Nothing about this Heisman Trophy race has followed the script we’ve come to expect. For one, there is no representative from the SEC — the conference that has won four of the last five trophies.
Perhaps even more surprising is that the same four players above us Mid-season list Stay tuned, albeit in a slightly different order. Colorado receiver/defensive back Travis Hunter Boise State has moved on. Ashton Genty in the top spot. But just five points separate them, suggesting a tight race that could go down to the wire.
Two quarterbacks have something to say about that. Going back to 2000, quarterbacks have won the Heisman 20 times. The only two non-QBs to win in the last 14 years were wide receiver Devonta Smith in 2020 and running back Derrick Henry in 2015. Also, a player from outside of a power conference has not won the award since Ty Detmer in 1990.
Here’s how ESPN writers voted for their top Heisman candidates in the final week of the regular season. 10 different players received votes in this round of voting.
To arrive at the final ranking, 12 voters were asked to select their top five. First-place votes earned five points, with four points for second-place votes, three points for third-place votes, two points for fourth-place votes and one point for fifth-place votes.
Total Points: 56 (First place votes: 9)
0:31
Travis Hunter strikes Heisman pose after 2nd TD for Colorado
Travis Hunter strikes the Heisman pose after catching the second touchdown of the game against Colorado vs. Kansas.
Simply put, no one has done what Hunter has done this season, and that’s one of the biggest reasons he’s made it to the top of our Heisman clock. We’re not just talking about snap count here, which is unprecedented on its face. Hunter has played 1,266 snaps, more than any player since 2018, when ESPN began tracking snap count data.
He has been an elite starter at both of his positions: receiver and cornerback. Hunter has 82 catches for 1,036 yards and 11 touchdowns this season. His number of receiving touchdowns in a season ranks second in school history. Defensively, he has three interceptions and is the first player since at least 1980 with 1,000 receiving yards and three interceptions in a season.
His snap count breakdown is nearly identical: 602 on offense, 640 on defense (with 24 on special teams). Only the second season in which someone played at least 200 snaps on both sides of the ball since 2018? Yes, Travis Hunter last year (412 on offense, 572 on defense).
According to ESPN Research, Colorado has run 710 plays on offense this season, and Hunter has played on 85% of them. On defense, Colorado has run 772 plays, with Hunter running 83%.
For comparison, Charles Woodson, the only defensive player to win the Heisman in 1997, played the bulk of his snaps on defense and was a contributor on offense, with just 238 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
Is it any wonder Hunter has started hitting the Heisman pose at a more frequent clip?
“Travis is who he is,” said Colorado coach Dion Sanders, who also plays both ways as a player. “It goes to the best college football player. I think it’s been a wrap since then, what? Week 2?”
ESPN BET Heisman Odds: -800
Total Points: 51 (First place votes: 3)
0:29
Ashton Genty’s sensational 61-yard TD run cannot be credited
Ashton Genty gets a start on the offensive line and has a 61-yard touchdown to put Boise State ahead against Wyoming.
Janette has already reached his goal of 2,000 yards through 11 games this season, continuing his masterclass of speed, toughness and big-play ability every time he touches the ball. He is now the first player to rush for 125 or more yards in 11 straight games in a single season since Troy Davis did it at Iowa State in 1996.
Janetti needs three more rushing touchdowns to join Barry Sanders as the only players in FBS history with 30 rushing touchdowns and 2,000 yards rushing in a single season.
With 2,062 yards rushing so far this season, Janetti leads the nation with nearly 600 yards more than his closest rival. He is also the first back since 2019 to rush for more than 2,000 yards.
Still, he’s far from the single-season rushing mark Mark Sanders set in 1988 (2,850 yards). His production has also dropped by a tick since midseason. After averaging 9.9 yards per carry in his first six games, Janetti has averaged 5.74 over the last five. He had three 200-yard performances in the first six games of the season, and just one in the last five.
But even when he slows down, he’s not completely stopped. Against UNLV, in which he had season lows in rushing yards (128) and yards per carry (3.9), he scored the decisive touchdown in a 29–24 win. In last week’s bigger-than-expected 17-13 win over Wyoming, Janette was forced out of the game and into the medical tent after taking a hard hit to the leg in the third quarter. He missed a drive but returned 53 yards to set up the go-ahead score.
“It’s Game 11, Week 13 of the season, and he’s a complete warrior who’s hitting hard,” coach Spencer Danielson said after the win over Wyoming. “We have to be careful with his body and make sure we get him what he needs.”
ESPN BET Heisman Odds: +600
Total Points: 34
2:19
Cam Ward went off with a 5-TD performance against Duke.
