Heisman Watch 2017: Week 3

Things seemed to normalize in the second full weekend of college football, so how does the Heisman Watch shake out coming into Week 3?

After the first full week of the college football season, it was truly hard to know what make of the landscape of the sport. After all, guys like Sam Darnold struggled, Indiana almost upset the Ohio State Buckeyes and much more calamity was in order. In Week 2, however, things seemed to take a more normal turn — at least as it pertains to individuals and potential Heisman Trophy candidates.

The big name that stepped up in this regard was Darnold. After looking quite shaky in Week 1 as the USC Trojans barely made it past the Western Michigan Broncos, the redshirt sophomore stepped up and delivered a great performance to guide his team past the ranked Stanford Cardinal. He looked much more like the player fans were promised, even if he wasn’t perfect.

What’s more, we finally found out that Ohio State’s near loss to Indiana might’ve been a sign of bigger problems. The fact that Oklahoma was able to eventually rout them after a big second half was telling. But really, that’s all part of the normalization here. It’s players and teams showing their true colors, which matters in the Heisman race.

Now that all of this has transpired, it’s onto Week 3 of the 2017 season. How does the Heisman Trophy race shake out at this point?

Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma

For my money, Baker Mayfield is leading the 2017 Heisman Trophy race after two weeks of the college football season. He started off the year with a near perfect performance against UTEP as he dominated by going 19-of-20 for 329 yards and three touchdowns. That was surely impressive, especially given questions about his weapons coming into the season. However, his encore effort in Week 2 was far more impressive.

Up against the then No. 2 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes, Mayfield was phenomenal. Even early on in the contest when he and the Sooners offense weren’t going particularly well, he still remained mistake-free and was able to keep Oklahoma in a position to win. Then he turned it on and buried the Buckeyes for a huge victory. He finished with a line of 27-of-35 for 386 yards and three touchdowns. He’s just a gamer, but also a gamer who puts up great numbers and leads in big moments.

Whether you’re talking about performance, narrative or team success, Mayfield currently has it all working in his favor. It’s a tough slate for Oklahoma throughout the 2017 season, which will test him time and again. But he appears ready for it all and should be in the thick of the Heisman race all year long.