Heisman rankings – Week 3: Tua has record day for Alabama

4. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Wisconsin

Jonathan Taylor and the Wisconsin Badgers were idle in Week 3 as they take the week off to prepare for a titanic Big Ten matchup against the Michigan Wolverines. That game will be critical to the Heisman Trophy candidacy of Taylor. He’s undeniably great, talented and productive. However, for him to be a legitimate candidate, he needs to bring his best in the biggest games and Michigan coming to Madison qualifies in that regard.

In the first two games of the year, though, Taylor has been wildly impressive. He’s amassed 237 yards on 35 carries while also registering five rushing touchdowns. Even better, he’s been active in the passing game with three receiving touchdowns already. Again, he needs to do it against in-conference competition but Taylor is off to the right start.

3. Joe Burrow, QB, LSU

Things were far closer than the LSU Tigers likely expected early on against Northwestern State on Saturday, though they eventually pulled away. This game was one week removed from quarterback Joe Burrow’s masterpiece against Texas that vaulted him into the top three of these rankings and, while the signal-caller wasn’t quite as good as last week, he remained impressive in the Week 3 victory.

Burrow was clinical outside of one off-base interception, finishing the night at 21-of-24 for 373 yards and two touchdowns, also adding 30 rushing yards and a trip into the end zone with his legs. In truth, the LSU quarterback just needed to stay productive in this game while preparing for a looming SEC schedule that will truly be his proving ground as a viable candidate for the award — if he hasn’t already done that enough.