Heisman Trophy Watch: On3 expert analysis after Week 8

We’re officially eight weeks into the college football season and the Heisman Trophy race is taking much more clear shape, with a few key contenders emerging at the top.

As we continue through the season, our experts at On3 will continue to evaluate and discuss which players deserve mention for college football’s most prestigious award. There are still dozens right now, even this far into the season.

Let’s take a look at the top selections from our On3 national experts, with their top three in the Heisman Trophy running listed below.

Andy Staples

1. RB Ashton Jeanty, Boise State
2. QB Cam Ward, Miami
3. CB/WR Travis Hunter, Colorado

Ashton Jeanty: Jeanty gets the Friday night spotlight in a critical Mountain West matchup with UNLV that could be the first of two.

Cam Ward: There is never a time — or situation — when Ward is on the field that I don’t feel like Miami can score on the next play.

Travis Hunter: Unfortunately, it’s difficult to keep up the workload Hunter had earlier this season. He’s trying to gut it out with an injury, but the ironman aspect and the high play count is the cornerstone of his candidacy.

Ari Wasserman

1. RB Ashton Jeanty, Boise State
2. QB Cam Ward, Miami
3. CB/WR Travis Hunter, Colorado

Ashton Jeanty: Running backs aren’t valued in football the way they used to, but when you have a player like Jeanty putting up Barry Sanders numbers, it becomes clearer why that’s a mistake. Jeanty has Boise State in the College Football Playoff hunt because he’s been that unstoppable this season.

Cam Ward: You could make the case that Miami has the best offense in college football. Ward is the engine that keeps everything on schedule. He finished with 319 passing and four touchdowns in Miami’s win over Louisville as his special season continues.

Travis Hunter: Hunter is the best overall player in college football, but his Heisman Trophy candidacy keeps taking a hit because he has missed time the last two weeks due to injury. Once he gets back to being healthy and making the plays we’re accustomed to seeing from him, he has a chance to rise back up this board. It helps that Colorado is surprising people on the field this season.

Jesse Simonton

1. RB Ashton Jeanty, Boise State
2. QB Cam Ward, Miami
3. QB Dillon Gabriel, Oregon

Ashton Jeanty: Despite the week off, Jeanty still has more rushing yards (1,248) than 89 teams this season — induing the likes of Alabama, Oregon, Auburn, Texas, Georgia, LSU, Nebraska, Oklahoma State and FSU.

Cam Ward: The Hurricanes continue to ride the Ward’O’Coaster to wild, one-score wins. He still leads the nation in yards, touchdowns and is No. 3 in yards per attempt.

Dillon Gabriel: Just another efficient (21-of-25 for 290 yards and two scores), easy outing for Gabriel as Oregon blanked Purdue 35-0 on a short week.

Charles Power

1. RB Ashton Jeanty, Boise State
2. QB Cam Ward, Miami
3. CB/WR Travis Hunter, Colorado

Ashton Jeanty: He has had two bye weeks and still leads the nation in rushing by over 200 yards. Even though he didn’t play this week, it’s becoming increasingly clear he should be at or near the top of any Heisman Trophy poll.

Cam Ward: He has led a talented, but imperfect Miami team to three straight one-score wins. He leads the nation in passing yards and touchdowns and has put distance between himself and the next quarterback.

Travis Hunter: The two-way star had a limited workload — by his lofty standards — in the win over Arizona. While there is currently a clear top three in my mind, Hunter will need to have some big moments down the stretch in Big 12 play to reassert himself as a challenger to Jeanty and Ward.

JD PicKell

1. RB Ashton Jeanty, Boise State
2. QB Dillon Gabriel, Oregon
3. QB Cam Ward, Miami

Ashton Jeanty: No game this week for CFB’s Mike Myers. No reason to knock him off of the top spot of my Heisman rankings. 1200+ yards at this point in the year is silly.

Dillon Gabriel: I’m giving Gabriel the edge over Cam Ward at No. 2 on this list because of the big time performance against Ohio State. Gabriel will need to continue to have really elite production the rest of the way with no major stages left on the schedule outside of the Big Ten title game.

Cam Ward: Cam Ward is must-see TV every time he laces ’em up. He’s a walking 300-yard game, and if the Heisman Trophy is about “impact” and stats, Ward has as good a Heisman Trophy case as anyone. He has willed Miami to an undefeated record thus far.

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