Heisman Candidates Leave Fans On The Edge of Their Seats
The 2019 college football season has been off to an avid start. Only three weeks in, we have already seen major upsets, come from behind wins, and some all-around studs take the field.
The race for the Heisman Trophy is going to be a long and hard-fought battle to see who takes home the crown. We have seen a myriad of candidates that you could argue should win, but these three stand out above the rest of the competition.
In my opinion, The current front-runner is Jalen Hurts. The Oklahoma quarterback has been nothing short of explosive and fantastic to watch all season long.
Ever since he transferred over to Norman from Tuscaloosa, there has been major hype on him. Mostly because he would be joining Lincoln Riley’s offense, which has claimed the last two Heisman Trophy winners in Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray.
Through the first three games of the season, Hurts has thrown for 880 yards and nine touchdowns with no interceptions. On the ground, he has ran for 373 yards and four touchdowns on 38 rushing attempts. He also boasts 80.3% completion percentage with a 96.8 QBR, ranking first among FBS quarterbacks.
He led the Sooners to a statement 49-31 win at home during their first game of the season against Houston, tallying 330 yards and three touchdowns in the air and another 176 yards and three touchdowns on sixteen rushing attempts on the ground.
The Sooners’ schedule remains fairly easy the rest of the season, although they face a tough matchup against Sam Ehlinger and the 12th ranked Texas Longhorns on October 12.
The second obvious candidate is Tua Tagovailoa of the Alabama Crimson Tide. Through his first three games, Tua has dominated as expected. 
He has passed for over a thousand yards and twelve touchdowns, with no interceptions and a 76.9% completion percentage. He ranks second among FBS quarterbacks, only behind Hurts, with a 95.5 QBR on the season.
After a scary slow first half against Duke in the first game of the season, Tua and the Tide have looked unbeatable, out-scoring their opponents 151-36 over the first three matchups.
Alabama will face some good tests throughout the season to test their worth into the College Football Playoff, and could either hurt or help Tagovailoa’s Heisman hopes. They match up against 17th ranked Texas A&M away on October 12, and their biggest game of the season comes against #4 LSU at home on November 9. As if this wasn’t enough, they will face Bo Nix and the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium on November 30 to close out the season.
If Tua can perform against these teams, lead his team to an undefeated season and a spot in the National Championship, it is going to be very difficult to argue against him for the Heisman.
The third candidate is up for grabs with a handful of offensive talents. In all honesty, this third candidate will most likely only get as far as getting to sit next to Tua and Jalen, as likely no one will catch them.
However, The third candidate I believe should earn a ticket to New York City is Joe Burrow, quarterback for the LSU Tigers.
The senior talent has flashed his abilities since the first blow of the whistle. Already with over 1,100 yards and eleven touchdowns with a small downside of two interceptions, Burrow has been nothing short of spectacular. He sits with an 83.3% completion percentage on the season with a 4th ranking among FBS QB’s 92.0 quarterback rating.
The Tigers have outscored their opponents 165-55 over the season, while also taking down Texas in Austin. The Tigers face a few tough games this season, including 9th ranked Florida at home and number 2 Alabama in Tuscaloosa.
Although it is very unlikely Burrow passes Hurts or Tagovailoa for the Heisman Trophy, he certainly has the talent and opportunity to make it to NYC.
After analyzing the three finalists, their stats and schedules, and the highlights from their first three games of the season, your 2020 Heisman Trophy winner will be Jalen Hurts.
He is everything you could ever want in a quarterback. With the speed of Alvin Kamara and arm strength of Patrick Mahomes, the guy is the best all-around talent in the entire FBS.
If Jalen Hurts and the Sooners can keep up their fire power and Hurts continues to dominate on the football field, it will be almost impossible to not award him the Heisman, and he could bring himself into the conversation for the #1 overall pick in next year’s NFL Draft.
Photos:
https://images.app.goo.gl/7zBwY8pBkUf2gJmU9 (CBS Sports.com)
https://images.app.goo.gl/qPMGeHzDmGCyZYK96 (SoonerSports.com)
https://images.app.goo.gl/LcrY2GiTdDatT1cB9 (ESPN.com)
https://images.app.goo.gl/Tc9ebUAMSuKgPRR19 (Sports Illustrated.com)
