The calendar has flipped to October, and the college football season will continue on with Week 6 this week.
The College Football Playoff rankings won’t be released until November, and the Associated Press Top 25 Poll updates every Sunday.
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No. 4 Ohio State will return from a bye week this week and host Maryland. One of the Buckeyes’ contenders for the Heisman Trophy has enjoyed a successful season thus far, and Marvin Harrison Jr. figures to factor into the race for college football’s top award.
Harrison injured his right ankle during Ohio State’s last game at Notre Dame. It’ll be something many keep an eye on as the wide receiver looks to further establish himself atop the Big Ten Conference leaderboards where he is currently fourth in receiving yards and tied for fifth in touchdowns.
Here are several players and notes to keep a tab on in this week’s Big Board.
Brock Bowers, Georgia
Bowers is Georgia’s big, burly tight end.
He had one of his best games of this season last Saturday. He had a game-high 157 receiving yards and a touchdown, his fourth score of the season.
Bowers was targeted six times in the first half against the Tigers, and he hauled in two of those passes for just nine yards.
He stung Auburn most in the second half and converted four first downs while Georgia climbed back from a 17-10 deficit.
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Bowers currently has 413 receiving yards, three receiving touchdowns and one rushing touchdown.
Bowers’ Heisman Trophy odds are +7000 according to FanDuel Sportsbook. He is Georgia’s current receiving leader, and while no tight end has won the Heisman Trophy before, Bowers could turn enough heads to garner his fair share of the vote.
Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss
On the biggest stage and under the brightest lights, Jaxson Dart showed up to play on Saturday.
It didn’t always begin at Ole Miss for Dart. He spent his true freshman season at USC before Lincoln Riley and the new Trojans regime made their way to town.
Now with the Rebels, Dart and his squad of the past two seasons matched up against an LSU team looking to renter itself back into the College Football Playoff mix.
Instead, Dart and Ole Miss stole the show, as the quarterback went toe-to-toe with Tigers gunslinger Jayden Daniels. Dart passed for 389 yards and fourth touchdowns, and Daniel went for 414 passing yards and as many scoring throws.
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Dart came up clutch in the fourth quarter. The Rebels faced a 49-40 deficit before Dart darted into the end zone on a 1-yard rush bringing the game within 49-47 as 5:06 remained.
Dart found receiver Tre Harris on the go-ahead and game-sealing touchdown pass with 39 seconds left.
Dart’s Heisman Trophy odds are +15000 according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Caleb Williams, USC
Williams makes his return to the Big Board after a big performance at Colorado.
The third-year quarterback tossed six touchdowns and 403 yards en route to a 48-41 win over the Buffaloes. Williams was named Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week on Monday.
Williams became the first Football Bowl Subdivision player in the past 25 years to throw at least six touchdowns for multiple programs, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
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Williams made headlines before the season when the possibility of his return in lieu of the NFL Draft grew to greater speculation.
But could he really return to the Trojans in 2024?
That’s a story for another day, and today Williams stands as the leader in passing touchdowns with 21.
Williams is also the leader in passing efficiency behind a rating of 217.70, almost 20 points higher than the next closest quarterback.
So even when he’s finding the end zone is Williams being efficient. And he found the end zone with frequency against the Buffaloes, doing so six times throughout the game.
Williams is currently the player with the best odds to win the Heisman Trophy and his odds are +170 according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
