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Justin's top 10 Heisman Trophy contenders ahead of Week 8 of the 2025 college football season. Where do Ty Simpson and Carson Beck rank?
Top 10 Heisman Contenders For Week 8
The Heisman race has started to solidify. This week, the top eight players from last week remain the top eight players this week, with the biggest change being a drop for Oregon quarterback Dante Moore, whose performance in Oregon’s loss to Indiana knocks him from a favorite to win the award to being a relative long shot, though there’s still time for Moore to get back into the race.
Where does the Heisman battle stand as we enter Week 8 of the 2025 season? Let’s take a look at the current top 10 contenders for the award.
10. Jayden Maiava, Quarterback, USC
Last Week: Not Ranked
USC quarterback Jayden Maiava makes his first appearance of the season on this list following his performance in USC’s 31-13 win over Michigan. Maiava was 25-for-32 for 265 yards and two touchdowns in the victory.
Maiava now leads the Big Ten in passing yards, and his 10.8 yards per attempt leads all of the FBS. Maiava has already rushed for four touchdowns, equaling his mark from last season.
9. C.J. Carr, Quarterback, Notre Dame
Last Week: Not Ranked
After a rough start, Notre Dame has won four in a row, with each victory coming in dominant fashion. Quarterback C.J. Carr has been a huge part of that success. This week against NC State, Carr was 19-for-31 for 342 yards and two touchdowns.
The freshman starter has now thrown for 1,622 yards and 13 touchdowns this season. It’s probably not enough to win the Heisman this year, but the Irish could still sneak into the playoffs, and Carr should be a Heisman favorite in 2026.
8. Trinidad Chambliss, Quarterback, Ole Miss
Last Week: Seventh
Ole Miss almost saw its season go up in flames on Saturday as the team just barely snuck past Washington State. Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss played well, throwing for 252 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for a score as well, but he wasn’t as explosive as he has been.
Chambliss has been one of the best surprises in college football this year, but the fact that he didn’t start the Rebels’ first two games probably hurts his overall resume just a bit too much.
7. Marcel Reed, Quarterback, Texas A&M
Last Week: Eighth
Marcel Reed threw and rushed for a touchdown against Florida, leading the Aggies to a 34-17 win and moving A&M to 6-0 on the season.
If we’re looking at Reed’s numbers exclusively, then his Heisman case isn’t great. Other players are putting up more impressive stats. However, Reed deserves a lot of credit for how well the Aggies are playing this season, with the undefeated team in a good spot to not only make the College Football Playoff but to come away with a first-round bye.
6. Dante Moore, Quarterback, Oregon
Last Week: Second
Dante Moore looked like the best quarterback in college football in wins over Oregon State and Penn State, but he was brought back to earth in a 30-20 loss to Indiana.
Moore was picked off twice and threw for just 186 yards, while he finished with negative rushing yardage for the first time all season. Maybe this will prove to be just a bad blip on the radar, and Moore will get back into the Heisman race as the Ducks win out. However, his chance of winning will depend on players ahead of him struggling now. He no longer controls his own destiny.
5. Julian Sayin, Quarterback, Ohio State
Last Week: Sixth
Maybe it wasn’t Julian Sayin’s best game, but the first-year starter completed 70.4 percent of his passes for 166 yards and two touchdowns in Saturday’s 34-16 win over Illinois.
The quarterback for the best team in the country deserves to be mentioned in the Heisman conversation, but he’s probably about at his ceiling by sitting fifth in these rankings and in the betting odds from most sports books.
4. Jeremiah Smith, Wide Receiver, Ohio State
Last Week: Fifth
One reason Sayin has a ceiling? He’s not the best player on his team. That would be wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, who caught his seventh touchdown of the season against Illinois. He caught five passes for 42 yards.
Smith might not be having quite as many explosive games as he did as a freshman, but he has at least one touchdown reception in five consecutive games. Smith is the only non-quarterback with a viable Heisman case. (If you’re wondering who is the second-best non-quarterback in the Heisman race, the answer is probably Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, who is 15th in the odds on DraftKings Sportsbook.)
3. Fernando Mendoza, Quarterback, Indiana
Last Week: Fourth
Fernando Mendoza threw for just 215 yards against Oregon. From a statistical perspective, this was probably his worst game of the season, as he was picked off for just the second time all season.
But the numbers don’t tell the story here. Mendoza made the right plays when it mattered on Saturday as the Hoosiers scored arguably the most important win yet this season by any team, upsetting Oregon 30-20. Going into Autzen Stadium and coming away with a win is a huge check on Mendoza’s Heisman resume.
2. Ty Simpson, Quarterback, Alabama
Last Week: Third
Alabama went on the road against previously unbeaten Missouri this week and walked away with a 27-24 victory. Quarterback Ty Simpson was the primary driver of the win, as he was 23-for-31 for 200 yards and three touchdowns.
Simpson leads the SEC with 16 touchdown passes and has been picked off just once this season. You could argue that if not for the season-opening loss to Florida State, he’d be the Heisman favorite at the moment.
1. Carson Beck, Quarterback, Miami
Last Week: First
Miami was off this week, but Carson Beck remains the favorite, even if Simpson is hot on his trail.
Last time out, Beck threw four touchdown passes in a win over Florida State. Maybe that six-point win is aging poorly after the Seminoles lost their third game in a row, but Beck is playing very good football overall for an undefeated Hurricanes squad. He has to still be viewed as the top candidate for the award.
