Heisman Watch: Week 13

The college football regular season is winding down, and with that, comes the push for the Heisman Trophy. Only two weeks are left for the regular season, but multiple candidates will be able to make one last push in their conference championship game.

The Heisman Trophy has taken criticism in the past because of the amount of quarterbacks that win the award. It’s supposed to go to college football’s most outstanding player. This season though, is looking like the first year since 2020 and just the third time in the last 15 years that it won’t go to a quarterback.

The current favorite is Travis Hunter at Colorado. This comes as no surprise with Hunter’s success this season as a two-way player. He’s compiled 911 receiving yards and nine touchdowns through 10 games offensively. Defensively, he’s got 24 tackles, three interceptions, eight passes defended, and a forced fumble, which gave Colorado a big win over Baylor.

Another plus for Hunter came when Colorado traveled to Arizona. Hunter was matched up with Tetairoa McMillan, who leads the Power Four in receiving yards, a matchup highly anticipated by NFL scouts. McMillan was held to just five catches for 38 yards.

The closest competitor to Hunter is Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty. He currently sits at 1,893 rushing yards, over 400 more than the next best. Jeanty was the favorite for a good portion of the season, but even though he’s still had great performances, he’s come back to earth in recent weeks.

Does Boise State not being in a Power Four conference hurt Jeanty’s chances? It’s hard to say, but it looks as if the award will come down to him and Hunter. If he has three more fantastic games to end the year, he could make a push to overtake Hunter.

The top quarterback is Miami’s Cameron Ward. He currently leads the FBS with 3,494 passing yards and 32 touchdowns. His Heisman status took a hit when Miami lost to Georgia Tech, but he still threw for 348 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Should he have dipped after that performance?

The only other two candidates who seem to have a chance at this point are two Big Ten quarterbacks, Indiana’s Kurtis Rourke and Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel. Rourke has Ohio State this week, and Gabriel has the Big Ten Championship ahead. How high can they climb with big performances and victories in those games?

At this point, it seems like the award will come down to Hunter and Jeanty, which would be a complete turn of events. Neither are quarterbacks or powerhouses even though their teams are competing for a playoff spot right now. Why shouldn’t it be that way though? Why shouldn’t the Heisman trophy veer from its typical script to go along with this college football season as a whole?

Jacob Rudy is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jar7371@psu.edu.