When a quarterback has 503 total yards in a win that vaults his team into serious playoff contention against its biggest rival, people are going to take notice. Not surprisingly, Caleb Williams‘ performance for USC against UCLA helped him ascend up the Heisman Trophy rankings from the No. 3 spot to No. 1, surpassing C.J. Stroud of Ohio State.
Blake Corum (Michigan) and Max Duggan (TCU) took advantage of some other contenders struggling to rejoin the top five. Even though Corum left Michigan’s win over Illinois with a leg injury, he still rushed for 108 yards and a touchdown on only 18 carries. They replace Hendon Hooker (Tennessee) who tore his ACL late in a loss to South Carolina, and Drake Maye, whose Tar Heels were shocked by Georgia Tech.
And now Rivalry Week is here, so next week’s rankings will most likely be shaken up once again. But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. Let’s instead get to this week’s Heisman standings, top Heisman moments of the week and what to watch for in this weekend’s action.
Voting methodology: Twelve voters ranked their top five contenders, with five points for a first-place vote down to one point for a fifth-place vote.
Top five contenders
1. Caleb Williams, QB, USC
Total points: 52 (first-place votes: 8)
Week 12 notables: Williams made a Heisman-worthy statement against No. 16 UCLA. He completed 74.4% of his passes and threw for a career-high 470 yards and two touchdowns. He also contributed on the ground with 33 yards and a score to help lift the Trojans to a 48-45 victory over the crosstown rival Bruins. For weeks, Williams clung to his No. 3 standing in the Heisman race. But after his play on Saturday, he now leads the pack. This season, he is responsible for 40 total touchdowns, which is tied with Bo Nix (Oregon), Clayton Tune (Houston) and Austin Reed (Western Kentucky) for the most in the FBS.
Heisman odds: +100
2. C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State
Total points: 43 (first-place votes: 3)
Week 12 notables: Against Maryland,Stroud threw for 241 yards, one touchdown and zero interceptions while completing 60% of his passes. Not a flashy day, but he got the job done to bring Ohio State to a 43-30 victory, and he made it three straight games without being sacked. Stroud’s greatest test of the season will come this Saturday against Michigan, and his performance will hold a lot of weight on where he will finish in the Heisman race.
Heisman odds: -110
3. Max Duggan, QB, TCU
Total points: 28 (first-place votes: 0)
Week 12 notables: Once again, Duggan found a way to guide TCU to victory. He defied all odds to fuel No. 4 TCU to a 29-28 decision over Baylor. Duggan threw for 357 yards and one touchdown, completing 68.6% of his passes. He led the team in rushing with 50 yards and one score. And the Horned Frogs are 11-0 for the first time since 2010.
Heisman odds: +3000
4. Blake Corum, RB, Michigan
Total points: 22 (first-place votes: 0)
Week 12 notables: In Michigan’s close victory over Illinois, Corum ran for 108 yards and one touchdown. He also had two receptions for 39 yards, before his day was cut short by a left knee injury before halftime. He returned for one carry in the second half but sat out the rest of the contest.
Week 12 notables: Bennett and No. 1 Georgia keep rolling. Against a pesky Kentucky defense, he completed 68.4% of his passes and threw for 116 yards with one interception. He also helped on the ground, running for 25 yards to help lift the Bulldogs past the Wildcats and to an 11-0 record.
For this week’s Heisman watch, we’re giving you four blind comparisons between current contenders and former winners. You’ll read their stats without knowing exactly who they belong to. Some might not come as a shock, but some might surprise you with how they compare to others who are still in the conversation or have already proved themselves.
Blind QB comparison No. 1
Player A: 3,480 passing yards, 33 passing TDs, 3 INTs, 64.9% completion rate, 316 rushing yards, 7 rushing TDs, 85.4 Total QBR, 10-1 record Player B: 3,584 passing yards, 38 passing TDs, 3 INTs, 71.7% completion rate, 14 rushing yards, 2 rushing TDs, 88.4 Total QBR, 10-1 record
Both players have accounted for 40 total touchdowns and are considered to be top draft picks when they enter the league. Player A is Caleb Williams’ stat line from this year. Player B is Bryce Young through 11 games last season, when he won it all.
