Heisman watch: Who are the frontrunners for the Heisman Trophy heading into Week 3?
Week 2 of the 2024 college football season saw few surprises among the top teams in the country. Only one team ranked in the top 15 - Michigan - lost and the top six programs remain as is after their second game of the season. Week 3's schedule includes a few rivalry games, including Oregon-Oregon State and Utah-Utah State, as well as the conference opener for No. 1-ranked Georgia.
Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers is building a lead in the Heisman Trophy odds early in the season while preseason favorite Dillon Gabriel is falling down the order. Here's how the Heisman rankings look ahead of Week 3, with odds from BetMGM.
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1. QB Quinn Ewers, Texas (+500)
- 2024 stats: 44 for 63 passing, 506 yards, six touchdowns, one interception
Ewers and the Longhorns went to Ann Arbor and made a statement against defending national champion and No. 9-ranked Michigan. Ewers opened the scoring in the first quarter with a 21-yard touchdown pass to Gunnar Helm en route to a 31-12 route of the Wolverines.
He finished Saturday's game 24 of 36 passing for 246 yards and three touchdowns. The No. 3 Longhorns head back to Austin this week for a game against UTSA, who gave up 504 yards of offense to Texas State last week in a 49-10 loss. Ewers and the Longhorns should enjoy another tuneup over the next couple weeks before starting SEC play against Mississippi State in Week 5.
2. QB Cam Ward, Miami (+700)
- 2024 stats: 46 of 61 passing, 689 yards, six touchdowns, one interception | 46 rushing yards, one touchdown
Ward improved on his Week 1 performance against Florida with a four-touchdown effort in Week 2 against Florida A&M. The transfer quarterback went 20 for 26 with 304 yards and three touchdowns passing in addition to a rushing touchdown. It was just his sixth career four-touchdown game as No. 12 Miami rolled to a 56-9 victory and its highest ranking since 2020.
Ward should keep things up once again this week at home against Ball State in Week 3. Another three-touchdown, 300-yard passing performance should keep him second behind Ewers as the Hurricanes enjoy an early-season resurgence.
T-3. QB Carson Beck, Georgia (+900)
- 2024 stats: 41 of 58 passing, 520 yards, seven touchdowns | 37 rushing yards
The No. 1-ranked Bulldogs followed their 34-3 win over Clemson in Week 1 with a 48-3 drubbing of Tennessee Tech in Week 2. Beck completed 18 of 25 passes for 242 yards and a career-high five touchdowns and a 219.3 passer rating despite sitting the fourth quarter out.
Georgia opens SEC play with a road game against Kentucky in Week 3. This is the first conference test of the season; Kentucky sits at 1-1 but is allowing just 15.5 points per game so far in 2024. The Wildcats lost to South Carolina 31-6 last week but allowed just 252 yards of offense. Beck can improve his odds with a good performance against the Kentucky defense ahead of a bye in Week 4.
T-3. QB Dillon Gabriel, Oregon (+900)
- 2024 stats: 59 of 70 passing, 623 yards, four touchdowns | one rushing touchdown
Oregon followed a closer-than-expected win over Idaho in Week 1 with a 37-34 win at home over unranked Boise State. The Ducks needed a walk-off field goal to seal the win after consecutive fumbles - one by Gabriel- led to two Boise State touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Gabriel still finished the game 18 for 21 with 243 yards and two touchdowns passing. Boise State did sack him four times and the Ducks were penalized nine times for 74 yards.
The close win drops the Ducks to No. 6 ahead of their Week 3 matchup against rival Oregon State. The Beavers are 2-0 following wins over Idaho State in Week 1 and San Diego State in Week 2. Oregon needs to get back on track if it hopes to contend in its first year in the Big Ten. Gabriel can help both the team and his Heisman odds with a strong showing in the rivalry game ahead of Oregon's bye in Week 4.
T-3. QB Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss (+900)
- 2024 stats: 47 of 54 passing, 795 yards, six touchdowns | 19 rushing yards, two touchdowns
Ole Miss backed up its 76-0 drubbing of Furman in Week 1 with a 52-3 win over Middle Tennessee at home in Week 2. The No. 5-ranked Rebels leaned on the ground game for most of the scoring in Week 2 with six rushing touchdowns. Dart still got on the board late, though, with an 18-yard touchdown to Antwane Wells Jr. in the fourth quarter. He completed 25 of 27 passes for 377 yards and a rushing touchdown in addition to that late score through the air.
Dart's performance in Week 2 means he now leads the country in passing yards and quarterback rating (247.4). He's also second in completion percentage (87%) and yards per attempt (14.7).
Ole Miss is on the road for the first time this week against Wake Forest. If Dart shines again and Oregon struggles on the road, he should move ahead of Gabriel and close in on Ewers and Ward.
Next five: QB Nico Iamaleava, Tennessee and QB Jalen Milroe, Alabama (+1100); QB Will Howard, Ohio State (+1800), RB Ashton Jeanty, Boise State (+2000)