Heisman Watch: Travis Hunter Runs Away with Heisman Trophy
The Heisman race has taken a dramatic turn in the last week, and it looks like Travis Hunter’s award to lose. That does not mean it’s over because Ashton Jeanty continues to put unimaginable numbers, and if he continues to trend that way, he could still have a chance.
Let’s look at the Heisman Trophy Watch ahead of Week 13 of College Football.
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Colorado WR/CB Travis Hunter
Going into Week 12, Hunter held a small lead in the race and still had positive odds, but his performance in Week 13 has convinced oddsmakers that he is the best candidate. Now, it looks as if Hunter has run away with the Heisman Trophy.
Last week, Hunter and Colorado faced Utah, the best defense in the Big 12. On both sides, he made an impact. He finished that game with 60 yards from scrimmage, a rushing touchdown, three solo tackles, a pass defended, and this amazing play to help Colorado pull away in the first half.
Hunter did struggle a bit in coverage during this game, and even the interception was a stroke of good luck that went a long way with the media, who has all but crowned him.
He plays both sides of the ball and plays it well; his 911 receiving yards are 14th in the FBS, with three interceptions and eight passes defended. It will be difficult to beat someone who can do it all.
Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty
If anyone perks the voters' ears, it would be Boise State RB Jeanty. He had another video game on easy-type performance, with 159 yards and three touchdowns. This gives him seven games with 150+ rushing yards and 2+ total touchdowns. It was also his sixth game with three touchdowns.
His 1,893 rushing yards and 26 rushing touchdowns lead the nation, but he’s looking to get his name in the history books as he would become the 27th player to have 2,000 rushing yards in a season. He could become only the sixth to do that while with over seven yards per carry — currently averaging 7.4.
Jeanty needs to keep pace as Boise State is trying to stay alive for Playoff contention, and one bad goose egg game from Hunter could flip this race.
Miami QB Cam Ward
Although his loss to Georgia Tech plummeted his chances, Miami QB Cam Ward is the quarterback with the best shot at the Heisman Trophy, and we know it's the marquee position in football.
Ward was off this week, but he still put up fantastic numbers in the Canes first loss of the season, with 348 passing yards and three touchdowns. If he hadn’t had that costly fumble at the end of the game, Ward would still have been very close in this race.
However, like how Hunter’s odds swayed heavily one way, in one week, that could change. Ward leads the nation in passing yards (3,494) and passing touchdowns (32) and is second in points responsible per game (22.2).
He has three more games, including the ACC Championship. He’s thrown for 300+ yards and 2+ touchdowns in nine of ten games, and if he continues that, especially in the conference championship, he’s not out of the race.
The 2024 Heisman Watch: Wrap-Up
We are less than a month from the Heisman Trophy presentation on Saturday, December 14, and in for another hopefully exciting week in college football.
Although this is now Travis Hunter’s award to lose, things are week-to-week.
Come back to the Playbook for more Heisman Watch updates, plus CFB DFS picks every week of the season for PrizePicks — the easiest way to get real money action on CFB.
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