Last week was heavy on top-25 matchups, and with that came opportunities for college football’s best players to notch resume-building victories. Stat-padding against inferior competition only goes so far in constructing a Heisman Trophy campaign; beating ranked opponents and looking good doing so is a prerequisite for the award. Oregon quarterback Dante Moore capitalized on his opportunity, and one month of the way through the season, he is now the odds-on favorite (per FanDuel) to secure the hardware.
Moore is not alone in climbing the ladder. Alabama, Ole Miss and Illinois reigned supreme in the three other top-25 showdowns in Week 5, and Ty Simpson and Trinidad Chambliss rose to the occasion in those contests.
There are always two sides to the equation, though. Contenders from the losing teams in those marquee matchups saw their stock fall. A stunning upset outside of ranked play also shook things up and elevated the already high stakes Florida State’s Tommy Castellanos now faces in a Week 6 battle with Miami.
This week’s look at the Heisman race features an assessment of all that went down in one of the most loaded slates of the season and a look ahead to a couple of key Week 6 matchups.
Heisman Trophy odds entering Week 6
- QB Dante Moore, Oregon (+600)
- QB Ty Simpson, Alabama (+950)
- QB Carson Beck, Miami (+1000)
- WR Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State (+1000)
- QB Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss (+1200)
- QB Fernando Mendoza, Indiana (+1400)
- QB Julian Sayin, Ohio State (+1600)
- QB Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt (+1700)
- QB Joey Aguilar, Tennessee (+1700)
- QB Marcel Reed, Texas A&M (+2000)
- QB Sam Leavitt, Arizona State (+2000)
- QB Gunner Stockton, Georgia (+2500)
- QB Haynes King, Georgia Tech (+2500)
- QB CJ Carr, Notre Dame (+2500)
Stock up: Dante Moore, Ty Simpson and Trinidad Chambliss notch signature wins
Moore had not started against a ranked opponent since Oct. 2023, so even with his hot start to the year at Oregon, there were fair questions about how he would look against the fearsome Penn State defense. He sure looked like a former five-star recruit in silencing those concerns. Offensive coordinator Will Stein has been masterful all year at putting Moore in positions to be successful, and Moore himself capitalized once again with his fourth three-touchdown effort of the season en route to an overtime victory that silenced the White Out crowd in Happy Valley.
At +600, Moore now has the shortest Heisman odds of any candidate since the preseason. That is warranted praise. The Ducks boast arguably the best win of any team, Moore was fantastic in that victory and the season-long sample size leaves nothing left to be desired. Oregon’s relatively manageable schedule ahead should also help its quarterback remain a statistical darling.
They remain behind Moore, but a couple of SEC quarterbacks actually made bigger leaps up the odds board than the new frontrunner. Simpson went on the road like his Oregon counterpart and was outstanding against Georgia with three total touchdowns, and he remains interception-free on the year with a sparkling 11-0 ratio in scoring passes to turnovers. And at Ole Miss, Chambliss finished just shy of 400 total yards against an LSU defense that is easily one of the top units in the sport.
Chambliss has been an absolute revelation for the Rebels and has yet to post fewer than 307 passing yards or 62 rushing yards in a game since replacing Austin Simmons as the starter.
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Stock down: Drew Allar misses opportunity; Tommy Castellanos upset
Drew Allar simply cannot shake the narrative that has plagued him throughout his career. Oregon was the latest top-10 team to give Penn State and its quarterback trouble. Allar had a chance to prove that his slow start to the year was a product of the Nittany Lions holding things back until conference play, but he looked like the same version of himself that completed fewer than 60% of his throws against FIU and Villanova.
It simply has not been the breakout season the college football world hoped to see from Allar. The raw talent will always be there, but for whatever reason, it becomes clearer by the year that Allar just does not have a Heisman gear to kick into against top competition.
In contrast, passing efficiency is no issue for Tommy Castellanos, who even after a loss still leads the nation in yards per attempt and yards per completion. The dynamic Florida State signal-caller took a major tumble in the award race, though, when his two interceptions contributed to an unforeseen double-overtime loss to Virginia. Fortunately for Castellanos, though, he does not have to wait long for a chance to get back into favor with Heisman voters. Miami awaits this week to give him the biggest stage on the Week 6 slate.
Ahmad Hardy may not be a Heisman Trophy longshot much longer, so now (and through Missouri’s bye week) might be the last chance to find value in jumping on his bandwagon. That’s because his next outing comes against Alabama, a prime spot to become a household name with another one of his monster rushing efforts.
Last year brought running backs back under the spotlight because Ashton Jeanty went wild. Hardy’s numbers are not quite as gaudy, but to rush for at least 100 yards and a touchdown in each of the season’s first five games is a tremendous first step towards sending a ballcarrier to the Heisman ceremony for the second time in as many years. Hardy leads the SEC in carries (103) and paces the nation in yards (730) and touchdowns (nine). If he keeps this up in conference play, he will be deservedly recognized as one of the best players in the sport.
College Football QB Power Rankings: Ole Miss’ Trinidad Chambliss, Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia on the rise
David Cobb
Week 6 performances to watch
This week’s slate is lighter than that of a monumental Week 5, but even with a handful of top teams on byes and fewer ranked matchups on the schedule, a couple of head-to-head matchups between Heisman hopefuls bring major implications to the table.
Carson Beck vs. Tommy Castellanos
All eyes will be on the Sunshine State in Week 6 when Florida State and Miami jockey for position in the ACC pecking order. Conference title and Heisman implications are aplenty in the game of the week. Beck is one of the best pure passers in college football. Castellanos might be the nation’s best dual-threat quarterback. And the latter has to rebound after an upset loss, or else his season and Florida State’s will enter the danger zone.
Diego Pavia vs. Ty Simpson
Don’t look now, but Vanderbilt might be a College Football Playoff contender. Diego Pavia is mostly to thank for the Commodores’ rise over the last two seasons, and he has a chance this week to go 2-0 against Alabama and keep an undefeated campaign alive at the midway point. All of the sudden, Pavia has the eighth-best odds to win the Heisman, but if you’ve been watching him all year, it should not come as a surprise. Simpson stands on the other sideline as another one of the hottest quarterbacks in the nation and could both bolster his resume with another top-25 win and halt Vanderbilt’s climb.
