SPORT NEWS: Heisman Watch 2024: Latest Predictions as Week 14 Approaches.giang

A once crowded field for the Heisman Trophy has been whittled down to the final few competitors entering the closing weeks of the 2024 college football season.

While a few fanbases might feel differently, this seems like a three-player race at this point. Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter remains the favorite, but Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty and Miami quarterback Cam Ward are still in this race.

Let’s zero in on—and rank!—the top three candidates.

Cam Ward’s Heisman Trophy chances felt better earlier this season, when he was stockpiling scores and steering the Hurricanes to an undefeated start.

However, the touchdowns have come less frequently of late—27 (including three rushing) in his first seven games, 11 (one rushing) in his last four—and Miami’s record has a blemish. Ward, for his part, did what he could to steer the Hurricanes to victory, but his 348 passing yards and three touchdowns weren’t enough to help them get past unranked Georgia Tech a few weeks back.

His numbers remain stellar, to be clear. He’s at 3,774 passing yards and 34 passing touchdowns against seven interceptions on the season. He has also ran for another 177 yards and four scores. He’s also the biggest reason why Miami is pacing college football in both yardage (541.5 per game) and scoring (44.7 points).

He’ll surely head to New York as a Heisman finalist, but he’d need a miracle finish (and help from others) to take home the hardware.

Calling Ashton Jeanty the best running back in college football is sort of like saying Michael Phelps used to be a pretty good swimmer. It’s technically true, but it doesn’t come close to telling the full story.

His box scores go bonkers on a weekly basis, and his latest effort (169 rushing yards and a score) pushed him past the 2,000-yard rushing mark on the season. For context, there isn’t another 1,500-yard rusher at the moment.

He has 27 touchdowns on his tally. Only 16 teams have eclipsed that number, or 15 if you don’t include Jeanty’s Broncos. He has finished exactly one game without a touchdown and none with fewer than 127 rushing yards.

This is stuff we almost never see. It’s just unfortunate for him that he’s looking up at someone doing things that are almost literally never done.

Travis Hunter has been the most dynamic player in college football this season—or in recent memory, for that matter.

Colorado’s two-way star is both a go-to receiver and a shutdown corner. If the Buffaloes are on the field, you’ll almost always find him. His 1,266 snaps are already the most tallied since ESPN started tracking snap count data in 2018.

While his Buffaloes took a hit this past Saturday, losing 37-21 at Kansas, Hunter stuffed the stat sheet with eight receptions for 125 yards and two touchdowns, seven tackles and a pass breakup. His season-long stats now sit at 82 catches for 1,036 yards and 11 touchdowns, 30 tackles, nine breakups, three interceptions and a forced fumble. Oh, and he also has two carries for five yards and a score.

Ward has been awesome this season. Jeanty has been even better. And yet, it still feels generous to both to even call this a race given what Hunter has done on both sides of the ball.