Catching up on the Heisman Trophy: Gurley's suspension throws a wrench

So just when we decide not to cover the Heisman Trophy race it turns into one of the more interesting races in recent memory.  We decided to do a brief catchup of the first six weeks.

Pre-season: Very few returning vote-winners

1. Jameis Winston, QB FSU
2. Bryce Petty, QB Baylor
3. Braxton Miller, QB Ohio State

Out of last year's top ten only three players return. And the third player was lost before the season started, so only two of the top ten were back. Interestingly Marcus Mariota of Oregon didn't finish in the top ten last year, though at one point he was the front-runner!

Week 1: Todd Gurley makes his presence known

1. Jameis Winston, QB FSU (1-0) beat OK State 37-31
2. [new] Todd Gurley, RB Georgia (1-0) beat Clemson 45-21
3. [dn 1] Bryce Petty, QB Baylor (1-0) beat SMU 45-0

Jameis Winston had a mixed game against Oklahoma State with 2 interceptions, but his highlight-reel touchdown run proved the difference in the game, so he remains an unstable default front-runner. Bryce Petty completed just 57% against SMU while Todd Gurley had a 100-yard kickoff return and 198 rushing yards vs. Clemson.

Week 2: Marcus Mariota jumps in with big win

1. Jameis Winston, QB FSU (2-0) beat The Citadel 37-12
2. Todd Gurley, RB Georgia (1-0) no game
3. [new] Marcus Mariota, QB Oregon (2-0) beat Michigan State 46-27
4. [dn 1] Bryce Petty, QB Baylor (2-0) did not play vs. Northwestern State

Florida State didn't dominate The Citadel like on might expect, but it's hard to argue with Winston's 82% completion rate; at any rate, Georgia didn't play so Gurley didn't have the chance to take over the top spot. Instead it was Marcus Mariota's week with a showcase vs. Michigan State: 318 yards and 3 touchdowns, added to his 3 touchdown passes the week before. Meanwhile Bryce Petty's lingering injury from week 1 kept him out against Northwestern State, where backup Seth Russell put up 438 yards and 5 TDs, making Petty look even more like a "system quarterback."

Week 3: Uneventful calm before the storm.

1. Jameis Winston, QB FSU (2-0) no game
2. [up 1] Marcus Mariota, QB Oregon (3-0) beat Wyoming 48-14
3. [dn 1] Todd Gurley, RB Georgia (1-1) lost to S Carolina 38-35
4. Bryce Petty, QB Baylor (3-0) beat Buffalo 63-21
5. [new] Kenny Hill, QB Texas A&M (3-0) beat Rice 38-10

Jameis Winston was idle before the big Clemson game that was to showcase his talent and determine his odds for a Heisman repeat. Todd Gurley did well (138 yards) in Georgia's game (he had 138 yards) but the loss to South Carolina allowed Marcus Mariota to move up to #2 with a 4TD (2 pass, 2 rush) performance. Bryce Petty recovered a bit of momentum with 4 TDs against Buffalo, and Kenny Hill moved in at #5; his 511 yard debut vs. South Carolina opened eyes and after the Rice win he had 11 TDs and no interceptions for the Aggies.

Week 4: Winston blows his chance with "vulgar" outburst

1. [up 1] Marcus Mariota, QB Oregon (4-0) beat Wash. St. 38-31
2. [up 1] Todd Gurley,  RB Georgia (2-1) beat Troy 66-0
3. [dn 2] Jameis Winston, QB FSU (3-0) did not play vs. Clemson
4. Bryce Petty, QB Baylor (3-0) no game
5. Kenny Hill, QB Texas A&M (3-0) beat SMU 58-6
6. [new] Amari Cooper, WR Alabama (4-0) beat Florida 42-21

The big news in week 4 took place off the field in probably the stupidest reason for a football team nearly blowing its national title hopes. Jameis Winston is the first and only Heisman candidate ever derailed for shouting "fuck her right in the pussy" on a makeshift campus soapbox. His actions almost cost FSU the game, and Clemson had the game well in hand several times before losing in overtime. Marcus Mariota moves up to #1; his 5 touchdown passes kept Oregon undefeated, making up for their defense's lapses; for the year his ratio was 13:0 after week 4 . #2 Todd Gurley had 73 rushing yards on just 6 carries in a blowout, while Baylor was idle so Bryce Petty remained #4. Kenny Hill had 2 TDs but his first pick against SMU. This week's newcomer is the first receiver on the list, Alabama's Amari Cooper. All four of his efforts are 100 yards +, and against Florida he had 10 catches for 201 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Week 5: Ameer Abdullah finally gets his just rewards

1. Marcus Mariota, QB Oregon (4-0) no game
2. Todd Gurley, RB Georgia (3-1) beat Tennessee 35-32
3. [up 2] Kenny Hill, QB Texas A&M (4-0) beat Arkansas 28-21 OT
4. [dn 1] Jameis Winston, QB FSU (4-0) beat NC State 56-41
5. [dn 1] Bryce Petty, QB Baylor (4-0) beat Iowa State 49-28
6. [new] Ameer Abdullah, RB Nebraska (5-0) beat Illinois 45-14
7. [dn 1] Amari Cooper, WR Alabama (4-0) no game

#1 Marcus Mariota was idle allowing #2 Todd Gurley to come closer to the top spot with a 208 yard effort against Tennessee. There was some QB re-evaluation this week; Kenny Hill didn't have his best game against Arkansas but his 4 TDs won the game for the Aggies, and he moves ahead of Winston (2 picks vs. NC State) and Petty (1 TD vs. Iowa State). Jumping in this week is Nebraska's Ameer Abdullah, who had his third 200 yard game against Illinois. His only sub-100 yard game was against McNeese State, where his 58-yard touchdown reception won that game for the Cornhuskers. He moves in a #6 ahead of idle Amari Cooper.

Week 6: Todd Gurley is #1...before his suspension.

1. [up 1] Todd Gurley, RB Georgia (4-1) beat Vanderbilt 44-17
   
2. [dn 1] Marcus Mariota, QB Oregon (4-1) lost to Arizona 31-24
3. [up 1] Jameis Winston, QB FSU (5-0) beat Wake Forest 43-3
4. [dn 1] Kenny Hill, QB Texas A&M (4-1) lost to Miss. State 48-31
5. [new] Dak Prescott, QB Miss. State (5-0) beat Texas A&M 48-31
6. [dn 1] Bryce Petty, QB Baylor (5-0) beat Texas 28-7
7. Amari Cooper, WR Alabama (4-1) lost to Mississippi 23-17
8. [dn 2] Ameer Abdullah, RB Nebraska (5-1) lost to Michigan St. 27-22

It was a disastrous week for nearly all of the candidates with front-runner Marcus Mariota suffering a loss that allowed Todd Gurley (163 yards) to claim the top spot. Kenny Hill's 3-interception debacle in the loss to Mississippi State dropped him a spot and FSU's Winston slid back up to a very weak #3. Weakness in the bottom half allowed newcomer Dak Prescott to jump in at #5 after clearly outdueling Hill. Bryce Petty was just 7 of 22 against Texas, Amari Cooper's Tide lost (he still had a respectable 91 receiving yards) and Ameer Abdullah was shut down (45 yards in 21 carries) against Michigan State.

All in all a very forgettable week, and it only gets worse with Todd Gurley's suspension. Is there anyone who looks Heisman-worthy now?