Heisman Watch 2018: Three new stars emerge, Will Grier slightly slides

As we approach the midway point of the 2018 college football season, this year’s Heisman Trophy candidates will begin to face much more in-game competition.

Five weeks into the 2018 college football season and not a single Heisman Trophy hopeful has really singled himself out as the leading contender. There are still anywhere from 10-12 likely candidates, with the top five having little separation between them.

The list is still quarterback-heavy, and the Top 10 contenders at this point do not have a defensive player on the list.

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Many teams are entering into the teeth of their schedule, with some big rivalry games coming up over the next few weeks. The first of those is the Red River Showdown, which will give Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray a chance to really have a big Heisman moment against the rival Texas Longhorns.

The Week 6 Top 10 is taking a completely different look, with three new names entering for the first time this season. Dropping off my list this week are Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver, Syracuse quarterback Eric Dungey and Texas Tech quarterback Alan Bowman, who left the game against West Virginia with a partically collapsed lung. Best wishes to Bowman for a speedy recovery.

Coming in at 10-6:

10: Travis Etienne – Running Back, Clemson
9: Laviska Shenault Jr.– Wide Reciever, Colorado
8: McKenzie Milton – Quarterback, UCF
7: Justin Herbert – Quarterback, Oregon
6: Trace McSorley – Quarterback, Penn State

Holding steady at number five this week is sensational Kentucky running back, Benny Snell Jr.  While Snell didn’t quite have the eye-popping game he did the prior week against Mississippi State, he was still a big factor in keeping Kentucky unbeaten.

All stats via cfbstats.com