Heisman rankings Week 7: Joe Burrow makes the case to be front-runner
Joe Burrow furthered his Heisman campaign with another huge performance on a big stage but does he overtake Tua and Jalen Hurts in the Heisman rankings?
Entering the 2019 college football season, LSU Tigers quarterback Joe Burrow was likely not on the Heisman watch list for most people. While he was clearly an upgrade at the position for Ed Orgeron’s team when he took over the starting job last season, the simple fact remained that he did not fit the bill of a star quarterback when the season began. But after seven weeks, the narrative has changed.
Burrow’s latest exploit was leading the Tigers to a 14-point victory over the previously undefeated Florida Gators on Saturday night. This was by far the biggest test that the quarterback had faced this season, going up against one of the premier pass defenses in college football. The Ohio State transfer tossed three touchdowns in a near-perfect outing to lead the way in the top-10 matchup.
In far surpassing all preseason expectations for him and with another monster outing on Saturday, Burrow has firmly put himself in the mix with Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts as the front-runners to win the 2019 Heisman Trophy. The question is whether or not he can take the much-hyped signal-callers for Alabama and Oklahoma, respectively, or if he’ll be stuck behind them still.
While Burrow cemented his spot in the top three of the Heisman rankings, though, some players who had previously been in the mix dropped out. Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger was fine but fell off the pace in the Red River Rivalry loss to Oklahoma. Meanwhile, Alabama wide receiver Jerry Jeudy also fell off the pace while Wake Forest quarterback Jamie Newman was injured and his team suffered their first loss of the year.
As players drop out, though, that means that we have some newcomers and shake-ups to the 2019 Heisman rankings after Week 7. Did Burrow climb into the top spot? Who are the new arrivals? How could things change moving forward? Let’s get into the rankings and sort all of that out.