Dak Prescott's Heisman Chances Will Be Hurt by Mississippi State's Week off

In our fast-paced, overreaction society, the worst thing that can happen to one of the best players in the country is having a week out of the spotlight. 

Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott is about to find out how fickle the winds can be in the Heisman race. The Bulldogs are off this week before a showdown at Kentucky on October 25. Meanwhile, two of his main competitors for the award are in action this week. 

One of them, Notre Dame quarterback Everett Golson, has a showcase game on the road at Florida State. If he has a huge game against the Seminoles, the Heisman race is going to swing in his favor. 

According to ESPN.com's Heisman Watch, the top five candidates for the award are Prescott, Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota, Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon, Golson and Georgia running back Todd Gurley. 

Gordon and Gurley are non-factors this week. Wisconsin has a bye, while Gurley remains indefinitely suspended while Georgia investigates whether he received money for "autographs, memorabilia or the use of his likeness," per ESPN's Joe Schad.

Prescott moved into the Heisman catbird seat following last week's 38-23 win over Auburn. There were moments in that game when it looked like his campaign would be derailed, particularly on back-to-back drives early in the second quarter that ended with interceptions. 

Fortunately for Prescott's Heisman hopes and Mississippi State's title hopes, he was able to right the ship and finished the game with 367 yards of total offense (246 passing, 121 rushing) and four touchdowns (two passing, two rushing). 

ESPN's Joe Tessitore found in his Heismanology that Prescott has the biggest lead in the five years that the network has been conducting this poll, via SEC Network:

This is a case of recency bias. Not to say that Prescott isn't deserving of being the Heisman favorite, but it also helps that we've just seen Mississippi State beat LSU, Texas A&M and Auburn in consecutive weeks. 

However, one could argue that LSU and Texas A&M were overrated at the time of the games. LSU got blown out by Auburn two weeks after Mississippi State's win, and the Tigers squeaked by a mediocre Florida team last week. 

Texas A&M started the year playing well, but one thing we know about Kevin Sumlin teams is that they don't play defense. The Aggies got blown out at home against Mississippi after losing to the Bulldogs.

This isn't denigrating what Prescott or Mississippi State have done; it's just an examination of the schedule and teams played thus far. 

As for the competition, Mariota started the year as a Heisman favorite and really hasn't done anything to fall out of the race. Even in Oregon's loss against Arizona, he threw for 276 yards and two touchdowns. On the season, the junior quarterback has the most passing touchdowns without an interception among FBS players, via ESPN's College GameDay:

There are questions to be raised about the schedule that Oregon has played thus far, but its win over Michigan State, currently ranked eighth, is better than any win Mississippi State currently has, with the exception of Auburn. 

In that win over the Spartans, Mariota was masterful with 318 passing yards, 42 rushing yards and three touchdowns. 

Mariota has a chance to fill up the stat sheet against Washington at Autzen Stadium to remind everyone why he was a favorite coming into the year. Keep in mind he's playing behind a terrible offensive line and still putting up gaudy numbers. 

Golson's stock has taken a dip recently thanks to nine turnovers in the last three weeks. A lot can be forgiven if you have a great game on the road against the defending national champions, who are currently undefeated. 

There is a long way to go before the Heisman race is decided. Prescott still has marquee games against Alabama and Mississippi to secure the trophy. He's just got the misfortune, through no fault of his own, of sitting on the sidelines while his closest competitors have a chance to move up the ranks. 

If you want to talk sports, hit me up on Twitter @adamwells1985.