Leonard Fournette was at the front of the pack for the majority of the season. Three straight losses have put Fournette out of the Heisman picture.
Ezekiel Elliott was a name that circulated in Heisman circles for most of the off-season. He stuck around in our top five for the majority of the season. A loss to Michigan State and a 33 yard performance did not help his case.
Derrick Henry and Deshaun Watson vaulted to the top of our poll last week. Both play on Top 5 teams and both teams were victorious last week. Will they remain in the top spots. Did another contender emerge this weekend? Are we simply awaiting someone to have a “Heisman moment”?
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What you’ll see each week in the TSS Heisman Poll:
* The top total vote getters, with quotes from the voters in support of their candidate
* A list of all players receiving votes
* Poll notes that look at some interesting facts, figures and trends of the poll
* The TSSHP Roll Call of voters, with links to their respective blogs and twitter accounts
Without any further ado, the third 2015 installment of the TSS Heisman Poll:
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1) Derrick Henry (RB – Alabama): 22 points, 36.67% of votes, 4 first-place votes
Last week ranking: No. 1
Last week: Beat Charleston Southern 56-6
Game stats: 9 carries for 68 yards, 7.56 ypc, 2 TD, 1 reception
Season stats: 249 carries, 1526 yds rushing, 6.13 ypc, 21 rushing TD, 10 receptions
This week: at Auburn
Great players play will in big games. In two games against ranked opponents, Henry has run for an average of 165.5 yards per game and a stellar 7.36 yards per carry. With three 200-yard efforts in his last three games, no player in the country is playing as well as Henry is right now.
– Terry Johnson, The Student Section
Still the most consistent offensive player and he’s had his best performances in Alabama’s biggest game son the season. No player seems to be catching him.
– Kevin McGuire, The Student Section
Didn’t put up a ton of yards but he didn’t do anything against an FCS school to drop.
– Scott Halasz, Buckeye Battle Cry
2) Deshaun Watson (QB – Clemson): 15 points, 25.0% of votes, 3 first-place votes
Last week ranking: No. 2
Last week: Beat Wake Forest 33-13
Game stats: 24 of 35 passing (68.6%) for 343 yards and 3 TD vs 2 INT, 44 yds rushing, 1 rushing TD
Season stats: 241 of 344 passing (70.1%) for 2,944 yards with 26 TD vs 10 INT, 642 yds rushing, 6 rushing TD
This week: at South Carolina
He’s been the most consistent and dynamic performer in a year of inconsistency in college football. You could also argue that he means the most to his team. With him, the Clemson Tigers are a legitimate national title threat. Without him, they have a problem getting past Florida State for the division. He’s made big play after big play to slice apart opposing defenses.
– Phil Harrison, The Student Section
Now that the ranks of unbeatens are down to two, Watson has seen other players toward the top fall in recent weeks. The do-everything Clemson quarterback has performed well enough to stay at the top though, and the Tigers keep rolling. Though Watson rushed for a score and tossed three more, he also threw two picks to get up to 10 on the year. That is his only downside so far.
– Ryan Palencer, The Student Section
Watson was his typical high percentage completion rate (69 percent) against Wake Forest. Clemson is ranked number one. You’ve got to ask yourself where they’d be if Watson isn’t there. Hint: NOT #1.
– Bart Doan, The Student Section
3) Keenan Reynolds (QB – Navy): 8 points, 13.33% of votes, 1 first-place votes
Last week ranking: No. 3 (tie)
Last week: Beat SMU 44-21
Game stats: 19 carries for 81 yards rushing, 4.26 ypc, 1 rushing TD, 2 of 3 passing for 55 yards and 1 TD vs 0 INT
Season stats: 201 carries for 1009 yards rushing, 5.02 ypc, 18 rushing TD, 33 of 68 passing for 652 yards with 5 TD vs 0 INT
This week: at Houston (Friday)
Reynolds is unlike any other player in college football. He runs Navy’s heavy triple-option attack and does it so fluidly and perfectly that you really can’t imagine him not being Navy’s quarterback. He’s been responsible for 100 touchdowns as a Midshipman, 28 passing and an NCAA-record 82 rushing. His yardage numbers aren’t there like other quarterbacks, 652 yards passing and 1009 yards rushing, but he is more important to his team than any other player in the country. Navy has only lost Notre Dame so far this season, but Reynolds has put Navy in a position, by winning its last two games, to play in the program’s first major bowl game since the 1964 Cotton Bowl when Roger Staubach led the offense.
– Michael Abelson, The Student Section
4) Baker Mayfield (QB – Oklahoma): 5 points, 8.33% of votes, 1 first-place vote
Last week ranking: No. 8 (tie)
Last week: Beat TCU 30-29
Game stats: 9 of 20 passing for 127 yards and 2 TD vs 0 INT, 42 yards rushing
Season stats: 226 of 329 passing for 3209 yards with 33 TD vs 5 INT, 343 yards rushing, 6 rushing TD
This week: at Oklahoma State
Mayfield’s absence in the second half proved his worth to Oklahoma. His highlight-reel escapability puts him on the air enough to get serious attention. And in a season where Heisman contenders are dropping left and right, leading his team to an unlikely spot in the Playoff conversation could very well be enough to get Mayfield in.
