Week 7 Updated Heisman Trophy Contendors Odds List

You and I both know that, after the busy games we saw in Week 6 and the surprises that came with them in the NCAA Football lines, the names that should be on top of the Heisman Trophy contention list ahead of Week 7 includes household online betting favorites like Trevone Boykin, Leonard Fournette and Ezekiel Elliot, who all continued to dazzle the football lines with their impressive performances. And true to our word, we will (in the later course of this article) take a look at how these regular stars beefed up their stocks in Heisman contention. However, to get us started, we will be taking a different approach in this week’s Heisman watch by starting with a mention of some stars, who’ve equally been impressive this season for their respective teams, but have been hushed in the Heisman conversations due to a varied number of reasons—including injuries, suspensions, and overall non-performance from the rest of the team. With that, here is our Heisman Trophy watchlist after Week 6.

Week 7 Updated Heisman Trophy Contendors Odds List

In latest Heisman Watch, Leonard Fournette is still #1 while Trevone Boykin narrows the gap. http://t.co/LJ55pRPl8A pic.twitter.com/YZlAQvQZ5C

— ESPN CollegeFootball (@ESPNCFB) October 13, 2015

Honorable Mentions!

Patrick Mahomes, QB, Texas Tech

If there wasn’t some sort of media bias against the Red Raiders, or if Mahomes adorned a jersey for another big-name team like Baylor, he would have easily been at the lips of every college football pundit talking about the Heisman. Unfortunately for him, his 2264 passing yards on the season (3rd-best in the nation) and 19 passing TDs (4th-best in the nation) this year are only celebrated by fans in Texas and a select few people in the diaspora (like me). Mind you, this is a sophomore player whose games this season have come against top-notch teams, including TCU, Baylor, Arkansas and Iowa State, yet he’s thrown for 350-plus yards in all but one of his six games on the season. And on that one occasion, which was against Arkansas, he made his throws count, hitting on 26 of his 30 passes for two passing TDs, along with 2 rushing TDs and 50-plus rushing yards. Sadly, college football it’s a media oriented world, and the Red Raiders (4-2) narrowly lost in an oh-so-lucky 55-52 win by TCU  in Week 4, before losing 63-35 to Baylor in Week 5, so Mahomes’ name won’t feature much in Heisman contention. But in a different world, you can’t help but feel that he would have been a truly celebrated hero.

Carl Nassib, DE, Penn State

Since suffering the shock 27-10 loss at Temple in Week 1, the Nittany Lions have racked up five straight wins and are currently third in the Big Ten East, thanks to their mean defense. Though Penn State is scoring just 25 PPG, Nassib and his D-line have been a force to reckon with, allowing just 14.3 PPG (good for 11th-best in the nation). Even more notably, Nassib leads the nation with 10 sacks, along with 27 combined tackles (17 of those being solo efforts), and one interception. With such a solid defensive presence, it is no wonder the 6-7, 272-pound senior is attracting quite some attention from the NFL scouts.

Matt Johnson, QB, Bowling Green

Admittedly, I didn’t know about the Bowling Green Falcons until very recently, and the only reason I can talk about them is because of the exploits of the 6-0, 219-pound senior QB Matt Johnson. Ahead of Week 7’s games, this Harrisburg, PA native leads the nation with 2534 yards, ahead of many of your so-called stars. And his efficiency isn’t bad either, as he has tallied 19 passing touchdowns with three interceptions on 69.1 percent pass completion. Playing in the weak MAC conference has probably helped his numbers, and the 4-2 season record for the Falcons will make things difficult for him in the Heisman race, but that doesn’t mean he is not a talent worthy of plaudits. The fact that he was included in the “Great 8” Week 6 top performers after going 33-of-39 for 450 yards and five TDs on Saturday against UMass already shows that he is starting to get the attention he deserves. If his can keep up his solid partnership with Roger Lewis, who leads the nation with 902 receiving yards on 48 receptions this season, the two will definitely earn themselves some solid money when they decide to turn pro.

Joshua Dobbs, QB, Tennessee

With just 1101 passing yards and 8 TDs against two interceptions, it is easy to overlook Dobbs’ reputation as a QB. But your mind will definitely change when you hear what he can do with his legs. On the season, he has rushed for nearly 400 yards and tallied 5 additional scores on the ground. Last weekend was probably his best performance of the season so far, as he tallied a career-high 430 total yards (312 passing, 118 rushing) and 5 TDs (three passing, two rushing), helping the Vols to rally back from a 21-point deficit against Georgia for a huge conference win. Unfortunately, Tennessee has too many losses on the season, which discredits Dobbs’ contention for the Heisman

The Heisman Favorites After Week 6

Trevone Boykin, QB, TCU

The dual threat QB was very instrumental in the come-from-behind win over Kansas State, throwing for 301 yards and two passing TDs on 20-for-30 passing, while also running 11 times for 124 yards with two additional scores on the ground. In that win over the Wildcats, he accounted for more than 78 percent of TCU’s total offense, and also added a crucial block for good measure in the running score by Aaron Green. For the season, Boykin has accounted for 26 total touchdowns (21 passing, 6 rushing) in six games, together with 2103 passing yards and 366 rushing yards.

Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU

He did not hit the 200-yard mark like he did in LSU’s first four games, but he still tallied a decent 158 rushing yards in three quarters, including an 87-yard touchdown in the win over the Gamecocks. More notably, his performance against the Gamecocks took his season tally of 1,022 rushing yards in five games, making him the fastest LSU player to reach 1,000 rushing yards in a season, while also tying him with 10 other FBS players on reaching the 1,000-yard rushing mark.

Ezekiel Elliot, RB, Ohio State

QBs Cardale Jones and J.T Barrett combined for 5 TDs in the Week 6 win over Maryland, which helped in offsetting the heavy burden on Elliot’s shoulders, but the running back still combined for 153 yards and two scores on 27 touches in the emphatic win. Elliot now has 10 TDs to his name this season and will be looking to claim his 12th-straight 100-yard rushing game (dating back to last season) when the Bucks go against Penn State this week.

Corey Coleman, WR, Baylor

The Coleman-Seth Russell WR-QB combination continued to blossom in Week 6, as Coleman posted seven catches for 108 yards with two touchdowns against Kansas. Notably, the star receiver now has 13 TD receptions to his name, one shy of Kendall Wright’s school record of 14 (set in 2011). His 678 receiving yards on 31 receptions through five games also place him fifth-best in the nation in yardages through the air.

Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State

Thanks to his 269-yard, three-touchdown effort in the 29-24 win against Miami (FL) in Week 6, and the unfortunate season-ending injury to Georgia’s RB Nick Chubb, Cook has risen to third in the pecking order of top running backs fighting for the Heisman trophy. In his 88 rushing attempts this season, he’s now racked up 792 yards and 8 TDs on the ground, together with 71 receiving yards and one receiving TD.

Other Up-and-Coming Favorites:

Devontae Booker (RB, Utah), Josh Doctson (WR, TCU), Derrick Henry (RB, Alabama), Myles Garrett (DE, Texas A&M), Seth Russell (QB, Baylor).