Heisman Watch 2020: Latest Race Predictions Entering Week 15
Heisman Trophy voters should wait until after the December 19 games to submit their final ballots.
The race between Florida Gators quarterback Kyle Trask and Alabama Crimson Tide signal-caller Mac Jones is that close at the moment.
In fact, the winner of the SEC Championship Game may walk away with the most prestigious individual award in college football as well.
Clemson Tigers quarterback Trevor Lawrence appears to be the only realistic threat to Trask and Jones right now.
Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith deserves to be in Heisman consideration, but it has been difficult in recent years for non-quarterbacks to take home the award.
1. Kyle Trask, QB, Florida
Trask has done nothing in the last few weeks to lose first-place votes.
The Florida senior reinforced his front-runner status by throwing for 433 yards and four touchdowns in a Week 14 win over the Tennessee Volunteers.
Trask should eclipse the 40-touchdown threshold on Saturday when the Gators face the LSU Tigers in their final regular-season game.
LSU was torched by the Alabama offense a week ago, and it is limping to the finish line in a rebuilding season.
Trask displayed no let up against the weaker teams in the SEC, and with a healthy Kyle Pitts in the fold, he could do plenty of damage to the LSU defense while padding his Heisman resume.
The major test for Trask will come on December 19 in Atlanta against Alabama. If he keeps the Gators close, or wins outright, the award should be his.
2. Mac Jones, QB, Alabama
Alabama's obliteration of the LSU defense bolstered the Heisman status of Jones and Smith.
While some voters may go the non-quarterback vote and place Smith atop their ballots, Jones should still receive the bulk of the Alabama votes for now.
Jones has 3,113 passing yards and 27 touchdowns on the season. Nine of those passing scores have come in the last two weeks against LSU and the Auburn Tigers.
Just like Trask, Jones has one more regular-season game to pad his totals before the highly anticipated clash in Atlanta.
Jones should not have any issues putting up large totals against an Arkansas Razorbacks defense that was split open for 50 points by the Missouri Tigers in Week 14.
The Alabama signal-caller needs to outplay Trask on Saturday, and in the SEC Championship Game, to bring the Heisman back to Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
A blowout victory in the conference title clash may be needed to steal first-place votes away from Trask. If the game is close and both players put up similar numbers, some voters may be inclined to go with the player who has the better overall totals.
3. Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson
The ACC's schedule reconfiguration may end up hurting Lawrence's Heisman resume.
The ACC made sure Clemson and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish had a week off before the ACC Championship Game. The league wanted each of its title contenders to play the same number of games.
Lawrence will make his final case to voters against the No. 2 team in the country, which is the best situation he could ask for.
In the last two games, the junior signal-caller threw for 598 yards, ran for 50 more and was responsible for five touchdowns.
Lawrence did the best he could to sway potential votes in his favor, but Trask and Jones getting one more regular-season shot and playing more overall games could hurt his candidacy.
That can all change if Lawrence orchestrates an offensive masterpiece in Charlotte and Alabama-Florida turns into a defensive struggle. If that occurs, Lawrence may be able to sneak up the Heisman pecking order with a strong finish.
At the moment, he is the best possible non-SEC challenger to Trask and Jones. Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Justin Fields has played in too few games to make a solid Heisman case this season.
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Statistics obtained from ESPN.com