One of the most unpredictable Heisman rankings in recent memory continues to keep Heisman watchers engaged late in the season. Only one player stayed put in our Heisman Rankings Week Ten compared to last week. And there’s no reason to believe that the next four weeks won’t be just as exciting for this year’s Heisman race.
2023 LWOCFB Heisman Rankings Week Ten
This year’s Heisman race is shaping up for an exciting finish. Our top two candidates are on a collision course for a rematch in the Pac-12 Championship Game two days before Heisman ballots are due. Could Heisman votes hold their ballots until the last minute this year? We’ll see.
Here are the top five Heisman Rankings for Week Nine from our panel of 16 voters.
1. Michael Penix, Jr., Washington (74) [Previous: 1 (67)]
Michael Penix, Jr. continues his steady march to Manhattan with another stellar performance against reigning Heisman winner Caleb Williams and USC. Penix’s Huskies are undefeated with a clear path to the College Football Playoffs. He leads the nation in passing, is third in passing touchdowns, and seventh in QB Rating. And his performance stands alone — no flashy marketing blitz or network campaigns are pushing his candidacy.
The good news for Penix? He gets two more weeks of marquee matchups with 18th-ranked Utah this week in Seattle and a trip to Corvallis in two weeks to face 12th-ranked Oregon State. The bad news for Penix? He’s still got tough games against Utah and Oregon State. Some electors might wait until a potential Pac-12 Championship Game for a Penix-Nix rematch. But make no mistake, Penix starts the home stretch with a two-length lead.
2. Bo Nix, Oregon (58) [Previous: 3 (39)]
Don’t look now, but Oregon’s Bo Nix continues his superb season and is setting up a potential last-minute Heisman showdown with Penix in the Pac-12 Championship Game. Nix and Oregon absolutely torched Cal last weekend, 63-19. A Cal team that was one point from beating USC last week. Nix had 386 yards passing with four touchdowns in the air and two on the ground. He leads the nation in passing percentage, is fourth in touchdowns, and fourth in QB rating.
Oregon gets USC and Oregon State in the last three weeks of the season and then a potential rematch with Washington in the Pac-12 Championship Game. While Penix is clearly in the lead, Nix still has a shot at the most prestigious award in college football.
3. Jordan Travis, FSU (35) [Previous: 4 (33)]
Following the West Coast quarterbacks is Florida State’s Jordan Travis. Travis ‘ path to the Heisman isn’t as clear as Penix or Nix’s. The Seminole signal caller isn’t in the top ten nationally of any major passing categories and Florida State’s record suffers from playing in the weakest conference in Power 5 football. They’re still undefeated, however, and that’s hard to do in any conference, at any level of football. And there’s the eye test, which Travis passes with flying colors.
The Seminoles still have Miami and Florida on the schedule. Neither of those teams are good enough to give Travis the bump he needs to threaten Penix and Nix, but they are just dangerous enough to derail his candidacy with a bad loss. An ACC Championship Game matchup against Louisville will likely come far too late for Seminole field general.
4. Marvin Harrison, Jr., Ohio State (31) [Previous: 5 (22)]
Marvin Harrison, Jr.‘s streak of four straight games with 100+ receiving yards ended with a 25-yard receiving game at Rutgers this weekend. Harrison did manage to haul in two touchdowns on his four receptions. Still, Harrison is the star player on the nation’s top-ranked team. Harrison is fourth in the nation in touchdown receptions and in the top ten in receiving yards. While that’s likely not enough to catch the two front runners, he is definitely in striking distance to get to New York.
Ohio State gets two unranked opponents over the next two weeks before their big showdown against Michigan. Harrison could use some big numbers against Michigan State and Minnesota and a big win against Michigan. If Ohio State can pull that off, Maserati Marv might find himself parked on Broadway.
5. Jayden Daniels, LSU (21) [Previous: (2) (41)]
LSU’s Jayden Daniels Heisman campaign took a big hit this weekend against an Alabama defense that seems to have come alive against the Tigers. Dallas Turner’s hit to Daniels’ head knocked Daniels out of the game and potentially out of this weekend’s game as well. Daniels’ stats are still great — he leads the nation in QB rating and overall touchdowns, is second in passing touchdowns, and fourth in passing yards per game.
Unfortunately, the Tigers’ three losses will tamp Daniels’ Heisman hopes. And with no hope to get to the SEC Championship Game, Daniels probably doesn’t have a path to hoist the trophy.
Others Receiving Heisman Rankings Week Ten Votes:
Ollie Gordon, Oklahoma State (7), J.J. McCarthy, Michigan (5), Blake Corum, Michigan (3), Caleb Williams, USC (2), Drake Maye, North Carolina (1), Jaxson Dart, Mississippi (1), Carson Beck, Georgia (1).
