Heisman Trophy rankings, Week 12: Could Colorado send two to NYC?

Week 12 of the college football season didn't have much as much of the chaos that took place the week prior. However, that doesn't mean there weren't any big moments. No. 1 Oregon survived a trhiller against Wisconsin. Florida pulled off a huge upset win over No. 22 LSU. No. 12 Georgia handily defeated the No. 7 Tennessee Volunteers.

When it comes to the Heisman Trophy chase, the feeling is that it's Colorado superstar Travis Hunter's to lose. That doesn't mean no other player has a chance. But how do the power rankings shake out?

Heisman Trophy Power Ranking, Week 12

The Army Black Knights were on a bye this weekend, but they found out who their opponents will be in the AAC Championship Game. On Dec. 6, Army will take on the Tulane Green Wave. The winner of that game could very well earn a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Bryson Daily has played a huge role in Army's success this season, as he ran for 1,062 yards and 21 touchdowns on 174 carries, while throwing for 644 yards, seven touchdowns, and just one interception on a 56.9 completion percentage. Next week, Daily and Army head to Yankee Stadium to take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Jeremiah Smith's strong debut season with the Ohio State Buckeyes continued on Saturday. Ohio State took on the Northwestern Wildcats and cruised to a 31-7 victory. The freshman wide receiver logged his third 100-receiving-yard game of the season after hauling in four passes for 100 yards on the dot. 68 of those yards arrived on a catch-and-run in the third quarter.

The Ole Miss Rebels had a well-deserved week off after they pulled off an incredible win over the Georgia Bulldogs at home. Jaxson Dart, who played with an injured ankle, did more than enough to ensure the victory was theirs, and that their College Football Playoff odds were still alive.

On the year, Dart has thrown for 3,409 yards, 22 touchdowns, and four interceptions while completing 70.8 percent of his passes, while also running for 304 yards and three touchdowns on 85 carries. Next up for Dart is a game against the Florida Gators, fresh off a win over LSU with a chance to clinch bowl eligibility.

Jalen Milroe bounced back in a huge way last week in Alabama's huge win over the LSU Tigers, where he ran for four touchdowns and nearly 200 yards. This weekend, Milroe took on the Mercer Bears in what was an extremely winnable game on paper. Milroe led the Crimson Tide to an easy 52-7 victory.

Milroe completed 11-of-16 pass attempts for 186 yards and two touchdowns while running for 43 yards and a touchdown on six carries. Milroe was pulled from the game midway through the third quarter by head coach Kalen DeBoer after the team went up 38-7.

Next up for Alabama and Milroe? The Oklahoma Sooners.

The Clemson Tigers' ACC championship chances took a hit after their loss to Louisville. It certainly didn't help that their schedule only got tougher, especially with a matchup against Pittsburgh looming on Week 12. Luckily for Clemson, they had Cade Klubnik at quarterback.

Trailing 20-17 late in the fourth quarter, Clemson received possession of the football, and Klubnik didn't play for overtime. He played for the win, as evidenced by his 50-yard go-ahead touchdown run. That ultimately clinched Clemson's 24-17 win over Pittsburgh.

In the victory, Klubnik completed 27-of-41 pass attempts for 288 yards and two touchdowns.

Our biggest faller in the Heisman Trophy power rankings is Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel. The Ducks entered a matchup against the Wisconsin Badgers as favorites. Instead of defeating them with ease, especially since they lost easily to the likes of Alabama, Iowa, and USC, Oregon had difficulty doing so.

Oregon survived with a 16-13 win. A failed fake field goal play didn't prove to be costly. Gabriel didn't contribute much to the win. He looked rattled. as he threw for 211 yards, zero touchdowns, and one interception while completing 22-of-31 pass attempts. Gabriel also ran for just seven yards on 11 carries.

This wasn't the performance of a legitimate Heisman contender. Luckily for Oregon, Jordan James' 121 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries.

Shedeur Sanders has strong odds to be the first quarterback taken off the board in the 2025 NFL Draft. Now, it's time to give Sanders some serious Heisman consideration.

On Saturday, the Colorado Buffaloes took on the Utah Utes, who entered the season as favorites to win the Big 12. Instead, it was Colorado who looked like the favorites to win the conference. Sanders overcame a rough first half, in which he threw an opening drive interception. He responded by throwing a 40-yard touchdown to Will Sheppard on the ensuing drive, showing that he was not rattled. From there, it was all Colorado.

In the 49-24 victory over Utah, Sanders completed 30-of-41 pass attempts for 340 yards and three touchdowns. Next week, Sanders and Colorado take on the Kansas Jayhawks, who handed the BYU Cougars their first loss of the season.

The Miami Hurricanes were on the bye this weekend following their loss to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. While not playing, quarterback Cam Ward saw himself rise in the rankings. On the year, Ward has thrown for 3,494 yards, 32 touchdowns, and six interceptions while completing 66.8 percent of his passes. Ward also ran for 182 yards and three touchdowns on 50 carries.

Ward plays next weekend against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.

In Week 12, the Boise State Broncos were on upset alert against the San Jose State Spartans. At one point in the game, the Broncos trailed 14-0 with star running back Ashton Jeanty picking up just 18 yards on six carries. After that scare, the Broncos rebounded, and Jeanty put up his usual video-game-like numbers.

With the game tied at 21 points apiece, Jeanty gave Boise State the lead they would never relinquish in the form of a 36-yard touchdown run. After running through San Jose State's defense to reach the end zone, Jeanty hit the Heisman pose.

Jeanty finished the game running for 159 yards and three touchdowns on 32 carries in the 42-21 victory. However the regular season ends, Jeanty should be receiving a invitation to New York City for the Heisman Trophy ceremony.

In what should be no surprise, Colorado cornerback and wide receiver Travis Hunter sits in the No. 1 spot to win the Heisman Trophy. In Colorado's game against Utah, Hunter made an impact on defense and offense.

Late in the first quarter, Hunter had the wherewithal to intercept a deflected pass from Utah quarterback Isaac Wilson. This was Hunter's third interception on the season.

In the second quarter, with Colorado up 14-6, Shedeur Sanders found Hunter deep downfield between two defenders on fourth-and-eight. Hunter leapt over the defenders with ease, hauled in the pass, and took a hard landing, but still hung on for the catch.

In the fourth quarter, with Utah threatening, Hunter made sure he padded onto the Buffaloes' lead by reaching the end zone on a five-yard touchdown run. It wasn't as easy as it sounds, as Hunter ran backwards to escape the oncoming defenders, waited for an opening, then turned on the jets to rush into the end zone.

After the play, Hunter hit the Heisman pose.

On offense, Hunter caught five passes for 55 yards while running for the aforementioned five-yard touchdown run. On defense, Hunter recorded three solo tackles, one pass defended, and one interception.

If Hunter keeps this up, he should be the favorite to take home the Heisman Trophy.