Heisman rankings - Week 12: Gardner Minshew makes his big move

Heisman rankings – Week 12: Gardner Minshew makes his big move

PALO ALTO, CA - OCTOBER 27: Gardner Minshew #16 of the Washington State Cougars warms up during pregame warm ups prior to the start of an NCAA football game against the Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium on October 27, 2018 in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

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CLEMSON, SOUTH CAROLINA – NOVEMBER 17: Running back Travis Etienne #9 of the Clemson Tigers rushes for a touchdown against the Duke Blue Devils during the third quarter of their football game at Clemson Memorial Stadium on November 17, 2018 in Clemson, South Carolina. (Photo by Mike Comer/Getty Images) /

8. Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson

Several ACC tests have come up in succession for the Clemson Tigers and they’ve been knocking them down with relative ease. With that ease, the Tigers have largely gotten away from the running game, or at least from riding Travis Etienne as hard as they once were. While that may be the case though, the running back has still managed to be productive enough to stay a part of these rankings, which was again the case on Saturday night against Duke.

In the 35-6 win for the Tigers, the running back only had nine carries, but he made the most for them as he amassed 81 yards and found the end zone on two separate occasions. That now gives him 17 touchdowns on the season to go with 1,157 yards on just 136 carries. He’s not going to seriously be in contention this year, but he’s definitely one to watch with this kind of productivity.

7. Karan Higdon, RB, Michigan

In a game where the Michigan Wolverines were shockingly tested on Saturday afternoon against the Indiana Hoosiers, they ultimately pulled through and likely maintained their position in the College Football Playoff rankings. More importantly for the individuals on the Wolverines roster though, running back Karan Higdon got back on track with a big game in the win.

After seeing his streak of seven-straight 100-yard rushing games broken last week, Higdon eclipsed the century mark this past week as he took 21 carries for 101 yards and a touchdown. For the season now, the senior running back has 209 carries for 1,106 yards and 10 touchdowns. With his consistency and his importance in the offense of a top-four team, he can’t be denied as a viable Heisman candidate.

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