Heisman Watch 2018: Week 9 offers chance to overtake Tua Tagovailoa

As we head into Week 9 of the 2018 college football season, look for the real Heisman contenders to separate themselves from the pack and possibly move past Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa.

The college football season has reached the point where the rubber meets the road. Old rivals are squaring up to lock horns on the field, and with them, the real Heisman Trophy contenders will make their case to be seriously considered.

There were more upsets in Week 8, including No. 2 Ohio State falling at the hands of the Purdue Boilermakers. Buckeye quarterback Dwayne Haskins may have seen his Heisman hopes begin to smolder in West Lafayette.

ALSO READ: AP Poll Winners and Losers Entering Week 9

Another quarterback who fell sharply this week was Oregon’s Justin Herbert, who was outgunned by his cross-field counterpart in the loss to Washington State. The entire Top 10 for this week has really been shuffled around.

Injuries to Laviska Shenault and Darrell Henderson caused them to miss most or all of games, and, in turn, has pushed them down slightly in the rankings.

The new players to watch at 10-6:

10: Will Grier – Quarterback, West Virginia
9: Benny Snell Jr. – Running Back, Kentucky
8: Laviska Shenault Jr.– Wide Reciever, Colorado
7: Darrell Henderson – Running Back, Memphis
6: Gardner Minshew II – Quarterback, Washington State

This week’s top five Heisman hopefuls may be how things shake up from now until the end of the season, with some slight movement up and down between them.

All stats via cfbstats.com