On3 Heisman Trophy Poll: Top 10 player rankings after Week 10

The Heisman Trophy pecking order has become much more clear in recent weeks, and the player who has led the last few editions in the On3 national experts poll continues to remain in front. Can anyone challenge him down the stretch?

On3 stops to poll its top national analysts for their take. Voting in this poll are Andy Staples, Ari Wasserman, Chris Low, Brett McMurphy, Pete Nakos, JD PicKell and Charles Power.

Each of the national experts submitted a ballot with his top 10 players on it, and we’ve compiled the results to create a complete ranking using points — 10 points for a first-place vote, nine for second, etc. Let’s get into how the rankings unfolded below.

1. QB Ty Simpson, Alabama – 66 points

WEEKEND STATS: Bye
Simpson was on a bye week after dispatching South Carolina a week ago with a really nice come-from-behind win. He has been sharp in recent weeks. In the last three outings, Simpson has thrown for seven touchdowns without an interception.

All told, Simpson has Alabama headed for a playoff berth as things currently stand. He’s been excellent all year, throwing for 2,184 yards and 20 touchdowns, with only one interception. He also has two rushing scores.

2. QB Julian Sayin, Ohio State – 62

WEEKEND STATS: 20-of-23 for 316 yards, 4 TD
After a bit of a sluggish start to the season, Sayin has been absolutely on fire in recent weeks. He is flying up the Heisman Trophy watch list as a result.

He hasn’t thrown an interception in the past five games, throwing 15 touchdowns in that timeframe. His numbers on the season are excellent: 2,188 yards passing and 23 touchdowns, against just three interceptions.

3. QB Fernando Mendoza, Indiana – 52

WEEKEND STATS: 14-of-21 for 201 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT | 4 carries for 24 yards, 1 TD
The crazy part about Indiana’s utter dominance this season is that Mendoza hasn’t had to play like a Heisman Trophy candidate ever week for the Hoosiers to roll. The team is incredibly well balanced across the board.

Still, Mendoza has been elite. He’s cooled off a touch in recent weeks, throwing an interception in four of the last five games. But he has still tallied 2,124 yards passing and 25 touchdowns, against just four interceptions. He has 220 yards rushing and four scores on the ground, as well.

4. QB Marcel Reed, Texas A&M – 48

WEEKEND STATS: Bye
Reed had a week off after a strong performance in a blowout win over LSU. He wasn’t perfect in that game, as he threw two early interceptions. But he helped the Aggies absolutely pour it on by scoring 35 unanswered in the second half.

The Texas A&M quarterback has been one of the better dual-threat prospects in the country. He has run for 349 yards and six scores. Add in 1,972 yards passing and 17 touchdowns, albeit with six interceptions, and Reed has been downright electric.

5. QB Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss – 28

WEEKEND STATS: 12-of-21 for 159 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT | 15 carries for 59 yards, 1 TD
Chambliss didn’t have his biggest day as a passer. In fact, it was his least productive outing through the air since he took over as the starter. And he did throw an interception.

Still, he helped Ole Miss control the flow of the game with his ability to make timely runs when needed. He saw a season-high-tying 15 carries, moving the chains a number of times to get Ole Miss one win closer to the playoffs.

T-6. QB Haynes King, Georgia Tech – 23

WEEKEND STATS: 25-of-35 for 408 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT | 20 carries for 103 yards, 2 TD
About the only thing that tarnished King’s Heisman Trophy chances on Saturday was the loss that Georgia Tech suffered. Because otherwise he was Superman in the game against NC State. He topped 500 total yards accounted for in the game.

Not many quarterbacks are capable of going for 400 yards passing and 100 yards rushing in the same game. In fact, Demond Williams became just the 16th FBS player to do so earlier this year. King became the 17th. He as only the fourth player in ACC history to accomplish the feat.

T-6. QB Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt – 23

WEEKEND STATS: 27-of-38 for 365 yards, 3 TD | 14 carries for 43 yards, 1 TD
It was a tough afternoon for Pavia early on, and he took six sacks in the contest. Most of his damage came late when Texas had already taken a comfortable lead. Still, he put up Heisman Trophy type numbers in the loss.

Pavia threw for a season-high 365 yards in the loss, while connecting on three touchdown passes. He also ran 14 times and scored once on the ground.

8. QB Dante Moore, Oregon – 21

WEEKEND STATS: Bye
Oregon had a week off to rest after a challenging contest against Wisconsin in a downpour. Remember that Moore left that contest early after taking a shot through the facemask, which caused a bloody noise. He’s expected to be fine, though.

Moore has work to do if he wants to get back into the Heisman Trophy race. His numbers — 1,772 yards passing and 19 touchdowns — are respectable enough, but he needs a big game on the big stage. A road trip to Iowa is a must, then games against USC and Washington could provide a lift for his campaign.

9. RB Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame – 20

WEEKEND STATS: 17 carries for 136 yards, 2 TD | 4 catches for 30 yards
Love was mostly bottled up early on against Boston College, but it was his 94-yard touchdown run later in the contest that broke things open. And Love was feeling himself, striking a Heisman Trophy pose afterwards.

He probably doesn’t have the numbers to make a serious push at the award, particularly given how gaudy Ashton Jeanty‘s numbers were a year ago. Through eight games, Love has 894 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns, as well as 227 receiving yards and three touchdown catches.

10. WR Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State – 14

WEEKEND STATS: 6 catches for 123 yards, 2 TD
Smith was his usual electric self this weekend. He even showed remarkable awareness on one ball that was tipped near the end zone and could have been picked. Instead, Smith reached up with an impossibly long arm, snatched it out of the sky and scored.

The Ohio State standout has come pretty close to replicating his incredible freshman season a year ago. He has 55 catches for 725 yards and nine touchdowns through the first eight games of the season. He also has a rushing score.

Rest of the Heisman Trophy Poll

11. QB Gunner Stockton, Georgia – 10
T-12. QB Demond Williams, Washington – 4
T-12. QB Brendan Sorsby, Cincinnati – 4
T-14. QB Darian Mensah, Duke – 3
T-14. LB Arvell Reese, Ohio State – 3
T-14. WR Makai Lemon, USC – 3
17. EDGE David Bailey, Texas Tech – 1