Blind QB comparison No. 2
Player A: 3,011 passing yards, 14 passing TDs, 6 INTs, 67.8% completion rate, 169 rushing yards, 7 rushing touchdowns, 84.5 Total QBR, 11-0 record Player B: 2,858 passing yards, 26 passing TDs, 3 INTs, 66.2% completion rate, 291 rushing yards, 5 rushing TDs, 78.6 Total QBR, 11-0 record
Both players have led their teams to perfect 11-0 records and are considered to be “sleepers” in this year’s race. Stetson Bennett (Player A) has amassed more passing yards and a greater Total QBR as the leader of the reigning national champions. However, Max Duggan (Player B) has 10 more total touchdowns, fewer interceptions and more rushing yards.
Blind QB comparison No. 3
Player A: 2,991 passing yards, 35 passing TDs, 4 INTs, 66.45% completion rate, 77 rushing yards, 89.7 Total QBR, 11-0 record Player B: 3,614 passing yards, 34 passing TDs, 4 INTS, 68.8% completion rate, 597 rushing yards, 5 rushing TDs, 86.2 Total QBR, 9-2 record
Player B has nearly 700 more passing yards and over 500 more rushing yards than Player A, but Player A has a better Total QBR and has guided his team to a perfect 11-0 record. Both will be playing for their respective conference championships. It’s a toss-up. Player A is Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, and Player B is North Carolina’s Drake Maye.
Blind RB comparison No. 4
Player A: 19 TDs, 1,524 yards, 277 rushes, 5.5-yard average, 54 yards longest run Player B: 18 TDs, 1,457 yards, 245 rushes, 5.9-yard average, 61 yards longest run Player C: 21 TDs, 1,526 yards, 249 rushes, 6.1-yard average, 74 yards longest run
It’s a long shot that Minnesota’s Mohamed Ibrahim (Player A) or Michigan’s Blake Corum (Player B) could rival Derrick Henry‘s (Player C) dominant Heisman Trophy-winning season from 2015 with Alabama, but through 11 games, their stats are not too far off. Ibrahim has eclipsed the 1,500-yard mark, and he and Corum are close to scoring 20 TDs.
Top Heisman moments this past week
1. Caleb Williams uses his physicality to escape pressure and find an open Kyle Ford for a 49-yard gain.
With a trip to the Big Ten championship game, a spot in the College Football Playoff and the Heisman Trophy all on the line, no rivalry game this year has higher stakes than Michigan vs. Ohio State. Heisman hopefuls C.J. Stroud and Blake Corum will face off, and how each performs can make or break his candidacy for this year’s race. Corum will face off against the No. 15 rush defense in Ohio State, while Stroud will compete against the No. 5 pass defense in Michigan. Last year, Stroud threw 349 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes’ 42-27 loss, while Corum had six carries for 87 yards as a backup to Hassan Haskins. After falling to the No. 2 spot in these Heisman rankings, if Stroud wants to return as the front-runner, this will be the game for him to make his case. Likewise, if Corum wants to demonstrate that he should move up the rankings, Saturday is the day to prove it.
MIAMI — Sandy Alcantara admitted that Thursday was one of the hardest days of his career.
It has been thought all season that the Miami Marlins could move on from Alcantara amid their rebuilding project, which has included shipping out established players for prospects.
And as Thursday’s 6 p.m. ET trade deadline approached, the Marlins’ ace could not hide his nerves.
He sat in front of his television watching baseball programming with his family for most of the day, repeatedly checking his phone to see if he had been traded.
“It was hard, man,” Alcantara said Friday. “Every time I get on my phone, I see my name. I thought that I was leaving.”
Miami opted not to trade its 2022 NL Cy Young Award winner. In their only trade Thursday, the Marlins sent their longest-tenured position player, outfielder Jesús Sánchez, to the Houston Astros for right-hander Ryan Gusto and two prospects, infielder Chase Jaworsky and outfielder Esmil Valencia.
