Heisman Rankings Week Nine

After a week of upheaval, our Heisman Rankings Week Nine was surprisingly steady when it comes to how our pollsters see the top Heisman candidates.

A week after our Heisman Rankings saw the biggest shift of the season, the Heisman Rankings Week Nine held serve with no changes in the top five vote-getters. While the on-the-field excitement was just as intense as it always is in College Football, the individual performances went mostly according to script.

2023 LWOCFB Heisman Rankings Week Nine

Washington’s Michael Penix, Jr. is still the clear leader in our poll and the odds-on favorite. There is a tight pack from second to fourth, and Marvin Harrison, Jr. is in a solid fifth place, with no challengers in position to crack to the top five.

Here are the top five Heisman Rankings for Week Nine from our panel of 14 voters.

1. Michael Penix, Jr., Washington (67) [Previous: 1 (74)]

Michael Penix, Jr. had to lead his Huskies squad past a game Stanford team in Palo Alto last Saturday. The Cardinal were only down two going into the final frame, but Penix led Washington to a nine-point win. That’s much closer than most had expected, and while it cost the Huskies in the initial CFP rankings, it didn’t hurt his Heisman standing. That’s because Penix had 369 passing yards and four passing touchdowns. He is still the nation’s leader in passing yards per game (368.1) and is third in passing touchdowns (24).

Penix gets three straight Top 25 matchups in the next three weeks, and two of them on the road. If he can continue to do what he’s been doing, he can all but lock up the Heisman over that stretch.

2. Jayden Daniels, LSU (41) [Previous: (2) (51)]

LSU’s Jayden Daniels was off this past weekend as the Tigers are preparing for their annual showdown with Alabama. Daniels still leads the nation in total yards per game and touchdown passes (25), but he doesn’t have the signature wins that Penix does. That would change if Daniels could knife through the Crimson Tide defense like he has several teams so far this season. Consequently, a third loss for LSU might torpedo Daniels’ Heisman chances. He’s still likely to get to New York, but it’ll be hard to overcome Penix and others on this list if their teams are playing for conference championships.

3. Bo Nix, Oregon (39) [Previous: 3 (45)]

Oregon’s Bo Nix carved up a tough Utah defense last week to the tune of 248 yards and three total touchdowns. Like his performance all season, it wasn’t about gaudy numbers and incredible highlights — it is more about substance and making the right plays at the right time. Oregon is probably the most complete team of the five represented in this poll, and while that might hurt his numbers, it helps his chances to ride some wins to New York.

Oregon gets two Top 25 matchups to finish off the regular season, and then likely gets a rematch with Washington with the Conference Championship and a trip to the CFP probably on the line. Add in a deciding game for the Heisman Trophy, and the Pac-12 Championship Game might be the biggest game of the College Football season.

4. Jordan Travis, FSU (33) [Previous: 4 (27)]

After struggling through several games early in the season, Jordan Travis has hit his stride. Like Nix, Travis doesn’t have the statistics as the front-runner, but his intangibles and Florida State’s undefeated record more than makeup for the lack of stats. The Seminoles beat up a spiraling Wake Forest 41-16 on Saturday and Travis had 359 yards and three touchdowns.

Travis will be fighting the schedule a little, as well. The Seminoles don’t have a single Top 25 opponent remaining on their schedule. They may get a ranked Louisville in the ACC Championship Game, but by then it might be too late for Travis to leap past Penix, Daniels, or Nix.

5. Marvin Harrison, Jr., Ohio State (22) [Previous: 5 (14)]

Marvin Harrison, Jr. was again one of the few bright spots for top-ranked Ohio State. Harrison had six catches for 123 yards and two touchdowns in Ohio State’s less-than-convincing win over Wisconsin. Harrison and running back Treveyon Henderson were clearly the two best players on the field on a chilly Madison evening.

Henderson might cost Harrison some spotlight, and, with a weak Big Ten this season, Ohio State’s season will come down to the Michigan game. Putting up big numbers against Rutgers, Michigan State, and Minnesota isn’t going to get you over the players on this list. Harrison has a big hill to climb if he wants to get to New York in December.

Others Receiving Heisman Rankings Week Nine Votes:

J.J. McCarthy, Michigan (4), Blake Corum, Michigan (1), Drake Maye, North Carolina (1), Keon Coleman, Florida State (1), Payton Wilson, NC State (1).