Ranking the Heisman Favorites Heading into Week 9

Heading into the 2021 season, the ACC featured three quarterbacks who were popular Heisman Trophy candidates. 

D.J. Uiagalelei, Sam Howell and D'Eriq King are no longer in the race, however. No, this ACC group is now comprised of Kenny Pickett, Brennan Armstrong and Sam Hartman.

It's a strange season, folks!

Armstrong and Hartman are officially on the Heisman radar, while Pickett joins the list of ranked contenders. They're all facing an uphill climb to catch Alabama QB Bryce Young, who continues to put together a fantastic first year as a starter.

But the ACC trio is officially on the board in Week 9. Ultimately, that's an impactful place to be.

B/R's Heisman Trophy update is released every Tuesday. The order focuses on the current favorites for the award and ranks those players as if votes were due today.

TreVeyon Henderson, RB, Ohio State

Another strong performance this weekend, but TreVeyon Henderson is slipping behind his teammate. Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud is a higher-ranked candidate than Henderson, who posted 95 yards from scrimmage and three scores in the win at Indiana. The freshman runner is up to 693 yards on the ground, 168 receiving yards and 14 total touchdowns.

Bijan Robinson, RB, Texas

No game, no change for Bijan Robinson. Texas is 4-3, and—right or wrong—team performance has historically factored into voters' picks. But with 924 rushing yards, 207 receiving and 13 total touchdowns, Robinson is worthy of being on the radar.

Brennan Armstrong, QB, Virginia

The nation's leader in passing yards, Brennan Armstrong is tracking to land low-end Heisman votes. He's racked up 3,220 yards and 23 touchdowns to six interceptions, guiding Virginia to a 6-2 record. The upcoming stretch of No. 25 BYU, No. 11 Notre Dame and No. 17 Pitt will shape Armstrong's upside.

Sam Hartman, QB, Wake Forest

The schedule has been friendly, but Wake Forest is still 7-0. You can acknowledge one while praising the other. And if Sam Hartman keeps up this production against the elevated competition level—the Demon Deacons travel to North Carolina, Clemson and Boston College in November—he's a real candidate for votes. Hartman has thrown for 2,073 yards and 19 touchdowns to three picks, adding four rushing scores.

Cincinnati is still undefeated.

Yes, having a Heisman Trophy favorite would be awesome for the Bearcats. Not since wide receiver Mardy Gilyard's ninth-place spot in 2009 has the program landed a top-10 Heisman finisher. Desmond Ridder is trending toward ending the streak.

Over the last two weekends, though, he's totaled 336 yards and three touchdowns. Most every other Heisman-contending QB is putting up those numbers in one game.

Let's keep a little perspective: Ridder is having a phenomenal season. He simply is unlikely to win this particular award, barring a major surge in production.

But since Cincinnati is undefeated, why change what's working? Reaching the College Football Playoff means a whole lot more.

Between a sub-standard showing in Week 7 and Michigan State's recent idle Saturday, Kenneth Walker III dips from fourth to fifth. But, before you scream #disrespekt, consider that he stayed ahead of Ridder despite not playing in Week 8.

Justification aside, Walker's moment is here.

This weekend, the Spartans host rival Michigan in a battle of undefeated teams. Michigan has surrendered just 3.6 yards per carry—which ranks 35th nationally—and only Rutgers back Isaih Pacheco has rushed for more than 81 yards on the Wolverines.

Michigan State will lean heavily on Walker, who's logged 23-plus carries in five of the Spartans' six games against FBS opponents. What he does with those opportunities will be the story.

Finally! Why did it take so long?

Pitt fans, we hear you. Kenny Pickett hadn't popped on the radar until Week 7 because of a favorable early schedule. But at that moment, we noted Pitt's games against Virginia Tech, Clemson and Miami. Navigate that, we said, and he's in the race.

Thanks to a 302-yard, two-touchdown day opposite an elite Clemson defense, he's off the radar and in the rankings. Pickett propelled the Panthers to a valuable 27-17 win over the longtime ACC power.

Staying here will be challenging. Pickett threw for six touchdowns in a loss to Western Michigan this season, but Pitt, you know, lost to Western Michigan. That won't compare favorably to other top contenders. If the Panthers drop another game—Miami this weekend or later—Pickett won't be a threat to win the Heisman.

Votes, though? He should be coming for those.

Right now, the rankings for Pickett and C.J. Stroud are interchangeable. If that makes you feel better, great! The point is they're the strongest second-tier contenders behind Bryce Young and Matt Corral.

Stroud holds the slight edge.

Ohio State's redshirt freshman QB ranks second nationally with 10.6 yards per attempt and seventh at 327.5 yards per game, and he has 22 touchdowns to three interceptions in six games. Pickett, conversely, is 14th in yards per attempt (9.2) and ninth in yards per game (319.4) and has 26 total scores to one interception in seven appearances.

So, yeah, it's a razor-thin separation.

Stroud has thrown for 1,002 yards and 14 touchdowns with zero picks in the last three weeks. Ohio State is hoping that hot streak continues when No. 20 Penn State visits Columbus this weekend.

Matt Corral set a ridiculously high bar to begin the season. As the Rebels cruised to 3-0 against a mellow schedule, he averaged 385 total yards per game and accounted for 14 touchdowns with zero turnovers. That torrid start vaulted him up the Heisman leaderboard.

Since then, he's been solid. Not overwhelming, but consistently good.

That trend continued in a 31-17 triumph over LSU in Week 8. Corral completed 18 of his 23 passes for 185 yards and a touchdown, scampered for 60 yards and a score on seven non-sack rushing attempts and chipped in a 19-yard reception.

Pickett and Stroud are closing the gap. On the opposite end, Young is building some separation.

For the 6-1 Rebels to stay in the mix for a premier bowl, they likely need Corral to rediscover that initial level of performance. And his Heisman hopes are hinging on it, too.

Ole Miss heads to No. 18 Auburn this weekend.

Bryce Young is only getting better.

Last weekend, he set career-highs with 371 passing and 42 rushing yards and totaled four touchdowns against Tennessee. We're starting to see the full range of Young's ability.

Through eight games, Young has completed 70.1 percent of his passes for 2,453 yards and tossed just three interceptions. He ranks third nationally with 26 passing touchdowns, 11th in passing yards per game (306.6) and is tied with Pickett for 14th at 9.2 per attempt.

Most importantly, though, he's excelled along a difficult road. Alabama has faced the 15th-toughest schedule in the nation, per Sagarin, compared to 27th (Ole Miss), 51st (Ohio State), 56th (Michigan State), 66th (Pitt) and 89th (Cincinnati) for other Heisman contenders.

After the upcoming idle weekend, the Crimson Tide stay in Tuscaloosa for three straight Saturdays. First up for Young will be a showdown with rival LSU on Nov. 6.

Stats from NCAA.com, cfbstats.com or B/R research. Follow Bleacher Report CFB Writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.