Cam Ward goes 25-for-41 with 400 yards and five touchdowns to lead the Hurricanes past the Blue Devils.
Miami built its football dynasty on a succession of elite quarterbacks who earned it the nickname “Quarterback U.” But it has been more than 20 years since the Hurricanes both won a championship and a quarterback made it to New York as a Heisman finalist.
Ward looks to be on the verge of changing all that. He hasn’t been perfect, but Ward has been the most impressive quarterback in college football this season. Some of his plays are incomprehensible — from the no-look shovel to big throws across his body — but others are the routine throws he needs to make to get things done. Ward is completing a career-high 67.2% of his passes and the Hurricanes are ranked No. 1 in the nation in total offense, averaging 541.5 yards per game.
Along the way, he has reset single-season school records for touchdown passes (34 and counting), passing yards (3,774) and completions (268), doing it with a streak that has earned him the admiration of his coaches. And has won widespread praise from teammates. The latter two marks were established by Bernie Kosar in 1984. Not since Ken Dorsey made it to New York in 2001 and 2002 has there been this much excitement about the quarterback position in Miami.
Ward hopes the program has made a difference. A win over Syracuse on Saturday puts the Hurricanes in the ACC Championship Game and keeps their College Football Playoff hopes alive. Ward followed up a 28-23 loss against Georgia Tech on Nov. 9 — in which he fumbled on the final drive — with a 280-yard, two-touchdown performance in a 42-14 victory over Wake on Saturday. The forest He knows he will have to be at his best for the Hurricanes to reach their goals when the season begins.
ESPN BET Heisman Odds: +1200
Total Points: 26
0:25
Dillon Gabriel became the FBS all-time TD leader held by a lineman.
Dillon Gabriel finds Gernoris Wilson in the end zone to pass Case Keenum as the all-time touchdown leader in FBS history.
Gabriel has done exactly what he has done throughout his six-year career: throw for a lot of yards and score a lot of touchdowns. In fact, for the fifth time in his career, he’s over 3,000 yards (the only exception being at UCF in 2021, when he went down with a season-ending injury earlier in the year). Gabriel also set the NCAA FBS record for total touchdowns (179) earlier this month, so there’s no denying his productivity and longevity.
The difference, this year, is that his veteran presence, savvy playmaking and remarkable accuracy have catapulted Oregon to the No. 1 ranking as the only undefeated team in the country.
This is not a coincidence. Gabriel is completing a career-high 73.8% of his passes as he methodically leads the offense, ranking No. 5 in the nation in QBR. At the midseason point, Gabriel was ranked No. 4 in that poll as well. To climb up, he will have to do more in his final two games. Last time out against Wisconsin, he failed to throw a touchdown for the first time all season as Oregon scored a season-low 16 points. Still, Gabriel made plays to lead the Ducks to a come-from-behind 16-13 win in which they outscored the Badgers 10-0 in the fourth quarter.
On November 9 against Maryland, Gabriel threw three touchdown passes but only for 183 yards. In his last two games, his QBR was well below his season average. Opportunities against Washington and in the Big Ten Championship Game could potentially be the difference maker in the Heisman race.
ESPN BET Heisman Odds: +5000
Total Points: 8
0:30
Cam Skattebo celebrates 3rd TD by autographing football
Arizona State’s Cam Skitbo immediately autographed a football after scoring his third rushing touchdown of the game.
As Arizona State begins its rise, so does Skatebo. After receiving zero votes in our midseason poll, Skattebo sits at No. 5, thanks in large part to his impact on the Sun Devils’ offense. He is No. 2 in the nation in all-purpose yards behind Genty with 1,681 (1,221 yards rushing, 460 yards receiving).
The 5-foot-11, 215-pounder plays like a battering ram, making him one of the toughest players to bring down in college football.
According to TruMedia, Skattebo is No. 2 in the nation behind Jeanty in hurries forced with 86 through Week 12. The fourth quarter was the most effective. In the quarter, Skattebo has 337 yards rushing, more than any other quarterback. Especially eye-opening considering he missed a game and sat out two blowout wins in the fourth quarter.
Skattebo also averages his highest yards per carry in the fourth quarter (6.1) and has more 10-plus yard runs in the fourth than any other quarter.
There has been something charming about his rise to national prominence. He has a NIL deal for his signature “Skatteburger” at a local restaurant chain, with a portion of the proceeds going to Phoenix Children’s Hospital.
ESPN BET Heisman Odds: N/A
Also receiving votes: Omarion HamptonNorth Carolina, RB (1 point); Kyle KennardSouth Carolina, DE (1); Bryson DalyArmy, QB (1); Harold Fanon Jr., Bowling Green, TE (1); Tyler WarrenPenn State, TE (1)