NCAA Football Heisman Predictions
Let’s look at who the movers and shakers were in Week 6 for the short-list for the 2014 Heisman Trophy, in a week when there was indeed plenty of movement.
Heisman Forecast
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Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia
In a week that saw most of the slam-dunk candidates lose their Week 6 games, the junior RB has emerged from the chaos as the top dog. He’s certainly the Top ‘Dawg, as well.
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Along with his 163 rushing yards and two TDs in a blow-out win of Vanderbilt, he added a 50-yard passing TD that was thrown on a rope to TE Jeb Blazevich. Is there nothing on the football field that Gurley can’t do?
His 773 rush yards and eight TDs would certainly suggest so. Next up for Gurley and Georgia is a trickier divisional game versus Missouri.
Dak Prescott, QB, Mississippi State
Legendary Florida alum Tim Tebow won a Heisman. Prescott’s game resembles Tebow’s so much (with maybe a little more passing accuracy) that it’s only natural to believe Prescott is in the hunt for the 2014 hardware.
State’s 48-31 handling of visiting power Texas A&M also went a long way to stick in voter’s minds. In what was the biggest weekend for football maybe in Mississippi’s history (Ole Miss also won its game against Alabama) Prescott was one of the exclamation points of an upset-filled weekend.
His 345 total yards and five total TDs in the A&M win don’t hurt, either. In a weekend where A&M pivot Kenny Hill’s Heisman candidacy tumbled downward, Prescott’s chances rocketed in the other direction.
Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon
Even with an upset loss to Arizona this past week, Mariota looked so flawless beforehand that you have to still consider him in the thick of things.
The junior had 276 yards and two TDs against the Wildcats, and also caught a TD pass. His normally potent scrambling game was silenced in the loss, but his season line of 1,411 passing yards and 18 total TDs still is mighty impressive.
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It helps Mariota perhaps that so many upper-echelon schools fell on the same weekend, and a one-loss team will almost surely represent at least one spot in the FBS playoff. Don’t count out Oregon’s biggest weapon.
Everett Golson, QB, Notre Dame
Golson’s stats aren’t as sexy as some of the other Heisman candidates, but so far this year (and throughout his career) he’s done what few other team leaders can: Win. Every time.
Last week’s comeback win against Stanford looked like Golson was making a statement to the Heisman committee. The senior has 1,383 passing yards and a 13-3 TD/INT ratio and he’s also found the endzone four times on the ground.
With a smashing of (a symbolic power, if nothing else) Michigan and a character-building victory over the Cardinal, Golson has the 5-0 Irish thinking FBS playoff. Having the mystical aura of the golden helmet doesn’t hurt, either.
If Notre Dame keep winning, it will be impossible to discount Golson near the top of this list.
Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin
What Gordon lacks in team cache, he makes up for in sheer production.
The junior has three games this season already in which he’s eclipsed 180 rushing yards, which is remarkable. Gordon sits at 871 rush yards and 10 total TDs already in 2014.
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He also suffers from a similar affliction to Mariota, as Wisconsin got upset last week at Northwestern. The Badgers run game is off the charts, but sitting at 3-2, the team is stumbling out of the blocks and there always seems to be a tie with the Heisman winner and one of the nation’s elite teams.
Playing in Madison – as much as it’s great for how much Gordon gets the rock – might end up hurting his Heisman hopes.
DARKHORSE: Bo Wallace, QB, Ole Miss
My last Darkhorse pick (BYU pivot Taysom Hill) promptly went out and fractured his leg, so I want to be careful I don’t start a curse here. However, we’d be remit if you we didn’t mention the heroic senior that led the Rebels to an unforgettable victory at home against the Evil Empire of Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide.
The senior from Tennessee has 1,522 pass yards and 14 TDs, which is nothing to sneeze at. He’s thrown six picks on the campaign, so Wallace is not immune to the occasional brain-fart. Yet, if Wallace keeps guiding his Rebs to the top of the college landscape, it might be impossible to ignore the feel-good story in Oxford.
Check out our Updated College Football Week 7 Odds.
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