Heisman Watch 2019: Ranking Top Favorites in the Race Ahead of Week 14
For the second straight week, the Ohio State Buckeyes have the most to gain in the Heisman Trophy race.
Quarterback Justin Fields and defensive end Chase Young have opportunities to thrive against Michigan in front of a national audience to reinforce their respective resumes as potential Heisman finalists.
Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts can also solidify his top-four spot on most ballots with an impressive showing versus Oklahoma State, who boasts a possible finalist in running back Chuba Hubbard.
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LSU quarterback Joe Burrow is still the front-runner for the award and he can pad his statistics versus Texas A&M Saturday night before he participates in the SEC Championship Game next week.
Heisman Trophy Favorites
1. Joe Burrow, QB, LSU
Burrow will likely add to his Heisman resume in Saturday's home meeting with Texas A&M.
In seven SEC clashes, the senior transfer from Ohio State is averaging 364 passing yards per contest.
Against four unranked conference foes, Burrow has 18 touchdowns and a pair of interceptions.
He is coming off a 327-yard, three-touchdown outing versus Arkansas in which his team eclipsed the 50-point mark for the second consecutive week.
Since the Aggies are a better team than Arkansas and Ole Miss, LSU's offensive production could be lower than the past two weeks.
Texas A&M is 0-4 versus Top 25 opponents, but it held Clemson, Auburn and Georgia under 30 points. However, the only one of those offensive units that compares to LSU is Clemson, who has four straight 50-point outputs.
To keep the wide gap between himself and the field, Burrow needs to put in a solid performance Saturday before shifting his focus to Georgia next Saturday.
If he shines in the SEC Championship Game, Burrow should lock up the second Heisman in LSU history.
The only way he does not capture the prestigious award is if he struggles in the next two games and one of the other contenders produces a pair of memorable outings.
2. Jalen Hurts, QB, Oklahoma
In Oklahoma's 28-24 win over TCU, Hurts became the third player in major college football history to earn 3,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in his first 11 games, per ESPN Stats & Info.
The other two players to achieve that feat, Johnny Manziel and Lamar Jackson, won the Heisman trophy.
The issue with Hurts' candidacy is the struggles he and his team faced in home wins over Iowa State and TCU.
Instead of controlling the Big 12 matchups, the Sooners beat the pair by a combined five points, and their only loss came at Kansas State, who is 2-2 since the upset.
The transfer from Alabama's top moment was leading the comeback at Baylor, but before that occurred, he committed costly turnovers that led to the Bears' 28-3 lead.
The good news for Hurts is the "Bedlam" game with Oklahoma State is typically a high-scoring affair, with 209 combined points totaled in the previous two meetings.
If Hurts piles on to his 3,184 passing yards, 1,156 rushing yards and 47 total touchdowns, he could stay ahead of Ohio State's duo with one week left.
If he comes close to replicating his 411 total yards from the win over Baylor in the Big 12 Championship Game, Hurts should garner a good chunk of second-place votes.
3. Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State
With Michigan and either Minnesota or Wisconsin left on the schedule, Fields has a chance to leapfrog Hurts for second place.
The sophomore transfer from Georgia is coming off a 256-yard performance versus Penn State, but he was not as dominant as usual since he lost a pair of fumbles.
The turnovers were rare for Fields, as he has thrown a single interception, which came against Northwestern October 18.
He has 2,352 passing yards, 445 rushing yards and 43 total touchdowns against tougher defenses than Burrow and Hurts have faced.
Wisconsin, Penn State and Michigan all rank in the Top 11 in scoring defense, and the Big Ten has five programs in that portion of the stat list.
That could play a role in deciphering the margins between Hurts and Fields, as could a recency bias if the Ohio State signal-caller outperforms his Big 12 foe.
With Michigan at No. 13 and the Minnesota-Wisconsin winner likely in the Top 10, he could impress against a pair of quality opponents, while Hurts has one Top 20 foe left on his schedule.
There is also a chance Fields loses votes to his teammate if some voters believe Young is the better player on the roster.
The defensive end is widely regarded as the best defensive player in the FBS and a potential No. 1 overall draft pick, and he could be preferred to Fields on some ballots, which would allow Hurts to gain more second-place votes.
4. Chase Young, DE, Ohio State
Young's two-game suspension layoff did not affect his play against Penn State.
The junior recorded four tackles for loss, three sacks and forced two fumbles against the then-No. 8 Nittany Lions.
That followed up a four-sack outing versus Wisconsin, who was still in the College Football Playoff discussion during the final week of October.
Young leads the FBS in sacks with 16.5 and is tied for first in forced fumbles with seven.
If he produces the same high level of dominance at Michigan Stadium Saturday, he has to be considered as a Heisman finalist.
Some voters may hold the two-game suspension against Young, but he has proved that he belongs in the highest tier of FBS talent.
If he appears on ballots, that means Hubbard, who leads the FBS in rushing yards, could miss out, even if he marvels against Oklahoma Saturday.
Because he plays for the No. 1 team in the CFB playoff rankings and he has been dominant for most of the season, Young should earn an edge over Hubbard and other contenders for third- or fourth-place votes.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90
Statistics obtained from ESPN.com
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