2019 Heisman Trophy Picks and Predictions: Week 10 Power Rankings

2019 Heisman Trophy Picks and Predictions – Week 10 Power Rankings: Week 9 of the College Football season proved to be a big one in terms of both the College Football Playoff picture and the battle for the Heisman Trophy. The Oklahoma Sooners were stunned by the Kansas State Wildcats, damaging their playoff hopes and the Heisman hopes of quarterback Jalen Hurts in the process.
Meanwhile, Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor saw his Heisman chances completely erased at the hands of the Ohio State Buckeyes, but in that same game, OSU defensive end Chase Young thrust himself into the conversation with an eye-opening performance.

We have reached the point where I am confident that the eventual Heisman Trophy winner is among the players currently listed in my rankings, but with big games remaining for all the frontrunners, it is still too soon to start engraving anyone’s name on the award.

2019 Heisman Trophy Picks and Predictions: Week 10 Power Rankings

1. Joe Burrow, QB, LSU Tigers

Burrow came up big against a tough Auburn defense in Week 9, throwing for 321 yards and a touchdown and adding another score on the ground. More importantly, he helped keep the Tigers undefeated while picking up his third win of the year against an opponent ranked in the Top 10 at the time. His 30 touchdown passes are the second most in the country, and Burrow leads the nation with a 78.8 completion percentage. A road matchup with Alabama in Week 11 looms large, but if Burrow can guide the Tigers to a win and keep LSU in the driver’s seat in the SEC, he is going to have a stranglehold on the Heisman heading into the final weeks of the season.

2. Jalen Hurts, QB, Oklahoma Sooners

A loss to an unranked team is never a good thing for a Heisman candidate, but when you put up 491 yards of offense and four touchdowns like Hurts did against Kansas State, it’s not a death sentence. He still leads the country in yards per attempt and passer rating, tossing 21 touchdowns and scoring 13 times on the ground. Oklahoma’s College Football Playoff hopes aren’t dead yet and neither are Hurts’ Heisman chances. He just needs to keep putting up huge offensive numbers and hope the winning quarterback of the Alabama-LSU matchup has a rough outing somewhere down the line.

3. Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Alabama Crimson Tide

If the vote was held today, I could see Tagovailoa finishing behind the player I have at No. 4, Chase Young of Ohio State. He missed a game with an ankle injury, but he still ranks second in the country in completion percentage, yards per attempt and passer rating, and he ranks third in touchdown passes. More importantly, he is slated to return to the field against LSU and the current Heisman frontrunner, Joe Burrow. All eyes will be on that game, and if Tagovailoa lights up the Tigers and upstages Burrow in the process, guess who jumps right back to the top of the list?

4. Chase Young, DE, Ohio State Buckeyes

If there is going to be another defensive player win the Heisman, Young just might be the man to do it. His four-sack performance against Wisconsin in Week 9 generated a ton of buzz with the media, the type of buzz that will have voters paying close attention to him the rest of the way. He currently leads the country with 13.5 sacks to go along with five forced fumbles, and if he takes over against Penn State and Michigan to close the year, Young is going to make a legitimate push to win the Heisman. Still, a rough outing or two from the top quarterbacks certainly wouldn’t hurt his cause.

5. Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State Buckeyes

The dual-threat quarterback delivered a gutsy performance in Ohio State’s beatdown of the Badgers, battling through a sore back to make some big plays with his legs that loosened up the Wisconsin defense. For the year, Fields has 24 passing touchdowns to just one interception, and he has added nine more scores on the ground. He’s going to have a hard time surpassing his own teammate at this point, but with all the hype building around Chase Young, Fields will have plenty of eyes on him down the stretch by default. There’s a chance he steals the show.