Marvin Harrison Jr. might not be the Heisman Trophy front-runner or even a top five candidate for the quarterback-dominated award.
But there’s no arguing the Ohio State wide receiver is enjoying one of the best seasons in college football.
Harrison’s high-profile turn against Penn State – a career-high 11 catches for 162 yards and a touchdown – helped ensure the No. 3 Buckeyes remained undefeated with a 20-12 victory, and it might have thrust Harrison into the conversation of a Heisman race marked by some underachieving performances under center.
Reigning Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams essentially is out of contention to repeat after the USC quarterback struggled mightily in a loss to Notre Dame and then was unable to stave off a last-second home loss to Utah that dropped the Trojans to No. 22 in the rankings.
Washington quarterback Michael Penix emerged as the leading Heisman candidate two weeks ago with his impressive performance through injury in a 36-33 win over Oregon, but he was average last week with a season-low 275 passing yards and two interceptions as the Huskies scraped past lowly Arizona State.
Quarterbacks J.J. McCarthy (No. 2 Michigan), Jordan Travis (No. 4 Florida State) and Dillon Gabriel (No. 6 Oklahoma) will receive consideration as stars for top-10 unbeaten teams (and Oregon’s Bo Nix is high on the board with 19 passing TDs and only one INT), but if it’ll be hard to ignore Harrison if the second-generation superstar continues to excel.
Harrison has surpassed 100 receiving yards in five of the past six games, and some Heisman voters are taking note of his credentials
Saturday’s prime time matchup (7:30 p.m. ET, NBC and Peacock) against Big Ten West-leading Wisconsin will be another chance to shine, and NBC Sports analyst (and Heisman Trophy voter) Todd Blackledge said he could be swayed.
“I may vote for Marvin Harrison for the Heisman Trophy,” Blackledge said on the B1G Talk podcast with Noah Eagle. “He may be the best football player in college football at any position. I think of how do guys play in the biggest games, the games that matter most. That was a huge game last week and with a lot on the line, he was the best player on the field.”
Oct 21, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (18) high-fives fans as he walks into Ohio Stadium before the game against Penn State Nittany Lions.
Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. greeted fans as he entered Ohio Stadium before the Buckeyes’ 20-12 victory over Penn State (Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch/USA TODAY Sports Images Network).
On “Brother From Another,” Heisman voter Mike Hill also indicated he learned toward voting for Harrison. “Right now, (he) is the greatest player in the nation,” Hill said. “If he had a comparable quarterback like last year in C.J. Stroud — don’t get me wrong, Kyle McCord is OK — but if (Harrison) had a great quarterback, he’d put up unbelievable numbers.
“I know he’s not one of the frontrunners for the Heisman Trophy, but out of everybody I’ve seen, this guy is unstoppable.”
Quarterbacks have won the Heisman in 16 of the past 20 seasons, but one of those exceptions was in 2020 when DeVonta Smith became the fourth wide receiver (and first since Desmond Howard in 1991) to win college football’s most prestigious award.
Harrison has a solid case to be the fifth. The junior leads the Big Ten with 766 receiving yards and six touchdowns, and his 12th 100-yard receiving game ranks second all time (behind David Boston’s 14) at Ohio State, which has churned out WR pro prospects.
“If it’s truly the award that goes to the best player in college football, I don’t see how he’s not in the mix,” Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord said of Harrison. “What he’s done, especially these last few games, I don’t know if we’ve seen a stretch like that. How consistent he is, how reliable he is.”
How to watch Ohio State at Wisconsin: Time, live stream, key storylines for Week 9 matchup
But there could be an internal roadblock to Harrison’s candidacy as so much of the Ohio State narrative is driven by the other side of the ball. In their second season with defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, the Buckeyes have reduced man-to-man coverage in favor of zone schemes that have plugged the big-play holes from the second half of last season (when Ohio State yielded 30-plus points in four of the last six games).
With only 10 points allowed per game, the Buckeyes are on track for their best scoring defense since 1977, and it probably contributes to Harrison being overshadowed when any discussion of their dominance starts on defense.
“The Ohio State season is going by their defense now setting the tone and putting them in position to win every game,” Blackledge said. “Their defense is playing extremely high level.”
A familiar foe
With its fourth-quarter comeback from a two touchdown deficit to defeat Illinois 25-21, Wisconsin (5-2) could capture the Big Ten West by winning its last five games. But that stretch starts in Madison with this season’s toughest opponent, and Ohio State will bring another major subplot for Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell
Born and raised in Columbus, Fickell started 50 consecutive games (then a school record) for Ohio State at nose guard and then returned to begin his coaching career in 1999. He was an Ohio State assistant for 15 consecutive seasons from 2002-16 (including as the interim head coach in 2011 between Jim Tressel and Urban Meyer). After a successful stint in leading Cincinnati, he took his first permanent Big Ten head coaching job with the Badgers before this season.
