Heisman Trophy leaders after Week 9 of college football

It was another fun weekend in college football, one with multiple upsets of ranked teams. That means some Heisman Trophy candidates saw some movement in the latest polls from our experts here at On3.

Oregon was the big winner on the weekend, knocking off a solid Utah squad in thoroughly convincing fashion. That put quarterback Bo Nix firmly back on the Heisman Trophy radar.

With five ranked teams falling this weekend, how did the Heisman Trophy race shift? Let’s dive in below.

Matt Zenitz

1. Jayden Daniels, LSU
2. Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State
3. Bo Nix, Oregon

Daniels: This week — LSU’s matchup against Alabama — will likely go a long way in determining Daniels’ place in the running for the Heisman Trophy.

Harrison: Harrison has posted at least 105 receiving yards and at least one touchdown in six of Ohio State’s last seven games.

Nix: Nix is the only QB in the nation with at least 20 touchdown passes and only one interception.

Jesse Simonton

1. Jayden Daniels, LSU
2. Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State
3. JJ McCarthy, Michigan

Daniels: If Daniels puts LSU on his back and beats Alabama for the second-straight season, he might have the Heisman Trophy locked up before Veterans Day. But if he plays poorly and the Tigers lose their third game of the season, he could be eliminated completely. Those are the stakes Saturday in Tuscaloosa.

Harrison: Ohio State finally got its running game going, but the Buckeyes still had to rely on their cheat code wideout to find the end zone twice before they could put Wisconsin away.

McCarthy: Exiting the bye week, McCarthy still ranks No. 2 nationally in completion percentage, yards per attempt and QB rating. The stats will be there for Michigan’s quarterback, the question is will his candidacy be punished in light of the sign-stealing scandal?

Andy Staples

1. Jayden Daniels, LSU
2. Michael Penix Jr., Washington
3. Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State

Daniels: Whether Daniels stays in this spot will depend on how he performs against the Alabama defense, which will be the most talented one he’s seen thus far.

Penix: Penix bounced back from an off week against Arizona State by throwing for four TDs against Stanford.

Harrison: Once again, Harrison might have been the difference in the game for Ohio State in a win at Wisconsin.

Charles Power

1. Jayden Daniels, LSU
2. Michael Penix Jr., Washington
3. Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State

This coming week’s matchup against Alabama presents a hinge point for Daniels’ candidacy. He enters the game playing at the highest level of any quarterback nationally. A huge performance on the road in Tuscaloosa would make Daniels the presumptive favorite.

The past few weeks haven’t been easy for Washington, but Michael Penix Jr. continues to put up big numbers at the controls of Washington’s potent passing attack. Still, Penix threw for 369 yards and four touchdowns in the win over Stanford. He leads the nation in passing yards and is sixth in passer efficiency.

Marvin Harrison continues to look like the top non-quarterback in college football. The former On3 five-star is driving the Ohio State passing game and has now had huge outings in back-to-back road wins.

JD PicKell

1. Jayden Daniels, LSU
2. Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State
3. Bo Nix, Oregon

At No. 1 Jayden Daniels, so productive. He’s the reason that LSU is able to operate how they’re operating right now, because the defense is a huge letdown. But the way that he’s pushing the ball deep, and we say this every week, but with the bye week last week, kind of overarching theme about him: He’s taken the governor off of what this offense can be. We knew they could run the football, we knew they had playmakers. The question was could he be that guy to actually deliver the ball downfield consistently. He’s been that and his number reflect that.

At No. 2, Marvin Harrison Jr., in terms of Heisman moments I think he’s probably up there with Bo Nix and Michael Penix for Heisman moments. But he deserves a lot more credit. If he played quarterback he might be No. 1 in this conversation just by nature of how dominant he’s been. Went against NFL corners against Penn State, didn’t matter, had over 100 yards. Same thing yesterday against Wisconsin. Not the same level of cornerbacks, but when Ohio State needs a play they go to 18, and that should tell us a lot about just how talented he is and just the matchup problem he’s going to be every weekend. I expect him to put up big numbers going forward.

Bo Nix at three for me, statement against Utah. He’s in such control, he’s so experienced. But just this season the way that he is causing that offense to operate at such an elite level is a testament to him driving this car, because they switched offensive coordinators but kind of the same system. Production wise he’s doing it with his legs, doing it with his feet. Going back to the whole Heisman moment conversation, I think he had a version of one against Utah. We’ll see if it was too early, but yeah I think he’s a guy that’s got some stages left here to really make a statement and plant his flag as being one of the guys for this Heisman Trophy ceremony. He’s trending at the right time.

So there you have it, the updated ballots from our experts when it comes to the Heisman Trophy race. While most of the players under consideration are quarterbacks, Harrison continues to hang around as a non-quarterback who could generate enough buzz to reach New York later this year. In any case, stick around to see how things shake out going forward.