2019 Heisman Trophy Picks & Predictions: Week 12 Power Rankings

2019 Heisman Trophy Picks & Predictions – Week 12 Power Rankings: Week 11 of the College Football season was expected to have major implications for the College Football Playoff race, and it didn’t disappoint. Both Alabama and Penn State fell from the ranks of the unbeaten, creating a wide-open race for the No. 4 spot in the final weeks of the season. Week 11 also had a huge impact on the Heisman race. After a brilliant performance in a win over the Crimson Tide, LSU quarterback Joe Burrow is now the unquestioned favorite to win the award.

2019 Heisman Trophy Picks & Predictions: Week 12 Power Rankings

1. Joe Burrow, QB, LSU Tigers

The 2019 Heisman Memorial Trophy is officially Burrow’s race to lose. On the heels of an excellent performance in a win over rival Alabama, he will have to fall on his face in the coming weeks to not take home the award. Burrow shredded the Crimson Tide defense, completing 31 of his 39 passes for 393 yards and three touchdowns. He is up to 3,198 passing yards and 33 touchdowns for the year, and he is completing 78.9 percent of his passes. Heck, he may still win even if he does sputter to the finish because so many voters cast their votes early anyway.

2. Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Alabama Crimson Tide

Strangely enough, I think Tagovailoa actually improved his standing in the Heisman race while simultaneously falling further behind Joe Burrow for the top spot. Playing on one leg, he threw for 418 yards and four scores against LSU in Week 11, but a couple of early turnovers and a better performance by Burrow has the Crimson Tide looking up to the Tigers in the SEC West and Tagovailoa looking up at Burrow in the battle for the Heisman. I think he may have to settle for a second straight runner-up finish in the voting.

3. Jalen Hurts, QB, Oklahoma Sooners

The Sooners nearly coughed up a huge lead against Iowa State in Week 11, but Hurts put up his typical gawdy numbers. He finished with 341 total yards of offense, throwing for three touchdowns and running for a pair. For the year, he has 2,742 passing yards, a 73.3 completion percentage and 24 scores, and he has rushed for more than 800 yards and 15 more scores. He also leads the country in QBR. His video game-like stats should get him to New York, but I don’t see a path for Hurts to actually take home the award.

4. Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State Buckeyes

The suspension to teammate Chase Young has once again made Fields the top-ranked Buckeye in the Heisman race. He helped Ohio State make quick work of Maryland in Week 11, tossing three touchdowns and running for a score in a 73-14 blowout. The four-touchdown performance has him sitting at 27 passing scores and 10 rushing touchdowns for the year. With games against Penn State and Michigan still to come and potentially the Big Ten Championship Game, Fields will have three huge stages to prove his worth to voters. I’m not sure he can catch Joe Burrow, but Fields should secure himself a spot in New York and maybe finish as the runner-up.

5. Chase Young, DE, Ohio State Buckeyes

The two-game suspension handed down by the NCAA doesn’t help his Heisman chances, but it doesn’t quite kill them either. Missing games against Maryland and Rutgers will cost Young a chance to pad his stats, but he will back for big games against Penn State and Michigan. If he is going to buck the trend and become the first defensive player to win the Heisman since Charles Woodson, he was going to need big performances on big stages anyway. He still has a chance to do just that. If Young is the most dominant player on the field down the stretch for the Buckeyes, he could put himself in position to steal the Heisman if Joe Burrow collapses down the stretch.