Anything can happen in this wild ride of a college football season that’s barely more than halfway complete, and Saturday proved to be as crazy as any. Vanderbilt knocked off LSU for the first time since 1990, UAB toppled a ranked team, Memphis, in an interim coach’s debut, and Alabama football’s first-year starter at quarterback established himself as the frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy.
Yep, Ty Simpson is clearly at the top of the list now after beating rival Tennessee with another strong performance just one day after his closest competition for college football’s top individual honor, Miami QB Carson Beck, endured a four-interception meltdown in a home loss to Louisville.
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Simpson passes the eyeball test as a hot quarterback who continually makes winning plays at critical moments.
He passes the visibility test as the leader of one of the nation’s hottest teams.
And he passes the Vegas test, too, because oddsmakers have now made him the betting favorite for the honor at +225, meaning a $1 wager on Simpson to win the Heisman today would earn $2.25 in profit. With so much football yet to be played and so many other contenders who could eventually make a legitimate case, that’s a sucker’s bet right now. Not enough profit there for the smart player.
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But at this point, there isn’t much reason to bet against Simpson, either.
He led touchdown drives of 91 and 99 yards to help deliver Alabama‘s fourth consecutive win over a nationally-ranked opponent. That streak began with a road win at Georgia, followed by wins over Vandy and Missouri, who both entered play against Alabama at 5-0. UA made it four in a row by knocking off the Volunteers as Simpson completed 19 of 29 passes for 223 yards with a pair of touchdowns and no interceptions.
Since a Week 1 loss to Florida State, Alabama is on a six-game win streak during which Simpson has completed 70% of his passes for 16 touchdowns and only one interception. He’s also making strides by the week when it comes to pocket awareness, stepping up for extra time to throw when needed, scrambling when necessary and demoralizing defenses with remarkable success on third downs.
The Heisman is very much a quarterback’s award, notwithstanding Colorado’s Travis Hunter winning it last year as a two-way dynamo at wide receiver and cornerback. Simpson is playing as well or better than anyone in the country at his position, and he’s got another factor working in his favor, as well: Alabama is winning.
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Nothing fades Heisman hopes like losses; even a contender’s good performance in a loss can decimate one’s chances. Staying in the championship picture as a team keeps a Heisman hopeful at top of mind for voters. In a month, as November begins to give way to the postseason, the Heisman contenders primed for conference title game appearances and College Football Playoff berths will land on ballots.
Simpson still has a long way to go to get there, beginning with next week’s road trip to face a struggling South Carolina team, followed by home games against LSU and Oklahoma.
But for a guy who was a preseason question mark without a single career start to his name, he’s emerged as a name that Heisman voters can’t avoid.
Tuscaloosa News sport columnist Chase Goodbread.
Tuscaloosa News columnist Chase Goodbread is also the weekly co-host of Crimson Cover TV on WVUA-23. Reach him at cgoodbread@gannett.com. Follow on X.com @chasegoodbread.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama football QB Ty Simpson has risen to top of Heisman contention
