Georgia, Indiana, Notre Dame and Alabama were all upset in the wild Week 7 of the college football season.
As a result, there’s a massive shakeup in the Heisman Trophy race.
Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith maintains the top spot after Ohio State’s 19-15 road win over Indiana on Oct. 17, catching four passes for 68 yards and a touchdown. While Smith still leads, there are two newcomers on USA TODAY’s list.
Oregon State’s Jesse Legree also continues lighting up opposing defenses. The nation’s receiving yards and receiving touchdowns leader caught eight passes for 108 yards with two touchdowns in the Beavers’ 48-30 win over Washington State, which
marked his fourth consecutive game with two or more touchdowns.
Each week, USA TODAY takes a pulse on the Heisman race. Here’s a look:
Heisman Trophy momentum meter after Week 7
1. Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State ↔️ (1)
Smith leads the Heisman meter for the fourth consecutive week, even after Indiana held him in check (for his lofty standards). He delivered when Ohio State needed it most, scoring the game-winning touchdown after beating double coverage for a 38-yard touchdown on fourth-and-1.
Smith and Ohio State have upcoming games against Southern California, Oregon, Northwestern, Nebraska and Michigan. As of now, he’s the Heisman favorite.
JEREMIAH SMITH IS INEVITABLE ‼️@OhioStateFB converts on 4th down to extend their lead pic.twitter.com/XVjQFppOxg
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) October 17, 2026
2. Darian Mensah, Miami ↔️ (2)
Miami narrowly avoided being the sixth top-10 team upset in Week 7 after defeating Florida State 43-35 in double overtime.
Mensah was clutch in overtime, throwing a game-winning touchdown to Malachi Toney and 2-point conversion pass to Cooper Barkate. He completed 23 of 34 passes for 326 yards with three touchdowns and an interception in the win, and now leads the No. 1-ranked team in the country. He still has the best QBR in college football at 89.4, despite throwing his first interception of the season against Florida State.
3. Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss ↔️ (3)
Chambliss has eight total touchdowns in Ole Miss’ last two wins over Vanderbilt and then-No. 13 Missouri, putting him back in the top tier of Heisman contenders.
Chambliss completed 20 of 36 passes for 241 yards with three touchdowns, along with a rushing score in the Rebels’ 31-3 win over the Tigers in Week 7. His playmaking remains virtually unmatched in college football.
4. Jesse Legree, Oregon State ⬆️ (11)
Legree is one of the college football's breakout stars this season, going from only two reported Power Four offers to leading the country with 1,040 receiving yards and 14 receiving touchdowns through seven games. He has gone for over 100 receiving yards with at least a touchdown in every game of his short college career so far.
holy 90 yard BOMB 🚀@Braden_Atkinson to @jlegree24… see ya ✌️✌️✌️✌️✌️
— Oregon State Football (@BeaverFootball) October 17, 2026
📺 @USANetwork pic.twitter.com/76iisyMUF8
He and quarterback Braden Atkinson have developed one of the strongest quarterback-receiver duos in college football under first-year coach JaMarcus Shephard.
5. Bear Bachmeier, BYU ⬆️ (NR)
The BYU quarterback is another Big 12 newcomer to the Heisman race after the Cougars upset No. 2 Notre Dame in Week 7. The second-year starter garnered 269 total yards with four total touchdowns (including rushing and receiving) in the 28-24 win, which might be the best on any team’s resume so far this season.
Bear Bachmeier gets No. 8 BYU on the board first against No. 2 Notre Dame 😤 pic.twitter.com/2fRx0F5JYN
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) October 17, 2026
Bachmeier needs to keep stringing together strong performances, but he’ll be in consideration if BYU runs the table in the Big 12.
6. Conner Weigman, Houston ⬆️ (NR)
Houston quarterback Conner Weigman is having one of the most underrated seasons in college football this season. The multi-year starter has 1,771 passing yards with 20 touchdowns to two interceptions, along with 59 carries for 229 yards with six additional scores.
Weigman not only leads college football in total touchdowns (26), but he also ranks fourth nationally in QBR (87.7). The former five-star recruit who transferred from Texas A&M passed for 343 yards with five touchdowns to an interception and 11 carries for 52 yards in Houston’s 35-32 win over Oklahoma State in Week 7.
Another one for the Cougars 💪
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 18, 2026
Weigman finds Thomas in the end zone pic.twitter.com/D9qBzWLQIN
Weigman hasn’t faced the toughest schedule this season, but has a chance to improve his resume even more with a road win against No. 11 Utah with ESPN’s “College GameDay” in town.
7. Malachi Toney, Miami ⬆️ (8)
Miami star Malachi Toney continues to be Mensah's top weapon, and he was electric against Florida State in Week 7. The sophomore receiver caught 11 passes for 154 yards with two touchdowns in the win, including the game-winning touchdown in overtime.
Maybe Toney and Mensah can both be finalists? It'll be tough, but maybe the Hurricanes duo can do it.
8. Drew Mestemaker, Oklahoma State ⬇️ (6)
Mestemaker threw for 365 yards with three touchdowns and an interception on 22-of-34 passing in a 35-32 loss to Houston in Week 7. The 6-foot-3 quarterback also rushed for 34 yards in the loss.
Mestemaker, who’s garnering hype as the potential top-ranked quarterback of the 2027 NFL Draft, still deserves to be in consideration, but the loss hurts.
9. Keelon Russell, Alabama ⬇️ (4)
First-year Keelon Russell is coming off the two worst starts of his young career in back-to-back losses to Georgia and Tennessee. Russell has two total touchdowns to two interceptions while passing for under 200 yards in both of Alabama’s losses to the Bulldogs and Vols, which held the Crimson Tide to 10 points in Week 7.
Russell still ranks fifth nationally with an 86.9 QBR and has some of the most obvious talent at the position, but he’ll need to stack together a few good performances going forward to get back near the top of contention.
10. Gunner Stockton, Georgia ⬇️ (5)
Gunner Stockton played one of the worst games of his career in Georgia’s 27-24 upset loss to Auburn in Week 7, throwing two critical interceptions and committing a fumble that directly led to Auburn's walk-off field goal. Stockton completed 22-of-34 passes for 272 yards with two touchdowns in the loss.
Honorable mention: Michael Hawkins Jr., West Virginia
Michael Hawkins Jr. has his limitations as a passer, despite lighting up Cincinnati in Week 7.
Hawkins Jr. completed 25 of 33 passes for 464 yards with three touchdowns in West Virginia's 45-42 win over Cincinnati in Week 7, also rushing 26 times for 77 with two scores. He now ranks 10th nationally in rushing yards (749) with a nation-leading 14 rushing touchdowns.
West Virginia's defense is terrible, which might be the difference in the Mountaineers even being bowl eligible. But its offense is quite fun in typical Rich Rodriguez fashion.
- Fell off list: CJ Carr (7), Kamario Taylor (9), Julian Sayin (10), Josh Hoover (12).
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Heisman momentum meter: How upsets shook up rankings after Week 7
