Heisman watch candidate No. 8: Najee Harris, RB, Alabama
As you’ll see while we go through these rankings, the Alabama Crimson Tide offense had its way against LSU on Saturday night in the make-up date for their rivalry matchup. And running back Najee Harris was undoubtedly a key cog in that, carrying the rock 21 times for 145 yards and three touchdowns, completely dominating the Tigers on the ground and adding to his impressive season totals.
If Harris was putting up the numbers he has on any team that’s not Bama, he’d likely be a top-five player on these rankings. He has over 1,000 rushing yards with 20 touchdowns, for Pete’s sake. Yet, he’s consistently overshadowed by the passing attack — for good reason, it should be said — and that’s why he still doesn’t climb higher than No. 8, despite another meritorious effort on the ground.
Heisman watch candidate No. 7: Desmond Ridder, QB, Cincinnati
It’s now been a couple of weeks since we’ve seen Desmond Ridder and the Cincinnati Bearcats on the field as their matchup with Temple last week was canceled and they had a scheduled open date in Week 14. But when Ridder has been on the field as of late, the quarterback has been playing just about as well as any player in the country and doing so for an unbeaten team.
Ridder’s passing numbers won’t blow anyone away but throwing for 1,821 yards with 16 touchdowns and six interceptions in eight games isn’t bad. It’s his rushing that has set him apart, though, as Ridder has rushed for 526 yards and 11 touchdowns on the year. Doing all of this amid how much success the Bearcats are enjoying, his spot in the top 10 is entrenched at this point.