College football trick or treat: 10 biggest surprises and flops of 2019

Treat – Joe Burrow

The knock on LSU has long been that its quarterbacks were, to put it nicely, not great. Talented defenses and skill positions had long been bogged down by subpar play under center. When Joe Burrow transferred to Baton Rouge from Columbus, there wasn’t a ton of hype. He was viewed as more of a game manager than a gunslinger under center.

Last season, that characterization remained true. He threw for 2,894 yards, 16 touchdowns and just five interceptions. LSU had another good, but not great, year as the Tigers went 10-3 including a shutout loss at home to Alabama.

This year Burrow has kept the turnover numbers way down, but his production is way up. Just halfway through the season, he has 2,484 yards, 20 touchdowns and three interceptions. As of Oct. 21, he was the front-runner. With Tua’s status up in the air for the LSU vs Alabama game, Burrow could take that moment to push himself firmly to the front of the Heisman race.

And the next level is catching on. Pro Football Focus recently released a mock draft projecting Burrow as the number one pick to the Bengals, in front of Tua. If Burrow stays on his current track, he could steal the Heisman and number one pick away from the Crimson Tide’s Quarterback.