Heisman watch: Joe Burrow’s final test, Ohio State trio looks to make history

Joe Burrow remains the leader for the Heisman and can make his final statement in the SEC Championship Game vs. the Georgia Bulldogs.

We are in our final week of games before the Heisman ceremony next Saturday, so this is the last opportunity for players to make their case to get an invite to New York. All the Heisman hopefuls have gotten their teams to conference championship week, so not only are we talking about elite players, but they are all on top teams with college football playoff aspirations.

Joe Burrow continues to lead the pack in terms of odds by a wide margin (-1350), and this weekend could be the final stamp.

But who will be joining him?

In Columbus, there is almost a three-way battle to get the nod between Justin Fields, Chase Young, and even J.K. Dobbins. Then you have Jalen Hurts at Oklahoma who is playing for the Big 12 Championship as the Sooners take on Baylor.

So we’ll see who can finish off their season the best. Here is a look at our Heisman watch for championship weekend

Joe Burrow, LSU QB vs. Georgia

• 314-401, 4,366 yards, 44 TDs
• 85 attempts, 248 yards, 3 TDs

LSU made sure there were no seven overtime shenanigans against Texas A&M this go around as they stomped the Aggies 50-7 on senior night. Joe Burrow got a roaring ovation as his name was announced for his final game at Tiger Stadium, he then proceeded to throw for 352 yards and three touchdowns. With that performance, Burrow passed Tim Couch for the most passing yards in a single season in SEC history (4,366).

Much like Dwayne Haskins last season in the Big Ten, Burrow has rewritten what was thought possible in the SEC, and this season will go down in history within the conference. And with one more excellent performance, it will go down in college football history, as he’s primed to cap it off with a Heisman.

Burrow will face his final big test before the Heisman ceremony this Saturday against the Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC Championship. This will be the marquee game of the weekend and not only has Heisman implications but will significantly affect the final college football playoff rankings.

In terms of matchup, this is going to be a fun one as Burrow and the Tigers offense face an elite Georgia defense. The Bulldogs are No. 4 in total defense, only allowing 257 yards a game and are No. 3 in pass efficiency allowed. The most points they have given up this season is 20 in their mind-boggling loss to South Carolina, so points are a premium against them. They also play a ball-control style offense, so possessions could be limited for LSU.

However, until someone proves they can stop Burrow, we have to assume he’ll be able to put up no less than 30.

Justin Fields, Ohio St QB vs. Wisconsin

• 189-277, 2,654 yards, 37 TDs
• 111 attempts, 470 yards, 10 TDs

In the biggest game of the season for the Buckeyes, Fields and the offense was full throttle as they went into the big house and embarrassed Michigan 56-27. Fields was a big-play machine passing for 304 yards on only 14 completions for four touchdowns. He also displayed incredible toughness after coming back from what looked like a severe knee injury in the 3rd quarter to throw a touchdown pass the first play he returned to the field.

We talked about the tough three-week stretch Ohio State was on, and now they have reached the end still undefeated and will look to finish the job in a rematch against Wisconsin for the Big Ten Championship.

Last time these two met, the Buckeyes pulled away in the third quarter and ended up blowing out the Badgers 38-7, but it is hard to beat a team twice. Fields was not at his best in that game as he had his season-low in completion with just 12, but did still have three total touchdowns. It’ll be interesting to see the Ohio State passing game operate in ideal circumstances as they get to play in a dome and on the turf, which could accentuate their speed. Fields’ deep ball passing against Michigan was fantastic, and with such a potent running game to complement, look for him to take more shots downfield this weekend.

Wisconsin defense has been able to rebound since giving up 431 yards of offense to the Buckeyes, but this matchup has proven to be their kryptonite the past few years.

Fields seems on track to end up in New York, and a rebound performance this weekend could solidify that.

Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma QB vs. Baylor

• 205-285, 3,347 yards, 31 TDs
• 196 attempts, 1,217 yards, 18 TDs

Bedlam was not its usual wild shootout this season, but Oklahoma and Hurts will gladly take the 34-16 win. Hurts didn’t have to put up crazy numbers in this one, but the did finish with the hat trick of touchdowns with a passing, rushing and receiving score.

The Sooners’ playoff hopes are still very much alive with Alabama falling this past weekend, so their rematch this weekend with Baylor could mean playoffs for the winner. Hurts, who is no stranger to the playoffs, will need to get off to a much better start this time against Baylor because you can only have so many historical comebacks up your sleeve.

We may be losing interest in Hurts because we’ve seen other quarterbacks like Kyler Murray and Baker Mayfield succeed in this offense, but what he’s doing is historic. Hurts is just the fifth player to have 30-plus passing touchdowns and 15-plus rushing touchdowns. The others are Lamar Jackson, Marcus Mariota, Cam Newton and Tim Tebow, all of which have something in common when it comes to the Heisman trophy.

Baylor will undoubtedly be looking for revenge, but if the Sooners are able to beat them for a second time, expect it to be on the back of an excellent performance from Hurts.

Chase Young, Ohio State DE vs. Wisconsin

• 16.5 sacks, 19.5 TFLs, seven forced fumbles

It took double and triple teams to keep Young from wrecking the game against Michigan, and it proved to be a wise strategy as Young was held without a sack for the first time this season.

That lack of production has brought down Young’s Heisman odds, but he still leads the nation in sacks (16.5) and is tied for the most forced fumbles (seven). Those numbers still put him on track to get invited to New York for the ceremony, which is an accomplishment in itself, particularly for a defensive player. And this week he gets to face the team that helped start his Heisman campaign, the Wisconsin Badgers.

Young dominated the first matchup with four sacks, five tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles. The Badgers will hopefully come up with a better strategy this time around to keep Young from taking over the game. As we said, Michigan did a good job neutralizing him, but Young was also a split second away from a couple of sacks in the second half of that game. Whether he finishes the sack or not, he drastically increases a quarterback’s internal clock and forces them to play faster than they want. Wisconsin’s quarterback Jack Coan knows this well, so he’ll be looking for Young every pre-snap.

An elusive 20 sack season is still within grasp if he plays great this Saturday.

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