Heisman Trophy rankings, Week 13: Who helped their case amid the chaos?
By Scott Rogust
If there was one word to describe Week 13 of the 2024 college football season, it has to be "chaotic." This was the weekend when some of the supposed favorites with chances to improve their College Football Playoff chances, faltered. Big teams that were favorites, such as Alabama, Texas A&M, Colorado, BYU, and Ole Miss all lost in Week 13, leaving the College Football Playoff field in a state of uncertainty.
Considering these are some of the top teams in the country, that means there are players who were in the Heisman Trophy hunt who participated in these games. So, did any of the candidates to win college football's most prestigious individual award help or hurt their stock in Week 13? Let's take a look at the Heisman Trophy rankings after Week 13.
Heisman Trophy Power Rankings after Week 13
Last week, the good Jalen Milroe showed up, as he dismantled the LSU Tigers. This week, the bad Milroe showed up and dashed their chances of making it into the College Football Playoff.
Alabama was on the road as heavy favorites against Oklahoma. Instead, Alabama looked like the massive underdogs, thanks in part to Milroe's play. Milroe threw not one, not two, but three brutal interceptions against Oklahoma's defense. One of those interceptions was returned for a touchdown. That helped put the team into a 24-3 hole, one which they could not escape from.
Milroe finished the game throwing for 164 yards while completing 11-of-26 pass attempts and picking up just seven rushing yards on 15 carries.
It has been a frustrating year. Milroe steps up in a huge way in Alabama's big games. But in winnable games, Milroe makes mistakes that turn out to be costly. His showing against Oklahoma was proof of that.
The Ole Miss Rebels had a solid chance to ensure they made it into the College Football Playoff, especially with all of the craziness that took place in the SEC. Instead, they fell for yet another trap game against a team that has turned the corner in the Florida Gators.
Quarterback Jaxson Dart had a solid start to the game, leading the Rebels to two touchdown drives in the first half. But on Ole Miss' final two drives of the game, Dart cost his team a chance to win by throwing interceptions on both. With that, Ole Miss lost 24-17, and are now 8-3 on the year overall and 4-3 against SEC teams. Not ideal.
Dart completed 24-of-41 passes for 323 yards while running for 71 yards on 14 carries.
The Army Black Knights have already clinched their AAC Championship Game berth, where they will take on the Tulane Green Wave. But in Week 13, Army had a huge game at Yankee Stadium against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. A win over Notre Dame would do wonders for their chances of getting in as a Power Five Conference champion. But, the game went as you would have expected, with Notre Dame dominating their way to a 49-14 win.
Quarterback Bryson Daily's rushing ability wasn't enough to help propel Army to a win. Daily ran for 139 yards and two touchdowns on 39 carries. Additionally, Daily completed four-of-eight pass attempts for 26 yards.
Daily has 23 rushing touchdowns this year. While that is an impressive feat, it's unlikely he'll rank in the Top Four in Heisman voting.
There is a new name added to our Heisman Trophy power rankings, and it's Ohio State's Will Howard. While there were some games where Howard, a transfer quarterback from Kansas State, he has really stepped it up lately. Additionally, he appears to be the quarterback they were missing last year in their pursuit of making it into the College Football Playoff.
Howard and the Buckeyes took on the undefeated Indiana Hoosiers. While many would have predicted Ryan Day to lose to another top-ranked team, Howard ensured this game wouldn't be close. Howard threw for 201 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception while completing 22-of-26 pass attempts. That's right, just four incompletions against one of the top teams in the country. That, and Howard ran in for a touchdown of his own, helping lead Ohio State to a 38-15 victory.
With Ohio State set to take on Michigan next week, all eyes will be on Howard to see how he performs and if he can help end the program's three-game losing streak to the Wolverines.
The Clemson Tigers had a relatively easy day at the office, and they avoided suffering the same fate as some of the other top schools in the country. Clemson took on The Citadel on Saturday, and cruised to an easy 51-14 victory.
Cade Klubnik had a great game, completing 12-of-16 pass attempts for 198 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 34 yards on four carries. Klubnik was pulled from the game early in the third quarter.
Next week, Klubnik and Clemson take on South Carolina. But if the Miami Hurricanes lose to the Syracuse Orange, Clemson will clinch a spot in the ACC Championship Game against the SMU Mustangs.
Dillon Gabriel and the Oregon Ducks were idle this weekend, but their stock as the No. 1 team in the country hasn't fallen. In fact, it was strengthened. While being idle, Gabriel remains in the No. 5 spot this week in the Heisman rankings.
On the year, Gabriel has thrown for 3,066 yards, 22 touchdowns, and six interceptions while completing 73.8 percent of his passes. Gabriel also ran for 155 yards and six touchdowns on 54 carries.
The Colorado Buffaloes had a chance to control their own destiny in pursuit of a berth in the Big 12 Championship Game. Unfortunately for them, they ran into a Kansas Jayhawks team who just last week handed the BYU Cougars their first loss of the season. Colorado didn't fare any better.
Quarterback Shedeur Sanders had to withstand an onslaught from Kansas' pass rush, including taking a low hit to the legs well after letting go of the football for a pass. Even as he was being knocked around all game, Sanders completed 23-of-29 pass attempts for 266 yards and three touchdowns.
Sanders' play wasn't enough, as Colorado's defense had no answers for Kansas running back Devin Neal, who ran for 207 yards and three touchdowns on 37 carries. Colorado lost 37-21. While the score shows it was a blowout, Sanders played well.
The Miami Hurricanes returned from their bye week after seeing their undefeated season end at the hands of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. In Week 13, Miami had a favorable matchup against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.
The game was much closer than anticipated, as Miami held a 20-14 lead since the second quarter. But in the fourth quarter, Miami pulled away, with the help of quarterback Cam Ward and two touchdowns, to pick up a 42-14 win.
Ward finished the game running for 280 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception while completing 27-of-38 pass attempts, and ran for a rushing touchdown.
When it comes to Heisman voting, Ward could receive the most votes among quarterbacks.
Ashton Jeanty continues to show he is one of college football's top-tier talents, and he could very well be a true difference-maker in the NFL. On Saturday, Boise State tried to help their case after receiving the No. 4 seed in this past week's College Football Playoff bracket, taking on a lowly Wyoming Cowboys team.
In the first quarter, Jeanty made a statement after he ran 61-yards up the middle of the field for a touchdown.
In the third quarter, Jeanty exited with an apparent injury, forcing him to enter the medical tent. Jeanty rturned to the sidelines, missed two series, before returning to the game.
Boise State picked up a narrow 17-13 win over Wyoming to improve to 10-1 on the season. Jeanty ran for 169 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. That's impressive considering he missed some time in the second half.
Jeanty is making this a legitimate debate as to who should win the Heisman Trophy between himself and Colorado cornerback and wide receiver Travis Hunter.
While Colorado's game against Kansas will be viewed as a disaster, Travis Hunter continued to show the world that he is a true superstar in all of football, and why he should be considered the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy.
Hunter made a huge impact on offense, as he hauled in not one, but two touchdown passes from Shedeur Sanders. After one of those touchdowns helped Colorado cut their deficit to 23-20, Hunter struck the Heisman pose to show why he's the favorite.
Hunter finished the game recording eight receptions for 125 yards on offense, while posting seven total tackles (three solo) and one pass defended.
There will be extensive debate about who deserves to win the Heisman between Hunter and Jeanty. The Boise State running back is dominating at his position. But Hunter, he is playing exceptionally well as a wide receiver and a cornerback. It's very rare to see a player play two positions that well. With that, Hunter gets the edge this week for the No. 1 spot in the Heisman Trophy power rankings.