Heisman Rankings After Week Five

Writer: Aaron Hendon

The 1st month of the college football season is over, heading into week 5 these are my top 5 heisman candidates.

1st- Saquon Barkley, RB Penn St.

Coming in ranked 2nd in the Big 10 in terms of points and yards per game, the Nittany Lions are racking up 471 yards of total offense each week, 191 of those, coming from Saquon Barkley. Not to mention what he can do in the special teams game, averaging 32.3 yards per kick return, with 1 taken all the way to the house. Not to mention Penn St. is beginning to look like the favorite to run the Big 10, if that ends up being the case, you’ll see the Penn St. running back in New York City December 2nd.

2nd- Baker Mayfield, QB OU.

Well i hope y’all didn’t forget who your daddy was because Baker Mayfield will sure remind you. The heart, soul, and fire comes from under center in #6 on that Sooner Offense. Out of all power 5 conferences, Baker is top 5 in passing touchdowns, completion percentage, and total QBR., not to mention his 13 touchdowns to 0 picks. The man is simply on fire which is why the Sooners have the number one total offense in all of college football.

3rd- Bryce Love, RB Stanford

What is not to LOVE about Bryce LOVE? Replacing someone like Christian McCaffrey is never easy, unless that replacement, through his 1st 5 games in the spotlight, out rushes and has run for more than McCaffrey did in his 1st 9 games last season before going pro. Love isn’t as much as an all purpose back when it comes to receiving or on special teams, but Love leads all of college football in yards per game and per attempt for that matter by a landslide, not to mention he’s responsible for a third of Stanford’s touchdowns.

4th- Luke Faulk, QB Washington St.

The third year starter for the Washington St. Cougars, Luke Faulk, is on pace to once again throw for over 4,400 yards and 35+ touchdowns. His heisman hopes look a tad more promising this year as the Cougs are still undefeated after taking down USC last Friday, and control their own destiny only having to play 2 more ranked teams the rest of the season, albeit 5 of their last 7 games will be on the road. With Faulk at the helm, they ought to have no problems putting crooked numbers on the board.

5th- Lamar Jackson, QB Louisville

Not quite like last year but Lamar Jackson continues to put up video game numbers. Completing 64% of his passes, which is far better than 2016, while also averaging more yards per attempt. Looking about the same on the ground, having 3 of his 5 games with over 100 yards on the ground on top of the 250 yards + passing. Defenses may have figured him out somewhat, but they still cannot stop him completely. Lamar is still very capable of taking home the heisman for the 2nd straight year, but he’s got some work cut out for him, with the tough competition he’s behind.

FIVE DARK HORSE HEISMAN CANDIDATES

Writer: Anthony Aleman

                                                         http://www.Montgomeryadvertiser.com

As the collegiate football season swings into action, the yearly discussion about the nation’s most coveted award has also grown tremendously. The Heisman trophy, awarded to Quarterback Lamar Jackson of Louisville last year could potentially find itself another winner this year as many playmakers across the country such as Sam Darnold, Saquon Barkley, and Jackson seem to be the favorites for it. However, we aren’t going to be talking about those players, today the discussion will be centered around the top five dark horse Heisman candidates around the nation. Let’s get right into it.

1. Blake Barnett QB Arizona State University

Barnett, a former Under Armour All American and University of Alabama Quarterback looks to take the Sun Devils to tides never reached before. Losing the Quarterback battle to Jalen Hurts at Alabama last year seems to have lit a fire under Barnett, and under the guidance of Billy Napier and with the help of talent such as N’keal Harry, expect a huge season from Barnett.

2.  Will Grier QB West Virginia University

The former Florida Gator gunslinger looked destined to become one of the next best Florida players in history, but a yearlong suspension for taking banned substances caused that ship to sink. Now a new environment with the same coordinator who helped Johnny Manziel win a Heisman and a high powered up tempo offense should help Griers chances of winning not only the Heisman but also a conference title.

3. Jarrett Stidham QB Auburn University

A former top recruit with a very talented skill set could wreak havoc in the SEC this year after transferring over from Baylor. Stidham has received nothing but rave reviews from coaches and media both, so have high expectations for Stidham and the auburn tigers this year.

4. Trayveon Williams RB Texas A&M

The up and coming running back took charge of a crowded backfield last year for the aggies and was one of the few bright spots last year in what was a lackluster year. With a Quarterback battle brewing between three guys, look for Williams to receive the ball tons of times, whether it’s through a hand off or a pass from the backfield.

5. Shane Buechele QB University of Texas

The freshmen who was supposed to take over the state of texas last year faltered under the Charlie Strong regime, however quarterback and offense guru Tom Herman has now taken the reigns of this team. Buechele will have to adjust to a slightly different offense and have to fend off competition from quarterback Sam Ehlinger, but if Buechele can progress well then look for Texas to become a perennial powerhouse under the dynamic duo of QB and Head Coach.

Any comments or thoughts, feel free to tweet me @anthony_aleman_