Heisman Rankings: Week 6 watch list – Joe Burrow will torch Utah State

There are some heavy hitter at the top of the Heisman race, and if anyone else wants a chance to crack the conversation, they better do it soon.

College Football is heading into the meat of its schedule and while there are still chances for other players to emerge; the hierarchy is beginning to set. It starts with the fantastic quarterback play we’ve seen from Tua Tagovailoa, Jalen Hurts, Justin Fields and Joe Burrow. All four have set the bar high with Jonathan Taylor as the lone running back in this race for now.

Now the question is, who else can join the Heisman conversation and what’s in store for the top candidates in Week 6?

There is a quarterback in the Lone Star State who could be in a position to add his name to the Heisman rankings in the coming weeks, but beyond that, we are still searching.

Week 6 won’t lead to many chances for Heisman moments as only one of the top candidates faces a ranked team. However, these players are so talented and put on a weekly show so watching regardless of the opponent is still must-see TV.

Here is our Heisman watch list for the coming weekend. Don’t be alarmed when you don’t see Alabama quarterback Tagovailoa on the list. He’s got the week off with Alabama on a bye.

Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma QB at Kansas

• 66-85, 1,295 yards, 12 TDs
• 47 attempts, 443 yards, 5 TDs

Jalen Hurts’ first Big 12 conference game went about as well as you’d expect. He finished with 485 total yards (415 passing, 70 rushing) and four total touchdowns as the Sooners stomped Texas Tech 55-16. Hurts continues to grow in confidence with each week and it seems Lincoln Riley was truly worked his magic with yet another transfer quarterback.

The annual game against Texas is looming for Hurts and Oklahoma, but before that, they have to travel north to face Kansas. New head coach Les Miles still has a very long way to go in making his team competitive in the conference, and it showed last week against TCU. The Jayhawks got stomped 51-14 and surrendered over 600 yards of offense to TCU including 319 yards rushing yards. TCU has a top 20 offense, but Oklahoma comes to town with the No. 1 offense in the nation in terms of yards per game.

Coach Riley will probably try to keep it simple and not give away much before the Texas game so look for Hurts and the offense to jump on Kansas early. It could be a heavy ground attack for Oklahoma as Kansas ranks 113th in rushing yards allowed per game. One hundred yards rushing is not out of the realm of possibility for Hurts this week even if he’s pulled early.

Justin Fields, Ohio State QB vs. Michigan State

• 81-116,1092 yards, 16 TDs
• 46 attempts, 222, 7 TDs

Many thought that Justin Fields and Ohio State were in for a battle on the road against Nebraska, but that was not the case. The Buckeyes beat up the Cornhuskers 48-7 and put the college football world on notice. Fields had a great performance totaling 284 yards and four touchdowns while also making some impressive highlight plays.

The Buckeyes look like one of, if not the most complete team in college football right now and Fields continues to show his hype coming out of high school was warranted. He will get perhaps his biggest test of the season defensively this weekend as he’ll face off against Michigan State. Sparty has another elite defense ranking top five against the run and top 30 in passing efficiency. They are a veteran filled unit and will test Fields’ ability to work under pressure, so this certainly is a game to watch.

If Ohio State can keep up its high level of play against a tough team like Michigan State, they’ll become a heavy favorite in the Big Ten. And if Fields has another great stat line, he’ll be on the fast track to New York for the Heisman.

Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin RB vs. Kent State

• 84 attempts, 559 yards, 8 TDs
• Nine receptions, 85 yards, 3 TDs

It was anything but pretty; however, the Wisconsin Badgers got a victory at home 24-15 over Northwestern. The Wildcats were unable to keep Jonathan Taylor in check this time around as he rushed for over 100 yards and a touchdown. It wasn’t as dynamic as his performance against Michigan, but Taylor carried much of the offensive load as the Badgers passing game came back to earth.

The Badgers take a small break from conference play this week as they welcome Kent State to Camp Randall. And if there were a better matchup for Taylor to go entirely wild stats wise it’d be hard to find. Kent State currently ranks dead last in the country in rushing yards allowed per game (261), so Taylor should feast on this front seven.

Taylor will need big stat games to keep pace with these quarterbacks, so this is a perfect opportunity for that. Hopefully, he can break off some big chunk runs and have a nice performance before the game gets too far out of hand.

Joe Burrow, LSU QB vs. Utah State

• 100-124, 1,520 yards, 17 TDs

LSU and Joe Burrow are coming off a bye and will have their last out of conference game this season on Saturday against Utah State. Despite not playing last week, Burrow still ranks top five in passing yards and touchdowns, so that shows how great he’s been.

This week is a very cool matchup for those who are NFL draft junkies as Burrow will face off against another well-thought-of quarterback in Jordan Love. Love entered the season with more draft buzz than Burrow, but Joe’s incredible season has people looking at him much differently in terms of a pro prospect.

We could very well be looking at two future NFL starters in this game. However, Burrow does have the benefit of being on a much more talented team with NFL caliber receivers so the outcome might not be in much doubt.

Sam Ehlinger, Texas QB at West Virginia

• 102-140, 1237 yards, 15 TDs
• 42 attempts, 191 yards, 1 TD

This is Sam Ehlinger’s first time on the list, but he is playing exceptionally well. Texas’ offense runs entirely through Ehlinger, and he has proven he is fully capable of carrying the load. The big showdown with Jalen Hurts and Oklahoma his a week away, but he needs to get through West Virginia first.

The Longhorns are dealing with a lot of injuries at the moment, including Ehlinger who had some rib issues, but fortunately, West Virginia is not there usually self. They are still trying to rebuild after losing so much talent last season along with Dana Holgorsen, so this might just be a tune-up game for Texas.

In their last game, WVU gave up over 400 yards in a win versus Kansas and allowed quarterback Carter Stanley to have a very nice game. Ehlinger and this Texas offense are far better than what the Jayhawks brought to the table, so this certainly doesn’t favor WVU. Ehlinger has had over 300 total yards in every game this season, and that shouldn’t end this Saturday.

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