It was an unfortunate week for some of the Heisman contenders, as two of them, in Alabama quarterback Bryce Young and Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel, went down with injuries. The defending Heisman winner in Young suffered an injury to his shoulder, while Gabriel suffered a head injury. The severity of both are unclear, but one could infer that they will miss some time. As we know from the whole Tua Tagovailoa situation, head injuries are not something to mess with. So Gabriel will certainly miss at least one week as the Sooners face the Texas Longhorns. With that being said - while either could still make a run at the award - we won't be touching on them in this week's edition of the Heisman watch. One has to imagine the Crimson Tide would much rather see Young get 100 percent for a playoff run then him try for a back-to-back Heisman win. For the rest of the contenders outside of the top four, we have all new players who have shot up the watchlist with peak performances.
1. C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State (+160)
The battle for the Heisman is basically a runaway for Stroud right now, with a couple other true contenders. Stroud didn't have his best day against Rutgers, but the Buckeyes did win handily. He went 13 of 22 passing for 154 yards and two touchdowns, while getting picked off once for his second interception of the year. Even while top receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba has missed a lot of time with injury, Stroud continues to lead Ohio State to big scores.
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2. Caleb Williams, QB, USC (+500)
After an off week (yet still escaping with a victory), Williams returned to peak form on Saturday night against Arizona State. The likely top quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft class looked every bit of that as he used his legs to extend plays that looked almost impossible and his arm to make things easy for the top-10 Trojans. Williams did throw his first interception on the season, but did also throw for three touchdowns and 348 yards on 27 of 37 passing. While it should've been picked off, he made a crazy jump throw completion with his back to his own end zone after evading a sack.
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3. Will Anderson, EDGE, Alabama (+4000)
There isn't a better defensive player in the country than Anderson and he had another great performance against Arkansas. The edge rusher recorded seven total tackles (two solo), 1.5 tackles for loss, and a half sack on Saturday afternoon. He hasn't had his true Heisman moment yet, but with big SEC matchups yet to come, he can really assert himself among the favorites. If Young is out for a while, Anderson and the Alabama defense will be relied upon heavily to take some of the pressure off of redshirt freshman quarterback Jalen Milroe.
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4. Hendon Hooker, QB, Tennessee (+1200)
Bye week, next week facing 25th ranked LSU (4-1).
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5. Blake Corum, RB, Michigan (+1800)
After a big game last week against Maryland, Corum followed that up with another huge performance against the strong Iowa defense. He ran for 133 yards on 29 carries (4.6 yards per carry) and a touchdown, as he now leads the nation with 10 rushing scores on the season. There were other running backs in the Heisman conversation entering the season, namely Texas' Bijan Robinson. But it has been Corum who has been the most dominant back so far. He has averaged 7.5 yards per carry on the season.
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6. Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina (+3500)
Despite a Tar Heels loss to Notre Dame last week, Maye has continued to carve up defenses. Against Virginia Tech on Saturday, he threw for three touchdowns and 363 yards on 26 of 36 passing. So far on the season, the redshirt freshman has thrown 1,231 yards and 16 touchdowns to just one interception.
Previous: Not ranked
7. Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Alabama (+2000)
Following the loss of Young in the game, Gibbs carried the Crimson Tide offense against Arkansas. It was the Georgia Tech transfer's best game as an Alabama footballer as he ran for 206 yards on 18 carries (11.4 YPC) including touchdown runs of 72 and 76 yards. This firmly put Gibbs in the serious Heisman conversation. If Young is in fact out a bit, Gibbs will have to continue putting up big numbers to carry the offense.
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8. Spencer Sanders, QB, Oklahoma State (+4500)
Sanders has Oklahoma State ranked inside the top 10, at seventh overall, as he has put up great numbers. He has thrown for 11 touchdowns and 1,097 yards to just two interceptions. The senior quarterback led the Cowboys to a big win over Baylor on Saturday with a touchdown pass and 181 yards.
Previous: Not ranked
9. Cameron Rising, QB, Utah (+5500)
With three more touchdown passes on Saturday against Oregon State, Rising now has 13 on the year. He also added 73 yards and a touchdown on the ground to lead the Utes to a 42-16 domination of the Beavers. Rising just missed throwing for 200 or more yards for the fifth straight week to start the season, finishing with 199 air yards.
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10. Sam Hartman, QB, Wake Forest
Hartman has been on the outside looking in for these rankings for a little while. There is no reason not to rank him now after a couple very strong games. Wake's only loss was a double-overtime defeat to Clemson, while Hartman helped lead the Demon Deacons to another win over Florida State on Saturday. He threw for two touchdowns and 234 yards on 22 of 34 passing.
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In the conversation: Jalon Daniels, Bryce Young, Stetson Bennett, Adrian Martinez, JJ McCarthy, DJ Uiagalelei