The halfway point of the 2017 college football season is here. That means the College Football Playoff race is heating up, as is the Heisman Trophy race.
Which players have the inside step towards a trip to New York in December? Former Heisman finalist Brady Quinn breaks down his top candidates.
5. Mason Rudolph, QB, Oklahoma State: There isn't a quarterback in the country throwing for more yards per game than Rudolph. The Oklahoma State signal-caller is averaging 394.7 yards per game as he's led the Cowboys to a 5-1 start this year.
4. Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma: Mayfield has been the most efficient quarterback in the country to this point. His passer efficiency rating of 207.33 is a full 16 points ahead of Mason Rudolph, and 34 points ahead of Ohio State's J.T. Barrett. His 17-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio is pretty good, too.
3. Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State: Barkley is considered the Heisman favorite by many, but he drops in Brady's rankings this week after a bye. Still, Barkley leads the nation in all-purpose yards, averaging 217 per game. With Penn State currently ranked No. 2 in the AP Poll, Barkley will continue to grab a lot of headlines.
2. J.T. Barrett, QB, Ohio State: You may have been sleeping on Ohio State since the Buckeyes lost to Oklahoma, and if you have, you've missed some epic Barrett performances. Barrett's thrown for 1,351 yards and 18 touchdowns in the last five games, and now has 21 touchdowns and only one interception on the season.
1. Bryce Love, RB, Stanford: Love has been a big run waiting to happen all season long. Every week, he's breaking off a touchdown run of at least 50 yards, and he's averaging 198.14 rushing yards per game. That leads the nation and is nearly 30 yards more per game than the guy in second place, Navy's Zach Abey. Love even has a chance to break Barry Sanders' single-season rushing mark.
