The 2023 college football season has been far from predictable. A major part of the season, the Heisman race, has equally been unpredictable.
Caleb Williams stood as the favorite for a long time, but then he had three interceptions and has lost back-to-back games. Michael Penix Jr. then became the favorite, but he just had an abysmal performance against Arizona State, where he threw multiple interceptions and nearly lost to a one-win team.
Without a clear favorite, this is how the Heisman race is panning out:
Honorable Mention – Ohio State WR – Marvin Harrison Jr.
Being a non-QB makes winning the Heisman much harder, but Harrison Jr. is one or two more slip-ups from those QBs from being a finalist for the trophy. With a huge 11-reception, 162 yards and one TD performance against Penn State, if he can replicate that, he will be sitting pretty.
He has 42 receptions for 766 yards and six TDs on the season. It is not the most jaw-dropping line, but he can get to some impressive numbers with a similar production as his last game.
Washington QB – Michael Penix Jr.
Despite having a bad performance against Arizona State that saw the lefty complete 64.3% of his passes for 275 yards and two interceptions, Penix Jr. is still firmly near the top of the Heisman ladder.
With 2,576 yards, 20 TDs and five interceptions so far, he will continue to push for program records in passing yards. Still, with two big goose eggs in the TD category in two of the past three weeks, his numbers will not be heads and shoulders above other players like it seemed like they would be early on.
Washington can still easily win out and win the Pac-12, but his numbers will need to take a jump more than they are at and he cannot afford a loss the rest of the way. With talented defensive units in Utah and Oregon State and still on the schedule and needing to take down USC and WSU, it seems like a taller task for Penix Jr. than previously predicted.
LSU QB – Jayden Daniels
Holding Daniels back is the two losses that LSU has already taken, one more and he is out of contention. The Tigers will need to run the table and win the SEC with Daniels leading the charge for him to stay near the top, but statistically, he is right there.
With 2,573 yards, 25 TDs, just three interceptions and the second-highest QB rating in the nation, he is just ahead of Penix Jr. in stats but with a worse team record, albeit in the arguably hardest conference.
Oregon QB – Bo Nix
An efficiency darling, Nix has thrown just one interception in 2023 with 19 TDs. He has thrown multiple TDs in every game this season and has completed 78.4% of his passes for 2,089 yards.
Just like a lot of players looking to win the Heisman, winning out would greatly help his case, as he would eliminate a few other Heisman hopefuls in the process of winning the Pac-12.
Michigan QB – J.J. McCarthy
The new betting favorite and efficiency maestro, McCarthy has the Michigan offense looking like a well-oiled machine and as one of the best teams in the country. With the highest QB rating in the country at 93.7, he has passed for 1,799 yards, 18 TDs and three interceptions while completing 78.1% of his passes.
Nix and McCarthy are similar in their statistical outputs and efficiency, with the biggest difference likely coming from team success and voters comparing the conferences they play in.
Florida State QB – Jordan Travis
Finally, the man with some of the biggest wins on this list already. Florida State is a marketable team and Travis is the face of that team, a clear factor in the voters choosing the Heisman.
Statistically, he is still behind some of his counterparts, but the program he plays for gives him arguably the biggest boost.
As for those stats, he has 1,750 yards and 15 TDs with just two interceptions, adding five scores on the ground.
