Pressing Questions: Can Ollie Gordon net a Heisman Trophy invite? What will be the matchup in the Big Ten title game?

A running back netting a Hesiman Trophy invite? Could Ollie Gordon break the six-year streak? Plus, predicting the Big Ten Championship matchup, how to view Ole Miss and more.

As always, you can submit a question via my internet mailbox at [email protected] or send a DM/Tweet reply @JesseReSimonton.

This week’s questions…

A running back probably won’t win another Heisman Trophy in my lifetime, but with what Ollie Gordon is doing at Oklahoma State this year, could he at least be invited to New York? — Jason

For those who haven’t been paying attention, the Ollie Gordon story in Stillwater is rather remarkable. Six weeks ago, the Pokes’ sophomore tailback was buried on the depth chart. He received all of three carries for 12 yards in the ugly, dispiriting loss to South Alabama. 

Then in Oklahoma State’s 34-27 loss to Iowa State the next weekend, Gordon rushed for 121 yards on 18 touches, making Mike Gundy go, “Huh? What do we have here.”

Well, it turns out they have one of the best bellcow ‘backs in the nation — a true throwback to the Derrick Henrys of the world. Since the Pokes’ bye week, they’ve ridden Gordon to four straight wins — including Top 25 victories over Kansas State and Kansas — and enter the last foreseeable Bedlam with a chance to grab a key tiebreaker in the Big 12 standings. 

Gordon has ripped off performances of …

21 carries for 136 yards and a touchdown vs. Kansas State

29 carries for 168 yards and a touchdown vs. Kansas

29 carries for 282 yards and four touchdowns vs. West Virginia

25 carries for 271 yards and two touchdowns vs. Cincy

He now leads the nation in rushing yards and yards per carry (for any tailback with at least 100 attempts). His back-to-back 270+ yard performances haven’t been done at Oklahoma State since … Barry Sanders. Talk about elite company. 

Ok. State OC Kasey Dunn recently joked to ESPN that getting the 6-1, 215-pound tailback to the ground is like “tackling a giraffe.” And with the Cowboys’ remaining schedule (Oklahoma, UCF, BYU and Houston), I’m not sure any of those defenses can slow Gordon down. 

As for the question (lol!), it depends on how many finalists there are for the award this season. Blake Corum might’ve made it last season if not for his ACL injury against Ohio State, but a tailback hasn’t even been invited to NYC since Stanford’s Bryce Love in 2017. Henry was the last tailback to win the award, taking home the trophy in 2009. 

Right now, the Heisman Trophy race is still wide open, which helps Gordon’s candidacy. If he leads Oklahoma State to an upset over Oklahoma or a trip to the Big 12 title game, then he will become the first tailback since in 2017 to earn a finalist spot. 

Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State can all make the Big Ten Championship. The Big Ten West has four teams (Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Nebraska) tied atop the division at 3-2, and that doesn’t include Northwestern, which still controls its own destiny. So who do you see playing in the Big Ten Championship next month? — Nick

I still believe Michigan will cruise to the Big Ten East title. Penn State proved fraudulent. The Nittany Lions’ defense is legit, but they are legitimately bad offensively, too. They’re averaging just 5.2 yards per play with two of the more explosive tailbacks in the country. Drew Allar has been a disappointment and their lack of weapons on the perimeter hasn’t helped his development. Even with Michigan play at Penn State, I’ll be stunned if James Franklin’s team pulls off the upset. 

Ohio State-Michigan is a more interesting argument, but while the Buckeyes are also playing really strong defense and have the nation’s best player in Marvin Harrison Jr., there Wolverines are simply the more complete team. 

They’ve beaten OSU two-straight times and now they have the advantage at quarterback as well. The Buckeyes have struggled to score more than 20 points on the road, and doing so against this Michigan defense in Ann Arbor looks unlikely. 

So give me Michigan in the East, and as for the West, just gross. 

All these teams are bad. For all the jokes about Iowa’s Drive for 325, none of the Big Ten West teams are averaging over 25 points per game this season.

In terms of paths to the title game, Northwestern actually needs to win out and have Minnesota lose to make the title game. The Gophers are the only team that fully controls its own destiny to Indy, and they still have to play at Ohio State (not ideal!).

Iowa has four very winnable games remaining, but their offensive output as been so bad this season that the Hawkeyes just announced mid-year that maligned OC Brian Ferentz would not return in 2024. Nebraska should break its seven-year bowl-less streak, but it’s hard to see them winning three of four with that offense to capture the division.

So Wisconsin? The Badgers have the most favorable remaining schedule. The injury to star tailback Braelon Allen dramatically changes their team’s potential, though, and it remains to be seen how long he’ll be sidelined. Still, Luke Fickell is the best coach in the division, and backup quarterback Braedyn Locke might actually be an upgrade over Tanner Mordecai. Wisconsin should be favored in three of their final four games, too.

Ultimately, the Battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe between the Badgers and the Gophers in the final week of the season likely decides the division. 

So give me Michigan-Wisconsin.

Ole Miss is 7-1 and ranked in the Top 10 now. For the rest of the season, are the Rebels a contender, pretender, or spoiler? — Max

Lane Kiffin’s team is quietly in position for its best season in school history. Quarterback Jaxson Dart is still a bit up and down, but tailback Quinshon Judkins is finally back to last season’s form with consecutive 124-yard games. Meanwhile, Pete Goulding has shored up a defense that’s allowing 4.9 yards per play — a real improvement from last season. They also rank in the Top 10 nationally in sacks and tackles for loss. 

The Rebels have Top 25 wins over LSU and Tulane (albeit against the backup QB), and certainly seem like they’re enjoying this 7-1 start.  

Who won the @OleMissFB dunk contest? 👀 @Lane_Kiffin pic.twitter.com/wNWckjlS6Z

— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) October 29, 2023

I honestly don’t think really qualify for any of the listed labels, though. They’ll be favored in three of their final four games (Texas A&M, Louisiana Monroe and at Mississippi State) and a big underdog at No. 1 Georgia next week. 

If LSU beats Alabama on Saturday, suddenly the Rebels would be in a three-way tie atop the West Division standings. But to go to Atlanta for the first time ever would require beating the Bulldogs in Athens. I don’t see that happening. 

At 10-2, Ole Miss would’ve had a really nice season where they never were truly in playoff contention but did pickup one huge rivalry win over LSU. Win the bowl game and it would be the first 11-win season in school history. 

After Washington beats Oregon for the third time in a row in the conference championship game, do they crack the Top 4? — NunyaBidnazzz

Huskies fans have been a bit salty online the last few days, and I get it. Washington beat Oregon, and yet many, myself included, continue to believe the Ducks are the better team. 

But they haven’t proven that to be true in the last two years. Dan Lanning and Bo Nix have lost to Kalen DeBoer and Michael Penix Jr. twice now. I do believe if the two teams meet in Las Vegas in December that Oregon would be favored, but if Washington is undefeated and beats the Ducks again, the Huskies won’t just be in the College Football Playoff field — they could rank as high as No. 1. 

The true question is what happens if Washington drops a game against USC or Oregon State but rallies to win the Pac-12 Championship. A 12-1 Huskies team probably still gets into the playoff but it’s not a certainty. x