Saquon Barkley
Penn State running back, #26
Barkley caught, juggled and caught yet another touchdown to add to his monster year so far. In a convincing display, Barkley added 161 total yards and three touchdowns in a 42-13 win over then-No. 19 Michigan as he continues to be a leading contender for this year’s hardware.
In what is shaping up to be a game with big College Football Playoff ramifications, Barkley and the Nittany Lions will travel to Columbus, Ohio to take on No. 6 Ohio State. The Buckeyes will be hungry for revenge following last year’s loss at the hands of Penn State, so expect a closely contested game this time around.
Bryce Love
Stanford running back, #20
A bye week prevented the junior back from gaining any yards this past weekend, but it didn’t stop him from falling out of the Heisman conversation either.
As long as Love, the nation’s leading rusher, can keep up his torrid pace on the ground, he’ll be receiving an invite to New York in December.
The Cardinal will play at Oregon State this weekend in what looks to be a favorable matchup for Stanford.
Baker Mayfield
Oklahoma quarterback, #6
After an emotional win over Texas, Mayfield and the Sooners engaged in an old-fashioned Big 12 shootout at Kansas State. The redshirt senior passed for 410 yards and two touchdowns en route to a 42-35 win over the Wildcats.
Mayfield led his team from behind in the Sooners’ win over Kansas State, helping the team score 22 points to complete the fourth quarter comeback. He has proven his mettle this season in close games as well, throwing 11 of his 19 touchdowns on the year in games that are decided by seven or
fewer points.
The No. 10 Sooners will host a reeling Texas Tech team which has lost consecutive games. As 20-point favorites, the Sooners should not have trouble putting the Red Raiders away.
Josh Adams
Notre Dame running back, #33
Just like Bryce Love, Josh Adams has run his way up the Heisman rankings. His 191-yard, three-touchdown effort on the ground against USC last week not only established Notre Dame as a legitimate College Football Playoff contender, but Adams as a premier running back as well.
The junior back has accumulated 967 rushing yards this season and has rushed for over 100 yards in three straight games. Another reason for Adams’ emergence as a Heisman contender is his penchant for creating big plays — the junior back has a run of 60 yards or more in all but two games this year.
The Fighting Irish will host No. 14 NC State in South Bend, Indiana this weekend. The Wolfpack sport a tough run defense which allows only 91 yards per game, so expect a tough battle at the line of scrimmage between the two sides.
