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Who's going to have their Heisman Trophy moment? College football's slate of games in Week 10 is loaded with high-tier ranked games, including No. 1 Miami-No. 6 Notre Dame, a matchup with multiple contenders for college football's most prestigious individual award.
The race feels wide open with four weeks left in the regular season. Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith, a front runner for several weeks, now appears in jeopardy of winning the award due to the Buckeyes' offensive struggles without starting quarterback Julian Sayin.
Smith was peppered with targets in Ohio State's 30-18 upset loss to Southern California in Week 9, but the struggles of true freshman quarterback Luke Fahey could impact Smith's Heisman candidacy.
Darian Mensah, Malachi Toney and CJ Carr could all vault up the Heisman power rankings with strong performances in one of the biggest college football games of the season.
Here's a look at USA TODAY's weekly Heisman Trophy power rankings after Week 9 of the college football season:
Despite Ohio State's offensive struggles, Smith remains the front runner — for now. He caught 10 passes for 83 yards with a touchdown in the Buckeyes' loss to USC, also breaking the Big Ten record for all-time receiving touchdowns with his 40th.
The 6-foot-4 top-tier NFL prospect is easily one of the best players in college football. If his quarterback can keep getting him the ball at a decent rate — and if Ohio State doesn't completely fall off the tracks — his Heisman candidacy should remain strong.
Smith still ranks second nationally with 1,067 receiving yards this season.
Mensah faces his first test since transferring to Miami. A huge performance in a win over Notre Dame in Week 10, with "College GameDay" in town, could be the last obstacle he has to overcome before becoming the Heisman front runner.
Mensah ranks eighth nationally with 2,425 passing yards, tied for first nationally with 25 passing touchdowns and tied for second nationally with only one interception. He also boasts the nation's best QBR at 90.3 this season.
The former Tulane and Duke quarterback is completing 80.7% of his passes this season and has been dominant in every game against lesser opponents. It's time to see if he can do it against a team of Notre Dame's stature.
Mensah and Toney have been the best quarterback-receiver duo in college football this season. As a result, they're both vying for the Heisman in 2026.
Toney has 73 receptions for 1,027 yards and 13 touchdowns this season, but has been especially dominant in Miami's last three wins against Florida State, Pittsburgh and North Carolina. He has a ridiculous 34 catches for 433 yards with seven touchdowns during his recent stretch.
If Toney goes ballistic against Notre Dame, maybe it's him that jumps to the top of the Heisman race, not his quarterback.
Ole Miss and Trinidad Chambliss bounced back in a huge way after their loss to Texas in Week 8. Chambliss had a slow start, but still completed 22 of 34 passes for 263 yards with two touchdowns to an interception in the win, also rushing seven times for 65 yards with another score.
Chambliss has a chance for another Heisman moment if the Rebels can take down No. 2 Georgia at home in Week 10.
Sam Leavitt is quietly playing the best football of his career the last two weeks, and is getting healthy for LSU, which is still vying for a berth in the SEC Championship.
Leavitt ranks fourth nationally in QBR at 85.3, and is coming off back-to-back performances with 300 or more total yards with eight total touchdowns and no turnovers. He could earn his biggest win of the season if he and the Tigers defeat Alabama on Nov. 7.
CJ Carr was solid enough in Notre Dame's 35-13 win over Navy in Week 9, as he completed 19 of 29 passes for 210 yards with two touchdowns in the win.
Carr and the Fighting Irish only led 14-13 at halftime, which sparked some questions. Still, he's having an efficient season for one of college football's top brands, and is a huge performance against Miami away from vaulting back into the elite tier of Heisman contenders.
Like Carr, Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton's Heisman status falls more into the category of being a solid quarterback on a national championship contender than one lighting up scoreboards every week.
Stockton is one of college football's best at operating within an offense, although he didn't do much in Georgia's 27-8 win over Florida in Week 9: The second-year starter completed 13 of 23 passes for 101 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions, while rushing 12 times for 45 yards.
He makes the plays needed to win, and there's something to be said for that trait.
Drew Mestemaker is likely upset with his defense after Oklahoma State's 51-49 loss to Iowa State in Week 9. The potential first quarterback off the board in the upcoming NFL draft passed for 323 yards with five touchdowns in the loss, as the Cowboys' defense was torched for 521 total yards.
OSU now has two conference losses, which puts a huge dent in its Big 12 Championship chances. It'll be tough for Mestemaker to win the Heisman if OSU keeps losing.
Jesse Legree and Oregon State were upset by Fresno State in Week 9, falling 38-22 in the Pac-12 matchup.
Legree had his worst game of his college career, although it says something about how prolific he has been this season given he still had seven receptions for 70 yards in the loss. The true freshman still leads college football with 1,110 receiving yards and 14 receiving touchdowns this season.
He's still on the radar, but his chances of making it to New York take a hit after the loss.
It's time to start taking Wake Forest seriously, including quarterback Gio Lopez.
The left-handed quarterback has been outstanding for the Demon Deacons, with 2,176 passing yards and 18 touchdowns to an interception this season. His 84.4 QBR ranks sixth nationally and he has 317 rushing yards with six scores.
Lopez is a good story, too. He struggled at times last season at North Carolina and was even benched for the ACC bottom-feeder last season. Now, he's near the top of the conference and could push for Heisman contention if Wake Forest keeps winning.
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