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In Week 6, we saw unprecedented upheaval. Two SEC teams ranked inside the AP top 5 lost to unranked teams on the same day for the first time in league history. Eighteen teams ranked in the AP poll played in Week 6, and 6 of them (33%) lost to unranked teams. It was the worst single day for ranked teams in that regard since 2020, per ESPN, and it harkened back to 2007
Six of the 18 AP Top 25 teams that played lost to unranked opponents (33%), the highest mark since six of 16 (38%) lost the first week of October 2020. Through the first 6 weeks of the year, ranked teams have been susceptible to disaster, drawing reminders of The Year of the Upset (2007).
Alabama lost. Tennessee lost. Missouri lost. Michigan lost. USC lost. Miami almost lost for the second consecutive week. The biggest takeaway from the weekend? Perhaps it should be that we do not have a truly dominant team in college football this season.
On top of the sport a week ago, Alabama couldn’t slow Vanderbilt. Georgia didn’t bounce back with much conviction, winning by 18 as a 24-point home favorite. Ohio State is still a question mark; a team that has yet to put together a complete game against an opponent with a pulse.
So what does that mean for the Heisman?
If there’s not a dominant team, and therefore not a team that is going to run away with the title of “best in the country,” then we can absolutely have another Jayden Daniels. And we do. We have a guy putting up video game numbers week in and week out for a team that likely isn’t winning a national championship.
Meet Ashton Jeanty.
The Boise State running back is on pace to run for 2,474 yards and 38 touchdowns during the regular season.
He has a legitimate shot at breaking Barry Sanders’ nearly-four-decade-old NCAA records.
Sanders ran for 2,628 yards and 37 touchdowns in 11 games during the 1988 season. Those marks have long seemed untouchable. Jeanty can do it. He can actually do it. Jeanty is the eighth player in FBS history to run for 1,000 yards in his first 5 games. He crossed 1,000 on his 90th rushing attempt of the season.
He had a 75-yard rushing score in the second quarter, his fourth 70-yard score of the season. He is 1 such run shy of tying an FBS record held by LaDainian Tomlinson (1999) and he has at least 7 more games to get it.
Jeanty is the new betting favorite to win the Heisman Trophy. Two weeks ago, a bet on Jeanty to win the Heisman carried 33/1 odds at FanDuel. Now, he’s 11/5 to win.
He has a legitimate contender in Miami quarterback Cam Ward, who can seemingly claw his team back from any deficit. (Miami trailed 35-10 on the road in the second half and Ward threw the game-winning touchdown pass with 26 seconds remaining for a 39-38 win.) But Jeanty can run away with this.
The man who breaks Barry Sanders’ rushing record wins the Heisman. Period.
Below is the updated Heisman Trophy race entering Week 7. (You can find last week’s picture here.)
Editor’s note: The rank you see next to each player reflects how a vote for the Heisman would look right now
1. Ashton Jeanty, Boise State RB (LW: 4)
Week 6 results: 62-30 win over Utah State
Week 6 stats: 13 carries, 186 rushing yards, 3 rushing touchdowns
Season stats: 95 carries, 1,031 rushing yards, 10.9 yards per attempt, 16 rushing touchdowns, 6 receptions, 19 receiving yards
One big number: 1,031 yards in 4 games
Current odds: +220 (via FanDuel)
Up next: at Hawaii
Boise State has played 5 games. After sitting out the second halves of wins over Portland State and Utah, Jeanty has played the equivalent of 4 games. And he leads all FBS rushers by nearly 300 yards. Jeanty leads the country in rushing, leads the country in rushing touchdowns, leads the country in 30-yard gains, leads the country in yards per carry after contact, and leads the country in forced missed tackles. Among qualified FBS players, he ranks second nationally in yards per carry. The leader has 28 attempts. Jeanty has 95.
