn State. That loss wasn't really his fault (special teams and blocking get the blame first), but it does put a major dent in his Heisman hopes. However, Barrett isn't totally out yet. He's still very much behind the leader, but can still make the College Football Playoff and maybe snag the Heisman. His overall numbers aren't overly impressive (1,965 pass yards, 21 TDs, four INTs along with 570 yards and six more scores on the ground), but I'm saying there's a chance.
6. RB Donnel Pumphrey, San Diego State Aztecs
Since we're still doing Top 10, we need bodies. Pumphrey's chances suffered a major blow when San Diego State lost earlier this year, but he still might be the best player you've never heard of. On 244 carries, he's racked up 1,581 rushing yards and 13 TDs. He's the nation's leading rusher and although he probably won't win, he does deserve at least some kind of praise. This might actually be a bit low for how great Pumphrey has been not just this year, but in his career. He's 5th in the NCAA in all-time rushing yards, 544 yards shy of Ron Dayne's mark.
5. ATH Jabrill Peppers, Michigan Wolverines
Peppers is one of the best athletes in college football. He's listed as a linebacker, but plays defensive back, return specialist and even offensive playmaker. He was impressive against Rutgers, posting two rushing touchdowns while playing Wildcat QB and had a great punt return called back. He was great against Colorado, recording 9 tackles, a sack, 3 tackles for loss, a punt return TD and 204 all-purpose yards. Jim Harbaugh has said Peppers should win the Heisman and while I love Peppers, it's tough to see him actually winning. An invite to New York is a more reasonable expectation.
4. QB Jake Browning, Washington Huskies
The Huskies keep winning, and although the win over Stanford doesn't look as great, the Huskies are among the CFP favorites. Just a true sophomore, Browning is a talented QB. He's completing an impressive 67.7 percent of his passes for 2,273 yards, 34 TDs and three INTs. He's also managed to add four rushing TDs. His 34 TDs are tied for the most in the nation. If Washington keeps winning, Browning should get more hype. There's some East Coast bias working against Browning, but he's a heck of a player. These rankings are based more on how I think the voters will rank the players. Browning has a strong argument that he should be No. 2.
3. QB Jalen Hurts, Alabama Crimson Tide
As we saw last year with Derrick Henry, the best (offensive) player on the best team can end up with the Heisman. Perhaps a version of that will be true for Jalen Hurts. And for a true freshman, Hurts has looked great. He's completing 62.3 percent of his passes for 1,685 yards, 11 touchdowns and six picks. However, what really sets him apart is his running ability, where he has 635 yards and 10 touchdowns. If Alabama keeps winning, Hurts will get a good chunk of the credit and maybe a few Heisman votes. That's just how the voters work.
2. QB Deshaun Watson, Clemson Tigers
Watson came into the year as one of the Heisman favorites, but hasn't look as great as he did last year. While he did make a big statement against Louisville, his (and Clemson's) performance against NC State last Saturday left much to be desired. Still, he's the only preseason favorite still in the race, his team is undefeated and firmly in the College Football Playoff picture, and he has good numbers - 2,497 passing yards, 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while adding 370 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Watson has done enough to be one of the favorites, but he hasn't outplayed Lamar Jackson.
1. QB Lamar Jackson, Louisville Cardinals
Jackson is still putting up video game numbers and Clemson's defense only sort of limited him in Louisville's lone loss. With 2,753 passing yards, 1,181 rushing yards and 45 total TDs, Jackson is by no means done because of his loss. He's already set the Louisville single-season TD record. This is his Heisman Trophy to lose. Even if the Cardinals drop another game, Jackson deserves to win. He's an absurd 1/30 favorite, and no, that's not a typo.
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