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Dak Prescott Will Be Heisman Trophy Favorite With Big Game vs. Auburn

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By @bradberreman24

Dak Prescott

Derick E.Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott has become a big name on the college football landscape, virtually out of nowhere, in leading the Bulldogs to a 5-0 record after last Saturday’s win 48-31 over Texas A&M. But as is often the case in the SEC, the schedule does not ease up with a game coming up on Saturday against No. 2-ranked Auburn. One advantage Mississippi State has is that it will be a home game for them, for what that’s worth in college football’s best conference.

Over his last two games, Prescott has accounted for 359 yards of offense per game and scored eight total touchdowns (four passing, four rushing), while completing 70 percent of his passes with zero interceptions in that span. The first of those games was against LSU, who was a top-10 team in the country at the time and is still 17th in the country in points allowed (17.7), back on Sept. 20.

Auburn enters this week’s action ninth in the country in points allowed (14.4 per game), and they’re also in the top-15 in the country in rushing (100.2 yards per game; 13th) and total defense (307 yards per game; 14th). But it also safe to say the Tigers have not faced a quarterback of Prescott’s talent level yet, so they are facing a challenge of their own as they look to remain undefeated.

Other top Heisman Trophy contenders seem to be falling by the wayside fairly quickly this year, most recently with Thursday’s news that Georgia running back Todd Gurley has been suspended indefinitely due to an alleged violation of NCAA rules. Oregon and UCLA both lost last week, and the Heisman candidacy of their respective quarterbacks (Marcus Mariota and Brett Hundley) may now be irreparably damaged. A couple Big Ten running backs, Nebraska’s Ameer Abdullah and Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon, remain top candidates as two of the country’s top three rushers right now. But the overall weakness of that conference looks certain to hurt the chances that both guys have to be anything more than a Heisman finalist.

Prescott has acknowledged that he wears #15 because of former Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow, and comparing the two quarterbacks has now become easy and far too convenient. Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen was the offensive coordinator at Florida when Tebow was there, which stands to work to Prescott’s advantage with the virtual certainty his dual-threat ability will remain a prominent part of the Bulldogs’ offense.

Prescott is also built similarly to Tebow, but the comparison really needs to end there. Let’s allow Prescott to set his own path as a college quarterback without anointing him the “next Tebow” so quickly, and I think he’ll be a better NFL prospect than Tebow whenever he enters the draft.

A big game against a top-notch defense, and another high-profile opponent, would be a nice boost to Prescott’s Heisman Trophy candidacy. If he clearly outperforms Auburn quarterback Nick Marshall, who will be looking to bolster his own Heisman resume with a big performance in a crucial game, Prescott may emerge as the top Heisman candidate in the SEC entering the second half of the season. In any case, the two signal callers will be on center stage Saturday afternoon, and whoever plays better will likely lead his team to an important victory along the way.

After Saturday’s game, Prescott’s next opportunity to showcase his talents on a big stage, and against yet another tough opponent, will come Nov. 15 against Alabama. A final chance to prove he is worthy of at least being a Heisman Trophy finalist will come against Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl on Nov. 29, but I think Prescott’s performance against Auburn will tell us if he can stick as a legit Heisman candidate more than any other game. I don’t think his chances to win the award will be completely gone with a narrow loss on Saturday, but a particularly bad performance and a blowout loss to Auburn would effectively end Prescott’s Heisman chances.

Any aspirations Mississippi State has to play in a high-level bowl game would also start to diminish if Prescott fails to step up, and the team loses to Auburn decisively, but if his performances against Texas A&M and LSU are any indication, the stage will not be too big for him on Saturday.

Prescott and his team are two of the top feel-good stories through the early part of the college football season, but starting now we’ll get to see if both have any staying power as the schedule gets tougher in the midst of conference play. I expect Prescott to play very well against Auburn, win or lose, and if things go a certain way in Starkville and elsewhere over the weekend, he’ll go to the top of Heisman Trophy candidate lists everywhere.

Brad Berreman is a Columnist at Rant Sports.com. Connect with him on Twitter and Google +.

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