Believe it or not, this is the last week of the regular season. For Tua Tagovailoa and Travis Etienne, they will certainly be playing next week in championship weekend. However, Will Grier, Kyler Murray, and Gardner Minshew are playing for their Heisman and championship lives this weekend. Murray and Grier will meet face to face on Friday night in a game that promises to light up the scoreboard. Meanwhile, Minshew and the Cougars will face Washington to keep their playoff, conference championship, and Heisman chances alive. Now, we look at how the rest of the field shakes out in our week 12 Heisman rankings.

A Look Back

Looking back, there are a few running backs that have fallen back in the rankings. In a struggling offense, Benny Snell has had a fabulous season for Kentucky. He has over 1,200 yards and 12 scores in a year where the Wildcats could win 10 games. But, perhaps the best running back in the country is Jonathan Taylor. He hasn’t received the same notoriety as Etienne due to the Badgers having a down season compared to a year ago. There has been no sophomore slump in Madison. After rushing for 1,977 yards as a freshman, Taylor now has 1,869 yards on the ground with two games remaining. Now, let’s look at the complete breakdown as we dive right into our week 12 Heisman rankings.

As a reminder to our mobile readers to turn your devices for a better reading view.

Note: Tiebreakers were settled by alphabetical order of the players last name.

​

Ranking	Player	Position	Team	Points
1	Tua Tagovailoa	QB		90
2	Kyler Murray	QB		67
3	Gardner Minshew	QB		43
4	Will Grier	QB		29
5	Travis Etienne	RB		26
6	Dwayne Haskins	QB		7
7	Benny Snell	RB		4
8	Jerry Jeudy	WR		2
9	Jonathan Taylor	RB		2

Top Five Candidates

1. Tua Tagovailoa

QB | Alabama                                                    Next Game: 11/24 vs Auburn

Well, it was interesting for a while. Tagovailoa struggled for a half but dominated the second half. He accounted for four total touchdowns in the victory. Alabama has a step up in competition as the Crimson Tide face Auburn in the Iron Bowl on Saturday.

2. Kyler Murray

QB | Oklahoma                                                     Next Game: 11/23 at West Virginia

Murray continues to make dazzling plays on the ground and through the air. Partly, out of necessity to cover up for a struggling defense. Nevertheless, Murray accounted for five total touchdowns against Kansas on Saturday. Everything is on the line for Murray and the Sooners on Friday against West Virginia. A spot in the Big 12 championship game, a possible playoff berth, and the Heisman race are up for grabs in Morgantown the day after Thanksgiving.

3. Gardner Minshew

QB | Washington State                                                     Next Game: 11/23 vs Washington

The only thing going against Minshew on Saturday was time. The start game of the Washington State game was at 9:30 PM CST, so many people missed this gem. Minshew had the best individual game of any quarterback this season. He threw for seven touchdowns in the 69-point outburst. He will have a much tougher matchup as the Cougars host Washington in the Apple Cup.

4. Will Grier

QB | West Virginia                                                    Next Game: 11/23 vs Oklahoma

Grier and the Mountaineers took a step back after a loss on the road at Oklahoma State. Be that as it may, Grier still had a solid performance. He threw for 364 yards with two scores. It’s a winner take all matchup on Friday against Oklahoma in Morgantown on Friday night.

5. Travis Etienne

RB | Clemson                                                      Next Game: 11/24 vs South Carolina

Etienne ran for 81 yards on just nine carries against Duke on Saturday in the 35-6 victory. He ran his touchdown total to 17 on the year. Etienne faces a rivalry matchup this week as they host South Carolina. Etienne will have the benefit of an extra game next week as they will also face Pittsburgh in the ACC championship game.

Embed from Getty Images