We’re six weeks into the season, which means it’s time to start looking at Heisman contenders. Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson has been the clubhouse favorite thanks to the ridiculous numbers he’s put up so far this season, but it’s still early and we all know conference play has a tendency to change things.
Here’s a look at this year’s first Heisman Watch:
Lamar Jackson had a bye last week, but he remains the Heisman frontrunner simply because of the way he’s played through the first five games of the season. Even in the loss to Clemson, which started slowly for both teams, Jackson managed to complete 61.4 percent of his passes for 295 yards and a touchdown, and rush for 162 yards and two scores. Jackson has rushed for at least 119 yards in all but one game this season.
Deshaun Watson had a slow start to the season, but showed his 2015 form when it counted in a tight game against Louisville two weeks ago. He followed up that performance by throwing for 270 yards and four touchdowns in a 56-10 win against Boston College. He’ll have a tougher outing this weekend against an N.C. State defense that ranks No. 15 nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 17.6 points per game.
Barrett had a terrible game against Indiana last week, completing nine of 21 passes for 93 yards, a touchdown and an interception, but he did redeem himself slightly by rushing for 137 yards and a score in the 38-17 win. He’ll have his work cut out for him this week against a Wisconsin defense that ranks 11th nationally in total defense and No. 4 in scoring defense allowing 12.2 points per game. Even Michigan, which put 78 on Rutgers last week, barely managed 14 points against the Badgers.
Jake Browning has quietly made his way into the Heisman conversation after leading the Huskies to back-to-back massacres against Stanford and Oregon. He threw for 304 yards and six touchdowns against the Ducks last weekend and rushed for another two scores. For the season, he’s completing 72.2 percent of his passes and has thrown 23 touchdowns to just two interceptions. Those numbers should continue to go up this weekend against an Oregon State defense that’s allowing 33.2 points per game.
It’s fair to liken Jabrill Peppers to the likes of Charles Woodson in terms of the sheer variety of things Peppers can do. In the 78-0 win against Rutgers, Peppers rushed for 74 yards and two scores, had two tackles and had a punt return for a touchdown called back — and that was without playing the second half. He’s easily the most versatile player in the FBS and if he continues to get opportunities on offense, defense and special teams — and Michigan continues to win — he might inch up the ladder on some Heisman ballots and become the favorite before the end of the year.
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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday
