On3 Heisman Trophy Poll: Top 10 player rankings after Week 7

After a significant upset in the top 10 this weekend, there’s also been a shakeup in atop the Heisman Trophy polling this week. Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson has surged firmly into the lead, though there are some contenders hot on his tail.

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: 23-of-31 for 200, 3 TD
Alabama was locked in a tight contest against a previously unbeaten Missouri team, and Simpson was sharp at every turn. His ability to play turnover-free football so far this season has been a huge part of the Crimson Tide’s success.

So far this season, through half the slate, Simpson has thrown for 1,678 yards and 16 touchdowns, against just one interception. That’s getting the job done at a very high level for one of the top College Football Playoff contenders.

2. QB Fernando Mendoza, Indiana – 54

WEEKEND STATS: 20-of-31 for 215 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT | 6 carries for 31 yards
Few would have had Mendoza in the Heisman Trophy conversation at the beginning of the season, but he’s earned every bit of the recognition to this point. He hasn’t been perfect the last two outings, but he has produced wins — including a monster road win at Oregon.

Mendoza has allowed Indiana to get off to a 6-0 start, ranked No. 3 in the country. He’s thrown 17 touchdowns against just two interceptions. Elite, elite play and that has remained true even in the biggest spots.

3. DL Rueben Bain, Miami – 39

WEEKEND STATS: Bye
Miami was on a bye this week, but Bain was lights out before the bye. He is one of those players whose impact doesn’t always show up on the stat sheet. In the last game, against Florida State, it was teammate Akheem Mesidor who took advantage of Bain’s pressure by racking up the disruptive stats in the backfield.

But make no mistake about it, Bain had a huge impact in slowing down Seminoles quarterback Tommy Castellanos. Miami remains elite on both lines of scrimmage, but no player is as impactful as Bain on the defensive front.

4. QB Carson Beck, Miami – 38

WEEKEND STATS: Bye
Beck didn’t have his best stuff in a win over Florida a few weeks ago, but he was absolutely on point against Florida State in his last outing. More importantly, he got a ton of help from his receivers.

And any good Heisman Trophy campaign needs a decent supporting cast. Beck has it in spades and Miami is loaded from top to bottom. The stage is there. The ability is there. Carson Beck just has to keep delivering and he’ll find his way to New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony.

5. QB Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss – 31

WEEKEND STATS: 20-of-29 for 253 yards, 2 TD | 11 carries for 15 yards, 1 TD
Ole Miss won’t win any awards for its performance on Saturday in a narrow escape against Washington State. But Chambliss remained fairly good overall despite taking a season-high three sacks.

He has accounted for three touchdowns in two of his four starts now, doing so by throwing for two scores and rushing for another against the Cougars. On the season he doesn’t have the numbers of other guys since he took over the starting job after Austin Simmons was hurt, but he’s having a playoff-caliber impact.

T-6. QB Dante Moore, Oregon – 30

WEEKEND STATS: 21-of-34 for 186 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT
Indiana simply beat up on Oregon from start to finish, harassing Moore from start to finish. He was sacked six times and threw two interceptions and Oregon lost, putting a dent in the team’s College Football Playoff profile.

Moore, who was tied for the lead in our Heisman Trophy poll last week, can still make a charge. But it’ll take some big performances on big stages, and he doesn’t have many of those left, with the only ranked opponent remaining USC in the penultimate game of the regular season.

T-6. QB Marcel Reed, Texas A&M – 30

WEEKEND STATS: 16-of-26 for 234 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT | 7 carries for 37 yards, 1 TD
Reed had a perplexing throw into the end zone that was picked off in a win over Florida, but outside of that he was pretty solid. He’s one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the country, though he doesn’t necessarily rely on that ability to do his damage.

Through six games, Reed has thrown for 1,490 yards and 12 touchdowns, against four interceptions. He has thrown an interception in each of his last four games, and you’d like to see him clean that up a little bit. But the Aggies are 6-0 and cruising.

T-8. QB Julian Sayin, Ohio State – 16

WEEKEND STATS: 19-of-27 for 166 yards, 2 TD
Sayin hasn’t earned much recognition year to date in this Heisman Trophy poll, but he’s beginning to come into his own for the Buckeyes. He has not thrown an interception since Sept. 13, nearly a month of clean quarterback play.

The Buckeyes quarterback has thrown for 1,479 yards with 15 touchdowns and three interceptions. He’s not much of a runner, but he really doesn’t need to be with how good Ohio State’s receiving corps is.

T-8. QB Jayden Maiava, USC – 16

WEEKEND STATS: 25-of-32 for 265 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
USC hadn’t really played anyone noteworthy until the last three weeks, so when it lost to a now-unranked Illinois team, many of the team’s top stars fell off the Heisman Trophy radar. A big win over Michigan on Saturday helped change that.

Maiava won’t be confused as an elite runner, but he has rushed for four touchdowns this season. On top of that, he’s thrown for 1,852 yards and 13 touchdowns, against just two interceptions. It is notable that his picks have come against the stiffest competition, too.

10. QB Haynes King, Georgia Tech – 14

WEEKEND STATS: 20-of-24 for 213 yards, 1 TD | 14 carries for 60 yards, 2 TD
One of the nation’s best dual-threat quarterbacks, King has logged double-digit carries in four of five games so far. He has scored a rushing touchdown in every game, finding the end zone nine times with his legs while account for 440 yards on the ground.

He’s no slouch as a passer, but that’s not his identity or what Georgia Tech usually needs from him. King has thrown for 971 yards, four touchdowns and one interception so far this season.

Rest of the Heisman Trophy polling

11. WR Makai Lemon, USC – 12
12. RB Ahmad Hardy, Missouri – 11
T-13. QB Demond Williams, Washington – 8
T-13. WR Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State – 8
T-13. WR Elijah Sarratt, Indiana – 8
16. QB Devon Dampier, Utah – 3
T-17. LB Arvell Reese, Ohio State – 1
T-17. QB Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt – 1