Week 5: Heisman Candidates Begin Confrence Play
DALLAS (105.3 THE FAN) - With the remaining cream puffs in the rear view mirror, the top Heisman candidates will now begin conference play and the list will continue to shrink.
Like a good game of beer pong, the easy cups have been eliminated, we've re-racked to get a better view of what we're looking at in the near future and we now have a lot better idea who has a good chance at winning…
So without further ado, the Top 10 candidates heading into College week 5...they're previous rankings are noted before they're name.
1. (5) Marcus Mariota Oregon - (didn't play in week 4) Mariota had the week off after he threw for 456 yards and has five total touchdowns against Tennessee. Mariota has officially become the face of the Ducks video-game offense, sharing the spot light intermittently with DeAnthony Thomas. Mariota is averaging 383 yards of offense a game and has a 7-0 touchdown to INT ratio. Marcus starts his PAC-12 campaign against a defense that he lit up for 377 yards and six touchdowns last season…up next: California
2. (3) Johnny Manziel Texas A&M - (244 yards passing, TD, 102 yards rushing, 2 TD's against SMU) Manziel played a little over a half against the Ponies, but still put up solid numbers. Johnny Football now has 15 total TD's on the season and has cemented himself in the top five candidates. A&M's continued national exposure in the SEC will help Manziel the rest of the way out and they're 40-point a game average won't hurt either…up next: Arkansas **Listen to the game Saturday at 5:30 on 105.3 THE FAN**
3. (1) Teddy Bridgewater Louisville - (212 yards passing, 4 TD's against FIU) The biggest NFL QB prospect put up decent numbers in his short stint at the helm of the 72-0 blowout of FIU. Bridgewater is third in QB rating, tied for second with 14 touchdowns and is eighth or better in competition percentage, yards and yards per attempt in the country. Teddy has absolutely obliterated inferior competition this season, posting three games of 4+ passing touchdowns and only one pick as the Cardinals are 4-0. Bridgewater will be severely hurt if Louisville even drops one game, but for now his unreal numbers will carry him a long way…up next: Temple
4. (2) Tajh Boyd Clemson - (244 yards passing, 3 TD's against North Carolina State) Boyd had his first normal human being game against NC State last Thursday, but he still finished with three more TDs on his tally sheet and another Tiger win. Of all the quarterbacks on the list, Boyd has the most pedestrian numbers, but much like McCarron, Manziel and Mariota, his team's success will keep him near the top…up next: Wake Forest
5. (NR) Bryce Petty Baylor - (351 yards passing, 4 TD's, 1 rushing TD against Louisiana-Monroe) Petty has put up absurd numbers in the Bears first three games as Baylor has taken on such juggernauts as: Wofford, Buffalo and Louisiana-Monroe. Bryce won't get the credit he deserves until he proves against Big 12 foes, but if the first month of the season is a precursor, he should be fine. Petty has the best QB rating by a wide margin, is third nationally in percentage and has thrown eight TD's and has no picks. While Lache Seastrunk had the preseason hype as the Big 12's top candidate, Petty's role in Baylor offense will get more pub as the season rolls along…up next: West Virginia.
6. (NR) AJ McCarron Alabama (20-26, 258 yards, TD against Colorado State) McCarron had a solid game against another outmatched opponent, but only threw for one TD and had a pick. AJ will continue to be in the discussion as the face of the best team in the country, but Bama's style of offense and continued dominance on the scoreboard will likely hold him back of putting up ridiculous numbers. McCarron has another shot to make an impression as the Crimson Tide takes on yet another ranked conference opponent…up next: no. 21 Ole Miss.
7. (8) Todd Gurley Georgia - (91 yards rushing, TD against North Texas) Gurley was impressive against the Mean Green in the Bulldogs win on Saturday. He has taken over the reins of the Heisman hopes for Georgia and has EASILY the best chance to skyrocket up the standings as he will be front and center this Saturday in the biggest matchup of the weekend…up next: No. 6 LSU **Listen to the game Saturday at 2:00pm on the 105.3 THE FAN**
8. (5) Jameis Winston Florida State - (148 yards passing, 2 TD's against Bethune-Cookman) Famous Jameis took a huge step back from his red-hot start to the season with a subpar game against an absolute cupcake in week four. Winston will have the numbers to keep him in the hunt, but the freshman will need some opening weekend type performances to boost his ranking…up next: Boston College.
9. (NR) Melvin Gordon Wisconsin - the nation's leading rusher through four weeks deserves a spot on the list after he smoked Purdue for nearly a buck-50 on the ground. The sophomore has rushed for at least 140 in all four Badger games and has found pay dirt seven times already this season. Gordon has a huge opportunity against the fourth ranked Buckeyes to put his name on the national map and if he continues to rush for almost 12 yards a carry, has a real shot at the top 5…up next: No. 4 Ohio State
10. (6) Lache Seastrunk Baylor - (156 yards rushing, TD against Louisiana-Monroe) Seastrunk is averaging a ridiculous 11 yards per carry this season and has rushed for 111, 150 and 156 in the Bears three blowouts so far. With conference play starting this week, Seastrunk should actually get more touches than he has the past three weeks and should continue to shine in the Bears up tempo offense…up next: West Virginia
Keep an eye on:
(7) Aaron Murray Georgia - Todd Gurley is receiving a lot of the credit for the Bulldogs success over the past few weeks, but a big game against LSU can shoot him right back up the rankings. ***game airs Saturday at 2pm on the FAN***
Brett Hundley UCLA - The sophomore QB jumped on to the scene in the Bruins blowout win over Nebraska. He'll need a few more impressive outings to jump into the top 10.
Derek Carr Fresno State - The senior lit up Boise State for 460 yards passing and four TDs. He could sneak his way into the top 10 next week with a big game against Hawaii.
(9) DeAnthony Thomas Oregon - the speedster is averaging 112 yards per game on the ground and has six touchdowns for the Ducks high-flying attack. Unfortunately his play is being outshined by his running mate Marcus Mariota.
The upcoming big boy games should weed out the pretenders in the Heisman race, thus, the list will be shortened by a few names every week going forward. Enjoy the time in the top ten while you can fellas.
As always if I missed someone, feel free to let me know on twitter @itsnatewood.
Happy footballing everyone.
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