College football: Heisman watch, Week 3

Like the summer that is fading and taking away the sweet kiss of sun, the non-conference schedules are coming to a close, ending the easier part of many of these schools’ schedules. Now we’re starting to see who the Heisman contenders and pretenders are.

Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor sat this week on a bye, but the other top Heisman candidates had no trouble adding to their respective résumés. A couple of new challengers are making appearances on this list, including a dual-threat quarterback from a traditional power and quarterback shining in the shadows of the West Coast.

Here are the top players who improved their Heisman cases the most in Week 3:

Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma

It should be illegal to have three different Heisman Trophy winners in the first three years of your coaching career. Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley won’t complain if that happens though.

The 36-year-old head coach watched his latest stud quarterback torch UCLA at the Rose Bowl, completing 15 of his 20 passes for 289 yards and adding three touchdowns. Hurts also showed off his dynamic rushing skills, amassing 150 yards with a score.

After completing 63 percent of his passes at Alabama, Hurts is showing an even more accurate touch by completing 80.3 percent of his attempts with the Sooners. The Houston native is hot heading into Big 12 play, and that’s going to be a problem for the rest of the league.

Justin Fields, Ohio State

Fields continues to show that a little belief goes a long way. The former Georgia quarterback opened up Big Ten play with a win and some numbers that should help him in December.

The Buckeyes’ QB tossed nearly 200 yards for three scores against an Indiana team that had trouble stopping anything in Week 3. He also added a rushing touchdown just to show that dynamic skill set that has Ohio State salivating over its postseason possibilities.

With Miami (OH) heading to Columbus next week, there is a good chance Fields will add heftily to his total.

Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama

South Carolina wasn’t expected to be much of a challenge for Alabama, and Tua Tagovailoa made sure of that with one of the most dominating performances of the week. Not even SEC opponents can contain him apparently.

The junior quarterback had no trouble finding the open man on Saturday, torching the Gamecocks for 444 passing yards on the road and accounting for five passing touchdowns. Through three games, Tagovailoa has accounted for 13 scores, tied for the lead in the entire country.

If he can get these numbers against SEC opponents, the Crimson Tide will be tough to stop.

Sam Ehlinger, Texas

When people think of Sam Ehlinger, they think of the tank he is at the quarterback position. However, his work in the passing game has many people also thinking he might walk away with some hardware at the end the season.

Ehlinger had no problem carving Rice, completing 23 of his 27 pass attempts for 279 yards and three touchdowns. He managed only 27 rushing yards, but he didn’t need to take unnecessary hits this week as Texas rolled through the Owls, 48-13.

The Austin native fell short against LSU last week, but more games like this against elite opponents should have him on many Heisman voters’ ballots.

Anthony Gordon, Washington State

Let’s talk about the Pac-12 a little bit. No one is paying attention to the league because not many people want to stay up until 2 a.m. to watch games. Plus, it is probably the weakest conference in the nation. But there are some gems worth watching, and one of them is Anthony Gordon.

Sure, he had an impressive three-touchdown, 440-yard game against Houston this week, but that’s just what he’s been doing all year. He currently is tied for the lead in passing touchdowns and leads the nation in passing yards.

The Pac-12 is a blind spot on most college football fans’ radars, but Gordon is a star who is worth watching.

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For up-to-date betting odds for the Heisman Trophy winner, visit BetOnline.ag.