Heisman Watch after Week 5 of college football

There were plenty of stars on display in Week 5 of the 2023 college football season as the conversation surrounding the Heisman Trophy race starts to heat up. The first rankings of the College Football Playoff committee are about a month away, and that will add another layer to the conversation for the most coveted individual honor in the sport. For now, the top players are continuing to build up their case for the trophy. Here’s a look at how Week 5 impacted the Heisman race.

Stock Up

Caleb Williams, QB, USC

The reigning Heisman winner is once again the frontrunner for the award after throwing for six touchdowns in a 48-41 win over Colorado. The Trojans still have work to do defensively but Williams should be able to keep putting up numbers. The schedule is about to get tougher with Notre Dame and Utah coming up in October. The Trojans also get Oregon and Washington this year, so Williams has plenty of chances to shine.

Dillon Gabriel, QB, Oklahoma

The Sooners hung 50 on Iowa State, with Gabriel accounting for five total touchdowns. Oklahoma gets Texas next in a battle of highly ranked teams, and this is the opportunity for the quarterback to have a signature moment. Oklahoma’s offense is clicking and Gabriel seems to be at 100%, which he wasn’t for most of last year. If he can have a huge outing in a win over the Longhorns, look for Gabriel to be right next to Williams in this race.

Blake Corum, RB, Michigan

Corum returned to Ann Arbor to chase a national title, and this Wolverines team is good enough to get there. The running back has continued putting up great numbers and the schedule is not going to get much tougher until the end of the year. Michigan’s last three games are Penn State, Maryland and Ohio State, so Corum will get opportunities for a statement showing. For now, he’s just racking up numbers.

Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia

The No. 1 team in the country wins with defense and running the football, but Bowers should get more attention after his performance against Auburn. The tight end has his best game of the year with 157 yards and a touchdown that would be the difference in the contest. Bowers is a beast in space and always finds ways to get open. Georgia gets an undefeated Kentucky team next and if the tight end has another massive day, he’ll keep climbing in the odds table.

Stock Down

Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado

Sanders actually had an awesome day and has had to play the biggest games of his Buffs career without Travis Hunter, which hurts his cause. However, you have to actually win big games to get more attention for this particular awards and no matter how much Coach Prime does, Colorado now has losses against the best teams they’ll face this season. That hurts Sanders, even if he keeps playing well.

Riley Leonard, QB, Duke

It’s rough to include Leonard here since he got injured late in the loss to Notre Dame. The Duke quarterback has been dynamic offensively and more importantly, had an undefeated team prior to Week 5. There are some more opportunities to shine for Leonard, but the signature moment has likely passed. Hopefully, the ankle injury doesn’t sideline him for too long.

Here are the latest odds to win the 2023 Heisman Trophy after Week 5 from DraftKings Sportsbook.