2. Cam Ward, Miami QB (LW: 1)
Week 6 results: 39-38 win at Cal
Week 6 stats: 35-for-53, 437 passing yards, 2 passing touchdowns, 1 interception, 6 carries, 15 rushing yards, 1 rushing touchdown
Season stats: 69.2% completion, 2,219 passing yards, 20 passing touchdowns, 5 interceptions, 161 rushing yards, 3 rushing touchdowns
One big number: nation-leading 58.1 EPA
Current odds: +450 (via FanDuel)
Up next: BYE
Ward leads the country in passing, has produced 23 total touchdowns, leads all FBS quarterbacks in EPA, has the second-most big-time throws (per PFF), and has the third-best QBR. So, why does he lose his grip on the Heisman after another win? Miami has been off the last 2 weeks, requiring dramatic second-half comebacks to escape games against inferior opponents. Not to say that Cal is poor, but Miami is the more talented team, and for a second consecutive week, Ward and the offense looked like a group that believed they could turn it off and on whenever. For Ward, that led to careless play.
3. Travis Hunter, Colorado WR/DB (LW: 2)
Week 6 results: N/A
Week 6 stats: N/A
Season stats: 46 receptions, 561 receiving yards, 6 receiving touchdowns, 16 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 3 pass breakups, 2 interceptions, 1 forced fumble
One big number: N/A
Current odds: +320 (via FanDuel)
Up next: vs. No. 18 Kansas State
Hunter and the Buffs were on a bye after a huge road victory at Central Florida. They’re 5-1 on the season and 2-0 in Big 12 play. With Kansas State coming to Boulder in Week 7, there’s an opportunity to validate the start.
4. Jalen Milroe, Alabama QB (LW: 3)
Week 6 results: 40-35 loss at Vanderbilt
Week 6 stats: 18-for-24, 310 passing yards, 1 passing touchdown, 1 interception, 7 carries, 10 rushing yards, 1 rushing touchdown
Season stats: 73.4% completion, 1,274 passing yards, 11 passing touchdowns, 2 interceptions, 59 carries, 283 rushing yards, 9 rushing touchdowns
One big number: 3 turnovers in his first loss
Current odds: +1000 (via FanDuel)
Up next: vs. South Carolina
Milroe fumbled twice and threw a pick-6. With the Alabama defense simply uninterested in stopping the Vandy offense, repeatedly giving the ball away was back-breaking. Milroe’s campaign isn’t done and dusted just a week after outdueling Georgia, but it does take a major hit.
5. Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss QB (LW: 5)
Week 6 results: 27-3 win at South Carolina
Week 6 stats: 14-for-27, 285 passing yards, 8 carries, 44 rushing yards
Season stats: 73.4% completion, 2,100 passing yards, 13 passing touchdowns, 2 interceptions, 156 rushing yards, 3 rushing touchdowns
One big number: 12.1 yards per pass attempt
Current odds: +1800 (via FanDuel)
Up next: at No. 13 LSU
Dart is in the top 10 in EPA and QBR, and he currently has the best passer grade from PFF. He has 12 big-time throws and 34 completions that have gained at least 20 yards.
6. Cade Klubnik, Clemson QB (LW: 8)
Week 6 results: 29-13 win at Florida State
Week 6 stats: 19-for-33, 235 passing yards, 2 passing touchdowns, 0 interceptions, 11 carries, 62 rushing yards
Season stats: 64.3% completion, 1,219 passing yards, 14 passing touchdowns, 2 interceptions, 168 rushing yards, 4 rushing touchdowns
One big number: fourth-highest QBR in the country (88.9)
Current odds: +1300 (via FanDuel)
Up next: at Wake Forest
Since the loss to Georgia, Klubnik has taken 2 sacks, turned it over once, and produced 18 total touchdowns. Clemson has beaten each of the 4 opponents it has faced by double-digits. Klubnik had previously been questioned on the road, but I thought he played a clean, consistent game in Tallahassee. The 89.4 QBR he posted was the best of his starting career in a true road game.
7. Dillon Gabriel, Oregon QB (LW: 7)
Week 6 results: 31-10 win over Michigan State
Week 6 stats: 20-for-32, 257 passing yards, 2 passing touchdowns, 2 interceptions, 3 carries, 22 rushing yards, 1 rushing touchdown
Season stats: 77.8% completion, 1,449 passing yards, 11 passing touchdowns, 3 interceptions, 71 rushing yards, 3 rushing touchdowns
One big number: 3 turnover-worthy plays to start conference play
Current odds: +1400 (via FanDuel)
Up next: vs. No. 2 Ohio State
As Oregon prepares for Ohio State, the Ducks need to be realistic about their deficiencies. Gabriel has 3 turnovers in the last 2 games, including 2 against Michigan State that you just don’t expect to see from a quarterback who has the kind of on-field experience that Gabriel does. Oregon has been significantly more talented than UCLA and Michigan, so it has been able to win big without its ‘A’ game. Oregon needs to be firing on all cylinders to beat Ohio State and that means Gabriel — who has a passer grade below 80 in 3 of his 5 games — needs to be surgical. On the other side, a moment in this kind of game gets a player to New York City.
8. Kurtis Rourke, Indiana QB (LW: NR)
Week 6 results: 41-24 win at Northwestern
Week 6 stats: 25-for-33, 380 passing yards, 3 passing touchdowns, 0 interceptions
Season stats: 73.8% completion, 1,752 passing yards, 14 passing touchdowns, 2 interceptions, 44 rushing yards, 2 rushing touchdowns
One big number: 48.9 EPA
Current odds: +4500 (via FanDuel)
Up next: BYE
Ward leads the country in EPA. Rourke sits second. His 91.9 QBR is the second-highest in the country. His 91.2 passer grade from PFF is the fourth-best in the country. The Ohio transfer has been a driving force behind Indiana’s first 6-0 start since 1967. He is playing as well as any quarterback in the country right now, with 1,046 yards and 10 passing touchdowns through his first 3 Big Ten conference games. Indiana has games remaining against Michigan and Ohio State. Should the Hoosiers win one of those and finish the year with double-digit wins, Rourke probably deserves a trip to NYC.
9. Carson Beck, Georgia QB (LW: 9)
Week 6 results: 31-13 win over Auburn
Week 6 stats: 23-for-29, 240 passing yards, 2 passing touchdowns, 0 interceptions,
Season stats: 65.8% completion, 1,359 passing yards, 12 passing touchdowns, 3 interceptions, 49 rushing yards, 0 rushing touchdowns
One big number: x
Current odds: +1800 (via FanDuel)
Up next: vs. Mississippi State
Through 5 games, it’s clear that any Heisman campaign for Beck will be built around the narrative that he’s the best player on the best team in the country. Seeing as Georgia doesn’t appear to be the best team in the country, Beck doesn’t have much of a campaign at the moment. Can he get there? Sure; the Dawgs still have games against Tennessee and Ole Miss and if Beck balls out, he’ll force his way into the mix. For now, he’s on the outside looking in.
10. Nico Iamaleava, Tennessee QB (LW: 6)
Week 6 results: 19-14 loss at Arkansas
Week 6 stats: 17-for-29, 158 passing yards, 11 carries, 17 rushing yards
Season stats: 66.7% completion, 1,050 passing yards, 7 passing touchdowns, 2 interceptions, 134 rushing yards, 1 rushing touchdown
One big number: x
Current odds: +3300 (via FanDuel)
Up next: vs. Florida
Iamaleava is a bit like Beck. His numbers just aren’t anywhere close to the players currently contending for the award, which means his case was going to need to be built upon being one of the best for one of the best. After crashing out in Arkansas, Tennessee has some serious questions to answer. Iamaleava was sacked 4 times and posted a second consecutive sub-70 QBR to begin conference play.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
