Ten weeks of the 2013 college football season are in the books, and the race for the Heisman Trophy remains incredibly quarterback-friendly.
Here is how the National Football Post stacks up its Heisman Watch heading into Week 11.
Oregon QB Marcus Mariota: The dual-threat Ducks signal-caller enjoyed a bye last week and has been preparing to navigate coordinator Derek Mason's Stanford defense this Thursday night in Palo Alto. The Ducks have passed tests against Washington and UCLA already, but the Cardinal is their biggest exam to date. Mariota is the only quarterback in the country to have yet to throw an interception this season, and he is averaging 9.1 yards per carry. He is playing nearly flawless football, but all eyes will be on the redshirt sophomore to see if he can solve the Cardinal defense a year after being grounded by it in Eugene.
2013: 144 of 225 passing for 2,281 yards, 20 TDs and 0 INTs; 56 rushes for 511 yards and 9 TDs
Florida State QB Jameis Winston: The redshirt freshman has been playing with poise and conviction throughout his first season as the starter, and he bounced back from two first-half interceptions to throw for 325 yards in the Seminoles' win over Miami (FL) last Saturday night. Winston has been particularly effective on third down all season, and his candidacy continues to grow each week. However, "Famous Jameis" and the 'Noles don't have a strong slate the rest of the way, so he won't have too many spotlight games. But, his charisma and great play should keep him in this race into the final weeks of the season. Can a redshirt freshman win the hardware two years in a row?
2013: 149 of 212 passing for 2,502 yards, 24 TDs and 6 INTs; 50 rushes for 153 yards and 3 TDs
Texas A&M QB Johnny Manziel: The defending Heisman Trophy winner battled through some early offensive struggles last week to blast Texas El-Paso. The dual-threat signal-caller threw four touchdowns and recorded a 49-yard scoring run before leaving the game in the third quarter. He's very much alive in this race despite two Aggies losses because the redshirt sophomore's 562 total yards and five touchdowns against two-time defending BCS national champion Alabama is arguably the best performance from a player all season. But will he have to contend with Johnny Football fatigue among some voters?
2013: 200 of 276 passing for 2,867 yards, 26 TDs and 8 INTs; 96 rushes for 558 yards and 8 TDs
Baylor QB Bryce Petty: Bears head coach Art Briles continues to get phenomenal production out of the quarterback position, as Petty has been the latest in a long line of efficient signal-callers in his system. Petty is completing nearly 70 percent of this throws, but the competition heats up starting with the team's high-profile game against Oklahoma on Thursday night. And contests against Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, TCU and Texas follow. If Petty plays well against the tougher competition, he could at the very least net an invite to New York.
2013: 122 of 176 passing for 2,453 yards, 18 TDs and 1 INT; 28 rushes for 73 yards and 6 TDs
Others to watch
Fresno State QB Derek Carr
Northern Illinois QB Jordan Lynch
Alabama QB AJ McCarron
Texas A&M WR Mike Evans
Louisville QB Teddy Bridgewater
Arizona RB Ka'Deem Carey
Clemson QB Tajh Boyd
UCLA QB Brett Hundley
LSU QB Zach Mettenberger
Dave Miller, the college football editor and writer for the National Football Post, is on Twitter @Miller_Dave.
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