Heisman rankings Week 13: Jonathan Taylor punches ticket to NYC

MADISON, WI - NOVEMBER 23: Wisconsin Badgers running back Jonathan Taylor (23) stiff arms Purdue Boilermakers safety Cory Trice (23) for extra yards durning a college football game between the Purdue Boilermakers and the Wisconsin Badgers on November 23rd, 2019 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, WI. (Photo by Dan Sanger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

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BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA – NOVEMBER 23: Joe Burrow #9 of the LSU Tigers throws a pass against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Tiger Stadium on November 23, 2019 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /

Joe Burrow remains miles ahead in the Heisman race but Jonathan Taylor stated his claim to join the quarterback in New York with another huge performance.

Tua Tagovailoa may not have been in line to win the 2019 Heisman Trophy but the Alabama quarterback was surely on track to make the trip to New York City on Dec. 14 as a finalist. His season-ending hip injury opened up room for a player or two to earn an invitation to New York City as a finalist with LSU quarterback Joe Burrow and (likely) Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts.

There were big-time opportunities for players to make a move into that spot. Justin Fields and J.K. Dobbins led the Ohio State Buckeyes into their biggest matchup of the season, facing off with No. 8-ranked Penn State. However, neither the quarterback nor the running back for Ryan Day’s team was able to make a Heisman statement.

Wisconsin Badgers running back Jonathan Taylor, however, seized the moment. On the heels of two consecutive 200-yard rushing outings, Taylor led his Badgers against Purdue and submitted another colossal effort, making it three straight games with more than 200 yards on the ground. If that’s not making a statement, I don’t know what is.

Make no mistake, though, Taylor’s increasingly attractive candidacy in the Heisman race doesn’t put him in the same stratosphere as Burrow. The LSU quarterback again looked close to perfect as the Tigers throttled Arkansas on Saturday night. And with Hurts having some stumbles in Oklahoma’s win, Burrow really only increased his lead and seemingly made himself more of a mortal lock to take home the most prestigious individual award in college football.

With only one week remaining in the regular season, the winner of the 2019 Heisman Trophy may have already been decided. What’s happening behind him, however, remains entirely in flux as things can certainly change with rivalry matchups looming in Week 14 to end the year.

Having said that, this is how the top 10 in the Heisman rankings shakes out after Saturday’s action throughout the country in college football.

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