[Fox News] Heisman Trophy power rankings: Bo Nix jumps into top spot
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The college football season is headed down the home stretch, and the Heisman Trophy race is starting to take shape.
For the majority of the 2023 season, Pac-12 quarterbacks have held the top spot for the most coveted individual award in sports.
Reigning Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams was the favorite the early part of the season before Washington Huskies quarterback Michael Penix Jr. took the top spot.
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And while Penix is very much in the mix, there’s a new QB at the head of the pack.
Let’s take a look at the players with the best odds to take home the 2023 Heisman Trophy heading into Week 11, according to Caesars Sportsbook.
Oregon looks like a team ready for a College Football Playoff run, and its star quarterback is getting the respect he deserves.
Fifth-year senior Bo Nix is the betting favorite to win the Heisman Trophy after trailing Penix Jr. heading into Week 11.
The Ducks defeated USC at home Saturday with Nix throwing for 412 yards and four touchdowns as Oregon won its fourth game in a row.
“It was fun to sit out there and watch two elite quarterbacks battle it out,” Oregon head coach Dan Lanning said of Nix, according to On3. “Obviously, we’ve got a really special one on our sideline. I think that’s a Heisman-worthy performance from Bo and fun to do it in front of the fifth-largest crowd ever here in Autzen Stadium.”
Nix leads the country in completion percentage (77.7) and has thrown 29 touchdowns with just two interceptions.
More importantly, Nix has Oregon in the national championship mix with just two weeks remaining in the regular season.
“It’s also really the separation between Oregon and Washington as we get closer and closer to the Pac-12 title game that’s really pushing this over,” Caesars Sportsbook college football lead Joey Feazel told Fox News Digital. “Our look ahead is about Oregon going to be a six-point favorite. So, him being the favorite in that game, that looks to be probably what’s going to drive the Heisman Trophy winner. … There could be multiple different scenarios as we see each week.
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“That’s why we’re seeing Bo Nix take that separation. He’s been the most consistent. Oregon has looked the best out of this whole Pac-12 despite that loss to Washington. So, that’s really what’s made the big separation from Bo Nix from the field.”
With games against ASU and Oregon State remaining, Oregon is on a collision course for a rematch with Washington in the Pac-12 championship game.
Despite defeating Oregon earlier in the season, Penix Jr. has dropped behind Nix in the Heisman race.
The Huskies have defeated two straight teams ranked in the Top 25 in USC and Utah and have No. 11 Oregon State coming up in Week 12. In the past two games, Penix has thrown for 588 yards, four touchdowns and an interception.
Penix leads the country in passing yards (3,533) and is third in touchdowns (28). However, of the top three quarterbacks in the Heisman race, Penix has thrown the most interceptions (seven).
Penix Jr. is probably going to get a second chance at beating Nix and the Oregon Ducks in the Pac-12 championship game, though the Huskies have not yet wrapped up a spot in the title game. The Heisman race could very well come down to who wins the conference.
“It’s the Heisman. Anything can happen, but if everything kind of holds serve, that’s what we’re looking at is the Pac-12 title game being the crowning of the Heisman trophy winner,” Feazel told Fox News Digital.
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With three losses and LSU out of the CFP after just 10 weeks, Jayden Daniels seemed like a long shot to take home the Heisman.
Then, the LSU QB had a record-breaking performance against Florida in Week 11.
Daniels accounted for 606 yards and five touchdowns against the Gators, becoming the first quarterback in FBS history to have at least 300 passing yards and 200 rushing yards in a single game.
“If (Daniels) didn’t win (the Heisman Trophy) tonight, he has got to be the leading candidate,” LSU head coach Brian Kelly said. “Unless the Heisman is just about popularity. If you want to be the most popular, then fine. But he is the best player in college football.
“He did something tonight that no one has ever done. If that doesn’t make you the leading candidate, then maybe the Heisman isn’t really for the best player.”
The last player to win the Heisman despite three regular-season losses was Louisville’s Lamar Jackson in 2016.
“What Jayden Daniels did this week is kind of put that conversation to, ‘Is it about winning games or is it about who is the best player in college football?’” Feazel said.
One of the problems for Daniels is his inability to play in the SEC championship game after Alabama locked up the SEC West.
“What I think is really going to hurt him is that conference championship weekend. He’ll be talked about just because he’ll be in the Heisman talk, but he won’t get a chance to kind of show he is the Heisman. He won’t be able to really have a Heisman moment from here on out,” Feazel said.
It may be a long shot, but Marvin Harrison Jr. is considered by many to be the best player in college football, and the biggest stage is still ahead of him.
Harrison Jr. passed 1,000 receiving yards on the season against Michigan State in Week 11 with 149 yards and two touchdowns.
“I can’t really quantify how impactful he is to this offense,” Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord said of Harrison Jr.
“I’m spoiled,” said McCord. “There’s no other way to put it.”
The Buckeyes will face No. 3 Michigan Nov. 25 in what will likely be the biggest college football game of the season.
Carson Beck, Georgia Bulldogs, +3000
Jordan Travis, Florida State Seminoles, +3000
Jalen Milro, Alabama Crimson Tide, +4000
J.J. McCarthy, Michigan Wolverines, +7500
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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