The rest of the team, which has won five straight series and went 15-10 in July, remains intact. Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix said Friday that the club’s recent success, in part, factored into its approach at the deadline.
And manager Clayton McCullough said if there weren’t trade scenarios that “moved the needle for us in the near and the long term,” the Marlins were happy to continue competing with the group they have.
Amid what was expected to be a season of finding out which of its relatively inexperienced pieces Miami could build around in the future, the Marlins are third in the National League East at 52-55 and entered Friday seven games behind San Diego for the National League’s third wild-card spot.
Bendix declined to say how close Miami was to finalizing a trade for Alcantara but noted that the team “felt really comfortable” with its ultimate decision.
“All of the things that go into building a sustainably successful team were taken into consideration,” he said, “at a deadline where you have all of these decisions in front of you. It’s our job to be disciplined. Disciplined means listening, means having conversations, and then means trying to figure out the best decision to make for every decision point that we have.”
Alcantara has played most of his eight-year career in Miami, going 47-64 with a 3.64 ERA in 159 starts while becoming the first Miami player to win the Cy Young Award after a 2022 season in which he pitched a league-high 228 innings and six complete games.
Alcantara, 29, missed the 2024 season recovering from Tommy John surgery and hasn’t yet returned to form in 2025. He is 6-9 with a 6.36 ERA, and despite being known as one of MLB’s most durable starters, has pitched only seven innings once.
He said it has taken a new level of mental toughness to play through a season not knowing if he would finish the year with the Marlins.
“It was a little hard because everywhere you go, every time you grab your phone, you see your name on the media,” Alcantara said. “But you [can’t] think too much about it. Just stay focused on everything you can do. I just came here, and if something happened, it just happened.”
Alcantara’s most recent two starts have been his best, an indicator to both the player and the Marlins that he might be close to returning to his All-Star caliber play.
He allowed one run and four hits in a season-high seven innings against the San Diego Padres on July 23, then pitched five shutout innings in a win at St. Louis on Tuesday.
“Sandy is continuing to trend,” McCullough said. “And we’re going to continue to be the beneficiaries of having Sandy for the rest of the season, continuing to get back to the pitcher that we all know Sandy is.”
Aranda said the injury did not feel “catastrophic” and he’s hopeful he’ll return this season, although the Rays cautioned he won’t be able to use the wrist for approximately three weeks.
Aranda’s wrist has been immobilized in an air cast and he’s scheduled to undergo more imaging at the three-week mark. At that point, the Rays will reassess his return timetable.
“Let’s see how the bone heals,” manager Kevin Cash said before Friday night’s series opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers. “I think he has re-imaging in about three weeks, but we will continue to remain optimistic.”
Stanton hit a soft grounder in the fifth inning to third baseman Junior Caminero, who charged in on wet grass to field the ball. Aranda reached for Caminero’s wide toss that sailed into the runner, and his left wrist appeared to hit Stanton’s left shoulder.
Aranda, a first-time All-Star, is batting .316 with 12 home runs, 54 RBI in 103 games this season. He has a .394 on-base percentage, and an .872 OPS, making him one of the majors’ most dangerous hitters.
Cash shifted Yandy Díaz to first base in Aranda’s absence.
The Rays reinstated Ha-Seong Kim from the IL and recalled Tristan Gray from Triple-A Durham.
Trade deadline acquisitions Griffin Jax and Hunter Feduccia were active for Friday night’s game.
CLEVELAND — A full-fledged meet and greet was the first order of business for the Minnesota Twins upon their arrival at the ballpark Friday.
Making nine trades and jettisoning nearly 40% of their team before the deadline the previous day meant there were plenty of new faces in the visiting clubhouse when the Twins began their three-game series against the Cleveland Guardians.
Minnesota traded players including standout shortstop Carlos Correa, closer Jhoan Duran and four high-leverage relievers several years away from free agency, among them St. Paul native Louis Varland.
“It’s a hard pill to swallow, but maybe a reset was needed,” catcher Ryan Jeffers said. “We were curious to see how far the front office would go, and they decided to go really far.
“The dominos just kept falling. It just kept coming. It felt like it never ended.”
