Heisman Trophy race feels like it has 4 contenders and everyone else entering October

Strike the pose!

As college football enters Week 6, we're officially leaving the 'small sample size' portion of the season, and entering the period when legitimate Heisman contenders separate themselves from the rest of the field.

This year's race is shaping up to be a pretty fun one, in part because we don't have the typical 'four best quarterbacks of top-ranked teams' race that we end up with many years. Instead, we have two quarterbacks, a running back from the Mountain West, and a two-way player who might be one of the best athletes of this generation. Now that's fun! At the moment, these four guys have left the rest of the field behind.

Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama

Stats: 964 passing yards, 10 TD, 1 INT, 72.9% completion, 273 rushing yards, 8 TD

After finishing sixth in Heisman voting last year, Milroe entered 2024 with a vengeance. A 491-yard masterpiece against Georgia last weekend solidified the Alabama QB as the Heisman frontrunner — he's currently the betting favorite at +200 at BetMGM.

If Alabama wins out and Milroe continues to be this productive, it might be hard to unseat him as the Heisman favorite. But with a gauntlet coming up for the Crimson Tide (Tennessee, Missouri, LSU) a few medicore games could knock Milroe out of the top spot here.

Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State

82 carries, 845 yards, 13 TD, 10.3 YPC, 211.3 yards per game

The crazy part about Jeanty is that he was a really good running back last year (1347 rushing yards) and somehow still leveled up tenfold into the destruction-seeking running machine he is now.

Jeanty winning the Heisman would be a pretty big deal. He'd be the first player on a current Group of Five team to win the Heisman since Roger Staubach won it for Navy in 1963, and he'd be the first running back to win it since Derrick Henry in 2015 when the former Alabama running back ran for 2219 yards and 28 touchdowns.

As crazy as it sounds, Jeanty might be able to slow down a bit and still win the award. His 211.3 yards per game likely isn't sustainable (though it would be cool) but if he can stay around the 175-185 yards per game average, he'll stay in the conversation all year long.

Cam Ward, QB, Miami

Stats: 1782 passing yards, 18 touchdowns, 4 interceptions, 70.2% completion, 11.1 yards per attempt, 146 rushing yards, 2 touchdowns

Cam Ward plays football like he's auditioning to play the quarterback in a movie about college football, and that is a compliment. The Miami QB is as cool as they come, and that electricity he brings — plus leading the country in yards and touchdowns — has kept him near the top of the Heisman ballot all season.

With Miami continuing to rise in the CFB rankings, Ward is right in the mix entering a matchup with Cal, a team that has given up 51 total points this season. If he can slice up the Golden Bears defense more than anyone else has thus far, it'll be another addition to his Heisman resume.

Travis Hunter, WR/CB, Colorado

Stats: 46 receptions, 561 yards, 6 touchdowns, 112.2 yards per game, 2 interceptions, 1 forced fumble, 3 passes defensed

Being able to play both sides of the ball adequately deserves praise. But Hunter doesn't play both sides adequately — he plays both sides at an elite level. As a receiver, he leads the Big 12 in receptions and touchdowns. As a cornerback, he has elite ball skills and tracks the ball better than most other corners in the country. As a basketball player, apparently, he's also nasty.

Travis Hunter is in the unique position where team success probably matters less, seeing as though he's not a quarterback. Still, Colorado's winning streak certainly hasn't hurt Hunter's Heisman prospects, as his odds at Bet MGM have shot up to +450, second behind only Milroe.

There's a precedent for two-way players winning the Heisman — well, more like player. Charles Woodson took home the hardware in 1997, and nobody since Woodson (or in a few decades before him) has played both sides of the ball. Regardless of the odds, Hunter winning the award seems like a bit of a longshot as he'll likely have to post gaudy numbers on both offense and defense; something he's capable of, as we've seen, but something that is a tall task for anyone over an entire season.