Heisman straw poll: Ashton Jeanty can’t seem to gain much ground, but he can make history

Ashton Jeanty won. Travis Hunter lost. These results did impact The Athletic’s Heisman Trophy straw poll — ever so slightly, with Hunter losing two first-place votes to drop to 24, and Jeanty doubling his first-place votes to get to two.

Miami quarterback Cam Ward got the other first-place vote, picking it up after throwing for 280 yards and two touchdowns in a rout of Wake Forest, breaking Bernie Kosar’s single-season records for completions (263) and passing yards (3,774) in the process.

But this remains a two-man race, technically, and a rout in reality.

Hunter is oddsmakers’ overwhelming favorite to take home the award and leads this poll with 78 points to Jeanty’s 52. Ward is third with 15 points, and Penn State tight end Tyler Warren and Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel have seven and six points, respectively.

The Athletic follows the same voting protocol as that of the Heisman: three points for a first-place vote, two points for a second-place vote, one point for a third-place vote.

Hunter had another big night offensively for Colorado, catching eight passes for 125 yards and two touchdowns against Kansas. He also had seven tackles and a pass break-up on defense, but the Buffaloes were collectively dominated on that side of the ball in a 37-21 loss. Deion Sanders’ team lost control of its College Football Playoff hopes in the process, but that doesn’t change the prevailing belief that Hunter is the best player in the country.

Jeanty extended his nation-leading totals to 2,062 yards and 27 rushing touchdowns in a 17-13 win over Wyoming, in which he suffered a leg injury, missed time, returned and finished with 169 yards — 60 of them on three critical runs in Boise State’s winning touchdown drive. That’s compelling stuff, but not compelling enough.

Jeanty has a regular-season finale against Oregon State and the Mountain West title game to give himself a jolt. If he could break Barry Sanders’ single-season NCAA rushing record, he’d be hard to beat. That’s 567 yards away.

Jeanty is a likely lock to make it to the ceremony in New York, though, and that’s no small thing for a player outside a power conference. In the past 40 years, just 10 players at schools that are not currently in a Power 4 league have made it to New York. The last to do it was Northern Illinois quarterback Jordan Lynch in 2013.

That list also consists of Temple running back Paul Palmer in 1986, Holy Cross running back/defensive back Gordie Lockbaum in 1987,  Air Force quarterback Dee Dowis in 1989, San Diego State running back Marshall Faulk in 1992, Alcorn State quarterback Steve McNair in 1994, Marshall receiver Randy Moss in 1997, Marshall quarterback Chad Pennington in 1999, Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan in 2007 and another Boise State Bronco, quarterback Kellen Moore, in 2010.

Two quarterbacks who were receiving votes in the poll — Indiana’s Kurtis Rourke and Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart — are absent this week after losses to Ohio State and Florida, respectively. There is a new name, courtesy of Colorado’s face plant: Kansas running back Devin Neal, who had 287 yards of offense and four touchdowns against the Buffs.

(Photo: Loren Orr / Getty Images)