Heisman Race Update

Let's take a look at the leading Heisman candidates through the first seven weeks.

1. Dak Prescott, QB, Mississippi St: 1478 Passing Yds, 14 Passing TDs, 4 INTs, 578 Rushing Yds, 8 Rushing TDs, 165.6 Passer Rating.

Prescott is the superstar QB leading the undefeated, most dominant team in the country while putting up video game numbers.  If he keeps this up, there's no way he doesn't find himself in New York come December.

2. Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon: 1621 Passing Yds, 17 Passing TDs, 0 INTs, 290 Rushing Yds, 5 Rushing TDs, 193.7 Passer Rating.

Going into the season, many heralded Mariota as the best quarterback since Andrew Luck.  Well, he sure seems like that and possibly more.  He has continued to lead this dynamic offense while putting up crooked numbers.  The one knock on him would be that loss to Arizona, but you can't discredit someone when they're getting absolutely no help from their offensive line, and with a bounce-back game this weekend, he clearly wasn't to shaken by his first defeat.

3. Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin: 1046 Rushing Yds, 13 Rushing TDs, 7.9 Yds per Carry, 27 Receiving Yds, 1 Receiving TD.

With a yard total better than some supposedly top-shelf quarterbacks, Melvin Gordon is making more of a difference with his legs than anyone else in the country.  In a season highlighted by a 253 yard, 5 touchdown day against Bowling Green, he has put up consistently eye-popping stats.  In fact, his second worst output of the year was a 140 yard, 1 touchdown performance on just 16 carries while facing a top-tier defense in LSU.  All this plus the shocking suspension of Todd Gurley equals #1 running back status for the man they call MG3.

4. Bryce Petty, QB, Baylor: 1534 Passing Yds, 15 Passing TDs, 3 INTs, 109 Rushing Yds, 3 Rushing TDs, 153.6 Passer Rating.

Much like Prescott, Petty is the unquestioned leader of an undefeated top five team who is taking care of the ball and leading his team back from seemingly insurmountable deficits and blowout wins alike.  He has steadily improved his draft slate over the course of the year and has put his team in position to run the table and find their way into the first annual college football playoff.  However, he still has much to prove, with marquee match-ups left in Stillwater, and hosting Oklahoma St. and Kansas St.

5. Bo Wallace, QB, Ole Miss: 1700 Passing Yds, 15 Passing TDs, 6 INTs, 89 Rushing Yds, 2 TDs, 168.1 Passer Rating.

After consecutive statement wins, Bo Wallace is a trendy name in the college football world.  While he didn't put up huge numbers against Alabama or Texas A&M, he did what he needed to do to lead his team to victory, as he has done practically on a weekly basis.  His lone enormous game came against the University of Louisiana-Lafayette (whom I refuse to refer to solely as Louisiana), when he posted 316 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 1 interception.  Still, as I've said time and again, the star QB of an undefeated power-five team will always, always be a top contender for this prestigious award (see Winston, Jameis).

Others in Contenion

Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama

Rakeem Cato, QB, Marshall

Tevin Coleman, RB, Indiana

Ameer Abdullah, RB, Nebraska

Trevonne Boykin, QB, TCU