Heisman Watch: Jameis Winston's return creates a race at quarterback
Week 8 saw probably the most dramatic win of Jameis Winston's career shoot him right back into Heisman contention, while Marcus Mariota's greatness is becoming all too common.
Ameer Abdullah returned to the race after a weak showing against Michigan State kept him out of it for a while.
Meanwhile, Dak Prescott maintains his grip on first place, despite having the week off.
1. Dak Prescott, QB - Mississippi State (1)
Prescott stays in the lead, despite not playing on Saturday.
The week away offers a chance to marvel at what the Mississippi State quarterback has accomplished this season.
The Bulldogs have gone from unranked to No. 1, powered by their dual-threat leader who has 22 combined touchdowns in addition to 1,478 yards passing and 576 rushing.
2. Marcus Mariota, QB - Oregon (2)
To say Marcus Mariota has been efficient is an understatement.
The Oregon quarterback has completed 132 of 188 passes for 1,957 yards, 19 touchdowns and not a single interception. He was as advertised on Saturday against Washington, where he displayed his dominance as a passer.
His 336 yards and two touchdowns were not unusual, but it was rare to see him finish with negative-one rushing yard on seven carries.
3. Jameis Winston, QB - Florida State (NR)
Winston's second-half performance in Saturday night's 31-27 win over Notre Dame to keep Florida State's 22-game win streak alive was superb.
He returns to the race after his 273 yards and two scores on 23 of 31 passes earned the Seminoles a thrilling victory. He threw for 181 yards on 15 of 16 passes and a score in the final two quarters.
He still has not lost a game in his college football career.
4. Melvin Gordon, RB - Wisconsin (3)
Gordon sees a slight slip during his bye week due to Winston's jump, but he has been as dynamic a runner as anybody in college football this season.
He has a pair of games with at least four touchdown runs and has averaged 7.9 yards per carry to gain 1,046 in just six games.
5. Ameer Abdullah, RB - Nebraska (NR)
Abdullah reappears after vanishing from the list for a few weeks.
He proved once again that he is the engine that gets Nebraska going on Saturday.
His 146 yards on 23 carries and four touchdowns led the Cornhuskers over Big Ten rivals Northwestern. He has 1,024 rushing yards in seven games this season.