Heisman hot board after Week 8: Hendon Hooker leads the way
Heisman voters Matt Zenitz and Mike Huguenin provide weekly updates on who leads the Heisman race for them. Here is how each has the field after Week Eight.
Matt Zenitz’s list
1. Tennessee QB Hendon Hooker: We’re heading into a big two weeks for not only Tennessee’s season but also for Hooker’s Heisman campaign, matchups against No. 19 Kentucky and No. 1 Georgia.
+ Season stats: 137-of-194 (70.6 percent), 2,093 yards, 18 TDs, 1 interception, 315 rushing yards, 3 TDs
+ Week 8 stats: 276 yards, 3 TDs, 28 rushing yards in 65-24 victory over UT-Martin
2. Alabama QB Bryce Young: As with Tennessee, Alabama has two big games coming up – at No. 18 LSU on November 5, then at No. 15 Ole Miss on November 12.
+ Season stats: 146-of-221 (66.1 percent), 1,906 yards, 18 TDs, 3 interceptions, 137 rushing yards, 3 TDs
+ Week 8 stats: 249 yards, 2 TDs in 30-6 victory over Mississippi State
3. Texas RB Bijan Robinson: In six games against Power 5 opponents, Robinson has eight touchdowns and is averaging 147.8 scrimmage yards per game. He’s posted at least 125 scrimmage yards in each of those games, including 181 in each of the past two (a win over Iowa State and a loss to No. 9 Oklahoma State).
+ Season stats: 920 rushing yards (5.7 yards per carry), 11 TDs, 17 receptions for 280 yards, 3 TDs
+ Week 8 stats: 140 rushing yards (5.8 ypc), 1 TD, 41 receiving yards, 1 TD in 41-34 loss to Oklahoma State
4. Michigan RB Blake Corum: In Michigan’s four Big Ten games, Corum has run for six touchdowns and an average of 172.5 yards per game.
+ Season stats: 901 rushing yards (6.2 yards per carry), 13 TDs
+ Week 8 stats: Idle
5. Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud: Of Ohio State’s first Power 5 opponents, zero are ranked and none have more than four wins. Bigger tests await Stroud and the Buckeyes, including Saturday’s game at No. 13 Penn State.
+ Season stats: 133-of-190 (70.0 percent), 2,023 yards, 28 TDs, 4 interceptions
+ Week 8 stats: 286 yards, 4 TDs, 1 interception in 54-10 victory over Iowa
6. USC QB Caleb Williams: Williams had arguably his best performance of the season in USC’s most recent game, the Trojans’ 43-42 loss to No. 14 Utah on October 15.
+ Season stats: 147-of-230 (63.9 percent), 1,971 yards, 19 TDs, 1 interception, 235 rushing yards, 3 TDs
+ Week 8 stats: Idle
7. Oregon QB Bo Nix: In Oregon’s past six games, Nix has 25 total touchdowns and just one interception. That includes 10 touchdowns and zero interceptions in two (at the time) top-12 wins, over BYU and UCLA.
+ Season stats: 153-of-214 (71.5 percent), 1,809 yards, 17 TDs, 3 interceptions, 382 rushing yards, 8 TDs
+ Week 8 stats: 283 yards, 5 TDs, 51 rushing yards
Mike Huguenin’s list
1. Hendon Hooker: Hooker barely had to break a sweat in the win over UT-Martin (he was one of four Vols quarterbacks to throw a pass against the Skyhawks). But things get tougher in the next two games: vs. Kentucky and at Georgia.
2. C.J. Stroud: Stroud leads the nation with 28 TD passes and has thrown at least four in five of the Buckeyes’ seven games.
3. Bo Nix: Nix had 334 yards of total offense and accounted for five TDs in the Ducks’ dominant win over UCLA. It was his second game this season with five TD passes and his fourth game in a row with 300 yards of total offense.
4. Bryce Young: Young hasn’t been as prolific as he was last season, when he won the Heisman; he has thrown for 300 yards just twice this season.
5. Caleb Williams: His accuracy has waxed and waned this season. But, man, that 19-to-1 TD-to-interception ratio sure is impressive.
6. North Carolina QB Drake Maye: Maye, a redshirt freshman, leads the nation in total offense at 380.1 yards per game, a big reason the Heels are 6-1. At his current pace, Maye will set the UNC single-season mark for passing yards. Mitch Trubisky holds the record (3,748 yards in 2016).
+ Season stats: 162-of-231 (70.1 percent), 2,283 yards, 24 TDs, 3 interceptions, 378 rushing yards, 3 TDs
+ Week 8 stats: Idle
7. Illinois RB Chase Brown: He’s the nation’s leading rusher with 1,059 yards. That’s 36.4 percent of the Illini’s total offense.
+ Season stats: 1,059 rushing yards (5.5 yards per carry), 4 TDs, 107 receiving yards, 2 TDs
+ Week 8 stats: Idle