ESPN’s Rivalry Week Heisman Watch voting is underway

Nothing about this Heisman Trophy race has followed the script we’ve come to expect. First, there are no representatives from the SEC – the conference that has won four of the last five trophies.

Perhaps even more surprisingly, the same top four players on our midseason list remain on this one, albeit in a slightly different order. Colorado receiver/defensive back Travis Hunter has moved past Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty into first place. But just five points separate them, suggesting a close race that could go down to the wire.

Two quarterbacks might have something to say about that. Going back to 2000, quarterbacks have won the Heisman 20 times; the only two non-QBs to win in the past 14 years were wide receiver Devonta Smith in 2020 and running back Derrick Henry in 2015. Additionally, no player from outside a power conference has won the award since Ty Detmer in 1990.

Here’s how ESPN writers voted on their top Heisman candidates heading into the final week of the regular season. In this round of voting, 10 different players received votes.

To arrive at the final ranking, 12 voters were asked to choose their top five. First-place votes awarded five points with four points awarded for second-place votes, three points for third-place votes, two points for fourth-place votes and one point for fifth-place votes.

Total number of points: 56 (first place votes: 9)

Simply put, no one has done what Hunter has done this season, and that’s the biggest reason he’s jumped to the top of our Heisman clock. We’re not just talking about the snap count here, which on its face is unprecedented; Hunter has played 1,266 snaps, more than any player since 2018, when ESPN began tracking snap count data.

He has been an elite starter at both of his positions: receiver and cornerback. Hunter has 82 catches for 1,036 yards and 11 touchdowns this season. His receiving touchdown number is tied for second-most in a season in school history. Defensively, he has three interceptions and is the first player with 1,000 receiving yards and three interceptions in a season since at least 1980.

His snap count is nearly identical: 602 on offense, 640 on defense (with an addition of 24 on special teams). The only other season where someone has played at least 200 snaps on both sides of the ball since 2018? Yes, Travis Hunter last year (412 offense, 572 defense).

According to ESPN Research, Colorado has run 710 offensive plays this season and Hunter has played on 85% of them. On defense, Colorado has played 772 plays, with Hunter playing 83%.

By comparison, the only defensive player to win the Heisman, Charles Woodson in 1997, played the majority of his snaps on defense and was merely a contributor on offense, with 238 yards receiving and three touchdowns.

Is it any wonder Hunter has started striking the Heisman pose at a much more frequent clip?

“Travis is who he is,” said Colorado coach Deion Sanders, who also played both ways as a player. “It’s supposed to go to the best college football player. I think it’s been a wrap since, what? Week 2?”

ESPN BET Heisman Odds: -800

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Total number of points: 51 (first place votes: 3)

Jeanty has already reached his 2,000-yard goal through 11 games this season and continues his masterclass of speed, toughness and big-play ability every time he touches the ball. He is now the first player to rush for 125 or more yards in 11 straight games in the same season since Troy Davis did it at Iowa State in 1996.

Jeanty needs three more rushing touchdowns to join Barry Sanders as the only players in FBS history with 30 rushing touchdowns and 2,000 yards rushing in a single season.

With 2,062 yards rushing so far this season, Jeanty leads the nation — with nearly 600 more yards than his closest competition. He is also the first back since 2019 to rush for more than 2,000 yards.

Still, he’s a ways off from the single-season rushing mark Sanders set in 1988 (2,850 yards). His production has also dropped by a notch since the offseason. After averaging 9.9 yards per carry in his first six games, Jeanty has averaged 5.74 in the past five. He had three 200-yard performances in the first six games of the season, and just one in the past five.

But even when he slows down, he is not completely stopped. Against UNLV, where he had season lows in yards (128) and yards per carry (3.9), he scored the decisive touchdown in a 29–24 victory. Last week in a closer-than-expected 17-13 win over Wyoming, Jeanty was forced out of the game and into the medical tent after taking a hard hit to the legs in the third quarter. He missed a drive but had 53 yards rushing when he returned for the go-ahead.

“This is Game 11, Week 13 of the season, and he’s an absolute warrior who plays through getting beat up,” coach Spencer Danielson said after the win over Wyoming. “We have to be smart with his body and make sure we get him what he needs.”

