Heisman Hopefuls

RANK	PLAYER	TEAM	POSITION	STOCK
1	Marcus Mariota		Quarterback	Up
2	Dak Prescott		Quarterback	Up
3	Ameer Abdullah		Running Back	Up
4	Jameis Winston		Quarterback	Level
5	Melvin Gordon		Running Back	Level
6	Amari Cooper		Wide Receiver	Up
7	Nick Marshall		Quarterback	Level
8	Everett Golson		Quarterback	Level
9	Shaq Thompson		Linebacker/Running back	Up
10	Todd Gurley		Running Back	Down

 

 

 

 

 

Marcus Mariota

Working for him:  

-          Leads the most exciting offense in college football

-          He’s been among the best players in the nation three years in a row

-          68.1% Completions (6^th)

-          91.2 QBR (1^st)

-          2951 Total Yards

-          33 TD’s (26 passing, 7 rushing)

-          Key Wins- Michigan State, UCLA, Washington, Stanford

Working against him:

-          31-24 loss at home to Arizona

-          Prescott has bigger matchups ahead

 

 

Dak Prescott

Working for him:

-          He’s the best player on the No. 1 team in college football

-          Upcoming games against Alabama, Ole Miss and potentially the SEC Championship

-          81.7 QBR (9^th)

-          26 Total TD’s (10 rushing, 16 passing)

-          2025 passing yard

-          725 rushing yards

Working against him:

-          Has to play at Alabama (4^th ranked scoring d) and at Ole Miss (19^th ranked scoring d)

-          Competition- had a great game on the road at LSU but was shaky in a win over Auburn, turning the ball over three times (2 INT’s, 1 fumbles).  He’ll have to have his best games against Bama and Ole Miss

 

Ameer Abdullah

Working for him:

-          He’s the key to Nebraska’s offense and for most of the season carried them to their 8-1 record

-          1250 rushing yards

-          17 rushing TD’s

-          6.7ypc

-          Four 200+ games

-          Nebraska’s next three B1G West games (@ Wisc, vs. Minn, @ Iowa) provide great exposure

Working against him:

-          Only had 45 yards on 24 carries (1.9ypc) against Michigan State

-          Only six running backs have won the Heisman in the last 20 years.

 

Jameis Winston

Working for him:

-          21-0 as a starter

-          2,279 passing yards

-          82.4 QBR (7^th)

-          18 TD’s

-          Come from behind wins over NC State, Notre Dame and Louisville

-          Offense averages 40.6ppg with Winston

Working against him:

-          Off-field issues

-          Missed the Clemson game due to suspension

-          Numbers are behind last year’s Heisman numbers

 

Melvin Gordon

Working for him:

-          166.9ypg (3^rd)

-          1296 rushing yards (4^th)

-          19 Total TD’s (2^nd)

-          7.5ypc

-          Upcoming games against Nebraska, @ Iowa, Minnesota offer opportunities for “Heisman Moment”

Working against him:

-          Missed second half in loss to LSU

-          38 yards on 17 carries (2.2ypc) against Western Illinois

-          Like Abdullah, running backs rarely win

-          Weak competition so far and will need to put up huge numbers in his next three games