We've reached Week 10 of the college football season and there are several worthy candidates for the Heisman Trophy. But only a select few have a legitimate shot at the prestigious award. Who are they, and why?
1. Dak Prescott, QB, Mississippi State
Mississippi State managed to walk away with a win after some early troubles in their matchup against Kentucky. Prescott pulled a "Wolf of Wall Street" by upping his Heisman stock even further by totaling 304 yards and three touchdowns. Sure, he threw his third pick in the past two weeks and fumbled twice (although he recovered them both times). But the Bulldogs are undefeated and enjoying a meteoric rise (remember, they were unranked to start the season). Prescott is the main driving force behind that.
2. Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin
Gordon has become the go-to running back Heisman hopeful in Todd Gurley's absence. Without Gordon, there simply is no Badgers offense. The junior ball carrier has racked up 1,168 yards and 17 (!) touchdowns this season, three of which came against Maryland last weekend. Boding well for Gordon is an upcoming matchup against a Rutgers defense that is allowing 178.3 rushing yards per game to opposing running backs. Gordon is averaging 166 yards on the ground by himself. A couple more dominant performances could help him leapfrog Prescott as the favorite.
3. Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon
Mariota tossed five touchdowns against Cal in his last game. He also threw his first interception of the season. Mariota will have to bounce back - you know a guy is having a great season when he has to bounce back from a 4:1 TD-INT ratio - against a tough Stanford defense allowing just 250 yards and 12.5 points per game. Mariota may be the early favorite to go No. 1 overall in the NFL draft, but he isn't the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy.
