8. Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson
The Clemson Tigers obliterated the Florida State Seminoles in Tallahassee on Saturday afternoon, making an ACC rivalry look even less competitive than many thought that it would be. At the end of four quarters, it was a 59-10 victory for Dabo Swinney and the Tigers. However, the shocking part of that was that much of the offense didn’t come from their most consistent weapon, running back Travis Etienne.
The sophomore ball-carrier only touched the ball 10 times on Saturday in the victory, toting the rock for only 45 yards and no touchdowns. On the year, he still has 845 rushing yards on 108 carries along with 14 rushing touchdowns and a receiving touchdown. However, with another performance like the one against FSU, he may drop out of the race entirely.
7. Gardner Minshew, QB, Washington State
It’s about time that the Washington State Cougars get a little bit of shine as they are now firmly in control of the Pac-12 following a win on Saturday over the Stanford Cardinal. Now at 7-1, the Cougars appear legitimate and quarterback Gardner Minshew has been the biggest reason behind their offensive success this season. He was certainly big against the Cardinal, going 40-of-50 for 438 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.
On the year now, Minshew has completed 71 percent of his passes for 3,183 yards, 26 touchdowns and just six interceptions. For good measure, the senior signal-caller has also rushed for two additional scores on the year. He’s been fantastic this season and, if he and the Cougars can stay the course moving forward to the end of the year, he needs some Heisman buzz.