With the Bearcats, Fickell lost 42-0 to Ohio State in 2019. A better outcome will hinge on Wisconsin freshman quarterback Braedyn Locke, who stepped in for injured Tanner Mordecai last week, and workhorse running back Braelon Allen, who is averaging nearly 6 yards per carry while posting rushing yards (704) and touchdowns (eight) that rank second in the conference.
Title tested
No. 13 Utah quietly has been assembling a strong defense in a bid for its third consecutive (and last) Pac-12 championship. With quarterback Cam Rising officially out the rest of the season after being sidelined by an injured knee, walk-on quarterback Bryson Barnes has been a revelation, keying last week’s road victory over USC with a late 26-yard scramble.
Despite its loss to Oregon State, Utah could find a path to the title game by beating Oregon this Saturday and Washington on Nov. 11. But the No. 8 Ducks (6-1) also remain very much in the hunt for a conference title and playoff bid, making this a critical matchup of two 3-1 teams in the Pac-12.
Investigation fallout
No. 2 Michigan has a bye this week, but the Wolverines will remain in the headlines because of an assistant coach placed on paid leave last week. The school is cooperating with an NCAA investigation into possible sign stealing by illegally scouting opponents’ games during the season. Coach Jim Harbaugh, who missed the first three games this season on a self-imposed suspension for recruiting vioations, has denied any knowledge of sign stealing.
Though it’s too early to know how the investigation could impact Michigan’s season, The Athletic has reported that it’s put a contract extension for Harbaugh “on the back burner” after being within a few weeks of closing. The investigation also could renew the push for college football to adopt the direct-to-helmet technology that NFL teams use to relay play calls to quarterbacks.
The Associated Press reported that members of Harbaugh’s staff were interviewed by NCAA investigators Thursday in Ann Arbor. The Washington Post also has reported that an outside firm, which discovered photographic and video evidence of impermissible scouting, obtained computer drives maintained and accessed by multiple Michigan coaches. It’s unclear who commissioned the firm to investigate Michigan.
Even though it won’t be on the field this weekend, Michigan will be in the spotlight next Tuesday as this year’s first edition of the college football playoff rankings are released. The polling will continue every Tuesday until the field is set Sunday, Dec. 3 for the last four-team bracket (which will expand to 12 teams next season).
Clean-shaven Sam
Sam Hartman opted for a smooth move during his off week.
The Notre Dame quarterback ditched his familiar mountain man visage, appearing sans beard and mustache in public this past Sunday.
At home Saturday against Pittsburgh (2-5), Hartman can shave off some more spots in the NCAA record book. He is four passing touchdowns from moving into fourth on the all-time FBS list and 226 yards from surpassing Ty Detmer for fifth in FBS career passing.
More key games
--In the only other matchup of ranked teams outside of Oregon-Utah, No. 20 Duke will travel to the No. 18 Louisville with Blue Devils quarterback Riley Leonard uncertain after re-injuring his ankle in last week’s loss to Florida State.
--At the Jacksonville Jaguars’ stadium, top-ranked Georgia will face Florida (5-2), which is unranked but coming off a career-best performance by Wisconsin transfer quarterback Graham Mertz (423 yards, four TDs against South Carolina).
--No. 4 Washington puts its unbeaten record on the line against Stanford, which is 2-5 but has one of the season’s biggest upsets by stunning Colorado in double overtime to cap the biggest comeback in school history.
How to watch Big Ten football on NBC and Peacock this weekend
This Saturday’s featured Big Ten games are Minnesota at Iowa (3:30 p.m. ET, streamed exclusively on Peacock) and Michigan at Michigan State (7:30 p.m., NBC and Peacock).
Information for how to sign up for Peacock is available here. Peacock is available for streaming on several devices (view the full list of supported devices here). NBC Sports recently announced its schedules for Big Ten men’s basketball and women’s basketball on Peacock.
Below is the announced remaining schedule for Big Ten teams and Notre Dame on NBC Sports; more NBC Sports games will be announced during the season (all times are ET):
| Sat., Oct. 28 | 3:30 p.m. | Pittsburgh at Notre Dame | NBC, Peacock |
| Sat, Oct. 28 | 7:30 p.m. | Ohio State at Wisconsin | NBC, Peacock |
| Sat., Nov. 4 | 3:30 p.m. | Iowa at Northwestern (Wrigley Field) | Peacock |
| Sat., Nov. 4 | 7:30 p.m. | Purdue at Michigan | NBC, Peacock |
| Sat, Nov. 11 | 7:30 p.m. | Michigan State at Ohio State | NBC, Peacock |
| Sat., Nov. 18 | 3:30 p.m. | Wake Forest at Notre Dame | NBC, Peacock |
| Friday, Nov. 24 | 7:30 p.m. | Penn State at Michigan State (Ford Field) | NBC, Peacock |
The remaining NBC Sports’ Big Ten Football games will be announced during the season.