Heisman rankings – Week 5: Kyler Murray makes a statement

8. Justin Herbert

Justin Herbert finally makes an appearance in the 2018 Heisman rankings this week as it’s becoming increasingly impossible to deny his performance this season. In truth, the Oregon Ducks quarterback really doesn’t have the statistics that many of his peers at this level do after five weeks of the season. On Saturday, he finished the win at Cal with 225 yards passing and two touchdowns, but that doesn’t tell the whole story.

As was the case in the tough loss to Stanford last week, Herbert has consistently been the best player on the field when Oregon is playing. Yes, he might not be throwing for 400 yards and five touchdowns each week, but what you see on the field has to start mattering at some point if Herbert is playing well enough. That’s where we’re at now, and he deserves some respect.

7. Benny Snell

After the Kentucky Wildcats moved to 4-0 with an upset victory over Mississippi State last week, it became clear that we have to take this team very seriously. And if there were people still doubting that, the Wildcats again made a statement in Week 5 with a dominant performance over a good South Carolina team. And at the heart of Kentucky’s success remains running back Benny Snell.

In truth, Snell didn’t have the biggest night at the office on Saturday. When clock hit triple zeroes, the junior back had just 99 yards on 28 carries for one touchdown, also adding a reception for 14 yards. However, he was the chain-mover and game-controller once again for the Wildcats while also adding to his impressive totals for the season (639 yards, eight scores through five games). He’s been the best running back in the country to this point.