Welcome back to our weekly Heisman Watch for the 2020 college football season. Throughout the season, ESPN.com writers will vote on their top Heisman Trophy candidates.
To get the final rankings, we use the following methodology: 13 voters, five votes each. Points system: five points for first-place votes, four points for second-place votes, three points for third-place votes, two points for fourth-place votes and one point for fifth-place votes.
Voters: Andrea Adelson, Kyle Bonagura, Bill Connelly, Heather Dinich, David M. Hale, Sam Khan Jr., Chris Low, Ryan McGee, Adam Rittenberg, Alex Scarborough, Mark Schlabach, Tom VanHaaren, Dave Wilson
Total points: 56 (first-place votes: 7/13)
Notable: Trask’s midseason surge continues to shine the Heisman spotlight on Florida’s QB. And he’ll have top target Kyle Pitts back this weekend against Kentucky. Last Saturday, though, Trask fared just fine without Pitts, tossing for 383 yards and three TDs. And no, he didn’t even need to play the whole game in a win over Vandy. He leads the FBS in passing touchdowns with 31.
Quotable: “Has moxie, accurate, winner — big guy but not great athlete, not as mobile, looks like a 4.85 guy,” an NFC executive said.
Heisman odds: -110
Odds courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook by William Hill
Total points: 50 (first-place votes: 6)
Notable: Jones tossed for 230 yards and a couple TDs in the Tide’s 60-point win over Kentucky on Saturday. His QBR of 95.3 is tops in the FBS, and his 2,426 passing yards are sixth best in the FBS. Plus, he leads a top-ranked and undefeated Alabama team.
Quotable: “I’m not sure there’s a guy that throws a better deep ball. He throws the most catchable, pretty deep ball that I’ve seen. — former Iowa State and Auburn coach and current SEC Network analyst Gene Chizik
Heisman odds: +225
Total points: 33 (first-place votes: 0)
Notable: Wilson continued to put up huge numbers on Saturday against North Alabama. He tossed four TDs — all in the first half — in the undefeated Cougars’ 66-14 win. He has thrown for the third-most yards in the FBS and is tied for second with 26 pass TDs.
Quotable: “Wilson has a quick snap release that can send the ball 50-plus yards downfield on the move with a flick. And he isn’t missing throws this season. He ranks third in FBS with only 12.7% of his throws being deemed uncatchable.” — Mike Renner, PFF
Heisman odds: +2000
Total points: 30 (first-place votes: 0)
Notable: For the third straight week, Lawrence didn’t play (the first two were because of COVID-19, and last weekend was because of a late postponement). He stays afloat in the race because of an unbelievable start (he still has 17 pass TDs on the season), and because a late-season push could still vault him to the top of the list.
Quotable: “He’s still getting better. We’ve seen a level of accuracy from Lawrence this season that we had not seen from him in years past. Our ball charting says that Lawrence has been the most accurate quarterback in college football in 2020, with 73.7% of his throws hitting their mark.” — Renner
Heisman odds: +1000
Total points: 14 (first-place votes: 0)
Notable: Fields’ Heisman candidacy took a bit of a hit when he threw three interceptions in a close win over Indiana on Saturday (he hadn’t thrown any in his previous three games). Still, Fields has been excellent this season — his QBR is 93.7, good for second in the FBS.
Quotable: “Does everything well and is very consistent. Nice, calm, poised demeanor.” — an NFC exec
Heisman odds: +250
Others receiving votes:
Total points in parentheses: DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama (8); Zaven Collins, LB, Tulsa (3); Javonte Williams, RB, North Carolina (1)