Heisman Watch: Can Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr. break up the QB party?

For the rest of the college football season, Yahoo Sports will highlight the leading candidates for the Heisman Trophy on a weekly basis. All odds are via BetMGM.

Where would Ohio State be without Marvin Harrison Jr.?

The star wide receiver has been instrumental to the Buckeyes’ 7-0 start to the 2023 season. Ohio State isn’t as prolific on offense as it has been in years past. The quarterback play has taken a dip with C.J. Stroud now excelling in the NFL, the offensive line play has just been average and OSU is dealing with an array of injuries among other skill position players, particularly running back.

But Harrison has been a mainstay, and his importance to Ohio State was on full display in Saturday’s top-10 win over Penn State. Harrison caught 11 passes for 162 yards and a touchdown in the 20-12 win. PSU has one of the best defenses in the country, including a strong secondary. But the Nittany Lions just could not contain Harrison, who accounted for half of quarterback Kyle McCord’s completions and 57% of his passing yardage.

The performance of the Ohio State defense was also pivotal to the win, but it’s fair to wonder if the Buckeyes would have prevailed without a receiver of Harrison’s caliber on their sideline.

Harrison has had several performances like this. He’s topped the 100-yard mark in five of OSU’s seven games. Similar to the Penn State game, he really took over in the second half in Ohio State’s come-from-behind win over Maryland back on Oct. 7. In that win, Harrison caught eight passes for 163 yards and a score, helping the Buckeyes flip a 17-10 third-quarter deficit into a 37-17 victory.

For the season, Harrison is up to 42 catches for 766 yards and six touchdowns and has climbed up the Heisman Trophy odds board. Following the PSU game, he’s up to +1800 at BetMGM behind six quarterbacks. The Heisman has typically been a quarterback award, but DeVonta Smith showed in 2020 that a wide receiver can put together the type of season to win it.

Ohio State is expected to get some of its other offensive mainstays back this weekend for the game at Wisconsin. That includes Emeka Egbuka, the team’s other top receiver, and running back TreVeyon Henderson. When Egbuka, plus standout tight end Cade Stover, are on the field, it could provide even more one-on-one opportunities for Harrison.

If Ohio State keeps on winning, Harrison should be in the Heisman mix well into the month of November with the showdown with Michigan in Ann Arbor looming in the regular season finale.

Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy (+240)

Michigan keeps on winning and now quarterback J.J. McCarthy is the betting favorite to win the Heisman Trophy.

McCarthy was listed at +1000 at this time last week, but now he's up to +240 after a rough outing from Washington's Michael Penix Jr. Penix had three turnovers as UW nearly lost to Arizona State at home, and it caused a major shake-up in the Heisman market. McCarthy, after throwing for 287 yards and four touchdowns in Michigan's 49-0 win over Michigan State, was a major beneficiary.

McCarthy has been excellent this season as the 7-0 Wolverines have dominated their competition. McCarthy has thrown for 1,799 yards and 18 touchdowns with only three interceptions. He's completing 78.1% of his passes, which is No. 2 in the nation behind Oregon's Bo Nix (78.4). McCarthy is also second nationally in yards per attempt (10.6) and passer rating (199.13).

Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. (+300)

A lot can change in a week.

Penix was a massive -145 favorite in the Heisman betting market after he led Washington to a huge win over Oregon. But after Washington needed a late pick-six to get a win over a one-win Arizona State team, Penix's Heisman hopes took a hit.

Penix ended up finishing the game with 275 yards without a touchdown to go with two interceptions and a fumble. His numbers for the season are still mighty impressive. Penix has thrown for 2,576 yards and 20 touchdowns with five interceptions. He's still leading the nation in passing yards per game (368) by more than 20 yards. He's also first in total passing yards with 2,576. He's only three yards ahead of LSU's Jayden Daniels, but Daniels has played in eight games to Penix's seven.

Washington remains undefeated and has games against USC, Utah and Oregon State on the horizon. There will be plenty of opportunities for Penix to create more Heisman moments.

LSU QB Jayden Daniels (+325)

The LSU offense continues to thrive with Jayden Daniels leading the way. Daniels threw for 279 yards and three touchdowns and also had a rushing touchdown in Saturday's 62-0 win over Army.

Daniels has been putting up some excellent numbers as LSU has won six of seven games since dropping its opener to Florida State. Daniels has thrown for 2,573 yards and leads the nation in TD passes (25), yards per attempt (11.5) and passer rating (204.32). He's also been a major threat with his legs as he's compiled 521 yards and five scores on the ground.

LSU, now 6-2 overall and 4-1 in SEC play, has a bye this week before a massive SEC West showdown with No. 9 Alabama in Tuscaloosa on Nov. 4. If Daniels can lead the Tigers to an upset, they will become the favorite to win the West (Ole Miss beat LSU, but has a loss to Alabama and a game at Georgia on Nov. 11).

And with the way LSU's defense has been playing, Daniels will need to have a huge performance for the Tigers to beat the Crimson Tide. His Heisman chances are alive and well.

Florida State QB Jordan Travis (+900)

Jordan Travis shook off throwing a first half pick-six to have a great performance in Florida State's 38-20 win over Duke. FSU fell behind 17-7, but Travis led the Seminoles back by throwing for 268 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for 62 yards and a score.

FSU is now 7-0 on the year and the substantial favorite to win the ACC. Along the way, Travis has thrown for 1,750 yards and 15 touchdowns with only two interceptions. He's also rushed for 176 yards and five scores on the year.

Oklahoma QB Dillon Gabriel (+1200)

Oklahoma survived an upset scare from UCF on Saturday, winning 31-29 in Norman. Dillon Gabriel, who transferred to OU from UCF, had another nice game for the Sooners. He threw for 253 yards and three touchdowns to help Oklahoma improve to 7-0 on the year.

Gabriel really jumped onto the Heisman radar when he led Oklahoma to a dramatic win over Texas in the Red River Rivalry game. A bye week followed and the UCF was Oklahoma's return to the field after that massive victory. The Sooners looked a bit sluggish but found a way to pull out the win.

For the season, Gabriel is up to 2,131 yards and 19 touchdowns and three interceptions while completing 71.2% of his attempts.

Others on the radar

• Oregon QB Bo Nix: +1600

• Georgia QB Carson Beck: +3000

• North Carolina QB Drake Maye: +5000

• USC QB Caleb Williams: +10000

• Notre Dame QB Sam Hartman: +10000

• Ohio State QB Kyle McCord: +10000

• Alabama QB Jalen Milroe: +10000