Winning a Heisman requires huge performances in the biggest games. We present the biggest games left for 2023 Heisman candidates.
One month into the college football season, the Heisman race is still wide open. Preseason favorite Caleb Williams of USC remains the favorite at the top of most odds tables but there is a group of players – mostly quarterbacks – closing in on him and setting up what projects to be a very competitive race.
When it comes to the Heisman race there’s always a lot of talk about “Heisman moments” – signature plays in signature games that thrust players into the spotlight. With the race shaping up to be a close one, those moments could truly be deciding factors this year.
What’s the best remaining chance for each of the top players to have their “Heisman Moment”? Let’s take a look at the biggest regular season game left of the schedule of each top Heisman contender, as well as some of the top non-quarterbacks in the running.
Watch college football all season long on Fubo: Start your free trial today!
QB Caleb Williams, USC: Oct. 21 at No. 18 Utah
No. 9 USC has a number of big games coming up. The Trojans travel to South Bend for a rivalry matchup with No. 10 Notre Dame in two weeks, and Williams will have head-to-head duels with two other Heisman-favorite quarterbacks in back-to-back weeks to start November when USC faces Michael Penix and No. 7 Washington followed by No. 8 Oregon and Bo Nix.
These will all be good tests, but no game may hold more meaning for Williams than USC’s Oct. 21 matchup with Utah. USC lost just three games last year. One was in the Cotton Bowl, with the other two losses coming against the Utes (once in the regular season, than again in the Pac-12 Championship). Utah and defensive-minded head coach Kyle Whittingham are the only teams to get the better of Williams more than once. Can Williams overcome them this year?
QB Michael Penix, Washington: Oct. 14 at No. 8 Oregon
This game is a big one for Penix for two reasons. First, it’s against one of the best passing defenses both in the conference and in the nation. The Ducks are allowing just 153.6 passing yards per game, which is the lowest in the Pac-12 and second-lowest in the nation. The 11.8 points per game Oregon is allowing is the second-fewest in the Pac-12.
It’s also a big game because it gives Penix a chance to go up against another Heisman favorite in Oregon quarterback Bo Nix. These head-to-head matchups can often go a long way in sorting out the field.
Watch college football all season long on Fubo: Start your free trial today!
QB Quinn Ewers, Texas: Oct. 7 vs. No. 12 Oklahoma
Ewers and No. 3 Texas will play their biggest game of the year this weekend, and it comes against one of the best defenses in the nation. The Red River Shootout is an aptly named rivalry, as it usually ends up being a high-scoring affair.
Oklahoma’s fifth-ranked defense, allowing just 10.8 points per game – will try to change that this year. If Ewers can break through the Sooners’ defense and lead his team to a big win in one of college football’s biggest rivalries, the national voters should take notice.
Plus, this game is the biggest speed bump in the way of Texas and a perfect regular season, in an otherwise weak Big 12. A win in this game, and Texas would have one of the easiest paths left to a college football playoff spot. Leading the legacy program back to the doorstep of a national title would go a long way in earning Ewers an invite to New York.
QB Bo Nix, Oregon: Oct. 14 vs. No. 7 Washington
Yes, this list reads as much as a ‘biggest games left in the Pac-12’ roundup as it does a Heisman watch list, but there’s a ton of talent out west. Just like with Penix, Nix’s chance to go head-to-head with another Heisman favorite will be important.
There’s another reason this game is important for Nix though. During his season-plus at Oregon, Nix has done a lot to show he is no longer the quarterback that struggled at Auburn. More than 50 starts into his career, he almost looks like a completely different quarterback. However, there’s one thing he still needs to disprove from his Auburn days.
Nix gained a reputation at Auburn for struggling to win big games on the road. Since transferring to Oregon Nix has lost his only two road games against ranked teams – to Georgia and Oregon State last year. This game against Washington is Oregon’s biggest road test of the year. Can Nix check another box in his transformation?
Watch college football all season long on Fubo: Start your free trial today!
RB Blake Corum, Michigan: Nov. 11 at No. 6 Penn State
There are a few more quarterbacks in the top 10 of the odds boards, but let’s move on to some skill position players. We’ll start with Corum, who is among the top non-quarterback favorites.
Of course, Michigan-Ohio State is a big game, but the bigger test for Corum individually is probably Michigan’s game at No. 6 Penn State. The Nittany Lions are one of the best-run defenses in the nation this year allowing 68.3 yards per game (best in the conference, third-best nationally). Can Corum go into Happy Valley and break through that unit?
RB Audric Estime, Notre Dame: Oct. 14 at No. 9 USC
The nation’s leading rusher, Estime has 672 yards in six games while averaging 7.1 yards per carry. He’s helped lead No. 10 Notre Dame to a top-10 ranking as a ground-and-pound team with a strong defense.
How will that team fair against an air-it-out team like USC? We’ll find out soon. If the Fighting Irish win this game, it’ll likely be due in large part to Estime gaining chunk yards, moving the ball, eating up the clock and keeping Williams and the USC offense on the sideline. That’s the kind of performance that should get the attention of the Heisman voters.
Watch college football all season long on Fubo: Start your free trial today!
TE Brock Bowers, Georgia: Nov. 11 vs. No. 16 Ole Miss
Sometimes, simply being the best player on the best team in the nation is enough to make a player at least a Heisman finalist. If that’s the case this year it bodes well for Bowers, who showed last week against Auburn just how dominant he can be. While No. 1 Georgia struggled with unranked Auburn, Bowers put them over the top with eight catches for 157 yards and a touchdown.
Realistically, Bowers’ biggest game in terms of his Heisman chances will be the SEC championship, likely against No. 11 Alabama. But since we’re going just off the regular season and games we know are on the schedule, we’ll turn our attention to Georgia’s mid-November game against No. 16 Ole Miss. The Rebels can put up points, and Georgia may need to be able to win a shootout. If that becomes the case, expect Bowers to play a big role.
WR Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State: Nov. 25 at No. 2 Michigan
What a setting this would be for Harrison’s Heisman moment – on the road against No. 4 Ohio State’s biggest rival and one of the biggest rivalries in college football.
If Ohio State wants to beat Michigan for the first time since 2019, it will likely need to lean heavily on Harrison. Last year in this game, Harrison caught seven passes for 120 yards and a touchdown, and it still wasn’t enough as Michigan won 45-23. If Harrison can find a way to top those numbers and Ohio State wins the game, it should get some talk going about his Heisman case.
LB Harold Perkins, LSU: Nov. 4 at No. 11 Alabama
Just to cover all our bases we’ll include the defensive player with the best odds, although Perkins is still a loooooong shot. If he is going to make a real run at a visit to New York, it’ll take more than one game where he pops off the tape, but no game is bigger on LSU’s remaining schedule than the trip to Tuscaloosa to start the month of November.
Regional restrictions may apply.
