On3 Heisman Trophy Poll: Top 10 player rankings after Week 8

We have passed the midway point of the college football season with the results from Week 8 on Saturday. With that, On3 has released its latest results for our polling for the Heisman Trophy.

Each week, On3 polls its top national analysts and experts for their take on the race for the Heisman. Voting is done by Andy Staples, Ari Wasserman, Chris Low, Brett McMurphy, Pete Nakos, J.D. PicKell, and Charles Power.

Here are the results of that poll taken following Saturday’s performances:

1. Alabama QB Ty Simpson – 67

Simpson remained in first place in On3’s Heisman Trophy Poll from after Week 8. It is where he has been, whether in a tie at first before leading outright the past two polls, since after Week 6, with him holding his highest total yet at 67 votes.

That’s as Simpson, much credited for the turnaround of the team down in Tuscaloosa, was 19-29 (65.5%) for 253 passing yards and two touchdowns in a 37-20 win for No. 6 Alabama over No. 11 Tennessee, marking a 4-0 start for the Tide in conference play with all coming against opponents in the Top-20. That has him in legitimate contention as a leading candidate for the Heisman, including here by those at On3.

2. Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza – 62

Mendoza has also leaped, reaching second place last week, in the poll here for the Heisman Trophy. He’s now even better positioned than he was a week ago, as he’s up to 62 votes per On3.

That’s as Mendoza is coming off one of his better performances of the season, being 24-28 (85.7%) for a season-best of 332 passing yards along with four touchdowns, in a 38-13 win for No. 3 Indiana against Michigan State. That kind of play, having the third-most passing touchdowns in the country, along with a likely undefeated record for the Hoosiers, should be enough to have him in the running as a finalist in New York.

3. Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia – 54

We turnt, Diego Pavia. The Commodores’ quarterback has been one of the stories of the sport the past season and a half, and continues to be as Pavia is in Heisman contention, going from one vote in a tie at 17th after Week 7 to back in third with 54 votes after Week 7, and Vandy in legitimate contention both in the SEC and for the CFP.

In a 31-24 win for No. 17 Vanderbilt over No. 10 LSU, Pavia was 14-22 (63.6%) for 160 yards and a touchdown, while rushing for two more scores on 86 yards. It’s the latest moment of him proving people wrong, and is the kind of outing in a statement win that has On3 having him in the running for the Heisman Trophy.

4. Texas A&M QB Marcel Reed – 40

Reed has been steadily hanging around in this poll for several weeks now. Now, A&M’s quarterback reaches the top-five with a total of 40 votes.

Reed, in a 45-42 win for No. 4 Texas A&M at Arkansas, was 23-32 (71.2%), a season-high in completion, for 280 yards and three touchdowns, while rushing for another touchdown on 55 yards. He, one of the nation’s best dual-threat quarterbacks, continues to trend as a Heisman contender with performances like that, especially with the Aggies still among the undefeateds.

5. Ohio State QB Julian Sayin – 35

Similarly, Sayin, the quarterback of No. 1 Ohio State, also still among the nation’s undefeated, is in that spot as well. However, the Buckeyes’ quarterback has made his own leap the past few weeks since after Week 6, with him up to fifth place with 35 votes now at On3.

Sayin, in a 34-0 shutout at Wisconsin, was 36-42 (85.7%) for 393 passing yards, a season-high for him, and four touchdowns. He just continues to develop and play better and better, still being the nation’s leader in completion percentage, which, paired with his team’s record up in Columbus, is the kind of case that could have him in Heisman contention at season’s end.

6. Oregon QB Dante Moore – 30

Coming off the Ducks’ loss last weekend, Moore saw himself slide in On3’s Heisman Trophy Poll. His latest performance then didn’t see any movement, with him still remaining in sixth with 30 votes.

In a 56-10 blowout for No. 8 Oregon at Rutgers, Moore was 15-20 (75%) for 290 yards, four touchdowns, and an interception, while rushing for 49 yards as well. He remains one of the country’s more efficient and proficient quarterbacks, but he’ll need to continue that if he wants to get back into the top-five, or be in New York as a finalist come December.

7. Georgia Tech QB Haynes King – 25

So much of the Yellow Jackets’ success falls on the shoulders, or the legs, more like, of King. That’s as he carried them to victory again on the road, in what was likely their toughest remaining conference game, on Saturday afternoon.

King, during the 27-18 win for No. 12 Georgia Tech at Duke, went 14-21 (66.7%) for 205 yards, while again rushing for 120 yards and a touchdown. He, one of the nation’s leading rushers, let alone at quarterback, may now carry his team, as well as himself, to even more this fall, with him up to 25 votes now here at On3.

8. Georgia QB Gunner Stockton – 19

Georgia has rarely said die this season in how they’ve gone about getting to 6-1. Stockton is one of the reasons why that’s been their motto, with his play suddenly earning him a Top-10 spot here with 19 points now per On3.

In the 43-35 win for No. 9 Georgia over No. 5 Ole Miss, Stockton had a career-best performance of being 26-31 (83.9%) for 289 yards and four touchdowns, on top of rushing for another touchdown off of 89 yards. That kind of outing, in a top-ten win in conference play no less, justifies that kind of shift by the quarterback of the ‘Dawgs.

9. Miami DE Rueben Bain – 13

A full-time defensive player hasn’t won this award since 1997, and this case took a hit on Friday night with Miami no longer being undefeated after losing 24-21 at home to Louisville as he went from 39 points in a tie for third after Week 7 to just making it to ninth after Week 8. Still, if one were to somehow win it this season, Bain would be the best candidate on that side of the ball.

With just one tackle in the loss to the Cardinals, Bain is at 27 tackles in total with two sacks, a forced fumble, an interception, and a pass deflection this season for the Hurricanes. His havoc goes beyond the box score as well, but there’s no denying the slip he saw this week as far as On3’s Heisman Trophy Poll.

10. Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love – 12

The Fighting Irish must finish on a ten-game win streak to still achieve what they want to this season. They got halfway there with their fifth-straight win on Saturday night, doing so behind what was by far a career-best rushing game from Love.

In the 34-24 win for No. 13 Notre Dame over No. 20 USC in South Bend, Love had 24 carries for 228 rushing yards and a touchdown, while also catching five passes for 37 receiving yards. That got them maybe their most important win yet of this streak, and put him into Heisman contention by being in the top-ten now with a dozen votes at On3.

11. Oklahoma QB John Mateer – 6
12. Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss – 5
13. USC WR Makai Lemon – 4
T-14. Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith – 2
T-14. USC QB Jayden Maiava – 2
T-14. Indiana WR Elijah Sarratt – 2
T-14. Cincinnati QB Brendan Sorsby – 2
T-14. Ohio State LB Arvell Reese – 2