Just two years ago, the Twins won the American League Central title and advanced to the division series. It turned out to be the high point of their post-pandemic era as they missed the playoffs in 2024 and are currently six games out of the final AL wild-card position.
“A lot of guys who were on our ’23 run aren’t here anymore because of the trades, so that hurt,” pitcher Bailey Ober said. “The business side of baseball sometimes shows its ugly face sometimes. It was surreal watching what happened.”
Ober was one of 10 players who spent Thursday together in a room in the team’s downtown Cleveland hotel, keeping track of the leaguewide activity. The upbeat mood changed when several of them received phone calls from Twins president Derek Falvey telling them they were on the move.
Manager Rocco Baldelli and Ober said no one took the news worse than hometown product Varland, an emerging reliever who was under team control through 2030.
“It was hardest on Lou, and I don’t think it’s close,” Baldelli said. “He loves the organization, and he loves being close to his family. Yeah, he took it hard.”
To field a full roster against the Guardians, the Twins recalled six players from Triple-A St. Paul and selected the contracts of two more Saints. Baldelli held a team meeting as soon as everyone arrived at Progressive Field, then spoke individually with many of his remaining veterans.
All-Star center fielder and unquestioned team leader Byron Buxton, who is on the 10-day injured list with left ribcage inflammation, also joined the Twins in Cleveland.
“Just having him here is huge,” outfielder Matt Wallner said. “That gives us some sense of normal.”
Starting pitcher Chris Paddack, one of six impending free agents, was the first to go Monday to the Detroit Tigers.
Duran, who had a 2.47 ERA with 292 strikeouts over 233⅔ innings in four seasons, was dealt Wednesday to the Philadelphia Phillies in the first sign that the Twins were serious about trading veterans. Duran fetched Triple-A starting pitcher Mick Abel and High-A catcher Eduardo Tait.
“It’s hard, but it’s about making sure that you’re constantly trying to find a way to not just sit on your heels, hope that it all goes better and keep your fingers crossed,” Falvey said. “It’s a way to actually go invest in the future of the team, hopefully the short-term and the long-term.”
“I was in uniform, ready to play for the Buffalo Bisons when it happened,” Roden said, chuckling. “It was a pretty normal day until it wasn’t.”
Popular multiposition player Willi Castro went to the Chicago Cubs and reliever Griffin Jax was sent to the Tampa Bay Rays. Then came the headliner. Correa went back to his original team, the Houston Astros, in what amounted to a salary dump while also bringing back High-A starting pitcher Matt Mikulski.
“It was sad that Carlos left,” catcher Christian Vázquez said. “It was a hard day yesterday. We’re like a family in the clubhouse, so it was hard. It was a fun ride with all of them.”
Less than 22 months ago, the Twins were celebrating at a packed Target Field after Duran closed out a two-game sweep of the Blue Jays in the wild-card round for their first playoff series win in 21 years and the end of their record 18-game postseason losing streak.
Since then, they’ve been in ownership-ordered payroll purgatory in light of the hefty hit they took in regional television revenue after the Diamond Sports Group bankruptcy that affected several other clubs from midsize and small markets.
Even the most aggressive scenarios the Twins envisioned prior to the deadline didn’t include Correa, who signed the richest contract in club history as a free agent after the 2022 season. But the Astros wanted him back and were willing to eat most of the roughly $103 million remaining on his deal through 2028, and Correa was willing to waive his no-trade clause to return to the team that drafted him. The Twins agreed to cover $33 million, due in four installments each Dec. 15.
Falvey was adamant that the Twins aren’t trying to bottom out with this rebuild as other clubs have done with varying degrees of success. The Twins kept both of their All-Stars: Buxton and starting pitcher Joe Ryan, who had plenty of suitors. They’re still confident in third baseman Royce Lewis, who has followed a series of injuries with inconsistency at the plate this season. Starting pitcher Pablo López, whose shoulder injury preceded a skid in June the Twins never corrected, will be back sooner rather than later.
“We’re here to win, let me be clear,” Baldelli said. “The locker room looks different, the team looks different, the lineup is different, but let’s go to work.”