Week 8 Heisman Trophy power rankings: Will Julian Sayin injury hurt Jeremiah Smith?

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As we continue to get further into the college football season, Ohio State star Jeremiah Smith’s lead in the Heisman Trophy race just keeps growing. Smith is clearly the best player in college football, and he continues to put up numbers week in and week out.

Now, however, things have gotten a little bit more complicated for Smith with five games to go in Ohio State’s regular season. Starting quarterback Julian Sayin, who Smith has built great chemistry with over the last two seasons, is out for a few weeks with a shoulder injury suffered in Saturday’s epic win over Indiana.

Luke Fahey replaced Sayin on Saturday for the last few series, but it remains to be seen whether he or Tavien St. Clair will get the start under center while the starter is out. The Buckeyes have a bye in Week 8, but they have tricky games against USC and Oregon after that, so the QB position will have to be nailed down by then.

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Elsewhere in the country, Trinidad Chambliss continued to establish his spot as No. 2 in the race for now with a big win over Missouri. BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier also makes an appearance this week after knocking off Notre Dame in Provo, and Miami’s Darian Mensah had a big game for what is now the No. 1 team in the country.

How does the field stack up behind Smith in the latest Heisman Trophy power rankings? Let’s get into the list.

Honorable mention: Miami (FL) WR Malachi Toney, Oklahoma State QB Drew Mestemaker, Texas EGDE Colin Simmons, Alabama QB Keelon Russell, Georgia QB Gunner Stockton

5. Oregon State WR Jesse Legree

Last week: NR

Ask your friends who the leading receiver in college football is. When they all answer Jeremiah Smith, tell them that they are wrong. Smith is second in college football in receiving yards, only behind Legree who has an astonishing 1,040 yards and 14 touchdowns on 46 catches in seven games. The true freshman is listed at just 5-foot-10, 172 pounds, but he is one of the most impactful players in the nation. Oregon State has just two losses so far, so this Beavers squad could end up in the CFP discussion in a few months. That would help Legree’s case in this discussion.

4. BYU QB Bear Bachmeier

Last week: NR

Bachmeier isn’t flashy, and the No. 47 might throw some people off, but he just gets the job done and does whatever Kalani Sitake and company need to help win games. Bachmeier has been the heart of the BYU running game ever since LJ Martin went down with injury, all while showing off his improvements as a pocket passer.

In Week 6, Bachmeier notched more than 400 yards of total offense without Martin. On Saturday against Notre Dame, he finished 23-of-36 with 224 yards and a touchdown with an interception through the air. On the ground, he amassed 45 yards and two touchdowns on a team-high 13 carries. Bachmeier consistently showcased a willingness and an ability to push the ball down the field and gave this BYU passing game some explosiveness that it didn’t have a year ago.

Now, BYU is ranked No. 2 and has a very good chance to be in the College Football Playoff at the end of the season. Bachmeier will have a number of big games to prove that he is Heisman-worthy, and this win over the Irish put him in the conversation.

3. Miami (FL) QB Darian Mensah

Last week: 4

Miami’s defense left a lot to be desired on Saturday in a 43-35 win over Florida State in double overtime, but it ironically may have been a good thing for Mensah’s Heisman case. As a result of the defensive shortcomings, Mensah had to keep coming up with answers and making big throws to keep Miami in the lead. In the end, Mensah finished 23-of-34 with 326 yards and three touchdowns with one interception. Now, the Hurricanes are the No. 1-ranked team in the country with a rivalry game against Notre Dame looming in a few weeks.

2. Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss

Last week: 2

On a day where quarterback play around college football was pretty terrible, especially in the big games on the slate, Chambliss showed off his subtle brilliance once again. The Ole Miss signal-caller carved Missouri up from the pocket just one week after the Tigers defense walked all over Florida. Chambliss finished this game 20-of-36 with 241 yards and four total touchdowns in a 31-3 victory that firmly re-established the Rebels as an SEC title contender.

Chambliss has been beating defenses over the last two weeks without using his legs much, which shows how far he has come as a passer. In Week 8, his full arsenal will have to be on display against an elite Texas defense.

1. Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith

Last week: 1

Things didn’t go all Smith’s way on Saturday on the road against Indiana. Curt Cignetti and the Hoosiers defense showed him true double teams on almost every passing down. Smith was jammed at the line of scrimmage and also bracketed in the route by a very talented and well-schooled Indiana secondary that was making it tough on the entire Ohio State offense.

But even on a quiet day, the defending national champions couldn’t hold the best player in college football down for 60 minutes. When Ohio State badly needed a play on fourth down and Sayin threw up a prayer in the end zone, Smith fought through two defenders to come down with the touchdown that proved to be the difference in the game.

That’s just what Smith does. When there’s a play to be made, he makes it, and there’s not much that anybody else can do about it. Even on a day where Indiana did everything it could to take him out of the game, he still finished with four catches for 68 yards and the aforementioned touchdown. He is now the odds-on favorite to win the Heisman, and one look at this Ohio State offense tells you why.

Related: Indiana coach Curt Cignetti is ready for Wolverines to do anything at QB after benching Bryce Underwood

Related: Texas’ Arch Manning reveals mindset moving forward with QB1 job in limbo