That's a great top 5
Photo by Brian Jones
Hairs. They’re washed. They’re cut. They’re styled.
For Heisman Trophy voters, hairs are also split.
Splitting hairs often is required to determine the front-runners in the Heisman race. Sometimes, hairs must be split to decide who wins the coveted trophy.
So far in this college football season, any Heisman discussion must include rending of coiffure.
The more hairs are split, the more it becomes apparent that one-fourth of the way through the season, Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed should be considered the front-runner.
He has the wins. A&M is unbeaten at 3-0.
He has the stats. Reed is eighth in the nation with 1,011 yards of total offense.
He has the Heisman moment. The entire nation saw his fourth-down touchdown pass to defeat then-No. 8 Notre Dame.
That’s a trifecta no one else can match. For example, Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green leads the nation in total offense. But his stats are boosted vs. two porous opponents. He also couldn’t lead Arkansas to a victory over Ole Miss.
Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
Trailing Notre Dame 40-34 with 2:41 to play, Marcel Reed engineered a 13-play, 74-yard drive for a game-winning touchdown (and PAT) with just 13 seconds remaining.
LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, among the preseason favorites, is also leading an unbeaten team. However, he has not led LSU to a victory nearly as high-profile as A&M’s win over Notre Dame.
LSU’s wins over Clemson and Florida don’t seem quite as impressive. Clemson also lost to Georgia Tech and struggled with Troy. Florida has fallen twice.
But what about other preseason Heisman favorites like Texas’ Arch Manning, South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers and Clemson’s Cade Klubnik?
Let’s just say they’re not playing well.
Georgia Tech’s Haynes King is playing well. He has led Georgia Tech to wins over Clemson and Colorado, which frankly isn’t very good.
Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer is off to a great start. The Sooners are unbeaten, and he’s second in the nation in total offense with 1,105 yards.
Mateer had 344 yards of total offense to lead Oklahoma to a victory over then-No. 15 Michigan. Impressive, indeed.
But that game was played in Norman. Reed had 397 yards of offense against Notre Dame in South Bend.
Again…splitting hairs.
But what about Miami quarterback Carson Beck, you ask?
Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
A transfer from Georgia, Carson Beck has led Miami to a 3-0 start as the Hurricanes are now ranked No. 4 in the latest AP poll.
He, too, led his team to victory over Notre Dame. He, too, has led his team to a 3-0 start.
Yet, Beck was also playing on his home field vs. Notre Dame. Further, the 203 yards of total offense he accumulated vs. Notre Dame were just a little more than half of Reed’s.
Also, on Miami’s drive to a game-winning field goal, Beck completed one pass for nine yards.
On A&M’s drive for a game-winning touchdown, Reed completed four passes for 43 yards. He scrambled for a first down on third-and-8. He then worked through his progressions to throw an 11-yard touchdown to a backup tight end for the victory with 13 seconds remaining.
That’s the kind of play Heisman winners make.
Of course, detractors will point out Reed completed only 46 percent of his 37 passes against Notre Dame.
He did over-throw two passes that could have been long touchdowns. He also under-threw one that should’ve been about a 50-yard gain.
But he also threw away some passes rather than risk an interception or take a sack.
Still, even Reed’s most ardent supporters admit his need to improve.
“I know the throw-aways hurt his percentage, but I really think he played smart,” said Rod Reed, Marcel’s dad and a former head coach at Tennessee State University. “Now we have to get him the ‘old school’ ball in the trash can for trajectory on his deep ball.”
If Marcel gets more accurate on deep throws over the remaining three-fourths of the season, he could have a legitimate shot at winning the Heisman.
Splitting hairs might not even be necessary.
“I know the throw-aways hurt his percentage, but I really think he played smart. Now we have to get him the ‘old school’ ball in the trash can for trajectory on his deep ball.”
Heisman watch (If my ballot was due today)
1. Marcel Reed, Texas A&M, QB: Rising sophomore has passed for 869 yards and nine touchdowns, rushed for 142 yards and a score and has a Heisman moment vs. Notre Dame.
2. John Mateer, Oklahoma, QB: He’s second in the nation in total offense. He has passed for 944 yards and five touchdowns. He’s rushed for 161 yards and four scores. He led the Sooners to a win over Michigan.
3. Haynes King, Georgia Tech, QB: Last week, he passed for 211 yards and rushed for 103 in a win over Clemson. He has passed for 354 yards and rushed for 259.
4. Carson Beck, Miami, QB: Passed for 340 yards and three touchdowns in a 49-12 victory over South Florida. Overall, he’s passed for 812 yards and seven touchdowns.
5. Taylen Green, Arkansas, QB: Leads the nation in total offense. Last week, he passed for 305 yards and a touchdown in a 41-35 loss to Ole Miss. Overall, he has passed for 866 yards and rushed for 307.
Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green currently leads the nation in total offense with 1,173 yards through three games.
Predicted playoff participants (Alphabetical order)
Georgia: Unbeaten with a road win over Tennessee. Impressive.
Georgia Tech: A generous schedule suggests at least 10 wins.
Illinois: The Illini can be this year’s Indiana if they beat Indiana this week.
LSU: Defense is stingy. Offense is surprisingly sluggish.
Miami: The Hurricanes scored 94 points in their last two wins.
Notre Dame: The Irish are 0-2 but could run the table. A 10-win Notre Dame gets in.
Ohio State: Buckeyes have allowed just two touchdowns.
Oregon: The high-scoring Ducks’ 20-point, 34-14, win at Northwestern last week was almost disappointing.
Penn State: All three victories by at least a 34-point margin, but stronger competition looms.
Texas A&M: Unbeaten Aggies just beat Notre Dame without playing great.
Texas Tech: Red Raiders can prove their No. 1 offense ranking is valid if they score big at Utah this weekend.
Tulane: Green Wave’s 34-27 win over Duke is the best victory for an unbeaten Group of Five team.
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch
Ryan Day’s Ohio State Buckeyes remain the nation’s top-ranked team for a third straight week entering Week 4.
Game to watch
No. 17 Texas Tech at No. 16 Utah: Tech averages 58 points to lead the nation, but Utah hasn’t allowed more than 10 in any game.
No. 22 Auburn at No. 11 Oklahoma: Jackson Arnold seeks redemption on his return to Norman.
No. 9 Illinois at No. 19 Indiana: Both are unbeaten. Neither has played a challenging schedule.
Syracuse at Clemson: National passing leader Steve Angeli of Syracuse aims to put a premature end to Clemson’s playoff hopes.
Tulane at No. 13 Ole Miss: A win makes Tulane the favorite among Group of Five teams to reach the playoff.
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