Heisman Power Rankings: Barkley reigns supreme, Love knows no bounds
Another action packed week in college football is in the books, and a number of marquee matchups resulted in multiple Heisman Trophy favorites cementing their legitimacy with strong performances, while others have lost ground to emerging dark-horse candidates.
Week 4 saw one player in particular stand out from all the rest, powering his way to the top of the latest Heisman Power Rankings, while a dominant performance by a previously unranked player earned him a mention in the No. 5 spot.
5. Bryce Love, RB - Stanford
Love started 2017 off strong with three consecutive games of more than 150 rushing yards, but Saturday's 263-yard outburst against UCLA has made it impossible to ignore his presence for Stanford.
He's has already exceeded his rushing total from all of last year, and is on an incredible pace that would see him finish with an astounding 2,361 yards. To put it into perspective, that mark would place him fifth on the NCAA's all-time single-season rushing list. Unfortunately for Love, Stanford already has a pair of losses on the season, so a chance to raise his Heisman stock in a national championship setting likely isn't in the cards.
4. Mason Rudolph, QB - Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State stumbled its way through week 4 against TCU, and Rudolph took a step back from the types of performances we've grown accustomed to, but not enough to see him removed from the list.
Despite completing just 22-of-41 passes, Rudolph flashed the aerial attack that fans have come to expect with 398 yards through the air, highlighted by an 86-yard touchdown strike to James Washington. The counter-argument to Rudolph's high numbers thus far would be the quality of opponents in those games (Tulsa, South Alabama, Pittsburgh), so he will need to continue to improve into the conference schedule if he is going to separate himself from the pack.
3. Josh Rosen, QB - UCLA
Rosen's hot start to 2017 hit a speed bump last week when his free-wheeling passing game wound up costing UCLA a victory over Memphis, but a nice rebound against Stanford to open conference play for the Bruins has him set right back on course for December's Heisman Trophy presentation.
Stanford is no slouch defensively, but Rosen torched it rather handily for 489 yards and three touchdowns, despite a second straight defeat. The junior has enjoyed a spectacular resurgence from a lost season to injury a year ago, and will deserve significant consideration if he can lead the Bruins to the top of the conference.
2. Baker Mayfield, QB - Oklahoma
No quarterback in college football has been more dominant thus far than Baker Mayfield, making him the highest ranked signal-caller on this week's list.
Mayfield's dominant performance against Ohio State raised him to a level he has yet to be knocked down from. He's completed a wicked 75.2 percent of his passes this season with 13 touchdowns and zero interceptions to his name. Saturday's contest against Baylor proved to be far closer than he would have liked, but a victory is a victory, and Mayfield is still the holder of a perfect on-field record.
1. Saquon Barkley, RB - Penn State
Just when you thought Saquon Barkley couldn't possibly up his performance from the previous week, the young man goes ahead and kicks down the door.
Saturday's thrilling last-second victory over Iowa not only kept Penn State's perfect record alive, but it showcased Barkley, once again, as someone that can carry the entire program on the field. The junior running back set an all-time program record for single-game all-purpose yards, and proved to the world that not only is he an absolute beast, but that he should be considered the current favorite to capture the Heisman.
(Photos courtesy: Action Images)