– Yesh Ginsburg, The Student Section
5) Dalvin Cook (RB – FSU): 4 points, 6.67% of votes, 1 first-place vote
Last week ranking: No. 6
Last week: Beat Chattanooga 52-13
Game stats: 15 carries for 106 yards, 2 TD, 1 receptions, 1 receiving TD
Season stats: 185 carries for 1,475 yards, 7.97 ypc, 16 rushing TD, 19 receptions
This week: at Florida
Readers will naturally expect any college football pundit to have a clear-cut Heisman leader at this stage, but I don’t see one. Keep in mind that Derrick Henry and Deshaun Watson — the two leaders in national voting and perception — existed in the shadows for much of the first half of the season. Alabama’s offense was clunky and generally quite ineffective for a number of weeks. Clemson relied on its defense against Notre Dame, with Watson playing a smaller role than he did against Florida State. If Henry and Watson are better than everyone else, it’s hardly by a large margin, and they have two games left. The best argument for them might be that the alternatives just aren’t as good. It’s been a very weird Heisman season. The most responsible position is to hold onto one’s ballot until after all games are played on Dec. 5.
– Matt Zemek, The Student Section
Also receiving votes: Christian McCaffrey (RB- Stanford) 3 pts; Larry Rose III (RB- New Mexico State) 2 pts; Leonard Fournette (RB- LSU) 1 pt
Dropped Out: Ezekiel Elliott (RB- Ohio State); Luke Falk (QB- Washington State); Jordan Howard (RB- Indiana)
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Poll Notes:
– Leaders from the past: At this point in the 2011 season, Robert Griffin III’s Heisman moment against Oklahoma lifted him over Andrew Luck in our standings. In 2012, Manti T’eo unseated Collin Klein on our leaderboard. In 2013, Jameis Winston held a sizable lead over Johnny Manziel. Last season, Melvin Gordon took a one point lead over Marcus Mariota in our poll.
– Derrick Henry and Alabama had an easy week but this could have been a factor in his lead shrinking ever so slightly as Deshaun Watson gained some ground on him.
– Ezekiel Elliott and Leonard Fournette have both fallen from Heisman ballots as they got just one point between the two of them this week.
– Keenan Reynolds of Navy is a very interesting case study. From a pure statistics standpoint, he doesn’t look to have a Heisman resume. When you dig deeper he has a lot of intangibles that don’t show up in the box score. Will voters look past the statistics? Some of ours have as he doubled his points from last week to this week.
– This week is rivalry week. Four of our top five have rivalry games lined up. Derrick Henry and Alabama play at Auburn. Deshaun Watson and Clemson play at South Carolina. Dalvin Cook and Florida State play at Florida. Baker Mayfield and Oklahoma play at Oklahoma State. Not only do four of the five play rivals, they play them on the road. Rivalry games have a way of breaking bad at times so these will be very interesting to watch especially with the sub-plot of the Heisman Trophy. Will a candidate step up to cement his resume or will his bitter rival put an end to it?
– The one player in our top five that doesn’t have a rivalry game is Keenan Reynolds. Despite not playing in a rivalry game, Navy has a very intriguing game against one-loss Houston. It’s also on the road and it’s on Friday. It’s a holiday week and the game takes place on Black Friday. Will viewers tune in to see Reynolds against Houston and if so, can he take advantage with a Heisman-esque performance?
– After a few games were played this season, Leonard Fournette seemed destined to win the Heisman. Now it looks like that is a long shot. Rivalry week will likely provide us with a sign of some sort that will show who truly deserves the trophy.
– We’ve had some turnover in our voters over the last few week and I wanted to take a moment to say welcome to three new voters. These voters are also new writers here at The Student Section. Thank you to Michael Abelson, Phil Harrison and Yesh Ginsburg for letting their voices be heard in our Heisman Trophy poll.
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TSS Heisman Poll Roll Call
Andrew Coppens – Madtown Badgers (@andyonfootball)
Bart Doan – The Student Section (@TheCoachBart)
Kevin Causey – The Student Section (@CFBZ)
Kevin McGuire – Nittany Lions Den/The Student Section (@kevinoncfb)
Matt Zemek – The Student Section (@SectionMZ)
Michael Abelson – The Student Section (@ABELSON)
Phil Harrison- The Student Section (@PhilHarrisonCFB)
Ryan Palencer- The Student Section (@RyanPalencer)
Scott Halasz – Buckeye Battle Cry (@ohiostatescott)
Terry Johnson – The Student Section (@SectionTPJ)
Yesh Ginsburg- The Student Section (@yesh222)
