Who are College Football’s Top Teams and Heisman Trophy Candidates?

By: Jack Donohue 10/15/25

Quarterback Dante Moore of Oregon against Penn State

Through six weeks of college football, only one out of the preseason top five remains in the top five: current number one Ohio State. The reigning national champion Ohio State squad is led by sophomore quarterback Julian Sayin and star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. Sayin was put in an ideal situation for a first-year starter with receivers like Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate. Ohio State was ranked number three in the preseason rankings, but took down preseason number one Texas to begin the season behind a very strong defensive performance. Arch Manning was stifled by a tough Ohio State defense, which limited him and Texas to only seven points. In the fourth quarter, Sayin threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Carnell Tate to give Ohio State a 14-point advantage. This ended up being the game-winning touchdown. With easy wins over Grambling, Ohio, and Washington, they are almost sure to be one of the teams headed to the college football playoff.

Across the country is another Big Ten team with a new quarterback, in Oregon. With Dillon Gabriel last year, the Ducks were eliminated by Ohio State in the college football playoffs. New quarterback Dante Moore headed into the 2025 season as his replacement. Oregon had an easy start to the year, with its closest game being by a margin of 20 points. But Moore and Oregon faced their biggest challenge against Penn State. However, Moore was great, throwing for 248 yards and two touchdowns, along with no interceptions. He outperformed fellow quarterback Drew Allar and cemented himself as a Heisman candidate. Moore has thrown 14 touchdowns to only one interception and ranks 13th in QBR among FBS quarterbacks. With a win over Penn State, Oregon moved up to number two in the nation and is firmly in the playoff picture.

Sleeper Teams and Heisman Candidates : Ole Miss and Trinidad Chambliss

While the record is 5-0, Ole Miss has had an interesting start to the season. Starting quarterback Austin Simmons went down with an injury in the second game of the season against Kentucky. To replace him, Ole Miss brought out a Division two transfer, Trinidad Chambliss. In the prior year, Chambliss led Ferris State University to a Division two national championship. Chambliss threw for 26 touchdowns and 6 interceptions while rushing for over 1,000 yards and 25 touchdowns. He finished 25th in division two in rushing yards. This was good enough for a top SEC school to reach out to him: Ole Miss. Chambliss ended up closing out the victory for Ole Miss against Kentucky. He has started each of the past three games for Ole Miss, all three of them wins against good opponents. He took down previously number four-ranked LSU and outplayed a possible first-round pick, Garrett Nussmeier. With Chambliss’s dual-threat ability and arm talent, Ole Miss could be a threat down the stretch.

Ahmad Hardy and Missouri

One under-the-radar Heisman trophy candidate is running back Ahmad Hardy of Missouri. The sophomore transferred from Louisiana-Monroe after a terrific season with almost 1,400 yards on the ground. But Hardy has exploded in five games with the Tigers, carrying the ball 103 times for 730 yards with nine touchdowns. That is 7.7 yards per carry. Ashton Jeanty, last year’s Heisman runner-up, averaged 7.0 yards per carry. Hardy is on pace for almost 1,900 yards rushing, which would break the Missouri record, and he would be third all-time in SEC rushing yards for a season behind Leonard Fournette and Derrick Henry. Right now, Hardy leads college football in rushing yards and is second in rushing touchdowns. Hardy’s best performance was in week three when Missouri took on Louisiana. Hardy carried the ball 22 times for 250 yards and three touchdowns, good for 11.4 yards per carry. He led Missouri to a 52-10 win. Even though a running back hasn’t won the Heisman since 2015, Hardy could be a top finalist.