ESPN BET Heisman Odds: +600

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Total number of points: 34

Miami built its football dynasty with a series of elite quarterbacks, earning it the nickname “Quarterback U.” But it’s been more than 20 years since the Hurricanes both won a championship and had a quarterback go to New York as a Heisman finalist.

Ward seems to be about to change all that. He hasn’t been perfect, but Ward has been quite simply the most dazzling quarterback in college football this season. Some of his plays border on the incomprehensible — from no-look scoop passes to big, over-the-body throws — but others are the routine throws he has to make to get the job done. Ward is completing a career-high 67.2% of his passes and has the Hurricanes ranked No. 1 in the nation in total offense, averaging 541.5 yards per carry. match.

Along the way, he has reset the single-season school records for touchdown passes (34 and counting), passing yards (3,774) and completions (268), doing so with an unflapability that has earned him widespread praise from his coaches and teammates. The latter two points were scored by Bernie Kosar in 1984. Not since Ken Dorsey arrived in New York in 2001 and 2002 has there been so much excitement surrounding the quarterback position in Miami.

Ward has brought hope that the program has turned a corner. A win over Syracuse on Saturday puts the Hurricanes in the ACC championship game and keeps their College Football Playoff hopes alive. Ward put a 28-23 loss to Georgia Tech on Nov. 9 — in which he fumbled on the final drive — behind him and followed it up with a 280-yard, two-touchdown performance in a 42-14 win over Wake Forest on Saturday. He knows he needs to be at his best for the Hurricanes to reach the goals they set when the season began.

ESPN BET Heisman Odds: +1200

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Total number of points: 26

Gabriel has done exactly what he has done during his six-year career: Throw for a lot of yards and score a lot of touchdowns. In fact, he’s over 3,000 yards passing for the fifth time in his career (the only exception being at UCF in 2021, when he went down with a season-ending injury early in the year). Gabriel also set the NCAA FBS record earlier this month for total touchdowns (179), so his productivity and longevity cannot be denied.

The difference this year is that his veteran presence, savvy playmaking and remarkable accuracy have lifted Oregon to the No. 1 ranking as the only undefeated team left in the country.

It is not accidental. Gabriel is completing a career-high 73.8% of his passes as he methodically guides the offense, ranked No. 5 in the country in QBR. By mid-season, Gabriel was also no. 4 in this vote. To climb higher, he will have to do more in his last two games. Last time out against Wisconsin, he failed to throw a touchdown for the first time all season as Oregon scored a season-high 16 points. Still, Gabriel made plays to lead the Ducks to a 16-13 come-from-behind victory, outscoring the Badgers 10-0 in the fourth quarter.

Against Maryland on November 9, Gabriel threw three touchdown passes, but only for 183 yards. In his last two games, his QBR was well below his season average. Opportunities against Washington and in the Big Ten championship game could potentially be a difference maker in the Heisman race.

ESPN BET Heisman Odds: +5000

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Total number of points: 8

As Arizona State has begun its rise, so has Skattebo. After receiving zero votes in our mid-season poll, Skattebo is ranked no. 5, thanks in large part to the impact he has had on the Sun Devils’ offense. He ranks no. 2 in the nation in all-purpose yards behind Jeanty with 1,681 (1,221 yards rushing, 460 yards receiving).

The 5-foot-11, 215-pounder plays like a battering ram, making him one of the hardest players to bring down in college football.

According to TruMedia, Skattebo ranks as no. 2 in the country behind Jeanty in forced missed tackles on rushes, with a whopping 86 through Week 12. (Also consider: He has 49 fewer rushes than Jeanty.) Another particularly impressive stat: Skattebo has been the most efficient in the fourth quarter. In that quarter, Skattebo has 337 yards rushing, more than any other quarter. Especially eye-opening considering he missed one game and sat out the fourth quarter in two blowout wins.

Skattebo also averaged his highest yards per game. carry in the fourth quarter (6.1) and has more 10-plus-yard runs in the fourth quarter than any other quarter.

There has been something endearing about his rise to national prominence. He has a NIL deal for his signature “Skatteburger” at a local restaurant chain, with a portion of the profits going to Phoenix Children’s Hospital.

ESPN BET Heisman Odds: REACH

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Also receiving votes: Omarion Hampton, North Carolina, RB (1 point); Kyle Kennard, South Carolina, DE (1); Bryson Daily, Army, QB (1); Harold Fannin Jr., Bowling Green, TE (1); Tyler Warren, Penn State, TE (1)