Trevor Lawrence re-takes the top spot in the Heisman race, but Mac Jones isn’t far behind after another excellent passing performance.
1. Trevor Lawrence | Clemson QB | Junior | Last week: 2 (+1)
Trevor Lawrence threw for five touchdowns against Georgia Tech… and they all came in the first half. The star quarterback played just a little over a half for Clemson on Saturday, and he probably could have thrown for nine or ten touchdowns if the Tigers wanted. The preseason Heisman favorite reclaims the top spot in the rankings this week.
Season stats:
73.0% | 1,544 PASS YDS | 15 PASS TD | 1 INT
25 CAR | 54 RUSH YDS | 4 RUSH TD | 2.2 AVG
2. Mac Jones | Alabama QB | Junior | Last week: 3 (+1)
Mac Jones became the first quarterback in Alabama history to throw for over 400 yards in three consecutive games (a week after becoming the first to do it in two straight), and he did it against a top Georgia defense. Jones’ top two targets, Jaylen Waddle and DeVonta Smith, also deserve mention and each arguably have a case to be in the top five or at least the “just missed” category.
Season stats:
78.3% | 1,518 PASS YDS | 12 PASS TD | 2 INT
3. Travis Etienne | Clemson RB | Senior | Last week: 1 (-2)
Clemson didn’t need a huge afternoon from Travis Etienne last week in the rout of Georgia Tech, but the senior runner was still able to find the end zone once in limited action. Look for Etienne to make up for the lack of huge statistical success with a monstrous game soon.
Season stats:
67 CAR | 436 RUSH YDS | 5 RUSH TD | 6.5 AVG
19 REC | 274 REC YDS | 1 REC TD | 14.4 AVG
4. Najee Harris | Alabama RB | Senior | Last week: 4
It didn’t feel like Najee Harris had a huge outing versus a tough Georgia defense, but he consistently grinded out positive yardage and then when you looked up at the end of the game he had 152 rushing yards on 31 attempts. Harris is already up to 11 rushing touchdowns this year.
Season stats:
83 CAR | 499 RUSH YDS | 11 RUSH TD | 6.0 AVG
8 REC | 86 REC YDS | 10.8 AVG
5. Zach Wilson | BYU QB | Junior | Last week: NR
Zach Wilson even drew some attention from Patrick Mahomes, which is sure to put him squarely on the maps of folks with the way Mahomes is lauded by the media. The BYU quarterback is a key part of his team’s 5-0 start, and he’s thrown just one interception compared to 12 passing scores this season.
Season stats:
78.7% | 1,641 PASS YDS | 12 PASS TD | 1 INT
32 CAR | 100 RUSH YDS | 6 RUSH TD | 3.1 AVG
Just missed:
Florida QB Kyle Trask
Florida TE Kyle Pitts
SMU QB Shane Buechele
Texas A&M RB Isaiah Spiller
Ohio State QB Justin Fields