Ranking the Heisman Favorites Heading into Week 11

Time is running out on the 2021 Heisman Trophy race, and that naturally brings intrigue. But, my fellow award-watchers, it was not a great weekend for contenders.

Alabama's Bryce Young and Ohio State's C.J. Stroud put up decent numbers. Both quarterbacks, however, nearly had a game-changing turnover in uncomfortable wins, and Stroud in particular made a few glaring mistakes throughout his day.

Elsewhere, the first loss of the season stung Michigan State running back Kenneth Walker III and Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman.

Texas running back Bijan Robinson officially dropped off the radar because the Longhorns keep on losing, too.

The bright side? This is still a hotly contested award! The final four weekends of the season feature a stack of marquee games, so there will be plenty of movement to come.

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.

Will Anderson Jr., Edge, Alabama

Though he's not even eligible for the NFL after this season, Will Anderson Jr. has enjoyed a spectacular year. He currently leads the FBS with 21 tackles for loss, and his 10.5 sacks rank second. Anderson has totaled 65 tackles for the Crimson Tide this season.

Desmond Ridder, QB, Cincinnati

As long as Cincinnati keeps winning, Desmond Ridder will remain in this section. Besides, after several weeks of merely good production—the Heisman requires more than that—he accounted for 317 offensive yards and three touchdowns in the victory over Tulsa. Right now, he's a fully deserving top-10 finisher.

Jordan Davis, DT, Georgia

Despite the hype he's received elsewhere, we haven't mentioned Jordan Davis until now. His impact extends far beyond his production, sure, yet he has just 3.5 tackles for loss and two sacks this season. You might believe it's unfair, but this is a numbers award. Terrific player. Should land some votes. Won't win.

TreVeyon Henderson, RB, Ohio State

Nebraska limited TreVeyon Henderson to a season-low 4.4 yards per carry and without a touchdown for the first time all season. Still, he rushed for 92 yards and caught six passes for another 44. He's semi-comfortably a top-10 candidate.

Sam Hartman, QB, Wake Forest

The loss to North Carolina ended Wake Forest's dream season. But we're not dropping Sam Hartman from the radar following a performance with 476 yards, five passing touchdowns and two rushing scores. If the Demon Deacons can avoid several more losses, he should land strong consideration for non-first place votes.

Another week, another huge performance from Kenny Pickett.

Duke offered more resistance than expected, but Pitt eventually pulled away for a 54-29 victory. The super-senior quarterback racked up 416 yards and three touchdowns through the air and set a season-best mark with 57 rushing yards and one score.

At this point, minimizing the loss column is paramount for Pickett. While he's a stretch to actually win the Heisman, the 7-2 Panthers are still in prime position to reach the ACC Championship Game and make him a finalist for the award.

Week 11's contest—a Thursday night clash with North Carolina, which just ruined Wake Forest's unbeaten record—is arguably the toughest game of Pitt's closing stretch.

Pickett has basically eliminated the gap between himself and Matt Corral, but Ole Miss' QB is hanging on to the No. 4 spot.

Corral hit 20 of 27 passes for 324 yards and a touchdown in the Rebels' win over Liberty and former coach Hugh Freeze. Ordinarily a dynamic mobile threat, Corral didn't run much because of two injured ankles. He managed just 23 yards on four non-sack carries.

Heading into Week 11, though, he's accounted for only four touchdowns in the last three games. Corral's boost over Pickett for SEC competition and no bad losses is nearly gone.

Ole Miss hosts Texas A&M, which boasts the nation's No. 7 defense in yards allowed per play, this Saturday. A great performance would reinforce Corral's spot in the rankings.

But a third loss won't be so helpful.

Ohio State has some serious red-zone concerns, managing only two touchdowns in nine opportunities over the last two games. C.J. Stroud shoulders a portion of that blame, and it must improve for the Buckeyes to realistically compete nationally.

The important part is Ohio State won another game. That also needs to be balanced with a shaky day from Stroud.

While throwing his first two interceptions since mid-September, Stroud also fumbled in a key moment. Fortunately for him, Ohio State recovered and avoided a disaster at Nebraska.

On the other hand, Stroud helped atone for the Buckeyes' ineffective running game. The redshirt freshman threw for 405 yards—his third 400-yard showing of the season—and two touchdowns.

Upset-minded Purdue awaits Ohio State in Week 11.

Speaking of Purdue...

Although the Boilermakers ended Michigan State's perfect record, they hardly slowed Kenneth Walker III's pursuit of an unexpected Heisman Trophy. He scampered for 136 yards and a touchdown, adding two catches for 20 yards in the 40-29 loss.

Walker remains the FBS leader in rushing yards per game (148.9) and total rushing yards (1,340). Only two players have scored more touchdowns than Walker's combined total of 16 this season.

Michigan State must not look ahead and instead focus on a bounce-back day when Maryland comes to town on Saturday.

We can, though! The Spartans travel to Ohio State the weekend after that. As long as MSU topples Maryland, that journey to Columbus will be a decisive moment in Walker's candidacy.

Thanks to a last-second defensive stand, Bryce Young navigated the nightmare of a lost fumble. Had the late turnover led to an LSU touchdown, this conversation would have a different tone.

But the Crimson Tide survived and advanced, and his Heisman hopes steered clear of a major pothole.

After all, Young is a key reason Alabama won. No, it wasn't a fantastic performance, but he carried an offense that mustered an unsightly 49 rushing yards on 22 non-sack attempts. Young provided 302 yards and two touchdowns through the air.

Young is the most productive quarterback among top-ranked teams, which is a classic Heisman-winning recipe. If the Tide can dodge a second letdown—at least until Georgia in the SEC Championship Game—Young will very likely be a finalist.

Safe to say we're not anticipating a loss against 1-8 New Mexico State this weekend, either.

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