Heisman Watch: Chase Young closes in on Joe Burrow
No. 1 LSU is led by a big game from Joe Burrow and three touchdowns from Clyde Edwards-Helaire in a 56-20 rout of Arkansas. (1:52)
Chase Young returned to the field for Ohio State after sitting out the last two games due to suspension and promptly resumed his dominance. It wasn’t enough to unseat Joe Burrow from atop our list, but he’s getting closer as the season nears its close.
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
Total points: 48 (first-place votes: 8)
Notable: Burrow remains the betting favorite — Caesars Sportsbook has pulled the Heisman odds off the board, and now currently offers a Yes -2000/No +1000 prop on if Burrow will win the Heisman. He continued to show why he’s the front-runner for the award on Saturday, passing for 327 yards and three TDs in LSU’s blowout win over Arkansas. He’s now exceeded 4,000 yards on the season.
Quotable: “We expected this coming into the year. If we were not 11-0 right now, we would be disappointed. That’s a testament to our hard work, but we’ve got more ahead of us.” — Burrow
Total points: 40 (first-place votes: 2)
Notable: Young returned from a two-game suspension for an NCAA rules violation and picked up where he left off, setting Ohio State’s single-season sacks record. Against Penn State, Young’s three sacks gave him 16.5 — the school record. That mark is also the fourth-most in Big Ten history.
Quotable: “I was itching to get back on the field, just not being on there for two weeks. I just tried to give it all I had today, and we won the game, and that’s all we care about.” — Young
J.K. Dobbins rushes for 157 yards and two touchdowns while Justin Fields throws for 188 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes’ 28-17 victory over Penn State.
Total points: 23 (first-place votes: 0)
Notable: Fields helped lead the Buckeyes to a win over No. 9 Penn State on Saturday, throwing for 188 yards and two TDs. He also rushed for 68 yards on 21 carries — but also had two fumbles.
Quotable: “He’s a warrior, I’m telling you,” OSU head coach Ryan Day said. “He’s got the heart of a lion.”
Jalen Hurts accounts for four touchdowns, two passing and two rushing as the Oklahoma Sooners hold off the TCU Horned Frogs 28-24.
Total points: 13 (first-place votes: 0)
Notable: Hurts and the Sooners held on for yet another close win, this time 28-24 over TCU Saturday. He threw for two TDs and ran for another two. Despite an interception and lost fumble, Hurts still passed for 145 yards and ran for 173.
Quotable: “Regardless of the fumble or the pick-six or whatever mess-up I may have had today, we found a way,” Hurts said.
Total points: 10 (first-place votes: 0)
Notable: Hubbard remains FBS’ leading rusher, surpassing 100 yards for the ninth straight game in a win over West Virginia (he finished with 106). He also had seven catches for 88 yards.
Quotable: “Chuba, he’s the real deal,” said West Virginia coach Neal Brown. “I knew coming in he’s a great player. I leave the game, he’s a great player.”
Total points: 10 (first-place votes: 0)
Notable: Here are some eye-popping stats, courtesy of ESPN Stats & Information: After rushing for 222 yards in a win over Purdue on Saturday, Taylor has now rushed for 5,856 yards in his career. That’s the sixth-most in FBS history — and Taylor is just a junior. He’s averaging 153.2 rushing yards per game this season, second in the FBS, and has rushed for 200 yards in each of his last three games.
Quotable: “It was something special, especially because you don’t know. You don’t know if you’re going to be here again. So I think that’s the biggest thing is just being appreciative of that opportunity.” — Taylor on the home fans
Total points: 3 (first-place votes: 0)
Notable: Prior to Tagovailoa’s season-ending hip injury, Alabama’s star QB had thrown for nearly 3,000 yards on the season — and 33 TDs to just three interceptions.
Quotable: “I just can’t thank everyone enough for the amount of support they’ve given me and my family,” Tagovailoa said of his parents and fans.
Total points: 2 (first-place votes: 0)
Notable: Lawrence and Clemson were on a bye this past weekend, so Tigers fans got to bask in the joy of the previous week’s blowout win over Wake Forest. On the season, Lawrence has thrown for 2,575 yards and 27 touchdowns.
Quotable: “The Tigers got a bye week after UNC, and Lawrence has looked primarily like the Lawrence we thought we’d see ever since. He again got baited into a couple of intermediate mistakes early against Louisville, but his numbers over the past six games are brilliant.” — ESPN’s Bill Connelly
Total points: 1 (first-place votes: 0)
Notable: In a win over Arizona, Huntley threw for 211 yards and a touchdown (completing 19 of 23 passes). He’s second in FBS behind Joe Burrow for completion percentage, and third in average yards passing.
Quotable: “I’ve said it for weeks now that in our opinion and in the opinion of the nation, that Tyler is an elite player, an elite quarterback,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham told the Deseret News. “His complete dedication and immersion in the details of what he’s doing and his preparation is outstanding.”