Heisman Watch 2023: Latest Race Predictions Entering Week 13

The 2023 Heisman Trophy is down to four players, three quarterbacks and one wide receiver.

LSU Tigers quarterback Jayden Daniels is the slight betting favorite going into Week 13, but he has just one game left to showcase himself to voters.

Oregon Ducks quarterback Bo Nix and Washington Huskies signal-caller Michael Penix Jr. are one Oregon win away from facing each other in the Pac-12 Championship Game, a contest that could decide the Heisman and a College Football Playoff berth.

Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. has an outside chance of winning the award, but he needs two of the best games in his career to shift votes away from any of the three quarterbacks

1. Bo Nix

Brandon Sloter/Image Of Sport/Getty Images

TEMPE, ARIZONA - NOVEMBER 18: Bo Nix #10 of the Oregon Ducks celebrates after throwing a touchdown pass in the first quarter during a game against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Mountain America Stadium on November 18, 2023 in Tempe, Arizona. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Image Of Sport/Getty Images)

Nix has the most to gain over the next two weeks.

The Oregon quarterback is playing his best football at the moment, as he enters Week 13 off consecutive 400-yard passing performances with 10 total touchdowns.

Nix plays in the highest-profile game of the three Heisman quarterback contenders on Friday against the Oregon State Beavers.

Another standout performance in the rivalry game in front of a national audience would do wonders for Nix's Heisman candidacy.

That would set up the Pac-12 Championship Game against Washington as a winner-takes-all showdown for the Heisman and the CFB Playoff.

Nix produced 337 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the first meeting with Washington.

A strong case could be made for Oregon to be favored in Las Vegas because its defense played fantastic football during its five-game winning streak, while Washington won a handful of one-score games to remain undefeated.

2. Jayden Daniels

Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images

BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA - NOVEMBER 11: Jayden Daniels #5 of the LSU Tigers throws the ball against the Florida Gators during a game at Tiger Stadium on November 11, 2023 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

Daniels' statistics forced the LSU quarterback to the forefront of the Heisman discussion in the last month.

The senior quarterback has 46 total touchdowns and he has the potential to reach 5,000 total yards with a huge outing against the Texas A&M Aggies on Saturday.

Daniels needs to be at his best on Saturday afternoon because that will be the last time Heisman voters see him play before voting concludes.

The LSU signal-caller had over 500 total yards of offense in his last two games, but some voters may not be too impressed by his latest showing since it came against the Georgia State Panthers.

Daniels must put up huge numbers against Texas A&M to make the best Heisman case possible, but it may not be enough to get him past Nix, if Oregon avenges its loss to Washington next week.

3. Michael Penix Jr.

Tom Hauck/Getty Images

CORVALLIS, OREGON - NOVEMBER 18: Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. #9 of the Washington Huskies passes the ball for a touchdown during the first quarter against the Oregon State Beavers at Reser Stadium on November 18, 2023 in Corvallis, Oregon. (Photo by Tom Hauck/Getty Images)

Penix was one of the early Heisman front-runners, but his candidacy cooled off in recent weeks.

The left-handed quarterback has not played terrible, but Nix and Daniels have put together more dynamic performances to leap ahead of him.

Penix comes into the Apple Cup against the Washington State Cougars with 3,695 passing yards and 30 touchdowns.

He could use a big game against Washington State to pad his stats in comparison to Nix and Daniels.

Penix is guaranteed to have two games to impress Heisman voters since Washington clinched its spot in the Pac-12 Championship Game last week.

Two more wins plus the confirmation of an undefeated season and a spot in the CFB Playoff could be enough to push Penix to the top of some ballots.

4. Marvin Harrison Jr.

Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

COLUMBUS, OH - NOVEMBER 18: Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (18) lines up for a play during the game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers and the Ohio State Buckeyes on November 18, 2023, at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, OH. (Photo by Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Harrison must produce the two best pass-catching games of his career to win the Heisman.

While the three quarterbacks posted strong November numbers, Harrison had two games with 30 receiving yards or fewer in Big Ten play.

The 1,000-yard receiver needs to make himself the most important player on the field against the Michigan Wolverines on Saturday.

A 100-yard, two-touchdown performance would at least make some Heisman voters think about putting the wide receiver at the top of their ballots.

A win over Michigan would allow Harrison to have one more game to impress voters in the Big Ten Championship Game against the Iowa Hawkeyes.

A massive showing against one of the best defenses in the country could aid his Heisman case as well.

Harrison also needs some luck to go on his side in the form of average quarterback performances from Nix, Daniels and Penix to claim college football's most prestigious individual award.