The college football world got another reminder of just how devastating every one snap can be each season when star running back and Heisman trophy candidate Nick Chubb suffered a season-ending PCL injury in Georgia’s 38-31 loss to Tennessee on Saturday. Chubb was among the top running backs in the country with 747 rushing yards and seven touchdowns when he went down. On top of having their star running back eliminated from Heisman consideration, the Bulldogs now have to deal with the loss of his production coming off consecutive SEC losses. Here is a look at the updated Heisman trophy outlook for this season along with each player’s odds to win the award.
Leonard Fournette, LSU Tigers
Running Back
The fact that Fournette is a big favorite to win the Heisman should come as no surprise after he topped the 1,000-yard rushing mark in just his fifth game of the season this past weekend. The reality is that as long as he can stay healthy, there will be no debate about who wins this year’s award. The sophomore back is averaging 8.6 yards per carry and has rushed for 1,022 yards and 12 touchdowns already and there are no signs that he will slow down. Fournette is the biggest reason LSU is perfect at 5-0 this season and as long as he continues to dominate, he should be a lock to win this year’s Heisman.
Seth Russell, Baylor Bears
Quarterback
TCU’s Trevone Boykin was the only other quarterback to be featured among the top five favorites to win the Heisman at any other point this season but the junior Russell has impressed while leading Baylor to a 5-0 record. He has shot up the rankings as the top passer on the board. Russell has thrown for 1,527 yards and 22 touchdowns compared to just five interceptions while adding close to 200 rushing yards and another four scores on the ground. Russell has the potential to lead the Bears to a Big 12 title and spot in this year’s College Football Playoff. While the award is Fournette’s to lose right now, Russell is still the best bet to win it among the quarterbacks should LSU slipup.
Ezekiel Elliott, Ohio State Buckeyes
Running Back
There was a lot of talk about how deep Ohio State was at the quarterback position and the potential for whoever started for them to win the Heisman this year but that hasn’t been the case at all. The Buckeyes passing game has really struggled. Instead, junior running back Ezekiel Elliott has emerged as the most consistent threat in this Ohio State attack as he has run for 835 yards and 10 touchdowns while helping the Buckeyes stay undefeated. Elliott’s numbers still pale in comparison to Fournette’s but he is still in the mix right because the Buckeyes are the No. 1 team in the country.
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Trevone Boykin, TCU Horned Frogs
Quarterback
Boykin was considered among the favorites to win this award from the outset this season and he is certainly still in the mix despite being the second ranked quarterback on the board. The senior quarterback has thrown for 2,103 yards and 21 touchdowns compared to five interceptions while running for close to 300 yards and another four scores. Boykin is the biggest reason why TCU is undefeated at 6-0 and the No. 3 ranked team in the country but he’s dropped below Russell as the experts seem to think that TCU is going to suffer a loss. They’ve been awfully close in two of the last three weeks.
Derrick Henry, Alabama Crimson Tide
Running Back
Henry was at risk of slipping out of the top five Heisman candidates but an injury to Chubb combined with a terrible performance by California quarterback Jared Goff this past weekend allowed Alabama’s star running back to stay in the fold. Henry has recorded 665 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns this season and as the driving force of the Tide’s offense, he will definitely be a Heisman candidate for as long as Alabama remains a national title contender.
