2016 Heisman Trophy Power Rankings: Week 4

The first three weeks of the college football are complete and the contenders and pretenders are starting to emerge for the Heisman Trophy race. We've narrowed the list down to the Top 10 candidates, although there are more than 10 players who could head to New York and win. With that said, there is a clear-cut favorite. 

Players like Baker Mayfield, Leonard Fournette and DeShone Kizer have suffered multiple losses already this year, tanking their Heisman chances. Much can, and will, change during the next few weeks. But for now, this is really Lamar Jackson and everyone else. Nick Chubb dropped out of the Top 10 after injuring his ankle and Georgia's blow out loss. He can get back in the mix if the Bulldogs can contend in the SEC East.  

With that in mind, here are our Week 4 Heisman Trophy Top Ten Power Rankings: 

10. ATH Jabrill Peppers, Michigan Wolverines

Peppers is still very much on the outside looking in of the Heisman Trophy race, but he is at least worth mentioning. He's listed as a linebacker, but he's more of an athlete. He can play defensive back, return specialist and even offensive playmaker. He was great against Colorado, recording 9 tackles, a sack, 3 tackles for loss, a punt return TD and 204 all-purpose yards. He didn't make anywhere near the same impact against Penn State, which hurts him. Peppers needs to play a lot more offense to have a real shot at winning, but if he puts up a few more games like the one against Colorado, he could get a few votes. 

9. QB Jalen Hurts, Alabama Crimson Tide

As we saw last year with Derrick Henry, the best player on the best team can end up with the Heisman. Perhaps a version of that will be true for Jalen Hurts. Perhaps it's a reach to put him at No. 9, but with name players like Kizer, Mayfield and Fournette struggling, there's an empty spot. And for a true freshman, Hurts has looked great. He's completing 62.7 percent of his passes, for 727 yards, 5 TDs and one pick. A dual-threat, he also has 251 yards and three scores on the ground. If Alabama keeps winning, Hurts will get a good chunk of the credit. 

8. RB Dalvin Cook, Florida State Seminoles

A bad day for Cook and Florida State against Louisville dropped him out of the Top 10. He's back in it now, thanks to a monster game against South Florida. On just 28 carries, Cook racked up 267 yards and two scores, plus 62 yards in the passing game. For the season, he has 78 carries for 495 yards and four scores. He's also added 13 catches for 180 yards. If FSU can get back in the ACC title hunt and Cook keeps playing like this, the FSU star RB can still make a run at the Heisman.   

7. RB Donnel Pumphrey, San Diego State Aztecs

You might not know who Pumphrey is, but you should. He's the nation's leader in rushing yards, despite playing in only three games. He's racked up 599 yards and 7 TDs thus far. He's a major reason why San Diego State is ranked. If SDSU continues to win, Pumphrey will continue to get more recognition. He's one of the best players you probably haven't heard of. He was on bye this week. 

6. QB Joshua Dobbs, Tennessee Volunteers

Dobbs has recovered from a rough start and has inserted himself into the Heisman mix. He's still got a long way to go, but a 399-yard, 5-TD day against Florida really helps his stock. For the season, he's completing 57 percent of his passes for 805 yards, 10 TDs and five picks. He's also a dynamic runner, posting 241 yards and four scores. 

5. QB Deshaun Watson, Clemson Tigers

Watson came into the year as one of the Heisman favorites. While there is still more than enough hype surrounding him, he's hasn't been as sharp this year. His running ability has not showed up, and his passing game has struggled a bit as well. He's still very much in the race, and really can't be eliminated until Clemson drops a game. He looked better in Week 3 and 4, but still isn't quite as sharp as most expected. This season, he's completing 60 percent of his passes for 996 yards, nine TDs and four picks. He has just 120 yards on the ground. 

4. QB Greg Ward Jr., Houston Cougars

Ward didn't play against Lamar, but he ranks in the Top 5 because he led his team to a win over Oklahoma. The Cougars are now No. 6 in the country, and Ward is a huge reason why. He threw for 321 yards and two touchdowns, but the real impact was shown in his leadership and ability to make plays in clutch situations. He made some mistakes against UC in Week 3, but still pulled out a win and had some nice plays. He's very much in the mix, although he's clearly outside the Top 3. He's completed 65.7 percent of his passes for 936 yards, 5 TDs and two picks. He's contributed 113 yards and three scores on the ground.  

3. RB Christian McCaffrey, Stanford Cardinal

Another of preseason Heisman favorite trio, McCaffrey hasn't done much to hurt his stock. He has 78 carries for 429 yards and 3 TDs on the ground, while adding 13 catches for 126 yards and a score in the air. The Cardinal offense is built on giving the ball to McCaffrey as much as possible. 

2. QB J.T. Barrett, Ohio State Buckeyes

Barrett looks great so far. He beat up on two cupcakes in Weeks 1 and 2, but looked damn good against Oklahoma. He had only 152 passing yards, but added 74 on the ground and had four TDs. That gives him 13 TDs on the season and he's in good position to take home the Heisman. He was on bye this week and there's one QB that has to be ahead of him. 

1. QB Lamar Jackson, Louisville Cardinals

Jackson is putting up video game numbers and not even FSU's defense could stop him. With 1,330 passing yards, 526 rushing yards and 25 TDs, there is no doubt Jackson is the Heisman front-runner. The real question is if he can keep it up. September Heisman favorites don't always hang around until November. 

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Related Topics: Greg Ward Jr., Heisman Watch, 2016 Heisman Trophy, Lamar Jackson, Heisman, Jalen Hurts, Heisman Race, Jabrill Peppers, Deshaun Watson, Heisman Trophy, Joshua Dobbs, Dalvin Cook, J.T. Barrett, Christian McCaffrey, Heisman Power Rankings, Donnel Pumphrey