Kirby Lee, US Presswire
The Heisman is similar to college football since the fluidity is always there with upsets each and every weekend. The top few spots may stay as such for a while, but there will be changes based on those Heisman moments that only the best can put together.
Many thought Denard Robinson deserved a slot in the top five heading into the season and even after going bonkers against Air Force, “Shoelace” just missed the cut. Without further ado, here is your updated Heisman rankings heading into the third weekend of the college football season.
10. Collin Klein, Kansas State (Quarterback)
What a virtuoso performance that Collin Klein put on against the Canes in a game that got ugly in a hurry. Klein carried this team on his back towards the goal-line, but totaling for 281 yards and 4 TD.
Klein has the Sooners in two weeks in Norman, and that game will ultimately determine whether or not he will make a move towards an invite to New York City.
9. Aaron Murray, Georgia (Quarterback)
Throwing for over 200 yards and 3 TD in a hostile environment puts you on this list and what a job he did by the way. His offensive line isn’t the best in the country and having two freshman backs behind you isn’t the greatest confidence in the world.
However, Murray is poised and savvy as any signal-caller in the country, and his defense will allow him to shine this season.
8. Johnathan Franklin, UCLA (Running Back)
This UCLA runner looks absolutely amazing right now with redshirt freshman quarterback Brett Hundley running bonkers on the landscape of college football.
Johnathan Franklin looks as legit as it gets these days and the schedule should allow this Bruin to remain on this list since they should continue to win and become the best surprise of the season.
7. De’Anthony Thomas, Oregon (All-Purpose)
“I love my Ducks!”
De’Anthony Thomas is the most electric player on the planet and Marcus Mariota at quarterback doesn’t look like a freshman under center either.
Mariota is the key for the “Black Mamba’s” chances and Oregon certainly will continue to cruise until the men of Troy come to play.
6. Landry Jones, Oklahoma (Quarterback)
The Sooners have Texas in less than a month, but an underrated Kansas State squad will allow Landry Jones to perhaps skyrocket on the majority of Heisman lists.
At number six may seem a tad high at the moment since OU has not been overly impressive, but Jones has solid stats and his team is still in the top 5 (my top ten).
5. Le’Veon Bell, Michigan State (Running Back)
After running by and through Boise State in the opener, an expected lighter workload was given to Bell against Central Michigan.
Still, he found paydirt twice and Michigan State remains as the only relevant and eligible team in the Big Ten.
4. Marqise Lee, USC (Wide Receiver, Returner)
A wide receiver player that did not play defensive back and or punt/kick return has never won the Heisman before. Charles Woodson of course played in the secondary and returned punts for Michigan when he won it in (’97).
The only other three players who have won the Heisman were Johnny Rodgers (’72) of Nebraska, Desmond Howard (’91) of Michigan and Tim Brown (’87) of Notre Dame. All three returned punts and or kicks, and Marqise Lee has the same thing going for him with the Trojans.
After bringing back a kick against Hawai’i in the opener, Lee instead hauled in 3 TD in their 42-29 victory over Syracuse.
3. Tajh Boyd, Clemson (Quarterback)
Clemson had a fairly relaxing game against Ball State after their huge victory over Auburn without Sammy Watkins. Even though Auburn does not look good these days, it is a safe bet to believe Tajh Boyd will remain in Heisman contention so long as Clemson continues to win.
DeAndre “Nuke” Hopkins and Andre Ellington are borderline All-American performers in Chad Morris’ offense, and their true test will come in two weeks when they go to Tallahassee to face the ‘Noles stifling defense.
2. Geno Smith, West Virginia (Quarterback)
Some may have Geno Smith at the top of their list, but the Mountaineers have only played one and it was against Marshall. Sure Hawai’i and Syracuse aren’t the greatest teams in the world either, but Smith and Barkley are neck-and-neck for the top spot.
The numbers for both will be absurd as they are capable of putting up video game numbers every single weekend thanks to the best duo of receivers in the country (save CU).
1. Matt Barkley, USC (Quarterback)
Most should bank on the Trojans to remain undefeated until Oregon comes to town, especially since Utah is coming off a tough loss to Utah State of all teams.
However, Stanford could pose a challenge and do not forget that both UCLA and Arizona look to be the new and better versions of Utah and Washington.
Both the Bruins and Wildcats host USC down the road, and they are capable of pulling off an upset if they can continue to exceed expectations. Either way, Matt Barkley will post gaudy numbers and is the heavy favorite to lead the Trojans back to the promise land.
