Trevor Lawrence owns the Heisman Trophy rankings after Week 3 with another cruising, impressive victory. But Spencer Rattler and the SEC and Big Ten players won’t just let him walk away with it.
Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence has played in two National Championship Games in as many seasons and has one title to show for it. He’s going to be the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. And he’s one of the greatest quarterbacks college football has ever seen. The only thing he hasn’t accomplished to this point is winning or even seriously competing for the Heisman Trophy. He’s well on his way to changing that in the 2020 season.
Lawrence was dominant for the second straight week, despite playing just over one quarter of action on Saturday in Week 3. But that was expected given his prowess and the fact that they were playing The Citadel. What was unexpected was what we saw out of the Big 12, specifically with the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
Running back Chuba Hubbard and quarterback Spencer Sanders entered the 2020 season as viable dark-horse candidates to play their way into the Heisman mix. And a season-opening contest against Tulsa seemed like a prime opportunity to build some early hype. Instead, Sanders left in the first quarter due to injury and Hubbard struggled (27 carries, 94 yards, 1 touchdown) in a paltry 16-7 win for the Pokes.
Even with the SEC and (now that they’re coming back) the Big Ten yet to start play, Hubbard doesn’t crack the top 10 of the early-season Heisman Trophy rankings after that type of debut. As a running back in a shortened year, he needed to be a monster week-in and week-out and, against one of the worst teams they’ll face, he failed to deliver.
Having said that, several other players submitted strong statements about their Heisman candidacy on Saturday. So, while the SEC debut on Sept. 26 will likely shake things up in the top 10 moving forward, and the Big Ten’s return on Oct. 24 will see Justin Fields added to the mix, let’s take a look at the Heisman Trophy rankings after the action in Week 3.