Heisman Watch: Can Justin Fields make a late push?
Justin Fields continues to dominate for Ohio State as he racks up four touchdowns in a 56-21 victory over Rutgers. (1:34)
Week 12 saw Joe Burrow solidify his Heisman Trophy campaign yet again. In fact, Caesars Sportsbook has pulled the Heisman odds off the board, and now currently offers a Yes -1400/No +800 prop on if Burrow will win the Heisman.
But Jalen Hurts’ comeback win keeps him a close second in our rankings, and Justin Fields isn’t far behind. Unfortunately, Tua Tagovailoa’s hip injury sidelines him for the rest of the season in what was shaping up to be a Heisman-worthy campaign.
Throughout the season, ESPN.com writers will vote for their top Heisman candidates.
To get the final rankings, we use the following methodology: 10 voters, five votes each. Points system: five points for first-place votes, four points for second-place votes, three points for third-place votes, two points for fourth-place votes and one point for fifth-place votes.
Voters: Andrea Adelson, Edward Aschoff, Kyle Bonagura, Bill Connelly, Heather Dinich, David M. Hale, Chris Low, Ivan Maisel, Adam Rittenberg, Mark Schlabach
Joe Burrow asserted himself as a Heisman favorite by throwing for a career-best 489 yards and five touchdowns in No. 1 LSU’s win against Ole Miss.
Total points: 50 (first-place votes: 10)
Notable: Week 12, like Week 11, showed us that the Heisman race is Burrow’s to lose. The clear favorite had another Saturday for the books, tossing for five TDs and 489 yards (a career best) in a 58-37 win over Ole Miss. Two of those TD passes were over 50 yards.
Quotable: “You know things have changed at LSU when you have 700 yards of total offense and everybody is upset in the locker room.” — Burrow
After a rocky start in the first half, Jalen Hurts leads the Sooners’ 25-point comeback with four touchdowns to hand Baylor its first loss.
Total points: 32 (first-place votes: 0)
Notable: During the first half of the Sooners’ game against Baylor on Saturday, it looked like Hurts’ Heisman candidacy was taking a tumble. Then the second half happened. Hurts led Oklahoma back from a 28-3 second-quarter deficit in a 34-31 comeback win. He passed for 297 yards and ran for 114, finishing with four TDs.
Quotable: “There’s always a way,” Hurts said after the win. “And I think we truly believe that. I know y’all didn’t think we were going to come back and win.”
Total points: 25 (first-place votes: 0)
Notable: Fields, who has put up video game-esque numbers all season, finally gets a chance to be taken more seriously in the race with Ohio State’s game against Penn State on Saturday. For now, though, he continues to beat up on the Big Ten’s bottom feeders, with Rutgers the most recent team to fall. Against the Scarlet Knights, Fields threw four TD passes and a career-high 305 yards.
Quotable: “Game by game, whatever the stats are, that’s what it is,” Fields said. “I’m just glad we got the W.”
Total points: 13 (first-place votes: 0)
Notable: FBS’ leading rusher had another strong performance Saturday, rushing for 122 yards and two TDs in Oklahoma State’s 31-13 win over Kansas. With two games left, Hubbard sits at fifth on the Cowboys’ single-season rushing chart.
Quotable: “He deserves to be there,” Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said of Hubbard getting an invite to the Heisman ceremony. “And I can honestly say that for him because he’s a very humble, hardworking young man. And you know me — I don’t step out there much.”
Total points: 9 (first-place votes: 0)
Notable: Young sat out the second game of his two-game suspension last Saturday. He still has 29 tackles, 13.5 sacks and five forced fumbles this season.
Quotable: “Excited to be back on the field next week! Thank you Buckeye Nation for all the love and support. I’m blessed to be a part of this team, this university, and this community. Lots of love to my family. God Bless and Go Bucks!” — Young on Twitter
Tua Tagovailoa throws for 256 yards and two touchdowns before being carted off in the second quarter with a hip injury.
Total points: 6 (first-place votes: 0)
Notable: Tagovailoa suffered a season-ending hip injury in Alabama’s win over Mississippi State on Saturday. But he’ll still go down as one of Alabama’s best quarterbacks — ever.
Quotable: “He’s one of the best competitors, one of the best young people in college football,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “… He’s the epitome of a winner.”
Total points: 6 (first-place votes: 0)
Notable: For the third time in his career against Nebraska, Taylor ran for more than 200 yards (204 this time). He added two TDs in what was his 11th career 200-yard game in the Badgers’ win. His next 200-yard rushing game will place him third for most in a career by an FBS player.
Quotable: “Who he is and how he goes about this is the thing that you appreciate the most. It is hard to run the ball and to do what he’s been doing, and he’d be the first one to say, it takes everyone. I feel blessed being able to be around him. — Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst
Total points: 5 (first-place votes: 0)
Notable: Lawrence is slowly yet surely creeping back into the race. In a blowout win over Wake Forest, he threw for four TDs (tying a career high) and 272 yards. He also had zero interceptions.
Quotable: “It showed that we’re focused. We don’t feel like we’ve arrived,” Lawrence said. “We have a lot more ahead of us.”
Total points: 4 (first-place votes: 0)
Notable: Herbert had another stellar performance, this time against Arizona. He threw for 333 yards and four TDs in the Ducks’ 34-6 win over the Wildcats (including a 53-yarder on a reverse flea-flicker) — to lead them to their ninth straight win.
Quotable: “He’s a real smart player, he makes good decisions with the ball. He doesn’t give the ball away, he doesn’t make too many mistakes, so you’ve got to force him to make mistakes, try not to give any easy throws, make everything difficult for him, make him think a little bit more, making him work harder.” — Arizona safety Scottie Young Jr., on Herbert