The Heisman Trophy is CFB's highest honor. It is awarded to the most outstanding player in NCAA football. Over the years, the award has been a reflection of where the sport is headed. Recently, it has been a QB award, with 17 of the last 20 winners playing under center. This series will explore the top contenders for the 2020 Heisman trophy.
Zach Wilson
Junior QB, BYU
6'3" 210 lbs.
Draper, UT
It takes a truly special non-Power 5 player to get the attention of the Power 5 conferences. Zach Wilson is that player. The Cougars QB took full advantage of the early national attention BYU had. The issue with BYU as a team has been its schedule. Take a look at their 2020 schedule before the coronavirus flipped everything upside down.
09/03 – at Utah
09/12 – Michigan State
09/19 – at Arizona State
09/26 – at Minnesota
10/02 – Utah State
10/10 – Missouri
10/16 – Houston
10/24 – at Northern Illinois
11/06 – at Boise State
11/14 – San Diego State
11/21 – North Alabama
11/28 – at Stanford
That's 6 Power 5 opponents, a home game against a talented Houston team, and arguably the best non-Power 5 team you could schedule in Boise State. On the road, no less. With this schedule, BYU's accomplishments on the field would be seen as more impressive. Let's look at the actual schedule they've played.
09/07: BYU 55, Navy 3
09/26: BYU 48, Troy 7
10/02: BYU 45, Louisiana Tech 14
10/10: BYU 27, UTSA 20
10/16: BYU 43, Houston 26
10/24: BYU 52, Texas State 14
10/31: BYU 41, WKU 10
11/06: BYU 51, Boise State 17
11/21: BYU 66, North Alabama 14
12/12: vs. San Diego State
TBD*: at Army
That's clearly not the same schedule as what they originally planned for. If Zach Wilson was able to put up the numbers he's putting up against teams like Arizona State, Utah, and Minnesota, he would be getting more respect in the Heisman race. Speaking of his numbers, let's take a look at them.
Wilson 2020 Stats (Through 9 games)
Yards: 2,724
Completion: 74%
TD-INT: 26-2
If you were to put Wilson on a number of Power 5 contenders, their teams would instantly be better. Where he is getting attention is in NFL draft circles. He is currently listed as the 4th best QB available, according to Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN. He can throw on the run, gets the ball out of his hand quickly, and throws a fantastic deep ball. Take a look at the placement of this pass.
It's insane. And, as previously mentioned, he has the numbers to back up the tape. It's a shame that BYU recently turned down an offer from Washington to play a game when the only games BYU has left are against San Diego State and a makeup game against Army. If BYU wants to give themselves a chance to be taken seriously by the CFP committee, and in turn give Zach Wilson a shot to win the Heisman, then they'll accept offers from Pac-12 teams that recently were allowed to schedule non-conference games.
I think Wilson has done enough to put himself in the conversation to be a Heisman finalist. Hopefully, BYU can schedule some high-profile games that can spotlight Zach Wilson and put them in a position to secure a New Years Six bowl bid.