College football is finally back! However, that does not mean that Texas is back like some believed. With the return of football, comes the return of Heisman Trophy talk. Last year’s winner Lamar Jackson returns to terrorize defenses once again, but will face a worthy challenge in Penn State running back Saquon Barkley. Without further ado, here are my initial Heisman rankings.
Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma
A whirlwind offseason for Mayfield generated a ton of media attention for all the wrong reasons. Last Saturday, Mayfield generated even more hype, this time for his play on the field. Mayfield started out completing his first 16 passes, eventually ending a near perfect 19-20 for 329 yards and 3 touchdowns in just one half of play. First-year head coach Lincoln Riley’s tenure started with an impressive 56-7 rout over UTEP. The real test for Mayfield and the Sooners comes this week in primetime against second-ranked Ohio State. Mayfield will go toe-to-toe with a potentially elite defense, coming off a 49-21 win over Indiana. The Sooners will count on Mayfield to move the ball, something he did very easily the first week.
Stock: Rising
Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville
Jackson picked up right where he left off last season, torching Purdue’s defense to the tune of 485 total yards (378 passing, 107 rushing) and 2 passing touchdowns. Most impressive about Jackson’s performance is that he outgained the entire Purdue offense (485-344) all by himself. It will be tough for Jackson to match the video game production from last season, but the junior quarterback is off to a good start. Jackson and the Cardinals will face off against North Carolina, which is coming off a 35-30 loss at the hands of Cal, on Saturday.
Stock: Rising
Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA
After leading an improbable comeback victory against Texas A&M, Rosen finds himself in the conversation for the Heisman, albeit early in the race. Rosen and the Bruins were down 38-10 at the half, and after allowing two field goals in the third quarter, found themselves in a 44-10 hole. He lead his team to 35 unanswered points, throwing for all 4 of his touchdowns in the fourth quarter, and would finish with 491 passing yards and 4 touchdowns. His final 10 yards came on a Dan Marino-esque fake spike with just 48 seconds left in the game. The outspoken junior quarterback, sparked more controversy this offseason when he spoke to Bleacher Report about injuries, the time he spends on football, and his post-NFL goals. But, the man can play no matter how much he talks.
Stock: Soaring
Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State
Barkley picked up right where he left off last season, absolutely dominating Akron en route to 226 total yards (172 rushing, 54 receiving) and 2 rushing touchdowns in a 52-0 beat down. Barkley is now rapidly approaching 3,000 career rushing yards, with 2,744 entering Saturday’s matchup with in-state rival Pitt. Just two (technically three, including Reggie Bush’s vacated 2005 award) running backs have won the Heisman since 2000, with quarterbacks dominating the voting. If you haven’t seen Barkley’s impressive offseason workouts, you are far behind the curve. This man is a beast and will be running through defenses on Sundays very soon.
Stock: Rising
Sam Darnold, QB, USC
Darnold entered this season with a ton of hype regarding the Heisman Trophy and the NFL Draft, and did not exactly perform up to that hype. Darnold went 23-33 for 289 yards and no touchdowns in a closer-than-expected 49-31 victory over Western Michigan. Along with the lack of touchdowns, Darnold also threw two interceptions. While one game certainly does not bury a candidate, it does leave an uphill climb. Lamar Jackson will be the flashier of the two, but if Darnold can do for a full year what he did last year (3,086 passing yards, 31 touchdowns, 250 rushing yards, 2 touchdowns), his Heisman candidacy will be legit. A bounce back against conference foe Stanford will bode well for Darnold.
