B/R's 2023 Heisman Trophy Rankings: 1 More Chance for Nix, Penix
One opportunity—one game, in fact—is all that remains to determine the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner.
While eight programs are still competing for a trip to the College Football Playoff, the lone Heisman-relevant game in conference championship week is the Pac-12 title game.
Bo Nix and Oregon vs. Michael Penix Jr. and Washington.
Winner to the CFP—and maybe the sport's biggest individual award, too.
LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels, meanwhile, will be watching from home, lurking as a legitimate option if neither Nix nor Penix has a standout performance to close the season.
The ranking is subjective but focuses on historical factors, including team success, individual production and key moments in marquee games.
They'll Get Votes
Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama: Is there a better signature moment that Milroe's desperation 31-yard touchdown on 4th-and-goal? What a finish to Bama's triumph over rival Auburn. Milroe, who's accounted for 2,965 yards and 33 touchdowns, could attract some additional votes if the Crimson Tide upset Georgia in the SEC Championship Game.
Carson Beck, QB, Georgia: Beck, however, is aiming to lead UGA back to the CFP. One victory over Alabama separates the Dawgs from what's become a familiar spot. Beck has quietly been tremendous this season, throwing for 3,495 yards with 22 scores to six picks. He's added three touchdowns on the ground.
Blake Corum, RB, Michigan: In the Wolverines' decisive game of the regular season, Corum scampered for 88 yards and two touchdowns as Michigan beat rival Ohio State. Corum has an FBS-high 22 rushing scores.
Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State: Because of that loss to Michigan, Harrison will receive a only a small contingent of votes. Still, he caught five passes for 118 yards and a score against the Wolverines. Harrison snagged a touchdown in eight straight games to close the regular season.
Ollie Gordon II, RB, Oklahoma State: Guess who's back! Gordon piled up five touchdowns in an epic, vital comeback victory for Oklahoma State. The comeback win over BYU propelled the Pokes to the Big 12 Championship Game against Texas. Gordon has racked up 1,580 rushing yards, 33 receptions for 272 yards and 21 total scores.
3. Michael Penix Jr., QB, Washington
Let's be real: Michael Penix Jr. is the underdog here.
After a scorching September, he assembled a decent October with a steady yet unspectacular November. During the recent month, the Washington star threw two touchdown passes in all four games but finished with 256 yards or fewer in three of those contests.
Penix enters the Pac-12 Championship Game with season totals of 3,899 passing yards and 32 touchdowns to eight interceptions. He's also scored three times as a runner.
Most valuably, Penix is leading the only undefeated team among the remaining Heisman contenders. That alone doesn't win the award, but historically it has been impactful.
Penix certainly needs a massive game in a win—think a 350-yard, four-touchdown kind of day—to ascend in the conversation.
Based on his peak performances, though, that's a plausible outing.
2. Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU
As mentioned last week, I'd be unbothered if Heisman voters told me they've already decided on Jayden Daniels.
Seriously, his numbers are incredible.
Daniels has thrown for 3,812 yards at 11.7 per attempt—the second-best rate in college football history, by the way—with 40 touchdowns to just four interceptions. He also leads FBS quarterbacks with 1,134 rushing yards and has scampered for 10 scores.
From a statistical perspective, nobody can touch Daniels—not even with a 13th game. Nix isn't terribly far away in the touchdown department, but Daniels has nearly 900 more yards of total offense.
Again, that is absurd.
What stings Daniels is LSU's three losses, along with a single victory over a Top 25 team. Those two factors may be influential in swaying a voter to instead go with Penix or Nix, but Daniels is a deserving option.
1. Bo Nix, QB, Oregon
To some degree, Bo Nix lacks a signature moment. On the other hand—save for October's three-point loss at Washington—Oregon has played so well that he hasn't needed one.
Oregon's excellence is a positive factor on his resume, which has only strengthened late in the second half of the season.
During the last six contests, Nix has accounted for three-plus touchdowns in each one. He totaled at least 389 yards in all four Novembers tilts, a stretch that included wins over USC and Oregon State while catapulting the Ducks into the Pac-12 Championship Game.
Nix, whose 78.6 completion rate would set an FBS record, has thrown for 3,906 yards and 37 touchdowns to only two interceptions. He's added 159 yards and six scores as a runner.
And the rematch with Washington could hardly set up any better.
Daniels won't be playing. Penix has been fading just enough that an Oregon win basically eliminates him as a possible winner. If Nix performs well in the Ducks' shot for redemption, he could seal a Heisman victory.