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Saquon Barkley leads ESPN’s Heisman Watch, two other B1G names mentioned
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It’s not exactly breaking news to report that Saquon Barkley is at the top of another Heisman list. After another spectacular outing, this time against Michigan, the Penn State running back is the clear frontrunner for college football’s most prestigious award.
ESPN’s most recent Heisman Watch joined the rest of the country on Tuesday, naming Barkley the leader in the clubhouse for the award, racking up 59 total voter points. Stanford’s Bryce Love was second with 47 points and Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield was in a distant third with 32 points.
Here’s what ESPN had to say about Barkley and his No. 1 overall spot in the Heisman race after Week 8:
Barkley made a big impression for a national audience against Michigan. Not only did he open the game with a 69-yard touchdown run on PSU’s opening drive, but he also scored again four minutes later and paced the Nittany Lions the whole game.
Barkley finished Saturday’s game against Michigan with 176 all-purpose yards and had three total touchdowns in the 42-13 victory.
What might have been a little more surprising than Barkley sitting at the top spot in the Heisman Watch was the inclusion of Ohio State’s J.T. Barrett and Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor in the conversation.
Taylor, who currently leads the B1G in rushing as a true freshman with 1,112 yards, received seven points. Barrett’s 21/1 touchdown-to-interception ratio earned him two points from the voters.
Could one of those two other B1G names sneak up and become more of a factor in the Heisman race in the final month of the season? We’ll find out.
But for now, the Heisman is Barkley’s award to lose. And a big performance this weekend against Ohio State and the Penn State back could essentially lock up the award before the calendar turns to November.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB