Malachi Toney's injury will leave a mark on the entire college football season, from the College Football Playoff race to the battle for the Heisman Trophy. The Miami star receiver appeared destined for New York, and his absence now opens the door for a new group of contenders to make their case in November.
In a strange twist, the candidate who may benefit most from Toney's absence is his own teammate, Miami quarterback Darian Mensah. The electric duo was expected to split votes, but Mensah can now mount a solo push for the award, beginning Saturday night on the road against No. 11 Notre Dame.
The stakes in South Bend were already high, and they have climbed even higher for the quarterbacks involved. Mensah sits alongside Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith as one of the two clear favorites, and a road win over a national championship contender without his top wide receiver would be a powerful statement. On the other sideline, Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr has a chance to break into the top tier of favorites. Carr has been steady behind the leaders, posting 8.3 yards per attempt with 18 touchdowns against one interception, though a loss to BYU dented his stock. With North Carolina's Billy Edwards Jr. having just thrown for 341 yards against Miami's secondary, there are openings for Carr to exploit if he can find them.
Smith's path to the award has also widened considerably. The Ohio State receiver was the clear frontrunner until quarterback Julian Sayin went down with an injury to his throwing arm, and freshman Luke Fahey's limitations were evident against an underwhelming USC defense. Smith managed a decent stat line against the Trojans, but he was held quiet until USC softened its coverage while protecting a two-score lead, which raised doubts about his ability to match Toney's production.
With Toney sidelined, Smith is back on top of the race and is again the favorite to win the Heisman, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. If Ohio State keeps feeding him targets, the numbers should follow, starting this weekend in a top-25 matchup against Oregon. The bigger question is whether the Buckeyes can avoid another loss or two down the stretch, which would put a fresh dent in Smith's candidacy.
Before Toney's injury, the SEC had no obvious Heisman candidates, but the door has cracked open for Trinidad Chambliss and Sam Leavitt, even if both remain long shots. Chambliss failed to seize his moment against Texas, but he gets a shot at redemption this weekend when No. 2 Georgia visits Oxford in primetime. A strong performance and a win over Kirby Smart's defense would put him back in the conversation for New York.
Leavitt may be the more intriguing SEC quarterback. The high-profile transfer from Arizona State played relatively well early in the season, though some outings were marred by puzzling turnovers. Over the last few weeks, however, he has elevated his game while cutting out the critical mistakes. If LSU keeps winning, Leavitt's Heisman stock could look very different by Thanksgiving.
Whoever emerges from Saturday night's showdown in South Bend with a signature Heisman moment could carry the upper hand into the final weeks of the season, with Toney's absence reshuffling the race at exactly the wrong time for everyone chasing the trophy.
