Midseason Heisman Contenders and Pretenders

Tyler Kemp

We are more than six weeks into the College Football season which means two things: 1) the perennial College Football Playoff contenders are beginning to establish themselves and 2) the legitimate contenders for the Heisman trophy are beginning to make their presence felt on the field and making their case to the voters. Although there are a handful of great players that are worthy of a seat at the Playstation Theater in New York City in December, only a select few will be able to make the flight to the Big Apple. The contenders are the players that have a strong chance of hearing their name called as a potential winner. On the other hand, the pretenders have a solid chance, but are likely to fall somewhere within the 6-10 range on the voter's list. Here's where the top players land:

Pretender: Lamar Jackson (QB, Louisville)

It's only right that I start with the defending winner from a year ago. Although Jackson is currently 4th in the country in passing yards with 1,990 and a solid TD/INT ratio of 14:4, it's the supporting cast around him that is likely to hold him back from being the first player since Archie Griffin in 1974 and 1975 to win back to back Heisman trophies. Louisville is currently 4-2 after a tough loss to North Carolina State last Thursday and fell out of the Top 25 poll as a result. Jackson played very well with 354 yards passing, 3 total touchdowns (1 in the air, 2 on the ground), and 1 interception. This is a very solid stat line, but the Cardinals as a group looked overmatched and got outplayed by a more experienced Wolfpack squad. It's possible we could see the reigning winner in New York in December, but it will be an uphill battle from here on out as the Cardinals are liable to slip up during the rest of the season.

Contender: Bryce Love (RB, Stanford)

Pop quiz: Who is currently the leading rusher in all of College Football? If you said Saquon Barkley out of Penn State, it's a good guess, but he's currently 13th in the nation at 649 yards. If you said Rashaad Penny from San Diego State, you're a loyal college football fan that pays attention to all schools around the country but still, no dice (he's currently 2nd). The correct answer is Bryce Love at Stanford. Love currently has 1,240 yards rushing and 9 touchdowns and is coming off of a 152 yard and 1 TD performance in a resilient win over the 20th ranked Utah Utes. Love is still on pace to beat Barry Sanders' single season record of 2,850 rushing yards, but he is going to have to run like a madman if he wants to sniff the record. If Love even comes close to Barry's 1988 record, he definitely should get a seat as a finalist in New York regardless of Stanford's record. The last time we saw a running back go for over 2,000 yards and was a Heisman finalist was Andre Williams back in 2013 at Boston College, who posted a mediocre 7-6 record that year. If Stanford is even bowl eligible, that would be the shot that Love would need to be the first Stanford winner since Jim Plunkett back in 1970, the only Cardinal player to win the award.

Pretender: Sam Darnold (QB, USC)

As much as I love Darnold as a future professional quarterback (because my Jets need one desperately), the numbers have not been as gaudy as people around College Football expected. The USC quarterback currently has 1,705 yards passing but here's where the problem lies: his TD/INT ratio is 12:9. Heisman voters do not have much love for players that turn the ball over. Although Deshaun Watson was clearly the best player in College Football last season, his 17 interceptions could be a prime reason why he did not receive the honor compared to Lamar Jackson's 9 from a year ago. In addition, USC has a few more tough tests to pass during the second half of the year. The Trojans have a tough matchup with Utah this upcoming Saturday and in almost two weeks time, they have a date with #16 Notre Dame in South Bend, which is never easy for anyone. They end the regular season against UCLA at home but if they can escape their schedule relatively unscathed, they are in for a battle with either Washington or Washington State in the Pac 12 Championship. With Darnold's not so spectacular numbers and inconsistent skill players on offense, the potential #1 overall pick has a rough road to earn a spot in New York City.

Contender: Baker Mayfield (QB, Oklahoma)

Before everyone comes crashing down on Mayfield's Heisman hopes due to a loss to Iowa State last Saturday, let's not forgot all the work that he has done to get to this point so far this year. Mayfield currently has 1,635 yards passing and 15 touchdowns through 5 games and a glaring number on his stat line: 0 interceptions. Heisman voters love players that can take care of the ball and at this rate, Mayfield is still feeling the love. The Boomer Sooners are currently 4-1 and do not have another really tough game after their Red River Rivalry matchup against Texas. The revival of the Big 12 Championship possibly gives Mayfield another chance to prove his worth to his OU team if Oklahoma ends up in the game in December. The two time finalist has a very good shot of being the first Sooner to win since Sam Bradford took home the stiff arm trophy back in 2008.

Pretender: Luke Falk (QB, Washington State)

I'm going to throw out a name that has not been thrown out a lot when it comes to Heisman contenders through six weeks of football. Luke Falk from Washington State has quietly been one of the most proficient passers in college football over the last 4 years. He has almost 13,000 career passing yards along with 108 passing touchdowns to his credit (both WSU records). This year has been no different as he has exactly 2,000 yards passing along with a 19:2 TD/INT ratio along with a an undefeated 6-0 record so far this season. While everything sounds great for Falk's Heisman resume, I am still skeptical of the Cougars team as a unit. Their only tough game for the rest of the year is the Apple Cup on November 25th against Washington at the end of the regular season. Until then, Falk does have a good chance to run through his competition for the rest of the season. A relatively weak schedule along with inflated stats from an air raid offense can possibly hold Falk back as a Heisman finalist come December.

Contender: Saquon Barkley (RB, Penn State)

The most exciting player to watch in College Football, hands down. Whenever Saquon Barkley has the ball in his hands, you better get your Snapchats ready because within 10 seconds, he could make a play that will go viral in a matter of minutes. Although Barkley is sitting at 13th in rushing yards, he sits at 2nd in all purpose yards at 1,302 which includes rushing, receiving, and returning. He is also the most accurate thrower of the football in College sitting at 1/1 for 16 yards and a touchdown. Seeing Barkley perform at such a high level on a big stage every Saturday is reminiscent of how Christian McCaffrey used to carve up the Pac 12 in 2016 and 2015. On top of his individual performance, the Nittany Lions are the class of the Big 10 East division so far at 6-0. With tough matchups against #17 Michigan at home and #9 Ohio State on the road in back to back weeks, Barkley has a chance to create his Heisman moment that will be remembered forever against stiff competition.

(Dark Horse) Contender: Rashaad Penny (RB, San Diego State)

Every year, there's always a guy that finishes in the top 10 in Heisman voting that will make you say five words while researching College Football history: Who the hell is that? In 2012, quarterback Collin Klein from Kansas State finished 3rd in votes. In 2013, quarterback Jordan Lynch from Northern Illinois also finished 3rd. 2014, linebacker Scooby Wright of Arizona finished 9th. In 2015, quarterback Keenan Reynolds out of Navy finished 5th in voting. Last year, running back Donnel Pumphrey from San Diego State finished 10th. This year, another San Diego State product has the chance to make you say, "who?" Rashaad Penny, who was Pumphrey's backup at SDSU last year, has stepped in and become another dynamic running back to watch on Saturdays alongside the aforementioned Saquon Barkley. While Barkley is currently 2nd in all purpose yards, Penny is the man who has the lead in that department. If he can keep up his rate of play for the rest of the year and San Diego State can continue to run the table in the Mountain West Conference (the Aztecs are currently 6-0), Penny is in the perfect position to be an unsung hero for his team and can possibly steal some hardware from the big name contenders.

The second half of the regular season is upon us, and it will be an exciting race to the finish line up until we hear the following words on December 9th: "And the winner of the 2017 Heisman Memorial Trophy is..."