Heisman Trophy: 3 dark horse candidates get chance to shine in Week 10

The leading Heisman candidates are off in Week 10 so that gives under-the-radar candidates like Chuma Hubbard and others a chance to shine.

After a week that saw some big shakeup in the Heisman race, with Chase Young crashing the party and Jonathan Taylor falling, week 10 appears to be the recovery week for the Heisman hopefuls. LSU, Alabama, Ohio State and Oklahoma are all on bye weeks, taking away pretty much every candidate with a legit shot.

So who is worth watching?

One of the great things about college football is that there are so many great players throughout the entire country you can never be bored. This is not only true in power five conferences, but extends to the group of five too.

Week 10 is a perfect time to get more familiar with some of the players that may not have the Heisman buzz the top guys are receiving, but are playing at an extremely high level and are worth the ticket price or tv time.

Here is a look at our Heisman sleepers to watch in Week 10 with most of the leading candidates off this week.

1. Chuba Hubbard, Oklahoma State RB vs. TCU

• 216 attempts, 1381 yards, 16 TDs
• 8 receptions, 35 yards

With how much attention we’ve given to players like Jonathan Taylor and now more recently J.K. Dobbins, it can be easy to forget the Oklahoma State’s Chuba Hubbard leads the nation in rushing. And it isn’t that close as he has over 200 yards more than Dobbins who is second.

Hubbard is averaging 172 yards per game and is second in the nation with 16 rushing touchdowns. One thing that standout the second you watch Hubbard is his big-play ability. He has legit Olympic level speed and has touchdowns of over 60, 70 and 80 yards this season. The Cowboys’ inability to be in the thick of the Big 12 race is what’s keeping Hubbard for serious Heisman consideration, but he is a fantastic player and worth watching.

Hubbard is almost matchup-proof at this point but is still in for a nice test this week against TCU. The Horned Frogs are 15th in rushing yards allowed per game and are coming off a huge win against Texas. They’ve only allowed one 100-yard rusher this entire season, and it wasn’t even a running back, but it was Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy.

Oklahoma State will no doubt look to continue running their offense through Hubbard, so it will be a strength on strength battle. Especially with their quarterback Spencer Sanders and his struggles to protect the ball for most of this season.

2. Justin Herbert, Oregon QB at USC

• 179-262, 2104 yards, 21 TDs

We buried Oregon after their lost week one to Auburn, and with it buried Justin Herbert’s Heisman chances. However, he has still been one of the best quarterbacks in the country this season.

Herbert has a tremendous TD: INT ratio at 21:1 and is completing 68 percent of passes, which the highest mark of his career. Plus, the Ducks are still a top 10 team in the nation, on pace to win the Pac 12, and could sneak into the playoff if some things break their way.

Oregon will continue that quest this weekend against a USC team that is becoming the Jekyll and Hyde of college football. The Trojans have suffered a ton of injuries, and you genuinely have no idea what you’re getting from week to week. However, they have played competitive games against ever ranked opponent they’ve faced this season so Oregon can’t take them lightly

For Herbert, this is an excellent matchup as the Trojans are only 84th in the nation in passing yards allowed and 62nd in passing efficiency allowed. They are also incredible young in the secondary playing multiple freshmen and sophomores, so the experience isn’t there at the moment. A perfect chance for Herbert to continue his great play.

3. Kenny Gainwell, Memphis RB vs. SMU

• 137 attempts, 979 yards, 11 TDs
• 34 receptions, 440 yards, 3 TDs

With the three teams in the top 25, the AAC is playing some outstanding football at the moment, and College Gameday will be heading south for Memphis Tigers vs. the SMU Mustangs this Saturday. With so many big named teams on bye, this is the perfect week to see what the group of five has to offer and watch one of the most underrated players in all of college football in Memphis running back Kenny Gainwell.

The redshirt freshman is currently seventh in the nation in rushing and is just as good coming out of the backfield as a receiver. Two weeks ago, against Tulane, Gainwell had over 100 yards rushing along with 200 yards receiving and three total touchdowns. A real three-down back, Gainwell will get plenty of chances to show off against an SMU defense that has been up and down against the run. TCU and North Texas have gashed them, but they’ve done well against capable running teams like Houston and South Florida.

Regardless, these teams are both top 10 in scoring offense, so this has all the making of a shootout, which means plenty of chances for Gainwell as a runner and pass-catcher.

The group of five is front and center and a player like Gainwell will remind people that plenty of good football and players reside outside the power five.

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