For several preseason Heisman frontrunners, Week 1 offered an opportunity to pad stats against the sport's have-nots.
And most happily obliged at the quarterback and wide receiver positions for title contenders. That's part of the battle in the Heisman picture -- occupying the leading role for a blockbuster team.
New Heisman odds leader Darian Mensah (+650 Heisman odds) was a magician during Mimai's beatdown of Stanford, finishing 27-of-30 for a career-high 401 yards and five touchdowns. Mensah set program-best marks for passing yards and touchdowns in a debut.
"His skill set really fits what we do," Miami coach Mario Cristobal said. "His ability to read the field and his ability to digest concepts and to continue to evolve is really, really impressive. Sky's the limit."
Updated Heisman odds courtesy of FanDuel.
Fireworks-filled weekend for the frontrunners
Quarterbacks who can execute what's called with precision are a dream for offensive coordinators. Mensah, Arch Manning at Texas (+1100), Ole Miss star Trinidad Chambliss (+1100) and Ohio State's Julian Sayin (+1300) all answered the call at a high level in Week 1 with eye-popping numbers.
Three of those signal callers were performing with a new playcaller for the first time. Ohio State hired Arthur Smith away from the NFL this offseason, while Miami signed Mensah as a transfer from and Ole Miss landed ECU's John David Baker after Charlie Weis Jr. bolted to LSU.
Only Chambliss played a ranked opponent, and the Rebels needed his best during a 41-38 win over Louisville. Chambliss led the game-winning drive in the waning seconds.
Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith's (+1100) eight-catch, 151-yard and multiple-touchdown showing came in the first half. That was by design, according to Ryan Day, who kept his top player on the sideline after intermission in prep for Texas in Week 2.
- Mensah vs. Stanford: 401 yards passing, 5 TDs (QBR: 96.4)
- Smith vs. Ball State: 8 catches, 151 yards, 2 TDs
- Manning vs. Texas State: 305 yards passing, 4 TDs, INT (QBR: 92.5)
- Chambliss vs. Louisville: 336 yards passing, 3 TDs, INT; 60 yards rushing, TD (QBR: 71.4)
- Sayin vs. Ball State: 320 yards passing, 3 TDs; rushing TD (QBR: 97.8)
From long shot to welcome to the party
We knew Malachi Toney was a stud after last season's record-setting freshman showing at Miami. Now, the uncoverable wide receiver for the Hurricanes has launched his Heisman campaign after a night to remember on The Farm against Stanford.
Following Toney's mesmerizing 12-catch, 234-yard, three-touchdown explosion on Friday night, his odds improved from +4000 in the preseason to sixth-best overall at +1300. That means there's still time to hammer wagers on the talented sophomore.
Michael Irvin is biased, but the former Miami great and Pro Football Hall of Famer called Toney "the greatest receiver" he's ever seen after he eclipsed Eddie Brown's single-game school record of 220 receiving yards, set in 1984.
Mr. Reliable with no drops thus far in his college career, Toney caught more passes (109) last season than anyone in the FBS ranks. Stanford was aware of his ability and still had no answers for his consistent gashings of its secondary.
Sliding to the middle of the pack
Notre Dame quarterback C.J. Carr, the preseason favorite overall at +750, now sits +1300 after throwing a pair of touchdown passes in his team's 41-13 win over Wisconsin. The sophomore didn't find a rhythm until the second half when the Irish protected him with a viable rushing attack. Carr finished 19-of-29 for 239 yards, including a 28-yard scoring toss to running back Nolan James in garbage time with 1:51 to play.
Oregon's new offense glitched early against Boise State, but standout passer Dante Moore contributed his usual performance with a career-best 378 yards through the air and three touchdowns. Moore is at +1400 after the Ducks slipped a couple of spots in the AP Poll following its 34-27 victory as a 24.5-point favorite agains the Broncos.
The Lane Kiffin factor
LSU's new coach raved throughout fall camp about quarterback Sam Leavitt's leadership and play-making abilities, and he showed up in a big way on Saturday night against Clemson. After throwing an interception on the Tigers' second offensive snap, Leavitt was near-perfect the rest of the way, contributing 112 yards rushing and a pair of touchdown runs (both in the second quarter) along with a 32-yard scoring pass to Winston Watkins to open the second half that pushed LSU's lead to 35 points.
Leavitt's odds improved to +1600 after the performance, which is ahead of fellow SEC quarterbacks John Mateer (+3000), Keelon Russell (+3000), Marcel Reed (+3500) and LaNorris Sellers (+4000). Leavitt is coming off an injury that sidelined him for much of the 2025 season at Arizona State and appears to be running at full strength for the Tigers.
Impact of Ohio State at Texas
There is not a more important September game in college football than this week's showdown on the Forty Acres. If Manning notches the biggest win of his career for the Longhorns, he'll catapult toward the front of the Heisman pack.
The same goes for Smith and Sayin, who have been quiet in previous meetings against Texas. Smith was held to one catch for three yards against the Longhorns in the 2024 CFP semifinals and was held out of the end zone during last year's 14-7 victory in the opener.
