Here’s my new Heisman rankings after Week 8 of the college football season, and the race is a lot thinner than it was a month ago.

Two of the top Heisman Trophy contenders, Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith and Oregon State wide receiver Jesse Legree, didn’t drop on my board. Both had a bye week. Miami quarterback Darian Mensah made the most of his Saturday along with his top target, and a couple of other names fell out of the conversation entirely.

Let’s get into it.

Jeremiah Smith and Jesse Legree hold steady on top after the bye

Neither receiver did anything to lose ground. They didn’t play. But each one carries a big question into the back half of the season.

For Smith, it’s simple. How does he keep up the level of production he had with Julian Sayin now that Sayin isn’t going to be in the lineup for the foreseeable future? Smith has been the best receiver in college football, and I don’t think that’s up for debate. Still, Heisman voters reward numbers, and numbers depend on who is throwing the ball. That’s a real hurdle.

For Legree, the question is momentum. It’s already difficult for a wide receiver to win the Heisman. Doing it as a Group of Six receiver is a hell of a lot harder. He has to keep stacking performances that force voters to pay attention, because the spotlight in Corvallis isn’t going to find him on its own.

Darian Mensah’s case runs through South Bend

Mensah played a nearly perfect game against Pitt, and Miami dominated from start to finish. And frankly, that’s the kind of performance a Heisman frontrunner is supposed to put on against a team like Pitt.

But his entire case rests on one game: Notre Dame. If Mensah walks into South Bend and puts up a Heisman-level performance, especially that late in the season, it stamps him as the favorite. More than likely, it makes him the winner of the entire thing. Voters remember November. A signature road win against the Fighting Irish is exactly the moment that turns a strong season into a trophy.

You may say, Tegan, you’re putting a lot on one game. I am. That’s how this award works, and Mensah has the clearest path of anyone to a defining moment.

Why Malachi Toney could get the fourth invite

In fourth place, I’m putting another Miami Hurricanes standout into this conversation in Malachi Toney. Part of that is what Toney has done. Part of it is that the rest of the field is a mixed bag.

Look at what happened to the other contenders. Bear Bachmeier lost to UCF, and his Heisman case dwindled away within a week. CJ Carr’s loss to BYU two weeks ago didn’t help him, either. When the quarterbacks behind Mensah keep losing games they need, the door opens for someone else to slide into that last spot.

To be honest, this is a three-man race right now between the two receivers and Mensah. I think it’s a lot more likely Mensah has an iconic performance than Toney does, which is why the Miami quarterback sits ahead of his own teammate.

A couple of names to keep an eye on down the stretch

Could anyone else crash the party? I think you could see Keelon Russell get there, but it’s going to take a lot. He probably needs an incredible performance on the road against LSU to even enter the conversation.

And sneaky, keep an eye on Sam Leavitt, who seems to be putting it all together at LSU. He’s a long shot. Long shots have a way of showing up in November, though.

With that being said, my four Heisman invites to New York are Jeremiah Smith, Jesse Legree, Darian Mensah, and Malachi Toney. If Mensah handles business in South Bend, the debate is over, and I’m comfortable stamping him as the guy to beat right now.