The Heisman Trophy is one of the most respected in all of college football, and this season it looks to be a two man race. Check out who’s in the lead.
The 2014 Heisman Race is continuing to shape up as a barn burner. As the leader, Dak Prescott, was idle last week, everyone else had an opportunity to pick up ground. Although we have consulted the Heisman Pundit for our weekly rankings update, the site has since taken a different direction and we will move over to the ESPN Experts Poll.
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As the Heisman Pundit has long been viewed as the most accurate, and premier source for Heisman rankings, Chris Huston has been asked to join Heisman.com. With him now being involved with the trophy directly, a conflict of interest has made him decide to put the Straw Poll on hold.
ESPN’s Experts Poll is likely second when it comes to deciding the fate of the Heisman hopefuls. While the candidates and their position differs somewhat from where Huston had them ranked, there are plenty of weeks left for things to sort themselves out.
Here’s is how the Heisman race looks heading into this weekend:
| Dak Prescott | QB | Miss. State | Jr. | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 47 |
| Marcus Mariota | QB | Oregon | Jr. | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 42 |
| Melvin Gordon | RB | Wisconsin | Jr. | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 25 |
| Amari Cooper | WR | Alabama | Jr. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 9 |
| Jameis Winston | QB | Florida State | So. | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
| Everett Golson | QB | Notre Dame | Sr. | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 8 |
With the top five being essentially a two man race, it is Mariota and Prescott vying for the trophy. Despite Dak being idle for a weekend, ESPN still sees him in the lead.
Marcus Mariota however does have a bit more power in his court. The Ducks have a much more workable schedule the rest of the way, and really control their own destiny. While the Heisman is an individual award, that doesn’t seem to be playing into Mariota’s favor.
Prescott is elevated by the strength of his defense, which despite him throwing two interceptions in his last game, and looking rather mediocre, got him the win. Mariota has done it this season despite his defense and injured offensive line.
Interesting to note, ESPN does not have Indian’s Tevin Coleman even ranked within their top ten. The Big Ten back is leading the nation in rushing yards, despite playing on a bad team that constantly is fighting from behind.
Look for this weekend to give more clarity for the top two players as Mississippi State travels to Kentucky while Oregon plays Cal at Levi’s Stadium on Friday night.
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