The Heisman Trophy picture is about to get a whole lot louder.
With six of the top favorites lined up in marquee games this weekend, the race could take on a new shape fast. Jeremiah Smith sits as the clear front-runner at -210 on FanDuel, and the Ohio State receiver will be in the center of the spotlight when the No.
4 Buckeyes travel to Bloomington, Indiana, to face defending national champion and No. 5 Indiana at noon on FOX.
Smith has put together a season worthy of the attention. He is second nationally in receiving yards with 916 and receiving touchdowns with 11, trailing Oregon State’s Jesse Legree in both categories, and he is tied for third with 8 receptions per game. If he keeps producing at that level in a top-five matchup, the pressure around his Heisman case only gets heavier.
Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton is one of the players trying to climb into the conversation. After his strong showing in the Bulldogs’ 20-17 win at Alabama, Stockton jumped to fifth among Heisman favorites at +1400.
Now he and the No. 1 Bulldogs turn right around for another big SEC test, this time against rival Auburn at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN.
Stockton’s numbers help explain why he’s in the mix. He ranks second in the nation with a 76.6 completion percentage, behind Darian Mensah of Miami, who has connected on 84.2 percent of his passes.
Georgia’s situation around him also matters: the Bulldogs are down two scholarship backs, and season-starter Nate Frazier has been dealing with a rib injury that kept him out of last Saturday’s game in Tuscaloosa. Dwight Philips Jr. handled the workload in that win, but at 185 pounds he said Monday that the game left a physical mark.
Mensah is next in the Heisman pecking order at +1000, and he’ll be under the lights as he leads the No. 3 Hurricanes into a rivalry game with Florida State at 7 p.m. on ESPN in Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
Notre Dame’s CJ Carr is right there too at +1200. The unbeaten, No.
2 Irish are headed to Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, to take on the unbeaten No. 8 Cougars at 7:30 p.m. on ABC.
Carr has already won 16 straight games as Notre Dame’s starting quarterback, tying Ian Book for the second-longest winning streak in program history. Only Tony Rice’s 23 consecutive wins from 1988-89 are ahead of him.
Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss checks in at +1300, and he’ll try to keep the No. 9 Rebels firmly in College Football Playoff contention when they host a surging No.
13 Missouri team at 3:30 p.m. in an SEC Network game. Chambliss has thrown a touchdown pass in 18 straight games for Ole Miss.
Alabama’s Keelon Russell rounds out the group at +2000, and he’ll get another chance to respond after the loss to Georgia when the No. 6 Tide visit No.
14 Tennessee at Neyland Stadium. That matchup kicks off at 3:30 p.m. on CBS.
In Other News...
Alabama Finally Responded After Raylen Wilson Postgame Confrontation
Georgias win at Bryant-Denny Stadium was already a big postgame moment, but it quickly turned into something else when a confrontation with linebacker Raylen Wilson was caught on video and spread across social media. Alabama later identified the fan involved and took action, a response that brought some closure to an incident that never should have followed the game into the tunnel area.
Kirby Smart had already pointed to Wilsons composure in the moment, a steady response from a player who had every reason to be rattled by the exchange. Alabama also condemned the behavior as unacceptable, and the episode now stands as another reminder of how quickly emotions can spill over after a high-profile SEC matchup, especially when the cameras keep rolling. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Secondary Suddenly Has A Bigger Auburn Concern Than Fans Expected
Georgias secondary got a little more complicated heading into Auburn week when the Bulldogs released an updated injury report that pushed safety KJ Bolden to doubtful. Georgia has dealt with absences elsewhere on the roster as well, but Boldens status stands out because it comes against an Auburn team the Bulldogs will want to handle cleanly on the back end. Even with the uncertainty, Georgia does have ways to shuffle pieces around in the defensive backfield if needed.
The bigger issue now is simply waiting for the next round of availability updates as the SEC continues to release injury reports before kickoff. Georgia will have to keep preparing for multiple scenarios, especially if Bolden cannot go, since the staff may need to adjust the secondary on short notice. For a defense that wants stability entering a rivalry game, the timing is not ideal. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Faces A Rivalry Test That Could Say A Lot Saturday
Auburns trip to Athens arrives with the kind of backdrop that usually makes October feel bigger than the schedule says it should. Georgia is unbeaten at 6-0, Auburn comes in at 3-2, and the Bulldogs have controlled the series with nine straight wins, but Kirby Smart has spent enough time around this rivalry to know records only explain so much when these two line up. The game is set for Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN, with the usual SEC edge hanging over it from the start.
Smart also pointed to Auburns new coach as part of what makes this one worth watching, which is hardly surprising in a series that tends to sharpen even ordinary weeks. For Georgia, the bigger question is not just whether it can extend the streak, but whether it can handle the kind of test that reveals how sturdy an undefeated start really is. [Read more 🡒]