The Heisman Trophy race is getting jerked around by upset season, and the latest shakeup has the contender list looking a lot different again. Trinidad Chambliss took a hit against Texas this week.
CJ Carr and Notre Dame stumbled against BYU last week. Even BYU’s Bear Bachmeier felt the sting when the Cougars fell to UCF in double overtime on Saturday.
That volatility has opened the door for a few players to separate themselves, starting with Chambliss, even after a rough afternoon against a ranked SEC opponent. The Ole Miss quarterback put up 250 passing yards and threw two touchdowns against the Longhorns, but his three interceptions were the difference in the loss.
Still, his overall body of work remains hard to ignore. Chambliss has three wins against ranked opponents, has accounted for 22 total touchdowns - 16 passing and six rushing - and has piled up 2,060 yards of total offense.
He’s hanging on by a thread in the race, but the resume is still loud enough to keep him in the conversation.
A couple of wideouts are making the loudest noise now. South Florida native Toney has turned the last two weeks into a showcase.
After a strong performance against Florida State in double overtime, he followed it with a monster day against Pittsburgh. Toney set a Hurricanes program record with 16 catches against the Panthers, finishing with 194 yards and three touchdowns.
That gives him five touchdown catches over his last two games and 11 receiving scores for the 2026 season.
He also leads the nation with 66 receptions and sits third in both receiving yards and touchdowns, with 952 yards and 11 scores, behind Jesse Legree and Jeremiah Smith. That trio is suddenly at the center of the Biletnikoff Award picture.
Legree, meanwhile, has stayed at the top even while Miami was idle this week. The freshman from Baltimore still leads the country in receiving yards with 1,040 and receiving touchdowns with 14.
He’s also third nationally in yards per catch, has found the end zone in all seven of his career games, and has yet to finish a game with fewer than 100 receiving yards. He’ll be back on the field this week against Fresno State, and the numbers he keeps stacking up will matter if he’s going to pass a receiver with a lighter level of competition.
Smith had a quieter stat line against Indiana, but he still delivered when it mattered. The 2025 Heisman finalist scored the game-winner to end the Hoosiers’ 22-game winning streak.
The Ohio State star remains one of the most productive players in the country, with 984 receiving yards and 12 touchdown catches, both second nationally. He has also helped push the Buckeyes to ranked wins over Indiana and Iowa.
Now he’ll have to do more without starting quarterback Julian Sayin, who is sidelined for the foreseeable future. If Smith keeps producing in that situation, his Heisman case only gets stronger.
Darian Mensah is making his own push, and Saturday’s return against Pitt was another statement. After the bye week, the Duke transfer threw for 387 yards and four touchdowns in Miami’s win. It was the fourth time this season he’s topped 300 passing yards in his first year with the Hurricanes.
Mensah now has 22 touchdown passes, which ranks second in the country, and just one interception. He leads the nation in both passer rating, at 204.2, and QBR, at 89.7. Playing behind Toney and company certainly helps, but he has clearly driven Miami’s 7-0 start and been the engine behind it.
In Other News...
Ohio State Could Revisit A Familiar Ole Miss Transfer Path
The transfer pipeline from Oxford to Columbus has already worked once for Ohio State, and it could be a path worth watching again if Ole Miss running back Kewan Lacy decides his future is elsewhere. Quinshon Judkins made the jump from Ole Miss to Ohio State in 2023 and quickly became part of the Buckeyes productive backfield rotation, giving the program a clear example of how a proven SEC runner can fit into its system.
Lacys shoulder injury has only added more uncertainty around his next move, with speculation swirling about whether he could eventually enter the transfer portal or even look toward the NFL Draft. For Ohio State, the interest is obvious if he becomes available, but for now it remains just that, a possibility rather than a pursuit, with the Buckeyes and everyone else waiting to see how his situation unfolds. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Just Got A New Warning About USC Trip
USCs offense hit an unusual wall against Wisconsin, and that should at least sharpen Ohio States attention ahead of its trip west. In a loss that doubled as the lowest-scoring outing of the Lincoln Riley era, the Trojans were held to seven points and 241 total yards, with Wisconsin making a clear point of attacking the run game first and then getting after quarterback Jayden Maiava.
For Ohio State, the lesson is less about copying Wisconsin and more about seeing a workable blueprint. USC still has the pieces to stress a defense in a hurry, but when the running game gets bogged down and Maiava feels pressure, the whole operation can stall. That gives the Buckeyes a useful warning before they walk into the matchup, because stopping the early rhythm may matter just as much as dealing with the explosive plays everyone expects. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Heads To USC With Two Defensive Questions Lingering
Ohio States trip to USC is arriving with a familiar kind of October tension: a big road test, a short turnaround and a growing injury list after the Buckeyes win over Indiana. The latest concern on offense is Julian Sayin, whose injury appears likely to end his season, but the defensive side is carrying its own uncertainty as Ryan Day tries to sort out who will be available in Los Angeles.
Jay Timmons and Kenyatta Jackson are the names that now hang over the matchup, with Day offering only an update that leaves their status up in the air. For a Buckeyes team that is still trying to keep its focus on the next opponent, the timing matters because USC is the kind of game where every available body on defense matters, and Ohio State may not know its full plan until later in the week. [Read more 🡒]