We’re halfway through the college football season, which means now is a great time to project some of the season-ending awards. It’s been a surprising year as a lot of things we expected to happen have not come to fruition – like Ohio State looking unstoppable –while a lot of surprises have come to light, such as three undefeated teams in the AAC. There’s even a lot of surprises in our projected first-teamers.
Here’s a look at who leads the way on offense so far:
Seth Russell, Baylor
Quarterback
LSU running back Leonard Fournette might still be the overwhelming favorite to win this year’s Heisman trophy and for good reason. However, Russell has been one of the fastest rising candidates over the past couple of weeks. The junior passer is coming off his best performance of the season after he completed 20-of-33 pass attempts for 380 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions while adding another 160 rushing yards and a rushing score in a 62-38 win over West Virginia. Russell is the key cog to Baylor’s high-powered offense and he will continue to climb the Heisman board with performances like the one he put together as the star quarterback of Week 7. He’s even leapfrogged TCU’s Trevone Boykin, who was the top quarterback in the country entering the season. Honorable Mention: Trevone Boykin, TCU
Leonard Fournette, LSU Tigers
Running Back
There have been a lot of good backs in college football this season but nobody compares to Leonard Fournette, who is on a level of his own. Fournette leads the country in rushing with a ridiculous 1,202 yards so far this season, which is quite impressive when you consider that he’s only played six games. No other player in the nation even has 1000 rushing yards. He’s compiled those numbers on just 150 carries, which boils down to 8.01 yards per carry, which is an obscene statistic. After all, we’re talking about a running back who plays in the SEC; not the MAC conference. That’s why he’s the clear-cut Heisman frontrunner and our first-team selection for running back. Honorable Mention: Derrick Henry, Alabama; Dalvin Cook, Florida State; Christian McCaffrey, Stanford
Corey Coleman, Baylor Bears
Wide Receiver
There is a legitimate case to be made for Coleman as the most talented player in college football right now as he is on pace to shatter the all-time FBS record for receiving touchdowns. He already has 16 through his first six games. Coleman put on an absolute show in last week’s win over the Mountaineers with 10 catches for 199 yards and three touchdowns and he is now up to 41 catches for 877 yards on the season. Old Dominion’s Zach Pascal and TCU’s Josh Doctson both get honorable mentions, but Coleman is the most dominant wide receiver in college football right now and there is no doubt his performance from Week 7 was worth of All First-Team Offense honors. Honorable Mention: Zach Pascal, Old Dominion; Josh Doctson, TCU
Jake McGee, Florida Gators
Tight End
Florida wasn’t able to beat LSU and stay undefeated last week but that had nothing to do with their senior tight end McGee. He helped them stay in the game with five catches for 43 yards and two touchdowns in the 35-28 loss. McGee was among the biggest reasons why the Gators were able to stick around to the end and while it might have been in a losing cause he still deserves top honors at the tight end position. Honorable Mention: Jordan Fuchs, Indiana
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Stanford Cardinal
Offensive Line
One of the underrated aspects of the way the Cardinal were able to execute the incredible reverse touchdown pass to Francis Owusu was the way the offensive line held up in protection from the snap to the point where Kevin Hogan released the football. Stanford’s offensive line resurgence has been among the biggest reasons for their turnaround following a Week 1 loss at Northwestern. They certainly deserve the nod in this spot as the top offensive line so far this season. Honorable Mention: Ohio State
