It’s a wide open season for the Heisman Trophy. Let’s see who tops the board this week.

Heisman Rankings

1. Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon

Mariota isn’t quite running away with the award, but he’s the runaway best player in college football (if that makes sense). We’d present him with the award today if quarterbacks weren’t tied so greatly to team victories and one upset loss by the Ducks could derail him.

2. Dak Prescott, QB, Mississippi State

Prescott has a lot of work to do as a passer but he’s certainly a playmaker and he leads the top-ranked team in the nation. If Prescott has a huge game this Saturday and the Bulldogs beat Alabama, it could vault him back up to the top spot.

3. Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin

Gordon took another step forward with 249 yards from scrimmage with a pair of touchdowns against Purdue. Gordon has the stats and he’s not tied to team victories as much as a quarterback is. If Gordon can just stay the course and put up big numbers, while the quarterbacks ahead of him lose, he can sneak in and take home the Heisman.

4. Ameer Abdullah, RB, Nebraska

The “out of sight, out of mind” philosophy is hurting Abdullah a little bit after leaving last week’s game in the first quarter with an injury, followed by Nebraska’s bye week. Abdullah will need to outperform Melvin Gordon down the stretch and hope both Mariota and Prescott lose games.

5. Bryce Petty, QB, Baylor

Don’t look now, but Petty’s Baylor Bears have just one loss and he continues to put up big numbers. They are a couple situations away from earning a spot in the College Football Playoff and that could be enough to get Petty the Heisman, assuming he wins out and Dak Prescott and Marcus Mariota don’t.

Mariota must keep his numbers up and can’t afford to lose another game. Abdullah and Gordon aren’t tied to team success, but they have to put up video game style numbers the rest of the way. Prescott will be in the mix as long as his team keeps winning even though his numbers have been mediocre for a Heisman contender, and Petty could ride a strong finish all the way to New York.